Newcastle Herald letters to the editor, Friday, April 2, 2020: Surfers need to get on board with changes

I am amazed this sport is allowed to continue when every other sport has been ceased in Australia.

To me, this is just selfish behaviour.

I want our beaches to remain a safe area. Let's call a stop to surfing during this tough time for everyone's protection. If I can work on the frontline caring for Newcastle's most vulnerable I think surfers can stay home.

KEEN to get out of the house on Saturday, I headed off for my usual walk through Blackbutt Reserve, only to find a sign declaring it had been closed to the public. Not just to cars and use of the picnic areas, but the entire 182 hectares of the reserve closed - to everyone. The sign said the decision had been made in line with the latest NSW Public Health Order. I looked that order up and there is nothing in it that requires a place such as Blackbutt to close in its entirety. The only relevant category I could see was "community facilities", but it was clear this meant indoor facilities.

Other parks in Newcastle remain open, subject to social distancing requirements. Parks in Sydney remain open as well, including Centennial Park, The Domain, Hyde Park and the Botanic Gardens. National Parks have closed campgrounds and visitor centres, but are otherwise open to the public. Why can't the same approach be taken with Blackbutt, closing areas such as the playgrounds, picnic areas and wildlife exhibits, but leaving the remainder open subject to social distancing?

There is less chance of infecting, or being infected by someone while walking through Blackbutt as there is walking down Hunter Street. On my regular one-hour walks, I rarely pass more than a few people. Any risk council might think is posed to staff by people using the reserve in this way is therefore negligible.

Being able to get outside and exercise safely during this time is essential to personal and community well being. It relieves stress and boredom, and improves health. The decision to completely close Blackbutt is unnecessary and counterproductive, and should be reviewed.

ANTONY Bennett (Letters, 31/3) makes a good point. The Fernleigh Track is a shared pathway and will certainly be in greater demand for the more passive members of our community as we deal with our need for exercise, fresh air and homeschooling.

My background: competitive cyclist for many years, well I thought so, President of one of the Cycling Australia Clubs racing at Kooragang, Commissaire, Race Director and a career in local government infrastructure management, this included cycle ways.

If you wish to train hard, do it on the road, leave the 'Track' a safe place and be patient.

On that note: if you have small children, on the cycle way, watch them, not your telephone and please heel your dog to the left on a short lead.

AFTER reading the opinion piece by the lord mayor ('Community well-being central to response', Herald, 31/1) can we as the ratepayers ask what is the council doing about cutting costs to save ratepayers' money?

The rest of the community have lost jobs and businesses, so we ask what cost savings has council put in place. Is there a 50 per cent reduction in the chief executive's salary of around $465,000 per year or the lord mayor's salary of $125,000 per year. Are other senior employees in council supporting pay cuts to help?

The opinion piece made no sense to me and many, many others I spoke to. It offered no real money to the ratepayers. I could not understand what council is offering in the opinion piece.

With so many unemployed and businesses shut in the area, is it not time that the council to also cut its costs and shared the enormous burden that we the ratepayers are forced to bear?

What business has time to do an online course when they need cash flow to keep operating day to day. That $500,000.00 she speaks off could be far better applied to help businesses survive.

WELL it has finally hit the NRL players in regards to their employment - the money is not going to be there for these million-dollar contracts.

Players will be on a lot lower signing-on fees and I think it will go back to old days where a player was paid a certain amount for win and a lot less for a loss, which won't be a bad thing as I think you will see some better efforts from players who will be going flat out to win.

IT must be an April Fools' Day joke - $2 million for a bit of the transport corridor Newcastle council gave away to the Hunter Development Corporation?

Is it possibly the same transport corridor the Hunter Development Corporation offered $10 for in 2014? Is this the same transport corridor Planning Minister Brad Hazzard promised would be retained for green space or possibly a cycleway? Could this be the same transport corridor that the Property Council declared would be too narrow to be built upon? Is this the same transport corridor, now cluttered up with concrete that some people complained was obstructing access to the wharf?

It reminds me of Premier Mike Baird's promise that the Newcastle tram would never be privatised. Ratepayers must be impressed.

ON Tuesday morning, I received my first online delivery of grocery shopping from Coles supermarket. This arrangement was effected under a priority system with a medical certificate provided by my GP. The order was made on line on Monday, with an acknowledgement from Coles by email of receipt and a re-statement of all the items to be sent. On Tuesday morning we were advised of an approximate delivery time, again by email, and the delivery was made within the time range.

Nearly all of the items we ordered were sent, with any not available being substituted by a similarly priced alternative. As we were not sure if we would be at home at time of delivery, the order was marked "unattended", and we didn't even hear the delivery. Absolutely brilliant, Coles.

KEN Thornton (Short Takes, 31/3) asks how to explain at children's level what soap does and what water does when washing hands, with respect to COVID-19. The simple explanation I've read goes like this: The virus is sticky. It's a bit like it has glue on it so it stays on your hands. But soap dissolves that glue. It gets rid of so much glue that the virus is much less sticky, so the water can wash it away.

WAS not the Balaclira Channel designed to move water from the river into Grahamstown dam storage at times of good low salt level flow. If this is the case why do we only have 66 per cent capacity? Has all the run-off from recent rainfall been secreted away to the inland rivers?

OKAY, Virgin Airlines wants a million-dollar bail-out. What is Richard Branson's personal fortune?

WHILST staying home when I'm not working, trying to do my bit, the mind starts to wander who invented cheese, how did it all happen, who was the crazy cat that put it in their mouth not knowing if they would survive eating the first cheese ever made?

I AGREE with Bruce Cook (Short Takes, 31/3) how irresponsible were the powers to be to let all those passengers off that cruise ship without being tested and cleared. Bloody irresponsible at least.

TO follow Rick Carter (Letters, 30/3) since the evaporation rate is so high at Lake Eyre it would be better to keep the fresh water that falls in the rivers and let the sea into Lake Eyre through Spencer Gulf.

I THINK that staying at home during the current crisis isn't so bad but I have noticed she who must be obeyed has been watching a lot of murder documentaries lately.

APPARENTLY hairdressers and their clients are immune from COVID-19. This week everyone seemed to be doing their bit to keep social distancing, but not at the hairdressers. There they were doing clients hair, standing right over them, no masks, no gloves happily chatting away. It just doesn't make any sense.

MAC Maguire usually makes himself a prime target with some of the stuff he serves up on this page. However, he finally found a supporter in ace Howard hater, Darryl Tuckwell (Short Takes, 30/3). Personally, I wouldn't take a lot of comfort from that, Mr Maguire.

A BILLIONAIRE landlord, John Van Lieshout, has apparently told his commercial tenants, they will have to continue to pay rent even though their businesses have closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. My advice to you John would be to get on a cruise ship, go somewhere and do not come back. We do not need people like you in this country at this time.