In fact you could say that we are even more swamped than girt.

Our first Australians were swamped by the English and then by the Irish and the Scots. When gold was discovered we were swamped by just about everyone on the planet.

In my lifetime we have been swamped by Italians, Greeks, Germans, Dutch, Vietnamese, you name it and we have been swamped by it.

Once I recall we were very nearly swamped by the Japanese but some of us stopped some real boats.

I would say to Senator Pauline Hanson and anyone else who feels swamped, get used to it, being swamped is what we are all about.

In fact, if Pauline's ancestors were not in one or more of those swamping parties she is not a “true” Australian.

Remember too if it was not for Afghan Muslims we would all still be living in Sydney. 

​Re: ‘Cuts to Come’ (The Border Mail, September 6) on rail services removing the human element in favour of technology implantations, it doesn't fill me with confidence. Being “buzzed into” train toilets sounds androidian!

A staff of three people on Albury railway station! Is this supposed to be a step forward in maintaining services? Has this transport system now come to such a deplorable state?

I really hate what has happened to our ​railways, once considered the backbone of Australia. The rail systems brought the nation together - a transport network of high standard for private travel and business. 

The Albury station was once a hive of activity - people on the move, sounds and smells, trains always shunting goods vans, passenger trains coming and going, a place of continuous active purpose and industry. Now look at it - a lifeless mockery of a world that once was an indispensable part of all our lives.

​We, the population, brought it to this. By not patronising the rail system and maintaining its valuable services, we have let it diminish into discarded unfashionability.

​It's a free world when everyone has a say, that's democracy, at whatever cost. ​We're lucky in Australia because we have compulsory voting where everyone has to at least think about it.

In Ireland there's no compulsory​ voting and gay marriage got through.​ If supporters of gay marriage are against democracy I'm afraid we're heading for a dictatorship. Yes, I am against legalisation of gay marriage, but, will I have my say?

Foster carers are the unsung heroes of our communities.

They welcome children, who sometimes have nowhere else to go, into their houses. They provide them a bed, but more importantly they provide them a loving home. For some children, it might be the first safe home they’ve had.

Often children can arrive in the middle of the night, confused and afraid. Some stay for a short while, others for much longer.

Foster caring isn’t glamorous. It’s highly rewarding, but there’s no denying it’s hard work. These carers provide a safe home for children when they really need it because they know that every child deserves a good childhood, growing up to feel safe, nurtured and with hope for the future.

With the conclusion of this year’s Foster Carers Week, we say thank you on behalf of all the Victorian children who might not be able to.