Dr Hames should admit he was wrong

REGARDING the story Mozzies put bite into fight, Coastal Times, May 29.

Good for David Templeman – I’m happy to have him as my MLA and that’s more than I would say of Dr Hames.

In passing, what was the subject of Dr Hames’ thesis for his doctorate, I wonder?

It certainly wasn’t English.

According to the Concise Australian Oxford Dictionary, the official reference for our language, to eradicate is to ‘root out, to destroy completely’.

Therefore, qualifying adjectives (total eradication) are not admissible; if the subject matter hasn’t been destroyed completely, it hasn’t been eradicated.

The Penguin Thesaurus also cites eradicate as a synonym for ‘annihilate, obliterate, erase, wipe out, abolish, eliminate, stamp out’.

Dr Hames was in error in his electioneering when he used eradicate in the context of mosquitoes – the task is impossible.

In that, he was wrong and David Templeman was right and he compounded his error when he tried to duck the issue; he would have been well-advised to admit he was wrong.

He may not have meant annihilate, obliterate etc but that’s what he said.

To suggest that no-one present interpreted the word that way is to assume that everyone present did not know what eradicate meant either.

A.R.BALL,

Greenfields.

LOOKING at the two bridges, the new one to be built and the old Mandurah traffic bridge, neither shows any signs of fishing platforms.

I am 70 years old and used to come down to Mandurah for a week’s holiday with my parents every year going back to when I was still at school at the age of 10.

I used to fish from underneath the traffic bridge ” being so old, how come it is not listed as iconic?

The old Busselton long jetty is listed and both are as old as each other.

DAVE CHERRY,

Mandurah.