What an absolute disgrace the letter written by AJ East in your newspaper (May 18), aligning local farmers and recreational shooters with the terrible tragedy that occurred in WA, a couple of weeks ago.
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AJ East, hold your head in shame.
Mr East for your information there is a large group of people who live in towns who have gun licences for very legitimate reasons, as do farmers, who have to control feral animals.
Holding a gun licence is the same as any other license, it is privilege not a right. Recreational shooters who live in towns, who I know are extremely passionate about what they do, and are extremely conscious of what they do with their shooting equipment of choice, as are all farmers.
Your slur at the local police quoting that farmers “have to control feral animals” is also an embarrassment to you and just shows your total lack of understanding of rural policing and rural life in general.
Our local police and also other regional commands, are under staffed and over worked, and at times they get called out or visited, at the local station to answers frivolous calls about recreational shooters or farmers who are just trying to protect the assets on their property and to even consider that kangaroos could be culled by police “beggars belief” and once again shows your total ignorance of country life.
Unfortunately about 12 months ago, on the road near my place, I came across a young lady who had just purchased her first car, and she had made contact with a half grown kangaroo. The damage to her car was considerable, and to say the young lady was extremely distraught would be an understatement. The vehicle was towed from the scene.
Your idea that all gun licences held by farmers are to be rescinded immediately in the present amnesty, does not carry any weight what so ever.
Jeff White, Meemar Tops
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What can be used as a weapon? Your car, do we have to hand over our drivers licence?
A needle, do we have to take way all lifesaving treatments? Your dog, do we have to euthanasia all dogs?
Think about it!
It’s the people using or owning these things, not the item itself.
And very tragically sometimes these things are used incorrectly by someone suffering a severe heath problem causing catastrophic consequences to others or themselves.
You cannot put all farmers in the same category as those people you mentioned in your very discriminating letter to the paper.
My thoughts and prayers go to those affected by those tragic events.
A Clarke, Cootamundra
WATER RATES ‘EXCESSIVE’
What a great revenue raiser our water supply is for the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council (CGRC). In 2010 water access was $48. Usage was $0.80 a kl. The annual increase up until that time was about 5%. Over the next seven years there has been a remarkable increase. We are now paying $105 and $1.54 respectively. This amounts to about a 10% increase per annum. This is well in excess of the GDP.
If these increases continue at this rate we will soon be paying more for our water than we are paying for our petrol. I believe that we are not getting value for our money.
Is this an example of the promised benefits we’re supposed to get under our forced merger with Cootamundra?
I sincerely hope not. For the townspeople who live on either side of the Murrumbidgee River the cost of water should never be a problem. However, when they look at their rate notices, they would be excused for thinking that they would be no worse off, water wise, if they were living in the Sahara Desert where water is indeed liquid gold.
Heaven help us all if the ’Bidgee should ever stop flowing.
Colin Field, Gundagai
UNITING WELCOMES PEOPLE OF ALL ABILITY
I am writing to clarify a misunderstanding in a letter, “Don’t dis people’s ability”, published on 26 May 2018.
The author of the letter incorrectly asserted that Uniting may not welcome applications from people with disability in a job advert for an Ability Linker/Community Worker.
In fact, for all roles, we encourage qualified applications from people regardless of ethnicity, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.
The Diversity and Inclusion Strategy at Uniting has a strong focus on disability. We are proud to say that our robust approach to inclusion means that, in NSW Uniting Local Area Coordination roles (a specialist disability service), people with disability comprise more than 20 per cent of our workforce.
We thank the individual for raising her concerns. Uniting is always keen to improve our approach and, to avoid any possible future misunderstanding, we will be updating the text in future job adverts.