Letters to the editor, The Daily Advertiser, March 2

When the pension was first introduced the average person lived until they were 57, and if they lived to 65 they could get a pension. Now, the average person lives to almost 80 and can get the pension from 67.

Obviously there was not enough money to go around to pay so many pensions so we were told we had to have super, and employer contributions have been mandatory for many years.

But then we hit the greatest hurdle since the Depression with COVID. People were losing their jobs, which was causing great hardship.

Some people would have lost their home because they couldn't meet the mortgage payments. Luckily for them, they were able to access their money and keep the banks at bay.

Now we have fools saying the super balances will never recover.

Can someone tell them the easiest way for the balance to recover would be to work an extra year? We have 13 up our sleeve.

One less year of drawing on your super and one more year of contributions. Probably end up better off.

I know a lot of people who have never recovered from losing their home. We would be better off with an economist running the country rather than a political hack.

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Many thanks to the two fine gentlemen who assisted pushing my vehicle off the old Hume Highway at the T-intersection near Noreuil Park at 9.45am on Friday.

My being stuck in traffic was short lived due to the generosity of spirit of these strong men. I publicly extend my gratitude to these two thoughtful individuals.

A good example of community-minded citizens.

The editorial "Ukraine in a strong position to bargain" (Daily Advertiser, February 24) noted that artillery shells are being used at a faster rate than the West can manufacture them.

This led me to recall a visit I made many years ago to Australia's then one and only artillery shell production facility in Melbourne.

When not broken down this pigeon-infested relic of World War II could make about 12 shells an hour.

There was huge reluctance to consider its renewal, as the popular notion at that time was artillery would have little place in modern warfare.

So here we are in 2023. Ukraine is fighting for its very existence against an implacable Russia. It's not just a question of state survival; Russia has made clear it's objective is to clear the country of the "little Russians", Nazis and LGBTQI folk it believes live there, as well as anyone else disinclined to be subject to Moscow.

Ukraine reportedly needs 6000 artillery shells per day to simply hold the line.

If, as the editorial suggests, the combined ammunition production of Ukraine's western supporters cannot match, let alone defeat that of an economically impaired Russia, the west has a very serious defence problem.

We need to start preparing now.

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