Well done to the students at Santa Sabina College! (“School students opt for their own op shop over fashion”, March 31) It’s wonderful to see young people taking direct action not only to highlight one of the major causes of global warming but also to do something about it. Clothing is responsible for 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions – more than cement or steel, and way more than aviation – not to mention a mountain of landfill. If we are to reach net zero emissions, we must all take our cue from these girls and recycle what’s in our wardrobes. Fast fashion is a luxury we can no longer afford. Ken Enderby, Concord
Year 12 Santa Sabina College students Lucia Juarez (left), Lucy Gee (centre), and Rochelle Dias are part of a group running their own op shop.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
Congratulations to the Santa Sabina students for their op shop selling sustainable fashion. What time is it open, and any chance old girls can attend the shop? Paula Spicer, Bundanoon
Support needed
Recognising the “autism spectrum” makes us more aware of the full range of human experience (“What is driving the huge rise in autism?”, March 31). But being supportive does require additional resources for the estimated one in 10 children who we now know divert from the concept of “mainstream”. The state premiers can bleat all they like, but the NDIS was never intended to shift all responsibility from the vast network of public institutions which they administer. With better understanding must come better strategies everywhere, particularly as diagnosis remains patchy. Schools, hospitals and youth justice and mental health facilities all need a rethink. It could amount to a shift almost as great as the introduction of compulsory education because it is the states who face the challenge of adapting to the needs of all young people wherever they present or are in their care. And the federal government, having initiated the much-needed changes, cannot leave the states wanting if these ongoing responsibilities are to be met. Margaret Johnston, Paddington
I read with horrified amazement that more than 9 per cent of Australians aged from five to seven are on the NDIS, mainly dues to autism and “developmental delays”. Nearly 10 per cent of our little children are regarded as suffering from a significant disability – however can that be? Perhaps there is need to broaden the definition of what is developmentally “normal” rather than pathologise those who are not up to the predetermined mark. Anastasia Webster-Hawes, Peel
Dose of reality
Parnell McGuinness (“Easter and the Wowser Paradox”, March 31) seems to think we should be more tolerant of recreational drug users. The problem is that recreational drug users are providing financial support for an industry which enforces its contracts by extremely violent means. You can’t enforce a contract for illegal drug supplies in the courts. Maurie Stack, Taree
Keeping busy
The issues raised in this article align with my own research conducted a decade ago with retiring school principals in NSW (“‘Starting older’: Why we need new words for retirement strategies”, March 31). The major concerns for these school leaders when leaving their primary career were the potential for a of loss of purpose; a loss of social interaction; and a loss of intellectual stimulation. The retired principals with the greatest sense of satisfaction in “retirement” had successfully found ways to ensure that those three basic human needs were being catered for and fed. The major problem may then well be the term “retirement” itself rather than this phase of life. Warren Marks, Hill Top
I would suggest anyone considering retirement to think of it as only retiring from the job, not retiring from life. And as something you need to work at; by which I mean staying physically active, connected to others, practising tolerance, and eschewing any temptation to switch on Netflix during daylight hours. And don’t worry about how you’ll fill in your time; you’ll likely be run off your feet attending medical appointments and getting tests done.
Ross Duncan, Potts Point
Out of touch
There is much publicity regarding a number of Newington Old Boys opposition to the proposal accepting girls to the school (“The old boys who are afraid of girls”, March 31). Presumably none of these old boys have daughters or granddaughters. Peng Ee, Castle Cove
I am an Old White Man well aware of the privileged position we continue to hold in Australian society. This position of privilege continues because of attitudes that are so deeply imbedded that we don’t realise we hold them, leading, for example, to bias against women in the criminal justice system and in medicine. And now we have a group of my fellow old white men spending treasure and time to repel attacks on this privilege, under the normal code word of protecting and maintaining “tradition”. Michael McMullan, Avoca Beach
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