Martin Bryant pleaded guilty to all charges. The only strange thing about the court proceedings was the motive that Martin Bryant gave for his crimes. He killed 35 people including women and children; one child was killed while in the arms of its mother. He also injured 23 people. Saying that he didn’t commit these crimes is an insult to to the survivors, who gave first hand accounts of what happened.

It’s also very insulting and disrespectful to the people who were killed by this mentally disturbed lunatic.

I SPENT the first 33 years of my life in Singapore, where the majority of the population are Chinese, about 25 per cent are Malays and Eurasians and Indians make up about 5 per cent of the society.

Only meat and animal products, such as gelatine, needed halal certification. We were educated from the beginning of our schooling years to accept and respect the existence of other faiths.

I have many good memories of visiting my Muslim or Chinese friends to join them in their celebration of religious festivals.

I have been living in Australia for the past 10 years.

It surprises me that even mineral water can come with halal certification. In my opinion, Australians are being conned into believing that foods such as chocolate need to be halal and we the consumers have to bear the cost.

There seems to be very relentless push for an understanding of Islam and an acceptance of Muslims. What I would like to know is what is being done to promote an understanding of Judaism and Christianity?

There has been many a community meeting and workshop which I have attended where Christians and Jews have been mocked, let alone the rise of anti-Semitism at universities.

There are many migrants living in Australia who have to face religious intolerance, Christophobia everyday and lead lives like submarines, surfacing only on Sundays for fear of persecution. Who will speak up for us? Who will defend us? Who will ride with us?

YOUR readers may not be aware of one of the historical treasures we have in the Riverina.

On display in Hay there is an original Cobb & Co mail coach.This coach was built at the Cobb & Co factory that was at Hay. Cobb & Co were a vital and integral part of the opening up and development of Australia.

Until the late 1920’s, parts of Queensland were still served by Cobb & Co horse drawn coaches to deliver mail.

Now, almost 100 years later, mail to regional Australia is delivered by a much slower service than the one that existed when horse drawn vehicles were the mailmen.

It riles me to find that the CEO of Australia Post writes to householders of Australia asking for us to “join a national conversation” on the future of mail delivery across Australia.

People need to understand that the CEO of Australia Post takes homes $4.8 million as annual salary. This is a salary for which Australians have a right to demand that something resembling a basic mail service is delivered.