With a population of probably around 6000, we have six sets of traffic lights, three primary schools, one high school, a hospital, ambulance station, fire station, historic railway station, three beaches and  two surf clubs.

It also boasts a hotel, workers club, two funeral parlours, a cemetery, caravan park, showground with a greyhound racing track, a PCYC, modern doctors' surgery, veterinary surgery, Woolworths supermarket with speciality shops and two liquor stores.

I doubt there are many other small villages around that can tick all those boxes.

Despite the best efforts of the BVA (who are these people?) the streetscape of the village is pretty ordinary.

My stepfather, Andy Waugh, who some readers may remember, was born in Farrell Road Bulli in 1933 and lived there for many years until he moved to Brewongle NSW a few years ago.

Brewongle is approximately 17km east of Bathurst and has a population of less than 200.

Now that’s a village.

By the way, I'll be at the opening of the new KFC to enjoy half a dozen wicked wings washed down with an icy cold Pepsi.

Finally, I'm amazed that Adrian Devlin hasn't weighed into this critically important issue.

After all, Adrian has a KFC in his village.

Bob Quinn, Bulli

Mr Devlin attributes the disastrous and harrowing situation in the Middle East to President Obama’s policy of gradual disengagement from the conflict. 

On the contrary, the current disaster in the Middle East is not a consequence of America’s withdrawal but more a result of its interference in the first place.

The United States foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere has always hinged on its unshakeable belief that it is the greatest and most powerful nation in the world, and as such has the god­-given right to determine what is best for the people of lesser nations and coincidentally, best for the good old USA.

This has been constantly demonstrated throughout modern history in places such as Guatemala, Vietnam, Chile, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama and many other smaller regions including the Middle East.

The overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammed Mossadeq in 1953, in a coup orchestrated by the CIA over oil is a case in point in the Middle East.

America’s appointed replacement, the Shah of Iran typically proved to be not a great choice.

America’s eventual and inevitable disengagement from such conflicts has rarely, if ever, left the countries concerned, with a better future than they probably would have shaped for themselves, had they been given the opportunity.

The current situation in the middle East is largely a result of America’s interference, not a consequence of its long overdue disengagement.

Let us indeed learn from history.

John Martin, Woonona

Now that the Prime Minister at last sees the necessity of an independent body to overseas parliamentarians expenses, one would hope that he would also see the wisdom of having equal numbers of members of the public as bureaucrats, ex-judges or people from the corporate sector on this body.  

This would not only ensure transparency, but also help politicians understand which claims would pass “the pub test” and which would not.

Jennie Morris, Wollongong