Canberra's contribution to the Manhattan project

This culminated in the dropping of Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Samples of U235 from the Mt Painter uranium mine in South Australia were tested by the Minerals Survey Office for their suitability for use in nuclear weapons production.

The samples were sent via rail bag from the mine to Canberra for testing. This took place at the Minerals Survey Office which was located in Alinga Street, Civic ,in the Census building.

That is now the sight of the GPO.

On August 6 and 9 we should reflect, as a city, on these events. This should also feature prominently in the history curriculum of ACT schools.

Yet again we have a complaint about a serviceman not getting a well-deserved Victoria Cross. Rod Olsen (Letters, May 19) is wrong on his reason as to why, however.

If he would look at the list of VC recipients during World War II, Leading Seaman Jack Mantle was awarded the VC on July 4, 1940. VCs were also awarded to Sergeant John Hannah (RAF) on September 15, 1940 and a Sergeant T. Gray (RAF) on May 12, 1940.

Other instances of non-commissioned personnel receiving the award included Pilot Officer Jack Gould (RN, February 16, 1942), Leading Seaman W. Savage (March 28, 1942), and Flight Sergeant G. Thompson (RAF, January 23, 1945).

Most Australian VC recipients were not officers at the time of their awards. The British Empire did not just award the VC to officers.

Andrew Barr recently, and correctly, accused the "big oil"-run Canberra servos of price gouging in relation to petrol prices and threatened them with price control if prices were not reduced to a level below $1 per litre by the weekend of May 2 and 3.

Big oil and its franchisees gave him the finger, kept prices high and only reduced E10 petrol to $0.99 per litre in a small proportion of local servos.

Other fuel grades have remained well above that level.

Mr Barr, if you wish to retrieve any level of credibility pre-election you must now give big oil both fingers and enforce lower petrol prices.

The Prime Minister's "no jab, no play" policy should be mandatory.

That the Canberra Raiders are prepared to support the players refusing to have the flu vaccination clearly indicates their win-at-all-costs mentality.

It also reflects on the intellectual space that these players occupy.

No jab, no play was introduced for preschool.

If citing religious reasons, can the players please inform me which part of the Bible they are relying on?

This also brings into question the Canberra Raiders' commitment to the health and well being of all Australians.

Being prepared to expose players from other clubs to non-vaccinated players indicates a blatant disregard for the health and welfare of the participants in the NRL.

It also sends a very poor message to the Australian public in general.

The current severe restrictions on air travel, while devastating to those who have been stood down, and deeply damaging to airline and airport profits, are at least reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

It may also present an unexpected opportunity. No doubt the airline industry is looking forward to resuming business as usual as soon as possible, and even growing the business after that.

But this industry has yet to put forward a sustainable business model to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which the scientific community, based upon the very best evidence available, tells us is necessary if we are to avoid a far worse future than the current epidemic is presenting.

If such a plan is not forthcoming, then at some stage restrictions on the industry will become necessary.

The government could take advantage of this current pause to ask the industry to develop a sustainable greenhouse gas plan.

If none is forthcoming it should begin to impose regulations of its own on behalf of future generations, rather than letting the industry return to an unsustainable future.

Whilst ACT teachers were complaining about the thought of supervising students who, for a multitude of reasons, had to come to school and do their online learning, spare a thought for the checkout operators of many supermarket chains that stayed open so you could buy yourself food and other items.

I didn't hear them complaining about being breathed on (and, in some cases, spat on), abused, or in the line of potential illness from the many hundreds of customers of all ages who would pass through their checkouts every day.

I have heard it said that as the educators are more likely to be left-wing voters, they would be more inclined to go against what the national (LNP) government recommended they should do.

That is an alarming thought given the medical science was showing that children are far more less likely to be at risk of carrying and spreading the virus than adults.

I wonder if teachers would have kicked up the same stink if it had been a national Labor Government recommending they do their jobs.

As I scanned the photos of Canberra nurses on the front page of The Canberra Times on Wednesday, May 12 (International Nurses Day), I couldn't help but notice that there was one missing.

It was the late Judith Shakespeare, who died on February 22, 1954 as a result of nursing polio victims in the isolation ward at the Royal Canberra Hospital. The year was a very dangerous one for all Canberrans; polio was present and a vaccine had yet to be found. Much like the current situation.

Judith gave her life for all Canberrans. I am as grateful for her contribution then to my continuing welfare, as I am now to those nurses who are on the front line of the coronavirus fight.

We miss you Judy. I hope we will all continue to remember Nurse Judith Shakespeare, one of our greatest Canberrans.

Processes undertaken at waste facilities have higher fire risks than other industries and can result in more frequent, and severe fires. Add to this the congestion of heavy waste vehicles on the major entry roads of Ipswich and Newcastle Streets, introducing 1.4 million tonnes of waste not generated in Fyshwick, and we have a serious cumulative impact on our environment and a risk to human health and safety.

Did I mention one location is on Tennant St, next to the Molonglo River? Dumping waste in Fyshwick is not in the broader public good nor beneficial to Fyshwick businesses which, pre-coronavirus, contributed $2.3 billion to the ACT economy.

Congratulations Greg Cornwell (Letters, May 13) re: intrusive music during TV documentary and other programs. It is quite unnecessary, and should be taken off altogether not just turned down. I am sure most viewers will agree.

My wife and I visited a bakery recently. We witnessed a staff member placing food in paper bags and taking cash with no gloves. She did the same with our order and then insisted we pay cash into her outstretched, bare hands.

We did not take the goods and left. I reported this to the ACT government's Health Protection Service on May 5. There was no response.

Are we the only ones who think some in the community (and the ACT government) could do better?

I don't remember my facial expression when I wrote my letter of May 11, Jevon Kinder (Letters, May 18). I do know more than 99 per cent of experts in climatology and related sciences - the "believers" - agree climate change is a real threat to humanity, and burning fossil fuels is a major cause.

11,000 "believers" co-authored a letter on November 6, 2019 to the journal BioScience calling for urgent action on climate change. If we "believers" are stubborn, we have very good reasons for being so.

I'm very sorry the great "velocipede versus perambulation" debate seems to be drying up. Surely it can be poked back into life? It was reminding me of the "Big-Endians" and "Little-Endians" in Gulliver's Travels. Hours of fun for everyone.

Infrastructure stimulus could allow for greener, more efficient, urban renewal. As the social distancing impracticality of tall office towers (e.g. two persons per lift) are becoming apparent, it seems the use of remote working will continue. If office towers becoming redundant greener CBD precincts will provide opportunities for all.

Many businesses are freezing or reducing salaries to cut costs. But those workers will then have less disposable income to spend with businesses, who will need revenue to recover and pay their staff. It's a downward spiral that may not end well.

Scott Morrison's assertion Alan Jones had "always done the right thing by (his) country" is beyond belief. Mr Jones has often seemed to be motivated by self-interest and a desire to wield political power. His tools have often been vindictiveness, malice and untruths.

It will be hard for the public to determine if Trump's use of hydroxychloroquine is the cause of specific mental impairment outcomes.

One of the apparent side effects of the drug hydroxychloroquine that US President Donald Trump says he is taking is hallucinations. How on earth are we going to tell the before from the after?

Minister Littleproud puffs up the Pyrrhic "victory" of instigating an international investigation into coronavirus, saying it was about understanding a pandemic that has claimed 300,000 lives. He conveniently overlooks his party's role in perpetuating fossil fuel use which condemns millions to desolation.

The article "Plan to streamline DAs" (May 19, p1) elevates an administrative difficulty to biblical proportions. As a simple fellow, I suggest a two stage process. BC - "being considered"; AD - "after decision". The outcome can be easily measured in the years taken.

Federal and state politicians, and senior bureaucrats, are still in full employment. Why have they not banded together to take a salary cut? Surely 10 percent would be reasonable for the duration of the lockdown. They should set a public example.

Big words, Gary Mack (Letters, May 21). You had me reaching for my dictionary to find out what you were talking about, especially as to who or what is a "bloviator".

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