Warrnambool doesn't do party pies. We have nibble pies and we are proud of them.

When travelling beyond the COVID line, we can recognise our tribal fellows by the way they refer to these small pies.

They are as iconic as our Norfolk pines, our roundabouts, the Grand Annual or the Silver Ball. These are stationary but nibble pies can spread the Warrnambool word wherever good pies are eaten.

Elaine Hill, Warrnambool

So wonderful to read the article in The Standard (May 29) about the state government funding to preserve Indigenous languages across Victoria. So many of these languages have been lost due to the belief of the white European invaders that their culture was a superior culture.

Robbie Lowe Snr is a great and respected man with so much knowledge about the history of this area. He is a man of compassion, spirit and foresight; a living legend.

Locky Eccles and his daughter Mel are others who are doing the hard-yards to preserve one of the original languages of this area. A great story.

Gavin Arnott, Allansford

In reference to Roma Britnell's comment (May 29), I am confident the achievements of the current Victorian ALP government would stack up very well if laid out and compared to those of more recent LNP governments. A little further back in time, who could forget the setbacks the state education system and TAFE experienced under the leadership of Messrs. Baillieu and Kennett.

Russell Allardice, Port Fairy

The Warrnambool Ratepayer Association is asking our newly-elected councillors to give the ratepayers a break by not increasing rates for the financial year 2021-22.

The previous council hit ratepayers with a 2.5 per cent increase during the COVID pandemic - many other councils opted to hold rates to soften the impact on residents. Residents are still recovering from the financial effects of the pandemic and now with a new lockdown and no JobKeeper, rent rebates, leniency on housing loans, the impact is only going to increase.

The association sees a rate freeze as a great opportunity for the new councillors to show they are really listening to residents and what they need.

Council's financial report in March said a financial favorable position of $982,000 and at the end of the financial year it is expecting a $1.68 million surplus - this shows a rate freeze would certainly be achievable.

It is disappointing to see increases in parking fees of 42 per cent for 1P, 2P & 4P and 33 per cent for all-day parking when 70 per cent of our retail workers drive to work.

Wages are budgeted to be $37.689 million - an increase of 12 per cent. When ratepayers are being asked to dig a bit deeper into their pockets, it is reasonable to expect council to also do their bit. We understand rate increases are inevitable, however it is certainly possible for ratepayers to be spared this year. WRA would hope to see election campaign promises upheld and not broken.

Joan Kelson, WRA president

Could the person - or persons - who are throwing green waste in Albert Park up near the pony club please put it in their own green bin and the WCC will take it away on bin night.

Ros Orr, Warrnambool

Future evidence will tell if this is true or not. Another possibility for the reactions is early evidence from Germany proposing the AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as containing the required monkey virus, may also contain substantial amounts of contamination with both human and viral proteins - over 1000 contaminants were detected in some vaccine vials.

The post-COVID vaccination reactions many people are experiencing have been put down by some people, albeit as guesses without strong evidence, as a sign the vaccine is working. These contaminants include proteins from within human cells that are used in the vaccine manufacturing process. Although unlikely to be of concern, some of the contaminants have been associated with exacerbation of pre-existing inflammatory conditions and have also been associated with autoimmunity.

Despite these concerns, vaccination still is the key to controlling COVID just as it has been for many other infectious diseases such as polio, rubella, measles etc and for most part the benefits far outweigh the risks.

If further studies confirm these contamination findings, pressure from authorities to seek improvements in the purification process by vaccine manufacturers is also crucial to reduce the odds of long-term health complications as well as possibly improving vaccine responses as these contaminants may interfere with induced immune responses.

Michael McCluskey, Warrnambool

I am writing from the not-for-profit Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia to urge people in your local area - who have mental health issues - to reach out and get help. We know there is a lot of help out there. We know not enough people are accessing that help.

Our latest awareness initiative highlights that mental illness is much more common than many people might think. Data reveals 45 per cent of all Australians will experience a mental disorder at some point. In the past 12 months alone, one in five Australians has experienced a mental health disorder. For instance, 50 per cent of people with schizophrenia now attempt suicide. The ridiculous myths around this condition need to be busted. It is completely unacceptable that people with schizophrenia are likely to live 19 years less than people who do not have the condition. Tragically this gap continues to widen.

About 700,000 Australians have a severe mental illness. We want people to realise they are not alone and support is out there.

The Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia has a free phoneline to offer people advice on where to get more support. All people need to do is call 1800 985 944 or visit minetworks.org.au

Tony Stevenson, Chief Executive Officer, Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia