Letters to the Editor

The Australia Day debate continues as does a solution to reducing the road toll

Could restoring the rail line decrease the number of road accidents?

It's a train wreck

LIKE many of your readers, I watched the TV news last Monday and noticed the first delivery of rail lines to Parkes for the new fast rail line Melbourne to Brisbane.

I remembered my grandchildren living on the Gold Coast telling me of the excellent train service now running from Brisbane to the Gold Coast and of its planned extension to Coolangatta International Airport.

To think that Queenslanders had this rail line about 70 years ago and let it go to ruin.

Now "they" are rebuilding, rectifying the mistake. Just imagine the expense.

"I had a dream"- not as noble as Martin Luther King but I saw the North Coast rail line, Casino to Murwillumbah, reopened, with it too aiming to extend to Coolangatta International Airport.

And then reality - the sad news of several fatal truck crashes.

Will we be like the Queenslanders and have to restore a rail line?

Please NSW Government, this area is one of NSW's growth areas. Don't let this vital transport rail link go to ruin.

Vision, imagination, foresight still have a place in government.

WM Dougherty OAM, Grafton

Everyday solution

CAITLAN Charles (January 23) wrote regarding Australia Day: "If you can provide a better reason than 'it's always been on that day' for why it (Australia Day) should be on January 26, then maybe you deserve a seat at the table for the debate".

OK Caitlan - here goes!

If we change Australia Day, what day would be appropriate? There will always be people who will find a reason to object.

Why just pick on Australia Day? Let's look at other days we celebrate.

Maybe we should change Good Friday, which celebrates a crucifixion (and do away with Easter Sunday and Easter Monday).

Anzac Day, which celebrates the blooding of our soldiers. At least there were no shootings or spearings on January 26, 1788.

Families forbid we should no longer have a Mother's or Father's Day because that is offensive to some and may even be illegal.

And for all the wannabe republicans, the Queen's Birthday holiday is offensive and it's not even her birthday.

Then there is Labour Day, which many don't even understand what it means.

And Christmas is already being converted into a non-religious spend-a-thon holiday.

New Year's Day should be changed to the Chinese New Year in deference to our big neighbour.

One alternative would be to remove all the current public holidays and replace them with six Friday to Monday long weekends every second month.

Surely no one could object to that, except maybe for the young, the unemployed and retirees.

So my solution is to make every day of the year Australia Day and start each day celebrating that we live in the best county in the world and endeavour to fulfil what Turner and Henderson inscribed on a cardboard badge in 1899 in support of Federation: "(Australia) One People One Destiny One Flag".

Maybe DEX could make that part of their front-page banner.

John Ibbotson, Gulmarrad

Originally published as Letters to the Editor