To the editor

Letters to the Editor - Wednesday, October 12

Picture: Mark Lynch

A shelter for homeless men to sleep

WHY is there no men's refuge in Coffs Harbour. On behalf of all the men forced to live like feral cats under buildings, bridges and in public toilets.

Surely the state and federal governments can come up with something better than one month a year in a motel or hotel.

These men are suffering with depression causing mental illness and the closing of mental institutions has not helped.

For six years I walked and talked with street people, some live a loner's life voluntarily, others like divorcees because they're put out of the family home.

You have alcoholics, compulsive gamblers, drug addicts not to mention Newstart and Work for the Dole.

Most of the charities and churches fill in the gap with food and clothing but housing is a government problem.

Families are forced to sleep in cars and tents because of the seven-year waiting lists for government housing.

So why do we have a women's refuge but only band-aid help for men?

- Jeff Ware,

Coffs Harbour

Wallet carried life saving importance

I AM from Port Macquarie. My daughter and I spent the day up in Coffs Harbour on Friday, October 7 for my husband's birthday.

We sat down at Subway at Park Beach Plaza at 12.15pm to have lunch and when we had finished my daughter whom is a type 1 diabetic with other health issues accidentally left her wallet sitting on the chair.

She quickly realised what she had done and went back to get it and it was gone.

What is the most disgusting part of this is that her blood sugar meter that goes with her insulin pump was inside the wallet along with all her ID.

Not happy at all. One would hope that someone would hand it in. We looked everywhere and asked at every shop, but to no luck. We did report it to police but again no luck. She worked so very hard to save for the wallet as it was not cheap; it was a Kardashian Kollection wallet but the worst part is her blood glucose monitor and her ID.

We are not wealthy people and work very hard for what we have and to have this happen is horrible knowing someone has all her information and her meter which is of no use to them at all, it is very sad.

I am disgusted and don't think I will be in a hurry to go back to Coffs Harbour. It makes you wonder where some people's morals are.

I like to see the good in people, but it's things like this that make it hard to do that. This letter is just another grasp at trying to find her wallet and belongings .

- Jannine Tipler,

Port Macquarie

Call for a banking royal commission

TO OUR Prime Minister - the big four have been in collusion, just look at the answers that they gave to the inquiry that you set up with federal politicians - all rehearsed and lies.

Only decisive action by a real leader with a Royal Commission will solve the problem of the banks doing their own thing.

- Bruce Apps,

Townsend

Waste collection on Coffs waterways

A SMALL group of people met recently on a Saturday at the Promenade for a canoe along the Coffs Creek.

The aim was to collect plastic waste caught along the banks of the estuary.

Mangrove Jacks Café kindly offered the use of their canoes and Louise Hardman from The Pacific Collective, organised rubbish tongs, gloves and collection bags.

Within two hours five people collected six large bags of rubbish, mostly plastic bags, drink bottles and other containers, most of the rubbish was caught in the mangrove roots but after heavy rain would be flushed out to sea.

The data was sent into the International Cleanup campaign, which runs events worldwide.

The next beach clean up/ survey took place on Sunday at the Jetty Beach and was a great opportunity for the community to get together and be engaged in marine debris and ocean conservation.

For more information on upcoming clean-ups, contact Louise on 0412856589 or Facebook "Coffs Pop-up Beach”.

- Louise Hardman

Same-sex de facto relationship debate

IF DE facto relationships have the same/similar legal rights as do married couples why cannot same-sex couples in the same relationship be considered as a de facto couple.

I just cannot understand why the homosexual lobby demand that same-sex couples have to be married couples when it is breaching all human protocols, values, and lifestyle entitlements that have been the case for many hundreds of years?

- Robert S Buick MM JP

Please don't mow over the rubbish

ON THE nature strip on Hogbin Dr near Orlando St there were at least three cans, a styrofoam takeaway food container, two pet plastic bottles and numerous plastic bags left shredded in the wake of a council mower. I have reported to council in the recent past.

There have been studies done where it was found that littered areas are likely to continue being littered and areas that are kept clean are more likely to be kept clean.

Paid-council staff leaving areas like nature strips and parks in the dangerous and unsightly state they do are actually encouraging tossers to litter.

After all, if council staff leave it like this why shouldn't we?

Tourists also look at these areas and decide very quickly that Coffs Harbour is a geographically beautiful but it's also a dump.

- Judy Quickenden,

Park Beach