I decided to google this and first thing that came up was the Namoi Valley article about Tony Melick wanting his family remembered in street naming. Tony is holding the photo of my great grandfather that I remember seeing at my Grandma Adba's house and that blew me away. I also got to read a bit more of my family's history. I wonder if you could pass my contact details on to Tony, we are obviously family!  And Yes, Tony, I would LOVE to be able to make a copy of that photo. I only stayed in Gunnedah once, Mullaley to be precise, at the Melick's store. I was 6 at the time! Anyhow was amazed to find this info in the Gunnedah paper and hope to get down there one day and maybe catch up with some family I never see! Till then take care, Family!  Thanks Namoi Valley Independent.  

Sandy Bennett, 

Eagleby, QLD

I am writing this letter to voice my concerns about the intersection of Chandos and Barber streets.

I am employed by Gordon Barry & Co and from there I see near misses on a daily basis.

These are caused by people on their phones, impatient drivers not waiting for cars to park, dangerous u-turns close to the corner by trucks and vehicles and speeding drivers.

Pedestrians crossing from one side to the other between Gordon Barry & The Imperial Hotel are constantly in danger due to all the above listed reasons.

In saying all this, I would like to put forward a proposal for a round-a-bout to be put in place as I fear it will only be a matter of time before someone is seriously injured here or worse, killed.

Robert Price, Gunnedah

In Budget week. Not a peep or leak about our taxpayer funded one billion dollar loan to the rich foreign family using tax havens to hide their financial affairs from the scrutiny of the Australian voter and their Government, for the development of the massive Adani coal mine. Even Westpac has declined investment in the Adani “stranded asset.” The Commonwealth Bank keeps its options open.

At stake? The world’s biggest coalmine, astride the Queensland artesian basin in the world’s driest continent. A “judas goat” for investors like Gina Hancock and Clive Palmer to follow on Adani’s coat tails.

At risk? The economy, stupid. We need this investment for our nationhood, prattle on our senior “retail pollies”: more jobs, when Bunnings employs more people than the oil and gas industries combined and highly mechanised modern mining can be managed by computer screens miles away.

Oh, then there is the water. Twelve billion- yes, twelve billion- litres of it a year to wash the coal; in the world’s driest continent. Not to irrigate, not to grow crops or feed stock or even keep our waterways free of pollution, but to wash this most precious of commodities, coal!

So what price will Adani pay for this water and to whom? A fair price or a discounted one for all these political gains they offer? As much as our Peel Valley irrigators pay, for example?

Will it go to Government to improve our bottom line, save our triple A rating, provide for education, health services and our social capital?

Our senior politicians can’t or won’t tell us.

There is a current discussion of what it means to be Australian: not the plaything of Global investors or our local home grown politicians in their pursuit of power.

What to do? Call in our politicians and demand answers. Our votes put them in power and our votes can take that power away.

Peter Wakeford

Tamworth