It was connected a week ago. Our first attempts at using the service elicited notifications from content servers (SBS and Netflix): "Your download speed is very slow."

Will it improve? What are we paying for?

The old ADSL broadband was faster.

Eileen M. Carroll

Fingal Bay

I was encouraged to read the article “mental health in the shadows” involving Don McDonald (Examiner, October 27).

Mental illnesses are of different types and degrees. Some of the major types are depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar mood disorder, personality disorders and eating disorders.

The most common mental illnesses are anxiety and depressive disorders. This is where fear, tension,  stress and sadness becomes so overwhelming that people have great difficulty in coping with day-to-day activities.

The less common are mental illnesses that may involve psychosis. These include schizophrenia and bipolar mood disorder and they are the most difficult behaviour for people and family to understand. A psychotic episode may involve delusions such as false beliefs of persecution, guilt or grandeur. I have bipolar mood disorder and I had a psychotic episode some months ago that involved false beliefs.  My behaviour was arrogant, threatening and confusing to many people and therefore I apologise if you felt this way. By the same token any ignorance, indifference and discrimination towards mental health issues is past its use-by date. If you still have this attitude then it is you who has the problem and not the solution.

Stuart Benjamin

Anna Bay 

I was disturbed to read the letter about common kingfishers on the rise and becoming a nuisance to chilli growers (Examiner, October 27) by correspondent Janice L Cooper.

I am a member of the Hunter Bird Observers Club and Birds Australia.

In the Hunter Region we have two kingfishers the Azure,17-19 centimetres, bright blue with a rufous belly and the sacred kingfisher; 20 – 23 cms which migrates each October to our region to breed then returns to North Queensland and Papua New Guinea to spend the winter. 

Both of these are in small numbers and it is a pleasure to see them. I would hate for them to be persecuted. Ms Cooper refers to the common kingfisher which is not present in Australia.  Perhaps she means the blue-winged kookaburra only present in the north, in Queensland, NT and WA. They are an Australian native bird. Culling should only be undertaken in extreme circumstances and after scientific studies and by the correct authorities. Please leave our native species alone.

Jean Tucker

Raymond Terrace

Can someone explain to me why our beautiful Fingal Bay foreshore is being neglected and we are treated like the poor cousins?

 We have dead trees, branches plus sections of the fences down since our mini cyclone two years ago.  It is a magnificent walkway with a potential for equally magnificent views, but I am ashamed and angry that we are not utilising it and caring better for it. What must visitors think when they walk along it? We need to remove the dead trees, open up more of our views and clear the undergrowth. This has been done very effectively at Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay, don't we deserve as ratepayers equal consideration and treatment?

Jenny Eletr

Fingal Bay