Fluoridation
I have been following the comments on fluoridation of water supplies with great interest.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
When I was young I was a patient to dentists who had practiced both before and after the fluoridation of the local water supply in Hobart.
They had noticed a great reduction in the occurrence of tooth decay after the addition of fluoride to the water supply.
However, fluoride can occur in nature in a mineral form and because of this the amount of fluoride in our water and food can vary from place to place.
Whether fluoride is detrimental to our health will depend mainly on its concentration and the amount we ingest. This is the same for most substances including even sugar. It is up to the authorities to follow guidelines from such organisations as the World Health Organisation in determining the amount to be added to the water supply.
For those people who are not happy with the addition of fluoride (or anything else for that matter) to the water supply, may I suggest that the Bega Shire Council provide a water station(s) of fresh potable water for the use of the general public.
I saw such an example last Christmas in Hobart where there was a water station at the chalet just before the summit on the pinnacle road to Mount Wellington.
A pipe had been taken off a fresh mountain stream which had a trigger controlled valve.
Peter McCormick, Merimbula
Buying locally
After checking Melbourne prices we decided to buy two single seater recliners and one two-seater recliner. locally.
We were a bit concerned that the two seater didn't sit equally in the middle and after checking the setting on the floor at Robert Smith's decided to contact Rebecca for an exchange.
We weren't confident that this would be done but within half an hour of Rebecca receiving our email she was on the phone and agreed to do a full exchange.
We were really impressed and feel we had to acknowledge this follow up.
Buy locally. It has benefits.
Kath Campbell, Tura Beach
Verbal abuse in sport
The issue of the treatment of referees in amateur and professional sport comes up a lot, and it seems not a lot has changed, based on the verbal abuse of a young referee that was witnessed on the weekend on one of Bega’s sporting fields.
Some questions: Is it ever okay to verbally abuse young and upcoming referees? Is it ever OK to abuse a referee at all? Is this what junior sport is about or any sport for that matter?
Or is yelling out at the referee not classed as abuse? Is it a reasonable defence to say I too am a referee and I have abuse hurled at me every week and same said to my children?
I am here to tell you it’s not okay for anyone to create a culture where kids think this behaviour is acceptable, as demonstrated on the field.
As a parent I can teach my children to be polite, resilient, caring, law abiding citizens. I can encourage them to be involved and participate in sport. However I can not make them super referees.
I ask everyone who attends live sport that is refereed by kids, do not yell at them while they are on the field, come and educate them before or after the match, remember they are learning and are just entering the adult world and do not have the resilience of a seasoned referee.
Encourage them by letting them know what they did well, explain to them any inappropriate calls they make and give them an explanation on how they can improve in the future.
We as participants or spectators need to stand up and let others know that this behaviour is not acceptable.