His induction into the Hall of Fame at the Allan Border Medal count was always going to happen and was richly deserved for this outstanding person.

It was obvious from his speech that he has never forgotten who got him to where he is and that is commendable for a man with so much talent.

He loves his wife and family and not too embarrassed to say so. Good on you Rick, and thanks for the memories.

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching you over the years on TV and live at the grounds. All the best.

Rob Kenna, Riverside.

NINETEEN school shootings in the US for 2018. Not quite two months, what a great country.

The president of that country describes other nations as dumps, yet strangely these countries denigrated by Trump don’t have regular school massacres, maybe the Americans are missing something with their passion for loving guns, maybe common sense?

Peter Taylor, Midway Point.

ONE would have thought the state Liberals would have gone on and learnt after Andrew Nikolic, Brett Whiteley, and Eric Hutchinson.

They all lost their seats at the last federal election, mostly because of the Liberals’ poor performance in health and schools.

But no, the Liberals, under Will Hodgman, Treasurer Peter Gutwein and Health Minister Michael Ferguson, decided to keep going the way they were going and underfund health to the point where sick people cannot even get on waiting lists.

This is still the case and don’t be conned, it will not get any better for another full term if they get back in, according to their own health policy and the experts.

You don’t have to be very bright to cut essential health services to get a budget back into surplus. Don’t let the Liberals keep doing this to us, the people. Time for a change.

Clive Stott, Grindelwald.

WHY, oh why, won’t Tasmania introduce a deposit scheme for drink containers and other easily recyclable items?

We are one of the worst performing states as far as litter is concerned (The Examiner, February 14). The irony of all this is that we keep claiming we are ‘green and clean’.

Nature takes care of the green bit without much effort on our part, but the clean bit does require effort on our part, where we fail miserably.

We must make a greater effort to reduce waste, especially food packaging waste which strewns our roadways.

Please keep waste in your car until you reach a point where it can be binned and don’t add to Tasmania’s tarnished image.

Dick James, Launceston.

I WISH to congratulate Sarah Courtney and the Liberal Party for their election promise of extra funding for Men's Shed organisations throughout Tasmania over the next three years.

The $705,000 may sound like a lot of money for this organisation, but to put it into perspective, think of the good that this group has done in the way it brings people together. Even if members turn up once a week it shows there is an interest in what is happening.

It gives the members a sense of belonging after they have retired, it is helping with both their physical and mental health, and regular guest speakers pass on their knowledge as well. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

John Denne, Longford.

PATIENTS travelling to Hobart for surgery will welcome this initiative of Calvary Health Care.

Calvary Hospital is the first Tasmanian hospital to use a portable Ario scanner, which can be wheeled to a patient’s bedside during an operation.

The $1 million scanner is an advance on conventional doughnut shaped CT scanners, which cannot be used to check a surgeon’s accuracy until after the operation.

Little wonder Launceston specialists are supporting Calvary in its proposed relocation of its two hospitals to adjoin Launceston General Hospital.

Brian P. Khan, Launceston.

CAN anyone explain to me why such a small place like Tasmania needs the amount of politicians we have?

There are more of them in a population of about 600,000 than there are in Melbourne. People can’t find work, hospitals can’t find funding, farmers are suffering, yet more and more elections. More money wasted paying for politicians that are not needed. Does it take four people to change a light globe over here? Time to try to grow up.

Brian Hodgson, Youngtown.

THE AFL knows how Tasmania feels about the way we have been treated over getting our own team. Now, if we really want their attention and for them to listen to us, we have to hit them in the only way they understand: financially.

If we all decided we would not attend any of the local AFL games, I don't think it would take many games for them to get the message. Short-term pain for long-term gain.

Marilyn Reis, Ravenswood.

IF TREASURER Peter Gutwein wants to keep an historically incorrect plaque in place, then so be it (The Examiner, February 8). All Abel Tasman supposedly “discovered” in 1642 was a land long occupied by a race of people whose culture survives to this day.

Elsa de Ruyter, St Helens.