IS it too soon to declare that Australia's seventh largest city is having its moment in the sun? While I don't have access to the marketing statistics, I suspect Newcastle's national profile has risen dramatically in recent years.
More and more Australians appear to be discovering that Newcastle has diversified beyond its industrial origins to emerge, as Britain's Telegraph newspaper once described it, a city of "ramshackle glamour on apricot beaches".
Even the ramshackle part of that description is becoming out of date. While there is a great deal to do, many of the city's heritage buildings have been restored and adapted. At Honeysuckle - which four decades ago was a forlorn wasteland of disused docks and rail sidings - the vision of a new waterfront town and recreational precinct is nearing full realisation. The much-needed redevelopment of the Hunter Street mall precinct is thankfully well underway and the West End, long the poor part of "town", is gradually rising as the new CBD.
Newcastle is attracting an influx of talent, ideas and entrepreneurialism. Our vibrant food, entertainment and accommodation scene, for example, is due in part to the arrival of hospitality operators from Sydney, Canberra and Queensland. On an individual level, I've been told several stories of people who came here for a weekend and left plotting ways to return to live.
I recently met a man who just retired to Newcastle from the Southern Highlands. After a visit, he and his wife purchased a waterfront apartment at Honeysuckle in preference to one in Sydney or the South Coast. His neighbour, who owns a successful business in Dubbo, uses his Newcastle apartment as a holiday house.
Of course, there is still the understandable tendency for ambitious young Novocastrians to leave, in order to test themselves in bigger cities or overseas. But many return in later years, having concluded that Newcastle's mix of big city attractions and small-town vibe is hard to beat. And I think it's our possibly unique position as neither too big nor too small that makes Newcastle so attractive. It's Australia's Goldilocks city and for me and seemingly many others, it's just right.
Of course, with newfound outside interest comes some concerns. As Newcastle continues to attract people and money from elsewhere, the challenge is to embrace the talent and investment, while growing in ways that don't ruin the essential elements that make our town so special, and inspire all those out-of-towners in the first place.
Mark Mathot, Mayfield East
Bring on whip ban
I BET you will all be delighted in the news about Victoria Racing planning to ban whips during December! Isn't that great?
I am disgusted to read Gai Waterhouse's objection to Victoria Racing's decision to ban whips down there in December. That's a wonderful decision from VR and yes, research has found horses do feel pain and whipping them does not make them go any faster. For all the trainers and jockeys involved with racing, I think their focus is only about money - greed. If a horse isn't fast enough it mostly ends up at the slaughterhouse. Tragic. It's such a dirty game.
Pauline McCarthy, Salamander Bay
'Yes' vs 'no' among Libs
CREDIT to NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman for taking a considered and principled stance to support 'yes' for the Voice. Meanwhile, Peter Dutton is disingenuously scraping the bottom of the barrel for mud to sling against the Voice.
Unfortunately negativity in regard to race remains easy to sell to some Australians. Dutton, together with a motley alliance of fringe players, may well sink the referendum. However, it will be a pyrrhic victory as he will forever be tainted by his lack of constructive leadership. Dutton's federal Liberal Party will be eschewed by fair minded Australians.
Hopefully Speakman's positive 'yes' stance rather than Dutton's negativity will prevail to promote national healing, self-respect and Australia's international standing.
Martin Frohlich, Adamstown Heights
We did this to Mother Nature
IT'S about time Mother Nature spoke against all human abuse. We destroyed the forests, oceans, mountains, fauna and flora by overpopulation, greed, eating ourselves into oblivion. We are our own worst enemy and we deserve everything Mother Nature dishes out to us. We infected our planet with a virus with no immunisation, and no matter which fictitious deity you worship, it won't prevent the wrath of Mother Earth. I suggest as Australians we should follow our brother emu's example and stick our heads in the sand, which the world has done over the past millennia when it came to the duty of care of our planet.
Graeme Kime, Cameron Park
Knights lose too many good junior players
CALEB Gracie, a Cessnock rugby league junior, has signed for three years with Canberra. He played first grade at 17. The Cessnock coach compared him to Reagan Campbell-Gillard, whom he played with at Penrith. Gracie played SG Ball this year with the Knights and was part of their pathways system, which I've worked out to be a pathway for our juniors to other clubs. Someone has to look at the failure of the retention committee, which continues to let these young men go to other clubs.
Tony Phillip, Kurri Kurri
Airline decision alienates
I AM going to ditch Qantas. Why waste shareholders' funds in painting planes with a slogan that is dividing the nation 50/50? I will not use Qantas again and hope the 50 per cent who are with me will also look at other carriers. I trust this is a warning to other woke corporates who may consider backing the campaign.
Don Ayres, Belmont
Ignorance or intelligence?
IN reply to Greg Hunt ('We're not on the world stage', Letters, 14/8) and Matt Ophir ('The concerned aren't all racists', Letters, 14/8), I have taken the advice the lion gave to the tiger: "when ignorance screams, intelligence moves on".
Bill Slicer, Tighes Hill
Losing right to complain
IF one is to look at division regarding the Voice, one need only look at Australian sporting teams to notice that some sing the national anthem and some don't. One has lost the right to complain if one says it's your right to not sing Advance Australia Fair.
Bryn Roberts, New Lambton
The great Aussie myth
BRUCE Brown claims he was easily identified as an Aussie in the UK ('Picked out as an Aussie', Letters, 16/8). Bruce, do you honestly think you'd have received the same result if you were an Aussie of mixed heritage - say Indian, Pacific Islander or Chinese? The great Aussie myth is that our Australian-ness, and worth as an Australian, depends on our whiteness.
