YOUR LETTERS
Newcastle Herald
Saturday March 26, 2011
Cringeworthy CorbettTHE Ulysses Club ("Old bikers out of hand" Herald 24/3) chose Newcastle as the venue for its annual general meeting and 3000 of their members showed up to enjoy what we have to offer.They were seen in the clubs, pubs and restaurants and in our streets spending their money and enjoying Newcastle as a whole.We don't often get visitors in those large numbers, so to insult them in the manner that Mr Corbett did was offensive.Calling people fat and old - even when it is true - not to mention calling their partners "boilers", is offensive and leaves an indelible impression on those people.We could have created 3000 ambassadors for Newcastle but after that abusive article I am sure we managed to offend many Ulysses members, who will remember the article rather than Newcastle's beauty and hospitality.I don't often read Mr Corbett's column - his picture scares the hell out of me and has on occasion curdled the milk at breakfast - but I am surprised he finds older folks expressing their love for each other by holding hands so offensive. Was this literary junk meant to be humorous?He has done nothing to endear himself to me and the thousands of hand-holding Novocastrians he appears to hate so much.He should not judge the rest of us by what may be the state of affairs in his own household.Doug CumminsStocktonI AM not a Ulysses member but Jeff Corbett's observations ("Old bikers out of hand" Herald 24/3) are way off.I feel for his wife when he calls it cringeworthy to see a couple holding hands. And what about their shape has him so appalled? He is no Adonis.Why doesn't he look into how much money 3000 Ulysses members will spend in Newcastle while they are here? A majority of them are business owners and respected members of their communities.It seems to me they are not the only ones growing old disgracefully.Scott BroganWarners BayI APOLOGISE to members of the Ulysses Club. The garbage in Jeff Corbett's column ("Old bikers out of hand" Herald 24/3) is the ranting of someone fixated on fat.This is not the first column to focus on his phobia of people who carry weight.As I'm sure Ulysses members have found out, Novocastrians will welcome them with open arms and will love the fact that at their age they do so much good, enjoy life to the full and still show affection for their mates.Who would want to hold Mr Corbett's hand?June ButlerJewellsAS a visiting Ulyssean, I have enjoyed being back in Newcastle, where I worked for some years as a helicopter pilot in the 1980s.I find a graceful and clean city, unlike the old grimy coal port I last saw, peopled by the grunting neanderthal cretins of the union movement of the day.The people of this new Newcastle seem open-minded, humorous and intelligent.Not all of them, of course. Some grunting cretins are still to be found, like lonely old Jeff Corbett.And yes, we plead guilty to holding hands with our Significant Only.Rob HallLittle Mountain, QueenslandMissing info on unknown patronsI DON'T know Andrew Poole, but he is the only known member of the proposed Knights Patrons' Trust. All other players in this game have been identified, but the other Patrons' Trust members are unknown or imaginary.Mr Poole may play with words, but the Knights have a debt or accumulated losses of anywhere from zero dollars to a "furphy" $2.3 million (which apparently is really $500,000, which is really $100,000 when monies owing to the club are paid), to a widely accepted figure of from $3 million to 4 million.Let's be honest - the Knights are in the red to a huge amount.Chief Executive Officer Steve Burraston has been gagged by the board. According to Mr Burraston, that was done at the request of the Tinkler group.Nathan Tinkler was a Knights supporter before he became a very rich man. His staff are known to all.If accepted, his offer will immediately clear all debts and give the Knights working capital for this season.Also, it will give a minimum guaranteed sponsorship income of $10 million annually for 10 years.All other income will continue to flow, even with an increased NRL grant of $5 million or $6 million. Any profits will be ploughed back into rugby league in the Knights' area.Club colours and members' rights will remain the same.For once in our proud history let's start off on a financial footing equal to other clubs.Allan WickhamEast MaitlandCrusade stirs the competitive bloodTREVOR Conway refers to the Knights' Crusade ("Lot of noise but too little sense" Letters 24/3).I am not a member of the Crusade but I do know several of them. They were formed during the 2005 season - the season Mr Conway mentions - and in fact were formed midway through that season to give the players some support during one of the worst periods the club had experienced.They travel all over the league-playing states following the team, and even travel to New Zealand for games. They are some of the most passionate supporters the club has.Their numbers have grown since their formation, with 60 to 100 now attending games.I know the players have personally thanked them many, many times for being a vocal support at games when they were at their lowest ebb (a flogging in Melbourne is one in particular that comes to mind).How can Mr Conway refer to Knights supporters as not being splintered, given that by his own admission Jim Thornton lists his active membership at six?I am also surprised at his comments on drums and trumpets. I'm sure the players love the lift they give during games. For me, they add to the game-day atmosphere.What would Mr Conway rather have? Silence?The Crusade became involved in discussions on Tinkler's bid because they wanted to be able to make a considered judgment on what was best for the Knights, and rightly so.The Knights need groups like the Crusade. All power to them, I say. Instead of whingeing get involved.Tony HumphreysEdgeworthCost of being at the cutting edgeAT the cutting edge of green technology, the new solar concentrated array at CSIRO's Steel River complex in Newcastle is credited with being able to produce 500kW of power at peak production - enough to service 100 homes.What we really need to know is what it cost to construct and what costs are involved in constructing suitable battery storages for use during the long periods of each 24 hours when the array produces little or no power.At least 1100 arrays of this size would have to be built to equal the output of the 550MW Bayswater station.But at what cost to the consumer?Brett PatrickPelicanBetter be dirty but safeI HAVE never been comfortable with the thought of nuclear power stations popping up all over the place. Japan's disaster has confirmed that idea.Let's ignore the arguments over global warming and just for a moment let commonsense drag its lazy head from the pillow. If the worst-case scenario were to occur in a coal-fired power station, the most we would be left with would be a large hole in the ground. The building could be rebuilt almost immediately.Look at the aftermath of a nuclear meltdown: poisoned food and water; the surrounding countryside turned into an uninhabitable wasteland; wind-driven radiation reaching surrounding countries.I would rather not think about the death toll or the mutant genes radiation can cause. Coal might be dirty but it's a lot safer.Nick Ryder, BooragulLetter of the weekThis week's special Herald pen goes to Tony Pelosi, of Stockton, for his comments on asylum seekers. The pen is in the mail.
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