Something to celebrate
I read with much interest the article in The Border Mail on January 18, relating to the community spirit demonstrated in the township of Walwa both during and after the fires in 2020.
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I was not surprised to see the name of David Hanna prominent in this article. Having known this family for almost 50 years it has been a privilege to witness the contributions of this family in the development of their properties in the Upper Murray and their dedication to the protection and promotion of this beautiful part of the North East.
Gordon Hanna, David's father, was a WWII Veteran, staunch RSL member and a dedicated member of Albury Legacy. Gordon was very particular in ensuring fire safety procedures were strongly adhered to and he was always very nervous during the hot summer days experienced in Walwa during January and February.
Gordon's parents, David's grandparents, were both WWI Veterans, with his grandmother being a highly decorated nursing sister of the Western Front.
This family who lived decades of experiencing both the highs and lows of this region involved themselves fully in the development of the region and caring for members of the community.
As Australia Day 2021 approaches, I think we should all look at the determination, resilience and endeavours of the Walwa community, which no doubt have been replicated in many other communities of Victoria and NSW, who fought the fire battle and have rebounded through their combined efforts to restore their broken lives.
We now fight the Covid battle but I'm sure that if we as a country demonstrate the same attitudes as the people of Walwa, we will succeed in defeating this threat.
I wish everyone a happy Australia Day and I hope that we can move forward as a united multicultural population, determined to be one country, and let everyone say 'Advance Australia Fair'.
David Martin, Wodonga
A very strange outrage
Josh Frydenberg's sense of tolerance and his love of free speech seem to know no bounds. When protesters attacked the US Capitol building carrying signs like "Six Million is not Enough" in reference to the holocaust and a clear anti-Semitic message, Josh appears to brush this off as a small price to pay for living in a democracy.
Five people died in that uprising, but what really offends Josh is that the instigator of the attack on democracy had his Twitter account closed.
Graham Parton, Beechworth
States are playing games
Scott Morrison should act like a leader and stand up against these state Premiers acting like Prime Ministers.
Put a condition on extending federal support programs for the travel industry that it will only be extended when all border restrictions are removed.
Presently many people are not planning holidays in advance as restrictions can change overnight which causes heartache to families. Remember a large portion of the population have family living in other states and are adversely affected by this stupidity.
All the extension of any support program without changes to border restrictions will achieve nothing except delaying many businesses going to the wall.