YOUTH CRIME 
Dear editor,

Where is there legitimate supervision of youths out at night, breaking and entering, stealing cars, carrying weapons, by police and guardians? This is the dilemma of the rise in youth crime, without intervention by those who are legally responsible and accountable for their underage children. The ages of these youthful offenders are alarming to victims, whose houses and cars are the target for audacious, weapon-carrying  young criminals on the prowl, without thought for their victims or the likelihood of potential criminal records.

What kind of parents allow their children to be out at the dead of night, or very early in the morning, to create mischief, without checking that their children are safely at home, tucked into their beds? Parental negligence has created an underage criminal class who find the law and its consequences a joke. Young perpetrators are finding that their illegal fun comes at a cost. But the bail laws favour the criminals.

Some of these offenders are too young to have a criminal record, but test the boundaries of the law by defying rules which previous generations would not dare to defy. Magistrates who are lenient with youthful offenders have little sympathy for those whose houses are burgled, whose families are terrified and whose cars are stolen right under their noses. Children who repeatedly offend are repeatedly let out on bail.

Youths find their tribe who they socialise with, whether those they interact with are law-abiding or contemplate criminal activity; they align with is because they are mates. A shortage of legitimate social groups or activities, suffering a dearth over the past decade, leaves our youths to create their own activities.

What hope have they, who are not comfortable at home, or on the  streets, homeless? Who is responsible for guiding these youths to positive activities, when no one is there for them? Is it adults avoiding  their responsibility, who turn a blind eye, setting the wheels in motion?

E. Rowe,
Marcoola.
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NEW FATHERHOOD 
Dear editor,

There’s a lot of noise these days about men’s behaviour and the damage done by the worst corners of social media.

But now and then a voice cuts through with something genuinely useful. One of them is Australian comedian‑teacher Daniel Delby from the Hard Yarns podcast.

When he talks about fatherhood, he doesn’t reach for macho clichés or influencer bravado — he goes straight to the heart of it: “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they never fail to imitate them.”

There it is: the whole job description of a new dad in one line.

Your kids won’t remember the lectures, but they’ll copy the way you speak to their mum, how you handle frustration, how you show kindness to strangers, how you laugh at yourself.

In the end, fatherhood is about being seen and being worth imitating.

It came back to me on Father’s Day at the beach, watching a shambling convoy of young dads doing the quiet, unglamorous work of raising small humans along the promenade.

One bloke was pushing a pram with a tiny baby, the basket underneath loaded with a packet of nappies and a six‑pack of beer.

Another dad was leading two kids on scooters, who were ignoring him completely while still orbiting him like their Sun.

A third was carrying a tiny pink backpack that absolutely did not belong to him, but he wore it with the resigned dignity of a man who knows the battle is lost.

Those dads weren’t giving speeches. They weren’t laying down wisdom. They weren’t trying to be influencers or role models or any of the things social media tells men they should be.

They were just showing up — tired, rumpled, slightly under‑caffeinated — doing the small, steady things their kids will one day copy without even realising why.

And maybe that’s the real heart of Father’s Day. It’s the reminder that fatherhood is about being seen. It’s about being worth imitating. It’s about showing love in the simplest, most ordinary everyday ways.

As an old dad, I reckon the kids won’t remember the lecture, but they’ll remember the man.

Garry Reynolds,
Peregian Springs.
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BACK IN TIME? 
Dear editor,

In remembrance of Tim Curry, are people up and dancing to the tune of the ‘Time Warp’ and taking a big jump to the right?
Please explain!

Margaret Wilkie,
Peregian Beach.
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