Stay close, be kind: Gympie woman's NZ sister pens her shock

'Waking up this morning, it is hard to believe that this dreadful insult on decent human beings, has been performed by other humans.'

This image taken from the alleged shooters video, which was filmed Friday, March 15, 2019, shows him as he drives and he looks over to three guns on the passenger side of his vehicle in New Zealand. (AP Photo)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Christchurch massacre

GYMPIE woman Julia Lawrence received this letter from her sister on Saturday. Wilma Tansley married a New Zealand soldier after the Second World War and has lived in New Zealand ever since:

Waking up this morning, it is hard to believe that this dreadful insult on decent human beings, has been performed by other humans.

Julia Lawrence celebrates her 90th birthday in Gympie. Picture: Contributed

There is a great sense of loss, but also a determination from family and friends to support one another today and to get on with life, showing these minority bad people that they are not welcome in this beautiful country.

Yesterday, David and I went to a Wellington bank to collect his bank card that had been handed in by a bus driver who did not know us, after David left it on his bus.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses media in Wellington, New Zealand Friday, March 15, 2019. Multiple people have been killed after a gunman opened fire at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch. (AAP Image/Boris Jancic). Picture: BORIS JANCIC

We exchanged a box of chocolates for David's card. That is the New Zealand way, and I sincerely know that these little kindnesses will continue to be done all day, every day, over here, by beautiful people.

There have been so many tears and feelings of shock for those who have been killed and for those who have been left behind to cope with this tragedy.

Pakistan traders burn a poster with the image of Brenton Tarrant, the man charged in relation against the March 15 attack on two mosques in Christchurch, during a protest in Peshawar on March 16, 2019. - A right-wing extremist armed with semi-automatic weapons rampaged through two mosques in the quiet New Zealand city of Christchurch during afternoon prayers on March 15, killing 49 worshippers and wounding dozens more. (Photo by ABDUL MAJEED / AFP). Picture: ABDUL MAJEED

Our hearts go out with love and support. And we must mention the bravery of police and ambulance workers, as well as doctors and nurses at the hospitals in Christchurch.

Stay close and be kind.

Wilma Tansley,

Wellington

Pent-up frustration will be released again

THE Christchurch murders are abhorrent.

Mankind should never kill in non-war times.

Brenton Tarrant made it very clear that this was an appraisal (sic) attack to recompense Muslim attacks.

He was, of course, referring to some of the 34,725 Jihad killings since 9/11.

Ambulance staff take a man from outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Baker). Picture: Mark Baker

There has been a great restraint from western countries in not retaliating hundreds of times.

We seem to be still civilised enough to not pay tit for tat; for example over the past three weeks, 120 Christians have been slaughtered by Islamic militants in Nigeria.

Killing sprees like these hardly make the press as it only the Islamic attacks in the west or more renowned regions that get reported, such as Mumbi, 165 killed, Bali 202 killed, London underground train 52, the World trade buildings 2996 dead and Manchester where children were among the 22 people killed in a suicide attack after an Ariana Grande concert at Britain's Manchester Arena.

Pakistan traders burn a poster with the image of Brenton Tarrant, the man charged in relation against the March 15 attack on two mosques in Christchurch, during a protest in Peshawar on March 16, 2019. - A right-wing extremist armed with semi-automatic weapons rampaged through two mosques in the quiet New Zealand city of Christchurch during afternoon prayers on March 15, killing 49 worshippers and wounding dozens more. (Photo by ABDUL MAJEED / AFP). Picture: ABDUL MAJEED

Cultured and refined Australians with any grasp of history know we are definitely on the side of the West in its 1400-year-old conflict with Islam. All of us should deplore Islamic terrorism, and most of us identify unchecked Muslim immigration as a deadly demographic threat.

But, being civilised, we aren't going to express our feelings with semi-automatic shotguns and Armalite assault rifles.

However, the pent-up frustration by the very few who have no restraint will be released increasingly I suspect.

Paul Martin,

The Palms

Policy 'unfair' to elderly

SUPERANNUATION was originally designed to help accumulate a nest egg for retirement to supplement or replace the age pension. The tax-free status of the pension fund has always been seen as compensation for compulsorily forcing people to lock their money away for 40 years.

Australian shares are the only class of assets where the income arrives in the hands of the owner with tax already paid, and will generate franking credits for the shareholders. Franking credits are a refund of overpaid taxes.

The franking credit policy proposed by Labor is "theft" of these overpaid taxes and is cruel as it reduces income of self-funded retirees by up to 30 per cent, most with limited opportunity to work again.

This is a cruel attack on elderly whose health costs increase due to aging and those who may require care with large up-front deposits. Longer term this will increase the number of retirees requiring the aged care pension. The proposed policy is not fair.

John Passaris,

Frenchville