I wasn't there but I heard he passed peacefully which is what you would hope.

He was 93.

Fred Hatch, late of "The Maze" property on the outskirts of Cowra, was loved dearly by his family, outlived a lot of his friends but was well respected and thought highly of by those of us that have succeeded him.

I was lucky enough to attend his funeral, unlike many of his friends who missed it because your proofreader stuffed up and somehow omitted. to notice that the funeral notices were incomplete on the day of Fred's and I've heard other people's funerals.

I want to inform you that you let a great man down.

You let a great many of his friends down and in their time of grieving you let down his family who themselves are truly decent people.

Until last year the local cockies would gather at the Lachlan Hotel on a Friday afternoon to solve the problems of the work in just a few short hours each week.

Fred was a regular, and while talking to one of his 'apostles at Fred's funeral, ( one that was lucky enough to know of the funeral arrangements) jokingly mentioned how in Fred's eyes, everything was too expensive.... and by the George he was probably right!

Well a few of those,'apostles were outlived by Fred... not surprising considering he was 93, but there were some of those bar men still congregating at The Lachlan who missed this great mans passing and that widens to other friends of his too.

They didnt get to pay their respects.

Once again I remind you that you let a good man down.

They say that you can judge a man by the amount of people at his funeral.... he may have been quite a few good men and women short because of your lack of attention to detail... funerals unlike weddings only happen once, but his self earned respect, dignity in life and the love of his family and friends made a show that would make any man proud.

Imagine if all his friends had of had the knowledge to attend, he wouldn't have got through the pearly gates from the swelled head he would of had, from the pride of the amount of people who had turned up.

What a shame you let a good man and his family down.

Jen Hoy.

Hartley St, Cowra.

To T.Scott. Wyangala,

In reply to your letter regarding S.L.E you did not say whether you are a Lupus sufferer, or just an ignorant person who seems to think they know it all.

Having read the book you were obviously referring to in your letter - it is indeed the disease of 1000 faces.

I for one am a sufferer of this disease aged 79 and I hope - not ready to die just yet! and it is indeed as my Doctor informed me, an extremely complex and baffling disease, but he is managing it well, and I have absolute faith in him.

The list of complications is alarming, but that does not necessarily mean that every patient contracts those complaints, and I believe you are doing the medical profession a dis-service when you say that there is no one to help!

If it wasn't for my Doctor - I would not have known I had the disease!

You sound like a very bitter person. Perhaps you or maybe your friend or loved one has had a rough time, but by becoming angry and resentful over it, will not make it any better! We all have choices to make, either for good or ill, and it's the decisions we make that tell us the type of person we become.

If we accept what life throws at us, it makes life easier for others.

But if we reject it - then others have to suffer. There is always hope in our darkest times and I just want to say that without the support of my Doctors, my carers, my friends, and most importantly my God and Saviour Jesus Christ, my life would not be worth living. Jesus Christ came to give us life, and he wants us to have it more abundantly.

It's not awareness of Lupus that we need, but an awareness of the Great Physican!

"Which is easier to say - your sins are forgiven, or - take up your bed and walk?" Mark 2:9

Get a life!

Yours faithfully

Doreen Roder,

Holman Place, Cowra.