Happy with healthcare
Recently, I had been suffering from a bad back and Dr Steve Illiadis referred me to Dr Mitchell Hansen at Newcastle Private Hospital in New Lambton Heights.
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My L4 and L5 discs were out of alignment by 15 per cent and no blood was going down the extremity of my left leg.
Anaesthesia Dr Willem Volschenk assisted in the operation, I am now fully recovered and post operative results mean I now do not have to take any pain medication.
NIB Health Fund fully covered the cost of the operation and Medicare covered all but $1200 of the anaesthesia bill.
My wife suffers from macular degeneration and requires injections every eight to 10 weeks; again NIB Health Fund fully covers the cost.
The Hunter Region is lucky to have such brilliant people and health services in our great area.
Kevin Lynch, Soldiers Point
Also read: Letters to the Editor, February 13
Too quick to close beach
I understand the need to balance safety and the environment, but I believe the National Parks have been heavy handed in its handling of the closure of Birubi Beach during February.
I have been affected in two ways, firstly I run some B&B rooms and the guests often come with their 4WDs to use Birubi and Samurai beaches.
Secondly, I had friends up for the last week and we wanted to have a nice day at the beach with shade for my wife who has had melanoma.
Every day I drove down to the beach only to be confronted with barriers way down at the ticket checking area instead of at the front entrance - wasting my time.
Beaches north and south of Birubi and Samurai were open.
These closures cost the area a lot of money.
I was told by National Parks staff that it wasn't up to them, but staff in offices.
Chris Mansell, Fishermans Bay
Also read: Letters to the Editor, February 6
Medowie moving forward
I grew up in Port Stephens and together with my husband recently made the decision to make Medowie our home.
I am excited for our town's dynamic future.
It still retains it's unique village feel and rural character but its growth is seeing increased access to jobs and services that our neighbouring communities enjoy.
Medowie is indeed on the move and has fast become a desirable area to live, raise a family, retire and start a business.
My family business has just opened here in Medowie as well.
I am proud to be a new member of this community and will be adding my voice to those others who are advocating for Medowie's continued progress.
Brooke Vitnell, Medowie
Also read: Letters to the Editor, January 30
Facts not hard to find
CLIMATE change deniers have a favourite target: climate change theory and its models.
They claim that theories are just guesses and that computer simulations are not accurate, so the public should be wary of their predictive power.
They claim no prediction has ever come true. "Give just one example," they often demand.
Firstly, the prediction 50 years ago that the planet was warming at a dangerously accelerated rate due to human activity has become fact.
Temperature readings and trends don't lie.
From that fact, modelling has successfully predicted the following: warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, glacial retreat, shrinking snow cover, sea level rise, ocean acidification, animal migrations and extinctions, changing seasons, and a record number of high temperature extreme weather events.
These facts really aren't that hard to find, unless you don't want to.
John Arnold, Anna Bay
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