Better late than never
It was gratifying to read that the the Lucas memorial has at last become a reality.
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What an emotional event it would have been if the initiative had been taken while the last remaining Lucas brother was still alive. Ah well, using the old cliche, "Better late than never".
Keith Beresford, Sydney
Charitable donation?
Happy to patronise the Motorcycle Expo on Saturday raising money for charity. How is Reid Battye, donated $500, a charity?
Rod Annabel, Bega
Tactics appalling
I am appalled at the tactics employed by gay rights activists in trying to prevent ordinary Australians from having a say in the same sex marriage issue. It is a social matter having no bearing on governance, but is preventing the government from addressing far more pressing issues.
Active gays are a small but powerful minority with many high achievers and people in dominant positions in business and elsewhere. Their campaign has become vicious and potentially violent.
The look of hatred on Michael Kirby's face as he vowed to use his position and power to prevent public participation in deciding the issue I found most disturbing.
I find despicable the activities of businesses and businessmen, particularly the CEO of Qantas in using their powerful positions to force the issue.
We have the situation where tennis great Margaret Court expressed her views very politely only to be met with abuse. A church group was threatened and intimidated into cancelling a meeting. I understood that threats and intimidation constituted a criminal offence, but this is apparently applied selectively.
Gay couples have, quite properly, every civil right accorded to heterosexual couples, but are intent on getting their hands on the word "marriage", which for centuries has had a specific meaning as the joining of a man and a woman. They imply that conventional marriage has a purely religious basis.
I imagine at least 70 per cent of marriages are carried out by secular marriage celebrants in addition to the thousands of heterosexual couples who have no certification. It seems lost on gay activists that their current campaign is alienating the general public and probably many of their supporters.
I will certainly be voting "no" and urge others to do likewise. Mind you I will vote for anything that might serve to wipe the sneer off Bill Shorten's face.
Noel Carter, Bermagui,
Is hospital F.A.S.T enough?
It's National Stroke Week and our national charity, the Stroke Foundation, is doing a great job to beat and treat this serious medical emergency, that will strike one in six of us. Learn the F.A.S.T. test for the easy way to tell if your mother, father or friend is having a stroke:
F. FACE, is their mouth drooping? A. ARMS, can they lift both arms? S. SPEECH, is it slurred? T. TIME, act fast, call 000 – for the best chance of recovery, they must be treated within four and a half hours.
Canberra is too far away to meet that emergency medical deadline.
So it would be nice for our community to know from the powers-that-be in our Southern NSW Local Health District in Queanbeyan, when their promise of a fully functional thrombolytic stroke will be up and running at our brand new Bega hospital.
With our large retired population and many more over-65s than the national average, we need this vital health service, so the dedicated efforts of our local emergency paramedics and local doctors are not diminished.
Meanwhile, you can get your blood pressure checked by many local pharmacies. If it's above normal, see your GP. Studies show 38 per cent of men and 26 per cent of women have high blood pressure.