What a joke, but I guess we in the North always thought that would be the result they would come up with. It will never work as nobody watches sport in Hobart, look at the stats compared with Launceston.

The AFL boss Gill McLachlan says it won't happen for at least five years and it has to be funded by our state government.

Who funded GWS, Gold Coast and others?

A Hobart-based team will not get Northern support, think again

NO government can address the massive distress that the public feels about the health department and mental health services, which has been an enduring nightmare for so many Tasmanian families and members of the public including the police force and mental health services in particular for successive governments over decades.

The Mental Health Act offers an admirable defense of citizens' rights but does not protect them adequately when they are becoming mentally ill or have options for early intervention.

Help except for those who are compliant and seek appropriate support is non-existent for sufferers and their families and the public unless you ring triple-zero and in that case they will decide if help is warranted but unfortunately, not until or unless a catastrophe has happened or in the process, leaving all in danger and the cover-up and mop-up to placate the incident.

WELL done to the George Town Council and community for organising and conducting a fundraising morning tea for the bushfire appeal.

The event was supported by many community groups, business concerns and our residents and raised over $5000.

A mighty fine effort and very much highlighted the caring and generous support of our George Town community.

Thank you to everyone involved.

WITH the current bushfire status of Australia, don't the leaders both of Tasmania and Australia owe to us to do everything in their power to counteract the effects of anthropogenic climate change?

Before we see further catastrophes as we have over the past months?

Our so called leaders should start by protecting what I'm sure is one of Australia's largest terrestrial carbon sinks.

The Tarkine takayna rainforests.

Logging this incredibly rare Gondwanan heritage is absolute madness. I'm terrified for my children and the collapse of ecosystems they will witness in their lifetimes.

PRO-PRISON supporters continue to advocate for the prison with the hope that the government will find a lost pot of gold to throw at Westbury, in the form of a big new police station, ambulance services, aged care facilities and public pool to complement the prison and sweeten the deal for residents.

If we can't find that pot of taxpayer-funded gold, should we instead redirect funds allocated to Deloraine and Longford for these services to make Westbury fit the siting principles?

And what happens if the government just decides to do none of these? They certainly haven't made any announcement or commitment to any such deals. Would the pro-prison group change their mind?

Does the wider tax-paying community feel comfortable in throwing even more money at this completely avoidable farce?

I AGREE with Don Davey (The Examiner, February 5) regarding providing a sensible reward of $1 million for information relating to the brutal murder of Italian tourist Victoria Cafasso and the disappearance of German cyclist Nancy Grunwaldt on Tasmania's East Coast.

We have known the Grunwaldt family since Nancy went missing, and have welcomed them to stay with us every time they have visited. For a while it was yearly, then two yearly, now whenever they can.

First it was Nancy's parents, Helga and Bernd, then also Nancy's sister, Frauke.

When Bernd died, Helga came with Frauke and her family. Last year Frauke and her daughter spent a month with us, as they planned to do this year. They are a lovely, gentle family, still searching for Nancy, and they deserve to know what happened to her.

ON a recent visit to the Launceston CBD I noticed fluttering flags advertising MOFO.

A friend also advised me that there is a nativity scene nearby. I really must commend the Launceston City Council for their enthusiasm in advertising these events some 10 and 11 months in advance.

THE Crown Hotel building on the corner of Elizabeth and Bathurst Streets has been empty for quite a few years. There are many homeless people in Launceston.

Is there anyone who can put two and two together?