Putting things into perspective, I think immigration does need to be stopped for a period of  6 to 9 months in order for us to examine the amount of new land being released for housing and whether young couples are looking at buying older homes.

My parents lived with relatives for a few years and purchased an older home which they gradually improved and made their own.

They were patient but worked and scrapped to achieve this. Today young people seem to want the flashy car, two storey mansion with in-ground pool immediately with a huge debt hanging around their necks.

Consider also the purchase of one two bedroom apartment with a carport in Sydney, equals the  purchase of two homes with four bedrooms on 750m to 900m block with double garage and all facilities in rural towns.

Adrian Devlin, Fairy Meadow

I write in reference to a letter published in your newspaper on May 9 under the headline, “Costs passed on”.

In the letter, your correspondent writes that the damage caused to the Sydney Desalination Plant by the December 2015 mini-tornado will cost $500 million to repair and that the repair costs will be met by the State Government.

I want to assure your readers that while the damage caused to the Plant by the mini-tornado was indeed considerable, the repair costs will be met by our insurer, not by NSW taxpayers.

Keith Davies, Chief Executive Officer

This National Volunteer Week (8-14 May) on behalf of Make-A-Wish Australia I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to all of our invaluable Wollongong volunteers.

Since 1985 our volunteers, who hail from 57 different branches, have made more than 8,500 wishes come true for seriously ill children and teenagers all over the country. Our 205 volunteers across regional and metropolitan NSW are the first ones to meet with a child to unlock their empowering wish, they then support wish families on their wish journey (which can be up to two years), share our stories, and hold events to raise much-needed funds.  

This year we celebrate 37 years of Make-A-Wish. Our volunteers do much more than grant a child’s wish.

They help deliver a powerful psychological intervention which, is a critical complement to the medical process and vital for the child to succeed in their fight against serious illness. Our volunteers truly change lives.

From the moment a child starts thinking about their wish, the power of their imagination is unlocked. Instead of thinking about their illness and what they can’t do, they think about what they can do; and suddenly anything becomes possible.

They gain hope. They grow in resilience and feel stronger as they progress through their carefully crafted wish journey.

Experiencing the impossible becoming possible helps a child believe, even when very sick, that they can regain their strength and experience a positive future. Parents often tell us that the wish was the turning point during their child’s treatment.

None of this vital work would be possible without our volunteers – they are the backbone of Make-A-Wish.

As an organisation funded by solely by donations, with no government funding, we rely on the support of the community. So we say thank you to our volunteers for being a source of strength and inspiration for really sick kids.

Gerard Menses, CEO, Make-A-Wish Australia