The Cessnock Advertiser's Letters to the Editor: December 18, 2019

I have been in hospitals in other states and never have I received the attention given to me that these wonderful carers bestowed on me at Cessnock Hospital.

A special thank you to Day Care nurses Rose and Lee. My grateful thanks for the reassurance and comfort before the procedure, you are a credit to your profession and I am sure many of your patients feel as I do. Thank you once again.

Rick Allen's article in The Advertiser last week is headlined "Day police opened fire". I would like to elaborate a little in defence of the police involved (or I should say "not involved").

My grandfather Alfred E Coleman was in his day heavily involved with the union; today one would call him an "activist". His wife made him promise on that day that he would not attend the demonstrations. He kept his promise but arrived home late that day to be severely reprimanded by his wife who had heard of the shootings and had been very worried. But that is by the way of course.

One does not use the Army for crowd control as they are trained to face an armed enemy and to react promptly to threats with deadly force.

Police on the other hand are trained to react passively to even extreme provocation. I do not say that young thugs don't get a pummeling from time to time (and long may it be so) but only in extreme circumstances do police react with deadly force.

I am sure that even "way back then" the training was similar. However my understanding that these men were not regular police, but men deputised at the last minute and thrown into the fray, armed. Although it is true that they were faced with approaching pick handle wielding miners I do not believe that the miners had actually attacked anyone. We should blame the Government of the day of course, but not besmirch the good name of our police.