Dear Editor,

Having returned to live in the Manning Valley after many years away I am very pleased to have found a fearless publication full of relevant local news which shows a different perspective to the mass media with which we are deluged.

I greatly appreciate being able to read frank opinions of local people involved in these matters and get information which some in power may prefer we did not know.

Issues such as the forced amalgamation of local councils, the serious erosion of management of the Taree womens refuge, the proposed new Wingham bridge, matters at the Manning hospital and more are significant local issues. The environmental disaster of Adani that looms, the life-saving importance of vaccinations, and NBN roll-out are all broader issues for which we need independent reporting such as that found in The Manning Community News.

Local people such as Leonie McGuire (December, Women’s Refuge), Dr David Keagan (January, Manning Base Hospital) Peter Epov (April, Wingham swimming pool) and others are exactly the people I want to hear from.

Thank you for bringing these issues to us month by month, and keep up the good work of getting out facts and ideas on both local matters and broader stories.

Heather McLaughlin

Taree