A significant number of people attended and were shown details and impressions of this development.
• Why do the residents have to fight to stop this development that will have an adverse effect on the local community?
• Why is this not the job of the councillors and the council staff to recognise that it is not an appropriate development for this community?
• Why councillors, should the local residents have to attend these meetings when common sense would dictate that the development would not be in character with the current residential housing?
• The locals should have been visiting the bowling club to enjoy a social get together and enjoy the club’s facilities instead of being confronted with this massive development.
• People have come to live in Salamander Bay because they like what the area has become. The proposed development is going to cause major angst and concern to the existing residents.
• Councillors and council staff must see the problems with the narrowness of Fleet Street and how it will struggle to cope with additional traffic caused by such a massive development?
• Councillors and council staff must appreciate the difficulty of trucks moving spoil from the site traversing through Salamander Village Shops on Soldiers Point Road.

This has the potential to be very dangerous and if approved will go on for a very long time.

Developers should be encouraged to consider the existing area and to develop complementary buildings which will be embraced by the local community and add value to our area.

The councillors and council staff must recognise the  community needs must come first.

I was incredibly disappointed and disturbed recently, to read on social media so many disrespectful negative comments about the elderly in Port Stephens.

I have noticed in recent Facebook posts where there have been photos of a group of local people, made up of mostly seniors, there has been a noticeable disturbing reaction.

As someone over 65 who is active and interested in the community I feel it is time to highlight this trend and as a community, value our dedicated and experienced seniors.

I also worry some older people are just as prejudiced against the younger generation.

I feel we all have ideas and opinions that should be expressed freely without being insulted or denigrated.

I urge others to consider this in the future and call out these negative views.

RELATED READING: Letters to the Editor, October 25

RELATED READING: Letters to the Editor, October 18

In May this year, after grieving the death of my small dog, my husband suggested rescuing a dog from the pound.

I immediately fell in love with a brindle female Staffy.

She turned out to be the most perfect dog – well trained and the most loveable nature, so much so, that I rang the pound to see why such a wonderful dog was impounded.

Their explanation was that the family would (could) not pay the [$400] impounding fee.

My purpose for writing this letter is I feel it is wrong to charge owners $400 to retrieve their dog when it is microchipped.

This dog was impounded, desexed, wormed and vaccinated then sold to me for $199 as they had too many dogs.

I hate to think someone gave up such a loved dog if they could not afford the $400 asking fee.