Laughter, sex, vegetables and fish and chips

That is why I'm delighted that Ethan Kashi and his shop at Heathcote, purchased seven years ago, recently won the Wotif award for making the best potato scallops in NSW.

Not only are his potato scallops top of the list, but his grilled fish and grilled calamari are beyond comparison: they are that good.

For oldies like me, accelerating at a frightening rate towards 80 years of age, diet is so important as we overtake our biblical allowance of three score years and ten.

Medically professionals - or as we used to call them 'doctors' - have long said the best things for elderly people are: laughter, sex, vegetables and fish, not necessarily at the same time, but with due regard to the need for prioritising and balance, literally.

My dear departed mum was so aware of the importance of fish in our diets - especially just after the Second World War when food supplies were limited to very essential items - that she told me to go to the fish shop on a Friday and order a large fish and tell the man in charge to leave the eyes in the fish so it could see us over the weekend.

Paul Hunt, Engadine

I read your article - A Chain Reaction over Bike Jumps - with interest. I think it's an excellent activity for kids to be involved in and if jumps are considered dangerous, then I guess it's up to their parents to decide if they ride. No problem there.

It's good that the council will engage with the kids and their parents. However, the motion put before the council by Cr Johns and your article don't seem to consider possible negative impacts on nearby residents or how the council will engage with them. We have seen this before where the council supports something quickly due to Facebook pressure without looking at all the facts. Failing to take into consideration people whose quality of life might be affected is wrong. As those of us with kids know, they can be very loud! I don't think I could handle 50 of them right outside my house!

I'm all for kids building jumps, my kids love them too, but their jumps are away from houses. As long as there are some rules set in place about only doing it in suitable areas, then I'm all for it.

D.S, Heathcote

I would like to congratulate TAFE NSW Loftus Campus for providing an excellent lunchtime meal at their Embark Restaurant, which is a training restaurant for up and coming chefs and hospitality personnel. The four-course meal I had for $30 represented good value.

Ken Maxwell, Gymea Bay

I can't entirely agree that the current Council clean-up service is successful, for the following reasons. Waiting times are too long. It was far better when we knew the dates in advance for our twice a year clean-up. With clean-ups only available when pre-booked, and done in each area every three weeks, the suburb looks like a rubbish tip multiple times each year instead of only twice, as in the past. With the available dates midweek in my suburb, many residents are unable to comply with the need to put the rubbish out on Tuesday night, especially in wet weather, so it is put out the previous weekend, attracting so-called illegal dumping. There is nothing to prevent neighbours from informing each other of a clean-up they have booked, thus giving people the possibility of multiple clean-ups each year (perhaps this is an advantage!). What is the problem with people from other suburbs leaving their rubbish on existing piles for a scheduled clean-up? It all ends up in landfill anyway and is preferable to dumping it in the bush. When a whole area is serviced on specific dates twice a year, a lot of the items are removed before the pick-up, meaning that they are not going to landfill. 'One person's trash is another's treasure.' Indeed this type of recycling should be encouraged. Please consider reverting to the system in use before 2012 - it was far better.

Beryl Stenhouse, Burraneer

Last Sunday night, I stepped out of an Uber and tripped over the driveway outside my address.

I fell backwards onto the road and badly split my head open and was knocked unconscious.

My wife rang 000 whilst unknown neighbours from across the street in Willarong Road compressed the flow of blood with the man's shirt and towel.

A police car cruising past stopped and assisted with one of these women getting me to squeeze her hands as I came out of unconsciousness. Two ambulances arrived and conveyed me to St George Hospital, where the staff and the Ambos immediately treated me most professionally. Early the next morning, I was transferred to the short stay unit where again I was treated by the happiest staff of doctors and nurses. I cannot speak highly enough of all the people involved in saving me. A very big thank you to everyone involved. Tony Day, Caringbah

The recent dog attacks in Cronulla have urged me to put pen to paper. Like many hundreds of grandparents in the Shire, we look after our grandkids whilst their parents work. The closest coffee shop with a grassed area is at Wanda surf club. It is only a matter of time before there is another attack and it won't surprise me if it occurs there. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs but not sitting at the tables where we like to enjoy a milkshake and watch our little one run around on the grass. I realise this venue is a favourite of dog owners, but I feel that food areas are not for animals. Is it my imagination, or has there been a huge jump in dog ownership in the Shire? Please, dog owners, take your pooch for a walk and leave it at home whilst you enjoy a coffee.

R Sullivan, Cronulla

Gill Blackmore suggestion that there no public gardens in Caringbah surprised me - as a Shire resident of some sixty-five years I have long taken pride in the long-established and much commended Camellia Gardens and spent many enjoyable hours in their magnificent grounds.A ten-minute drive from Toyota Park by way of playing fields, a golf course and Caringbah Oval. Tim Higgins, Gymea Bay