Shire letters | Tree canopy loss, Australia Day date, unsung heroes, e-bikes

In calculating the percentage of canopy lost, it is important to know which areas are included in the calculations.

Sutherland Shire includes large areas of bushland in the Royal, Heathcote and Botany Bay National Parks, various nature reserves, etc and no canopy loss there would be expected.

I think residents would be interested to know the percentage of canopy loss in residential areas only without any diluting effect resulting from the inclusion of natural bushland.

Clarification of the base area for the differing calculations is important.

If the DPE data is accurate, then a reduction from 37.42 per cent in 2019 to 28.59 per cent in 2022 may be a loss close to nine percentage points but it represents a 23.6 per cent loss in the amount of canopy from the total in 2019 to the total in 2022.

Ross Catts, Gymea

When did Australia begin? Was it 1 January 1901, the commencement of federation and of Australia as a recognised nation? Was it 26 January 1788 when the first fleet captained by Arthur Philip arrived in order to set up a penal colony?

Was it 65 to 70 thousand years ago when the the first Aborigines arrived in boats to begin the oldest still existing population on earth outside Africa? Should we now consider those original people as Australians way back then?

We must answer those questions before we can decide whether to celebrate 26 January as Australia Day. To my way of thinking, Australia began thousands of years ago with those original (Australian) peoples.

The best date to celebrate would be 1 January, the anniversary of federation, when the world first recognised Australia and we recognised ourselves as a separate nation.

Ray Anthony, Taren Point

On Tuesday January 16, we went to get food for our dog. We parked at Koonya Circuit, Taren Point, which is always a nightmare. After returning to the car, in my wisdom, I somehow managed to drive over the edge of the first car space. This left us dangling like a stranded tortoise with two legs in front and two behind.

We want to praise and thank the three men who came to our aid. I didn't get any of their names. Firstly, the gentleman in the white Mercedes. Just looking at his face I could see it was bad news. Then, he with another young man and my husband, tried to lift the car (a little Honda Jazz) over the edge. The second man suggested straightening the wheels, which was a most sensible solution.

The hero of the day, however, was the tradie, who managed to get a towrope and pull our car back off the edge, with his big ute. He was a saviour in a time of dire distress. We didn't even have the mobile phone with us, so he saved us much misery.

It was a hot and humid day and he must have been tired after work and dying to get back home, but he was spontaneous and generous with his time and refused any payment. It fills me with optimism and hope to know that people like these three still exist in the world today.

Shirley Evans, Woolooware

Your correspondent Barry D, of Engadine (Letters January 17) might like to reflect on the fact that increased safety for cyclists is usually achieved by decreasing the safety of pedestrians.

Cyclists are welcome to fight among themselves on dedicated cycle paths but should show some humility on shared paths, most of which are former footpaths with the addition of a faded white centre line.

The threat to pedestrians is the mass and velocity of a cyclist; add a motor and the potential threat is multiplied. The most threatened are little ones who are just starting to walk and the elderly who are one broken bone from being sentenced to a nursing home and a degrading death.

Gerry Scales, Sutherland

I was in Cronulla yesterday and saw no less than eight young kids (some as young as 10-12 ) riding powerful e-bikes in the mall. These kids riding around with two and sometimes three people on the bikes and often without helmets. These bikes are very heavy and some of the kids can hardly lift them. It is a only a matter of time before some elderly person is knocked over. It's high time the authorities took action.

Stephen Newell, Burraneer

Thank you so much for your article regarding Mike Scotland's book Marine Biology in the Wild. I have borrowed it from our local library and I am enthralled.

As your article reported, the beautiful glossy photos are awesome. However, what also impressed me was Scotland's intriguing information without overwhelming scientific language.

Had I not read your article in the Leader, I would not have had the opportunity to be so fascinated with the links of our physiology to those simple organisms of the sea.

Sue Spiteri, Bundeena