Letter of the Week

Have strong opinions, write in an engaging way? You could win our Letter of the Week, and with it a book from our friends and sponsors, the publishers Harper Collins. This month’s book prize is Those Other Women by Nicola Moriarty. Rivalries and resentments between mums and child-free women spiral wildly out of control in this compelling new book by the bestselling author of The Fifth Letter.

TODAY is the 103rd anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli. Anzac Day is for the Australians and New Zealanders that fought for the freedom we have today. Let us never forget.

In that First World War, 61,522 Australian soldiers gave their lives for the freedom we enjoy today. Let’s keep it that way.

26,111 died in action at Gallipoli with more than 620 from the 11th Battalion. 362 officers were also killed in action. 747 brave young ANZACS died on the first day.

Each time they made progress, they hoisted the Australian and New Zealand flags and that is one of the reasons we want to save our flag.

The following poem was given to me by Madeline Richardson in the 1980s, who was the pianist at our restaurant, Liza’s at Burleigh.

Our flag bears the stars that shine at night in a southern sky of blue,

And a little old flag in the corner is part of our heritage too.

It’s for the English, the Scots and the Irish, who were sent to the ends of the earth,

The rogues and the schemers, the doers and dreamers who gave modern Australia birth.

And you who are shouting to change it, You don’t seem to understand,

It’s a flag of our law and our language – not a flag of some faraway land.

Though there’s plenty of people who’ll tell you, how when Europe was put into night,

That little old flag in the corner was a symbol of freedom and light.

It doesn’t mean we owe an allegiance to a forgotten imperial dream.

We’ve the stars to show where we’re going – The old flag to show where we’ve been. BERT COCKERILL, SOUTHPORT WHERE can young people find their place in the Anzac tradition?

While it may be harder for young people to relate to the individual experience of the veterans and to know their names and battles they fought, every Australian can embody the qualities of the Anzac spirit.

Courage, loyalty, compassion, mateship, endurance – the Anzac spirit is something that lives on long after the battles are fought.

Whether it is helping communities after a natural disaster, supporting people at risk of homelessness, or providing a hand up to those affected by a family tragedy – every Australian, young or old, can uphold the spirit of the Anzacs.

So let us honour our soldiers in the best way possible by remembering the sacrifices they’ve made and embodying the Anzac spirit in everything that we do.

Let us be a voice for those suffering injustice or hardship.

And let us transform Australia one life at a time, giving hope where it’s needed most. LIEUTENANT COLONEL NEIL VENABLES, SECRETARY OF COMMUNICATIONS, THE SALVATION ARMY

THE question of immigration rates in Australia is a vexed one but what a pity The Bulletin should choose such a divisive character as Andrew Bolt to write about it. He’s well known for his anti-immigration views and unlikely to present a balanced picture.

You’d imagine that every traffic jam, housing shortage or problem with infrastructure is the fault of migrants to this country. Has he not noticed the large numbers of migrants who work in our hospitals, some with expertise and skill that not only saves lives but benefits their medical colleagues?

There are also plenty of jobs that many an Australian would

choose not to do or have pay and conditions that they would sneer at but are filled by migrants. As for schools that struggle to teach children with little English, is he unaware that a number of migrant children achieve better results than their local peers and are an asset to the school rather than a drain on resources?

There are economic arguments for and against immigration but there’s certainly no evidence to say it’s having a negative effect on the economy. Meanwhile, as increasingly large numbers of Australians hit retirement age, it’s important to keep a balance of workers in the community and, on average, new migrants lower the age profile of the Australian population.

Andrew Bolt’s extreme views fail to acknowledge any benefits of immigration and gives the impression it’s all bad. This is unsettling as it is untrue. YVETTE DEMPSEY, CARRARA

FLIGHT time from Sydney to Gold Coast is 1 hr 15 minutes. Driving by car is 10-12 hours. Bus time is 14 hourrs (via Brisbane).

Trains, also via Brisbane, 16 hours.

Walking has been done in 173 hours.

Australia Post advised me a package ($5 stamp) from Sydney had an estimated delivery time to a Post Office address on the Gold Coast of 168 hours! The 168 hourrs has passed no package.

Australia Post last year awarded their CEO (who has since left) a $6 million bonus for an outstanding job in turning around the business! Something doesn’t seem right. Pak Williams, Nerang