It’s sad that the demise of the swimming carnival will mean fewer stories like this one from Ken Allen of Stroud: “In 1960, as 12-year-old £10 pom, I learned to swim in the ship’s pool en-route to Australia. Shortly after arriving, I attended my Scout troop’s swimming carnival at Iron Cove Bridge baths where I was ‘encouraged’ to enter the 50m breaststroke. It didn’t go well. Still swimming bravely, they pulled me out of the pool halfway along as I was holding up the next race.”
“Mary Carde needn’t worry about the edibility of frozen prawns marked ‘For Human Consumption Only’ (C8),” advises Greg Phillipson of Aranda (ACT). “Those prawns shouldn’t be used for bait or aquatic feed because they may contain viruses that would adversely affect wild or farmed prawns in Australia. Cook them up and they will be fine. Just don’t come the raw prawn.” We also thank Bruce Satchwell of Carrara (Qld) and John Newbery of Coogee for pointing out that the virus in question is White spot disease.
Warren Nicholls of East Blaxland “just read Alison Stewart’s comments (C8) on reading Column 8 from the bottom up. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one doing this.”
“I invariably start reading Column 8 at an item in bold font towards the middle of the column, frequently switch to an adjacent letter to the editor, then return, having lost my place, to peruse the remainder of Column 8,” says Ian Falconer of Turramurra.
“I read yesterday’s opening paragraph from Lorraine Phillips as Clive Palmer Strumpet,” admits Jo Rainbow of Orange. “How apt.”
“Having lived on the Hay Plains for more than forty years, I could never understand why an emu (C8) that was 200m off the road, would suddenly think now was a good time to cross the road and charge headlong towards the car or truck,” thinks Michael Kruger-Davis of Newcastle. “Usually with fatal consequences.”
“Everyone knows the stupidest animal on the road is the coyote and the smartest is the roadrunner,” declares Peter Miniutti of Ashbury. “Meep meep.”
“According to the Australia Post index, there are just two towns or suburbs in NSW that begin with the first letter of my surname,” writes George Zivkovic of Northmead. “Zara (local post office, Chillingham 2484) and Zetland (2017), but not a one starting with an ‘X’. And yes, I have too much time on my hands.”
No attachments, please.
Include name, suburb and daytime phone.