There are rocks scattered around, it is uncared for with overgrown grass, weeds and shrubs, which were not there 20 years ago, and there is excavator damage.

There used to be barbecues built by the Rotary Club of George Town and other amenities, which have been removed.

It used to be a delightful place to take the family for a barbecue or picnic while taking in the views of the river and there was a suitable area to play cricket or other games.

This point was designated as a recreation area for the residents of Hillwood and for more than 70 years was used for that purpose, now, under the control of Parks and Wildlife and/or Crown land services it is becoming an eyesore.

John Boyle, Riverside.

ONCE upon a time there were two zookeepers trying to decide what to feed to their Mandrill monkeys. 

They were of course on a tight budget, so they went to the dumpsters outside the local supermarkets, Doles and Dullies. They scooped up all the fruit they could find. 

Some of the fruit was OK but a lot was smelly and pongy. They then made a Doles pile and a Dullies pile in the monkey cage and watched what happened. 

The monkeys sniffed both piles and then settled around the pile they felt was the least smelly. The zookeepers noticed one pile had one more monkey than the other and they both yelled “We now have a mandate”. 

We now know what monkeys like, and so for the rest of the time that those zookeepers were in charge, all the monkeys got fruit from the dumpster at Doles – or was it Dullies? 

The monkeys, of course, had to eat every piece whether it was pongy or not before they got a new pile.

And that, boys and girls, is how politicians came up with the idea that they have a mandate for all their policies after each election.

M. Fyfe, Riverside.

SO WE have a guarantee that "Tasmania won't be one cent worse off" under the GST carve up, but what does this really mean?

If the past statements are anything to go on this state will end up with exactly the same as last year for this year and if I'm right, for years to come. Tasmania doesn't have enough serious business and not enough population for our share to be increased.

The idea of a population-based share means we will miss out and it doesn't matter that we have become the retirement village for the rich states because they want the money to look after their schools and hospitals.

Our costs per head are over the top due to the fact that retirees are so prevalent. The medical costs alone are through the roof (I know because I'm one of the patients).

So, thanks Mr Turnbull, for the decrease in revenue by stealth, don't increase the amount but by not raising the payout indexation and rising costs will insure we come out poorer.

Ken Terry, Bridport.

HERE’S some (government enforced) facts for health minister Michael Ferguson to mull over: One in four Australians will die from cancer.

You cannot access adequate pain relief without a cancer diagnosis.

You cannot access cancer diagnosis on the public health system without it costing you an arm and a leg (which you have probably already lost the use of).

“Three thousand” women will die this year from breast cancer, for which the only accurate test is a mammogram.

You cannot access a mammogram on the PBS. Why not? Ask the health minister next time he attends a “pink day’.

A R Trounson, Needles.

THE recent rope climbing facility installed at Bridport by Dorset Council has attracted tremendous support along with other existing recreational facilities after 3pm of weekdays when school finishes.

The rope facility has numerous children climbing it even the millennium age group (22 to 38) are using this added facility.

Treasurer Peter Gutwein recently stated Bridport is the “jewel in the crown“ for the  Dorset municipality.

When its library and hall complex was threatened to be sold to private enterprise the community reacted.

The hall is used now for numerous activities and the council bowed to people power.

Brian P. Khan, Bridport.

I HEARTILY agree with Lindsay Miller (Letters, The Examiner, July 9) regarding scam calls.

It’s mostly at dinner time when they think you will be home.

I would further say that the service from Telstra is abysmal.

I've spent many hours on the phone, trying to rectify problems with untrained staff who I can't understand and do not have the training to answer queries.

Then the last straw was an excessive and incorrect account which also took hours to sort.

It’s time Telstra came back on shore, trained their staff and became more efficient instead of sacking 8000 Australian workers.

Wendy Burbury, Newstead.

IN RESPONSE to David McMahon's assertion that lengthy delays at the baggage reclaim at Launceston Airport provides a bad image for tourists and visitors (The Examiner, July 8), I would absolutely concur.

I often think we were better off with a tractor, trailers, self-help and the trusty beagle.

Philip Ridyard, Exeter.

SOCIALISM has never worked anywhere. Those who support it seem to have never worked either.

Jack Sonnemann, Lucaston.