There is no disputing that mental health is a real and very present issue in the Australian community and organisations seeking to heighten the awareness of the need for greater support for those affected and funding for the various programs are to be commended for their work.

Our emergency services, as all articles acknowledge, see life in all its circumstances.

The staff see things that must be hard to accept no matter how stoic they are.

These are people with emotions, which at times must be tested beyond their capacity.

The community's expectations and reliance on emergency services are high, as they should be.

These are the people at the frontline.

In applauding this latest initiative, the administrations of the various services involved need to ensure that the headline suggestion "put staff first" does not just become a token statement but a firm resolve to do better than the past.

I AM continually asked to supply my email address to firms so they can send my accounts and statements electronically and save the use of paper.

It does not matter how many times you tell them you do not wish to have your mail that way the requests still come, therefore wasting paper.

Before accepting electronically-generated mail think of the consequences.

The average household has to store records on paper, so you have to print the statement out.

Your paper, ink and printer, fewer letters by mail, higher cost for all mail, less letters to be delivered means less postman and lost jobs.

If you have a mail contractor less mail fewer deliveries or none pick up in town.

Fewer letters means less sorting, close a mail centre, lost jobs. Less letters to be transported means lost truck drivers.

Fewer letters to be transported truck, a week longer mail delivery times. So no paper saved means a number of jobs lost, poor service and the original company makes more money.

During my 60 years of driving I can't recall ever seeing so many vehicles in and around Orange that have obvious defects. The main defect seems to be a headlight and/or tail-light not working and of course when it's foggy or raining heavily this can be a concern for other drivers.

This is almost as serious a concern as those drivers who can't be bothered putting on headlights when driving in those conditions. In my opinion, most drivers in Orange have more than enough hazards to look out for without adding to the list.

LET’S hope that Morris Iemma does a better job chairing the greyhound reform panel than he did in 2007 when, as Labor premier he decided that NSW needed a $1.8 billion desalination plant.