Tamar River's historic vessels shouldn't be destroyed

I sailed for many years on the old girl and it would be good to see her restored.

Another group that may also be interested in her is the South Australian Ketch Society who previously put in an offer for her when Les Dick put her on the market for $80,000 after her gearbox expired! Strangely as soon as they showed interest Les put the price up to $200,000 so she was left to rot.

The idea of converting her into a tourist venture originally came from me as I was working for Les at the time and the re-fit to take passengers on adventure cruises would have ensured a long life after years of hard slog.

Go for Flinders Island maybe they could get the Island trader to cart her to the island, another of Les's former vessels carrying her to her final resting place!

Launceston was once a thriving port city, and yet it's heartbreaking to see how excited people are to destroy integral pieces of Tasmanian maritime history.

The Harry O'May ferry helped reconnect the two sides of the Derwent River after the Tasman Bridge Disaster in 1975, then worked the Bruny Island crossing for 13 years.

The Cape Bruny tugboat was also there for the Tasman Bridge collapse, as one of the tugs assisting the Lake Illawarra into port and subsequently one of the first vessels on scene to help survivors.

The Ponrabbel II dredger was built over a century ago in 1916 and operated on the somehow-still-silt-ridden Tamar River from 1922 until 1976.

How about we use the millions of dollars being invested into the frankly horrid CBD redevelopments (cough cough Civic Square, unnecessary upgrades to York Park, building pointless hotels, modernising Macquarie House) to save the pieces of history that this town was literally built on.

By preserving these ships, you clear the river of any imminent environmental damage and you gain several pieces of heritage to display and (because we live in a capitalist hellscape) profit from.

Launceston, please save these vessels and stop destroying your history.

With annoyance and disgust, a devastated maritime historian.

When parking meters are not operational, as was the case one recent Friday afternoon at Birchalls car park, and the wardens are running to issue a fine to a vehicle before parking could be paid for as was the case one recent Friday afternoon, it's no wonder no one conducts business in the CBD.

I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate Ben Seeder for his bravery, on reporting about such a sensitive topic as The Cass Review (The Examiner, April 20).

Recently the news media have been too afraid of the massive backlash from activists, even talking about this issue has become some kind of modern taboo. Journalists should be allowed to do their job.

Nothing should be off topic for debate, especially when it comes to children's health.

Bravo again Ben, I hope this set a trend for your colleagues.

Are there any BikeBus routes in Tasmania? There are in some other states (Queensland, NSW) and it is a great way for kids to get to school in the summer. We already have plenty of bike lanes, so what are we waiting for?

A BikeBus is a bunch of kids who, usually accompanied by a family member or other adult, bike to school along an established route with stops to allow others to join in, just like a regular school bus service. Will Tasmania beat other states such as Victoria to this new trend in climate friendly transport?

Won't JLN answer questions unless they ask Jeremy Rockliff first? They have lost all credibility already.