Letters – September 2018

By The People of the Eastern Suburbs on August 22, 2018 in Other

CHARLIE TEO BROUGHT TO LIFE
Thanks for the Charlie Teo article this month. The length of your article really helped me get a feel for what he’s about. He used the term “disruptor” to describe his new charity, and I think this term really captures him.

I’m a doctor, and have to admit that I often hear that “he’s a cowboy” – actually that seems to be what a lot of people in healthcare think of him. I’m still not sure about his argument about autonomy and choice. Sure, in theory, people have a right to choose, but at the pointy end of life and facing operate or die (with terrible odds) the issue of choice is tough. I hope that there are transparent and thoughtful discussions about why people choose to pursue an operation (for example, what about family pressure?) and what role ego (both the surgeons’ and the patients’) plays in the path they choose.

Charlie certainly sounds like a reflective and thoughtful man and I’m sure he brings this to those tough discussions.

Thanks again for this article guys, it brought to life a person who is often criticised (in my world) but rarely engaged with.
Anna
Coogee

CHARLIE’S LAMENT
Charlie Teo certainly knows how to get under people’s skin but you can’t fault the man for his brilliance, candour and ability to survive under adverse conditions (Finding the Right Balance, The Beast, August 2018). While it’s unlikely the entire neurosurgeon cohort is as Machiavellian as he implies, I’m sure most, including Charlie himself, have messianic tendencies, which would make it difficult to work collaboratively with others, let alone acknowledge their own shortcomings. How could you blame them though; these folks save lives every day literally with their bare hands!
David Beins
Randwick

JIBBERER NOT A JABBERER
Do you realise the vaccine used for HPV has not been tested for carcinogenic or genotoxic potential, meaning they do not know if it causes cancer or destructs DNA? Don’t know about you, but I’m a bit skeptical about something that is supposed to prevent cancer but hasn’t been tested to see if it causes it.

Do you realise that death is listed as an adverse effect of the vaccine given for measles/mumps/ rubella. These diseases are obviously horrible, but I would much rather risk infertility than death, wouldn’t you?

It seems the flu shot has given more people I know a worse strain of flu this year, with a Bond University doctor, Professor Del Mar, stating that “annual influenza vaccinations do little to protect against serious illness”.

“My viewing of the evidence is that the amount of benefit for influenza vaccine is very, very weakand it makes me think that this is not a great use of our effort in trying to immunise large swathes of the population when there are other opportunities that may be more effective,” he said.

Simple hygiene methods such as hand washing, face masks and quarantine, as well as sterilisation of public places like buses and trains, were some of his suggestions. So in going with your example of the grandma (Parents Putting Children at Risk Just to Fit In, The Beast, August 2018), it seems this year’s flu shot has a high potential of actually giving you a pretty bad case of the flu or some mutant strain (that you’d likely pass on to her). So again, I’d rather risk the possibility of natural infection than the almost certainty of whatever nasty mutation the flu shot conjures up.

The organic, home-cooked food I choose to nourish my family with goes a long way in protecting us and our immune system. I know it isn’t a fail-safe method, but in my cost/benefit analysis I feel a lot safer NOT vaccinating my child.

Have you taken the time to read a vaccine insert lately and look at further studies? Or have you just regurgitated what the media, pharma companies or lecturers have told you without investigating for yourself?

I no longer believe that vaccines can take the credit for eradicating any diseases. They were already on the decline before the introduction of vaccines. You’d know that if you had investigated for yourself. We have never had widespread vaccination for scarlet fever or typhoid, yet they are no longer a threat – amazing what sanitation can do (the lack of which is the cause of the condition in your chosen im- age, not the lack of vaccinations).

I may not have lived through the ‘polio era’, but I am living in a time with a different kind of epidemic. People are sicker than ever with autoimmune diseases, deadly allergies, neurological problems and cancer. We cannot cling to a controversial problem of the past to make crucial decisions for today.We have to do something about the problems we are currently faced with, and fear mongering into giving more vaccinations is not a solution when they have been a contributing cause.

I’m honestly so sick of the ‘guilt trip’ attacks. Do you feel powerful jumping on the bandwagon? I bet you don’t harass people that check food labels and decide not to give certain foods to their kids because of listed ingredients and the associated risk of diabetes or obesity, but when the risk is death you’ll line right up?
Angie
Another planet

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
Thanks The Beast for alerting me to the issue with Gertrude & Alice. The bookstore is a Bondi institution. I enjoy going and meeting friends surrounded by books and activity.

I made various enquiries at Council about what has occurred after reading The Beast article. Apparently a resident complained about the safety of the bookshelf, concerned that it might fall over. This resulted in Council’s compliance staff inspecting and ruled that it was not permitted and must be removed. I had been aware of the bookshelf for a long time but considered it a very minor matter.

Council has for many years regulated that both milk crates and bread crates should not be left out for extended periods, so when the bookshelf was replaced with milk crates full of books the compliance officers used a literal reading of this regulation and asked for removal.

After seeing your article I contacted Jane Turner, the owner of Gertrude & Alice, and met with her at the shop on a very busy Saturday morning. Jane loves books and hates to see them wasted.

I then asked Council’s senior staff to work out a solution to allow Gertrude & Alice to put some free books out for the public to take. Council already does this with the placement of ‘street libraries’ in parks for people to put and take free books out. The picture is from a little pocket park next to Bondi Beach Public School.

I have asked officers to examine this as an option for Jane’s shop. This would allow 24/7 access to the free books (as it does now in public areas). I also requested Council staff to look at placing a bigger one of our street libraries on the corner of Consett Avenue and Hall Street, which Gertrude & Alice can also put books into.

If all is acceptable with Council’s various sections of compliance, planning and street maintenance, then we should see parts or all of these options in place within eight weeks. This should provide enough storage for a good number of Jane’s books, provided free to residents and visitors, while fulfilling Council’s aims of liveable and diverse neighbourhoods.

In the end, hopefully a good outcome after several difficult weeks for Jane and her shop.
John Wakefield
Mayor of Waverley

ABANDONED ON OUR STREETS
I’d like to ask The Beast locals if anyone has a solution to the increasing number of (unregis- tered) vehicles being abandoned on our streets? I live on Gildethorpe Avenue, Randwick, just off French- mans Road. I’ve lived here for 14 months, during which time I’ve received two parking tickets for having my small hatchback parked slightly (approximately one foot) over a driveway. The tickets were issued by a busy Randwick Council parking ranger.

The parking on the street is a problem at the best of times, however it’s being made worse by the growing number of vehicles/ trailers/vans being dumped here. I’ve called the council and emailed them several times in the last year, including a growing photo album of such vehicles.

They kindly responded but refused to deal with the issue and suggested I take it up with the police. Last week whilst chatting to a neighbour I was informed that a similar situation last year resulted in the torching (setting on fire) of a car, which was then towed away. Surely the council can deal with these vehicles and allow us residents to park free of fear from: a) a parking ticket; or b) a second street torching.

Ironically, one of the neighbours parks her council vehicle across the road (whenever possible) and was equally as frustrated as the rest of us. Perhaps Randwick Council doesn’t have Waverley police sta- tion’s phone or email details?
Rob
Randwick

FOLLOW THE MONEY
When I was but a lad, I was miffed at all those dreadful NIMBYs in Bondi who supposedly stopped the Eastern Suburbs rail line from going all the way to the beach.

As an Eastern Suburbs resident I thought it was just dreadful how all those poor parents trying to go to the beach by rail with children had to transfer their little kiddies and all their associated beach gear to the bus and vice versa on the way home. What a disincentive.

Then one day, an old feller said to me: “Even if you can’t see all of the elephant, but you can see the tip of an elephant’s trunk in one place and its tail in another location, where the tail might be expected, it might be reasonable to assume there is an elephant there.”

So I learnt to follow the money. And where does the money go? Why Bondi Junction, of course! Everybody has to get off there.
Thank you Nifty. Very. I’m sure nothing like that ever happens these days.
Doug
Waverley