Letter of the week

Chris Menzies' letter (15.7.10) and those following it clearly sit within a highly politicised debate. Unfortunately, in adopting entrenched positions, it seems unlikely that either "side" of the debate will now give the other any quarter.

We should not rush to embrace oil drilling off the Otago coast. The prospect of easy money seems to make people blind to the environmental risks.

Because of the special historical significance of the June 19 All Blacks sold-out test match against Wales being Carisbrook's final test hosting, I contacted the Otago Rugby Football Union some time ago and suggested one of our great male choirs should sing both the Welsh and the New Zealand anthems.

As a parent of three, I quickly learned that not all of my children made milestones at the same age. They did not walk or talk at the same age nor did they come to toilet training at the same age.

I recommend to Education Minister Anne Tolley that - before she returns us to the 19th century - she reads my master of arts (honours) thesis on teacher organisations in Otago from 1856 to 1883, available in the University of Otago archives.

Over the past two years, I have followed with great interest the articles, correspondence and debate relating to the various proposals to upgrade existing, or provide additional, theatre or entertainment venues for Dunedin.

The antics of John Deed make for amusing and well-acted television drama but I did not expect them to be replicated in our highest courts.

I take extreme exception to the comments made by Judge Jane Farish on sentencing a youth from the shearing industry and to the accentuation of one comment by your newspaper (ODT, 17.11.09) with regard to negative role models in the shearing industry.

The Government has made no secret of its desire to open up ACC to private competition.

I am disappointed the view of First Church has been obscured by the extra floors being added to the building on the corner of Princes St and Moray Pl. It was a pity that the city planners did not decline the addition to this rather ugly black box, which is totally lacking in visual merit.

With a predicted loss of almost $40 million of New Zealand taxpayers' money looming on the 2011 Rugby World Cup plus the debacle of the TV rights for our "National" game, I fail, given the cost, to see the point in hosting this event at all.

Last year, I became a statistic, the one out of every nine women in New Zealand who experiences breast cancer in their lifetime.

Recently you printed a lovely picture of nurses, proudly wearing their medals at their graduation in 1954 (ODT, 19.9.09). To see nurses with tidy hair - and feet - in their uniforms and so professional was a joy.

After reading Steve Hepburn's report (ODT 22.9.09) about there still being time to turn around the Otago team's fortunes, it is obvious why New Zealand provincial rugby is on the slippery road downhill.

Thanks for publishing Kevin McKenna's wonderfully tongue-in-cheek thoughts on the Catholic Church's proposed "prayer before sex" (ODT, 11.9.09).

As my family members are reaching what we call "the elderly", I am more aware that we have far too many of our citizens sitting in retirement homes just waiting.

More than 1000 Dunedin people recently heard the inspirational talk by Hugh Evans, of the Global Poverty Project.