Letters may be edited for space, offensive language or defamatory reasons.

Dear Editor,

How refreshing it was to see a newspaper come out and support the YES campaign in the recent referendum.

Although there is wide disappointment in the failure of The Voice, it has been heartening to see a local campaign for YES which spanned many groups and beyond. There were ‘people of goodwill, and good heart’ from Labor, the Greens, Knitting Nannas, and many of unaligned public political persuasion, who all came together in an energetic and positive group to promote a YES vote.

The result comes as a great disappointment to me and so many others, and must feel like a kick in the guts to those involved in the Uluru Statement and with much more to lose than I. The Australian people were asked for a mere crumb, and were told No by so many.  However, I maintain hope that the feeling of camaraderie and positive connection by the hardworking members of Manning for YES, and the wider Lyne for YES, may carry forward into the future and in our area of such strong National history.

There may come an actual choice in who represents us. Making our electorates of Lyne and Myall Lakes more marginal will encourage both sides of politics to pay more attention to the Manning area.

Thank you to The Manning Community News for offering an alternative to the popular press and its negative, often misleading, and sometimes nasty reporting of the referendum.

Heather McLaughlin
Taree West.