Woo-hoo enthusiasm: Newcastle needs more people like Sinead Francis-Coen

The Advertiser

19-07-2025

I did not know Sinead Francis-Coan. I don't think I ever met her. To the people who loved her, I am so very sorry for your loss.
Like many Novocastrians, I was shocked and deeply saddened by her untimely death.
After watching the celebration of her life online, I wish I had met her and got to know her. She walked the walk and talked the talk. We need people like Sinead with her woo-hoo enthusiasm. She was a strong thread of the tapestry of our amazing city. She obviously loved being a councillor, and I am so very sad for all those who knew her and loved her.
Due to monetary restrictions and COVID, we were driven into a cashless society, but we are still forced to pay ATM fees to access our hard-earned money.
Given the status of our economy and living standards, these excessive fees should be removed. The government should be laying down the law to banks to remove these fees. We are led by those who are concerned only about increasing their own salary and increasing taxes to pay for their overspending of the budget, which doesn't benefit the population.
I've been wondering about the rights of the motorist when approaching a pedestrian crossing. I always slow down and look around.
Recently, I have noticed that most pedestrians simply run or step out, assuming that the crossing means that they are safe. And they should be. A person running along the footpath and then onto the crossing is sometimes very fast and not immediately seen by the motorist. Perhaps they should be equally vigilant? It is common now for pedestrians to text while crossing, and they just don't see any cars. That's because it appears to be all up to the motorist.
I am sometimes a motorist and sometimes I ride a disability scooter. I take my responsibility on the road very seriously. I look both ways when crossing, as we were taught, but I would add "get off your phone, because while I can see you, I know that you can't see me".
I have found that drivers are generally very courteous to people with disabilities. The crossing near the Newcastle ferry wharf is notorious for groups just wandering out, assuming that they have the right to step out without looking.
All road users should be responsible. It's about safety.
The frustration in Phillip O'Neill's column leaps off the page ("Denialists clinging on as comfort zone goes under", NH 15/7). Given the shocking floods and loss of life in recent times, O'Neill finds it almost impossible to understand how some still deny there is a climate crisis and that it is caused primarily by humans burning fossil fuels.
But it appears that the number of deniers in Australia is declining. Griffith University has been conducting a longitudinal national climate action survey since 2021. While 2024 results are pending, it is heartening to note that the percentage of respondents classified as "deniers" or "sceptics", based upon their answers to the questions, decreased from 7 per cent and 9 per cent in 2021 and 2022 to only 5 per cent in 2023.
As Coalition infighting over emissions targets continues, it would do well to note that the most recent survey reveals that 76 per cent of respondents agreed the government should "set a target of national net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest". The survey reports should be compulsory reading for the climate deniers and sceptics in Parliament. Perhaps then they would realise what a tiny minority they belong to and how they are failing to represent their constituents.
It would seem that Rising Tide wants to get up to some of their antics, trying to block coal ships and coal trains again. This form of civil disobedience is madness.
My concern is that someone is going to be seriously injured or worse. When that happens, they will blame the ship's captain or the train drivers. I've been involved in protests in the past, and I think we got our messages across by being well-organised and staying within the law. I share their concerns about climate change, but I don't believe the civil disobedience they have engaged in has, or will, bring about change.
Have they thought about forming a political party and having members stand for Parliament? This may be better than taking dangerous risks.
KNIGHTS management needs to come forward and explain to its members what is going on at the club. After a week of rumours that our captain and highest paid player wanted out ('KP 'committed' till 2027', Newcastle Herald 17/7); our coach seems to think the fans don't know rugby league; we have signed a player for 10 years on a multi million dollar deal that can't make his present club side, and now there's reports an ex-player who had a life-changing event happen to him while wearing the Knights colours has to pay for a ticket to get into last week's game. This is disgraceful and it is happening on your watch. The members deserve better.
SO Kalyn Ponga has decided to stay with the Knights. Great news. Now, is there anybody in the coaching staff who can teach him how to tackle better?
THERE has been a lot of criticism of the Knights performances. You only need one player distracted from his performance, and that will cost you a game. In my experience, once management or players become too focused on individual outcomes, down goes the team performance. Are we aligned each week for the best performance? Every rugby league team needs to have a realistic, independent review sometimes to review structures and fix any badly-aligned cultures. The culture of kicking the coach out when things don't result in wins is quite an amateur approach to blame or accountability. Newcastle has such a proud history of rugby league success, let's have that realistic review. Throwing the baby out with bathwater usually results in more chaos and loss.
I HAD a quiet chuckle reading "We know where we stand" (Letters, 17/7), where Ian De Landelles reckons it should be USUKA instead of AUKUS. I think the acronym should be AWKWARD.
I did not know Sinead Francis-Coan. I don't think I ever met her. To the people who loved her, I am so very sorry for your loss.
Like many Novocastrians, I was shocked and deeply saddened by her untimely death.
After watching the celebration of her life online, I wish I had met her and got to know her. She walked the walk and talked the talk. We need people like Sinead with her woo-hoo enthusiasm. She was a strong thread of the tapestry of our amazing city. She obviously loved being a councillor, and I am so very sad for all those who knew her and loved her.
Due to monetary restrictions and COVID, we were driven into a cashless society, but we are still forced to pay ATM fees to access our hard-earned money.
Given the status of our economy and living standards, these excessive fees should be removed. The government should be laying down the law to banks to remove these fees. We are led by those who are concerned only about increasing their own salary and increasing taxes to pay for their overspending of the budget, which doesn't benefit the population.
I've been wondering about the rights of the motorist when approaching a pedestrian crossing. I always slow down and look around.
Recently, I have noticed that most pedestrians simply run or step out, assuming that the crossing means that they are safe. And they should be. A person running along the footpath and then onto the crossing is sometimes very fast and not immediately seen by the motorist. Perhaps they should be equally vigilant? It is common now for pedestrians to text while crossing, and they just don't see any cars. That's because it appears to be all up to the motorist.
I am sometimes a motorist and sometimes I ride a disability scooter. I take my responsibility on the road very seriously. I look both ways when crossing, as we were taught, but I would add "get off your phone, because while I can see you, I know that you can't see me".
I have found that drivers are generally very courteous to people with disabilities. The crossing near the Newcastle ferry wharf is notorious for groups just wandering out, assuming that they have the right to step out without looking.
All road users should be responsible. It's about safety.
The frustration in Phillip O'Neill's column leaps off the page ("Denialists clinging on as comfort zone goes under", NH 15/7). Given the shocking floods and loss of life in recent times, O'Neill finds it almost impossible to understand how some still deny there is a climate crisis and that it is caused primarily by humans burning fossil fuels.
But it appears that the number of deniers in Australia is declining. Griffith University has been conducting a longitudinal national climate action survey since 2021. While 2024 results are pending, it is heartening to note that the percentage of respondents classified as "deniers" or "sceptics", based upon their answers to the questions, decreased from 7 per cent and 9 per cent in 2021 and 2022 to only 5 per cent in 2023.
As Coalition infighting over emissions targets continues, it would do well to note that the most recent survey reveals that 76 per cent of respondents agreed the government should "set a target of national net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest". The survey reports should be compulsory reading for the climate deniers and sceptics in Parliament. Perhaps then they would realise what a tiny minority they belong to and how they are failing to represent their constituents.
It would seem that Rising Tide wants to get up to some of their antics, trying to block coal ships and coal trains again. This form of civil disobedience is madness.
My concern is that someone is going to be seriously injured or worse. When that happens, they will blame the ship's captain or the train drivers. I've been involved in protests in the past, and I think we got our messages across by being well-organised and staying within the law. I share their concerns about climate change, but I don't believe the civil disobedience they have engaged in has, or will, bring about change.
Have they thought about forming a political party and having members stand for Parliament? This may be better than taking dangerous risks.
KNIGHTS management needs to come forward and explain to its members what is going on at the club. After a week of rumours that our captain and highest paid player wanted out ('KP 'committed' till 2027', Newcastle Herald 17/7); our coach seems to think the fans don't know rugby league; we have signed a player for 10 years on a multi million dollar deal that can't make his present club side, and now there's reports an ex-player who had a life-changing event happen to him while wearing the Knights colours has to pay for a ticket to get into last week's game. This is disgraceful and it is happening on your watch. The members deserve better.
SO Kalyn Ponga has decided to stay with the Knights. Great news. Now, is there anybody in the coaching staff who can teach him how to tackle better?
THERE has been a lot of criticism of the Knights performances. You only need one player distracted from his performance, and that will cost you a game. In my experience, once management or players become too focused on individual outcomes, down goes the team performance. Are we aligned each week for the best performance? Every rugby league team needs to have a realistic, independent review sometimes to review structures and fix any badly-aligned cultures. The culture of kicking the coach out when things don't result in wins is quite an amateur approach to blame or accountability. Newcastle has such a proud history of rugby league success, let's have that realistic review. Throwing the baby out with bathwater usually results in more chaos and loss.
I HAD a quiet chuckle reading "We know where we stand" (Letters, 17/7), where Ian De Landelles reckons it should be USUKA instead of AUKUS. I think the acronym should be AWKWARD.
I did not know Sinead Francis-Coan. I don't think I ever met her. To the people who loved her, I am so very sorry for your loss.
Like many Novocastrians, I was shocked and deeply saddened by her untimely death.
After watching the celebration of her life online, I wish I had met her and got to know her. She walked the walk and talked the talk. We need people like Sinead with her woo-hoo enthusiasm. She was a strong thread of the tapestry of our amazing city. She obviously loved being a councillor, and I am so very sad for all those who knew her and loved her.
Due to monetary restrictions and COVID, we were driven into a cashless society, but we are still forced to pay ATM fees to access our hard-earned money.
Given the status of our economy and living standards, these excessive fees should be removed. The government should be laying down the law to banks to remove these fees. We are led by those who are concerned only about increasing their own salary and increasing taxes to pay for their overspending of the budget, which doesn't benefit the population.
I've been wondering about the rights of the motorist when approaching a pedestrian crossing. I always slow down and look around.
Recently, I have noticed that most pedestrians simply run or step out, assuming that the crossing means that they are safe. And they should be. A person running along the footpath and then onto the crossing is sometimes very fast and not immediately seen by the motorist. Perhaps they should be equally vigilant? It is common now for pedestrians to text while crossing, and they just don't see any cars. That's because it appears to be all up to the motorist.
I am sometimes a motorist and sometimes I ride a disability scooter. I take my responsibility on the road very seriously. I look both ways when crossing, as we were taught, but I would add "get off your phone, because while I can see you, I know that you can't see me".
I have found that drivers are generally very courteous to people with disabilities. The crossing near the Newcastle ferry wharf is notorious for groups just wandering out, assuming that they have the right to step out without looking.
All road users should be responsible. It's about safety.
The frustration in Phillip O'Neill's column leaps off the page ("Denialists clinging on as comfort zone goes under", NH 15/7). Given the shocking floods and loss of life in recent times, O'Neill finds it almost impossible to understand how some still deny there is a climate crisis and that it is caused primarily by humans burning fossil fuels.
But it appears that the number of deniers in Australia is declining. Griffith University has been conducting a longitudinal national climate action survey since 2021. While 2024 results are pending, it is heartening to note that the percentage of respondents classified as "deniers" or "sceptics", based upon their answers to the questions, decreased from 7 per cent and 9 per cent in 2021 and 2022 to only 5 per cent in 2023.
As Coalition infighting over emissions targets continues, it would do well to note that the most recent survey reveals that 76 per cent of respondents agreed the government should "set a target of national net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest". The survey reports should be compulsory reading for the climate deniers and sceptics in Parliament. Perhaps then they would realise what a tiny minority they belong to and how they are failing to represent their constituents.
It would seem that Rising Tide wants to get up to some of their antics, trying to block coal ships and coal trains again. This form of civil disobedience is madness.
My concern is that someone is going to be seriously injured or worse. When that happens, they will blame the ship's captain or the train drivers. I've been involved in protests in the past, and I think we got our messages across by being well-organised and staying within the law. I share their concerns about climate change, but I don't believe the civil disobedience they have engaged in has, or will, bring about change.
Have they thought about forming a political party and having members stand for Parliament? This may be better than taking dangerous risks.
KNIGHTS management needs to come forward and explain to its members what is going on at the club. After a week of rumours that our captain and highest paid player wanted out ('KP 'committed' till 2027', Newcastle Herald 17/7); our coach seems to think the fans don't know rugby league; we have signed a player for 10 years on a multi million dollar deal that can't make his present club side, and now there's reports an ex-player who had a life-changing event happen to him while wearing the Knights colours has to pay for a ticket to get into last week's game. This is disgraceful and it is happening on your watch. The members deserve better.
SO Kalyn Ponga has decided to stay with the Knights. Great news. Now, is there anybody in the coaching staff who can teach him how to tackle better?
THERE has been a lot of criticism of the Knights performances. You only need one player distracted from his performance, and that will cost you a game. In my experience, once management or players become too focused on individual outcomes, down goes the team performance. Are we aligned each week for the best performance? Every rugby league team needs to have a realistic, independent review sometimes to review structures and fix any badly-aligned cultures. The culture of kicking the coach out when things don't result in wins is quite an amateur approach to blame or accountability. Newcastle has such a proud history of rugby league success, let's have that realistic review. Throwing the baby out with bathwater usually results in more chaos and loss.
I HAD a quiet chuckle reading "We know where we stand" (Letters, 17/7), where Ian De Landelles reckons it should be USUKA instead of AUKUS. I think the acronym should be AWKWARD.
I did not know Sinead Francis-Coan. I don't think I ever met her. To the people who loved her, I am so very sorry for your loss.
Like many Novocastrians, I was shocked and deeply saddened by her untimely death.
After watching the celebration of her life online, I wish I had met her and got to know her. She walked the walk and talked the talk. We need people like Sinead with her woo-hoo enthusiasm. She was a strong thread of the tapestry of our amazing city. She obviously loved being a councillor, and I am so very sad for all those who knew her and loved her.
Due to monetary restrictions and COVID, we were driven into a cashless society, but we are still forced to pay ATM fees to access our hard-earned money.
Given the status of our economy and living standards, these excessive fees should be removed. The government should be laying down the law to banks to remove these fees. We are led by those who are concerned only about increasing their own salary and increasing taxes to pay for their overspending of the budget, which doesn't benefit the population.
I've been wondering about the rights of the motorist when approaching a pedestrian crossing. I always slow down and look around.
Recently, I have noticed that most pedestrians simply run or step out, assuming that the crossing means that they are safe. And they should be. A person running along the footpath and then onto the crossing is sometimes very fast and not immediately seen by the motorist. Perhaps they should be equally vigilant? It is common now for pedestrians to text while crossing, and they just don't see any cars. That's because it appears to be all up to the motorist.
I am sometimes a motorist and sometimes I ride a disability scooter. I take my responsibility on the road very seriously. I look both ways when crossing, as we were taught, but I would add "get off your phone, because while I can see you, I know that you can't see me".
I have found that drivers are generally very courteous to people with disabilities. The crossing near the Newcastle ferry wharf is notorious for groups just wandering out, assuming that they have the right to step out without looking.
All road users should be responsible. It's about safety.
The frustration in Phillip O'Neill's column leaps off the page ("Denialists clinging on as comfort zone goes under", NH 15/7). Given the shocking floods and loss of life in recent times, O'Neill finds it almost impossible to understand how some still deny there is a climate crisis and that it is caused primarily by humans burning fossil fuels.
But it appears that the number of deniers in Australia is declining. Griffith University has been conducting a longitudinal national climate action survey since 2021. While 2024 results are pending, it is heartening to note that the percentage of respondents classified as "deniers" or "sceptics", based upon their answers to the questions, decreased from 7 per cent and 9 per cent in 2021 and 2022 to only 5 per cent in 2023.
As Coalition infighting over emissions targets continues, it would do well to note that the most recent survey reveals that 76 per cent of respondents agreed the government should "set a target of national net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest". The survey reports should be compulsory reading for the climate deniers and sceptics in Parliament. Perhaps then they would realise what a tiny minority they belong to and how they are failing to represent their constituents.
It would seem that Rising Tide wants to get up to some of their antics, trying to block coal ships and coal trains again. This form of civil disobedience is madness.
My concern is that someone is going to be seriously injured or worse. When that happens, they will blame the ship's captain or the train drivers. I've been involved in protests in the past, and I think we got our messages across by being well-organised and staying within the law. I share their concerns about climate change, but I don't believe the civil disobedience they have engaged in has, or will, bring about change.
Have they thought about forming a political party and having members stand for Parliament? This may be better than taking dangerous risks.
KNIGHTS management needs to come forward and explain to its members what is going on at the club. After a week of rumours that our captain and highest paid player wanted out ('KP 'committed' till 2027', Newcastle Herald 17/7); our coach seems to think the fans don't know rugby league; we have signed a player for 10 years on a multi million dollar deal that can't make his present club side, and now there's reports an ex-player who had a life-changing event happen to him while wearing the Knights colours has to pay for a ticket to get into last week's game. This is disgraceful and it is happening on your watch. The members deserve better.
SO Kalyn Ponga has decided to stay with the Knights. Great news. Now, is there anybody in the coaching staff who can teach him how to tackle better?
THERE has been a lot of criticism of the Knights performances. You only need one player distracted from his performance, and that will cost you a game. In my experience, once management or players become too focused on individual outcomes, down goes the team performance. Are we aligned each week for the best performance? Every rugby league team needs to have a realistic, independent review sometimes to review structures and fix any badly-aligned cultures. The culture of kicking the coach out when things don't result in wins is quite an amateur approach to blame or accountability. Newcastle has such a proud history of rugby league success, let's have that realistic review. Throwing the baby out with bathwater usually results in more chaos and loss.
I HAD a quiet chuckle reading "We know where we stand" (Letters, 17/7), where Ian De Landelles reckons it should be USUKA instead of AUKUS. I think the acronym should be AWKWARD.