I was crushed to read The Daily Telegraph has called into question the validity of the state bank holiday for thousands of employees and I feel compelled to contradict your presumptive editorial (A holiday for a few of us – Opinion, 7/8). As sometimes apparently-heartless banks foreclose on mortgages, earn an abundance of interest on securities, gouge fees from customers for using their own money, charge for financial services and sell us a range of only-sometimes necessary insurance and other products, I’m delighted that for one day a year, the bankers all pack up and leave us alone. Where thousands of offices lie idle today (Monday), the good news is that no new ways of recouping more profits to boost staff bonuses are being hatched. Can we give them tomorrow off too? Alan Sexton, North Parramatta 8Aug2023
Commentary: Since 1870s, bankers have has a public holiday in NSW. There was generalised unhappiness that they didn’t really deserve it, but I chose to disagree.