Author: jkirkby8712

Last night on the ABC, we saw the return of the weekly open panel discussion – Q & A –   what exactly is Q & A? It’s about democracy in action – on Q&A the audience gets to ask the questions.  It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you’re from – everyone can have a go and take it up to our politicians and opinion makers.   It’s about encouraging people to engage with politics and society, and is happening  live to air as viewers watch. As one viewer noted, it puts punters, pollies and pundits together in the studio to thrash out the hot issues of the week, and encourages the audience, both within the studio, and external, via the web etc, to engage with politicians and other respected members of society. Tonight’s panel guests for example were Graham Richardson [former Labor minister], Amanda Vanstone [former Liberal minister under John Howard], David Williamson [renowned Australian playwright], Catherine Deveney [comedian and social commentator, who did not impress me one iota] and  Gerard Henderson [historian and conservative commentator, an interesting man].

The show overall, is hosted by one of the ABC’s most respected journalists, Tony Jones, whose aim with the program is to put the Australian public directly in touch with the politicians and playmakers – to give them the opportunity to get some answers, eye to eye. Tony Jones has won pretty much every award an Australian journalist could wish for. He’s covered the seminal news events of the last two decades – from the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, through the collapse of apartheid in South Africa, to the rise of the Taliban and, closer to home, the revelations of sexual abuse in remote Aboriginal communities.

Now I make mention of this because, together with Tuesday night’s ‘The Late Session’ , Q & A is probably my favourite current piece of TV viewing at present, and as with both productions [on different channels] I enjoy the interaction between the various guests, and in tonight’s case, the audiences as well, and the opportunity to see some of these people perform outside of their comfort zones, being expected to respond to a range of questions which I think I can safely assume they have not been previously made aware of. Of course the fact the topics of discussion so often refer to issues of the day should mean that the participants have a fair idea of the subjects that are going to be thrown up at them.

Some examples of the kind of questions asked tonight of the panel included:

On the proposed Flood Levy, Australian of the Year, Simon McKeon, is known for his philanthropy and his propensity to give to those in need. If generosity is an Australian value worthy of our highest honour, why is it that 41% of Australians in the most recent Newspoll are so against the Flood Levy – against helping their fellow Australians?  [Here, broad agreement seemed to be that Australians in the main were not opposed to supporting those affected by the floods, etc, but the means by which the government was suggesting it be done].

Floods and climate change: Gerard Henderson, you have criticized Bob Brown recently for suggesting the coal industry should be taxed for their role in contributing to the effects of climate change. However there is an overwhelming scientific consensus that natural disasters such as these will become both more frequent and more severe as a result of greenhouse gas emissions.
Is it not both fair and prudent then that we tax the coal industry and other big polluters, to help pay for the damage they cause, and to discourage further pollution?  [Henderson made it very clear that the coal industry had his full support, and that it’s demise would be to the detriment of most Australians, but he did not have full support for that argument]

Gillard, the Actor? According to David Williamson, Labour’s biggest problem is that Julia Gillard can’t act. Mark Latham, in a recent column wrote, ‘she is not a naturally empathetic person – displaying… noticeable discomfort around infant children.’  Isn’t it worrying that we should be critiquing our leaders by their ability to ‘act’ in the sense of theatre, rather than in the sense of ‘deed’?  [Seemed to be a general view of agreement, however it was felt that she was been very poorly advised as to how she should act and speak – there were two different Gillards – the strong politician in Parliament, compared to the other Julia Gillard as she seems to be getting presented, as wooden and uncaring – quite a few differing views arising from this question, including the obvious comparison in performances between her and the Queensland Premier over the past three weeks]

Labor’s Demise: A video question to Graham Richardson: In your days, NSW right would have generated policy initiatives & worked to generate public support for government policies. Is it a major concern for Labour & indeed Australia that the labour political operatives seem to be purely concerned with preserving their power base in the party as opposed to assisting Gillard to establish policy platforms & win public support for her policies?

Egypt and Islam: Will the protests in Egypt bring about democracy, or simply be a catalyst for another Islamist regime?

Assange and the Nobel Prize: Does the panel agree that Julian Assange has earned the Nobel Peace Prize for promoting the democratic right of citizens to be informed of what is done in their name? If not why not? [General agreement and feeling that this suggestion should be regarded as a ‘joke’]

Coalition’s response to the flood levy: How does the Liberal party respond to commentary in major newspapers that Tony Abbott is playing politics in times of intense human suffering, rather than presenting a united front to rectify the damage in Victoria and Queensland?

Anyway, my purpose here because of space and time, was merely to indicate the kind of questions presented to our panel, and one notices that in most cases, they are questions that are probably on the lips or minds of the average Australian voter and/or citizen. I find it an interesting and useful hour of television, and no doubt will continue to be a regular Monday night fan!

Incidentally, yesterdayday was the anniversary of the tragic Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, on February 7^th, 2009. I said plenty in my contributions at that time in regard to that terrible natural disaster, and won’t go over it again here, particularly in light of the dramatic climate events that have been going on in Australia since the beginning of this year. In speaking of bush fires, over in Perth where major bushfires have been ravaging some of that city’s outer suburbs, at least 70 homes had been destroyed by the end of today. So we have massive losses of property on both sides of the continent, and from opposite  extremes of climatic consequences.

A few days ago, I asked my brother, Robert, how the Tour Down Under [TDU] experience compared with the Tour De France [TDF], and his interesting reply came back over the weekend – the following are the bits of relevance I’d like to include in today’s contribution to these pages.

“Terrain is the obvious one – sure there are climbs in S.A. but nothing of the length and constant steepness that you encounter in the Pyrenees and Alps (although S.A. does have a mini monster called Checker Hill; it’s very short at 1 km but over the last 600 metres pitches up to a 22% grade – to put in perspective a typical steep climb would have an average grade of about 9%; even the pros have to hit “granny gear” to get over Checker Hill);

 [The] Pros [professional riders] love TDU because of weather (particularly those from Europe) and as they get to stay in the same hotel (Adelaide Hilton) all week; and travelling with Trek we get to stay there also;

[The] Opportunity to mix with and talk to pros is much greater; obviously helps staying in the same hotel. Great access with Trek boys including – drinks with Radio Shack team (minus Lance, but he did send his bike!), dinner at Teams’ village with Phil Liggett / Paul Sherwen as hosts + a great talk by Anna Mears about coming back from a broken neck to win gold, and “Legends dinner” – intimate dinner with Lance Armstrong & Mark Cavendish (+ about 2,000 others);

[You] Get to see more of the race live as a number of the stages include loops, so if you get to the right spot you can see the race pass 2-3 times. Plus with Trek we get great “finish line” seats for the opening criterium race and the final day race around Adelaide streets – came past us about 20 times in the final 90 km race and never cease to be amazed at just how fast they go. My usual Sat/Sun morning ride is 90 km and takes me 3 hours (average 30 kph); they did the 90 km in 1 hour 54 min at average 48 kph!!;

> Crowds are big in S.A. but clearly nothing like TDF where people are camped out for days on the mountain stages. Which means greater informality with roads not closed until just prior to the pros coming through versus some hours before in TDF.

Saturday stage you saw on TV was in McLaren Vale – stage does an initial loop taking in south coast (beautiful riding along here) and then two loops of a famous TDU climb called “Old Willunga Hill” – it’s a great climb to ride crowded with spectators and is followed by a fast 20km of flat/downhill into Willunga itself – on this section we boys managed to get up to 45 kph on the flat and 60+ on the downhill. Willunga Hill is a great spot to watch the race, which is where I headed after riding the stage during the morning. Best memory of that day was a battered and bandaged Mark Cavendish almost riding over my toes as he tailed the field up the climb (twice) looking very miserable. I’m not his biggest fan, but to give him credit he turned up to the Legends dinner that same night and was philosophical about his bad luck crashing so early (and finished the Tour despite being dead last – probably a first for the fastest road sprinter in the world.

For a Tour that was promoted as having 6-7 of the worlds best sprinters in attendance (including Cavendish, Robbie McEwen, Robbie Hunter – South African, had nice chat, Farrar, Greipel, Alan Davis), it was the young Aussies who came to the fore with young Cameron Meyer winning – while 23 he looks about 10 on the podium; saw his mother being interviewed on the final day just in front of us; needless to say she was proud as punch And the not so young Aussies also did well. Robbie McEwen getting 2nd in 2-3 stages and briefly in the yellow jersey; and that war-horse Stuart O’Grady is amazing – always on the attack including on the last day – was in every attack around the Adelaide street circuit (after spotting him in the Hilton bar at 1.30 am that same morning – you recall he and Andy Schleck were sent home from the Giro last year by their team for going out for a few beers – he says he only had one!)

Was happy with my own ride, usually putting in a bit extra than what was planned for each day. I know the Trek guide (Dave) well and he told me the group’s name for me was the “energizer bunny” plus they kept calling for me to be drug tested! Need to be in shape, as possibly doing something bigger with Trek later in the year but ride is not confirmed yet, so will tell you about that later. In the meantime, doing a ride with Evelyn in Japan in May (on island of Shikoku, south east of Tokyo).

Will this man never stop – the more he relates about his riding feats, the more depressed I become about my own physical abilities these days [or lack thereof!!], and remembering that he is only 28 months younger than myself!  Nevertheless, I did appreciate the foregoing summary of his week in South Australia, and while I doubt he will ever think to keep a record of things of that nature, I will at least have his thoughts recorded, if called for at some future time

After all the scenes over the past few weeks from Queensland, Brisbane, then northern and central Victoria, followed  by Queensland again,  it was almost inevitable, but still a complete shock, to see the pictures on the TV screens last night –  of the streets, freeways, railway tracks, houses and businesses flooded and under water – here in the south eastern suburban areas of ‘Melbourne’, and in parts of the CBD.  The huge thunderstorms that swept across much of Victoria  late yesterday afternoon and throughout the night, caused chaos, especially in parts of Melbourne with the  volumes of rain that accompanied them. It wasn’t un til late evening that the storms reached Sunbury, and I was rather grateful of that, and looking at some of the scenes of flooded roads, etc, was thankful I was not out in that weather. It seems that many of the flooded roads etc, were still causing massive traffic congestion late this afternoon.  I just have to repeat again  – the contrast between my entries of 12-14 months ago, when the decade long drought appeared as though it was going to go on, and rainfall was such a rare commodity – and now, we seemed to have been swamped with flooding rains [literally] since Christmas over much of Australia, with not even Melbourne been spared this time!

Those were my thoughts as I went to bed last night, with the news that a further belt of storms and heavy rainfall was expected to sweep across the state within the next 24 hours or so – thoughts that were disturbed by some clowns in the neighbourhood setting off some rather powerful sounding fire crackers. This is generally a very quiet neighbourhood, our home situated in a court, where under normal circumstances, any vehicles driving into our street at night would belong to residents of the court. So any kind of noise of that nature – which sounded much stronger than a firecracker – would be completely unexpected and out of the ordinary.

Sunday morning began as always – at 3NRG for my program of classical music for 2 hours. While I can’t claim that any night of the week is on average a ‘good night’s sleep’, Saturday nights in particular never seem to produce a decent sleep, for one reason or another, and last night was no exception!! But the news headlines this morning confirmed my concerns about the weekend’s weather here in Victoria  –   ‘VICTORIA SWAMPED – Storm havoc across state – Emergency grants announced – More wild weather to come’. Now, it is Gippsland’s turn, as thousands of residents in Victoria’s west Gippsland have evacuated their homes as the Bunyip River threatens to rise to its highest peak in 40 years. Victoria’s State Emergency Service (SES) says the river is expected to exceed the predicted flood level of 7.2 metres, above the 1971 flood record.Residents in the townships of Koo Wee Rup, Iona, Cora Lynn and Bayles and surrounding areas were advised to evacuate their homes by 9.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday or risk inundation and possible isolation. The SES said anyone who chose to stay in their homes risked becoming trapped in floodwaters, or cut off by road congestion or closures in the area. People are urged not to drive, ride or play in floodwaters.

The flood alerts come after emergency services received more than 3500 calls for help, people were plucked from rescues trapped cars and inundated homes, while several major roads and train lines were closed when the deluge began on Friday evening. In some parts of the state 100 to 150 millimetres fell in just a few hours, causing severe flash flooding. Some towns have been inundated by floodwaters even before they recovered from flooding that occurred last month [just two weeks ago], while in places like Creswick, about 16 kms north of Ballarat, they have faced their third flood in the town since September last!  We have a number of public tenants who come from that area, and Committee secretary, Russell, has already had his home inundated twice – I wonder if he was struck again, yesterday?

Meanwhile, up in Sydney, they are breaking records of a different nature!  As the following report indicates:- ‘Sydney has never experienced such consistently high temperatures since records were first kept in 1858. Sydney’s heatwave has shattered a 150-year-old record, but the big sweat isn’t over yet. In dozens of suburbs on Saturday the temperature soared into the mid to high 30s for the sixth day running and over much of NSW. As thousands flocked to beaches and the harbour foreshores to cool off, the mercury climbed above the 38-degree mark while Observatory Hill recorded a peak of 41.5 degrees. Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) senior forecaster Neale Fraser said that Saturday was officially the sixth successive day that the Sydney area had sweltered in 30-plus temperatures. Since records were first kept in 1858, Sydney had never experienced such consistently high temperatures. “We’ve had runs of hot weather for three or four days but you get a southerly change that keeps it below 30 then it warms up again,” Mr Fraser told AAP. The heat led to another spate of bushfires and more health warnings.

To perhaps rub ‘salt in the national wound’, over in Western Australia, one hundred and fifty firefighters and five helicopters are battling to control a bushfire that is threatening homes in Perth’s northeast suburbs. An earlier report indicated that the Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) issued an emergency warning early on Sunday for Brigadoon, Baskerville, Millendon, Red Hill and Herne Hill, in the city of Swan. The fire, which started at 9.14pm (WST) on Saturday, had burnt 800 hectares by 8.20am. A FESA spokeswoman said there had been no reports of homes being burnt yet but they were being impacted by embers, as flames stretched higher than roof tops and spot fires started up to a kilometre ahead of the main fire. FESA said in a statement there was a threat to lives and homes and people were being warned they needed to act immediately to survive. If the way was clear people should leave immediately for a safer place and take their survival kits with them.

[As a subsequent unpleasant postscript, the overnight news would report that more than 40 houses were likely to have been destroyed as those bushfires remained out of control in Roleystone, in the Perth hillsand that number was expected to be revised upwards in the light of day. At least there were no reports of loss of life, as of late tonight.  However, at that point, neither of the two main fires outside Perth were under control, and unpredictable and strong winds were expected through to Monday morning.  It seems that at present, no parts of this continent are being spared any respite in the unusual and extreme weather conditions].

So just maybe, it is destiny that my music matinee this afternoon was to be entitled ‘Music From The Heavens’ – some attempt to balance all those other elements that the ‘heavens’ have imposed upon us,  The program in fact was not devised by myself on this occasion, but put together by my work associate who was to be my guest presenter for the afternoon – essentially something quite different to what I normally do, although the regular program itself makes a point of having a different format and genre of music each time it is broadcast. That has been my aim. Today,  it was to consist principally of music from the ‘different’ faiths from around the world – such as  music from Islam,  , a Siddha Yoga chant, Gregorian chants some traditional Christian music, Pentecostal hymns, and overall, an emphasis on the development of interfaith dialogues, and the  multi-religious nature  of some world programs these days, as especially revealed here in Melbourne. Perhaps I was going ‘out on a bit of a limb’ in presenting today’s format, but one of the aims of community is to allow all sectors of a community radius to have the opportunity to be heard. And although Mark was not of our community – he lives on the other side of Melbourne in one of our coastal suburbs –  the music that we were going to play today, is certainly representative of many in the community.

Well indeed we did – quite a wide variety of religious based music throughout the program. With the program basically prepared by someone else ’new to the business’, I had to be reliant on Mark’s organisation of what we were going to do – not everything ran as smoothly organised as I am used to, however the hiccups were minor, and overall it was a successful joint venture.  In addition to the music, we included a few other ‘chatty’ bits and pieces including a section of ‘inspirational quotes’  -here’s a couple of examples:-

• ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work’ [Thomas Alva Edison]
• ‘The journey of a thousand milers begins with one step’ [Miyamoto Musashi]
• ‘Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover’ [Mark Twain]……………….Jessica Watson comes to mind.  And finally,
• ‘I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing’ [Agatha Christie]

Mark had also brought along with him, a taped recording of an interview he did with a Catholic Priest, a few days ago –  the Rev Dr, John Dupuche, who was born in 1940 in Melbourne, to French parents who had come to Australia on business but were prevented from returning to France by the outbreak of World War II. During his young years, the family language and culture was French. He was ordained as a priest in 1974, and is currently a Parish Priest in the south eastern suburb of Beaumaris.   His particular relevance to today’s program was through his role as Chair of the Catholic Interfaith Committee of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, and his heavy involvement in interreligious relations. He had a particular interest in the interface between Christianity and Kashmir Shaivism  –  a branch of Indian thought that I had not previously heard of, to be honest!  Anyway, it was quite an interesting between Mark & the priest, with particular emphasise on the work that is going on these days to try and bring a lot of the separate religions and faiths closer together [including the Islamic faith] in more cooperative and sharing ways. Interestingly, Father Dupuche has recently established an interfaith household with a number of like minded representatives of some of these other ‘faiths’. Quite an interesting man. The taped recording of about 20 minutes was quite successful, the only problem being that both speakers on it did so with very quiet voices, and for all listeners to hear it clearly, some adjustment of the volume would be necessary.

As an interesting sideline to all of this, I noticed in one of last week’s local papers a notation about  our local municipality’s citizen of the year, viz; “Tibetan  refugee Thubten Loden was named Hume Council’s Citizen of the Year last week. Venerable Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden, 88, established the Tibetan Buddhist Society and helped establish the Peaceful Land of Joy Meditation Centre in Yuroke. He became a monk when he was seven and received his full training at Sera Je Monastery in Tibet before coming to Australia in 1976”.  Local recognition and acceptance of the work undertaken in our society by a representative of another culture and religion – excellent example to refer to during the program today.

Is there no end to these variable and unusual climatic extremes we seem to be experiencing this Summer down here in the land of sunshine and beaches?   Late yesterday, and overnight,  Victoria has been battered by thunderstorms producing flash floods across the state as the effects of tropical cyclone activity up in the northern states continue to wreak havoc on infrastructure and property.  Although I obviously missed the worst of the weather, on my return home yesterday in humid and uncomfortable conditions,  public transport was brought to a standstill along tram routes and several train lines, while hundreds of roads, including parts of the Monash Freeway and the Calder Highway [the road I travelled by, as far as Sunbury], were closed, traffic jamming as workers fought to drive home through the deluge. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade was overwhelmed by calls for help from disabled people seeking assistance. The State Emergency Service (SES) took calls from more than 1500 people for assistance and rescued 49 people from cars and homes after heavy rain inundated suburbs and towns on Friday evening. Emergency warnings for flash flooding were issued for the metropolitan, central, east, southwest, northwest and northeast parts of the state.  Here in Sunbury, it really started to come down [the rain] around about the time Susie was due to leave her work – not surprisingly, by the time she walked in the door at 10.30pm, she was soaking, drenched to the skin almost!

When I awoke this morning, it was still raining steadily, although I don’t think it had continued through the night.  It did not look good for the local cricketing teams with the second day of a two day game due to be played today – I think Adam’s game is here in Sunbury, and even if the rain stops, I imagine the various sporting ovals will be partially under water in many areas. Certainly, it seems more rain is due today  – the day I was finally going to get my lawns mowed, following the return of my machine during the week.  Not today!! The Bureau is forecasting widespread rain in Victoria over the weekend, including a flood watch for the greater Melbourne  water catchment areas.

Away from the weather, which admittedly has not just dominated my ‘blog’ over recent weeks, but most of the media outlets here!  However, I did mention a couple of days ago, the inclusion of a good article about our local radio station which appeared in this week’s ‘Weekly – Your Community Voice’, and I wanted to share that article with my readers, far and afield.

More than two thirds of the 59 fully licensed community radio stations in Victoria are in country areas. The stations, mostly run by volunteers, offer a range of programs and services often not found on commercial channels. Reporter [for the ‘Voice’] Charlotte Cullum Jenkins spoke to some of the people behind Sunbury’s station 3NRG.

Every Monday at 7pm Alan Olsen takes his seat behind the mixing desk, broadcasting to the people of Sunbury songs made famous by the likes of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline.   ‘‘I love music and I’ve always listened to radio. I guess why I got involved in radio is because I have a certain following in music. I do a country show. I was brought up on country music.   ‘‘Community radio were the only stations that would play what I would listen to. You’d never get that on commercial. I was looking for an alternative. But community radio stations back in the ’60s were few and far between. I was playing music through a tape recorder that I fitted to the car I had, that’s how I got to hear what I wanted to hear.

‘‘Community radio was always my favourite interest, even back then. It was that little bit of difference that I enjoyed. Presenters were more down to earth, you could relate to what they were about … I like to listen to someone who is fair dinkum and that’s how I got into community radio.’’\ Olsen joined 3NRG in 1994 and his show has been on air for 16 years.  ‘‘To me there are big differences between community and commercial radio … We involve the community and we try to get the community involved with the station. We do live outdoor broadcasts, anything that might be of interest. We ask people and we can broadcast it. We also try to get people to become presenters, which adds content for the listener.’’ The catchment area of the station is about 55,000 people.

Listener surveys reveal there are about 7000 regular and 12,000 casual listeners. But does Olsen ever wonder how many people are tuning in?  ‘‘It goes across your mind all the time when you’re doing radio — who is listening? Am I giving them the entertainment they like? Unless you get feedback you don’t know. I guess the best way to know is if no one rings in and asks you to do things another way you must be doing something right.’’ Olsen’s passion for country music and radio is what landed him behind the desk and he is now the station president, overseeing the running of the station.

All presenters at 3NRG go through a training program, teaching the fundamentals of on-air radio. ‘‘When you’re on air you’re talking to people — you don’t know who you’re talking to or where it’s going.  It’s not that same as talking to someone on the street or your neighbour. The course of conversation has to differ because people are listening and you can easily offend. It doesn’t matter what you say, it may offend someone somewhere.’’ The station has between 60 and 80 volunteers, 40 of those are on-air presenters — covering about 86 per cent of on air time a week.

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, the national body for community radio stations, has set out some of the broadcasting guidelines that the station adheres to and supports the running of the station. ‘‘Community radio is based on the principles of access and participation to members of the community in a local area. It provides a broad range of programs produced and presented by people who are part of the local community, provides training and experience in broadcasting and in many communities forms an important part of the social framework and information network so critical to maintaining a strong sense of community,’’ the general manager of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, Kath Letch, says. ‘‘Community radio stations play a vital role in small communities throughout Australia, with 75 per cent of stations located in regional and remote areas. According to our industry research, approximately 30 per cent of regional community radio services are the only radio services providing information specific to their local community or region.’’ Community radio offers a variety of programs to cater to many interests. But one of the challenges that community radio stations face is raising the money to run them. Mostly they rely on sponsors and membership.

It costs about $15,000 each year to run 3NRG. Station manager Mike Cherriman says there are also grants available from local, state and federal governments and community groups. Funding is a huge challenge … we have just enough money to manage our affairs so we’re not attractive to grant givers, which is a bit of a catch-22, so we rely on grant givers. ‘‘As a manager there’s a lot of networking, a lot of getting out there and helping people understand what community radio is, why it’s there, what it can do for them, engaging various community centres — providing them a platform to promote themselves. We offer the opportunity to anyone who wants to come along and stand on their soapbox and be heard. The airwaves are there for that.’’ Olsen’s hope is to see more young presenters working at the station. ‘‘I think the station is going to boom down the track. Mike is drumming up more and more sponsors.’’’

So there you have it, a little synopsis of our local radio station which, as will have been noted over the years of my writings involves quite a deal of my non-working time. Many of the points that Alan has referred to are matters I’ve mused over myself from time to time – the prime example being I think, the constant wondering as to whether ‘anyone is listening’!!  Alan will be the first to tell you that ‘yes Bill, they are out there, you would be surprised’, but then again, they are words from the presenter of one of the two or three most popular programs on the station  – however, one can be assured that just because those programs all happen to concentrate on ‘country’ music, the rest of us are not in any hurry whatsoever to change ‘our’ preferred genres of music, etc!!! We like to think [tongue in cheek] that our listeners are he quieter types who prefer to sit back and enjoy the music without rushing to the phone every five minutes!!!  True or not, that is the optimism which keeps this presenter on air, and will in fact see me on air for two programs tomorrow, neither of which have any semblance whatsoever to country music!!!  Meanwhile we still hope, with plans in the future pipeline to be able to one day broadcast or stream our programs online through the internet, so that will mean my friends overseas can finally listen to Bill on air – hope it’s not too long in coming!!

One of my main purposes in writing these contributions [I prefer that description, to the word ‘blog’] is to share the kind of issues that I take note or, or that have some kind of affect on the way I feel about things.  Sometimes that ‘sharing’ will be through my own views, or on occasions, the comments of friends, family, journalists, political commentators, reviewers, etc – items which have created in myself and instant reaction of interest, and which I feel at the time, others may like to have brought to their attention.

My writings could also be interpreted as a form of personal history – not so much of day to day happenings as they occur to me [those these will creep in from time to time] – but of my responses to events that occur on a local,  national or even international basis. It is my feelings about such ‘events’ [ranging from politics, sport, social issues, the arts, books, etc]  which form my ‘profile’’ I suppose it could be said  –  I will never claim to be an expert in any aspect that might come through these pages, far from it in fact, but I will claim a genuine interest, and where applicable, concern as the case may be.  I have preferred to call myself  [to those in the past who have been an occasional or even regular reader of my ‘blogs’] your ‘personal essayist’, a term which many contributions ago, I tried to describe.  Perhaps I should resurrect that definition, although I will probably come up with a slightly different interpretation to what appeared previously – I’ll try and find that in my records later – but for now, this is what I consider the most appropriate way to describe my current writings.

I think it’s generally understood that the popular blog can form the basis of a personal essay, either by being designed with that purpose in mind, or purely by accidental development, as they grow into a series of memoirs about the writer’s life, or  the writer’s efforts to communicate certain ideas,  thoughts and experiences on a range of   subjects that might interest him or her. A very public recent example of this was the blog written by Australia’s young ‘around the world’ solo sailor, ‘Jessica Watson’. The blog, which was literally read by millions during the course of her trip, eventually formed a large basis of the book that she produced late last year on the story behind her solo adventure. In many ways, this is how I regard my own writings – as the story of my life [boring as that may seem to the average reader] which incorporates, not just things that happen to me, but events and issues that occur and influence different aspects of my whole reason for existing on this earth. I’ve admitted above to not being an expert in any particular subject, but I do have a personal interest in ‘many’ different aspects of human existence, and I’m sure this is reflected over the years through my writings. I read somewhere that   ‘What makes personal essays so attractive is that they’re wide open. There are no rules to follow or structure to which we must adhere. You simply write your ideas, and since they’re yours, you can put all the focus on making the language interesting’. Of course what is interesting is a question of ‘perception’ –  what is interesting to one person, will be irrelevant to someone else, and I recognize that through my writings – how and what I write about, is my choice,  and if no-one wants to read a particular piece, that is their choice, it is a means of commenting upon  something myself [or submitting the views of others] as an ongoing aspect of my ‘life’s interests’.

Some views are that a ‘personal essay’[or blog] should only reflect a ‘personal evaluation of the facts’, your personal attitude to a problem. I go further than that, and like to include other views and reports on an issue [things I’ve read, and want to share and/or record for future ‘biographical’ interest]. I don’t believe I need apologise for taking that approach. Perhaps I could be described as my ‘own gatekeeper’, previously the role of editors and publisher, in permitting written material to be distributed as widely as the internet now allows.  Certainly, blogging has become a readily accessible and often free platform for writers to self publish. My dream has always been to write a book – whether that be a ‘family history’, a ‘personal biography’ or an historical novel. My habit of becoming interested and involved in so many ‘other’ things has basically prevented that from occurring [to this point in time]. It’s still on the ‘drawing board’!

In concluding this ‘attempted’ redefinition of the ‘personal essayist’, I’ll go to another writer, Annie Dillard [in ‘To Fashion A Text’, 1988] where she describes the personal essay as something which ‘is all over the map….There’s nothing you can’t do with it. No subject matter is forbidden, no structure is prescribed. You get to make up your own form every time’. Well now, that probably describes ‘this writer’ to a tee – you could get a bit of something from anywhere at any time!!!

Here’s an example of how I like to share the views of friends, while of course as a matter of courtesy, ensuring that those views are ‘available’ to be shared on a wider distribution, than might originally have been intended.  A couple of days ago, I received an email from a friend here of the radio station, who has been away for a few weeks,  fruit picking etc, with his wife and others.  Jack had some rather strong words to say about the ‘farmers’ and their representatives in that area of our agricultural industries, and I must say, that in the absence of any knowledge to the contrary, I was rather disgusted by what I read.  Like the writer, I feel that this kind of thing should not be permitted to take place in Australia, and one has to wonder why the authorities appear to turn a blind eye to what goes on in this particular industry. Some of our society seem to consider the arrival on our shores of a few hundred desperate refugees as some kind of forbidding evil facing this country, but it’s obvious that any ‘evil’ [if you want to call it that]  which we really should be showing concern and compassion about in around us in other guises.  Consider Jack’s comments from a couple of days ago!
 
“Following a month of “grape-picking” we have returned to the comforts of Melbourne. BUT will again be “away” for a while in Tassie. I have walked off two grape picking jobs. While even  Orr was so upset with the “supervisor’s attitudes”  towards her she, too, followed. That was after being left to find her own way back “home” in a 4 km walk from the work in the 40 degree heat. If  ever there is a case for supporting unions in the workforce the conditions of “fruit-pickers” certainly justifies their support.  Employers take FULL advantage of those poor-souls who are desperately looking for money.
 
We were awake every morning by 5 a.m. Worked in temperatures of 40 degrees until around 4 p.m. – no such thing as “meal or even toilet breaks“. The pay was $2.20 for a 10 kg box of grapes…but the box had to be  to the “quality-controls” of the employee.  So that they can demand a prices of up to  $60 or $70 for the box at the wholesale market.  Grapes too small in the bunch and the threat was “loss of job and  NO pay”…should a bad-grape sneak through, (caused by the rains) the same threats applied. Packing of your picking – had to be to the standards of a frustrated  Italian woman, wife of the boss.  Most of those doing the picking held NO VISAS to work in Australia as they are  illegal immigrants to this country  and the Australian Taxation Office never received any tax payments.   All of which – as I understand, is the employers’ responsibility.
 
Is it only in the Mildura-region that such blatant disregard of  our Australian working ethics can go on so uncontrolled?  If  YOU have worked all your working life, and paid the required taxation – as I have, then how and why should these illegal foreigners  and their employers,  be allowed to employ workers without them making their  contributions to the Australian economy?? Screaming about “boat-people and  their smugglers” then turning a blind eye to more obvious breaches of employment as takes place in the fruit growing areas of this country”.

Well said Jack, a man who is quite strong in his views, but generally can be relied upon to project those views in a truthful manner as far as he sees things.

To end the week, a couple of quotations relating to art –  from an article in the February 2010 edition of the Certified Public Accountant’s  magazine ‘In The Black’, entitled ‘Collecting: Art for Art’s Sake’…………………………….by Michael Reid [art dealer & author] – “I never talk of art as an investment, but as a way to store value”  ……………………and from Corbett Lyon  [proprietor of Lyon House-museum – art collections, open to the public one day a week] –  “It’s about being a custodian’
 

I found this brief response to my enquiry on line yesterday of my brother, up in Rockhampton, Queensland  –  “Hi Bill no wind in rocky but been humid and rainy last 24hours” [Colin]. Didn’t really expect him to have been affected by the cyclone, however wanted to be sure. When I went to bed last night, I almost felt guilty that I was able to do so without any fear of the night, because up north, there was every indication, that thousands of people were in for a terrifying night in the darkness as the cyclone hit the coast. Overnight, about 175,00 people were without power, either through planned switch offs or as a consequence of transmission lines being hit and damaged by the winds.

As daylight came in Queensland this morning, and the winds slowly began to weaken [though still with gusts up to 100 kph] people began to venture out into the streets to assess the damage. Little known of many of the smaller and more isolated communities around the coast, and grave fears are held for property damage in those places. Potentially, a lot of structural damage to essential services was anticipated. There were reports of the devastation of banana plantations – 90% of Australia’s banana production comes from the affected area –  while sugarcane production is likely to be similarly affected. Premier Anna Bligh has said this morning, that at this stage, there have been no reports of any deaths or serious injuries as a result of Cyclone Yasi,. She said Cairns had been spared the worst of the monster storm, with the smaller communities of Mission Beach, Tully, Tully Heads, and Cardwell bearing Yasi’s full force.  The category five Yasi crossed the coast at Mission Beach around midnight (AEDT). It was early this morning downgraded to a category three and is still considered dangerous.  This following report from 7 News gives some idea of the overnight situation, and indications that the town of Tully has borne the brunt of the storm.

“North Queensland residents are expecting daylight to reveal widespread destruction from Cyclone Yasi, after a terrifying night where the region was battered by the worst tropical storm in living memory. Early reports suggest the communities of Mission Beach, where the category five monster made landfall about midnight (AEST), nearby Tully, and Innisfail, 50km north of ground zero, are the worst hit. But Yasi’s fury has been felt hundreds of kilometres away, in Cairns to the north, and Townsville to the south, and all the places in between. And Yasi, with its wind gusts of up to 290km/h, is far from done with north Queensland. Yasi was downgraded to a category four at 3am (AEST) then to a category three at 4.50am, but the Bureau of Meteorology warns that it is still dangerous as it makes its way inland, where it is expected to hit Georgetown – 400km from the coast – later on Thursday morning. “Over the next 12 hours, as the system continues to be fairly intense and moving towards Georgetown, there’s still going to be fairly strong and damaging wind gusts up to 125km/h as it spreads inland,” a BoM statement said. The BoM warns other inland towns are also in the firing line, with communities including Charters Towers, Hughenden and Julia Creek at risk of very strong winds on Thursday, extending possibly as far west as Mt Isa on Friday. Tully, just inland from Mission Beach, appears to have suffered a devastating event, with locals describing scenes of widespread destruction and worse than Cyclone Larry in 2006”.

Google map shows the area expected to be hardest hit by Cyclone Yasi as it crossed the coast last night.

Obviously, as the morning progresses, more detailed reports of the damage caused will become available as emergency personnel, police etc get out into the communities. There was one story last night of a call for help from a group of six adults [all in their 60s] from an isolated community on the coast, who had earlier in the day decided to ignore suggestions to evacuate and get out of the area. Waters from the ocean surges were threatening to engulf their 2 storey residence, but at the height of the cyclone approach, no emergency personnel were able to attempt to go to their assistance. The public had been repeatedly warned, that if they chose to ignore evacuation procedures, they would be likely to be left to fend for themselves until it was safe for emergency personnel to venture out. Fair enough!

Meanwhile, in breaking news, there are reports of another ‘serious incident’ involving Australian troops in Afghanistan –  waiting for further information on that, but when they say that a further announcement will be made after next of kin have been notified, it makes it seem obvious that deaths are involved!  [9.05 am, Thursday].

As the day progressed, the news from up north became more depressing – stories of almost the total disintegration of small towns, and in particular houses and businesses, hard to imagine the trauma of returning to your home only to find a virtual pile of rubble where your whole life has collapsed into!  While thankfully at this stage [and much of this is due to preparation and warnings] there has been no reported loss of life or serious injury,  the anticipated widespread destruction has obviously occurred in many towns and communities. Apocalyptic is one word being used to sum up the scene at Mission Beach. “Nothing’s been spared. The devastation is phenomenal, like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” a veteran of at least five cyclones told the ABC.  Cairns and Townsville, where thousands spent a very long, nervous night in powerless evacuation centres, appear to have been spared any serious structural damage, and worst-case scenarios about damaging storm surges. However I note in Townsville [the city where I went through a cyclone back in 1971] has suffered flooding in some parts, and now faces a serious water shortage issue due to contamination and damage of the water supply. While in Tully, just inland from Mission Beach, is among the worst hit with roofs torn from homes, and banana and cane crops decimated.  Cassowary Coast Councillor and Tully resident Ross Sorbello said there were scenes of mass devastation in the town.

Major General Peter Cosgrove, who led the recovery effort after Cyclone Larry, said the main priority must be counting heads.  “It’s particularly important in rural communities where you have farmers that are isolated. Emergency workers have to make sure people are safe,” he told the Nine Network.  The premier said a major logistical task was now looming, initially to free up evacuation centres for people whose homes had been hit, and then to rehouse those people. “We don’t know the extent of it yet, but we are planning for a very significant homelessness problem, for potentially, you know, several thousand people,” she said.

On another front, as indicated earlier, Australia has lost another soldier in Afghanistan, our 22^nd death since the launch of operations in 2001, and the first for 2011. Corporal Richard Edward Atkinson, 22, a member of the Darwin-based 1st Combat Engineer Regiment, died in the explosion of an insurgent improvised explosive device (IED) about 9.30am Afghanistan time on Wednesday. Another Australian soldier was seriously wounded. He was treated at the scene then flown by US helicopter to the hospital at the main base at Tarin Kowt. He is now in a satisfactory condition.  This was Corporal Atkinson’s first deployment to Afghanistan but he had previously assisted in Operation Padang Assist, a humanitarian mission to Indonesia following the 2009 earthquake. Both soldiers, members of the Australian Mentoring Task Force (MTF-2) were participating in a foot security patrol with the Afghan National Army at the time of the incident. The incident occurred in the Tangi Valley near Deh Rahwod, about 30 kilometres west of Tarin Kowt – the same area where Australia’s last fatality occurred and a known insurgent hotspot.

Of course the other world hot spot [amongst many] at the present time is over in Egypt, and I was disturbed at the recent news from Cairo that partisans of President Hosni Mubarak had  stormed a crowded anti-regime rally in central Cairo, sparking pandemonium in which at least 500 people were hurt and one killed, witnesses say. Pictures on the TV tonight showed participants from both sides sending vollies of stones across the crowds, while we saw the unusual sight reminiscent of the ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ where I believe supporters of the present regime charged into the crowds on horses and camels. At this point it appears that the military have not taken sides, merely trying to maintain some semblance of peace. The real concern I think will be created when and if the army forces decide they have to ‘stand’ on the side of the government [or vice versa]. If not already serious, there is potential for the situation in Egypt to become quite critical. Now there are reports of western journalists being targeted and attacked, and robbed of their camera equipment, etc by pro-government supporters – presumably being upset at the truth of the situation there being revealed to the world!! Tension had been rising from early morning when Mubarak supporters began staging their own rallies around Cairo, saying the president represented stability amid growing insecurity, and branding as “traitors” those who want his departure.  Reports I read, indicated that they also gathered for a rally near the square, where thousands of anti-regime supporters pressed on with demands the 82-year-old president step down immediately. Not satisfied with Mubarak’s insistence late on Tuesday that he would serve out the rest of his term and ignoring army appeals for them to go home, the protesters vowed to stay in the square until he left. Witnesses and reporters said bands of Mubarak supporters raided the square early afternoon without warning, some on camels and horses, creating mayhem that quickly degenerated into violent clashes.

Meanwhile, on the ‘home front’ news of a more pleasant nature – at our radio committee meeting tonight, it was wonderful to see our Station Manager, who has been seriously ill [almost to the  point of death] over the past couple of months, come to the meeting, and as his recovery process and health continues to improve, he has plans to be back on air with his regular programs within a couple of weeks. Tonight’s meeting also included some discussion about the excellent article that appeared in this week’s local paper, promoting the station, and hopefully bringing it into the public’s mind within the local community more than recent surveys have indicated. I intend to transcribe that article over the next day or so.

At 10 am this morning, the Queensland Premier Ana Blyth was warning residents of tropical North Queensland, that if they have not yet evacuated their homes, or made adequate preparations, they have just three hours of a ‘window of opportunity’ to do so – tropical cyclone Yasi has been upgraded to category five as it nears the north Queensland coast.

Reports this morning, indicated that the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) in Brisbane said that at 5am AEDT Yasi was about 650km northeast of Cairns and the same distance northeast of Townsville, moving west southwest at 30km/h. The cyclone has now reached category five and will continue to move in a west-southwesterly direction during today,” the BoM said on its website this morning.  Winds with gusts to 90km/h are expected on coastal islands later this morning, then extend on to the coast during the day. Gusts over 125km/h are expected between Cooktown and Ingham this afternoon, and gusts reaching above 280km/h between Port Douglas and Cardwell this evening.   Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from low-lying areas as the cyclone approaches, with its full fury expected to hit the region around Cairns sometime after 10pm today. The Australian Defence Force was called in to evacuate hundreds of patients from two Cairns hospitals who started arriving in Brisbane on Tuesday evening.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said on Tuesday mandatory evacuation orders were being given in council areas from Cook to Hinchinbrook for people in flood-risk areas. Cairns Airport will close at 10am (AEDT) today. Yasi is expected to be Queensland’s worst cyclone, covering something approaching twice the physical size of Cyclone Larry, which devastated Innisfail in 2006 and left a $1.5 billion damage bill.

Further updates to follow!

Ten  hours later, which just 2 to 3 hours before landfall of the cyclone, a storm which is believed to be the strongest storm in the last 92 years – presumably that applies to North Queensland, doesn’t take account of Darwin’s Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve/Day 1974, which admittedly took everyone by surprise in a town that was not ready or prepared for a cyclone that year. In Queensland today, it would be fifficult not to be aware of what was coming – and by now, this evening, the advice is, if you have not evacuated away from potential areas likely to be worst hit, then you should stay where you are, in most cases, in homes. Predictions are now that this is likely to be the most catastrophic cyclone ever to hit Queensland, with 300 kmh winds, associated with huge ‘tidal waves’ [in some areas estimated at likely to reach 8-9 metres], a combination  that is expected to devastate a vast stretch of highly populated coastline. In fact, evacuations in far north Queensland have now ceased, with residents being warned to prepare for isolation in their homes as Cyclone Yasi bears down. That isolation and accompanying terror could last for up to 24 hours.

While my brother Colin & wife Angela are a few hundred kilometres south of the expected southern perimeter of the cyclonic area, I would expect that they too [in Rockhampton] are likely to experience some fairly wide weather. I guess they are also grateful at this time, that they didn’t decide to settle on the coast [as was suggested to them] but instead located inland. Premier Anna Bligh, who was very prominent during the recent Queensland flood crisis,  told reporters in Brisbane people should stay in their homes and bunker down for the biggest cyclone since World War I and prepare to “become a first-responder”.”No one should be leaving home now. The time for movement and evacuation has now passed,” she said.”We expect to see very dramatic acceleration of wind and wind gusts over the next 24 hours. It is now time for all movement and evacuations to cease.” More than 10,600 people are in evacuation centres, including school halls and shopping centres, to ride out the storm.

Already, electricity has gone down – 3000 properties in Airlie Beach – and the streets in the northern towns are deserted. People are now being urged to remain in their homes, buttress the smallest room in the house with mattresses and doonas, and stay there. They should take enclosed shoes, food and drinking water to last until the cyclone completely passes. “This is, I know, an incredibly frightening time,” the Premier said.  Meanwhile, disaster co-ordinator Ian Stewart warned people the emergency services may not be able to respond to calls at the height of the cyclone, as it would be life-threatening to them. “People are going to be virtually isolated for some time,” he said. “Understand that for some point it becomes too dangerous.”

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometres away down here in Victoria another vicious heat day seems to be producing storms of it’s own as I see the lightning flashing outside to the tune of huge claps of thunder. Down in East Gippsland, they are probably hoping for rain, as they battle a series of bushfires which have broken out in that part of the state – ironically, the areas that didn’t get as much rain as the rest of Victoria over the past few weeks!

Today seems to be all about the weather!  But why that, because it is certainly what is dominating the news today. Though I must say I’m getting sick of hearing Julia Gillard tell us what great displays of mateship Queenslanders are displaying, how tough they are, they will get through all this, blah blah blah  –  no different to the rest of Australia, yet the way she is carrying on, it’s as if they are a separate breed performing acts of ‘bravery and courage’ that the rest of Australia hasn’t got. Of course they are, but no different to anywhere else in the country in the same circumstances, as we’re already seen down here in Victoria and other parts of the eastern states over the past few weeks. She sounds so pathetic the way she carries on sometimes, would be  creating a better impression, in my view by keeping her mouth shut sometimes!! To me, her method of trying to sound supportive and sympathetic comes out in another way – the word mushy comes to mind, but I’m actually searching for something else, I heard the word used last night to describe the woman, and I thought it fitted perfectly –  one of those solutions that is on the tip of your tongue, but you can’t draw it out!! Later maybe@

In the meantime, Tony Abbott continues to voice opposition to the PM’s flood levy proposals. I get annoyed occasionally at his ‘opposition for the sake of opposing’ but I do think that this plan like others of recent years by Labor  [take the East Timor refugee processing centre, which will never happen anyway] have been put forward without a great deal of thought and planning. Abbott writes [and in doing so, he rightfully points to the ‘Australian’ character instead of just Queensland]:-

Thankfully, a  partial cool change came through late this afternoon which gave some relief to the high 30s of most of Tuesday. Officially, one month of Summer remaining.

At the radio tonight, I was pleased that both my preceding and following program presenters both came to do their programs for change, and I wasn’t left feeling like an island midst a sea of that ‘lack of commitment element’ I was referring to a day or so ago! Had a couple of special treats to broadcast tonight, including two preview tracks from the new Australian produced musical of ‘Dr Zhivago’ based on the book [1957]  and movie [1965] of the same name. Australia’s Anthony Warlow was to play the leading role, and if the music I played today –  [was I first on air to play these tracks on radio, anywhere?]  –  was any indication of what a wonderful we were in for, it will be a performance to look forward to.  The ‘musical’ Dr Zhivago opens in Sydney on February 19^th, and comes down here to Melbourne in late April.  As well as playing these two new tracks, I included in the segment, a recording from the original movie soundtrack by the MGM studio orchestra, and a Roger William’s piano version of ‘Lara’s Theme’ [mix of the old and the new].

My ‘damaged’ [virus inflicted] computer was finally returned to me today –  I had been managing with the laptop over recent weeks, so had not been too concerned to pressure Jimmy [Susie’s boyfriend] to rush things. My main concern had been the potential loss of dozens of word and excel files, so I was particularly relieved to discover that these appeared to be intact!  Phew!!!  From this point a much more organised approach to copying of wanted files etc was to be in order! Also received advice that my motor mower repairs/service had also been finished and the machine was ready for pick up – until sigh of relief, as the grass around my place has really being starting to concern me. Met the ‘elderly’ neighbour whilst out walking on Saturday morning and ‘apologised’ to him for the state of the nature strip in front of my home which currently stood out a little from some in the vicinity, and explained the lack of a machine at present. He actually offered to run over that section later in the week, although I indicated that I ‘somewhat optimistically’ hoped to have my mower back within a day or two! For a change, that optimism paid off!

Tuesday night, and ‘The Late Session’ TV chat show was on again –  I noticed that over the last few weeks there seems to be a bit of similarity in the nature of subjects discussed. Today’s topic – ‘gender politics’!!  – about that little thing referred to as ‘X’ and ‘Y’ – and a light hearted look at where men and women are today –  are women taking over the world in the creation of a new gender order [someone asked, does this mean that in times economic crisis, more men will be laid off than women, or if the battle of the sexes is over, why are there still so few women perched on top of the world’s corporate ladder?  Interestingly however, while few in numbers, there are women in 2011, who are corporate leaders of industries, such as mining, technology etc which would not have been considered a generation ago.  And while they might be few at the business pinnacles, there is no shortage of working performing the roles of political leaders – very obvious here in Australia at present – Prime Minister, Premiers, Governors, etc. So tonight’s topic tried to canvass just where Australia’s men and women see themselves today, and the ‘mix’ of guests as usual with Waleed Aly [the host] provided a range of ideas. As for the host, well FOR a man so given to precision in language and order of thought, Waleed Aly’s career is a fabulously sprawling accident. Aly, 32, is a lecturer and doctoral candidate at Monash University, an author, essayist and opinion writer, he is host or co-host, fill-in host, regular guest and, in one case, co-creator of six radio and television programs. He has been a lawyer, is a qualified engineer and has been on the executive of the Muslim Council of Victoria. He would chuck it all in in a flash, he says, if the band in which he plays guitar, Robot Child, could crack the big time

 Now, I like to look at the bios of these dinner guests each week, because often in that way, we can get an idea of their approach to the topic in advance of they may answer any questions posed, etc. So here they are – tonight’s guests, with bios complements of shows promotions.

Ann Sherry
Corporate heavyweight Ann Sherry has presided over probably the most interesting and difficult “restructures” of all: a shake-up of Australia’s male-dominated business culture.  She says bluntly, that things have to change “before I am dead”.  Starting her career at a time when job advertisements in her hometown of Brisbane were divided by gender, Ann has done more than her share to break through the glass ceiling for women in the years since.  She has held senior bureaucratic roles in state and federal government, including leading the Office of the Status of Women. Her major banking positions included CEO of Westpac New Zealand and CEO of the Bank of Melbourne. As Group Executive, People & Performance (Westpac), she was a major driver of cultural change, community engagement and customer focus in commercial and retail banking. In 2004, Ann was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her work improving the corporate world’s attitudes to gender equity, diversity and work-family balance.  She is currently the CEO of Carnival Australia, owner of P&O Cruises. Her transformative skills were sought by the company reeling from the shocking and tragic death of Brisbane woman Dianne Brimble during one of its voyages.

Jackie Loeb
Jackie Loeb has been told she’s very funny … “for a woman”.  Acutely aware of the gender imbalances in the Australian stand-up comedy scene, the Sydney comedian has been known to use her dark art as “a great way to vent and seek justice”. And her take on body image now officially has her labelled “the comic who got down to her bra and undies”. “Comedy is not embedded in our culture the way it is in America,” she says. “There you can have a gay woman comedian on television. It’s not even an issue. Ellen de Genere’s sexuality is secondary to the fact that she’s a brilliant performer.” A comedian, actor, writer, vocalist and musician, Jackie’s comic career began in 1992. Her solo show, Jackie Loeb Sings the Worst Songs Ever Written was a hit at the 2010 Sydney Comedy Festival.  Yet Jackie says she’s simply your average woman. Like a humble, ordinary sponge cake. (But you’ll have to watch her on The Late Session for more of that!)

Emily Maguire
Emily Maguire grew up wishing girls could have as much fun as boys.  “Femaleness” and girlie stuff seemed a burdensome bore; something to be rejected. Back then the greatest compliment possible was that she wasn’t like most girls.  But by the time the Sydney-born woman reached adulthood, her wistfulness had morphed into feminism. “Feminism,” she says “comes from living a life”.  Emily’s articles on sex, religion and culture have been published in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the Griffith Review and The Monthly. She’s tackled perving, prostitution, double standards, the pope, share-housing, feminism, assault, celebrities, and “bad” behaviour. In 2007, she was awarded an Edna Ryan Award for her writing on gender issues.  Emily’s fiction and non-fiction works include Princesses and Pornstars, now re-worked for teens as Your Skirt’s Too Short: Sex, Power, Choice, The Gospel According to Luke, Smoke in the Room and Taming the Beast.

Richard Glover
Broadcaster and writer Richard Glover is still perplexed how “5 per cent of men” – the ockerish, beer-swilling, sports-mad and sexist ’70s Australian stereotype – managed to convince everyone they represented Australian masculinity.  For a young Glover, the expectation was akin to being strapped into a straight jacket. So it should come as no surprise that the confused adolescent sought and found refuge in Canberra’s feminist theatre scene. A truly formative experience, he says. Richard has spent the past two decades writing his humour column for The Sydney Morning Herald. According to Augusten Burroughs, “He’s made ordinary family life extraordinarily entertaining.”  Richard presents the daily Drive program on ABC Radio in Sydney, and has been shortlisted for the Walkley Award three times, for both radio interviews and newspaper journalism. He’s written 12 books, including the bestselling In Bed with Jocasta, The Dag’s Dictionary and Desperate Husbands.  His 2010 collection of stories, Why Men are Necessary, is a humorous take on Australian family life.  Richard lives in Sydney with his partner, Australian writer Debra Oswald. They have two children.

Roy Masters
Roy Masters grew up at a time when Australian men were “stoic, drank a lot of beer, smoked a lot of cigarettes and harboured a lot inside.”  Roy has spent most of his working life either participating in or chronicling a male-dominated sports field. He began his career as a teacher coaching school boys league and went on to coach first grade rugby league for a decade. He is St George’s longest- serving coach and Western Suburbs Coach of the Century.  Roy was an inaugural member of the Australian Sports Commission and served on the board for 25 years. A sports columnist with the Sydney Morning Herald, Roy’s television appearances include the ABC’s Offsiders and Q&A. He has written a number of books on the football business, including Bad Boys, which discusses sex scandals and other bad behaviour across football codes.  His latest book, Higher, Richer, Sleazier, discusses sportsmanship, money, drugs, and the future of modern sport.

I must say that as an indication of  Ann Sherry’s ‘business’, she had to unusually leave before the end of the program to ‘catch a plane’, strange she was unable to schedule a full hour to the program. As for our stand-up comic, Jackie Loeb, she also vanished briefly towards the end of the session [to go to the bathroom??] – while she was away, a bit of a discussion began about the ‘relationship’ between Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her partner/husband –  then suddenly, Jackie reappeared at the table in the guise of Julia Gillard, and ended the program performing as our PM. Extremely realistic and well down.

Next week’s discussion is apparently on the subject of age and wisdom – if 70 is the new 50 [hope for my future years ahead, on that basis!!], the comment is made that one of the guests for that program is the grand total of 8 years old!!  I wonder who?

We’re in the midst of a run of top 30 degrees at the moment – up to 40 yesterday, 39 today, and 38 forecast for Tuesday –  and even though one managers to spend some time in a relatively cool building, somehow the heat of the day still seems to permeate into one’s psyche – or maybe it’s just age, high temperature days get at me more than they ever did in the past!  Anyway, one can’t complain too much this Summer – we’re had two months of mainly mild weather, but of course, with  school going back in most cases this week, it is to be expected that the summer most of the kids have probably been waiting for will now arrive!!!

On Sunday, I was looking through some old papers and folders that my mother had kept, and amongst her collection of letters, post cards, etc, I found a number of such items sent to her & the family by one of my old girlfriends from the late 1960s – we were no longer an ‘item’ by that stage, but had kept in touch [as I tend to do with old friends], and in fact, still keep in touch today, 40+ years later!  Most of this correspondence was written while my friend was overseas on an extended trip with her parents, although judging by her stories of some of the guys she met up with in Europe, she certainly spent a lot of time away from the parents. While most of her letters were dated, they didn’t spell out a year, and although I could work it out approximately,  I decided to let her know that I’d found her correspondence, and was just trying to confirm what year she had been travelling. Part of her response, received today, was as follows, and like the original letters, almost read as a fascinating personal travelogue  [I wished I could have got something similar from Adam arising from his recent brief trip ti the UK and France!].  The following paragraphs form a part of that response.

“Nice to hear from you again……………..I am so glad I wrote to your Mum. I have no recollection of doing that,  but so glad I did. I left Australia, as you say, on the 4th of June  1972. I was going with Alan then. I remember him out at the airport. My  cousin was married on the 15th October, 1972. Mum & Dad travelled over  to Italy on a Norwegian cargo ship, which had first class accommodation  for 12 passengers.( I didn’t go by ship as it was way too expensive &  just as well I didn’t go on the ship as the first officer was really  yummy & we would have spent every spare minute enjoying ourselves,  which we did when we met again later in Norway!) They trained it up to  Stuttgart, picked up the mercedes, that Dad had ordered through Lanes  here in Melbourne. Then they drove to Frankfurt where they waited for  me to arrive.

We then drove up to & around Scandanavia for 3 months,  arriving back in Manchester in time for my cousin’s wedding. I was supposed to be going overseas for only 3 months, as the Repat. said  they would keep my job for me. On route, I decided to stay longer & see  if I could get employment In Britain. Mum & Dad were to continue their  travels without me. When we arrived in Britain I found that unless I  was prepared to live in a dive in shared quarters ( I was only a lab.  ass. then, I did all my tertiary study when I returned) I could not  possibly afford to stay there. So Mum & Dad said that seeing I was  already there why not stay on, they would lend me the money for  accommodation, & the travel would be free as they were going anyway, &  I could pay for whatever I might like out of whatever money I had. A record was kept of this & I repayed it all in the first year when I returned to work in early 1974. We returned to Melbourne, you were the  only one of my friends to greet me, on the 16th December 1973. So I  spent 19.5 months away & Mum & Dad spent about 22 months away. The  reason why they spent such a long time, was mainly to do with the tax  on the car. If you & the car, stayed out of the Australia for 15  months, you could return with the car tax free. The tax was quite  substantial, but I can’t remember the details. Our time inBenidorm,  Spain was from the 5th of November to the 10th of March. In other words we wintered there. I can remember wearing my very  brief bikini on the balcony of our first floor apartment that had a bird’s eye view of the little peninsular, beach & the sea with its magnificent sunsets.

I seem to recall that I received your wedding  invitation when we were in Benidorm & that you & Shirley married sometime in Jan. 1973—correct? I’m afraid there was no chance of my  returning to Melbourne for anything by that time, as I was heavily involved with a …..Spanish guy ( with a distant Arab background]! …………….There were thoughts of a more permanent situation, but  his mother was rabidly R.C. & made it very clear her ‘boy’ was only to marry a Spanish girl, & not a foreigner. So, with that opposition I  decided I would not be able to carry all that opposition &  unpleasantness on my own in a foreign place. Needless to say I did not  marry Domingo–it means Sunday in Spanish, & I moved on. I think that’s  about my life history William!”

She went on to comment on the current situation in Egypt, as I had asked her whether her husband had any family over there mixed up in the political turmoil and violence. She noted that “ Yes, things are certainly on the move in Egypt. About time too. Not at all sure that it will turn out as they would like it, so we’ll have to wait and see. K….. comes from Ismailia, which, if you look at a map  you’ll see it is situated on the Suez Canal, about 1.5 hours drive from Cairo. There are a lot more people being killed & injured than is being reported in the press, according to Mum. In fact we haven’t heard  anything about Ismailia on our news & it is not an insubstantial sized  city– over 1 million. All of K…s family are in Ismailia, except  one brother who is working in Chad as a geologist. He…works all over the place—Niger, Chad, Mauritania, Morocco, the Siani desert near the border with Israel. They are unlikely to be  activists, more likely to be just passive. They have often said, why  vote, as nothing changes. That is so, because Hosni Mubarak had  everything fixed. Who has ever heard of a leader legally receiving 95%  of the votes. Stuff & nonsense!!!!!!”…………………………………………………….

So, there I gained an interesting insight into the current situation in Egypt which seems to be worsening by the day. I get a little annoyed at the Australian tourists over there complaining that our government is doing little to help them get back here [not actually true, though there are logistical difficulties because of the general turmoil in Cairo and surrounding areas] – my understanding is that this trouble has been building up for a while, and people travelling should have had plenty of warning that problems were brewing. That is a bit of a generalisation, but in this case, I feel that our ‘Labor’ government is being unfairly blamed!

I ended my day with a short visit to the radio station tonight – one of my fellow presenters wanted to do a short interview with someone from the Committee on various aspects of life at the radio station- for a thesis he was preparing, and also as part of an article he was planning for the station’s next ‘Newsletter’. I told him to make sure that I was given the opportunity to ‘edit’ the newsletter piece before he submitted it  – some people at my station don’t like others ‘saying what they think’ which I have always done since I have been involved with the station, and can always be assured of grabbing hold of any perceived opportunity to ‘attack’ this writer via complaints, etc!! Not that such a response worries me personally, as any of my criticisms and/or suggestions of improvement ‘always’ have been directed towards the improvement of the station’s presentation to the community – which should always be our prime aim, above the petty inadequacies of one or two individuals! Having said all that, at the present time, our station is in a better situation than I can recall since joining up back in 2005, so my only ongoing concern these days relates to the aspect of ‘commitment’, a discussion for another time!!

Well, early this morning, Australia took part in the Asian Cup [football] Final for the first time in their history, against Japan, who were going for their 4^th title. Other teams to have won three times are Iran and Saudi Arabia. According to FIFA, Australia is Asia’s top ranked team, although they have not always performed in that way recently. However, they did put in good displays against defending champions Iraq, and Uzbekistan to get to the Final, and I was feeling quietly confident of a win against the Japanese. There are a couple of layers to this match given the stylistic differences between the two sides and their colourful history on the pitch, which really began on June 12, 2006 in Kaiserslautern. It was then that Tim Cahill wrote a famous chapter in Australia’s football history with his two dramatic late goals to sink the Japanese, kicking off a rivalry that will be mutually enjoyed for years to come. Japan of course got a measure of revenge when they knocked the Socceroos out of the 2007 Asian Cup on penalties at the quarter-final stage. The stakes are considerably higher this time around.
The Final, as mentioned yesterday, was at 2am this morning  – no TV for me, and despite various internet sites promoting live telecasts, I couldn’t find one. Not even a direct broadcast on a radio station!  Pathetic! Nevertheless, I did wake up [maybe I’d  not even been to sleep] and with a bit of radio dial twisting, found one of the commercial which was providing a rough description of what was happening from the Fox Sports telecast. That, I had to be satisfied with! However, I would not  be satisfied with the outcome – the Socceroos suffered heartbreak in their bid to lift the Asian Cup for the first time as Japan won Saturday’s final 1-0 in extra time in Doha.

Substitute Tadanari Lee struck in the 109th minute to shatter Australia’s hopes and give Japan a record fourth Asian Cup title, their third in the past four tournament The Socceroos were gallant in an enthralling contest played in front of 37,174 fans at Khalifa Stadium and enjoyed the majority of the chances. But it was a single defensive lapse that cost them. Up until that point the Australian defence had been rock solid The match went to extra time after a scoreless but entertaining 90 minutes in which both sides created several good opportunitity.   After the game, captain Lucas Neill said that  “We always felt in control of the game even though we gave away a lot of possession to Japan it never felt they were really going to hurt us. “In our defence we felt solid and strong and then one lapse in concentration and maybe a moment of fatigue in extra time, it’s gifted them the goal”.  With the match seemingly heading for penalties, Australia’s defence was breached for only the second time in the tournament, and Australia’s players sank to the pitch with agony as the final whistle sounded.  “You can imagine how disappointed we are,” coach Osieck said. “We definitely could have won the game, we just didn’t convert.\  “But I have to say that I am proud of the players, in their performance and their attitude throughout the tournament”.  [Actually, close to the end, I must have dosed off because I didn’t see that goal scored, the match was suddenly over when I came to, thinking that the penalty kick situation was in play!

Trying to keep cool this afternoon, I watched an interesting documentary on the folk singer & activist, Joan Baez – interesting life and background, much of which I’d not previously being aware about. I decided while watching this, that my show next Tuesday night would include a feature section of her music.  Interesting that her early career – she was inexperienced, frightened of performing, suffered panic attacks – this went on for a year or so, but nobody really became aware of the fact amongst audiences, etc!  More about Joan, on Tuesday night.

Late this afternoon, was sitting in comfortable air conditioned house watching the Mixed Doubles Final – partway into the second set, at 5.35 pm, when the power goes off!! For how long I wonder!  Presumably, not just here, but in the area, due to the heat I suppose! Disappointing. I discovered in fact that 124 properties were affected, and that the anticipated time for no power was 4 hours!!!  Never did get to learn who won the Mixed Doubles [until next day], and I only eventually managed to see the second half of a rather uncompetitive Men’s Final – Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic – he won that rather easily [Djokovic] 6/4 6/2 6/3. It was an extremely hot day, although the finals today were played with the roof closed, but somehow the Scotsman didn’t seem to have his usual levels of energy, seemed tired, and as a consequence, was unable to inspire the crowd – they wanted to be on his side, but his energy levels and fight back abilities on the court were not enough – if he could have generated the crowd a little, that would probably in turn have  regenerated his own play. Anyway, by the time that match was over, my energy levels were at a low ebb also, and I called it a night. I think it was after midnight when Susie returned home from her Big Day Out, an event which apparently saw hundreds treated for heat exhaustion, etc, and a number taken to hospital – presumably, all of ‘mine’ got through the day and ‘night’ –  I’d communicated with Susie a few times by text, this evening re the power blackout etc, so I was confident she and Jodie had not had any problems.

Australian Open Tennis 2011  – main results:

Men’s Singles Final:  Novak Djokovic [Serbia] defeated Andy Murray [Scotland]  6/4,6/2,6/3

Women’s Singles final:  Kim Clisters [Belgium] defeated Li Na [China] 3/6,6/3,6/3

Mens’ Doubles Final: Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan [USA] defeated M Bhuppathi & Leander Paes [India] 6/3,6/4

Womens’ Doubles Final:  Gisela Dulka [Argentina] & Flavia Pennetta [Italy] defeated Victoria Azarenka [BLR] & Maria Kirilenko [Russia] 2/6,7/5,6/1

Mixed Doubles Final: Katarina Srebotnik[Slovenia] and Daniel Nestor[Canada] defeated Chan Yung-Jan [Taipei]and Paul Hanley [Australia] 6/3,3/6,10/7

Junior Boy’s Singles Final:  Jiri Vesely [CZE] [No. 1 Seed] defeated Luke Saville [Australia] 6/0,6/3

Junior Girl’s Singles Final: An-Sophie Mestach [Belgium] defeated Monica Puig [PUR] 6/4,6/2