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I woke early enough on my first Monday not going to the office, though I was planning to do a couple of hours from home for the VPTA later this morning.  But I admit it had been a good overnight feeling with the knowledge that I did not have to get up and fight the morning traffic.

It did actually rain off and on throughout part of the day, only really a light drizzle, but enough to encourage this writer & reader to remain indoors, doing just that, writing and reading, and a bit of time organising a few payments on line for the VPTA [the job I’ve left but for a brief while, will be doing a few minor tasks for them. Meanwhile, Susie away for a large part of the day and this evening; her mother came over at one stage – with her tax return, asking me to do it for her. I should have been expecting it  –  returns have to be in by the 31^st October, and Shirley usually turns up during the last week, seeking assistance. True to form, it came today!  Anyway, it was a quiet day for me, getting up to date with a few things, but realising and reminding myself that there was no need to try and do everything at once – I now had ‘plenty’ of time [I hope!!].

I also had a Monday night show to look forward to where I didn’t need to get up a few hours after I went to bed – although with a commitment in the city in the morning, I’d not be able to sleep too long. Actually felt a little more tired than usual ‘before’ I started the show tonight, but as always, once we got into the music and the program itself, I simply started to enjoy myself as always. No phone calls [as is normal] but it didn’t really worry me – went through the normal format with a broad mix of musical genres – folk, jazz, soul, blues, world, country, a few oldies, even a selection of party music [which died on me halfway through it’s playing –  the studio CD player obviously didn’t like my recording of the vinyl record from which I’d taken the music. Of course tonight, I had the opportunity to ‘travel on’ beyond midnight, but decided at that stage, I’d done enough for the night, and with an early start planned here for Wednesday morning, called it a night!

I would spent much of today at my radio station here in Sunbury –  6.15am – 9am for the usual weekly program of classical music, then home briefly, before returning at 10am where I remained for over 5 hours, for the duration of the Station’s Open Day to the public and local community.  I couldn’t claim that we had hundreds turn up, but there was nevertheless a steady stream of visitors through the day, and a lot more ‘talking’ to visitors and fellow presenters then I would normally get the opportunity [or even desire]  to involve myself in. Those responsible for the organisation of the day had arranged for various displays, etc, a bit of live music, a number of private stalls were set up around the station area, the usual programs for that time of day [mine was over before it started] were going on, basically being broadcast live to the visitors and guests, and we had the usual small dedicated team, looking after the sausage sizzle & drink stall, from which some of our fund raising for the day was  generated, though most of those funds came from the little raffle that the mother & daughter 12-2pm Sunday show organised, and promptly had the winning tickets drawn by people such as myself during their program.

I was pleased to see some local folk I knew, come along briefly to have a look at things, including friend Ruth, who turned up mid afternoon and chatted with myself and one or two others that she had met through either earlier visits to the station, or though her vet days in Sunbury.  I was also personally pleased to meet a couple of people who were apparently regular listeners to my Sunday morning program, a little bit of encouragement to keep on improving and developing that show.  Jack & Orr Harris from Diggers Rest were early arrivals, and took on another excellent spell at the sausage sizzle role for a couple of hours, while our dear friend and ‘almost 24 hour’ listener from Glenhuntly, ‘young’ Jayne, after months of illness, managed to get across via train to Sunbury for the occasion. Jayne, who listens to many of the station’s programs [we are considered her family these days] has been suffering quite severely for most of the year, and has often remarked, to Christine and myself in particular, how being a part of 3NRG has kept her going on numerous occasions.  Actually Jayne was currently a bit ‘upset’ with this wsriter – this day was one of only two outings she has managed in recent months, the other was to a concert last Tuesday [on my birthday] where she went to hear a singer that Jayne claims I have often mentioned & played on my shows. Yet for the life of me, I have been unable to recall the name she keeps referring to!! At the time of writing, I’m still trying to work out who she is talking about!!

Perhaps at this point, a brief look at the ‘short’ history of 3NRG [compliments of a piece of historical writing made available today].  ‘In the early 1980’s, the Shire of Bulla  [Sunbury’s local council before the council amalgamations of the early 1990s which saw me lose my job] surveyed the local youth and the result indicated a need for a local radio station. In 1987 the Shire of Bulla Youth Consultative Committee were looking at undertaking something special to celebrate Australia’s Bicentennial [1788-1988] and the idea of doing a radio broadcast was suggested. In July 1988, the first test broadcast went out and was an instant success, so much so that the Shire of Bulla sought out interest in setting up a Community Access Radio Station in the area. Amongst the original steering committee was Mr John Hanson who went on top become an integral part of Bulla FM and later on with 3NRG. The first presenter was the local Council Youth Worker, John Awad using borrowed equipment in a shed behind the Council buildings. Using very basic studio equipment the test broadcasts were about one week long every two to three months and at Christmas time this was increased to two weeks. Christmas was our big push to get Sponsors, which helped us stay on air, and pay our bills for the rest of the year.

A lot of planning and more importantly a lot of paperwork is required to enable test transmissions and the responsibility fell to Derek Rigby who was the then Secretary. In honour of his long service and cdedication we named the current studio after him. In 1999 we were granted a licence for every weekend, wee changed the name to 3NRG FM and in 2000 Derek Rigby was presented with our first Life Member of 3NRG for his dedication to the station. After reams of paper and a lot of hard work from Derek and the Committee, the ABA finally granted our permanent licence in April 2001. There has also being something of a journey with various ‘premises’ being used for makeshift studios. To date we have broadcast from:- The Old Sunbury Court House [now the Tourist Information Centre], Learmonth Street Kindergarten, the old Builla Shire Council Chambers, Craigieburn Youth Centre, a caravan in the driveway of the Sunbury Tourist Information Centre, Ground floor rooms of Building 19 Victoria University, and Sunbury Campus Building 18 of Victoria University.  It is finally thanks to Victoria University Sunbury Campus [who in fact are no longer in Sunbury] that we have a permanent home back in Building 19, and now known as The Derek Rigby Studio 99.3 FM 3NRG ‘A Station in the Community, for the Community’.  And that in fact, is where your personal essayist has been spending much of his spare hours since May, 2005!

Although I didn’t engage in as much ‘physical’ work today as one or two other members, but was occupied in a lot of talking and standing around, I returned home feeling a little exhausted, and determined to do little else than a bit of reading, and to watch the Rugby World Cup Final, due to start at 7pm our time. Susan eating ‘out’ or away from home again tonight., and admittedly, at present when I don’t need to cook a meal for both of us, I tend to go a ‘little light’ on whatever I prepare for myself. Tonight was such an example.

I enjoyed watching the rugby tonight. Finally, after  6 weeks it was the Rugby World Cup Final  –  between France and New Zealand. Another brief exchange of text messages between myself and Dawn in New Zealand – her philosophy to my wishes of good luck with the hope that New Zealand wins were ‘thanks for that but the French can have one of their best games and who knows. I hope we can do it’.  I must say that it was an exhilarating start to the match before the game actually started. After listening to two very inspiring Natikonal Anthems – I regard the French & NZ anthems as amongst the best of their kind, and the Kiwi song sounded even better tonight with the lovely Hayley Westernra singing.  –  then followed the traditional Kiwi Haka, but what wasn’t so traditional was the French team’s reaction to it. Apparently, the opposing teams are expected to just stand there, watch, listen and glare at the All Blacks as they put on their warlike performance. But not the French! Linking hands, in their white uniforms tonight, they formed a V-formation and slowly advanced towards the Kiwis. I was hoping they would actually go a bit closer than they did, but it was certainly an intimidating response to the intimidation of the Haka  – great to see, and certainly a crowd stirrer!! And that was a sign of things to come, as the French as the underdogs, made a mockery of predictions of a cakewalk by the All Blacks,  as they threw down challenge after challenge in an attempt to breaks the hearts of all New Zealanders.

At halftime, the score was 5-0 in favour of New Zealand. Obviously the crowd of 61,079 were basically all barracking for the All Blacks – I don’t recall watching a game like this and hearing such a continuous roar from a crowd – it simply didn’t stop or quieten, just went on throughout the whole match, ongoing and relentless, and in the closing minutes of the match, the noise was almost unbelievable, as the Kiwis hung on to a narrow lead, while the French attempted everything they could to break the deadlock. This report by reporter Jim Morton, following, describes it better than I could.

‘It was a major scare but the All Blacks buried their Rugby World Cup demons in the best possible way at Eden Park by gutsing out a tense triumph built on mental strength.  After melting in tight Cup encounters regularly in the past 20 years, New Zealand weathered the pressure cooker for an 8-7 final victory over a French side which almost pulled off the seemingly impossible. It was a gripping win coach Graham Henry said would finally bring some peace of mind to him and his players. The All Blacks held on for 33 nerve-wracking minutes as France launched wave after wave against the tournament hosts who never buckled in front of a capacity crowd of 61,000. Skipper Richie McCaw said the disciplined defensive effort, where their line was not broken and they did not concede a penalty, epitomised his team’s desire and courage.

It succeeded to end more than two decades and six tournaments worth of heartbreak, as well as drawing a line on trans-Tasman choking barbs. “Personally you’ve got some peace, and that’s a great feeling,” said Henry, who was controversially reappointed after the shock 2007 quarter-final final loss to France. “We’ve been through a lot together and a lot of the guys played in the last World Cup, and fell at the quarter-final, and to win this, there’s not words for it quite frankly. “It’s about players having self-reliance and our guys have become very self-reliant over recent years, and Richie and his senior players taking ownership of the team. “I think those are the two things that got us through today. “We were under a lot of pressure, they didn’t give any penalties away, the defence was very strong, and we gutsed it out and I think that shows some mental strength and a lot of strong independence in each individual”’.

So in summary, New Zealand won the Rugby World cup defeating France 8-7.

At that point, I went back to some jobs, before planning to watch tonight’s MotoGP from Malaysia. When I did switch over, they were telecasting what I assumed was a exciting replay of the 125CC race which would have been the first on the program. I assumed the main race was been delayed. In actual fact, the announcer came on at the end of the 125CC to say that was where their coverage would finish tonight because of the tragic death of one of the riders in the MotoGP which had subsequently been abandoned. It would be next morning before I learnt the details.  It left me a disturbed feeling – ironically, as I had been watching the other race a few minutes earlier, the thought had occurred to me as to have dangerous it was the way these guys ride the bikes, and as I watch, I’m always expecting something to go wrong. I was rather glad that I  did not see this accident actually happy, although I don’t Channel 10 the race itself  –  it was a delayed telecast, and the outcome of the accident would have been known by then, and as it only lasted  4 laps before the race was stopped and then abandoned, it would have been decided not to screen it.   Again, a news report on the tragedy describes what happened..

‘Celebrated Italian rider Marco Simoncelli died on Sunday after a crash that resulted in the cancellation of the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang, in the latest tragedy to hit motor sports. The smash occurred just four minutes after the race began when the 24-year-old Honda rider’s bike veered across the track and into the path of riders Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. Simoncelli had his helmet knocked off in the collision, which happened on turn 11. “Despite their efforts, Marco sadly succumbed to his injuries at 4:56pm local time (0856 GMT),” MotoGP said in a statement on its website. “Everybody involved in MotoGP extends its deepest condolences to Marco’s family, friends and team at this tragic loss.”

Motor sports have seen a nightmare stretch recently and Simoncelli’s death looked certain to throw up more questions over safety. Last weekend, 2010 MotoGP champ Jorge Lorenzo crashed during warm-ups in Australia, severing a finger, while two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died in a 15-car crash in Las Vegas in Indy Car.  The race at a steamy Sepang circuit was immediately red-flagged and organisers later announced it had been cancelled.  Edwards also fell but escaped serious injury, while Rossi was able to return to the pits.  After the crash, restless fans upset with the lengthy delay showered the track with water bottles and other debris.\  The last fatal crash in the world motorcycling championship was last year when Japan’s Shoya Tomizawa was killed. Although there is a final race in Spain still to come, Australia’s Casey Stoner has already secured the 2011 championship with his win last weekend in the Australian Grand Prix.

Stoner won at Phillip Island by just two seconds over Simoncelli, whose second-place finish was the Italian’s best yet in MotoGP. He was the 2008 world champion in the 125cc class.  “”You can never guarantee a 100 per cent safe race,” Sepang Circuit chairman Mokhzani Mahathir told reporters after Simoncelli’s death was announced.  “You expose yourself to danger when you race. As professionals, they know MotoGP is dangerous. Believe it or not, that is what they live for. Our condolences to Marco. He will be missed dearly.” Simoncelli’s death quickly sparked an outpouring of grief in Italy, where officials announced sports events in the country would observe a minute’s silence.  Italian football giants Inter and AC Milan were amongst the first sports clubs to offer their commiserations. “AC Milan offers a hug to the family of Marco, a huge rossonero fan, and we want to offer the most sincere and heartfelt condolences in this sad moment,” the club said on its website. Inter added: “The president Massimo Moratti and everyone at Inter Milan, together with (coach) Claudio Ranieri and the team, shares in the pain of the Italian sports world and indeed the sports world for the loss of the rider Marco Simoncelli.’. “Remembering a young and passionate champion Inter offers a hug to the family and friends of Marco Simoncelli.”

As a sporting and racing fan generally, that was a rather sobering manner in which to end the weekend.

Certainly for my son, Adam, a disappointing scene would have greeted him this morning – miserable rain, in almost wintry conditions again – for Round 3 of his cricket season, which has already seen the first two games he was involved in postponed completely or called off incomplete. Although I didn’t see any of the game last week [it had stopped by the time I got there], Adam did get a bat, came in at first wicket down, stayed around for a while and made 12 runs – holding the wicket up was apparently his role that day. Playing for the Sunbury Lions B Grade team, which is in fact their senior team in the overall district competition. Sent him an optimistic text this morning, ‘hoping’ he might get some cricket, and intending to drive around to the ground later on if there is any play.

I notice on the news that there is some delay over the burial of Gaddafi, following his death yesterday in Libya – normally, as per his culture, burial would take place within 24 hours, but it has been delayed, presumably because of fears of reprisals or reactions etc. Meanwhile, speculation continues over the manner of his death – he was captured while fleeing his home town of Sirte, and subsequently died of wounds received in circumstances that remain hazy One story is that he was shot in ‘crossfire’ between his supporters and the new regime fighters soon after his capture from a sewerage culvert where he had taken refuge. On the other hand, there is wide speculation that he was summarily executed by his captors. The UN have called for an investigation amidst  opposition to the idea of such a ‘extrajudicial killing’ [a guess similar doubts will always remain over the death of Osama Bin Laden, in contrast to Saddam Hussein’s trial and official execution].

In the meantime, a degree of violence visited the streets of Melbourne, when after tolerating a large protest group which had occupied the City Square for some days, and severely affected traders and others in the area, the police moved in yesterday, and because of strong resistance from the protestors, the situation became quite violent and bloody at times. About ‘100 Occupy Melbourne’ demonstrators, who had camped out in the City Square for a week as part of global protests against corporate greed, defied an order to leave by 9am, and give the City Square back to the citizens of Melbourne. The numbers grew substantially as police moved in. I disagree with the inflammatory comments of   Greens MP Adam Bandt, the federal member for Melbourne, when he said that  calling on the riot police to intervene was a serious error by political leaders. He said “[Premier] Ted Baillieu and [Lord Mayor] Robert Doyle have made a huge blunder by sending in the police, turning a week-long non-violent protest into a site of confrontation,” Mr Bandt said  “The authorities should have negotiated with the protestors before resorting to heavy handed pressure.  “By their actions, the Premier and Lord Mayor have moved the situation from negotiation to conflict and have hardened peoples’ positions.” I can’t go along with that, and in my view, such comments from high profile people like Bandt, only worsen the situation.  Personally, I have no real sympathy for the major protagonists who carry on with these things; I’m happy for protests and demonstrations to take place [I have been a part of some], but when they began to severely affect the livelihood of others or prevent people from going about their own business, they lose any support I might have had. At one stage, crowds flowed across Collins Street in the city, stopping trams, traffic and pedestrians from going anywhere. When a protestor was asked by a reporter – ‘what about all these people trying to get home, etc?’, the response was ‘I don’t give a f—k about them’!!  Well pal, you deserved anything you got from the law yesterday!!

The rain held off this afternoon until early evening, so Adam’s cricket team was able to have a completed match. I actually paid a couple of visits to the local cricket ground  –  Adam was fielding on the first occasion I went there, and wickets seemed to be falling constantly. That they were – the opposition team [from Melton, all bundled out for just 31 runs!!!   I returned just in time to see the start of the Sunbury innings  –  and with Adam coming in at first wicket down, I didn’t have to wait long. The first over saw the wicket go with no score on the board, and out strode Adam. Oddly, felt rather nervous as he faced some rather hostile bowling, and was almost run out in the first couple of balls. Then he picked up a single, and appeared to be batting in his usual cautious way for a couple of overs. Suddenly, as he admitted later, he took a swing at a ball which would have been best left alone – and was bowled, out for just the one run this week!  I stayed around for the next few overs, and with one of the batsmen hitting a few runs, it was obvious, so long as the rain held off, that Adam’s team would achieve the required runs. In fact, after I left, they lost 2 more wickets, but ended up winning the match with a score of 4 for 32 – not a very batting friendly day. Adam came over for a brief chat, about 10 minutes after he lost his wicket. I think he was glad to at least have the likelihood of a completed game, though as it would turn out, they were lucky it was such a short match, as in a couple of hours, the weather would turn very nasty.

I returned home mid afternoon, and enjoyed the opportunity to watch the WS Cox Plate race meeting from Moonee Valley, a couple of the main races anyway. The brilliant Black Caviar was running this afternoon – didn’t have much competition with just five starters in it’s race – which needless to say, resulted in this amazing horse powering away from it’s opposition in the straight [all Group winners nevertheless] to the tumultuous applause of the large crowd, many of whom had come just to see this horse win. Not to win any money from it  –  for a $1 bet, the TAB payout was just $1.04 – but simply to witness this magnificent animal tease the opposition, and then streak away in the last couple of hundred metres, and achieve it’s 15^th win from 15 starts!!! Trained by Peter Moody and written by Luke Nolan [ a very powerful racing duo in Australian racing at the moment], this horse was breaking all kinds of records. Meanwhile, in the main race, the WS Cox Plate over 2,040 metres, a Weight For Age race worth $3million for 3 year olds & over, we saw a relative outsider with good credentials, came from behind to win that race – Pinker Pinker – ridden by another brilliant and successful jockey of this era, Craig Williams. That race was actually run during a brief lull in a rather violent rain storm that struck the race course, and much of Melbourne [and Sunbury] at around that time. So often happens in Melbourne in the midst of the Springtime racing carnivals – storms arrive right on cue for the big races!!! Today was no exception, with heavy rain and thunder greeting the horses to the starting barrier!.  Earlier, the Moonee Valley ‘International’ Cup was won by Americain, the overseas horse that won last year’s Melbourne Cup. Second in that race was one of my fancies for this year’s Cup, a horse named ‘Tullamore’. I think this was Americain’s first race [or win] in Australia since the 2010 Cup

That evening, it would rain quite steadily through much of the early hours, and turned my driveway area into a quagmire again. I was a little annoyed that Susie had gone out with friends, and left her car in the carport, forcing me to park out in the street, which because of the relative narrowness of our court, I generally try to avoid. And when she did come back late tonight, it was not long before she went out again [for the night], but by that stage I was in bed, and not terribly interested in moving cars at that stage of proceedings!  Susie’s social life and nocturnal activities are all rather erratic at the moment – don’t know who these ‘friends’ are she stays with, but I never really know until the last minute, if even then, whether she will be home or not of any particular night!

Talking about the horse racing, reminds me that I am currently reading Bart Cumming’s biography [given to me as a retirement gift by one of the public tenants associated with the VPTA. While it contains a lot of horsey statistics, and talk about breeding, etc, I’m finding it a very interesting book. One fact which emerges –  the success of someone like Bart Cummings who has now trained 13 Melbourne Cup winners, and is still having that kind of success in his 80s, he reveals as being dependant upon the way you treat the horses that you are training. Describes them as very intelligent animals, that remember how they have been cared for and treated, and will generally respond to positive treatment in a positive manner. More on that, as I get into the book.

The drizzling rain conditions continued throughout most of the day – very light, but persistent. I should have gone for a walk but decided to wait until later in the day. A lot of sorting of ‘paperwork’ took place today, trying to get myself feeling organised in my new ‘life environment’.  Went out and did a bit of grocery shopping early afternoon – still not 100% happy with the way I am handling the manual gears in the car, but like most things I’ve not done for a while, I’m sure I will eventually be more confident with the change.

Read an interesting little story a couple of weeks back, in relation to an accompanying article about the famine in East Africa, which is still of major concern. It’s been described as the worst drought in 60 years that has put the lives of millions of people in the Horn of Africa at risk. A few weeks ago, and I assume it hasn’t changed much, up to 1,300 people a day, are arriving at the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya, probably now ‘home’ to over 400,000 people, while many thousands are overflowing into the Kakuma Refugee Camp, and no doubt other like venues.  Many families have walked up to 1,000 kms, and arrive in terrible physical condition, and children are suffering severe malnutrition. We are seeing more children at risk of starvation and various deadly diseases than have been seen in a long time in that part of the world. All of this leads to many calls for help and assistance from the voluntary organisations, etc, for urgent donations in order to provide life-saving care [food, water, basic essentials, logistical support, and so on. We continually have these huge numbers and horrifying statistics drummed into us through the media, and because of the magnitude of help needed,  the thought generally occurs that from an individual point of view, it’s difficult to think we can be of any help. With that kind of thinking, it’s useful to be reminded of a story that I read in a newsletter recently.

“One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.  Approaching the boy, he asked, ‘What are you doing?’  The youth replied, ‘Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die’. ‘son,’ the man said, ‘don’t you realise there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!’  After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back intro the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said ‘I made a difference for that one’. 

As the newsletter in which that story was contained noted – ‘This story illustrates how we mustn’t become complacent in the face of overwhelming suffering. We can have a huge impact, even though smaller, insignificant efforts proportionate to the situation’ while in the Christian Bible, we have the story of Jesus, who left the flock to find the one sheep that had gone missing, illustrating the importance of just one life. An interesting contemporary anomaly with that  – the recent release of just one Israeli soldier in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. That decision certainly aroused much debate and anguish amongst some of the Israeli people, and I’m not sure that I really play them, opens up many possibilities – with thousands still imprisoned,  it seems to send a message or two  – capture more Israeli soldiers in order to get our people out, or, worse, send the released Palestinians back into attack!!!  A difficult choice to make that swap, I would imagine!!

A late phone call this afternoon from a representative of Centrelink – my claim for a ‘Aged Pension’ [I shudder at that description] had been received and was under consideration, a few more details and documents were required.  Not yet sure what entitlements I will have, but at least I knew things were on the move. Also a bit of communication from Jackie at the VPTA today  –  a few tasks in hand for me to deal with online next week. Still a little bit of extra cash to come in!!

Referring back to the Queen’s visit, and yesterday’s greeting by our Prime Minister – mixed opinions on how Ms Gillard should have greeted the Queen! One view –  “At the age of 85, Queen Elizabeth II has landed in Australia for her 16th official trip, accompanied by her 90-year-old husband, Prince Phillip. Surely after travelling all this way she could have expected a curtsy from our Prime Minister Julia Gillard, or was Ms Gillard right to simply offer a handshake?”   My friend Maureen, over in England, had this reaction –  “Hey what about your prime minster?she got a cheek not curtsy to the boss our queen ,there up in arms about it here in uk bill,the palce thought she got snubbed by her”.  I must admit that my immediate reaction when I read/saw it was ‘couldn’t she have made a bit of an effort to stick with protocol’ not that I particularly expected anything like that from Ms Gillard.  The kind of response in support of the PM was like this  –  ‘I think our PM did right in not curtsying the Queen. Why? Because it’s old fashioned and is not what our PM believes in. Shouldn’t we be asking ourselves what is the need for this and if our PM doesn’t follow such old fashioned tradition, shouldn’t we be supporting her rather than a foreign monarch’  or  ‘I was born in England but I do not believe our PM should be expected to curtsey. I think in this day and age it is demoralising, reminisent of the days when a monarchs word was law. I respect the Queen as a person but I think to shake hands and perhaps a nod of the head, as male PM’s have always done, is enough’

Anyway, it all didn’t seem to particularly worry the Queen, but at least our Governor General [another woman] did the ‘right thing’.  On that point, the Queen upon arrival, was in fact greeted by three women, with their male spouses/partners in the background.  On past visits, Her Majesty had generally found herself surrounded by a ‘bevy’ of official males to welcome. How the power of the sexes has changed in this country, to some extent!!!

My attention this evening was back to New Zealand  – the Rugby World Cup playoff for third position, or the Bronze Medal in the championships – Australia versus Wales. Following last weekend’s disappointing semi final loss to New Zealand,  in what was a very highly physical defeat,  there are a number of  different faces for ton ight’s game, with the selectors opting to freshen up the team, taking in account the toll from the semi final clash, and the five day turnaround.  This will be the 31^st meeting between the two countries, with Australia having won 19 of the previous Tests, Wales 10, and a 29-29 draw at the Millennium Stadium in 2006.   The other big challenge for the Wallabies is that they have not won a game at Eden Park [in Auckland] since 1986, a rather disturbing record.

I enjoyed the match tonight between two relatively young sides, both with bright prospects for the future.  I received my usual greeting and wish of ‘good luck’ from Dawn in New Zealand – though two hours ahead of us, Dawn & Tony were settling down to watch the coverage also.  Australia got away to a  bright start, but Wales drew them back a bit as the half went on, and had the Welsh not missed a couple of penalty chances, could have been much closer. The score at Halftime was Australia 7 Wales 3.  The second half again saw various opportunities by the Welsh go astray, but then at one stage, briefly took the lead over the Australians.  However the latter part of the half saw the Wallabies begin to dominate the play, and with just minutes remaining, skip away to a  21-11 lead.  Wales didn’t give up however, and virtually had possession of the ball for those last few min utes, and no doubt earned the Converted Try they were able to score after the 80 m inute mark had passed.  However, it was too late  –  the Australians won the playoff for 3^rd place in the Rugby World Cup 21-18. The Final will be played this Sunday between New Zealand and France.

Awoke to a scene outside of drizzling rain, and that had obviously being going on throughout the night – quite a peaceful picture actually, with the gardens having looked a little dry yesterday, now the feel of being fresh and green. While out the back window, a couple of birds calmly perched on the clothes hoist, seemingly enjoying the damp but fresh morning  –  various birds seem to be more prevalent in the back garden area lately, despite the presence of the two cats, which occasionally, much to my anger, inflict a fatal attack on some of the flock. Once the cats are no longer here [which won’t be the case while Susan is living with me] I intend to encourage the bird life into my garden with more enthusiasm.

This morning also began with the news that Libya’s Colonel Gaddafi had finally being caught up with over in Libya, and as a result of injuries suffered when he was captured, later died in hospital. While I do find it a little disturbing to see the kind of celebrations that take place at the death of such a person, I think most people would feel that the world, and Libya in particular is better off in the absence of that dictator and supporter of terrorism.  As AFP reports this morning –   ‘French warplanes identified and “stopped” a convoy of vehicles carrying Muammar Gaddafi before he was killed in clashes in Libya, French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet has said. The convoy of several dozen vehicles “was stopped from progressing as it sought to flee Sirte but was not destroyed by the French intervention,” Longuet told journalists.  Libyan fighters then intervened, destroying the vehicles, from which “they took out Colonel Gaddafi,” he added.  “We announce to the world that Gaddafi has been killed at the hands of the revolution,” National Transitional Council (NTC) spokesman Abdel Hafez Ghoga said on Thursday in the eastern city of Benghazi.  “It is an historic moment. It is the end of tyranny and dictatorship. Gaddafi has met his fate,” he added.

That was in fact how I treated today – another beautiful Spring day, which despite becoming a little overcast towards the late afternoon, and in fact raining a little tonight, remained fine for most of the day. Encouraging for a walk  – something that I have not done as much as I wanted over the past few weeks [that all changes now] –  and some much needed time in the garden this morning. Didn’t actually drive anywhere today, decided I didn’t need to, although Susie took my ‘new’ car for a drive when she got home from work later this afternoon. Wanted to see how it felt, compared to her car!

We have the Queen and Prince Phillip in Australia at the moment – they arrived in Canberra yesterday. I think it is the Queen’s 15^th visit to Australia since her coronation in 1953 [or thereabouts], and one imagines, that being in her mid 80s [and Phillip aged 90], it will be her last visit to this country. Interestingly, many reports today describe her as Britain’s Queen, even though still officially the Queen of the Commonwealth of Nations, including Australia, as this report [from the Bangkok Post of all papers] shows from Wednesday – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was greeted by hundreds of flag-waving schoolchildren and a 21-gun salute as she began her 16th and possibly last visit to her realm Down Under on Wednesday. The queen, who will open a Commonwealth leaders meeting in Perth later this month, touched down at 0640 GMT in Canberra, where she and husband Prince Philip were met by Australia’s Welsh-born Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Cheers went up from those crowding the tarmac as the 85-year-old monarch descended the steps of a British Airways Boeing-777, flying her Australian royal standard, to be greeted by Governor-General Quentin Bryce Bryce, the monarchy’s representative in Australia and the first woman to take the role, presented the Queen to Gillard — the nation’s first female leader and a sworn republican, who shook her hand but did not curtsey. A scarlet-clad military band played “God Save the Queen” and a 21-gun salute rang out as the Queen — wearing teal with a matching hat — inspected a guard of army, navy and airforce officers. Margaret Cunningham, the first person to present Queen Elizabeth with flowers on her inaugural tour 57 years ago as a young child, again had the honour of offering the first bouquet, a clutch of native flowers.  “That was a long time ago!” the monarch quipped as Cunningham shared her story.’ 

Somehow, the crowds of thousands that packed the streets of Australian cities and towns during those early visits many years ago will not be repeated in 2011. Yet I think that despite the progressive hostility towards the Royal Family and Australia’s continuing ties with the monarchy, that ‘hostility’ does not generally apply to the Queen herself, who is still greatly admired and respected in this country for the manner in which she has undertaken her role over more than half a century. That’s my take on things anyway!

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (C) inspects the guard of honour upon her arrival in Canberra on October 19, 2011 at the start of a 10-day tour.

 For a change, I had a Thursday night with no meetings – was able to watch a couple of series on the ABC. I read, and commented in these pages, a year or so ago, the book ‘The Slap’. Tonight the third episode of the TV version of the book was screened. Strangely enough, I’m not enjoying the film quite as much – the production, acting, and storyline is excellent, and no doubt it will be highly recommended eventually by all the experts. However, I’m finding it a bit ‘too much in the face’ as far as some of the material is concerned, eg, there are numerous vivid sex scenes, and depictions of even simply ‘verbal’ violence and language, which I suppose in many circles are par for the course – and yet, I’m finding them disturbing. So much so, that on a couple of occasions tonight, I actually got up and walked away from the TV for a few minutes, and did something else, until a particular was done with!  Oddly enough, the series which follows – ‘Crownies’, which deals  with a legal firm of lawyers etc, and a  range of court cases, probably has similar scenes and storylines from time to time,  but that is all interwoven into more lightheartedness, and an occasional touch of humor  – there is no humor [or even many aspects of humanity] apparent in The Slap. Perhaps that is the difference as to why one show disturbs me, the other, I enjoy very much!!

My first day of a ‘new ‘life’ began with an early awakening, no sleep in as everybody was suggesting I would be doing today. Wednesday morning 6.45 am ten minute commitment up at the radio station had to go ahead – but of course with temporarily not having a car, it was a little far to walk at that time of morning, so today’s sports report took place via the ‘talk back’ telephone. I think Ron [Bourke] is the most regular user of that communications means as he has many interviews each Wednesday. Whilst I was on the phone to Ron, received my first request of a Fill In for other radio shows  –  to do Ron’s show next Wednesday morning!!!  An extra early start, as he begins at 6am each week!!! I do expect various requests of this nature from different presenters over the months ahead  –  I’ve previously made the offer, as I think it is important for absent presenters to have their program continued with if at all possible. It doesn’t happen as often as I would like, however I will continue to push for this aspect of the station’s programming.

Susan was driving over towards Phillip Island today, apparently helping a friend move home & belongings. Needless to say, I was a little concerned at her doing a trip of that nature – right through and across the city!  Meanwhile, mid-morning confirmation from Alan Mance Motors that my ‘new’ car [2006 model] was ready and waiting to be picked up – I hoped to be over in Melton between 2 and 3 pm, hopefully getting a lift from Sunbury, with son James.

I must say I have a lot of plans over the next few months!  It was with a little feeling of guilt, that after the early morning phone call to Ron, that I returned to bed for a couple of hours, despite deciding that on Day One I had earned one short lie in!! Just the thought of not having to rush up every morning and join the traffic crush was incentive enough to stop feeling guilty!  While I have offered to be called back to the office for a few hours now and then over the next couple of months, and have access to be able to do some work for the office from here at home, for all intents and purposes, my time is my own.  A great feeling.

It was around 1.30 when my son called around, to drive me over to Melton [via the bank of course – can’t purchase a car without a bank cheque!!!]. I was fairly confident that all would be ready upon my arrival – James was more pessimistic, suggesting I’d probably have to wait for an hour or so!  He was right of course!  The windscreen was being replaced this morning  – but the maintenance people apparently turned up with the wrong size screen  – it would be a couple of hours before the car was ready for me to take delivery!!  Oh well, time for a couple of coffees, etc –  sent James on his way, after he dropped me off in the Melton township, about 1 ½ ki,lometres away. I would walk back to the showrooms later [in the unusually hot Spring afternoon sun, a real taste of summer had suddenly fallen upon us].   Admittedly, I was tempted to give friend Shirley C a ring, see if she was home, and fill in a couple of hours, but as indicated on previous occasions, I’m seldom keen to call in on someone unannounced.  So instead, a copy of the Weekly Times,  and a couple of iced coffees, filled in an hour or so, before I started my casual walk back to the car salesroom. 

Two minutes after I got back to the showrooms, my ‘salesman’ walked in, and said ‘all is ready’!!!  Five minutes later, after handing over my money, etc, and going through various other preliminaries [and apparently missing out on a bunch of flowers –  !!! –  from the woman who had arranged a special external treatment to the car, had for me – she was busy with another customer, and I forgot to wait around for that little tribute], I was on my way. Must say that I wasn’t completely happy with my handling of the manual gear operation in the vehicle during that return trip to Sunbury, something I will have to get used to, an adjustment from the smooth flowing operation I had become used to in the automatic cars I’d been driving over the past three decades. And of course, I drove off without really checking on the air conditioning system, so it was a relatively warm drive home in the hot late afternoon sun, and a lot more traffic on the roads at that time, then I might have hoped for!!

I mentioned the Weekly Times above. Today, saw that publication’s revelation of it’s top 20 greatest country Australians. We have spelt out for you no’s 21 – 100, now for the last grouping.  I was quite curious to see who No. 1 was, but I resisted temptation, and went through  20-2 first, then very quickly realised who I should have guessed would fill that spot.  This is a notorious sporting nation we live in after-all!!  But first  – readers will have to wait, like I did!! Here they are, the Weekly Times [a rural newspaper] 20 Greatest Country Australians.

• 20. Lewis Bandt  1910-1987  [Ute Inventor] and Unknown Woman [Ute Inventor]
• 19.  Marjorie Jackson  1931 –  [Athlete, Governor]
• 18. Peter Lalor  1827-1889 [Eureka Leader]
• 17. Grace Munro  1879 – 1964  [C.W.A.’s First President]
• 16. Henry Lawson  1867 – 1922 [Writer]
• 15. Robert Menzies  1894 – 1978  [Prime Minister]
• 14. Edith Cowan  1861 – 1932 [Politician]
• 13. Banjo Patterson  1864 – 1941  [Writer]
• 12. GJ Coles  1885- 1977  [Retailer]
• 11. Hubert Opperman  1904 – 1996  [Cyclist, Politician]
• 10. Thomas Wills  1835 – 1880  [Australian Rules Inventor]
• 9.   RM Williams  1908 – 2003  [Bushman, Businessman]
• 8.  John Curtain   1885 – 1945  [Prime Minister]
• 7.  Sidney Kidman  1857 – 1935  [Pastoralist]
• 6.  Ned Kelly  1855 – 1880  [Bushranger]
• 5.  John Flynn  1880 – 1951 [Flying Doctor Founder]
• 4.  Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop  1907 – 1993  [Surgeon]
• 3.  Mary MacKillop  1842 – 1909  [Saint]
• 2.  John Monash  1865 – 1931  [War Hero, Leader]
• 1.  DON BRADMAN  1908 – 2001  [CRICKETER]

Now there are some interesting outcomes from the total selection of 100 names that have appeared over the past five weeks, and I will make mention of those factors in a day or so, after I’ve examined the whole list.

In the meantime, a relatively quiet evening for your writer – did have a Family History meeting to go to, but decided to give that a miss this month, as nothing specific had been planned. I was a little disappointed that Susie came home so late tonight from her trip over to the other side of the city  –  had been intending to suggest we bring in some kind of celebratory meal, to acknowledge my first day of retirement this evening, but instead, I cooked a light casual meal for myself, once I discovered she’d not be home for some hours. In fact, whilst working on other things, I listened to a concert from the Melbourne Recital Centre [direct broadcast tonight] featuring the young ‘rebel’ classical pianist, James Rhodes, about whom, quite an interesting interview appeared in this month’s edition of the Limelight magazine, in which he is described as ‘Britain’s bad boy of  piano’ The article begins as follows  –   “James Rhodes doesn’t look, dress or talk like a concert pianist……you’d be forgiven for thinking  he was from an indie rock band. He has slackly trimmed long hair; he wears thick, geek-chic glasses; he flails his tattooed arms when he talks. Only zoom in for a second. The tattoo on his arm reads ‘Ceprecii Paxmahhhob’’. Yes, that’s Sergei Rachmaninov in Cyrillic. And the conversation we’re having isn’t about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s about pianists. Great, dead pianists. With a serving of sex and drugs on the side……And he has a knack for making his musical heroes sound like superstars”

His piano playing is brilliant, and tonight, he has a packed Melbourne Recital Centre audience, many of them never probably being to a classical concert before!! And three of four encores, after playing music by composers such as Marcello, Beethoven, Bach and Chopin.  He talks at length about the music he is playing and the composers responsible for it, in both cases, almost with reverence, and a great deal of respect. What a pity, as I commented on Face Book that his conversations are unable to be completed without the inclusion of various swear words, etc.!!  Oh well, each to his taste!!  As I added in my Face Book responses to Christine, despite everything else, I love his piano playing!!

During October, the Australian Cancer Council  is promoting  the month as Breast Cancer Awareness month, and throughout Victoria, there are various fund raising and promotional functions taking place as a part of  that campaign. Including some activities here in Sunbury. I noticed also a report in the Weekly Times, that the mushroom industry has joined in.  Button mushrooms sold across Australia are being packed in bright pink boxes and packs to attract consumer attention [pink being the promoted colour of the campaign]. Mushroom Growers general manager Greg Seymour said many Australians knew someone affected by breast cancer – 2,680 women died from it each year. Growers see this as another way of helping the community. He said that ‘While mushrooms may be pink for just one month, good health is something we take seriously every day of the year’. Apart from that, published research has apparently indicated that there are potential benefits from mushrooms in preventing breast cancer. Personally, I’d never been aware of that, but apparently, apart from the great taste, mushrooms are virtually fat-free and contain a range of essential vitamins and minerals, which provide nutritional benefits which support the fight against the disease. The Cancer Council’s official Pink Ribbon Day is next Monday.

Susie got home quite late, and obviously the day and the trip across to a little town near Phillip Island,  had taken it’s toll on her  – not far from home, down near the Secondary College, she had ‘thrown up’ as she put it, and came inside, apologising because she was too tired to have a proper look at my car!!  I was simply glad to see her home safely!­

Not off to a great start today – actually slept longer than I wanted to, and feeling a little unwell, probably the affects of drinking an unwise cup of hot milo at 1 am this morning before I finally got to bed –  actually got my first birthday greeting, from Susan who was as usual still up at that time. In any case the drive [my final drive] to Northcote was much quicker than usual, and traffic wise, luck must have been on my side, made the distance in a record 50 minutes for the peak traffic time. A quick stop at the office [nature called], left the car there, and walked down to the Clifton Hill shopping precinct, where I found Jackie, George & Michael standing out front of the cafe, the two guys of course, having a smoke!!

Breakfast at Ahmad’s cafe in Clifton Hill –   Ahmad had provided many a meal [at a cost naturally] for committee and other meetings at the VPTA, all beginning with that AGM of 2009 up at the Northcote Town Hall. And while I think some of his charges were a little over inflated, there was never any shortage of food provided, usually a bit of wastage involved. That would be proved at this morning’s breakfast. Of course, I probably benefited from his bulk overcharging – most mornings when I walked in for a cappucinio, I would walk out with something extra, to eat, that had been pushed into my hands  – today’s special!! At times, I actually avoided buying a coffee there, it became embarrassing almost to be given these little freebies when all I wanted was a coffee!

Anyway, the next two hours were very pleasant, even if things didn’t always go as planned. The breakfast meals for eg, that most of us ordered, were simply enormous – my plate  of eggs, tomatoes, bacon and a mountain of button mushrooms would have satisfied me for three meals, so sadly, a lot of it was wasted, I simply couldn’t cope with the volume!!! Jackie faced similar problems with an omelette that was three times a large version! Beautiful food nevertheless and our hostess[es], Ahmad’s offsiders, continued to bring more food, most of it not even ordered!!

Who enjoyed this meal as part of our little group?   Jackie Dacey, our Coordinator [and my boss, who would take over my car later in the day], Mark Dowling [my work colleague, and Tenant Group support worker], Jenny Rayner [Mark’s predecessor , and now community worker for the residents of the Northcote housing estate], George Dixon [public tenant from Williamstown] and Peter Soper [public tenant from East Preston] – those two gentlemen were members of the interviewing committee at the time I was given the job at the VPTA [Secretary & Treasurer, I believe], and young Michael Aboutjundi, a vision impaired resident of the Northcote estate who has been doing some voluntary work for us in the office of recent times, and has been a great help in creating a bit of a gap in the various concerns of other residents and ourselves. Our computer man, another Michael, was due to come but didn’t arrive. Such a small group, but there by my invitation, as I’d not wanted any kind of major affair.  Unexpectedly, a nice little bunch of gifts, as much for my retirement as anything else – with an obvious recognition of my love of music etc through some of the contributions. The most interesting contribution and well planned contribution, is referred to beloiw.

The hiccup to the breakfast was my planned live hookup with Christine, on air at 3NRG. For some reason, my phone in the cafe was out of a reception zone [I guess I could have gone out into the street, but didn’t want to desert my guests] and as a consequence, Christine’s attempts to phone me, and get me on the radio, failed as she couldn’t get through. I did get a message from Susie [who appeared to have been getting up when I left home this morning, assumed she had an early work start] –  that message which was actually sent about 40 minutes earlier, was a bit jumbled but seemed to be suggesting that Jodie, while late, was on her way to Clifton Hill to join us. I’d not thought she was able to get here because of her job, so that was a nice surprise, I didn’t say anything to the others, just  kept my eye on the entrance area.  Five minutes later, in walked BOTH Susan and Jodie, and I have to admit, their arrival virtually made my day!! Introductions  all around, new breakfast orders taken, etc, etc.  Surprisingly, both girls pretty well ate everything they were given, I was surprised that Susan had an appetite at that time of day when she would normally be sleeping!!

As indicated earlier, a very pleasant couple of hours, heightened in many ways by the surprise arrival of my two beautiful girls.  It was around 10am when  we called a halt to activities – Jodie was off to work over at Port Melbourne – hopefully, she found her way from the rather complicated set of instructions Jackie set out for her!  Susan was planning to catch the tram into the city, do some shopping, and then return home to Sunbury.

Each birthday, I like to retain one of the newspapers of the day, although this usually happens only on a special birthday. I actually don’t think I bought any papers today  – however, one of my co-workers, Jenny R, gave me a ‘retirement package’ as a gift  – videos of old and modern movies, a theatre ticket, a book on travel, two bottles of crown lager, and, a copy of today’s ‘Financial Review’!!!  It’s headlines on the front page  –  ‘Abbott stand sparks power price anger’, and ‘Tax breaks for foreign funds’, while on the Opinion pages, we found  ‘Ombudsman harms office’  –  ‘US recession hits home’  –  ‘We must join the Asian century’  –   and ‘Time to set Telstra free from politics’.  Amongst many other interesting topics of a political and financial nature, that I will find interesting to read on in a few years time! Obviously, this particular gift is one I must retain this year!! 

Meanwhile, more ‘gifts’ from Mark and Jackie at the office – more ‘foreign’ chocolate from Mark, while Jackie made the strange choice [in view of my various comments over the years about the things I couldn’t eat, as a diabetic]  of a very expensive looking mud cake!!!]. I’m not sure whether it was intended to be eaten there in the office, but nobody showed any interest in it as the day wore on, and after the breakfast I had eaten this morning, I certainly had no intention of tackling it!! [I would end up taking it home, and then over to Goonawarra where I left it for Shirley and the others, what happened to it after then, I’ve no idea!].
The rest of my day, until around 4pm, was spent in the office, catching up on various tasks, or should I say, trying to finish things up. I actually found myself getting a little stressed as the day wore on, not sure why, perhaps just the thought that it was the end of an aspect of my life, and I was wanting to go without leaving things unfinished. While I realised that would never be possible, my inbuilt psyche of commitment left me feeling that it had to be done.  Mind you by late afternoon, that stress had gone, and the attitude had changed a little – I’ve done enough, just want to be on my way.  Jackie had actually offered to drive me home, and while initially it had been my plan to  catch the train, I was glad in retrospect that I didn’t have to do that, in view of the rather large collection of goodies I had accumulated since this morning!

We left soon after 4pm. Would have liked to have said a bit of a farewell to some of the local residents but didn’t really get that opportunity. I must say it was a pleasant change to not have to concentrate on the traffic and the road on my last drive from Northcote to Sunbury. I’m usually not a good passenger, but then that probably depends on the driver – didn’t feel comfortable with Mark this morning for that brief drive from the cafe to the office, and I would feel a similar discomfort driving with son James, tomorrow!! But this afternoon, felt quite relaxed.  At Sunbury, invited Jackie in for a cup of tea, but she decided to head straight back to the city where she lives! I was grateful for not needing to use public transport today.

My brother, Robert  had an interesting ‘birthday’ message for me today  – as revealed below-  and gave me three dates to confirm in my 2012 Diary!!   –    Hi Bill    Happy birthday and congratulations on reaching your retirement milestone! A new adventure now begins!  Bought you a present but you don’t get to enjoy it until next April. Through my membership of Cycling Australia was yesterday able to get priority access to tickets going on sale for World Indoor Cycling Championships in Melbourne next April. Have bought 3 tickets for Fri, Sat and Sun nights on 6,7 and 8 April. They are good tickets in the finishing straight. Tickets for myself, Evelyn and yourself; we’ll make a long weekend in Melb of it.     Have a great day; look forward to checking out the gold watch!!   Rob & Evelyn.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised, flattered and pleased to receive the number of congratulatory messages from family and friends throughout the day via Face Book and the mobile phone, in addition to Robert’s email above. Too numerous to name everyone, but there were two or three in particular that I was ‘rather’ pleased to hear from!\

On a slightly different note, an email from the  Carlton Football Club today confirmed that former international recruit, Setanta O’hAilpin is no longer a required player.  “This was a very tough decision for us, Setanta has been an important part of our club for seven years since he arrived in Australia from Ireland,” said Carlton CEO Greg Swann.  “The AFL rules required us to make one more change to our playing list prior to the List Lodgement on October 31st to ensure we have the minimum selections in the 2011 National Draft. Setanta and Paul Bower were the two players out of contract and after a lengthy meeting this morning we made this tough decision. We certainly wish Setanta the very best and I know his enthusiasm will be missed around the Carlton Football Club,” Swann added.  At 28 years of age, Setanta is five years older than Bower, and there is no doubt age played an important role in this decision. Since making his debut for the Blues in Round 7 2005, Setanta has played a career total of 80 games, booting 67 goals. He managed 8 games this season, after injuring his hand in Round 11, however returned to the team in Round 24 and played in Carlton’s two finals matches. The Sydney born, Irish raised big man was taken by Carlton in the 5th round of the 2004 Rookie Draft, selection 62 overall as an International Rookie, after impressing recruiters in his native sport of Hurling. Setanta was elevated to the Carlton senior list in 2005, making his debut in round 7, 2005 against Richmond at the MCG after being involved in the game for less than six months. In 2004, Setanta represented Ireland in the  International Rules Series and was a member of the Club’s 2007 Pre-season Premiership. The Carlton Football Club would like to officially thank Setanta for his service over the past seven seasons, he has played an integral role in the club’s steady climb up the ladder.   Changes to the Carlton List since the end of the 2011 season:  Ryan Houlihan – retired;  Setanta O’hAilpin – delisted; and  Mark Austin – delisted”

Obviously, all of that only of interest to myself [and son James] but recorded for the record [my record, lol].

Sometime prior to 6pm, Susie gave me a lift over to Goonawarra where all of the family were present for the traditional birthday acknowledgement dinner – for both Jodie and myself on this occasion. Under the current state of affairs, there were no girlfriends/boyfriends present – only Jodie’s Ash was on the scene at present, and he was working this evening..  With James’s dog making it’s presence felt, that was an enjoyable couple of hours as usual  – and as usual, two much sweet food for my good, so I went easy on that aspect.

And so passed another birthday  – a rather significant one on this occasion –  I was thinking of sitting down what I did on each of the 18^th October over all those years, but apart from a few significant occasions, think I would be struggling to put too many such memories together.  We will save those thoughts for another time.

It’s a bit of a sad reflection, that the Australian Constitution continues to remain silent on the history, status and rights of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, despite government promises to change things like that over recent decades. I notice that the present Federal Government, presumably as a part of it’s last election ‘promises’, did in fact agree to hold a national referendum on the subject of the constitutional recognition of those peoples, with this to occur before the next scheduled election in 2013.  Certainly in the current ‘political’ climate [with the Prime Minister apparently fighting for her political future following ‘leaks’ from Cabinet discussions over the weekend, and the ongoing poor poll results for her and Labor Party] there has been little mention or reference of this subject. However, I understand that a panel is currently consulting with various communities about what the proposed referendum should focus on, with a plan to consider all relevant submissions prior to presenting their recommendations to the government.  In fact, the receipt of those submissions has been completed, and the process closed.  Over 3,400 submissions have been received by the Panel, and  over 70 public consultations held in metropolitan, regional and remote communities around Australia. The Panel is now carefully considering all submissions, and the outcomes arising from the consultations, with the aim of submitting it’s Report to the Government by December, this year.

The Panel, which goes under the title of  YouMeUnity, is described as the national conversation about updating our constitution  to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and culture for the benefit of all Australians.  ‘We acknowledge and respect the vision of a nation that recognises the culture and history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, values their participation and provides equal life chances for all’.  I was going to list the members of the Panel, but there is quite a team of them – a broad mix of Indigenous and Non- Indigenous representatives, including politicians such as the Independent Rob Oakeshotte,  and prominent Indigenous academic, Marcia Langton  – a lady who didn’t really impress me in earlier, felt she was too aggressive, a real rebel rouser – perhaps she was in her younger activist days, but these days, after having listened to her on various panels, etc, I have quite a deal of admiration for her views and attempts to push the cause of her people.

 Meanwhile, from the organisation’s website, we read a little more about it’s aims and hopes:-

‘The Constitution is the basis for our laws and political system.  A lot has changed since the Constitution was written in 1901.  Nowadays many Australians would be surprised to know that the Constitution still includes the possibility for discrimination based on your race, and ignores Australia’s first peoples and their role as custodians of the world’s oldest continuing culture. The Australian people have the power to update the Constitution through a referendum so that it better reflects our shared values.  In light of this, the Panel has been appointed by the Government to consult with the people and lead a nationwide discussion on the issue.  By December 2011, after a period of consideration, discussion and consultation with all Australians, the Panel will advise the government about the options for formally recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution. You Me Unity is the national conversation about updating our Constitution to recognise our first peoples and define equality for all Australians’.

“For many years, governments, communities and individuals across Australia have viewed reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Non-Indigenous Australians as an important national objective. The Federal Parliament’s National Apology in 2008 was seen by many as a major step towards national reconciliation. ‘Closing the Gap’ has become pressing business for Australians across the country, to reduce discrimination and disadvantage, but much remains to be done. Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples now has wide support and is seen by many as an important further step that should now be taken towards full recognition of the unique place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 21st Century Australian society. There are several reasons for this.

First, many people would be surprised to know that not all citizens are treated equally under the Australian Constitution. While racial discrimination is no longer accepted in our community, in our workplaces and in our daily lives, the Constitution permits laws that discriminate on the basis of race. While over 90 per cent of voters in the 1967 Referendum approved positive changes to the Constitution in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, a number of questions about the way our Constitution treats the First Australians remain unresolved.

Second, while the great majority of Australians value and celebrate the unique contribution made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultures to our national identity, the Constitution, our founding national document, gives no acknowledgement of the place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our nation’s history or our contemporary society.

Third, many people believe that constitutional recognition would serve as a powerful symbol of the nation’s desire to embrace Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as a full and equal part of the Australian nation. To advance the idea of constitutional recognition and to explore how it might be achieved, in December 2010 the Australian Government, with the support of the Opposition, the Greens and Independent members of Parliament, appointed an Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians. The Panel’s task is to consult with the community and make recommendations by December 2011 on options for constitutional change that could be placed before the people at a future national referendum.

The Public Discussion Paper is designed as a starting point for the national conversation that the Panel will be conducting across Australia over coming months. It sets out background information about our Federal Constitution and how it can be changed, the potential benefits of constitutional recognition both for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and for all Australians, and possible ideas for recognition that will be discussed and developed during the Panel’s community consultations.

Ideas already raised by constitutional experts for constitutional change include:

• A Statement of Recognition in a Preamble to the Constitution, or in the body of the Constitution, acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ distinct cultures, identities and heritage, their prior ownership and custodianship of the land, and their ongoing contribution to Australian society.

• A Statement of Values in a Preamble or in the Constitution itself, which would include both recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and also set out the fundamental values of our society such as our personal freedoms, the rule of law, racial and gender equality, and our commitment to democratic government.

• Repeal or amendment of provisions in the Constitution currently based on racial discrimination.

• Creation in the Constitution of a new guarantee of non-discrimination and racial equality.

• New powers for the Australian Government to legislate to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and heritage, and to redress historical disadvantage.

These and other ideas are explained in detail in the Paper.  The Panel has no preference for any of these ideas.  Before making its recommendations to Government, the Panel wants to hear the views of a wide cross-section of the Australian community.  We therefore, invite and welcome comments and contributions from all Australians.

Well, that’s the serious part of today’s contribution, lol, but I’m also reminded that it’s Maureen’s birthday today, the 17^th October!!  Now Maureen is a friend from years back, we’re never met, not in person anyway, but there are plenty of stories along the way of our association of friendship. I met Maureen many years before the internet came on the scene – through that now ‘old fashioned’ medium of the pen friend club!!  Was it the late 80s, maybe even earlier – I still have her first letter from England here somewhere!!! Perhaps it was me who eventually introduced her to the eventual joys of emailing, and the ‘new version’ of the penfriend friendship. Anyway, our birthdays have always been just one day apart, though around 10 years gap [I’m the old one]. Ah yes, we have had some interesting occurrences between us throughout those years, I wonder if it’s just me who can recall them!!! J  Anyway Mo, have a wonderful day, for this 17^th October – and thankyou for your Face Book greeting, one day early, lol, and for the repeat follow –up, just read a few minutes ago, after my return from my  Monday night radio show!!  A bit disappointed actually – not one phone call, though I loved the show!!  But yes, there was a call – on my mobile, from a friend in Singapore who never forgets me, and always wants top be the first to wish this guy a Happy Birthday.

It’s now 12.36 am on the 18^th October. Goodnight all!!

I have to admit that most of my in interest today was related to either music – planning my next couple of programs for the radio –  or a number of sporting events of relevance to Australia today. That came after my usual early Sunday morning program of classical music, followed by yet another expensive visit to the chemist – I guess one advantage of the retirement plans will, be cheaper pharmacy expenses!!

As indicated, a bit of a sporty day with Australian teams and/or individuals competing at the international level. Casey Stoner was down at Phillip Islands this afternoon for the Australian MotoGP Grand Prix  – about 100 kms to the south east of Melbourne, a great spot for a holiday [but not on the racing circuit!!]. I think Casey needed to get at least 6 points from the race to seal the World Championship with a couple more races to go. He basically led from the front row of the starting grid, and stayed there for the entire race  -[ from memory, this was the 5^th successive Australian GP that he has won, and his second World Championship. And to top it all off, today was also his birthday!  Casey Stoner – 2011 World Motorcycling Champion.

Casey Stoner

Meanwhile in the two rugby codes that are played in Australia, we had a real double header between the two Tasman neighbours – Australia and New Zealand. In Newcastle [New South Wales] this afternoon, there was a Rugby League Test match between the two teams – Australian Kangaroos versus the Kiwis. This was actually televised [the first half anyway] at the same time as Casey Stoner’s race, so my loyalties were divided. Things were looking rather promising for the Aussies at half time, leading 26 – 0, and it didn’t improve a great deal in the second half, for the visitors. Final score saw Australia 42. New Zealand 6

At around 7pm, the big Rugby World Cup 2^nd Semi Final commenced – the Australian Wallabies versus the New Zealand All Blacks.  While the Australian [New Zealand born] coach, Robbie Deans didn’t consider that history would play a part in tonight’s clash,  the evidence revealed that Australia’s last win against New Zealand at Eden Park {Auckland] was in 1986, the year before the Rugby [Union] World Cup began!! In addition, the All Blacks have not lost to another team at that ground for 17 years through 26 matches. Rather convincing statistics!  Deans commented that “It’s a tough place to play, and those are impressive numbers for sure but they don’t matter once Sunday night’s match kicks off…..The pressure is divided equally on both sides as there is no tomorrow and the ultimate prize [a place in the Rugby World Cup Final] awaits the side that earns that right of passage”  Actually, I would have thought there was more pressure on the All Blacks – they have never won the World Cup despite being probably one of the most consistent teams since the 80s, and with the competition being held on their home turf this time, the home supporters expect/assume they will win this time. If they fail again, it may not be well taken by the New Zealand fans.  Tonight’s referee is Craig Joubert of South Africa.

Statistics – of the 166 matches  [Union] played between Australia and New Zealand since 1903,  New Zealand has won, 114, Australia 47, and 5 draws. This is the third meeting between the two countries at  Rugby World Cup, which each occurring at the semi final stage. Australia beat New Zealand  16-6 at Dublin during the 1991 tournament, which the Wallabies went on to win, and 22-10 at the same stage of the 2003 event in Australia, after which Australia lost the final to England.

Unfortunately for the Wallabies, history wasn’t going to do a reversal tonight. After listening to a couple of impressive versions of the New Zealand and Australian National Anthems, followed by the Kiwi’s normal ‘Haka war dance & chant’ [all of which I was hearing for the second time today], the game got underway. Not a good start to the game – within five minutes, the All Blacks had a Try, though the conversion was missed. Then followed a missed penalty kick at the 10 minute stage, but a couple of minutes later, another Australian mistake [such mistakes would become the story of the match] resulted in a successful NZ kick this time – the score 8-0 after 12 minutes. A while later, Australia had what would it’s best chance at a Try, just fell short, but a penalty kick to our favour followed soon after, and James O’Connor made no mistake – score 8-3 down. At 20 minutes, another mistake by Australia, followed by another missed Kiwi shot – we should have miles behind but were somehow ‘hanging in there’. A field goal to both teams, and yet another successful penalty shot to NZ saw the score at halftime – New Zealand 14, Australia 6.

Before the match started, I sent a text to Dawn and Tony in Dunedin –  Dawn responded with ‘It could go either way, don’t really mind who wins [I bet her husband does!!] as long as it is a good game that we can all enjoy. We sort of have a foot in both camps so to speak’ [with relatives in Australia].  Anyway, 2 minutes into the 2^nd half, and yet another penalty against Australia – score now 17-6. In fact, from an Australian point of view, it was a disappointing second half, in some ways a better effort by the Australian players, but still too many basic errors, and we were un-able to make any headway! New Zealand were simply the more dominant team at the scrums in particular, and they won the battle of the physical contest. The final score:  New Zealand 20 defeated Australia 6.  I texted my congratulations to my Kiwi friends – Dawn responded with ‘The all blacks may just win the Cup this year after all. We all said that this game would be the big one’.

While all this was happening, I was getting the usual ‘friendly but cynical comments about Australia’s sporting losses from Maureen in England. But she did refer me to a link about one success we were having  – it told me that the ‘Australian Diamonds are halfway to a clean sweep –  i.e., the Australian Netball  team has completed the first half of an ambitious plan to clean sweep their final six Test matches of the year with a surprisingly hard-fought 45-41 defeat of England in their third outing against the World No. 3 side in just eight days [of course, after the recent world netball championships, Australia is No. 1, and New Zealand – the Silver Ferns – No. 2].

Still one more ‘sporting’ event later tonight – the Formula 1 car racing Korean Grand Prix, with of course being the Australian driver Mark Webber. We might see how things went there, in tomorrow’s contribution!!