Some residents near Cooper Park in Woollahra have taken NIMBYism to new heights. It seems they can’t abide children being “enthusiastic” and having fun by using the tennis courts for netball and pickleball as well. The courts are public facilities,and at a time when availability of public sports venues is at a premium,their use needs to be maximised for people’s health and physical development. As for multiple sets of lines being “cumbersome and confusing”,the curmudgeons need to have a look outside their “tranquil country” bubble to see the many courts across the community which successfully operate under such arrangements. Shame on Woollahra Council for bowing to the selfishness of the whingers despite the advice of council staff to extend the use of the courtsRob Phillips,North Epping
Dental pain
Where exactly does it hurt?Joe Armao
Pre-fluoride,as a kid,I remember that many people had missing teeth or false teeth (“”,November 19). Since fluoride was introduced to the metropolitan water supply,tooth decay has slowed dramatically,and dentists have needed to find new ways of maintaining their high incomes. They have turned to orthodontics,implants,crowns and root canal therapy. Every patient’s mouth became a potential goldmine,as dentists replaced amalgam fillings with porcelain fillings. Earlier hard porcelain fillings were abandoned because they were harder to work with and lasted forever. Softer porcelain fillings were easier to work,and most patients would be back in 12 or 13 years for replacements. It is no surprise that visits to the dentist cost more in wealthier suburbs. It is also no surprise that many cheap-jack franchise dental practices have sprung up to service poorer people.Geoff Black,Caves Beach
Banning discussion
How are we to better understand perinatal mental health challenges if we first cannot acknowledge them (“”,November 19)? In a professional forum dedicated to perinatal mental health,where peer-reviewed and carefully compiled published research is being shared,it is appropriate to discuss uncomfortable patient experiences to learn from them. The terminology that was frowned upon is accepted language in the medical community. What is unacceptable,is limiting an exchange of findings among learned professionals who are focused on mental health.Tegan Carrison,Executive Director,Australian Association of Psychologists,Brisbane
Support vacuum
Although Anna Coutts-Trotter is the daughter of a power couple with parents deeply involved in social justice for a long time,she suffered abuse in her relationship (“”,November 19). Imagine the plight of women in relationships with no support from close family or friends or even if there is support,it seems no one wants to help,for whatever reason. Anna deserves huge credit for starting The Survivor Hub for others affected by sexual abuse,using her own experience.Mukul Desai,Hunters Hill
Book recommendation
I suggest to all the No to the Voice voters in the recent referendum that they readKilling for Country by David Marr,which describes the wholesale murder of Indigenous people by Native Police,greedy landowners and other settlers (“”,November 19). I never learned anything about this in high school many years ago. You can also listen to an interview with David Marr by Richard Fidler in hisIn Conversations program.Paul Reid,Campsie
Welcome development
The National Cyber Intel Partnership to deal with scams is a welcome development (“”,November 19). When criminals increasingly can take people’s life savings overnight by lies it becomes obvious that something must be done. It is not as immediately obvious when lies are used to sell merchandise or advertising or most dangerously,ideas,that something must be done. For that disinformation,legislation will come. Free speech must be safeguarded in that,but it would not surprise if those who stand to benefit most from disinformation,like former president Trump in the US,shout the loudest about free speech.
Gary Barnes,Mosman
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