Many mixed feelings about the 20th anniversary of the NMA

There had been a long fight to save the sturdy, mainly 1960's hospital buildings there (built to Griffin's massing designs), and to keep the museum in its original unique "tract" setting at Yarramundi Reach.

The NMA was moved to Acton to give it more "commercial visibility", ironically now available in spades at Yarramundi, because of the popular nearby Arboretum.

The hospital's main buildings were publicly blown up (not imploded), tragically killing young Katie Bender.

Despite Griffin's "lighthouse" built form for the hospital, the National Capital Authority coyly stipulated the NMA must not rise higher than the peninsula's tree tops. The museum's brief was for sophisticated low-rise "sheds". So how to get that visibility? Firstly, the important shoreline trees were cut down, and then that striking "loopy" form was installed by the their boundary-pushing architects, Ashton Raggatt McDougall. Originally, the loops continued across the lake as a footbridge.

In addition to the cryptic Braille words embossed into the museum's facades, and the "homage" to the Jewish Museum in Berlin by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, housing the indigenous collection, perhaps the most daring architectural element is a black version of Le Corbusier's famous all white 1920's Villa Savoye at Poissy in France, tucked in under the AIATSIS building on the lake side. Oh well.

According to The Canberra Times weekly poll (Insider Readers Panel March 6) 26 percent of respondents cared which COVID-19 vaccine they would receive.

Presumably most would want the allegedly more effective Pfizer vaccine. The simple solution would be to allow people to pay the $20 cost difference for the more expensive Pfizer vaccine. The rest would get AstraZeneca.

This sounds like a marketing plan ScoMo could embrace. Consumers get freedom of choice, capitalists make profits, and the government claws its money back.

On a recent morning walk around the suburb with our dog, my husband and I - both fit, grey-haired, and in our mid-60s - were enjoying the cool air and sparse traffic on the path.

At 8.15am a male on an electric bike, which was silent in its approach from behind us, activated an air-horn as he passed us. This was not a warning, it was an assault calculated to provoke maximum disturbance.

It took the remaining 45 minutes of the walk to settle my heart rate. I wondered what what might happen if the subject of one of these assaults had a heart condition.

Sadly, even in peaceful, generally tolerant, Canberra, ordinary people minding their own business can be subject to random acts of irresponsible idiocy. I can only guess at the distorted thinking behind such an act.

My experience raises the issue of identifying the operators of electric bikes and scooters. They are not registered, making the riders impossible to identify. And in event of something serious occurring, how ever could the police find the perpetrator?

Re: "Canberra's casino posts profit despite forced COVID shutdown", canberratimes.com.au, March 7)

It was interesting to note the Canberra Casino posted a profit for the year ended December 2020, the first since 2014.

This, after one of the worst periods ever experienced by the tourism sector having been closed down for months on end.

The casino stated that its profit was assisted to some extent by JobKeeper support, as well as by targeting individual high roller customers.

This brings to mind two issues that may be worth closer examination by the relevant authorities.

The first is that I understand that in order to qualify for JobKeeper a business had to demonstrate at least a 30 per cent decline in revenue on the relevant prior comparison period.

The casino stopped receiving JobKeeper at the end of December 2020.

Having stated that its profit increased by 120 per cent it would be interesting to see where there was a decline in revenue in order to meet the JobKeeper revenue test.

That said, the casino did state it was able to achieve this result by "maximising revenue while minimising costs".

The casino also targeted its VIP customers from which to derive its increased revenue and ultimate profit. I believe there are "responsible gambling" provisions in place that all gaming venues, ie pubs, clubs, bookmakers etc are required to comply with to ensure the (financial) safety of their customers. Given that the Casino targeted its VIP customers who it would appear lost heaps I wonder how this process complies with the relevant provisions.

I was fortunate enough to have been invited to attend the official launch of the Canberra Raiders Season 2021 on Friday, March 5, at the magnificent headquarters in Braddon.

The event was extremely well attended; a physical manifestation of support for what is arguably Canberra's most recognisable sports team. Among the dignitaries in attendance was the ACT's shadow sport minister.

It's a shame nobody from the government benches appeared able to find the time to attend given the service the Raiders have given to Canberra over the years.

I applaud R. Harris being fined for parking on the footpath (Letters, March 7). It is a practice that blocks and cracks footpaths.

A major street in my suburb had its cracked and tar-patched concrete footpath replaced with smooth, new concrete not long ago. Within weeks it was cracked again.

It wasn't hard to work out why.

You only had to look at the tracks on the grass verge between the footpath and the road.

Drivers parking on footpaths think they are being considerate, but they are only thinking of other drivers. They inconvenience everybody using the footpath.

Park on the street and let the drivers work out how to get around you. Don't make the footpath users do the same.

I have just read the letter from Robert Harris (Letters, March 7) complaining about being booked by a Mobile License Plate Recognition Camera for parking "partially on an infrequently used footpath". Mr Harris "always leaves enough room for pedestrians".

I have been negotiating the footpaths of Canberra for 40 years with children, grandchildren, and dogs.

I would like to ask Mr Harris if he leaves room for prams, bike trailers, tag-a-longs, and Dalmatians on leads.

Is he sure that school children will not be frustrated by negotiating his parked car and find it easier to wander into the street?

What about people on walking frames and those using mobility scooters?

Heed not, noble mobile license plate recognition camera, the complaints of Mr Harris. Know that others are basking in the protection of your mighty sword.

Plastic cutlery and roast pork three days in a row at The Canberra Hospital Barry Maher? (Letters, March 10).

When I was in The Canberra Hospital recently the staff had no objection to my using normal cutlery from home.

I also wrote a letter to the readers, mentioning I was in there with people who had real problems.

Good luck with your recovery Barry. Regardless, you're in better condition than the pig you've been eating.

Many of us would be happy for the remaining unvaccinated front-line border and hotel quarantine workers in Canberra to be moved up the queue within the Category 1a vaccination eligibility listing, as an extra precautionary measure ("Canberra hotel quarantine workers told to avoid large crowds as they manage four COVID-19 cases ", canberratimes.com.au, March 8).

Have all hotel quarantine workers, who are now on duty in an environment containing returned travellers suffering from the South African variant, also been advised to avoid use of the adjacent light rail services at peak hours? And, similarly, not to make linked bus journeys at these times?

Our health and public transport ministers would be well aware by now of the WHO's serious concerns about significant recent surges of COVID-19 infections across many countries in Europe thanks to the increased transmissibility of the new variants.

Angela Kueter-Luks (Letters, March 10) asked "since when have we referred to the location of the Australian parliaments as Capital Hill"? It has been called that since at least the 1950s, as shown by my 1:50,000 map of Canberra from that time.

Removing a band aid really quickly can cause a short, sharp pain but remove it one must eventually do. Taking it slowly, little by little, just prolongs the pain. Surely Jenny Morrison can relate this well known home truth to her husband.

A big welcome back to politics to the very decent John Anderson. Let's hope the Nationals select him. And while we are at it, perhaps his move will prompt a few other notable past stars out of political retirement. Peter Costello (federal), Jeff Kennett (Victoria) and Kate Carnell (ACT).

While watching Julie Bishop on the 7.30 Report on Monday I felt an enormous sense of loss, yet again. I wonder where we all would be now if she had become Prime Minister? Any thoughts?

I have not read anything about Harry and Meghan and I suspect I have not missed anything of importance. There are far more pressing matters for the human community to focus on than stories about a rich royal couple having a rough time.

Fascinating. Apparently significantly more people tuned in to watch Meghan Markle talking about leaving the royal family than had tuned in to watch her marrying into it. I'm not sure what this says about us.

No, Richard Manderson, (Letters, March 9), justice should not supplant law as a guide to implementing the law. Justice is a pliable and subjective abstraction. Law is the codification of rules believed to be beneficial for society and which can be changed over time if necessary.

If Mario Stivala (Letters, March 9) has difficulty distinguishing between the malicious intent behind Linda Reynolds calling an employee a "lying cow" and Bob Hawke calling a heckler a "silly old bugger" then I am sorry Mario but I cannot explain it for you....

When I resigned from a job there was usually a morning tea, a few platitudes and occasionally a gift voucher. I never got to keep the company car, the company credit card, the work title, nor any personal assistants; not that I ever had any of these as a teacher. You aren't doing too badly Harry. It's time to move on with your own life and family in a new country.

If I were to wonder what colour eyes Meghan and Harry's new baby will have - blue or brown - am I being racist?

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