Lake Macquarie councillors and state member Greg Piper have been invited to attend the meeting and to speak if they wish. We expect that Johnson Property Group will have lodged an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment by that date.

The level of community anger and dismay over this proposal is very high and will no doubt be an issue in the local government elections scheduled for later this year.

Residents in both the west ward and east ward are likely to be affected by the noise from proposed helicopter movements which could be up to 40 movements per day, according to a presentation done by JPG recently.

- Tom Dumbrell president MPDAG

I WRITE regarding the Nine Network’s upcoming “reality” TV show, The Briefcase, which I understand first airs this Monday.

Regardless of my intense dislike of “reality” programming which is taking over every aspect of our viewing choices (my wife’s, in fact, as I refuse to watch most of it and she hasn’t much choice anyway) this show is plumbing the depths of depravity, insensitivity and social norms.

How have we come to such a depraved situation where we will make sport and profit of giving needy people money and making them feel like total a***holes (sorry, very few other ways of putting it) if they don’t turn it over to someone who may, or may not be, more needy? 

This concept is disgusting, anti-social, divisive, inhuman, de-humanising and exploiting the most vulnerable members of our society. Whoever came up with this concept should be hospitalised and given a long course of therapy that concentrates on not making sport of people less affluent and privileged as themselves. Total mongrels.

I am told, not confirmed, that this show caused an absolute furore when it was aired in the United States. I am not surprised.

I can only say that, I for one, will never ever again watch a program aired by the Nine Network if they go ahead with this anti-social piece of reality rubbish.

Please hire some creative writers who do not have to resort to so-called “reality” themes, and who can actually put together a show with a theme or a plot. Sorry, that wouldn’t be cheap would it?

Nine Network, be very ashamed.

- Tony Cummins, Bolton Point

MY wife while shopping recently at our local supermarket asked the produce manager if she could have a few lettuce leaves for our pair of iso-brown chooks, Bok and Choy. “Sure, love” he replied.

At the check-out she was approached by the duty manager who questioned her as to the contents of her shopping bag (lettuce leaves).

“Oh no, you must return them immediately,” said the manager, adding that the store did not want to be encumbered should the chooks fall ill or, worse, go to the great coop in the sky.

Some time before this event, I personally witnessed an obviously affected young man walk into the store and take a 20cm cook’s knife off the shelf then conceal it up his jumper.

I informed the check-out operator who promptly told the duty manager. The manager told me that there was nothing he could do. Really?

- Name and suburb withheld

THE poor man’s drone, the suicide bomber, the most powerful human drone of all.

- Richard Ryan, Summerland Point