I CONFESS I love watching the Anzac march ('The spirit 'strong as ever'', Newcastle Herald 26/4).
The soldiers, the nurses, the bands, the horses, the more recent Frontier Wars group, the music and the whole symbolism of this event. I cry, smile and I applaud all at the same time.
I was therefore shocked and horrified when a much younger relative accused the event of jingoism, nationalism and commercialism: "a day on which old people can flutter their medals and relive their glory days and get wildly drunk. But for us it is a public holiday".
To me Anzac Day is a day of reverence. It is a solemn commemoration. Not a celebration. A day on which we honour our armed forces who made sacrifices for the country.
It is also a time of warning that one man can start a war that can envelop the whole world.
One "remembrance" that I did find disrespectful was the wearing of Anzac symbols on football jerseys in Anzac Day matches alongside the sponsor. I do not think the Anzacs in warfare were thinking of sports bets, insurance or airlines. The classic war song I Was Only 19 played between sports betting ads left me feeling most uncomfortable.
Would not a black arm band and a sprig of rosemary have been more appropriate?
But recent studies have shown that only 5 per cent of people attend Anzac services, mostly due to younger, more diverse demographics. More are interested in Invasion Day, women's issues and climate effects.
Since 2015 overall attendance has apparently dropped by 70 per cent.
Helen Douglas, Stockton
Discrimination went beyond drink
GWEN Collis (Short Takes 2/5), discrimination against Aboriginal servicemen went further than not being able to have a drink with your war mates at the RSL.
Here is just one example: the Soldier Settlement Scheme Act of 1916 provided Crown land to returned soldiers, but not Aboriginal soldiers.
In Victoria (at Coranderrk near Healesville) they even gave land that was an Aboriginal reserve to returned non-Aboriginal soldiers. Again the Aboriginal servicemen themselves were not included.
They were booted off their own land and not included in the scheme to give that land to soldiers.
Glen Wilson, Cardiff
Protesters go about it wrong way
I HAVE an idea for these indoctrinated, time- and money-wasting climate-change activists whose main purpose in life seems to be making a general nuisance of themselves. Why not go over to the world's biggest polluters, China and India, and see how they go in trying to save the world, instead of wasting their own, and everyone else's, time here in Australia. Our contribution to pollution is miniscule on the world stage.
Climbing on, and stopping, coal trains and blocking traffic achieves absolutely nothing for their cause except to get the vast majority of people offside.
It seems to me that some of these annoying activists have nothing better to do, and all day to do it.
Ian King, Warners Bay
Vapes have an upside for some
AGAIN this government has opened their mouth before putting their brain into gear.
So, it's OK to get your drugs tested before you enter a concert but, because politicians can't get off their butts to stop the illegal capsules containing nicotine, they have decided to ban vape devices (Herald 2/5).
I find it ironic that medical officials are concerned about the youth of our nation using vapes, yet, meanwhile, innocent people are dying due to youths stealing cars and driving recklessly while drug or alcohol-affected. Get real.
There are some genuine heavy smokers in our society who are doing their best to wean themselves off cigarettes by utilising vapes. They've tried nicotine patches, but they didn't work, so now they're trying something that might help them quit.
If you're concerned about youth health, then how about focusing on preventing their access to alcohol and drugs, not testing for safe drugs or legalising marijuana (medicinal 100 per cent yes) and uncontrolled advertising of alcohol?
Now I hear that it may be possible for under-18s to attend methadone clinics.
But I get it; control what you can control, because the government is useless at controlling the obvious causes to declining youth health.
Politicians must wake up and look at the effects of their negligence and failure to quell youth violence; people who don't drink or take drugs are dying, and families will suffer mentally for the rest of their lives due to the government's inability to prevent youth access to illegal drugs and alcohol.
Graeme Kime, Cameron Park
Population might be the problem
CRISPIN Hull ("It's time to talk about population", Opinion 2/5,) suggests a decade of creating a two-tier society. I disagree; this has been advancing for at least two decades due to government policies.
Regarding migration policy, I cannot see the sense of allowing more than 600,000 people in over the next 18 months. Has anyone noticed the congestion in the Newcastle/Lake Macquarie/Hunter region, not to mention Sydney?
High rise to accommodate more people isn't the answer. Overcrowding is known to create antisocial behaviour.
The only winners of the game are speculators.
The ageing population will self correct, and health and education costs to the government will reduce. Additional numbers means the perceived problems will grow. More people means greater costs and greater numbers of "the rest", to quote Mr Hull, with greater poverty and homelessness an inevitable result. Small population size seems to create a happier, more universally wealthy population.
If you need evidence of this claim just look at the world's top ten happiest countries recently published in the Herald.
Marvyn Smith, Heddon Greta
A way to go to 80 per cent
Thanks Arvid Taylor (Short Takes, 3/5), for the clarification. Yes, solar cells are not 80 per cent efficient. Let's hope one day they are. The current world record is 33 per cent using a silicon/perovskite tandem solar cell developed by KAUST in Saudi Arabia. That is, the record energy output from a solar cell is currently about one-third of the input energy from the sun. The best commercially available panels in Australia have an efficiency around 22 per cent. What I should have said is that after 25 years, on average, solar cells still output about 80 per cent of the electricity they did when new. Like efficiency, this may improve over time.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Vic
SHORT TAKES
"GO the Jets" might be the wrong slogan. Almost at the bottom of the table, they once again let in too many goals and didn't score enough. They need to buy a good central defender and a good striker that's going to score regularly. Other staff and coaches in previous years got sacked for this sort of season. Hopefully it's all fixed up and we can all shout "go the Jets" again soon.
Mick Walker, Elermore Vale
I CANCELLED my Knights membership after 23 years of loyalty due to a serious lack of effort in the jersey over the last few years. Up until this week I've been really impressed with the grit and determination shown by most players. Gamble, Hastings, Gagai, Fitzgibbon and Best have given everything to the team and more. Then Ponga comes back, some players mentioned above are benched, and we go back to pathetic performances. Losing while giving your everything is nothing to be ashamed of, but losing and showing no effort is unacceptable. Dropping Gamble was inexcusable.
Dave Fothergill, The Junction
AGL faced considerable pressure from the former federal government to keep the Liddell coal-fired power station open for five years longer or sell it. But investing in batteries and renewables generation made more sense for the diversified energy company. We will soon see how this pans out. It is evident, though, that governments can't always be relied on to judge things well in the midst of a complex energy revolution that can be harnessed in the public's best interest, but not denied. That's why a national energy transition authority, to provide independent advice and help protect the socio-economic needs of the most-affected workers and regions, is a timely idea.
Jim Allen, Panorama
KING Charles thinks he took the stone of destiny from Edinburgh for his coronation, but we Scots know better.
Bill Slicer, Tighes Hill
CARL Stevenson paints a scenario of the doomsday existence he will have to endure if the last coal-fired power station closes in two years. That gives him two years to move to Tasmania. 100 per cent renewables providing the power there, no blackouts and no coal-fired power stations. In fact, sometime, about 10 years down the track, they will be generating 200 per cent of their needs and will be exporting surplus power to the mainland, as Norway does to surrounding countries from its surplus renewable power.
Jan Phillip Trevillian, Fennell Bay
WEEK after week we read about teens being involved in stabbings, car theft and bashings. Have we, as parents, failed and let them down, or has our legal and judicial system let us down? This can't go on.
Bob Pattie, Caves Beach
HAVE all those calling for the Voice referendum thought about those thousands of voices calling for a roof over their head? Surely the hundreds of millions of dollars for the referendum could be spent on housing - a real lasting benefit for those seeking low-income housing. The Voice may help, but money for housing will help.
