Letters to the editor

It seems to me that nobody is thinking of the rights of the children in this issue.

It is alright to think of the privacy of where these people live but did they think of the rights of the children that they sexually abused and scarred for the rest of their lives.

No they did not.

Maryellen Flynn

With the warmer weather now upon us, it would be worthwhile to issue a public warning (especially for the benefit of tourists) about the dangers of dropbear attacks during the summer months in Australia.

There have been too many tourists going sightseeing in the bush without being warned about the dangers of being too noisy, or without being made aware of the need to maintain situational awareness (especially against wildlife attacks from above).

The public should be mindful that summer is a peak period for attacks by dropbears, which is not so much due to any seasonal change in the disposition of these dangerous animals, but because the warmer weather sees an increase in bushwalking activity — especially by inexperienced bush-users, who do not have a lot of knowledge of the dangers that can be found in the Australian bush.

When you are out in the bush this summer, just remember: Look up, and stay alive!

I would appreciate it if you would publish the following as a public service announcement.

In the bush, take special care

To always look up, and be aware;

To make sure that you survive

Stay alert — to stay alive

Dropbears are a dangerous breed

With a deep, dire, and ravenous need

To come down, with a mighty thud,

To feast on lively flesh and blood

If, in the bush, you go to walk

With little care, and a lot of talk,

Remember, your noise may attract a few

Of those bears who would dine on you!

Regards

Andrew Guild

I don't understand the doom and gloom concerning the housing market and falling property prices. Prices were too high in the first place, the fact that they  are going down is a good thing.

It means more people will be able to afford houses. I would like to see housing prices drop even further.

If people are in a property that is worthless than what they paid for it  doesn't matter - at least they have a roof over their heads.

The bleating about falling property prices damaging the economy is being led purely by vested interests.

Bob Vinnicombe

When it comes to the name of our regional university, I'm one of those who hope that tradition wins out over the modern fetish for "re-branding" - a term that used to be reserved for the criminal forging of ownership by cattle duffers.

But if we are to suffer at the whimsy of bureaucratic boffins, they should look no further than "Farrer University" as a new handle for the old pot. Farrer wasn't an explorer, so his name won't offend anyone; and he was a pioneer of agriculture, which reflects the rural aspects of the university's several locations.

Best of all, when reduced to its two letter acronym, the name concisely sums up the contempt held by pony-tailed marketing gurus for the other 99 per cent of us who actually have a fondness for keeping tradition alive.

Robert T. Walker

Wagga