Well this week I saw in action Wollongong City Council investing in the cultural development of Wollongong. Congratulations, well done and thank you.

Last night I attended the ACO performance of Intimate Mozart in the Wollongong Town Hall and was amazed to see that the derelict grand piano had been replaced by a magnificent brand new one so bright and shiny that a  member of the audience had to call for the light to be deflected from it as the gloss from it prevented her from seeing the performers.

It was magic to hear the guest pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout perform his Mozart's Piano Concerto No 13 in C major,K.415.

The audience was spellbound. Such was the  beauty of sound on this magnificent instrument.

How fitting that the ACO Chamber Orchestra was the first  to use it and  whose leader, Richard Tognetti, fought so hard to keep our Town Hall?

Now for the next consideration that the community will be able to purchase  some low cost ticket performances occasionally to enjoy some great piano  performances by the many talented people in our midst.  After all was it not from ratepayers' contributions that the purchase was made?

Let's celebrate this beautiful instrument  by allowing many to enjoy the wonderful sound and sight of it which will of course encourage more to contribute to our cultural precinct.

Margaret Wolfe, Thirroul.

Yes, Matty Ryan, things are not so good for the unemployed and financially challenged in every wealthy western country.

What with the accumulation of wealth by the top 10 per cent and  jobs being lost to technology and the closure of many manufacturing businesses.

When was the last time you rang Telstra or an insurance company and actually talked to someone here in Australia.

Wages are growing slower now than ever, and many workers have just suffered a reduction in penalty rates.

Isn't it refreshing to know that if Tony Abbott gets a second bite of the cherry, that he will solve our deficit problem through more cuts to spending and lower taxes for the wealthy .

Malcolm, whatever you think of him, looks like the better option til the next election.  At least he is a moderate Liberal, unlike Tony.

William Bielefeldt, Kembla Grange

Our media are very quiet about countries like Slovenia, where in the people's referendum, the majority voted against same sex marriage.

Their democratic rights are far superior to Americas, where seven high court judges were allowed to override the 30 states, including California, who had already banned same sex marriage.

Australians voted in the party that promised us the dignity to have a say on the issue.  I respect Malcolm Turnbull's integrity in upholding that election promise.

Kim Furst, Fairy Meadow

As a former shift worker, I thoroughly support the payment of penalty rates.  However with the government encouraging workers to work past the traditional retirement age of 65 years, the plight of mature age workers goes unnoticed.   

Many mature aged workers are forced to retrain in different occupations, their extensive experience in previous careers is often not acknowledged and many earn less than some teenagers.  

This is an issue that the government needs to address to improve the conditions and pay of mature age workers.

Nina Cauduro, Corrimal