Honour at last for Australian war hero Teddy Sheean

Initial refusal by PM was against evidence
The initial refusal of the Prime Minister earlier this year to give the VC retrospectively to Teddy Sheean, against all the evidence and recommendations caused much unnecessary anger and disappointment. Sheean was an 18-year-old who died in what was undeniably a selfless, courageous and successful action, defending his mates and his country. A panel of experts, convened for the purpose of determining if this honour should be awarded, unanimously said yes.

Sheean strapped himself to an anti-aircraft gun as HMAS Armidale, under attack from Japanese bombers went down in the Timor Sea and is credited with saving the lives of 49 crew and shooting down at least one aircraft, before dying at his gun.

It had long been a bone of contention and a battle doggedly fought for decades by his family and others to give the young man the honour he deserved so long after his death. It turns out the PM was advised by the Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell and Defence Personnel Minister Darren Chester not to seek the honour for Sheean at that time. His heroic actions have finally been recognised.
Gillian Unicomb, Sandford, Tas.

THE FORUM

Transparency clouded
The reports that two federal officials at the centre of the Ruby Princess incident will not be subject to questioning at the inquiry should raise questions and alarm. While the bungled hotel quarantine program in Victoria has had far more devastating effects in terms of COVID-19 case numbers, more than 1000 cases were estimated to have come from Ruby Princess passengers. While the inquiries to be undertaken are necessary and should be welcomed, what does it say for transparency and thoroughness if individuals key to the decision-making process are exempt from scrutiny?
Jacob Bau, Brunswick

Joggers, suck it up
Aah Graeme Abram, (Letters, 11/8) you’re on to something. You left out the cyclists and joggers who insist they shouldn’t have to wear a mask because they are exercising. The real reason is so they can continue to be free to spit whenever and wherever they feel like it. The saliva is their own – why can’t they just swallow it?
Ross Campbell, Black Rock

Think the unthinkable
Aged care reform demands we think the unthinkable. Advances in living standards and medicine have produced a growing number of elderly, supported by a massive industry of care. Efforts to push up retirement ages to reflect demographic and health changes have been unsurprisingly resisted. The chronic underfunding of nursing homes has been recognised for decades, but there is no public willingness to insist on change. It’s not the royal commission that has pushed aged care to the forefront, but the coronavirus crisis. When the pandemic is over, aged care will return to the back of the policy queue.
William Puls, Mentone

Accreditation mirage
I am getting angrier daily at the minister’s defence regarding the ‘‘preparedness’’ of aged care facilities for the arrival of this virus – namely that providers are required to have an ‘‘infection control plan’’ as a pre-requisite for accreditation. As a retired agedcare nurse, I remember my last experience of an accreditation visit whereby an expensive lounge suite appeared in the foyer of the nursing home on the morning of the visit – accompanied by a lamp casting a subtle glow to the accompanying hall table and flower arrangement – all of which were removed the following week.
Glenda Addicott, Ringwood East

Tackle health issues
Regarding the $500 million to be spent telling the stories of servicemen and women (‘‘Memorial work not at vets’ expense: PM’’, 11/8): Is it better to show their value to Australia by having ‘‘your story’’ told or trying to heal them? PTSD is a life destroying condition and illness that has shadowed wars. How better to show we value our service personnel than to fund research and best-practice treatment?
Anne Rutland, Brunswick West

Mask vigilantes
I was horrified to read of an attack on a man who wasn’t wearing a mask in Benalla (‘‘‘Assault’ over no mask’’, 11/8). I can only hope that the compulsory wearing of masks is not going to spur further vigilante acts. In a time of hardship and difficulty, violence and unprovoked assaults on our fellow citizens will not promote harmony, and must not be tolerated.
Helen Scheller, Benalla

Career rethink
I read this article (‘‘Nursing students seek end to on-campus classes amid safety fears’’, 10/8) after discussing with my wife who is a nurse that one of her co-workers had taken time off because she was afraid of catching COVID-19, leaving other nurses to take up her days. I thought this was a bit like a policeman walking away from trouble. Maybe this is a good time for these students to reconsider their career?
Sandy Richards, Port Melbourne

Tale of two probes
What a contrast. Victorian MPs are set to put hard questions to the Premier about the second wave of COVID-19 cases in the state. Answers are required and this looks like a genuine attempt to find them. Here in New South Wales, the Prime Minister promised to co-operate with a similar inquiry into the Ruby Princess debacle. But two federal officials who appear likely to have answers are refused permission to appear. Why?
Paul Fergus, Manly, NSW

Casual thoughts
It might be a good idea to ask the casual employees themselves if ‘‘casual jobs are mostly not bad jobs’’ (‘‘The case for casual employment’’, 11/8) rather than accepting Mark Wooden’s findings. He says, ‘‘it is true, that because of absence of sick leave entitlements, casual employees do have a greater incentive to work when ill or symptomatic than permanent employees’’, and yet he concludes that a special pandemic leave emergency measure would be better than a complete overhaul of employment regulations.
Rosemary Taylor, Castlemaine

VCAL students in limbo
The frequent reference to the disruption of studies and mental health issues affecting year 12 VCE students due to COVID-19 perpetuates the view that the alternative senior school program, the VCAL, is of no significance. VCAL students have experienced similar disruptions and have had to adapt to any number of combinations of lessons with their VET RTO providers. Significantly, industry-structured work placements, often a vital component of their VET learning, have been cancelled.

In the first lockdown, after announcing how VCE students would be supported, it was days before government officials mentioned VCAL students. As VCE teachers and students eagerly received news of modification or reduction in their curriculum demands, the VCAL course demands remained at the status quo in terms of Learning Outcomes that must be satisfied.

VCAL students remain in limbo as to whether they will gain their full Certificate II or III VET qualification, at a time when they are making VTAC applications for post-secondary studies.
Caitlin Brusco, Oakleigh East

Urgent action needed
While the inquiries into bushfires, aged care and hotel quarantine are worthy, the authorities should focus on the looming scandal this weekend. For the first time in decades, the Collingwood v Melbourne clash will not be shown on free-to-air television. This shameful neglect warrants nothing less than a royal commission.
Roger Farrer, Hampton

Plain packaging call
In the early ’60s as a paperboy, I sold papers outside the Prospect Hill hotel in Kew and saw the drunken men stagger out heading home to their families, having consumed as much beer as they could in the time between the end of work and the closing of the pub at 6pm. Vomit on the streets was common. Road crashes were regular. These sights are not common on the street now, drinking is seen as a normal thing to do and is pervasive throughout our lives.

Perhaps a move to plain packaging for alcohol – which we now accept for tobacco products – might remove the exotic marketing hype attached to this dangerous product and reduce consumption. Not popular with governments looking for revenue but popular with partners suffering domestic violence.
Pieter van Wessem, Balwyn

Time to act
Publicity about the increased risk of family violence is to be applauded. As always, early identification of potentially harmful behaviours, raised awareness, education and individual as well as societal responsibility and action are critical. Key messages to victims about management strategies and advice to have phones and documents hidden, escape plans in place and children prepared to escape are fundamental in minimising harm and saving lives. But are they enough?
Where are the messages to those partners and parents who know they have anger-management issues and who may now have their own usual ‘‘escape doors’’ closed to them because of lockdown? Messaging such as if you know you are about lose it, walk away, leave the house, ring a friend or family member. Behind the closed doors, numbers are on the rise. So let’s do whatever we can to tackle this ugly reality now.
Trish Berry, Point Lonsdale

A different ballgame
Thanks to COVID-19, this year could be the fairest year in the AFL’s history. With Victorian teams now forced to forgo their unfair advantages typically inherent in the AFL’s Victorian centric programming, it really is a whole different ballgame. A case in point is the AFL ladder: three out of four of the top teams are non-Victorian.
Martin Klavins, Crafers West, SA

Lifetime of advocacy
How wonderful to see Merle Mitchell (‘‘‘Damn, I’ve woken up’: Lockdown life in care’’, 11/8) in the media again. I remember her many years at Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau and the Australian Council of Social Service. She was such a charismatic leader and a beacon of hope to vulnerable and disadvantaged people of all ages. Under her leadership, a bevy of staff and hundreds of volunteers learnt what it was to practise humanity, not just talk about it. And here she is, in her 80s, still advocating for those who cannot speak for themselves. Thank you Merle.
Patsy Morrison, Cheltenham

We are all Australians
Yes, I am a Victorian. But I have been called many names in many places. Born a ‘‘Canberran’’. A ‘‘colonial cousin’’ living as a child in England. A ‘‘chalkie’’ in Wagga Wagga. An ‘‘Aussie’’ teaching in Cambridge, UK. A ‘‘crow eater’’ while living in Adelaide. And now a Victorian. But I know that always first I am Australian. And I treasure this bond of birthright that I share with all the Australians in our ‘‘wide, brown land’’, living now under the threat of this vile, invisible virus. We are all Australians.
Margie Sare, Sorrento

AND ANOTHER THING ...

Coronavirus
Chin masks the latest street fashion trend. Takeaway coffee, the must-have accessory.
Anna den Hartog, Coburg

Does the PM have a better hand pass than Polly Farmer?
Daryl Goldie, Camperdown

Memo to member for Kooyong. Great serve Josh, but remember to keep your eye on the ball and keep your foot in the right spot.
Paul Chivers, Box Hill North

Privatised aged care is like the curate’s egg. Unfortunately the funding arrangements and standard of nursing required are as weak as a dowager’s shandy.
Greg Curtin, Blackburn South

Has Twitter now replaced Parliament as the forum for ministerial accountability in Victoria?
Martin Newington, Aspendale

Hopefully telephone and Zoom medical consultations won’t become the new norm. The personal touch is important.
Paul Murchison, Kingsbury

I question why the journalists demanding answers from Andrews are not using the same vigour when Morrison evades questions on the Ruby Princess debacle (11/8).
Neil Chambers, Black Rock

We recently attended our neighbour’s 30th birthday party in our paddock at a corner where the properties meet. A live electric fence provided an excellent reminder of the need for social distancing.
Sue Higgs, She Oaks

Josh Frydenberg says Victoria has questions to answer, while the Commonwealth refuses to allow federal officers to appear before the Ruby Princess inquiry.
Malcolm McDonald, Burwood

Furthermore
Play the grand final at the MCG and close the borders.
Arthur Pritchard, Ascot Vale

With almost daily games the AFL ladder is in a constant state of flux. Hopefully it will settle down after the grand final.
Tony O’Brien, South Melbourne

To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number.