Colleen is an inspiration to us all

The Gazette’;s story ‘Colleen has passion to learn’ (Gaz 17/11) is truly heart-warming.

For most of us, life has not been a struggle, at least not in the terms hers has been for Colleen. That she’s overcome her traumas and disadvantage with courage and determination is inspirational.

As it happens, I’ve had the pleasure of being checked out at Woolworths in Warragul by Colleen, as I now know from this story.

At the time, just the way she went about her business struck me as exceptional. It was not a chore or routine, but a job to be done with close attention to doing it well.

That’s no reflection on Woolworths’ staff generally. In my experience they’re friendly, polite, helpful and efficient, almost without exception.

It’s just that the determination and passion to learn, for which Colleen has been highly commended, evidently shone out in her work, as I now see.

Doubtless the six finalists for The Ro Allen Award are all of similar merit, so whatever the outcome of the judging, Colleen Forbes’ nomination is testament to her achievement.

And thanks to the Gazette, the heartbeat of our community, for yet another lovely story.

John Hart, Warragul

It’s time for this nonsense to stop. We need to be alert to measures taken by government to accustom us, like the crayfish passively dying in increasingly hot water, to incremental loss of freedom and greater government control of our lives.

In the Old Testament it speaks of just one tribe, the tribe of Issachar, with “men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do”(1 Chronicles 12:32).

How greatly do we need to have 'understanding of the times in our state. I urge Victorians to wake up. Lord God, have mercy on Victoria.

K Gillam, Drouin