Letters & Texts

Changing times

Don’t you miss the days when a visit to the CBD meant a visit to the bank with the passbook and the brown pay packet with the cash wages?

Back then we had time to get to know the bank staff by name and they had a personal connection with their customers. A lady in her 90s recently sent a family member into the bank to adjust her passbook account, yes she still loves her passbook, and when it was time to renew the book – staff in the branch were unable to locate a new passbook for her future transactions. Perhaps even young staffers were to ask the question – What is a passbook? Yes, finally they did find a replacement much to the joy of the valued customer. God bless her commitment to the passbook.

A visit to MBF (as it was) when the office was in Ruthven St, into the front desk where there were at least six customer service officers (don’t know they were known as that back in those years), personal contact with a passbook for all private medical transactions.

Then there was Telecom, into the office to make valued inquiries about telephone connections and other related problems and lots of willing hands to assist.

For those who remember – didn’t you love these and other such experiences of real customer service and real people to help with all the benefits.

Today, a device in hand, technology for ease until systems fail, and then chaos. Oh yes, customer service – and for problem solving, hour long waits with increase frustrations.

And now – it’s our cashless society – and for some the cashless holiday on Hamilton Island. Gone are the piggy banks, the savings under the mattress, the tin in the garden filled with savings for safety. Yes, there’s a smile on your face (that’s if you are over 50 years) and your memories are precious of days gone by and what cash meant to life.

Barb McGovern, Toowoomba

Ongoing threat

Humans are the most dangerous animal in the world. Surprised?

After all, we’re animals too, and since we’ve been killing each other for over 10,000 years, with the total deaths from war alone estimated at between 150 million and one billion (and that was a decade ago), it’s a nobrainer that we top the list.

We assault each other with incredibly high rates of senseless brutality, from gun violence to terrorist attacks around the globe.

We’re dangerous to other animals too — think global warming, the destruction of forests and coral reefs, and overtourism, for starters.

Given the threat we pose to countless other creatures — and the fact that we often act irrationally and have the capacity to annihilate our entire planet with a host of horrifying weapons like nuclear devices and genetically-modified superbugs — we are squarely atop the list as the most dangerous animal in the world.

Dave Fredericks, Toowoomba

TEXT THE EDITOR

Hamas has been rocketing and killing Israeli civilians for decades. No media outrage for that.

D, Tmba

Tim Blair, the LNP/Greens Howard government banned nuclear power in 1998. No means no.

Rakir, Toowoomba

I trust the mayor and deputy mayor realise that with the Darling Downs being a conservative stronghold they won’t have any luck with the state and federal Labor governments contributing financial assistance to fixing the Cressbrook dam.

DJ, Cent Hts

Please privatise the ABC then anyone who actually wants to watch or listen to it has to pay.

CN, Cent Heights

Woolworths at Rangeville needs to start looking after their customers. No 12 items or less open, a huge line for people to serve themselves and only three check-outs open with at least three to four trolleys waiting at each checkout

Profits through the roof but no one to serve you?

LisaM, Rangeville

My text friends, I have been converted on climate change. No, not because Swedish Greta has been arrested again trying to save me.

Tuesday was a perfect day but yesterday was a shock to the system with cool air.

But hang on did this not happen last year and the year before that, etc? I might think again.

Mick, Newtown

Reading a bottle of beard oil and noted that it was not tested on animals. Well apart from a few lizards. It would be hard to find animals with beards.

DS, Twmba

Letters

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