For him to say the fires "were just an accident", that it had "nothing to do with the ACT government" and that those calling for an inquiry are on a "witch hunt" shows a real lack of understanding on the importance of the environment for our wellbeing and a dereliction of his duty in looking after ACT interests.

Much of the ACT was burnt in the fires as and millions of animals killed. The recreational interests of ACT residents have been severely diminished, and there other costs, including smoke and health.

The Canberra Times article states that authorities tasking the army helicopter said that the flight was "critical" in helping with its bushfire preparation. It sure was - so "critical" that it caused a major ACT disaster.

Andrew Barr is missing the point in his comments surrounding the Orroral Valley fire. The 45-minute delay by the ADF helicopter crew in advising authorities of the fire's ignition point, resulted in the devastation and annihilation of Namadgi's flora and fauna and people's houses burnt to the ground.

Twelve months on, the carnage is still there for all to see. As Chief Minister of this territory, Andrew Barr's criticism of those seeking answers as a "witch hunt", only proves he is completely tone deaf to the gravity of this avoidable tragedy.

Perhaps the ignition of this fire was an accident but the 45-minute delay in advising authorities was not.

He should be demanding answers. Transparency matters. Accountability matters.

I find it surprising the authorities were unaware of the propensity of the landing light under helicopters like the military MRH-90 Taipan to cause fires.

Surely this must have been known from combat missions and training exercises.

Canberrans are entitled to know why appropriate precautions were therefore not taken during the Taipan's deployment in the bushfires last season.

I refer to the reports on the January 2020 hailstorm (January 18, p4, 5). January 20 is a date that is etched into memories after the horrendous hailstorm that caused an estimated $1.65 in damage, mostly to vehicles.

January 20, 2021 will also be long-remembered as the day Donald Trump officially ceased to be the most destructive and divisive president in US history.

Let's hope that the events of January 20 in future years bring good news, and make that date an occasion for celebration, and not a date to be dreaded.

I almost dropped my breakfast mug of tea when I read the piece about Canberra's water situation ("Capital's water warning", January 17, p6) stating that "prior to the drought, the ACT's annual consumption was around 70 gallons".

I didn't know that we had reverted to imperial measurements.

And the volume quoted as being used was so small as to make me feel a bit guilty about consuming half a pint of the precious resource.

I would probably agree with the recent letters about junk television.

Even the ABC is unable to correctly pronounce Australian place names. Sorry good folks of Albany, you are now to be known in the east as All-bany and as for Rivett, whoops, I mean Rivit.

There are so many interviews with people who have their head in a chamber pot to ensure we do not know what they are saying.

But I turned all this off a year or so ago.

I cannot travel overseas so there is nothing I can do about the plague falling on the plain in Spain, silly politicians scared for themselves at the cost of people who need to be with loved ones not allowed to cross a state border, and long-faced bureaucrats telling us we will all be thrown into jail.

I have found ancient history. The amazing things our fellow people did thousands of years ago.

What I have discovered is that we have learnt almost nothing and are still making the same mistakes as the ancients. And I am learning a language.

I will probably never be able to travel again in the remainder of my life, but how I will enjoy surprising a foreign speaker when I comment in their language.

My advice is to dump television, pick up a book, learn a language or, perhaps, even a musical instrument.

So 10-year-old approved plans entitle a builder to go ahead and proceed to building with no further right of appeal by objectors? ("No Options", January 6, p3).

I agree wholeheartedly with Fiona Carrick that this is absolutely absurd. It is obviously time for the minister and the directorate to put their collective heads together and update the planning rules and regulations as a matter of priority so this cannot happen.

Even a five-year time frame is too long. Architectural ideas and building codes change and certainly over a 10-year-period one would expect very different ideas could emerge.

Does this also mean that no certifier is required?

Borrowdale House sits neatly in Woden Square and its current height complements the area. If the building's height is increased to 24 storeys the over shadowing in the square will be horrific. This area is already known for the strong wind tunnel which blows between the Health Building and the library to the rear of the Borrowdale House, which makes walking across the square on a windy day difficult.

The last thing Woden needs is more apartments. Currently a large number are vacant. Their investment potential is questionable.

Nick Michell (Letters, January 10) raises a pertinent point. When I was a child (in Australia) we were taught at school that, where there was no footpath, we should walk on the right-hand side of the road so that we were facing oncoming traffic.

Where there was a footpath, however, we should walk on the left side of the footpath so that those pedestrians nearest the edge of the road were facing the oncoming traffic.

Neither of these rules apply effectively on narrow footpaths shared between pedestrians and cyclists because there is insufficient space for overtaking and avoidance.

Further, because cyclists travel faster than pedestrians, if they ring their bell too early, their warning will not be heard. If they sound it too late some pedestrians will be startled and are likely to turn around and step into the path of the cyclist.

This discourages some cyclists from using their bell, instead they cause pedestrians to jump as the cyclist whooshes past like a silent stealth bomber. Maybe they need a cowbell that rings all the time to indicate their presence.

Ian Morrison (Letters, January 5) seems to have a one-sided memory. While slamming ALP leaders for reneging on their promises he overlooks Liberals guilty of similar sins. John Howard, in 1995, promised us that the Goods and Services Tax was dead and buried. "Never, ever" he proclaimed. "It's dead. It was buried by electors at the last election". But in 1999 he gave us just that giving rise to his famous quip about core promises and non-core promises.

And don't forget Tony Abbott, who won power by promising a government we could trust, a government with "no surprises". Yeah, right! There were no surprises in the 2014 budget were there?

If Ian Morrison were as honest as he wants the ALP leadership to be he'd admit that neither side is squeaky clean when it comes to keeping promises, not just accuse one side. Must be an election in the offing.

Are you missing Summernats ("The oddness of summer without Summernats", January 6, p.2) or do you share the view that "Summernats does not belong anywhere near suburbia" as Sue Dyer perceptively argues (Letters, January 7)?

If the former, any busy road intersection will take you back to EPIC (minus the tyre burning) to enjoy those ear shattering engine rumbles courtesy of the many cars parading around with modified-for-loud exhaust systems. But if you're really lucky, you may have nearby neighbours who unselfishly serenade you at all hours with the angry roars of their similarly modified cars.

Astonishingly, this retrofitting is still legal.

When Summernats eventually returns, can we hope it includes electric cars? After all, we live in "unprecedented" times.