Speak up
Do we ever understand why, I guess if we did, we may be able to stop suicide. Such a beautiful young man, on the front of The Standard, April 23. My heart broke for him and his family. How do you go on and more so survive, keeping your soul, heart and mind intact? It’s an epic struggle, one that never quite goes away, it continues to grip with a painful, powerful force always. My nephew committed suicide at 16 years of age. My family was shattered, it was an endless battle to keep our heads above water. But what we all felt was nothing compared to his mum and dad and sister, it was and still is agony. There are reasons, we just don’t know them, we don’t see them, we don’t hear them. If all looks fine, we don’t ask questions. They are the masters of hiding what it is they really feel. The signs are there, I have always felt, subtle, fleeting but not noticed or perhaps not taken for what is really meant. Maybe it's a protective measure, we don’t take up on the signs, because we don’t really want to see it for what it is, it's too difficult. I don’t know. Reflection calls in all sorts of questions. What if you did talk to them, because something seemed off, would they tell you? Again I don’t know. All I do know is it's bloody soul destroying, it sets the way you live for the rest of your life.
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Vicki Walter, Warrnambool
Buses show commitment
As part of our commitment to major regional events, V/Line is providing a direct service to the Warrnambool Cup races. With the support of Warrnambool Racing Club we are trying something new to make it even easier for racegoers. Special Grand Annual Race coaches will run express to the racecourse from both Melbourne and Geelong, saving customers the need to transfer to a shuttle bus at Warrnambool station. The coach gets to the course in time for the first race. For the return journey, fans will be able to catch the regular afternoon train.
Carol-Anne Nelson, V/Line
Nurses deserve pay rise
I have worked as a registerd nurse, mainly in the Victorian public health system for 30 years. I have three hospital qualifications and four tertiary degrees. I have been endorsed as a nurse practitioner in the Emergency Department for about six years. This extra qualification allows me to prescribe medications and treat patients with minor illnesses and injuries, without the need to wait to see a doctor. I absolutely love being a nurse and have never wanted to be anything else. It is a huge privilege to be allowed, and trusted to care for patients. No nurse works for the money alone but now we are asking for a fair wage, and pay parity with NSW. At the moment I earn approximately $98,000. A nurse practitioner in NSW, with my experience, earns approximately $123,000. I am asking the state government to consider the pay claim of Victorian nurses, and realise we are not being greedy and deserve to be on a par with our interstate colleagues. Industrial action begins on Friday and I am sure we all agree that it would be best to settle this with the least possible disruption to patients and the health system.
Kate Sloan, Killarney
Keep CFA volunteers
The end of CFA volunteerism is only a signature away as Premier Dan Andrews prepares to bow to the pressure of the United Firefighters Union (UFU). Federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten and UFU Victorian secretary Peter Marshall are pushing the premier to accept 450 pages of demands that would render the CFA volunteer extinct. I attended a rally held by Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria at Parliament House on Saturday, which had 421 CFA appliances and 1000 CFA volunteers converged in the city. Many of them travelled for more than eight hours with just 24 hours’ notice. This shows the passion these CFA volunteers have, as well as their commitment to the organisation and their communities. I’ve spoken to many regional Victorians who are passionate and angry about the UFU’s demands and tactics. People who support CFA volunteers believe the union is seeking to tear apart the largest, most recognised and respected volunteer organisation in Australia. The UFU has called for power to veto CFA management decisions and equipment, vehicles and clothing issued by the CFA, as well as new policies including replacing support staff with career firefighters, union firefighters only reporting to paid staff, and placing seven paid firefighters on CFA fireground before firefighting begins. This is in addition to a demand for a 19 per cent pay rise, 15 per cent loadings and many other perks built into the 450 page EBA document. This fight to preserve our CFA volunteers is one that we must win. Hands off our CFA’.
Simon Ramsay MP
Call for asylum policy
Australia spends almost as much money each year locking up and tormenting a few thousand people in our offshore detention facilities as the UNHCR spends helping millions of asylum seekers and refugees throughout the world. If only a fraction was spent supporting the work of the UNHCR in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia it would remove much of the incentive for people to take to the seas in a desperate bid for a better life. Asylum seekers allowed to live and work in our community would contribute to our economy, as so many have done in the past. With Papua New Guinea declaring the Manus Island Detention facility illegal, the time has come for political representatives to show leadership. Close all offshore detention facilities. Bring those individuals to the mainland and resettle them. Show basic human decency. I have a vision in which we respond to people seeking our protection with compassion and decency, rather than wasting millions causing needless suffering. If you do not share my vision you will not have my vote.
Katherine Stewart, Warrnambool
