PHILIP Gardner, when will you and your board review the Newcastle Knights' head coach? Once again the supporters of this proud club have observed this season disappear in a flurry of positional mistakes, a lack of desperation, a lack of hunger and no understanding of how to breach opposition defences. The top eight is looking but a pipe dream once again.This is after three years with the coach we were told "would come in and address the culture of the club and turn things around" at the helm.
Professional sport is a results-driven industry. Look at the Knights juniors who were deemed not good enough to remain at this club, but are now plying their trade at other clubs. These clubs hold places in the table far higher than the Knights.
In my opinion the head coach is responsible for all that occurs at the Knights football club, from player retention to the structure of the teams that play under the Knights banner. I believe Mr O'Brien has, to put it mildly, failed and it is incumbent upon the club's management to admit it's time to move on. Loyalty in football is a great attribute, but a time comes when the results over the past three years have to suggest that a new direction needs to be taken.
Stephen Orford, Garden Suburb
Stories of struggle are everywhere
I'M a Greens member. Recently our local group had a stall at the Wollombi Markets, as we often do, talking to people about the housing crisis and compiling a petition to show the Albanese government that we don't think they are doing enough.
One woman told us her rent had doubled and she and her family had moved in with other family members. There were nine people in the house for a while until she and her family could get another place. Others told us of the story that seems to be a popular line amongst real estate agents moving people on: that the owner wants to move back in and will be renovating. All people have to do is look online and see the property relisted for a huge increase with no reno.
One lady told of how she was living in Redhead and rent went up to be her entire wage. Another told us of the tents she sees in the bush near Swansea when she walks her dogs. Another topic discussed was the number of empty homes in our suburban streets. There are empty homes in my street; are they Airbnbs? It seems likely so close to the vineyards.
The house that backs onto me is public housing. Recently a new family moved in; it's a tiny fibro two-bedder. I bet it is freezing in there. They have three kids and were homeless for 18 months, mum and the kids in a caravan on the coast whilst the dad stayed with mates to keep working.
One of my sons, when living in Newcastle just last year, was renting a house in appalling condition. There were holes in the floorboards covered up by the carpet. He reckons the reason he and his friend got a house relatively quickly was because they were not too fussy.
I wouldn't live there with kids, and it was a decent size house with a yard. I thought real estate agents were obliged to ensure all the properties were safe, but from what I've seen they have the gall to inspect homes they wouldn't live in themselves.
I despair at our society. What is wrong with everyone? I had someone say to me very recently that she thought homeless people could at least keep themselves clean. I looked at her and said very clearly "you do know that being homeless means you have no bathroom or toilet don't you?"
After an exhausting day listening to people's stories, and as I climb into my lovely comfortable bed, I feel so grateful. I'm luckier than most; I own my very humble home, but I had to fight for it. I wonder what the PM thinks as he drifts off to sleep in a place where poor people don't get views.
Louise Ihlein, Cessnock
Go lightly on the high-beams
I AM finding that many people are driving vehicles with their lights wrongly focused, or choosing to drive at night in suburban streets with their high beam on. This is making driving dangerous, as wrongly-focused lights can prevent the driver coming towards you from being able to see.
The rules are simple: your low beam must be pointing down while your high beam can be pointing up and it depends upon the height of your vehicle how far down the light must point. Currently, newer cars are choosing brighter lights and so this makes the problem a lot worse.
There was a time when street lighting was far better and low beam was sufficient for all built-up areas, but councils have reduced the brightness and the number of lights so high beam is more often than not used. Many forget to dip their lights.
Of course the off-road vehicles are often offenders of partly blinding road users, but even police vehicles forget or are adjusted incorrectly. Let's make the effort to make driving safer for everyone.
Milton Caine, Birmingham Gardens
A cache of priceless memories
PETER Martin ("How long before cash disappears?", Opinion, 21/6), brought back memories. After I left school, just turned 16, I worked at the ANZ Bank on Hunter and Brown streets for a couple of years. As a junior (before I was "promoted" to teller) I attended the cheque settlement once a week at the Commercial Bank of Australia. All cheques received in the preceding week were sorted into their bank of origin, then we would ring around the other banks to see what they had and, depending on the balance, one side would draw a bank cheque for the difference payable to the other. This was a good way to get to know people in the other banks; I met my first girlfriend there.
On the cash front, once a week another young bloke and I would walk up Hunter Street to the Commonwealth Bank in Newcomen Street carrying a green metal trunk between us, collecting tens of thousands of pounds in notes and ferrying it back down Hunter Street, only stopping for a drink at the pineapple bar on the corner of Wolfe Street. For security one of us carried an old revolver. On the other hand, the bags of coins were transported by armed guards from the ANZ branch at Hunter and Bolton Street. Life was much simpler then.
John Ure, Mount Hutton
Let voters make their own choice
WE read comments about "intelligent Australian voters", and I'm sure there are plenty of them, but ahead of the Voice referendum it would appear that we need to be advised how to respond by everyone, from politicians to contributors to this page, urging us to vote 'yes'. I'm not sure that Australians like to be told how to vote, and as the polls keep coming the more convinced I become.
David Stuart, New Lambton
China's emissions are a red herring
GARRY Robertson argues China is the biggest producer of greenhouse emissions ("Better targets than the loaders", Letters, 23/6). Unfortunately Australians have one of the worst records on emissions, producing 17.1 tonnes per capita versus China's 7.6 tonnes. China is now the world's largest investor in clean energy and has one third of the world's solar and offshore wind power. The Talasol PV Park is the world's largest, producing nine gigawatts and their hydro power is also a world beater.
Don Owers, Dudley
SHORT TAKES
NOBODY likes picking up their dog faeces, which is why some dog owners don't do it on Redhead Beach and other off-leash areas ("Poodunnit", Newcastle Herald 22/6). It is easy for owners to act irresponsibly but most dog-walkers have poo bags and quickly collect the material. I have never seen a Lake Macquarie City Council inspector on Caves or Redhead beaches either correcting or fining dog owners. Personally I believe a little bit of enforcement would go a long way in correcting dog-owner behaviour.
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
KEITH Parsons is absolutely spot on (Short Takes, 22/6). I was born 75 years ago in this great city we call Newcastle. None of my friends call it Newy. It's only in recent times has that garbage name surfaced, when those amongst us are too lazy or too trendy to call it by its correct name. Have pride in the city in which you live and describe it as you should. If that's all a little too hard for you to manage, then may I suggest you move to a place away from Newcastle where they don't mind the name of their town shortened from the original.
Rob Bernasconi, Rankin Park
I AM glad Greg Marzhew is back for the Knights this week ('Knights eager to join the rare few', Herald 21/6), but probably the bird has flown after last week's loss. Perhaps the coach could get Marzhew to educate Bradman Best on how to score a try when he gets near the line. It's easy to see Marzhew gets low and drives hard. Best has been held up on over three occasions and been unable to get it down.
Allen Small, East Maitland
OVER a recent coffee meeting, the protesters at the coal loader were discussed. All of us are over 40 years old. Why do we have to bring them down from their triangles or unglue them from the road? Every day roads are blocked for repairs with yellow hats, and we move around them, sometimes for weeks. The trains could be rerouted. They could become a tourist attraction. Is there a law that they must be removed? Fairly common procedure in the Middle Ages.
John Hollingsworth, Hamilton
THE NSW Minerals Council campaign against Same Job, Same Pay was as predictable as it is misleading. With 30 years' experience in coal mining, I have seen similar false flag campaigns run by various coal associations. Granted, the coal industry I worked in was fully unionised. Non-union contract labour did not exist and the system in place enabled on the job skills learning to flourish. The latest campaign projects the legislation as having a stultifying effect upon an individual's right and desire to become even more productive, sugarcoating what I believe to be the Minerals Council's real intent. I think it's a contrived and cynical attempt to have Australian industry returned "piecework" systems. Put lipstick on a pig and it's still just a pig, I say.
