I visit Newcastle once or twice a year to visit family and for work purposes.

While I am here I often take the opportunity to visit some of the ancestors. This means a stop in Lochinvar to check the sandstone gate posts at the School of Arts to examine the memorial to WWI local lads, especially Claude Wand Lambert (KIA ANAZAC Cove 27NOV15).

Then the drive takes us on to the Oswald Methodist Cemetery where the original Lamberts are buried, especially the great great great grandparents, James (1802-1877) and Harriett (1806– 1893).

Over the years I became concerned about the deterioration of the headstones so this year I took my sister to examine the monuments and maybe consider a plan for some sort of clean or restoration. I had often thought I might be the only visitor to these graves seeing as it is well over a century since the internment.

However this year I was very pleasantly surprised to find that some kind soul had placed a sandstone plinth on the graves of James and Harriett and had a bronze plaque installed which had the detailed inscription from the headstone placed on to it.

This was indeed a very neat job but it also made me realise that there is somebody else out there who is a visitor to these ancestral burial grounds.

So my questions are:  “Who are you?” and “May I get to meet you?”

I was amazed by the comments of Maitland mayor Cr Peter Blackmore regarding the need for more caravan parks in the city after his week at a holiday park in Harrington.

How quickly he changes his tune.

Perhaps he has forgotten the matter of the rezoning of the former Morpeth Women’s Bowling Club site from recreation to residential last year?

This might have been a golden opportunity to develop the site as a boutique holiday park for the cashed-up army of Grey Nomads who take the Exploring the Coast Hunter route but avoid Maitland because of its lack of tourist facilities.

Even last year, editorials were screaming, “City needs to grab tourism opportunity with both hands” (19 October, 2015) but no action apart from the installation of a dump point has occurred.

I have recently travelled extensively in Victoria and South Australia using these parks and been impressed not only by their proximity to tourist attractions but by the way they promote tourism and a general air of prosperity in the towns they are situated.

I’m concerned that the NSW Government is concealing its true intentions for our new public hospital.

Will they hand it over to a profit-making company in a private-public partnership?

A public-private partnership is not a true public hospital.

It gives a profit-seeking corporation control over public services.

This is the wrong path for Australia.

Perhaps someone can tell me why unleaded petrol is $1.31 in Maitland and $1.19 in Kurri. I travel the short distance to Cliftleigh or Kurri to get petrol rather than purchase it in Maitland. It's been $1.31 in Maitland for months. Maitland prices are way over the top.

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