Anzac Day is always an emotional day for me. While I think of all the wasted human lives, I also think of what the consequences may have been without that amazing commitment to fight for freedom.

I later went to the cemetery in Woden to visit my father's grave. That is when the tears started to flow. On each military grave a little Australian flag was flying. It was a very touching sight and a fabulous act, I presume on the part of the RSL.

I did not want my father to be forgotten on Anzac Day. He wasn't. Thank you so much.

The Prime Minister, in his Anzac Day Address, said: "... along the walls of the Australian War Memorial are the names of 102,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country".

There are two things wrong with this statement. Firstly, the number of names on the walls of the AWM number 102,888. How can anyone "round up (or down)" the number of Australians whose lives have been lost in the service of our nation?

Secondly, Mr Morrison should have said "some of the men and women" who made the ultimate sacrifice. The names on the walls of the AWM are of those service personnel who died within the prescribed periods of the wars in which they were involved. Anyone who died as a consequence of their wounds after the "cut off" dates is not listed on the Roll of Honour at the AWM. The cost to the nation of the wars in which we have been involved is much greater than 102,888 lives.

"Lest we forget. We shall remember them".

These poignant words ring hollow if we fail to care for our returning veterans. They have been damaged physically, emotionally and mentally by the ravages of war.

We frequently read of their struggles to survive; broken marriages; financial struggles; indifferent health; uncertain employment, and, in extreme cases, suicide while battling bureaucracy to have their claims recognised.

Age is "wearying them" and "the years do condemn" them.

Surely the best way we can honour and remember the fallen is to acknowledge and support their surviving "mates".

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic construction of an emergency pandemic hospital commenced on Garran Oval.

ACT Health had signed a $23 million deal with Aspen Medical. In accordance with alleged "emergency provisions", planning approval was given without any appropriate review or community consultation.

Garran Oval is the only playing field/green space for the suburb. It is widely used; not just for organised sport and boot camps, but also for recreation by local residents, groups, families and pets.

Garran Oval also services the local primary school, providing space for the students to participate in physical education.

As it is now apparent that the worst-case scenarios predicted for the COVID-19 pandemic have fortunately been avoided, and the emergency facility is not required, when will the pandemic hospital be removed and the oval returned to local residents?

Crispin Hill's article "Virus could be just a dress rehearsal" (canberratimes.com.au, April 25) advocates a reining-in of for-profit corporations.

He is concerned about their influence in politics.

It is now at least 25 years since the Canadian political philosopher, John Ralston Saul, warned in his book The Unconscious Civilisation against the advance of corporatism.

He believed, even then, that it ruled the Western world. He was concerned it was steadily eroding democracy.

It looks like the chickens have come home to roost!

Greg Carroll (Letters, April 23) writes about the destruction of amenity in his suburb (Palmerston) by the constant Wing drone deliveries.

A large majority of the submissions to the previous ACT Legislative Assembly inquiry on drones repeated this message again and again. The invasive noise from the drones was the number one issue of concern.

Many people in Bonython, a previous "trial" suburb, were driven nuts with the racket. How is it that this problem has now been transplanted to some other suburbs in Canberra?

It's a disgrace this is allowed to continue.

Re Greg Carroll (Letters, April 23) "my environment, and the amenity, was destroyed by constant Wing drone deliveries. Andrew Barr has put a curse on my suburb".

Under the Australian Air Navigation (Aircraft Noise ) Regulations 2018, the secretary of The Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development is mandated to revoke approvals to fly any aircraft (drones are defined as aircraft by these regulations) whose noise proves to be a public nuisance.

We have a government with a history of lying about sports rorts and dodgy water dealings.

Authorities have used legislation meant to curb terrorism to raid journalists who embarrass the government.

One of those journalists had uncovered a plot to spy on Australians.

We now have police using social distancing orders to fine people sitting alone in cars, or on park benches, or having driving lessons with household members.

These are the people who want us to trust them with a contact tracing app.

Don't get me wrong, I think the easier contract tracing is the the better.

But if authorities had been honest, transparent and accountable perhaps there would be more enthusiasm in taking up the tracing app.

Penny Gosling (Letters, April 20) makes a series of bald assertions about the need to keep schools open.

She alleges that fear of the virus breaking out in schools is unwarranted. She also intimates that the self-interest of teachers is leading them to ignore the needs of "our children".

Her argument is flawed. Not all senior health officials agree it would have been safe to keep schools open, certainly not without major improvements in hygiene and physical distancing arrangements.

Her assertion official experts would advise us if something was "not safe" is belied by the Ruby Princess.

She equates education with attending a school building and ignores the implications for before and after school care where grandparents provide almost half the labour force.

Most worryingly, she represents the science and epidemiology of COVID-19 as categorical and conclusive rather than acknowledging that they are at a very exploratory and iterative stage.

Practically the only sport going round at the moment is guessing which character will be next to fly out of the spinning Catherine wheel that is Barnaby's life.

It was a toss up last week between King Canute and Get Smart's "the Chief" struggling with the never functioning cone of silence.

Most realise the privacy horse bolted years ago. Almost a year to the day after 9/11 my wife and I were taken on a private tour of the West Wing; Roosevelt and Cabinet rooms, press briefing room, Oval Office and so on.

The only pre-requested information, to be provided 24 hours before visiting the most secure public building on earth, was name, date of birth and passport number. Now they wouldn't even need the 24 hours to put a full dossier together.

Bruce Peterson (Letters, April 23) thinks everyone will stop working if they were recipients of a universal basic income (UBI).

There have been many trials of UBI. None has shown any significant effect on unemployment levels.

We will have more droughts, floods, fires and pandemics in the future. To make our welfare system more efficient, and to save the government contorting itself each time to provide emergency hardship support, a UBI should be considered in any discussion about the tax mix.

So should a negative income tax concept as proposed years ago by the conservative free-market economist, Milton Friedman.

It seems your correspondents are unaware the ACT Chief Minister's office has been renamed the Ministry Of Silly Walks.

The death of four police in Victoria was tragic. Everyone was appalled. Equally sad is that the average number of work related deaths a week across Australia is three (2018 figures). 10 years ago it was five.

Pope's Anzac cartoon was a travesty. To attempt to equate Assange's endeavours with those of Simpson and his donkey at Gallipoli denigrates the latter.

Pope is brilliant. In the main his cartoons capture the moment. Regrettably he missed the opportunity to mark a very different Anzac Day in 2020 with a less than appropriate take on Simpson and his donkey. For your cartoonist to mark this solemn day this way seems misguided in a world where everyone is suffering.

As a Vietnam veteran I found Pope's Anzac cartoon abhorrent. To compare Assange with Australia's lost heroes from the past 100 plus years suggests a left wing insensitivity to the lot of past and present veterans. He has lost me forever!

The coronavirus problem is solved. Donald Trump has seen the (ultraviolet) light.

Peta Credlin says Malcolm Turnbull is "absolutely lacking in character". No-one lacks character. Your character is simply what you are like: good character, bad character, or (like most of us) mixed character, or any other descriptor. I would use better descriptors for Malcolm than for Peta.

When Chris Klootwijk (Letters, April 27) writes: "...Australia is taking the favourite Anglo-Saxon pastime of China-bashing to new heights..." is he not guilty of doing exactly the same thing as he's criticising; racial stereotyping? I'm sure in our multi-ethnic democracy, views on China are many and varied.

Surely someone must have noticed how inappropriate it is to sing the second verse of the Australian National Anthem. "For those who've come across the seas, We've boundless plains to share". I hope there were no refugees listening.

After hearing the singing of the New Zealand national anthem at this year's Australian War Memorial Dawn Service I hope it will be a permanent addition to the event. It is "A-NZ-ac" day after all.

Donald Trump would seem to subscribe to A. J. Balfour's adage, "It has always been desirable to tell the truth, but seldom, if ever, necessary".

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