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It’s a beautiful Spring Saturday morning in Sunbury – I was out early for a visit to ‘The Big Fella’s’ establishment for a well overdue haircut  – Pat had moved to a new location since I last visited him, and late yesterday, I walked the town, looking for his new hairdresser shop – found  him at the very end of my stroll [of course], but with a shop full of customers at that stage, decided to take advantage of Pat’s early Saturday morning opening hours – just a short wait this morning! Then back home for some breakfast before heading over to the nearby town of Melton to visit a couple of car sales establishments – with my job finishing next week [and the vehicle I use, going with the job], I am obviously in need of an alternative.

Today is also ‘Caulfield Cup Day’, one of the big lead in horse races prior to the Melbourne Cup, this year scheduled for the 1^st November. I must admit that of recent, I’ve not taken a great deal of notice of the Cup field – something else to study, later on!!  On an initial glance, the international horse, No. 9 December Draw with Michael Rodd on board is in brilliant form, three wins from last four races, and seems to be the odds on favourite. However, I often avoid favourites, a win doesn’t earn much profit usually anyway,  so have decided to go with No. 16, Green Moon, winner of the Newcastle Cup last start, and prior to that, second to December Draw. In fact my tip for first three placings are Green Moon [16], Southern Speed [18] and December Draw [9] in that order. However in such a big race as this, with potentially 18 starters, and prizemoney of $2.5 million, there are always a lot of potential winners, and a victory from one of many other chances in the race would not surprise. The Caulfield Cup is a Group 1 race,  run over 2,400 metres, and is timed for 4.05pm this afternoon. The rest of the Caulfield program today includes  2 Group 2 races and 3 Group 3 races, a fairly impressive line-up of racehorses.   I shall return with the Cup outcome, a little later.

Drove over to Melton, late this morning, and eventually found the car sales showroom I was looking for  – left about an hour later, having more or less signed myself up to purchase a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Sedan 4 speed manual  – interesting choice, have driven automatics for the last 20  years or so!  To confirm the purchase next week after road worthy test, cleaning, etc completed. Car was a one owner, and while 2 years older than the vehicle I was currently driving, had travelled about 35,000 less kilometres, having been a one-owner local driver.

Subsequently, with respect to the horse races, what a pity I forgot to put on a bet, would have come away with some winnings!!!  Caulfield Cup result, later this afternoon  –   1^st. Southern Speed.   2^nd:  Green Moon.  3^rd: Tullamore.  As for December Draw, that horse ran a shocker!!

I popped around to one of the local cricket grounds after the Cup – but left my run too late – the weather had changed, and my son’s cricket team were sitting around waiting for it to change again – while I was talking to Adam, it was still raining lightly, and getting cold. Lucky I had mowed the lawn, and brought the clothes in off the line a brief time earlier while the sun was still shining!  Anyway, Adam had another chance in his club’s senior team today [after last week’s wash out] – he told me he went 1^st wicket down, and in his team’s score of 130, he managed to pick up 12 runs, and stay at the crease for half an hour or so.  Of course, soon after I left the ground to return home, the rain stopped, and the sun came back out!! The cricket started  again, but didn’t last for long, as the wicket proved too slippery & dangerous to play on, a pity, another drawn result with the game unfinished. Typical of the usual start to the cricket season in this part of the state!!

Rugby World Cup Update – Semi Final 1:  I watched this game tonight, France versus Wales. I guess that the French were favourites, but it was a very pro-Welsh crowd of supporters at Eden Park in Auckland, and that support intensified early in the game, when the Welsh lost two of their key players, one through injury, and then their captain was sent off the field for the duration of the match after a misdemeanour!!  When meant that the Welsh 80% of the match with one player less. Despite that, it was a gutsy performance by the Welsh but they couldn’t produce quite enough to stop the French team who went on to win a low scoring game 9-8.  Speaking after the match, the Welsh coach Warren Gatland said about the captain, Sam Warburton  “He is not a dirty player so what’s the point in spoiling a semi-final by giving him a red card? I am absolutely gutted about it. “But we showed great character and if we’d have slotted a goal we might have won the game. But we were down a man against world-class opposition and the fact we had a chance to win just shows the character of our players. I’m really proud of them.”   Meanwhile, I must admit that after that match, I felt it would be difficult for either France or Wales to be able to defeat either New Zealand or Australia, tomorrow.  But of course, I could be very wrong there!

Last Sunday morning, on the radio, I played some music performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. At the time I made mention of the fact that the Orchestra would be performing Dvorak’s famous 9^th Symphony [more generally referred to as the ‘New World Symphony’. Tonight whilst I was working [rather wearily] at the computer, and with nothing worth watching on the television, I listened to the ABC Classic FM’s live broadcast of that concert, from the Sydney Opera House. In addition to Dvorak’s symphony, we heard Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 2, with the piano part beautifully played by international pianist, Stephen Hough, who I think is performing here in Melbourne within the next few days, or just has. The SSO also played the 4^th Symphony composed by Lutostawski, which I can’t recall hearing previously, but was quite impressed, deciding that I must try and chase it down for my own program.

On the way to the office today, I called in at the Fitzroy Officeworks establishment, and replenished a few stationery supplies for the VPTA.. We were in for a beautiful day – in fact by midday, the temperature would be up in the mid twenties, and quite warm in the car. Today is my last Friday fulltime day of employment, two more days next week –  actually beginning to feel a little stress about that part of my life coming to an end, even though it is my choice essentially. As I mentioned in an email to 3NRG’s Christine today –   “The main thing I’m feeling stressed about at present is finishing work next week  –  while it’s what I want, after 46 years it doesn’t seem right that I won’t be employed, almost a guilt feeling, though compared to some, I think I’ve earned it. Also worried about what I’m going to be entitled to/not entitled to re Centrelink, etc, and currently trying to find a car in a relatively low price range, as I won’t have one after next Tuesday [the Astra is a work car!], and I’ve no intention of claiming back the Station wagon from son, Adam. So if things don’t work out there for a week or so, won’t be able to get up to the radio station in the interim – bit far for ‘old Bill’ to walk, especially after 12 midnight!!”  That last comment relates to the fact that the radio station is at the opposite end of the town to where I live [at the top of Sunbury’s steepest hill climb], and are no buses at midnight on a Monday, or 6.00am of a Sunday morning!!  Anyway, quite a few things I’m still trying to get completed at the office – some might say, why bother, but having inherited jobs, where one finds a pretty poor outcome often from one’s predecessor, I really don’t want to leave that kind of inheritance!!!

Now, back to our weekly listing [from the ‘Weekly Times’] of that paper’s perception of our 100 Greatest Country [born] Australians.  We are up to No’s 21 -40, having already given you the choices from 41-100 [see previous weekly blogs around Wednesdays]. As usual, if there is information about any of these people that readers would like more details on, let this writer know!

• 40.  Eva Burrows   1929 –   [Salvation Army General]
• 39. Warwick Armstrong  1879 – 1947  [Cricketer]
• 38  Mary Durack  1913 – 1994  [Writer]
• 37. Cyril Callister  1893-1949  [Vegemite Inventor]
• 36.  Shirley Strickland  1925-2004  [Runner]
• 35. Frank Macfarlane Burnett  1899-1985  [Scientist]
• 34. Vivian Bullwinkel  1915-2000  [Army Nurse]
• 33. Scobie Breasley  1914-2006  [Jockey]
• 32. Peter Carey  1943 –   [Writer]
• 31. Ron Barassi  -1936 –  [Footballer]
• 30. Isaac Isaacs  1855-1948  [Judge, Politician, Governor-General]
• 29. Cadel Evans  1977 –    [Cyclist]
• 28. Enid Lyons  1897 – 1981  [Politician]
• 27.  Reginald Ansett  1909 – 1981  [Aviator]
• 26. Thomas Blamey  1884 – 1951  [Army Officer]
• 25. Ian Clunies Ross  1899 – 1959  [Veterinary Scientist]
• 24. Walter Lindrum  1898 – 1960  [Billiards]
• 23. HV McKay  1865 – 1926  [Manufacturer]
• 22. William Farrer  1845 – 1906  [Wheat Breeder]
• 21. John Macarthur  1767 – 1834 [Wool Producer]

Next week, we learn who the top 20 Great Country Australians are  – the first 80 have provided a fascinating list of names, I’m quite interested to see who is to come, must be another prime minister or two in there somewhere?

Well after yesterday’s euphoria by the Government following a successful carbon tax vote, it was the opposite story today.  Overnight, the West Australian Nationals MP Tony Crook confirmed he would not vote for proposed laws to resurrect the Government’s so-called ‘Malaysian Solution’. The bill, which was designed to secure the future of offshore processing, was due to come before the House of Representatives this morning but was doomed to fail without Mr Crook’s support. As a consequence, Julia Gillard did not submit the Bill for a vote because she knew she did not have the numbers to succeed.

This morning Mr Crook said that although the Malaysia swap deal could dissuade asylum seekers from setting sail for Australia, he had concerns about the way prospective refugees, particularly unaccompanied children, might be treated there.  And he said he would instead support Opposition amendments that would allow offshore processing in countries that have signed United Nations refugee conventions – like Nauru.  “The United Nations factor was a strong one for me,” Mr Crook told reporters at Parliament House. “We’re talking about a serious humanitarian issue here and clearly the Opposition, in government, had a strong position on asylum seekers and on boat people smuggling.”  But he was critical of both the Opposition and the Government for failing to come to a common position on offshore processing.   So as the Opposition would say, twice in a week, Labor has caved in to the political demands of the Greens – the carbon tax that the Greens want to increase, and onshore processing. Hence the query in some circles as to who the real ‘prime minister’ was!!??  The Liberals were proposing an amendment that off shore processing should be done in countries which have signed the refugee convention.  Apparently, prior to last year’s election, this was in fact Julia Gillard’s position. The Prime Minister said that processing would not take place in countries that had  not signed the refugee convention.  However on this occasion she was not prepared to accept the Opposition’s amendment, and has now ended up with no solution. Ironically, even if the Bill had been passed in the Lower House, that result would have  been largely symbolic, as it would have been defeated in the Senate because of the Green’s opposition to it. The defeat in the House meant that the Gillard Government was the first to lose a vote on a Bill in the Lower House in more than 80 years!

Well actually, after emergency cabinet meetings later this afternoon,  the Government announced at long last that it will begin processing asylum seekers who arrive by boat on Australian soil. Something I believe should have been happening in the first place. But it has only come about that way,  because the Government was backed into a corner and could not get the support in Parliament it needed to amend the Migration Act. Incredibly, and disappointing to see,  despite the encouraging steps announced, the Prime Minister still insists that her party remains committed to the Malaysian solution when it’s been shown to be sorely lacking in human rights and legally suspect.

 At the work front, things continue to slowly wind down as my week and time here gradually moves towards an end, but the evening meeting schedule continues as per normal  –  Radio station General Members meeting!  Began with a bit of a hiccup  –  the community hall that we use for such meetings, well the person responsible for opening up the place forgot about us, and had gone away somewhere!!! This was also supposed to be a community consultation meeting this month –  sadly no-one outside of the station membership came this month, but in other respects, it was a good thing, as it saved us from the embarrassment of visitors joining us outside a locked door!! After some gnashing of teeth and instant decision making, the obvious choice was to adjourn to the crowded conditions of the station’s meeting room!!  Which room has not been so crowded for some time, with members seated or standing out in the passageway and straining to hear what was being sent. Apart from another meeting with various people offering opinions and comments on sundry matters – many of those opinions all being expressed at the same time, as our President seemed to lose control of a friendly but over enthusiastic bunch of contributing members –  we had ‘young’ Christine trying to ensure that she had up to date photographs for the studio noticeboard, in preparation for the station’s Open Day coming up on the 23^rd October. That collection of photos, included the following sample, which I decided was ‘not’ going to representative of my programs [though I’m sure it will appear elsewhere on that occasion!].

I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about the carbon tax proposal, but in any case, the Gillard government today secured passage of its controversial carbon tax through the lower house of federal parliament with the support of key crossbench MPs and of course the Greens, under Senator Bob Brown whom many consider as the defact prime minister!! Labor won the vote on the 18 carbon tax bills 74 to 72.  The lower house also passed the government’s $300 million steel transformation plan bill. That vote was won 75 to 71 with Queensland independent Bob Katter joining fellow independents Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and Andrew Wilkie, and Greens MP Adam Bandt, in backing Labor.  Following that, we saw the unusual spectacle of  Government ministers embracing and clapping following the vote,  with Prime Minister Julia Gillard applauded the result as opposition MPs jeered. That performance would receive much criticism and ridicule from the Opposition over the next 24 hours.  With the support of the Greens, that legislation, the ‘Clean Energy Future Bills’, is likely to be passed by the Senate within the next few days.

While it probably didn’t make a difference to the eventual vote result, the Liberal’s Sophie Mirabella was unapologetic about being suspended for today’s vote on the carbon tax.   Mrs Mirabella did not vote this morning after she was suspended for 24 hours from parliament from 10.30pm yesterday by fellow Liberal politician and deputy speaker Peter Slipper.  Personally, I don’t feel that she is a good advocate for the Opposition, too outspoken and aggressive for my liking, and that is demonstrated by her comments – 

Mrs Mirabella told ABC Goulburn Murray radio this morning that she was trying to table a petition of names of North East residents opposed to the carbon tax when she was ordered out of the House of Representatives.  “It wasn’t my behaviour (that prompted the suspension), it was the refusal of the Labor Party to grant me leave to table those signatures,” Mrs Mirabella said.  “They’ve tried to intimidate and shut me up against the carbon tax for many, many months.  “I’m not someone who will be intimidated by the Labor Party I will continue to fight against the carbon tax, if this gets through the only reason why the carbon tax will become law is not because I’ve been suspended for 24 hours, let’s get that fact straight, the only reason the carbon tax will pass into law is because no government members have got the moral backbone to stand up for the interests of their constituents and that goes for several independents as well.”   Mrs Mirabella was asked if she had any regrets about what happened and said “absolutely not”, before placing blame on Climate Change Minister Greg Combet.

The piece of legislation that I don’t want to see succeed comes up tomorrow, relating to changing the rules to allow overseas processing of refugees in Malaysia. Apparently, as the day approached, the success of that Bill for the Labor Party was going to depend on how one independent National Party member decided to vote. On this occasion, the Greens were in agreement with the Opposition, so that one vote was crucial for the Government.

Meanwhile on the ‘home front’, this evening I went around to a short Committee meeting of the Family History Society – with three members missing, including an unwell President, Peter Free, it was all over within an hour, which certainly suited me!! I was able to get back home and attend to a few other tasks.

I don’t know whether it is simply the late night on the radio [of a Monday] and the subsequently short sleeping time before getting up for work this morning, or simply a combination of those things with my age – but awoke this morning, after 3 hours sleep feeling decidedly unwell – a condition that would remain with me until late afternoon. In fact, almost considered returning home shortly after lunch, but stayed put, and oddly by the time I did leave, was feeling much better!!

Apart from that, another very enjoyable session on the radio over night, and with the knowledge that I have only one more Monday night show to do, with fulltime work to go to next morning, that heightens the prospect of even more pleasant shows in the immediate future. I call Monday night a ‘Smorgasbord of Music & Entertainment’, and subsequently, generally play and present a broad range of musical genres and other activities. The midnight finishing time is likely to be exceeded in the future, with no major commitments to follow the next morning!  Even played a track by Michael Buble last night  – don’t recall ever playing anything by him previously, as with Amy Whitehouse, the week before!

The GetUP organisation are perhaps getting concerned that their campaign on refugees is going to be defeated, with the likely vote to be taken in Federal Parliament this week on the question of off-shore processing. The following is the way they saw the situation, together with a quotation of the statement by former Liberal Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser.

‘Only weeks ago the High Court declared the Government’s Malaysian Arrangement unlawful. Despite the ruling, this week the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on whether or not to change the law to get around the High Court’s decision and return to harmful and ineffective offshore processing.  The crucial vote for refugee policy is this Thursday, and we need to show our support for compassion and common sense.
We’ve all struggled to work out what the right thing to do is when it comes to asylum seekers arriving here on boats. We know it can be a dangerous journey, but does that mean off-shore processing is the only way? We think there’s a third way which slows the boats and creates a genuine pathway for refugees to reach Australia safely. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and experts from across the community think so too. Opponents of those who arrive by boat in Australia argue that people seeking protection should “join the queue.” But here’s the thing: in the 18 months prior to February this year, Australia granted 518 humanitarian visas to refugees in Malaysia. Not one visa went to people fleeing Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s no wonder Iraqis and Afghans take a journey by boat to Australia.
That’s why yesterday former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, joined by experts from the refugee sector, wrote an open letter to Australian politicians urging them to adopt a new approach based on humane onshore and an increase in Australia’s refugee intake, targeted at our region. By targeting a gradual increase in our intake largely to our region, we can reduce the need for asylum seekers to travel by boat to Australia just to receive protection.   Let’s show our politicians that we’re behind the former PM’s call for a sensible solution.

These days Australia grants very few humanitarian visas to refugees in our region – and that’s why coming by boat seems the only option for many who are fleeing persecution. That’s the opposite of “breaking the business model of people smugglers.”

Back when Malcolm Fraser was PM, as the Vietnam war was ending and a humanitarian crisis of truly staggering proportions seemed imminent, 55,000 refugees fled Vietnam in just one month. But our politicians rose to the challenge. Fraser sent Australian officials to Vietnam to directly process refugees quickly, after which they were flown to Australia. The Australian government worked with the governments of other Western countries to accept refugees and worked with other countries in our region to ensure refugees were not turned away.
If all this sounds remarkably sane compared to today’s refugee debate – that’s because it was.
It’s time our politicians got a history lesson. Tell Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott and their colleagues that Australia’s leaders from both parties mustered courage and common sense 32 years ago, and we deserve no less from them today.

Meanwhile, the following piece is the Statement submitted by Malcolm Fraser and those that joined him, and I have added my name to the proposed petition, being in broad agreement with the feelings expressed hereunder.

“Throughout much of recent history, but especially since the Tampa incident in 2001, political leaders from the major parties have been unable or unwilling to compromise and craft a reasonable and realistic migration policy that takes into account regularly occurring flows of refugees from conflict areas. Instead politicians in Canberra have chosen to play to baser instincts rather than Australian’s better nature, marginalizing vulnerable asylum-seekers by catering to those on the extreme margins of politics.

The recent High Court decision, requiring current and future Australian Governments to meet basic human rights obligations in its treatment of asylum seekers, is more than simply a political obstacle to be overcome. It provides a unique opportunity to do what should always have been done – that is, process asylum seekers on-shore irrespective of whether they come by boat or by plane. This would serve to re-implement tested practical and effective solutions regarding the treatment and processing of refugees; an endeavor that would truly be in the “national interest.”

With both parties wrangling to score political points, the issue can be seen as intractable. However recent history offers clear guidance as to the compassion and creativity of the Australian people – and our political system – when our nation was forced to choose between treating refugees humanely or contributing to a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.

As the Vietnam War came to a chaotic end, Australia faced the prospect of a huge influx of refugees from the conflict. Fears for the well-being of asylum-seekers, as well as concerns about whether Australia could successfully deal with such an influx, were well founded. A balance was struck, and a humane and effective bi-partisan solution was put in place. Both Government and Opposition rose above party affiliation to act, initially, in the face of negative opinion polls.

Australia’s elected leaders created a system that worked with regional partners, ensured basic human rights protections and created an efficient and effective system which, over 20 years, dealt with the needs of more than 2.5 million Indochinese refugees. The Fraser Government alone took almost 250,000 Vietnamese as refugees and immigrants. Many of these people were fleeing a war in which Australia was a combatant. We had a moral responsibility to assist them.

The numbers were far greater than the small number arriving by boat today. The current debate all but ignores the fact that three times more asylum seekers arrive by plane than boat and are successfully processed onshore often while living within (and contributing to) their new communities. Onshore processing, assisted by regional cooperation, was the right thing to do then, and remains so today.

A Vietnamese refugee on one of the first boats to arrive in Darwin Harbour went on to become Lieutenant Governor of South Australia. Thousands of others have become magnificent Australian citizens over the past three decades.

By not simply subscribing to the idea but also implementing policies that reflect a “fair go,” Governments truly act in the “national interest” – being responsible global citizens, while making the Australian experience richer through refugees’ contributions to local communities and our country in countless ways. The Prime Minister and Opposition Leader have a similar opportunity to do the right thing now; to exhibit the kind of moral leadership that’s too often bypassed in the political process, yet which is precisely what the Australian people and those seeking to become Australians expect and deserve. Rather than seeking creative ways to remove the assumptions of natural law and review by the courts, and watering down human rights protections, our leaders can and should focus on real solutions:

• First and foremost , institute a system for effective and efficient on-shore processing. Those arriving by boat and seeking asylum do nothing illegal under Australian law.
• Honour the commitment to accepting an additional 4000 refugees – the only salvageable element of the Malaysian agreement – while permanently expanding the current intake of UNHCR-designated refugees up to 25,000 – a reasonable and manageable number that will go a long way in removing the incentive for individuals to take the desperate and dangerous ocean journey to Australia.
• End the linking of on-shore asylum seekers with the off-shore refugee and humanitarian intake. This linkage was a relatively recent creation of the Howard Government and needs to be removed. Both those who seek resettlement off-shore and those seeking asylum on-shore should never have to compete. We should unravel the two categories immediately, returning to a policy whereby those who come from afar as refugees do not lessen Australia’s commitment or capacity to accept individuals escaping humanitarian crises who arrive in this country seeking asylum.
• Put considerably more effort into developing cooperation with regional partners to ensure greater protections for asylum-seekers, while status determinations take place.
• Seize the opportunity to exhibit leadership, not just at home, but also on the world stage, where implementing the aforementioned measures would serve as an incentive and example for members of the UNHCR Working Group on Resettlement, which Australia currently chairs.

This would be in sharp contrast to recent actions which have brought widespread global consternation and condemnation. Make no mistake – the world is watching. The current debate is doing tremendous damage to our international reputation. By exhibiting courage and compassion, Australia has a chance to not only salvage our reputation but set an example for our friends and allies around the world.

In short, we need an orderly migration and integration system for refugees, while realising the reality and gravity of international obligations and domestic law. It was done before when the numbers where much, much larger. It can be done again.

Political leaders who truly want to be on the right side of history must also exhibit leadership. We urge the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to put aside their political differences and work towards tried, tested and effective solutions. It’s the right thing to do – for refugees and asylum seekers, and it is in the national interest of all Australians.

[Signatories to the original statement were]

• Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser AC CH, former Prime-Minister of Australia founder CARE-Australia
• Act for Peace – National Council of Churches in Australia, Executive Director, Alistair Gee
• Andrew Bartlett, Research Fellow in Migration Law, ANU former Senator (QLD)
• Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Executive Director, Marc Purcell
• Br Julian McDonald AO cfc, former Chancellor, ACU
• Dr Ian Anderson AM, Founding Chair, A Just Australia (Australians for Just Refugee Programs)
• Edmund Rice Centre, Director, Phil Glendenning
• GetUp!, Director, Simon Sheikh
• Hon Elizabeth Evatt AC, first Chief Judge, Family Court of Aust. former President, Australian Law Reform Commission former member, UN Human Rights Committee former Commissioner, International Committee of Jurists
• Human Rights Law Centre, Executive Director, Philip Lynch
• Medical Association for Prevention of War, Australia, President, Dr Bill Williams
• Prof Ian Lowe AO, President, Australian Conservation Foundation
• Prof Louise Newman AM, Professor of Developmental Psychiatry, Monash Director, Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Monash University Convener, Alliance of Health Professionals for Asylum Seekers
• Prof Mary Crock, Professor of Law, Associate Dean of Law, USyd Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law
• Prof Patrick McGorry AO, 2010 Australian of the Year, Executive Director of Orygen Youth Health Professor of Youth Mental Health, UniMelb
• Prof Richard Broinowski, Adjunct Professor, Media and Communications, USyd former diplomat
• Prof Ron McCallum AO, 2011 Senior Australian of the Year Chairperson, UN Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities Professor of Law &amp former Dean of Law, USyd
• Prof William Maley AM, Foundation Director, Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, ANU Barrister

A friend apparently caught note of my intended support for the petition – thankyou Bill G, who sent me a message on FaceBook to say that –   surely you couldn’t get involved with ANYTHING Malcolm Fraser is involved with…..Isn’t he the bloke who forced Ian Smith out of Rhodesia and installed that ‘great protector’ Robert Mugabe who has put the population of Zimbabwe back to the stone ages? His style of democracy?….. and calling Fraser an ‘Expert”….geeze!!

Needless to say, a response was needed: –  “And I’m sure he [Fraser] has regretted that action ever since as have most of the other Commonwealth leaders who were a part of that decision with him at the time – little different to supporting Nelson Mandela against the white extremist regime in South Africa. The problem was –everyone mis-judged  what kind of person Mugabe really was, the opposite of Mandela.  I don’t blame Fraser for that – he has been involved in some very worthwhile humane activities since leaving politics for which  I have a great deal of respect for, and while in office, the policies he encouraged towards the Vietnamese refugees leaves BOTH Gillard and Abbott looking heartless and inhumane, this offshore policy is despicable, and a prime example of our politicians trying to wipe their hands of our human rights obligations. I feel shame in the name of Australia for the way we have been treating these people over the past decade or so”.

I’ve not had any further response to that, by Bill, or anyone for that matter – perhaps because in most people’s hearts, they feel the off-shore policy is inhumane, but the ‘scare tactics’ about the evils of refugees that Australian governments have indulged in over the past decade, leads people to reject compassion and think self-preservation. In Bill G’s case, it was probably best we left the discussion at that point, and silently agreed to retain our opposite points of view [and our friendship], especially on the subject of Malcolm Fraser, which initiated the above comments in the first place.n South Africa. The problem was – everyone misjudged what kind of person Mugabe really was, the opposite of Mandela. I don’t blame Fraser for that – he has been involved in some very worthwhile humane activities since leaving politics for which I have a great deal of respect for, and while in office, the policies he encouraged towards the the Vietnamese refugees leaves BOTH Gillard and Abbott looking heartless and inhumane, this offshore policy is dispicable, and a prime example of our politicians trying to wipe their hands of their human rights obligations. I feel shame in the name of Australia for the way we have been treating these people over the past decade or so.

Last week on these pages, we made reference to the 2011 Noble Prize winners, but there was one award carried over until today [not sure why] – that was the Nobel Prize for Economics, of some degree of interest to myself following my studies of that area many years ago at Melbourne University. This year’s award was shared, and the following media reports explain the outcome and reasons: –

Two former University of Minnesota professors won the Nobel Prize Monday for their research on economic policy, according to a Star Tribune article.   Thomas Sargent and Christopher Sims – both of whom were members of the University’s Department of Economics in the 70’s and 80’s – received the award for work that explored how people respond to changes in economic policy such as inflation and increased interest rates.  In the article, University President Eric Kaler is quoted as saying the pair’s achievements have shown the “worldwide impact” of the work done by the University’s economics program.  The Star Tribune reported that in this time of financial difficulty for the U.S., their work could be key to discovering a “way out of this mess.”    Sargent and Sims — both 68 — carried out their research independently in the 1970s and `80s. But it is highly relevant today as world governments and central banks seek ways to steer their economies away from another recession. Both men taught in the University of Minnesota’s Economics Department in the 1970s and 1980s

“It is not an exaggeration to say that both Sargent’s and Sims’ methods are used daily … in all central banks that I know of in the developed world and at several finance departments too,” Nobel committee member Torsten Persson told the AP.  The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the winners have developed methods for answering questions such as how growth and inflation are affected by a temporary increase in the interest rate or a tax cut. “Today, the methods developed by Sargent and Sims are essential tools in macroeconomic analysis,” the academy said in its citation The winners developed models to measure the sometimes surprising ways that people respond to changes in economic policy.  “People form their own ideas about what’s going to happen independently of what the economists say is going to happen,” said David Warsh, who writes the blog Economic Principles.  Warsh gave a simple example of the kinds of things Simms and Sargent shed light on: Suppose a government imposes a tax on corn to raise more money. Consumers might confound the government’s plan by substituting wheat for corn — and causing tax revenue to drop instead of rise.  The winners’ use of complicated economic models usually keeps them a step or two removed from the pressing economic and political issues of the day. But Warsh says they contributed to the models being used now to determine whether governments should be cutting deficits or spending more money to lift the economy out of its rut’.

On a different note, I was interested in the comment by the National Senior’s organisation that  issues that affect older Australians, affect all Australians. This is the key message which is to be emphasised as a part of the new National Seniors marketing campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the important advocacy work performed by National Seniors on behalf of its members. National Seniors are calling on the government to act on a range of issues including aged care, age discrimination, superannuation and the cost of living.  Eventually, all of us are going to be affected by these issues, either personally or through family, and it is a useful note to keep in mind – when older members of the community raise such matters, they are issues they may in the long term be things we all have to face.

I was interested to note over the weekend that the university I studied at many years ago, and still keep in reasonable contact with, has received high rankings in two prestigious higher education surveys. Melbourne maintained its position as the leading university in Australia, ranked 37^th in The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011-12 (The Rankings). It has also been ranked fourth for employer reputation in the 2011-12 QS World University Rankings. The Rankings have become a standard-bearer for acknowledging research and teaching standards in higher education, with The University of Melbourne consistently ranking well inside the top 1% of world universities. Melbourne’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis welcomed the news and said it was an encouraging reflection of the University’s aim to be a world-leader in curricula and research. “I would like to acknowledge the work of all our teaching staff and researchers who made this outstanding result possible,” Professor Davis said.  The Rankings Editor Phil Baty praised the University for excelling in all 13 separate survey indicators, calling Melbourne’s position “a fantastic achievement.” “To reach the upper echelons of this gold standard ranking, Melbourne scored consistently well across the performance categories,” Mr Baty said. Melbourne is also Australia’s leader in two other renowned international rankings – the Shanghai Jiao Tong and Taiwan’s Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council survey.  Meantime, in the Employer Reputation category,  Melbourne received a significant rise in the 2011-12 QS World University Rankings for Employer Reputation, leaping from ninth position into fourth.  This places Melbourne in an elite pool of global institutions, which includes MIT, the Imperial College London, the London School of Economics, the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia, Stanford University and Yale.  Overall, Melbourne was placed 31^st in the 2011-12 QS World University Rankings.

The latest news from the University, also pointed that the Baillieu Library [where I spent many hours on study and research, all those years ago] is undertaking a phase of refurbishment.  It would be nice to one day go back and have a look through that building, I note that it and the new  Business & Economics Library, are both still available for my use as an alumnus, even for borrowing. Might even take advantage in my post-employment period!

Late this afternoon, it was reported that Australia derailed South Africa’s bid to defend their World Cup title in an error-ridden 11-9 quarter-final victory despite enjoying little territory and not much in the way of useful possession. I watched this game, and although I had to go out, and depend on a radio broadcast for the last ten minutes, it was a tense match to be supporting one of the teams, and I was rather glad to see the Aussies scrape home with a narrow win. The Wallabies spent much of the game on the back foot, the misfiring Quade Cooper unable to guide his side out of his own half for much of the 80 minutes But a first-half try from captain James Horwill and two James O’Connor penalties, the second with just eight minutes to play, were enough to see Australia home against the most experienced Springbok side ever — boasting eight players who began the 2007 World Cup final, with a further three on the bench.  Experience alone, however, could not carry the often leaden-footed Springbok side lacking any attacking spark into next weekend’s semi-final, which will now see Australia playing New Zealand who defeated Argentina this evening. Would have liked to have watched that game also, but Channel9’s live coverage consists of a belated replay, at midnight!!!  Typical great free to air commercial service!!

Rugby World Cup update, remaining two Quarter Finals saw:

• Australia 11 South Africa 9
• New Zealand 23 Argentina 10

On Sunday next, James Horwill’s team [the Wallabies] faces the ultimate challenge – a Rugby World Cup Semi Final against New Zealand in Auckland. The All Blacks are playing at their long time fortress. They are playing in front of parochial home fans  – a crowd that has booed Australia’s Quade Cooper since the tournament kicked off. It’s time for Australia to show the world –  and I believe it is over 20 years since Australia has won in Auckland. Next weekend has to be the turnaround of that!!!

Awoke to a very dismal scene outside, misty rain, light fog, and heavy  overcast skies. Not a good omen for the day’s activities.  Meantime, after a late night, was away at 7.30 this morning for a shift at her job – if she is going to have these early morning starts, might have to restrict some of the social life to earlier finishes!!  I won’t be telling her that, though!

Shortly after 10am, I drove around to the venue of today’s Sunbury Agricultural Show, at the Clarke Oval [or Sunbury Recreation Reserve, as some people preferred to call it]. Today was Sunbury Show Day. I would be there for about the next five hours, and while in general the day itself remained overcast, the weather ‘behaved’ itself for the duration of the day’s activities, with the rain only coming in, late in the afternoon/early evening. Of course, that wasn’t enough to stop Adam’s cricket match from being called off because of the condition of the oval they were to play on, following last night’s rain. That was a real pity for Adam – I think this was the first time that he had been selected to play in the Sunbury senior team – hopefully, he will get another opportunity. As it was, after I left the ‘show’ venue this afternoon, I drove around to the Boardman ground hoping to catch part of his match, but found the place deserted, apart from the ‘dog club’ doing their thing! It was only later that I discovered from Adam that the match had been abandoned.

Meanwhile, my time at the Agricultural Show was divided between a period helping out on the 3NRG sausage sizzle stall  –  I prefer to generally not handle the food, so looked after the money side of things for a while. Once the morning sports show had finished  – the station was broadcasting live from the site – I took over the presenter’s role [in the absence of anyone else for 2 or 3 hours] – played a variety of music, and with some assistance from one or two other presenters present on the day, we carried out 2 or 3 interviews and general chats with people in the area. I think the ‘highlight’ had to be the extended interview with the reptile demonstration people. There was yours truly, sitting in our small little caravan broadcast booth, beside a young lady from the wildlife team who had this huge 15 foot python draped around her neck and body. She was virtually nursing this creature like you would a pet cat, and it was responding in the same manner.  It had been bred from a baby, so was quite used to been handled by humans, and had also, somehow, apparently been trained not to bite it’s handlers [or people like me sitting, with some mild apprehension I must admit, right beside this python, which like a cat, was very curious, exploring the interior of my bad, the microphones, cds, and trying to generally wind it’s way around the equipment. The snake allowed itself to be pulled back into ‘line’ without any apparent hostility or reaction  – curious but well behaved, and extremely tame and docile in nature. Well, I don’t think I would be prepared to trust it to the extent that this girl was, she had complete faith in the python’s likely reactions, and despite it’s size and think body, was apparently only a young one!!! Anyway, that was as close as I want to get to any kind of snake in the near future.  When it comes back next year, it will be close to full size – on hearing that, I made a mental note to ensure I would not be here!!  We have interviewed these people for about 4 years in a row now, but for me, never quite as so up close and personal!!!

Quite a reasonable turn-up of 3NRG people here to help out, although a few more helpers would  have been appreciated.  Great to see Jack and Orr Harris back from Thailand, having only returned a couple of days ago. Those two worked as long and hard as most others present, apart from President ‘Ollie’ of course.

Meanwhile, at the Melbourne horse races today, we had a real star performing –  Black Caviar – and when someone eventually was able to tell [Jack I think] how the horse performed, I was learn that Black Caviar won going away by 5 lengths, paid $1.10  – her 14^th consecutive win from 14 starts!! Admittedly, today’s run was a Group 2 race against not particularly strong opposition, but that win equalled the number of consecutive wins achieved by the great Phar Lap back in the 1930s.  For the last 75 years, Phar Lap has been considered the greatest racehorse to have come from these shores, but for many racing enthusiasts, the emergence of Black Caviar  has created a buzz about racing that we haven’t experienced in a long time. The inevitable question is being asked – which horse deserves the title of the ‘greatest’.  Personally, I’m not sure that a comparison is appropriate  – Black Caviar has won each of the 14 races it has started in, but they have all basically being sprints. Phar Lap, I’m led to understand, won over a variety of distances, but in fact, began it’s career in a not particularly spectacular fashion, with his run of wins coming into his career a little. Nevertheless, in 2011, we have Black Caviar, and the horse is indeed a magnificent animal to watch on the race track. Trainer Peter Moody, and jockey Luke Nolan both seem to be of the opinion that the horse ‘just loves what it is doing’!!!!

Here’s one person opinion of the differences between the two horses, a little tribute that appeared over the weekend in an online edition of ‘Life Choices’

“Anyone who has seen Black Caviar run can only marvel at the grace of such a fine beast and the ease by which she leaves the rest of the field standing. Can she give the great Phar Lap a run for his money?  The early years of the Great Depression were particularly bleak for Australia, but no matter how grim the circumstances were, one horse’s achievements continued to bolster the spirits of the public. Now, over 75 years on, Black Caviar could very well be Australia’s new ‘wonder horse’.

Phar Lap, foaled in 1926, was no doubt a legend of his time. During a distinguished career, he won a Melbourne Cup, two Cox Plates and 19 other races, and in 1932 when Phar Lap died from a mysterious illness, he was the highest stakes-winner in the world. His name was derived from the Thai word for lightning, translating roughly as ‘sky flash’, and he certainly lived up to this name.   But it took three years for Phar Lap to win a race. In fact, Phar Lap finished last in his first ever race and did not even place in the next three. Over his four-year racing career, Phar Lap won 37 of the 51 races he entered, including the 1930 Melbourne Cup. But as his achievements grew, criminals tried to stall his progress, and in early 1932, Phar Lap died of suspected arsenic poisoning. It was not until 1980 that scientific evidence could support this theory. And in 2006, it was ruled a certainty.  

Today, Black Caviar, foaled in 2006, is considered to be the best sprinter in the world. And in March this year, she was rated the top thoroughbred racehorse, as well.  Now Black Caviar is in her five year old season and has started off the Spring Racing Carnival in style, equalling Phar Lap’s record of 14 straight wins.

 So, who do you think is the better horse? Racing veteran Phar Lap with his 37 wins in total, or the young filly Black Caviar who has yet to lose a race? Or is it simply too soon to tell?

Meantime, over the waters, in New Zealand, today’s two Rugby World Cup Quarter final results were:

• Wales defeated Ireland       22 – 10
• France defeated England    19-12

I watched the Ireland/Wales game, and must admit to have been barracking for the Welshmen. I would have liked to have also watched the Englandf/France game, but Channel 9 decided to put on a delayed telecast at midnight, so I didn’t bother, but I was hoping for an England win.  The ‘Reuters’ news report described the match as follows: –    “A mesmerising French team beat England 19-12 at Eden Park on Saturday night to reach the rugby World Cup semi-finals and an appointment with Wales. The Welsh had earlier beaten Ireland 22-10 in a pulsating clash in Wellington. France were unrecognisable from the team which lost two group stage games and had been written off by many back home, as they tore into the English from the start, going in at halftime 16-0 ahead thanks to tries from Vincent Clerc and Maxime Medard, and two Dimitri Yachvili penalties. Ben Foden gave England hope in the 55th minute when he burst through to score and Jonny Wilkinson converted, but a Francois Trinh-Duc drop-goal eight minutes before the end nudged France 19-7 ahead. Mark Cueto scored for England for 19-12, but Toby Flood was unable to convert and the French held on for victory”. Australia plays tomorrow..

Mind you I doubt that I got much more sleep than I would have if I’d watched the second match, but it did feel the sensible thing to do in view of my normal Sunday morning commitments.

Unheard of – I went back to sleep after the alarm, woke again at 7.20, and was on my way into the city at 8am, expecting an horrific drive at that time –  in actual fact, it turned out to be my best ‘run’ for the year, made it to Northcote in 40 minutes.  Still the first to arrive!!!  A beautiful  morning [my second last Friday!!] although some showers are predicted later on.  Hopefully, the rain will stay away tomorrow – Sunbury Show day!

I wonder if I can take the liberty of borrowing a couple of quotes that appeared on a bit of correspondence from the proprietors of this blog site, I don’t think the source of the quotes was specified, but nevertheless, they impressed this writer [and reader] enough to want to keep them for future reference.  They followed on from a tribute to Steve Jobs, [and perhaps in retrospect, it was from him that the quotes originated] who died the other day in the US. He was the  American computer entrepreneur and innovator who was co-founder,  chairman, and chief executive officer of  Apple Mac.   As that organisation itself wrote in tribute – “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor.  Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple”.  It was only about 6 weeks ago that he announced his resignation as CEO of Apple after several years of failing health – he said then that    “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know,” Jobs, 56, wrote in his letter of resignation “to the Apple board of directors and the Apple community.” “Unfortunately, that day has come”.

Anyway, to those quotations, which I’m suggesting are attributed to Jobs.

• We think the Mac will sell zillions, but we didn’t build the Mac for anybody else. We built it for ourselves. We were the group of people who were going to judge whether it was great or not. We weren’t going to go out and do market research. We just wanted to build the best thing we could build.
• When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.
• Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Certainly, some very powerful pieces of advice which we could easily apply to so many areas of  our lives and attitudes to the way we live those lives. Well worth reflecting upon.

I was listening to a concert on ABC FM tonight, from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and it included a piece which featured as guest violin soloist, Sophie Rowell, one of the departing members of the Australian String Quartet [ASQ]. During the interval, there was a very interesting and in depth interview with Sophie, which included her thoughts about departing from the ASQ which had almost being as close as her own family for over 11 years. While she was obviously looking forward to moving on to new things, it was also clearly a bit of a wrench to move away from the ASQ, and in addition, from the Stradivarius violin that she has been playing with the ASQ which belonged to the ASQ itself rather than the individual. I was quite surprised that Sophie sounded much more modest and also ‘shy’ in the interview, certainly a far cry from the confident manner in which I have seen her play with the quartet. A very insightful interview.

Speaking of the Australian String Quartet, I received an invitation to a special concert & dinner with the ASQ to acknowledge the departure of Sophie and Sally and commemorate the stunning achievements of the current four players over the past five seasons. The evening, which was restricted to just 90 attendees, was to begin with a one hour concert, followed by a three course dinner with matching premium wines.  I’m sure it would be a wonderful evening, and quite enjoyable. Upon reading through the details on the official ‘Booking Form’, I had an immediate change of heart despite the fact that I have been to most of the ASQ’s concerts during those five seasons.  At a cost of  $A195 per ticket, I decided that was just a touch too much to expect of this supporter.!!!

This weekend, over in New Zealand, we have the four Rugby World Cup quarterfinals  to be played, and they are:

• Saturday – Ireland vs Wales
  • England vs France
  • Sunday –  South Africa vs Australia
    • New Zealand vs Argentina

I think I might have to put aside a couple of hours on Sunday, to watch the Australian game – playing against the current champions, it might be the Aussies last appearance in the tournament.

With the Sunbury Show due to be on tomorrow, tonight’s weather did not promise much – at one stage, it was raining steadily, and things looked ominous for both the Show, and the start of the local cricket season. Second son, Adam, playing for the Sunbury Lions, has apparently been promoted, at least for the first match [a one day game tomorrow] to the Club’s senior team, I must make a point of trying to get around to seeing part of that game after my Show duties are completed.

A quiet day at the office, I guess you could say I’m tidying up a few ‘loose ends’ both on the work front, and in the personal financial area, probably left my run a bit late in that respect, but not to worry.

A couple of days ago, I wrote a brief letter to a friend from school days in Ballarat – I ran into Heather’s brother, Ross, at the Neil Street 150^th anniversary service in late August, but she was not there, so I decided to drop her a line, and enclose a copy of the little presentation I made at that service, as it had included reference to her family. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased to receive an immediate reply today – sent by post because as Heather said ‘I don’t have a computer and I don’t want one’. In any case, it was a wonderful letter, and told me all about her family [a son & a daughter, and two ‘beautiful’ grand daughters], and I was also interested to learn that her mother, whom I’m always remembered as a quiet natured and gentle lady [when I knew them, over 50 years ago] was now aged 95, quite ill, but struggling on, and being well cared for, especially by Heather herself. I’m actually finding it quite therapeutic to be able to catch up with old friends from the past on a few occasions this year – I guess I have always been a person who likes to retain and/or refresh contacts from earlier years – and perhaps it is the passing years that is encouraging me to do this more often lately!

Meanwhile, this evening, the monthly radio committee meeting took place. A very busy month coming up for the management team, with hopefully some assistance and input  from the general membership. Apart from the planned live broadcast from the Sunbury Show venue this Saturday, we have an Open Day planned later in the month.  On Sunday 23rd October,  3NRG will host an Open Day at our Derek Rigby Studios at the top of Jacksons Hill in Sunbury, .between 10am and 3pm. There are many attractions  planned for the day, including live music, tours of the station, and so on.  A chance I guess, for the interested public to come along and see how the  local community radio station operates. 

Additionally, as a Community Radio Station,  3NRG is required from time to time to ensure that the programs that we air are meeting the needs of our listening community. To better facilitate this, the station holds a number of  community consultation meetings per annum at which all members of the community are  invited to contribute to the future programming direction of the station. The last meeting for 2011 is to be held this coming Thursday October 13th at 7.30 pm in the community hall at Rainbow Court Timins Street Sunbury. An invitation has been extended to all members of the community of Sunbury and surrounds to attend., and to provide some valuable  input. Past attempts have only produced a small number of visitors, but it is hoped that a wider section of the community will be represented on this occasion.

This week, the annual Nobel Prize awards were announced, always a long awaited for occasion in specific circles of achievement. Occasionally, these awards  attract some controversy, eg, the Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama shortly after he took office as US President a couple of years  – awarded for ‘potential achievements, I think in that cased!!  In any case, the Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895. The prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace were first awarded in 1901. The Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, while the other prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. Each Nobel Prize is regarded as the most prestigious award in its field.  Between 1901 and 2010, the Nobel Prizes and the Prize in Economic Sciences were awarded 543 times to 840 people and organizations. With some receiving the Nobel Prize more than once, this makes a total of 813 individuals and 20 organizations.

The Awards just recently announced for 2011 were as follows.

• The Nobel Prize in Physics
  Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess “for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae”
• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry
  Dan Shechtman “for the discovery of quasicrystals”
• The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
  Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann “for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity”  Ralph M. Steinman “for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity”
• The Nobel Prize in Literature
  Tomas Tranströmer “because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality”
• The Nobel Peace Prize
  Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work
• The Prize in Economic Sciences
  The Prize, which doesn’t appear to be a regular award, has not been awarded yet. It will be announced on Monday 10 October.

The Nobel Prize
Awarded for	Outstanding contributions in Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Physiology or Medicine The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, identified with the Nobel Prize, is awarded for outstanding contributions in Economics