'Boy' Charlton was our greatest ever swimmer

Many Canberrans may be unaware of Manuka pool's association with one of Australia's greatest, and most famous and idolised swimmers, Andrew "Boy" Charlton.

He was admitted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1972 for the incredible swimming exploits he achieved when representing Australia in the 1920s and 1930s, including winning a gold medal in the 1924 Paris Olympics 1500 metre freestyle swimming event.

Charlton opened up a chemist shop in Canberra in 1934. At that time he was also appointed captain of the Manuka swimming club and represented Canberra in the January 1935 NSW state swimming championships, producing what was to be regarded as one of his greatest swims of all time.

It would also be his last. He beat Australian and French champions, Noel Ryan and Jean Taris, in the 880 yards freestyle event.

The sad legacy for Andrew "Boy" Charlton was that after taking up smoking he caught emphysema and died.

Canberrans should always be aware of this great Australian swimmer's association with the Manuka Pool.

For years Australia's immigration rate has been around 260,000 per annum, with natural local births around 140,000, a total of 400,000.

Our economy has adapted to that and is, to some extent, dependent on it. Immigration has ensured an ever growing customer base for business, and ensured competition in the labour market (its proponents call it "flexibility").

But COVID-19 has now ensured the temporary cessation of immigration and its high demand for housing. So until, and if, that changes, there will be surplus providers in the building industry, and surplus residential properties for sale.

That will mean cheaper homes and apartments, and higher building industry unemployment adding to existing unemployment.

But will we "snap back" as articulated by PM ScoMo? Some economists say our present economic troubles were inevitable, that COVID-19 simply hastened them.

Non pandemic issues having eventually to be addressed include personal indebtedness, flat wages growth, skewed wealth distribution, urban congestion, infrastructure shortages, the impossibility of eternal growth, and, therefore, determination of a long term, environmentally sustainable, non growing Australian population, global warming, more frequent and severe fires and drought, and water demand exceeding supply.

"Snapping back" is illusory. "Normal" will need to be redefined.

Around November 2019 several ACT politicians made statements to the effect "buses would be rerouted away from Anketell Street, Greenway to a new route, from April next year".

This would allow the people who use Anketell streets cafes and coffee shops to enjoy themselves without many buses driving by creating a very noisy, disturbing and unhealthy environment.

Many ACT government brochures telling me how nice and peaceful Anketell street would become also arrived in my letter box.

While having my hot chocolate in Anketell Street this week I noticed many buses were still driving past.

Having checked the calendar I noticed it was now May, and the buses had not been rerouted as promised.

I wondered whether COVID-19 could have prevented buses changing their route. That did not make sense. Therefore, will the Minister for Transport please explain why the buses are still using Anketell Street.

This virus is teaching us such a lot. Being told we can meet in a group of no more than 10, for example, makes me realise I never really feel the need to meet with a group of more than 10 people anyway.

With such a group sitting round a dinner table you can exchange names, news and ideas with everyone. Each person can feel included.

With such a group, even when gathered to play a game of sport or for a theatrical or musical production, everyone can be a participant, thus eliminating the need for spectator sport and performances to enormous audiences which contribute to our national obesity problem.

With such a group we could learn to be less dependent on mass production and food-miles. We could enjoy growing, making, and exchanging things.

The slower pace which would be engendered by these smaller, largely self-dependent groups, could be compensated by the shared pride we might have in the things we had made for ourselves.

Bravo Mike Quirk (Letters, May 16) for drawing attention to the dubious fiscal responsibility of the Barr government and its questionable priorities.

I particularly agree with the statement that the extension of the light rail to Woden (to which the Barr-Rattenbury government seems so committed) has not been "assessed against alternatives, notably a bus-way, which could prove to be a more fiscally responsible use of public funds". I would have thought that the infrastructure (tracks etc) required for light rail would cost much more than a dedicated bus-way for electrically-powered buses.

When is the government going to reveal its cost estimates for the Stage 2b light rail option compared with other options to improve public transport to Woden?

If such comparisons exist, they should be made public now; if they don't exist work should be undertaken immediately.

I would like to assure Richard Johnston (Letters, May 16) that Juliet Ramsay is not the only member of the Lake Burley Griffin Guardians who doesn't live near the lake. I'm a member and I live in Belconnen.

So, please, don't accuse me of NIMBY-ness. I'm concerned for the future of the lake as a whole and for maintaining, as much as possible, its "natural" appearance. The ugly and soulless development at the Kingston Foreshore was the thin end of the wedge, and development of the West Basin would thicken that end considerably.

It's all very well for those who might be able to afford to buy units with wonderful views, and no danger of them being built in front of. What about the rest of Canberra's citizens, who are forced to look at the development and not from it?

Re reports the petrol powered Holden Caprice "Comcars" are being replaced by diesel BMWs.

As a past Comcar driver, there can be a lot of down time involved in waiting for a job. This usually means a lot of queuing (for sometimes hours) with 20 plus other cars outside either Reps or the Senate in what's called the "shuttle".

I just wonder if the powers that be have taken the drivers' OH and S into consideration by selecting a diesel? In winter drivers have to queue with the engine idling (essential for heating purposes) and breathing in all those nauseating diesel fumes. That's a recipe for "car sickness" if ever there was one.

In the midst of the worst pandemic for more than 100 years Peter Dutton is demanding legislation for ASIO to "interrogate" 14-year-old children.

One fact Dutton, ASIO and the rest of the trench coat brigade never reveal is that Australia already has some of the most draconian laws in the western world for snooping on us.

Already they can lock up a child on national security grounds, being required only to tell one parent - and that only in vague terms. If that parent tells the other parent anything about their child being seized at school then he or she could be imprisoned for "jeopardising national security".

The PM has apparently ruled out extending the JobKeeper and JobSeeker programs. He doesn't want an Australian economy propped up by subsidies.

But Australian governments have a long history of propping up the business sector. In 2018-19 it spent an estimated $12 billion on business subsidies.

Why is the government singling out workers for thrift? Shouldn't it be saying "we will continue our programs to protect workers for as long as it takes".

My father was admitted to The Canberra Hospital towards the end of April. He passed away six days later. The staff, in particular of the ICU and Ward 11A, were outstanding during a difficult time for our family. Thank you for ensuring my father's last days were dignified, pain free and peaceful.

With most businesses now accepting card only sales, it would be an opportune time for Australia to be one of the first countries in the world to enjoy the enormous benefits of removing cash as a method of payment.

I cannot get into this COVIDSafe app. I also have some privacy issues. It is not a good thing at the moment.

The ACT's coronavirus field hospital reminds me of the Yes Minister episode, The Compassionate Society, about the hospital with no patients but 500 administrative staff who were "run off their feet". Of course, the hapless minister, Jim Hacker, later went on to become prime minister as the "compromise candidate". This is getting spooky.

It has taken a virus for Scott Morrison to regain popularity after his very poor showing during the bushfires. ("Saved by the bubble: The ironies of a prime minister propelled by miracles", canberratimes.com.au, May 16), What will it take for him to regain popularity with the next generation of voters, many of them school strikers?

Morrison's data collected from mobile phones "will be held in Australia", so he said, by Amazon. The US Patriot Act states that any US company is obliged to give up any data to the US government when it is demanded. How can that be secure for the Australian people?

I just heard Peter Dutton arguing for more relaxed border controls. That's what I call unprecedented.

In relation to his support for a High Court challenge to the closure of Queensland's borders, I suggest Peter Dutton put his money where his mouth is and mount the challenge himself. With his ministerial salary he should be easily able to afford the cost.

I wonder if Ian Pilsner's disdain for teachers (Letters, 22 May) goes back to his student days when a teacher (of any political persuasion) would have set him straight for making errors like "...far more less likely...".

David Pope's "Time to plan your getaway" (May 22) was brilliant. It said it all. Subject to overcoming climate ignorance, will the guy from marketing and his crew ever remember that they are supposedly the party that believes in market forces?

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