WHAT a great, locally produced documentary: Shipwrecked Newcastle ("Sadness and survival in story of shipwrecks", Newcastle Herald 2/11). It's available now on YouTube.
It highlights one aspect of the rich maritime heritage of the Port of Newcastle. Unfortunately, it also highlights the plight of the local Maritime Museum which, through a lack of premises, is unable to display for the public its rich collection featuring the other aspects of the port's history.
How ideal would a refurbished Queens Wharf complex be for a Maritime Museum where people could gaze out onto the harbour where all the displayed history actually took place?
As there is virtually no Australian merchant fleet today, the ships you see coming and going here every day are all foreign owned and manned. I think it is important that the current and future generations learn about the fleets of ships, large and small, and their personnel who serviced all the local communities around the country's coastline; to learn about the ships which were built here, both at the state and Walsh Island dockyards; to learn about the vast numbers of Newcastle men and women who served on these ships and of those who lost their lives when their ships were sunk during World War II.
A museum in close proximity to the Merchant Navy memorial would seem appropriate. Perhaps the new Newcastle council could make some moves in this direction.
Ian Wright, Cameron Park
Flow of funds outrages
HUNTER Water has put forward the case to raise our water rates from 2025 for five years. For me it seems to be 5.2 per cent, compounding for the next five years.
This is largely to fund a new desalination plant at Belmont.
What they don't tell you is that Hunter Water have returned many millions in profit to the state government in the past 10 years. Now they want to slug us for the desalination plant and probably still return profits to the state government each year.
Talk about double dipping. What a business plan: save no money for future infrastructure projects, cry poor and build a case to raise the funds from the customers. Shame, Hunter Water. Shame for treating your customers as cash cows.
One last thing, once the desalination plant is paid for, will our water rates and charges drop back down? I believe everyone needs to make a submission to IPART and voice their disapproval. They could also email or call Hunter Water to do the same.
Paul Koina, Islington
Schedule an Australia Day insult
Will Cricket Australia (CA) ever learn? Australia will not play cricket on Australia Day in 2025 on the excuse that it will clash with the Australian open men's tennis final. Rod Laver Arena, where the tennis final is held, has a seating capacity of 14,820 whereas the MCG can seat 100,024 fans a day. Cricket runs for five days and a tennis match for four hours at the most.
In my opinion this seems more like CA does not support Australia Day and bugger the fans. I believe organisations like CA and some of its players should be told it is Australia Day, not Activists' Day. Perhaps we should all do a Woolworths and boycott the cricket.
John Cooper, Charlestown
Gospels have historical merit
I WONDER who Barney Langford's "most modern day scholars" are ("Great tales, but don't claim truth", Letters 5/11), on the basis of whose 'scholarship' he confidently asserts in his letter that "the New Testament was written at least 100 years after the events chronicled in their text".
A quick review of Biblical scholarship will readily reveal that, while dates are not precise, there is general agreement that the earliest manuscripts date from the late 40s AD (Galatians). Most of the gospels and letters are from the 50s and 60s, and John's writings (his gospel, letters and Revelation) were probably written in the 90s.
The canon may not have been settled until 393 AD (the council of Hippo) but let's be clear: the documents were almost all written within 20 to 30 years of Jesus' death (which was likely 33AD) by people who were eyewitnesses of the events recorded, or lived contemporaneously with Jesus. That level of eyewitness evidence would sit well in any modern-day courtroom.
Rob Bulley, New Lambton
Figurehead's pay seems high
I'VE just been reading where the Governor General has negotiated a 43 per cent increase in her salary.
I wonder who approved such an increase and on what basis it was deemed appropriate, taking her salary beyond $700,000. In my mind the Governor-General is only a figurehead who swans around, shaking hands and making small talk often with people they don't know or have any interest in.
Let's not forget that, likely on top of this highly inflated salary, she enjoys at taxpayers' expense a luxurious mansion, car and driver plus heaps of other perks while in my opinion doing nothing actually productive.
To top it off, having the hide to act as the king's representative while publicly declaring to be in favour of us becoming a republic? To me all this doesn't pass the pub test.
Ian King, Warners Bay
Blockade was 'joyous', so I'm doing it again
The Rising Tide harbour blockade last year was a major event, putting Newcastle on the map as a centre of environmental civic awareness. It was also a joyous occasion. Council should support this year's harbour blockade. I and my friends will be going.
Peter Schofield, Cooks Hill
Bypass bid is a pipe dream
AFTER reading Bradley Perrett's opinion piece ("There's a solution for Charlestown, Belmont traffic", Newcastle Herald, 8/11), I could only think of one thing he needed to be told: "tell him he's dreamin'."
Denise Sweeney, Whitebridge
Infrastructure money left on table
BRADLEY Perrett has some wonderful infrastructure ideas ("There's a solution for Charlestown, Belmont traffic", Herald, 8/11). What a pity that Australia opted out of the Belt and Road initiative, as now there is no way to pay for them.
Peter Ronne, Woodberry
Golf as protest against vandals
AFTER reading about the "absolute idiots" slashing tyres in Kahibah on Beath Crescent and Firth Street where my Mum lives ("'Absolute idiots': fury after group goes on tyre-slashing spree", Herald 8/11), I felt inclined to park my car outside her place and practice my golf swing with my new clubs. Perhaps I'll just tell the police I'm protesting against vandals and derelicts.
Bryn Roberts, New Lambton
Museum plan worth preserving
PAUL Newey ("Royally good spot for a museum", Letters, 7/11). Brilliant idea. Why didn't I think of it?
Peter Hay, Islington
More than hearsay needed
IN reply to Ian King ("Buyer beware on new tech", Letters, 7/11), his letter sounds as if it was told to him by a friend of a friend. I think I would need to carry out some research of my own before I could accept this story as kosher, methinks.
