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I had a bit of extra time on the radio this morning – through until after 10am actually –  with the country music peopled who normally follow my program, but unavailable, I decided to give the fans of that genre of music at least an hour of their ‘Sunday fix’!! 

As a bit of an outcome from that extra time, I found a rather pleasing Face Book message waiting for me upon my return home, from a former workmate up at the Shire of Gisborne, where I was employed up until the municipal council amalgamation process in 1994-95.   “Hello Bill, was that you on the radio this morning? I thought I recognised the voice, but didn’t hear who it was, as I only heard the last 10 minutes of the program. We cannot get the radio station in Gisborne, so I usually tune into it when driving in Sunbury to hear if you’re on, and I think it might have been you. If so, you sound good on the radio. Kind regards, Christine”.  That was a nice bit of feedback, rare in this business for me, and I did send back an appropriate reply, though when she will get to read it, I don’t  – I have the impression that this particular Face Book ‘user’ only actually logs on once in a ‘blue moon’!!

For the 3^rd day in a row, the Test Cricket in Tasmania came to an end a couple of hours before the scheduled finishing time, during to poor weather, rain and bad light. The 3^rd day’s play saw another avalanche of wickets falling before lunch – New Zealand losing 7 wickets for 87, and with Australia batting in their 2^nd Innings, requiring 242 runs to win the match, they were 0 for 72 at stumps, all wickets available, and just 169 runs needed at that stage!  It should be an Australian victory, with still 2 days play available.

Meanwhile, in the Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy Final, being played over in Auckland, NZ, Australia won that championship, for the 4^th time in a row, defeating Spain 1-0, in a match that looked rather rough at times!!  While that was going on, Susie and I had a visitor  –  Jodie called around, and eventually stayed to have a meal with us, as I had cooked enough food for 3 people!! Although I think the girls were happier with the way the meal turned out than I was!!  Not really enjoying my own cooking at the moment.

The town of Sunbury celebrated the 175th anniversary of colonial settlement this year? . Sunbury is home to many unique and historically significant places to visit and explore – the oldest homestead in Victoria, the Home of the Ashes, and award-winning wineries. Sunbury is also able to boast being the closest wine region to Melbourne and one of the oldest villages in Victoria.  Hume City Council is very proud of Sunbury, our community and what it has to offer.   During the year Council has held a number of events to celebrate the 175 year anniversary   This weekend, as a culmination of Sunbury’s celebration of it’s 175^th ‘birthday’, we had the Awards Ceremony take place for the 175 Faces of Sunbury Community Event..  From early times, communities have rewarded community leaders for excellence, achievement and outstanding service. This recognition has taken many forms. In recognition of the 175 year anniversary of the founding of Sunbury, the Faces of Sunbury awards have been established. These awards will recognise the service of individuals in Sunbury who make a significant contribution to the community. The nominee may be anyone from a doctor who has spent decades treating Sunbury children, a social worker supporting local families, a football star inspiring junior players, a business owner employing local staff or a person volunteering.  The recognition ceremony was held at local tourist destination, the Pitruzzello Estate Olive Grove and Vineyard,  to announce the 175 Faces of Sunbury and to formally congratulate and applaud the people who make Sunbury great.  The nominations for the awards were indicative of the strength of volunteerism and the strong community spirit in Sunbury. The nominees are as diverse as Sunbury itself – with well-known business and tourism operators, volunteer sporting coaches and club supporters, leaders in community health, environmentalists, historians and community service workers among the suggestions. The eligibility criterion for the awards was open to anyone living or passed who worked, lived or studied in Sunbury. It has enabled us to honour anyone in the community – from our founders to people who have made a recent contribution and people of all ages and backgrounds.

Volunteers, teachers, entrepreneurs and artists were among the 175 Faces of Sunbury honoured, and I will make reference to some of the selected names in tomorrow’s blog contribution, which names included two individual members of the radio station, and a ‘group community’ award to the radio station as an organisation.  In announcing the Awards, Hume Mayor Councillor Ros Spence said the town has developed and grown while still maintaining its unique character because of the commitment and energy of its residents.  “This is a wonderful opportunity to recognise the quiet achievers, volunteers and community leaders, both past and present, who have helped craft Sunbury into the burgeoning community it is today” Cr Spence said. “ “Despite a growing population this town has retained its unique sense of community spirit and identity – a country town feel just a stones throw from the hustle and bustle of Melbourne.”  Nominations were sought from throughout the community in an extended consultation process which began in February. Residents were asked to identify leaders, volunteers, friends and family both past and present who have made a positive impact on the town. More than 300 nominations were received and the nominees were then assessed by a panel who selected the final 175 recipients. “The Sunbury community takes great pride in their community, its people are friendly and are committed to making Sunbury the best it can be. This event reflects those strong community ties,” Cr Spence said. “This year’s long calendar of events marking Sunbury’s 175^th Anniversary, have provided us all with a terrific opportunity to reflect on how far this region has grown and developed.”  At the ceremony a time capsule containing mementos from throughout the community was also officially closed. The capsule will be buried and unearthed in 25 years to mark Sunbury’s bicentennial.  [I should note that at a couple of meetings earlier this year, members of the Family History Society suggested that my name be put forward as a nomination – I actually declined that suggestion, genuinely feeling that my contributions to the Sunbury community were of little significance when compared with what many other more deserving people had achieved. That feeling was certainly confirmed when I perused the list of outstanding individuals you had granted that honour].

For many of us, university was more than a stepping stone to a career. It was a place and time where friends and mentors inspired us; where we could indulge our curiosity, open our minds, and contemplate all that was possible. A little different for me – as a part time student, usually attending late afternoon or evening lectures, I only came across fellow students on the odd occasion. Became friendly with a couple of others, but generally, didn’t get the opportunity for much social contact.

On another aspect, Melbourne University has always been renowned for the ‘research’ into various fields that came out of the place, and that obviously continues to this day, judging by a recent report from the institution.  Three University of Melbourne researchers have been awarded for their contribution to innovation, health and well-being and medical research in the National Health and Medical Research 
(NHMRC) Awards announced in Canberra this week.  Dr Katherine Kedzierska and Associate Professor Murat Yucel , as well as Professor Alan Cowman from the University and Walter and Eliza Hall Institute were among 19 of Australia’s top researchers honoured in the awards.  Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler congratulated the winners at an award ceremony in Canberra. University of Melbourne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Jim McCluskey said the awards recognised the depth, quality and range of research at the University of Melbourne “I congratulate our award recipients on their achievements and commend the hard work and dedication of these researchers as they strive to improve the health of all Australians,” he said.  Just a note on the three Melbourne University recipients in respect to their specific research.

 Dr Katherine Kedzierska received her PhD from Monash University in 2002, completing her postdoctoral studies in Department of Microbiology and Immunology at University of Melbourne as an NHMRC Peter Doherty Postdoctoral Fellow. In 2006 she was awarded an NHMRC RD Wright Fellowship and established a research team at the University of Melbourne. Her research interests include human T cell immunity, viral escape and generation of immunological memory in influenza infection. This year she was awarded the Australian 2011 Scopus Young Researcher of the Year AwardAssociate Professor Murat Yucel, University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Murat Yucel is a clinical neuropsychologist in the Department of Psychiatry, and his work focuses on the field of neuropsychiatry. His research endeavours to understand the neural, psychological and pharmacological bases of impulsive and compulsive behaviours seen across substance-related and psychiatric disorders. He is also interested in the links between heavy cannabis use, the brain and psychosis. Through this research he hopes to identify improved treatments and educate students and researchers. He has more than 160 peer-reviewed publications.

Professor Alan Cowman is head of the Division of Infection and Immunity at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) and Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He is also a fellow of the NHMRC, the Royal Society and the Australian Academy of Sciences. Professor Cowman received his undergraduate degree at Griffith University and completed his PhD at the WEHI, followed by a NHMRC postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California. His work is aimed at understanding the function of proteins in the most severe form of malaria in humans.

Back to more ‘basic’ research – Day 2 of the Second Test between Australia and New Zealand  –  not a good extended pre-lunch session for the Australians who were chasing the meagre NZ score of just 150. By lunch after 150 minutes of tentative Australian batting, the Aussies had slumped to 7 wickets for 81 runs, still 69 behind the NZ score!!! Terrible performance, on what admittedly, appeared to be a green bowling wicket!!!  At lunch, I prepared to go out and watch a bit of local cricket. Sky partially overcast in warm conditions, and while some more ‘Saturday’ rain was forecast, hopefully if would hold off long enough for Adam’s  team to achieve a victory. Though overcast, it was quite warm & humid at Sunbury’s Clarke Oval,  as Adam indicated afterwards – warmer out on the field than he had anticipated.

His team came back in to bat at 1 wicket for 91 runs, just needing 3 more runs to secure a win. Adam was on a score of 26, and I hoped I would see him make a few runs.  He batted well, cautiously as is his style, and the runs started to accumulate  – from 26, he scored 44111213112 – and then, on 47, with a 50 in sight, he had a go at a ball he generally manages to score boundaries off, but mistimed his stroke, and was caught  –  on 47.  Had a bit of a chat with him later on –  Adam said that he got a gleam in his eye, when he saw that ball coming, but perhaps got too excited, and misjudged it. Anyway,. I congratulated him on that part of his innings which I had seen – he had come in as one of the openers, so had hung around for quite a while.  While I was at the local cricket, down in Hobart, the Australian bowlers put up a bit of a fight, but Australia were eventually all out for just 136 runs, 14 behind New Zealand. Soon after the tea break, in their second innings, the Kiwis had lost 2 for 36!   Certainly a low scoring match – 22 wickets down in less than 2 days. By stumps today, NZ were in a much stronger position, having consolidated their batting – at the end of Day 2, they were 3 wickets for 139 runs, a lead of 154 with 7 wickets in hand.

Susie out as usual tonight, don’t know where she goes, but actually went out twice, to different places.  Quiet Saturday night for Bill, a bit of reading, writing, and yes, listening to another live concert broadcast – tonight, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Sebastian Lang-Lessing, with a program of two Beethoven Symphonies – No’s 8 and 9. By coincidence, I am playing the first two movements of Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony, tomorrow morning on the radio, decided to spread it over two weeks for my listeners.

Moderate start to a day which ‘promises’ to be rather warm – think the garden might be given a rest today, but, began the morning before it got too hot, with another 40 minute walk [which ended up lasting 60 minutes], a sensible time of day to do that I guess!  And with the weather hot outside, for me, a good excuse to watch a bit of cricket!!

It was Day 1 of the 2^nd cricket test today between Australia and New Zealand, played at Bellerive Oval in Hobart [Tasmania].   The New Zealand team  –   Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor [captain] Kane Williamson, Dean Brownlie,  Reece Young, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee,  Chris Martin,  Trent Boult [Daniel Vettori withdrew due to injury].  The Australian team:  Phillip Hughes, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Ricky Ponting,   Michael Clarke (capt), Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin (wk),  Peter Siddle,  Mitchell Starc,  James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon.   A great pre-lunch session for the Aussies at least  – Michael Clarke won the toss, and decided to send the Kiwis in to have a bat. Good decision for the Aussies, which saw New Zealand having collapsed to 6 wickets for just 83 runs at lunchtime!!

It was around 2.45 pm, when the New Zealand team were eventually all out for just 150 runs [at which time the tea break was taken]. Australian’s young new bowler, in his second Test, again took five wickets in the innings, a great start to his test career.  A bit of a delay in the game recommencing due to a brief shower of rain, and then the Australians came into bat – briefly, as the rain came back, with the Aussies 1 for 12 runs. Phil Hughes, battling to keep his place in the team, failed again, and unless he can create a huge score in the second innings, I would suggest his days in the team are numbered. In the meantime, the rain in Hobart became heavier, and eventually, any further cricket was abandoned for the day.

A project that I will hopefully benefit from, has just finished a very busy construction year.  The ‘Sunbury Electrification Project’  is making good progress.  The aim is to extend the electrified Melbourne metropolitan rail network, about 15 kilometres from it’s current ending point, at Watergardens, to Sunbury. Thankfully, both Sunbury and Digger’s Rest stations [the town a few kilometres closer to the city from Sunbury] will have CCTV security surveillance installed  – an initial concern about government plans to extend the service to Sunbury, was that as the end point of the metropolitan network, Sunbury would be likely to fail increased criminal and vandalism activity, as troublemakers came out from the city. On completion of the project, rail users [such as myself now] will have full access to all metropolitan railway stations including direct access to the city look. Currently, we use the rural rail network, for which services are much more limited, particularly late at night, and of course, are not available to the underground network in the city area.  A big advantage for travellers in Sunbury will be the overcoming of the problem of weekday services finishing at 10.15pm, as they currently do, which makes attendances at city functions at night, a difficult proposition. I will face that problem next Tuesday when I attend another opera performance in the city  – that outing will mean driving across to Watergardens, parking the car [which one is not always confident about doing at a suburban station] and using the metropolitan service from that venue.

Incidentally, last Tuesday, for the second month in a row, the Reserve Bank of Australia [RBA],  lowered the official ‘interest rate’. In the couple of days since then, we have had much speculation as to whether the four big banks in Australia, will correspondingly lower their interest rates on home mortgages. Despite all reporting huge profits in recent [banks doing better than most enterprises], they were all ‘crying poor’ and giving consideration to what extent of the Reserve Bank increase, they would pass on to customers. While all of those four banks  –  Commonwealth, Westpac, ANZ, and the National –  were claiming to be facing rising funding costs, but were also considering the political implications of ‘not’ passing on the full benefit, by late yesterday, they had all done so. The Reserve Bank decision indicated that the RBA had downgraded its outlook for the global economy in the past four weeks, and in Chairman in announcing the rate decrease on Tuesday, said that trade in Asia was beginning to suffer from a significant slowdown in Europe [where questions of the economy have dominated much of the discussion in that part of the world over recent months], and that as a consequence, the likelihood of a further material slowing in global growth has increased. Despite all that, and the RBA’s caution, the Australian economy remains fairly robust, in comparison with other major economies around the world, and the RBA is apparently not seeing  any sign of the global slowdown  hitting the Australian economy, yet, although things may become more challenging next year.  The RBA meets on the first Tuesday of each month [except January] to consider such matters, and appears to maintain a fairly close watch on the world’s economy and it’s potential affect on us here.

Well for the first time this summer, I sitting here with a cooling fan in operation  – it’s a rather warm evening, and while perhaps not hot enough to switch on the air-conditioning unit, I’ve dragged out an old reliable fan to cool things down a bit, where I am working.

A pleasant surprise tonight to receive a couple of text messages  from an old school friend from Ballarat days – in fact, we really only knew each other at the Primary School level and were probably only ‘friends’ by association in those days [same school and church]. Australia Post is working pretty well  – I only posted late yesterday my Christmas greetings, etc to Heather, in Ballarat, and tonight, she was thanking me for them! During the course of those ‘text conversations’, I discovered she was a jazz fan, as I was – Heather wanted to know our radio station frequency, and I think she was disappointed when I told her that the signal disappears halfway to Ballarat!!

Meanwhile, I was listening to a ‘concert’ of my own tonight, without leaving the house  – direct broadcast  from the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra [from which orchestra, I received in the mail yesterday, a copy of their 2012 concert program – not that I was likely to get to any of them!!]. Anyway, some great classical music on tonight’s program – Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Boyevoda, Symphonic Ballad’; Prokofiev’s ‘Sinfonie Concentante’; and  Beethoven’s ‘Symphony No 3 [Eroica]  –  all of which, I have featured at different times in my own program!  Heather had asked me if I was listening to the ABC TV jazz program, which she was doing, but I had to admit that Beethoven was taking priority for a while tonight!

I probably overdid the walking and the time in the garden this afternoon [attacking those blackberry bushes, yet again, getting closer to eliminating the bulk of it] in the heat of the early afternoon, but nevertheless, felt better for it. That was after spending about 2 hours up at the radio station this morning – dealing with a few financial matters, and printing off a few of my programs and other items.  I miss the availability of the work photocopier for the occasional job in that respect, but with the facilities available at the radio [aided by some material contribution from myself – paper, etc] this is a reasonable option, while I get my printer, etc, set up at home.

As a volunteer in a range of areas through most of my working life, I was interested to read that the Australian Bureau of Statistics says more than one-third of Australians carried out voluntary work last year and more women volunteered than men.  In 2010, 36% of Australians aged 18 years and over participated in voluntary work – 38% of them women and 34% men.  Despite the pressures of balancing work and family life, people who were employed were most likely to be volunteers and women working part-time had the highest rate of volunteering (49%).   People over 65 most commonly volunteered for welfare and community organisations (37%), which these days includes your personal essayist. I have no doubt, that my involvement in the radio station, and other areas, will continue in the years ahead. Currently, those interests are limited to the radio station, and the Family History Society, apart from the occasional audits I perform for local organisations.  As 2012 rolls along, my involvement in other areas is likely to expand!

Today’s mail included what will probably be my final ‘official’ copy of ‘INTHEBLACK’, the monthly magazine of CPA Australia [Certified Public Accountants], as I intend to resign as of the end of 2011, being no longer fully employed. I’ve decided to retain this copy, and did find a few interesting little bits and pieces therein that I thought worth sharing in these pages. One of these was a small summary of Australia’s carbon tax plans – as mentioned a few weeks ago, Australia’s carbon tax has become law.

 “On 8 November the Australian Senate, as expected, passed a package of Bills to establish a carbon tax [fixed price scheme] from 1^st July next year and an emissions trading scheme [flexible pricing scheme] from 1 July 2015. The Opposition has promised to repeal the legislation should it win government at the next election. However, if it does win government, repealing the legislation may be quite difficult, depending on the composition of the Senate after the elections. There will be about 500 entities that will have direct liability under the tax and emissions trading schemes, however the impact of the tax is intended to flow through the economy.  As the impact of the price increases, it will increase the relative price of emission-intensive products in comparison with their lower emissions alternatives, hence encouraging a shift in consumer spending towards lower emission products. Businesses may choose to respond to such competitive pressure by reducing the emissions intensity in their supply-chain  or moving more of their supply-chain and production overseas. Either move will reduce the impact of carbon tax on their business”.

That’s the theory behind the taxes anyway! To my mind, any off-shore movement of production and supplies would be unfortunate, as this country needs more incentive for ‘Australian’ made and produced goods and services. As for the balance between high and low emission products, well again, that predicted theory will again depend on the attitude taken by those industries who feel themselves most affected.

In another discussion about the value of retaining older employees in the work force, the following little comment was made in the ‘Letters’ section by a contributor, responding to the question. The writer said ‘I was exceptionally taken by the Moon  Mission article in the October issue, which described Neil Armstrong’s speech  at CPA Australia’s 125^th-year dinner celebration in Sydney. It exemplified that age is not a barrier to achieving dreams as long as one has the attitude, vision and commitment to put in the effort and ensure that one’s competitive edge is maintained.   It was in direct contrast with the article next to it promoting the Top 40 Under 40 entries, It is also incongruous that there is another article in the same issue describing corporate cultures, which left a distinct impression that it was about the opportunities of young executives.  While I give kudos to Neil Armstrong and all the other greats who achieved fame and fortune in their later years, I would like to point out that the role of society in providing opportunities for all people, regardless of age, cannot be overstated. A society which shows partiality towards the younger generation will devalue the experience and knowledge of the more mature generation, often called the baby boomers”.  Good comment!

Meanwhile, although they didn’t get past the semi final stage of the World Cup a couple of months back,  the Australian Wallabies ‘Rugby Union team, have just capped off their 2011 season with a 24-18 win over Wales, in Cardiff, and subsequently finish the year  ranked second on the IRB World rankings. Whilst another of Australia’s top sporting groups, the Men’s Hockey team [the ‘Kookaburras’] have won their way into the Final of this year’s Champions’ Trophy, with a game to spare after beating the Netherlands 4-2 in Auckland this afternoon.  Australia plays New Zealand on Saturday before the final on Sunday.  The Black Sticks [New Zealand] have their backs to the wall after losing 3-2 to Spain, which moves past the hosts into second in the standings. To make the championship decider for the first time, New Zealand will have to beat the Kookaburras, while hoping the Spain-Netherlands result goes their way. Australia coach Ric Charlesworth says there will be no let-up from the Kookaburras in the trans-Tasman clash, even though the encounter has no bearing on their own bid for a record fourth consecutive Trophy title.  Hockey has been quite a successful sport for Australia’s Men and Women’s teams over the past decade or two, and both areas are hoping for continued success at the 2012 London Olympic Games!

A pleasant evening at the Sunbury Bowling Club restaurant tonight – Christmas Dinner for the radio station saw a good turn up of members for a change, and despite a meal which I would describe as ‘average’, it was an entertaining and ‘happy’ social evening for those present. It wasn’t all relaxation for myself as ‘Treasurer’, but overall, a worthwhile evening out, though not very late. I had invited one or other [or both] of my girls to join me at the function, but not unexpectedly, they had ‘other’ plans!

It’s been a few days since we have been here in this little ‘blog’ spot, time to a bit of catching up, and getting back on track. At least the rear garden has been getting some attention over the last few days, as have my radio programming records, so all is not lost.  Let’s go back to Friday!

Friday, 2 December 2011 – feeling inactive!!

After a poor night’s sleep, not feeling particularly active today, and probably didn’t achieve a great deal of value. Should it matter?  Probably not, but to this writer, a day passed when little is accomplished is a day wasted!!  Oh well, plenty more ahead to make up for it!

Day 2 of the 1^st cricket test, began earlier to make up some of yesterday’s lost time due to bad light and rain, and finished early again this afternoon – supposedly bad light again, but umpires, on whom such decisions solely are based these days, were roundly criticised for the decision.  Anyway, New Zealand resumed at 5 for 196, and the existing partnership between Brownlie and Vettori continued on for a large part of the morning session  – until Vettori foolishly ran himself out – on 96 runs – he deserved a century, but spoilt the attempt with an unwise attempt to maintain the strike as he approached his hundred. That partnership was worth 158 runs, and certainly enabled the Kiwis to achieve a reasonable score, eventually ending up as 295.

Not a good start for the Aussies –  two overs to face before lunch, and Test debut batsman, David Warner went out, for just 3 runs [1 for 3 at lunch]. Things did improve a little by the time Stumps was drawn at 6pm – Australia at the end of day two sitting on  3 wickets for 154 runs, with the captain, Michael Clarke,  and former captain Ricky Ponting, both still at the crease on scores of 28 and 67 not out respectively. Yesterday, I began the detailed scoring for the Kiwis, but found that too great a commitment, there were other things I needed to do during the day!!!  So just a summary from hereon!!

Now this something I should think about entering in some future year –  I’ve just read the list of candidates shortlisted for the inaugural ‘National Seniors Philpotts Literary Prize’, and am wondering whether it might be worthwhile entering my family history story, when and if I ever complete it?  Established earlier this year by National Seniors Australia and National Seniors member David Needham, the prize aims to help the winner with the costs of editing, printing, publishing and marketing of a non-fiction work.
 The competition, which closed on September 30, drew a field of 65 eligible entries in a wide range of non-fiction genres. Each entrant was required to be an amateur writer and Australian resident aged over 50 and to submit a minimum of 40,000 words. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in January.

While the names of those shortlisted for the prize won’t mean much to readers, including myself, I’ve listed them below, because of the nature of the subject matter of their writings.  I will be very interested to discover, and eventually read, the winner – give me an idea as to what standard I might be up against!

• The Penn Overland Story by Gerald Lloyd Davis (NSW)
• A Migrant Dream in the 1950s by Bruno Vartoli (NSW)
• Nulli Secundus by Terence Cardwell (Qld)
• Don’t I Know You by Vicki McCredie (NSW)
• A Funny Thing Happened To Me … by Greg Freemantle (Vic)
• The University Under the Sun by Yu Jihui (Vic)
• No Heil Hitler by Paul Cieslar and Jeff Steel (Vic)
• Colonial Women of Ipswich by Joyce Phillips (Qld)
• North Queensland in Black and White by Patsy Coverdale (Vic)
• Paradise Wins by Geoff Hoddinott (NSW)
• Me and Her – A Memoir of Madness by Karen Tyrrell (Qld).

Saturday 3 December 2011 – Saturday night with an orchestra

Susie working again, early start, and back earlier in the afternoon than I’d been expecting – I felt a little guilty, caught watching the cricket again, while she was out working!! But you are retired Bill, you can do what you like!! Trying telling that to a conscience that can’t yet adjust to relaxing!!

So yes, I watched more cricket on the TV today, and after a while, began to wish I was not bothering – others things I wanted to be doing. Didn’t go and watch Adam play cricket – I should have made that effort to. He was playing with the lower grade team, and was apparently still batting, not out with a score of 26 runs, his team 1 for 91, chasing a Riddell score of 93. Must make a note to get along next week and watch the beginning of Day 2!  However I did get out and mow both the front and rear lawns today – prompted also by a call from Shirley wanting to borrow the lawn mower again! Think I complained a little about that request – a job I’d planned for next week, in view of the weariness I currently felt, but while the weather was fine, decided I’d better get it done, in case the lawn mower ‘disappeared’ over the next day or so.

As for the ‘big cricket’ – at the end of the 3^rd day, Australia was in a reasonable situation, having ended their 1^st Innings for 427 [compared with New Zealand’s score of 295, a lead of 132 runs. Best scores for the Aussies – captain Michael Clarke with 139 [a few lives and chances but leading by example], Ricky Ponting, out for 78 [deserved a century, and look destined to do so, but not to be], wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, out for 80 [so the two senior players being talked about before the Test as playing to retain their places in the team, redeemed themselves] but good innings came from the two debutante bowlers – James Pattinson [12] and Mitchell Starc [32 not out]. At stumps on Day 3, New Zealand had slumped to 1 for 10 runs, and with two days to play, the odds on a victory had to be with the home team.

Susie had an engagement party tonight, and I had another concert to attend, over in Heidelberg.  Tonight was the 4^th for the year by the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra, though would only be the second I had actually got to this year.  I had some ‘interesting’ fellow concert goers with me tonight – sitting beside was a man who was legally blind, and who constantly kept repeating things he had already told me. On his right, was a woman who went in and out a few times during the breaks – apparently she was there with her husband but they had seats in different sections of the concert hall – the Performing Arts Centre of the Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School –  she had to keep checking on him, because he had Alzheimer’s Disease. Just prior to the start of the second half, she had settled herself back into her seat, promising not to disturb us again, then she was up again – there was her unfortunate husband wandering up the stairs, lost and confused!!! With proceedings about to get underway, our devoted wife gave up her seat to her husband, and she sat out the rest of the concert, in the aisle beside his seat!!

Anyway, to tonight’s concert!!  It was titled ‘Latin Elan’ – the influence of Latin American and Spanish folk traditions on classical music of the late 19^th century and beyond has been quite significant, but I have to admit that most of tonight’s music, I was not familiar with. That didn’t make it any less appealing however, and with the addition of a guest artist – classical guitarist, Jody Fisher – it would prove to be quite an entertaining evening, if not a little warm at times up in the upper echelons of the Arts Centre. Jody apparently first picked up the classical guitar at the age of seven, and has since become recognised as one of Australia’s leading young guitarists, and before she reached 21 years of age, she had performed solo recitals overseas and within Australia. Tonight, she played in the second and third items on the program [as well as an encore]. The items on tonight’s program were as follows [and sorry, I don’t always have the English translation!!].

La Noche de los Mayas [or The Night of the Mayas], which was a concert suite derived from the score of the movie of that name, and composed by Silvestre Revueltas [1899-1940], the son of a poor Mexican family. The Heidelberg Orchestra played 3 movements but in a re-arranged order for some reason – 1,3, then 2 [Night of the Mayas], [Night of the Yucatan], and [Night of Revelry]  – this latter section asked much of the percussion section of the orchestra [which pleased me], quite a l,ively, playful piece, referred to as a type of Latin American dance.

Spain’s Joaquin Rodrigo’s [1901-1999] ‘Concierto De Aranjuez for Guitar’ became an instant success after it was composed in 1939, and became an important and popular work in Spain. It was first performed in 1940, and the music was transcribed for flugelhorn and brass band, and used in the film ‘Brassed Off’. Apparently the theme of the second movement [of three movements], the Adagio, was adapted by Miles Davis for his jazz album ‘Sketches of Spain’. Certainly a piece of contrasts – first movement lively, fast and spirited, the second, slow [to be expected from an Adagio], and the third, again lively and fast, but with a gentle touch to the music. I enjoyed Jody Fisher’s playing, with the piece at times giving her the opportunity to play solo, outside of the orchestra’s roles. It was a little annoying that it seemed necessary to tune her guitar at the end of each movement – I would have thought that something that should be undertaken just once prior to the performance! In fact, the breaks between movements [with no interim applause] of course, I find a little disconcerting, both with this orchestra, and on other occasions, such as with the Australian String Quartet. Perhaps those periods are the opportunities given to the ‘coughers’ in the audience to get their tickles, etc, over with?!!

The second half began with Antonio Vivaldi’s [1678-1741] beautiful ‘Concerto in D for Guitar and String Orchestra  And as the title suggested, we only had the ‘strings section of the orchestra’ on stage with Jody this   time. I found, as did the rest of the audience, that the various solo guitar parts in this three movement composition were quite exquisite, generally very quiet, particularly the second movement, which is described as containing one of the loveliest melodies of the Baroque era of music. The guitar gracefully elaborates this melody over sustained notes by the strings – beautiful to listen to. I read that this concerto was written originally for the lute, and was later adapted for the guitar. The guitarist certainly deserved the prolonged applause she received at the conclusion, and that prompted a brief encore, well received.

A short composition followed – from Camille Saint-Saens [1835-1921] called ‘La Jota Aragonese’  –  a piece based on traditional Spanish folk dancing dating back to the 15^th century. It was traditionally sung and danced to the accompaniment of castanets, and with tambourines added to the orchestra tonight created a lot of ‘musical’ colour.

The program concluded with Maurice Ravel’s [1875-1937] ‘Rhapsodie Espagnole’ [self explanatory to us non-Spaniards]. In four movements, it was one of Ravel’s first works for orchestra. Movements 1,2 and 4 were generally quite lively and brisk, while the 3^rd movement – well ‘rather slow with a weary movement’ sounds apt, or perhaps that simply explains how I was starting to feel by the part of the night!! One soon woke up in the final piece of music for the night – revoking the wild joyous vigour of a Spanish fair [that’s what we were told anyway, I’ve never actually experienced a Spanish fair!!!!]. It ended in  a lot of passionate music in any case. And that ended the concert, as I prepared for a longish drive home – the weather was fine, a sharp contrast to last Saturday night – quite a pleasant trip as it eventuated.

Sunday 4 December 2011  –  chilly Summer Sunday

It didn’t seem to be so cool when I left home at 6am, but within three hours, I think the temperature had dropped a few degrees, with the aid of the chill of the breeze, and a bit of drizzling rain. By the time I’d returned home, I have to say, it was quite cold!!  But after 2 ½ hours of playing classical music on the radio, I intended to spend the next three hours working on programming, and, listening to recordings of last night’s top five selections in the just concluded ABC Classic FM’s ‘Classic 100 Countdown’ –  this year’s Classic 100 was devoted to music of the 20^th century, and 105.9FM has been gradually working through the choices of 31,000 votes of listeners over the past week, culminating in the announcement and performance of the top five choices at a concert in Adelaide last night.

Obviously, I wasn’t home to hear it – enjoying similar music with the Heidelberg Orchestra –  so I was glad of the chance to hear those top five choices this morning While I do have the complete list of 100 choices, which I will refer to in my 2012 Sunday morning programs,  we will just refer to the ten most popular selections this morning. In ascending order, with possibly not many surprises, although the whole list of 100 choices, does make for some interesting reading, so much so, that I’ve given readers the top 10 selections. By coincidence, choice number 6 was an item on the program of the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra last night – Concerto de Aranjeuz, by the Spanish composer, Rodrigo. I heard it being played, whilst I was driving to the concert venue, and realised that it was also on that night’s concert program. My first ten weeks of ‘Sunday Classics’ next year are already scheduled to feature these ten selections – though I’d better ensure in each case, that I actually have a copy on hand to play for my listeners!!

Believe it or not, but I had intended to go to another concert this afternoon. Marilla Homes, the Melbourne soprano, whom I had as a guest on my radio show a few years ago, was performing with the Preston Symphony Orchestra. Ever since Marilla came to see me, I have been intending to get to one of her concerts, and today was going to be the day – but, by mid morning, I’d decided that I simply didn’t feel like making the trip [another 45 minute drive, getting lazy in my old age], so Marilla, sorry, but I still haven’t got to hear you in concert!! In fact, spent the afternoon ‘working’ at various radio related projects!

Day 4 of the Test cricket match  – and at Lunch – New Zealand  had lost 7 wickets, and by the time I switched the TV on, new bowler James Pattinson, had already taken 5 quick wickets, and the Kiwis were crumbling quickly.  He would end the innings with  5 wickets at a cost of 27 runs, in his first test match.  New Zealand were eventually all out for the miserable score of 152, leaving Australia with about 19 runs to win.  They managed it with the loss nevertheless of one wicket – poor shot by Phil Hughes!  His place in the team continues to be in doubt!!

Final cricket scoreboard was as follows.

Australia:  427 and  1 for 19, defeated New Zealand 295 and 152 – Australia winning by nine wickets to lead the two match series 1-0. Not surprisingly, James Pattinson was named Man of the Match, despite some good batting performances in the game.

Interesting statistic – three Australian bowlers have taken five wickets on Test debut this year –  James Pattinson [5-27] in this game, Pat Cummins [6-79 against South Africa on November 20  –  think he missed this match because of an injury], and Nathan Lyon [ 5 for 34  against Sri Lanka on September 1^st – he actually took 7 wickets in this game, over the two innings, so had a pretty good match as well!].

I watched a movie length ‘episode’ of ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ tonight – don’t think I have ever watched that show previously, just felt in the mood for something like that, this time. Apart from that, I was worried about Susie tonight – seems more withdrawn and non-communicative than usual [if the latter is possible], perhaps something upset her at the party she went to on Saturday night, a friend’s engagement party! She obviously didn’t want to talk, and I barely saw her venture out of her room [apart to get the meal I’d cooked] from when she returned from work this afternoon! Doesn’t matter the age – us parents still worry about the ‘kids’ even when they don’t appreciate you doing so!!

Monday, 5^th December 2011 – weekend repercussions from Labour Party Conference

As is normal at present, early mornings are quite chilly, although sun was shining in a clear blue sky when I arose this morning. Since my retirement, I have been trying to establish a regular walking routine, but any consistency to this stage has been unsuccessful.  Today, we tried again to make a start that would keep going – the rest of the week will determine the outcome. In fact today, I managed to get in a 40 minute and about 3 hours out in the garden. Over the past twelve months or so, through my own neglect, the rear garden area has been overtaken by the dreaded blackberry bushes. Today’s little effort revealed to me the extent of the job I have ahead of me – but, rather than try and spend days on end at the task, I’ve decided to take it gradually, 3 hours or so at a time, and certainly as this week progressed, both the walking aim, and the attack on the garden did proceed with some consistency.

Meanwhile, today’s media was full of the reports of the weekend’s Labor Party annual conference. Even before the Conference ended yesterday, the weekend Sunday paper made it rather clear what it’s editorial thought of the whole thing, and I have to say that my thoughts tended to move along the same pathway. Made a couple of comments on Face Book, but oddly, people obviously don’t think it’s worth responding to someone whose views on various matters seem  to be on the other side of the fence – I got ‘no bites’ whatever,. From friend or foe!!  Not to worry – I like to make my point, my view, apparent, as do others, and certainly, I do feel like a reaction to some of the extreme  comments [in my view] that others make on that medium, but usually I just bite my tongue, and say nothing, realising that little I say will change ‘their’ attitude. Probably they think the same of me, although I would think that many of the views I express through here are tempered by a desire to at least hear out the other point of view.  In fact, on re-reading the brief comment I made, it could almost be partially a précis of the newspaper editorial –  I said that ‘Perhaps now that Bob Brown has got his way ‘again’, the Government and the Labor Party can devote their efforts to important issues that matter to the ‘majority’ of the Australian electorate instead of pampering to minority interests to keep a few people on side!!  As for Labor supporter fans who claim any subsequent Bill will be rejected by the Opposition, probably true but they will be aided by the large number of Labor members who also, on their allowed ‘conscience’ vote, will vote against the proposed change. Don’t just blame the Opposition if the legislation doesn’t get through this time – it does not have the full support of Government members either! Most of the conference attendees are not in Parliament, well, not officially, anyway!!’.

Anyway, the editorial in yesterday’s Herald-Sun [the ‘small’ paper which I generally don’t bother with [except for the sporting and racing pages] had this to say.

“PREDICTABLY, yesterday’s vote on gay marriage at the Australian Labor Party conference in Sydney ended with a bob each way.  The party voted to change its platform to advocate legal marriage for gay couples. But it also voted along with Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s wishes to send it to a conscience vote in Parliament. This means that it will most likely fail, as Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will not grant a conscience vote and it’s not clear that enough Coalition MPs will cross the floor to support it. So, after weeks and months of lobbying, the end result seems likely to be that the status quo remains and marriage will be allowed only between a man and a woman, at least for the foreseeable future. What an indulgence the whole exercise has been.

Australia is facing another serious financial challenge as the global economy wobbles Costs of living continue to rise, with childcare, electricity and gas bills climbing. Housing stock remains short and job security is on the wane.  But the ALP, the party of Government, has spent the past few weeks expending its energy on a debate about whether or not gay people should be allowed to marry, whether we should sell uranium to our trading partner, India (a no-brainer, surely, given the nation is stable both in political and social terms) and whether to reform the way the party chooses its candidates.  Could there be a clearer indication of how out-of-touch the federal ALP has become with middle Australia?  Surely that time and emotional energy could have been better spent on issues that affect the everyday lives of Victorians in Pakenham and Caroline Springs, or in the regional centres of Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.  It’s doubtful many of these hard working Aussies believe the issue of gay marriage is a priority for Labor.

At least there was a debate about asylum seekers and Australia’s refugee policy, which is a relevant issue as the numbers of boats arriving in Australia soars, testing our border protection capabilities.  But for the main, the ALP national conference was a self-indulgent talk-fest where the factional leaders got to flex their muscles and the party voted on non-binding resolutions that the Government can ignore anyway.  Last week we urged Mr Abbott to spend his Christmas break coming up with some positive policy ideas for the nation. Today, we say the Prime Minister deserves some time off over Christmas and New Year.

But the Sunday Herald Sun urges her to spend some of her holiday thinking about how she can better relate to Victorians and the issues that matter to them next year.

Needless to say, the Liberal Party was quick to put a point of view – predictably negative of course, but that like or not, that is the Tony Abbott style [which no, I don’t really enjoy, it’s gone on for far too ,long]. However, today’s online message from the Party put it this way  – 

“For the past three days, Julia Gillard and Labor talked and talked and talked.  They talked about many things but none of the talk addressed the real challenges our nation is facing. The ALP National Conference was a failure because Julia Gillard and Labor did not meet the key tests of whether they could:

1. Develop solutions and strategies to strengthen our economy, boost productivity, improve job security, and reduce cost of living pressures on Australian families.
2. Set out their plan to repay Australian Government debt, which is now set to peak at a record $136 billion.
3. Outline how they will secure Australia’s borders, including a commitment to re-instate offshore processing of boat arrivals.

Many commentators also saw through the sham that the Labor Conference was:

“As an exercise for the party faithful or a showcase to the voters, this conference must be seen as a disaster that will only confirm voters’ confusion about just who Julia Gillard – and the Australian Labor Party – really are.”  Australian Financial Review

“It was an indulgent conference contemptuous of Labor’s crisis. Most debates were a rehash of ancient rituals. Labor’s passions were ignited by same-sex marriage and uranium exports, issues far divorced from Middle Australia’s concerns. Nobody listening could feel any confidence Labor can reverse its declining fortunes.”  The Australian

“If you think Julia Gillard got her wish for a rejuvenated and “noisy” Labor Party at the weekend national conference, you’ve been conned.”  The Sydney Morning Herald

Labor’s failure to address these key issues demonstrated that Julia Gillard and the ALP have the wrong priorities for Australia.  The faceless men of the ALP continue to set the agenda for Labor and Julia Gillard.”

As for Monday’s Herald-Sun, it didn’t get around to commenting on the Conference until, page 10!!! And with headlines such as ‘Rudd blasts ALP leadership’, or ‘Nuke vote tears Labor in two’, or ‘Passion from the pollies’. I thought this little note at the end of that latter report rather telling  –  ‘Gillard’s biggest mistake was not to mention Kevin Rudd in her speech where she named every other post-war elected Labor PM. It infuriated Rudd backers. One said the Foreign Affairs Minister [and PM before Gillard] had just returned from the demilitarised zone on the North-South Korean border, and it was the sort of airbrushing from history that could be expected in communist North Korea’.

We forgot politics, gay marriages, aluminium sales to India, etc, etc, and went up to the radio station for 3 hours of music and entertainment tonight, a much more satisfying way to spend one’s evening! 

Tuesday, 6^th December 2011 – summer begins to make it’s presence felt, and a reminder of the ‘modern’ killing machine.

It did get rather warm today, and by the end of my 4-5 hours outside, preceded by another 40 minute walk, I was starting to feel it!!  While some progress was been made on those dreaded blackberry bushes in the garden, and other weed problems, it was nevertheless, slow progress!!  But I was starting to see some results! 

Meanwhile, the following letter in Saturday’s Age newspaper, reminded me of one of the curses of modern living – the road accident, of which we have seen some tragic examples here in Victoria over recent weeks. Written by Kay Fenton-Branson of Strathdale, it read:- “In the 1970s, I was a young teacher at a rural secondary school. Because a number of young people across Victoria and particularly our region had been killed or injured in road accidents, a team of police was allocated the task of visiting schools to talk about their gruesome experiences in dealing with road fatalities. As well as providing graphic images and personal stories of confronting accident scenes with dead, dying and injured people and then having to visit families to deliver ‘the bad news’, the team gave each student newspaper articles that were read out at assembly. Teachers then discussed the articles to reinforce the message delivered by the police. One of the most disturbing was ‘And this is how you die’, by Roger Aldridge. It had a sombre and jarring impact on each student and teacher who attended the assembly. I saved it and as each of my children reached their ‘learn to drive’ age, I gave them a copy in the hope that the article’s impact would stay with them. Some aspects discussed in the article have changed – such as children ‘cradled on their mother’s laps’, but not the awful manner in which people die in road ‘accidents’. What will it take to get the message through to our young people?”

That article referred to, which was published 39 years ago, a couple of years after my own father died as a consequence of a road accident, was reprinted in Saturday’s Age, and I read it for the first time yesterday.  The heading ‘And this is how you die’ was appropriately described as a ‘Message written in blood still chills after 40 years’!

The following is that article, and it comes with a warning  – that it contains graphic and explicit descriptions – but it may save your life!

And this is how you die

 By Roger Aldridge

 How do people die in motor “accidents”?

I’ll tell you.

Some people explode — like a thin plastic envelope full of offal which has been hurled against a brick wall. No pain.

They put them on a sheet of canvas and pick it up at the corners like, as one tow truck driver described it: “A tub of guts”

I haven’t seen one of these.

Others die intact. Ruptured inside, you understand, but un-harmed to look at. There may be a thin, trickle
of blood from an ear or nostril.

It annoys you, subconsciously … you wish they’d raise a dead hand and wipe it away.

Death is not instantaneous.

Rather, it comes in a matter of minutes. There is no pain as we know it … nothing sharp, exquisite, searing. It is an inner numbness, a bubbling frothing thing and a terrible inability to breathe.

They are winded, punched in the stomach by a ton of metal moving at 60 mph or more, shattering
every bone in the body as a fist would shatter a wine glass wrapped in a rug.

They never breathe again.

I’ve seen a number of these.

Men die with their trousers on, which somehow lends them dignity.

Women die with their legs apart in a lewd display.

Children die most horribly because they are seldom properly seated or braced. And they
are very small. They are thrown through jagged windscreens to roll and skid along road surfaces
as abrasive as cheese-graters.

Or, cradled in their mother’s laps, they are sandwiched between her and the unyielding dashboard. Mummy might just as well have jumped on the child from a third-storey window.

Without meaning to, of course.

Some people are burned to death.

They are not incinerated, as you’d imagine, but tend to bake or char.

Their clothes burn off them— if it is wool it forms a ghastly black”crackling”— and the skin bakes into quite a hard rind which makes a hollow sound if you tap it.

When the corpse is lifted from the wreckage it is as rigid as a papier mache dummy.

Often it is set in a sculpted, lifelike posture, but unnaturally stiff, like the little plastic drivers that toy manufacturers put in the front seats of model cars.

I’ve seen a couple of these, too.

I’ve seen men’s faces buried in the stringy bark of a tree trunk; fixed there, seemingly, by
a gob of sticky red gum.

And men hanging from halfopen car doors; fl ung rag dolls of men embracing steel power pylons; men skewered on steering columns; men whose faces are gone, as if nibbled by rats.

I’ve seen men survive.

Dragged from the back seat, soaked in a shandy of blood and beer, the shards of smashed bottles glinting in the frantic blue of the revolving police light.

Carried into casualty on a stretcher, hurt, frightened, shocked.

Men without dignity, crying while other men cut away their blood-soaked rags and yet other men explore abdomen and groin with fingers that feel like fence-posts.

Men blinking through blood and tears into bright lights while probes and tweezers remove chunks and slivers of glass from facial wounds — eyes, cheeks, gums — that big bit was a tooth. Two teeth, actually.
Having trouble talking.

Panic-stricken men with crushed rib-cages trying to breathe through broken bellows. Grey-faced, incoherent, being asked questions:

What’s your name? Are you married? Where do you live? Where does it hurt … here … here … does THAT hurt? Any children?

Thighs as flexible as a rolled-up towel, pushed back into shape and splinted. Men wheeled into the X-ray room and laid this way, then that while the ragged edges of a broken pelvic girdle scrape together. Got to get a good picture.
Men denied pain-killers while an eternity of assessment passes and other men pierce their arms and insert tubes and hold up little canisters of blood … blood donors love life, but butter eaters make better lovers.

Then sliding blissfully into euphoria as the pain-killing injection hits and they are wheeled into the operating theatre.

And I’ve seen men survive this, too.

The Russians were criticised in the 1930s for severing a dog’s head and keeping it clinically alive for a number of hours.

Alive enough to salivate at the smell of food.

I’ve seen men in the quadriplegic wards at the Austin Hospital and at Mont Park who might just as well not have bodies, although their heads are alive.

The unlucky ones are mentally unimpaired and strive for months and years to learn to write with a pencil held in their teeth, or to type by flicking one of the few remaining responsive muscles in their bodies.

Their intelligence is sharp, their appetite for books and learning is gargantuan, their role in life that of the eternal spectator … eternity being, in some cases, a “lif” expectancy of 50 or more years.

They make the best of it, but many wish for death.

And I’ve seen the lucky ones, those with brain damage, whose minds were shaken loose in the
cataclysm of car with car.

Men with glazed, half-lidded eyes, with neither bowel nor bladder control who sog in bed with no sensation below the shoulders so that bowel obstructions, appendicitis, bladder problems go undetected
by the normal warning systems which we know as pain.

Men whose total sexual impotence is parodied by an apparent state of constant sexual excitation.

Men who were mothers’ sons, wives’ husbands, girls’ lovers, children’s fathers. Men who recognise no one.

Or men whose eyes ignite for a brief moment with recognition, whose mouths open to speak a flubbery sound like deflating bubble gum, then sink exhausted into the pillow.

I’ve seen things that make me sick to the heart. I thought you should know.

Reprinted from The Age, Thursday, October 26, 1972

I made my feelings on the question of road accidents many times over the years through these pages, so I don’t feel there is anything I can add, except to concur with responses such as the following examples to the above article last weekend.

1. How can anyone prepare for a possibility that they don’t understand exists? That is the central problem here, as a couple of correspondents here have pointed out, some will never get the message, but what about the ones who just need to hear (and see) to understand it? Experience has taught me some of these lessons in life, but I’m sure even in my bullet-proof, lacking judgement days of late teens, early twenties, having this put to me explicitly would have worked wonders. The 1972 article talks about people just like me, they’re no longer nameless, and faceless – they could be me on any given day – I think this is is the simple essential power of the article – we all need (and perhaps deserve) access to this kind of material – you can’t suspend belief when confronted with this

   OR,

   1. Great piece. There’s no point in sugar coating it for kids. As a teen in the 80s I drove drunk out of my mind every weekend. I drove as fast as the car would go and I was too stupid, with my Looney Tunes conviction in my own super heroic competence, to ever think that anything bad would ever result. I was far luckier than I deserved to be and didn’t kill or seriously harm anyone. But that was just dumb luck. Almost every acquaintance of mine has a similar story to tell. Not all were lucky. Yet we all promised our parents we’d be careful and take no silly risks each time we took the keys from them. That’s what teenagers do and have always done. Now I’m a teacher and to see the immaturity of year 11 and 12s before me and their own lunatic, groundless self confidence is terrifying. It’s like looking in a mirror.  Let’s not sugar coat the reality for them. If they are upset by pictures or words then perhaps they might dodge the greater upset of being the person responsible for creating them.

Wednesday, 7th December 2011 –  time to reflect & act!

Well now, after the articles of the last couple of days, that I have imposed upon my readers, perhaps today should be a time to say nothing!! Almost, but not quite!

Early arising, to put through my on-air phone call to Ron at the radio station – local sports results. Susie was up not long afterwards for at early start at the shop, while I was off to town a short while later – for regular blood test, and a bit of shopping before returning for my third walk in a row [yippee, the latest campaign has lasted three days], and while the nurse who took my blood earlier suggested no major physical exercise today, I did spend another couple of hours in that ‘weed-infested’ garden again, and despite so much more needed, was relatively pleased with the progress made this week.

Just one thing – I mentioned the other day the manner in which PM Julia Gillard ‘airbrushed’ her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, in her speech at the ALP Conference. I’d not realised that her Treasurer, Wayne Swan followed that up in support by reciting a list of Labor greats, again minus one name. He said ‘This Prime Minister is as tough as nails but she’s more than that. She’s a Labor leader in the very best traditions of Curtain and Chifley and Whitlam and Hawke and Keating’. His omission of Kevin Rudd’s name was not missed, as was also the PM’s roll call of great Labor Prime Ministers. And while this was happening, the Foreign Minister [Rudd] who was being ‘airbrushed out’ sat with a forced smile in the front row!!! The comment was made in one of the papers – ‘Labor’s modern family extended to embracing gay marriage. But not to embracing Rudd. Whatever his personal failings, there was something ugly about that’.

On a personal front, I received a Christmas card and a beautiful long letter from a girl I last knew when we were both ten years old. She had written to me a few weeks ago, in response to my contacting her following the Neil Street Church anniversary at the end of August, but I in my usual fashion, had not got around to my intended follow up!! Heather had beaten me to it!! Well, that was my impetus to begin this year’s ‘Christmas card despatch’ program, beginning with Heather [and a letter to go with her card]. Not being at work now, I shouldn’t really have an excuse of no time to write out cards!!!  Ahhh but life is still so busy  – over the past 24 hours or so, I have committed myself to 4 or 5 additional radio programs between now and the new year!!!  Not that I’m complaining. I love it!!!  Also today, received greetings from my old Gisborne Shire boss, Terry [and his then Secretary, Lyn,  who many years later, is still with him, great to see].  He was reminding of the annual reunion barbeque which is held at Terry & Lyn’s place in Gisborne every February, and to which over the past 12 or so years, I have only put in two appearances!! I really must make the effort this time, even though there are usually many people there whom I don’t know, an environment I always have difficulty in. But he was a good man [no doubt still is], even if a Labor supporter [arn’t they all!].

It’s the first day of Summer in Australia, and yes, it’s many years, if ever, that I have been home on the first day of the First Cricket Test for the Australian summer season, and for today at least, I intend to take advantage of that fact – 6 hours of cricket, weather allowing – thunderstorms predicted at the GABBA in Brisbane but looking good at the moment.  Australia versus New Zealand!!  A little warmer down here today, although currently looking rather overcast outside  at present, more rain about I think.

But up in Brisbane, New Zealand won the Toss, and will bat!!!  I shall return!!!

Call from Adam this morning – he was at work, and apparently tickets went on sale this morning for a rock concert next February he wanted to go to – would I book them online for him, didn’t want to wait until later as he expected sales to go fast. I’d never heard of the band he was interested in [not surprising, it was a heavy metal band], but after a bit of research, etc, I managed to track down the booking arrangements for the concert in question!!  The band name  – ‘System of a Down’!!!  A bit of a rock style politically inspired group!  And for a change, I received immediate payment a couple of hours later for the use of ‘my’ credit card!!  Particularly necessary these days!!

Day One of the Test. Australia gor off to a great start [bowling] in  the first session to lunch, with NZ going into the break at 4 wickets for 94. Australia had three players making their Test debut – James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc [bowlers] and David Warner [opening batsman], and the new bowlers had early success. Another wicket straight after lunch, saw the Aussies in a strong position, but then, the NZ veteran, Daniel Vettori combined with Dean Brownlie to consolidate the batting, with both players lasting through until an early tea break [due to poor light], with the score by then having moved on to  5 wickets for 176, a good fightback. After the tea break, for the start of the 3^rd 2 hour session, there was quite a heavy dark cloud cover over the cricket ground, and while the floodlights had been turned on, there had to be some doubt that a full day’s play would be achieved. In fact that supposition was correct – soon after writing that note, the rain started to come down steadily, and certainly at that stage, further play today very unlikely!!

 So let’s have a look at the scoreboard for the first day of play, won’t be able to give this detail each day of play, but today, with another rather miserable and strangely cold day outside, I’ve devoted my hours to some cricket viewing. Also, a debut day for three Australian players, and quite a young team overall apart from Ponting, Hussey, Clarke, Haddon and Siddle [the only experienced Test bowler]. Actually, not particularly keen on the TV commentary with it’s constant advertisements – tried the old trick of listening to the ABC radio broadcast and watching the soundless TV. Sadly it didn’t work – the picture from the TV was between 4 to 6 seconds behind the radio description. Disappointing, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this was a deliberate ploy by Channel 9 – to have a slightly delayed TV coverage the practice that I tried to do, as I am certainly not alone in the practice [or this case, attempted practice]!

Better news, hopefully, with an update on the Chris Judd situation  – Carlton Captain Chris Judd will undergo minor surgery on his injured right shoulder and is expected to resume full training in January. Judd had precautionary scans on his shoulder yesterday after experiencing some discomfort during pre-season training.

Meanwhile, for the 1^st day of Summer, well it had become quite cool my early afternoon in this part of the state, and certainly didn’t feel like the beginning of the year’s ‘warm quarter’. Still raining up at the Gabba,  as five o’oclock [Eastern Australian Daylight Saving Time] came and passed.

As noted yesterday, the Labor Party Conference is on for three days, and discussions are likely to be focused on a couple of divisive issues. Immigration Minister Chris Bowen will be proposing an almost doubling of Australia’s refugee intake in a bid to win support for his Malaysian people-swap agreement. I hope his eventual aim fails.  On another issue, Victorian right-wing cabinet minister, Stephen Conroy will break with his faction and with Julia Gillard by opposing uranium sales to India when the issue is debated.  The most divisive issue relates to the gay marriage subject, where an attempt will be made by some sectors of the Party to propose a motion to amend the Marriage Act to ensure equal access to marriage under statute  for all couples irrespective of sex. As reported today, a platform change to endorse gay marriage would be embarrassing for the Prime Minister, who has repeatedly said that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Ms Gillard wants the Party to agree to a conscience vote on the issue, rather than a platform change. The Age editorial comment today is headed ‘To reject gay marriage is to be blind to our common humanity’ – I read through that article, trying to ascertain some clear reasons for that argument, but was not convinced that the writer had either proved or disproved his point. I agree with some views that it is not a ‘core issue’ and is being given more prominence than is justified, and while I personally have no concerns about those who find themselves in a gay relationship, I, like our Prime  Minister, find it difficult to change my view that the institution of marriage should remain between a man and a woman,  an inherited view I guess of my Christian upbringing. I was thinking of copying the ‘Age’ article into this contribution, but as indicated, didn’t feel it went far enough in providing convincing arguments for either side of the issue. I note one point, where the comment is made that ‘Many opponents of gay marriage do not see depth at all in gay sexuality’. Well, I suppose the same argument could be put in respect to the traditional marriage, when one takes account of the high percentage of marriage divorces and separations in  this 21^st century. I used the word ‘divisive’ at the beginning of this paragraph, and I think that is a very accurate categorisation of this topic. I think the fact that it gets such a high priority in our parliamentary circles relates much to the existence and constant push of a couple of very prominent gay politicians, such as Green’s Leader Bob Brown, and  the Government Finance Minister, Senator Penny Wong, to mention two. Anyway, much will be written and said on this and the other issues highlighted, over the next two or three days, and beyond.

The Liberal Party have a slightly different take on the issues [with one exception] that are important points of discussion at the Labor Conference.  Tonight’s communication plans it out thus:>

The key tests for Julia Gillard and Labor at the 2011 ALP National Conference will be whether she can:

1. Develop solutions and strategies to strengthen our economy, boost productivity, improve job security, and reduce cost of living pressures on Australian families.
2. Set out her plan to repay Australian Government debt, which is now set to peak at a record $136 billion.
3. Outline how she will secure Australia’s borders, including a commitment to re-instate offshore processing of boat arrivals.

If the Conference does not develop clear and tangible plans to secure Australia’s future and make life easier for Australian families, it will be nothing more than a self-indulgent 3-day talkfest. It will also demonstrate that Julia Gillard and Labor have the wrong priorities for Australia and that her agenda is still being set by the faceless men of the ALP.

Which, when you read between the lines is basically all statement was –  a ‘talk-fest’ [or write-fest] of wordy spin with the usual emotive ‘make life easier for Australians’ pitch!  Oh well, we are becoming depressingly used to that style of debate from both sides these days!

Now, to matters closer to home, and to my heart, some might suggest.  The final radio station committee meeting for 2011 on tonight, and apparently quite a deal of business to be dealt with. With changes currently happening with the web site, that will hopefully mean a but better level of internet servicing of the station, and while we have not yet got to the stage of streaming on-line, that remains an option and a future ambition.  It was almost like a Winter’s night [but without the early evening darkness] when one could be encouraged to stay at home rather than venture out to a meeting, but duty called, and we were off.  Well, I was anyway. In the end, it was a worthwhile two hours despite a few absentees. Home later in time to watch an emotional taped final episode of ‘Crownies’ on the ABC!

I noticed a news report this morning that the only daughter of Russian dictator, Stalin, had died in the US at the age of 85. She apparently died in relative obscurity and poverty after years of wanderings. She suffered from shifting fortunes, name changes, various short lived marriages. Born Svetlana Stalina in 1926, she could never rid herself of the shadow of her father, and wherever she went in the world, considered herself a ‘political prisoner of her father’s name’.  One of her early ‘loves’ at the age of 17, was banished to a labour camp in Siberia by a disapproving Stalin. She lost most of her privileges after Stalin’s death. She would spent the rest of her life in various parts of world, alternatively denouncing the Soviet Union, or then in turn the West, depending on where she was at the time.  A bio of the woman would probably make interesting reading!

I also was interested in another article about the Welsh singer, Charlotte Church [now, 25 years of age]. I think I purchased her first two CDs, when she was aged about 12/13 in 1999/2000 [in fact one of those cds was a birthday gift from an ‘internet friend’ of the time, from Blaney, in New South Wales]. This story dealt with Church being supposedly pressured into wavering a 100,000 Pound fee [at the age of 13 then !!!!] to sing at Rupert Murdoch’s 3^rd wedding  – apparently she was advised to agree because Murdoch was ‘a very, very powerful man’! Of course there were claims and counter-claims to that ‘claim’, but Charlotte Church certainly had some other interesting points to make about Murdoch in a recent appearance at a media standards enquiry. She described at one point, the Murdoch newspapers as being amongst the worst offenders at harassing her, and amongst other things, described the ‘massive psychological effect’ of a News of the World story in 2005 that her father was having an affair and her mother had attempted suicide. She said ‘I just hated the fact that my parents, who had never being in this industry, were being exposed and vilified in this fashion’. From what we have read and seen over the past year or so, it seems that type of incident barely scratches the surface of some of the tactics portions of the media get up to, in their search for a ‘story’.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Federal Election crept on us here in Australia last week – and I only noticed well after the event that  Prime Minister John Key’s National Party had been returned for a second term of office, and in the process, increasing it’s vote by 48.1%, the best result for any party in 60 years, with the number of opposition Labour members reduced from 43 to just 34 seats. A consequence has just seen the resignation of both  the Labour leader & his deputy from those roles.  New Zealand have had a year of mixed fortunes, beginning with the mine disaster of 12 months ago, and then the Wellington earthquake at the beginning of 2011. It seems as though the government response to events of that nature was sufficient to retain the public’s confidence in their rulers!

On another aspect, recent correspondence from the GetUp organisation, points to yet another decision or proposal that seems to be gaining momentum outside of Parliament sitting times. This week, the Federal Government’s Murray Darling Basin Authority released a draft report that recommends only an extra 2750 billion litres of water be returned to the Murray  River, not even meeting the 3000-4000 billion litres the Government’s own process said was required to ensure the river survives only a year ago – and far less than leading scientists have recommended.   To counter this, GetUp points to the fact, that they now have a powerful ally in the action their movement is taking to protect the Murray Darling. Few political leaders understand what’s happening in the Murray Darling Basin better than Jay Weatherill. He’s the Premier of South Australia, where our most important river system ends. He’s written a message to GetUp members explaining the situation. The Premier’s message summarises the despair that scientists, environmentalists and sustainable farmers are feeling right now. The results of the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) process are being slammed by experts including the CSIRO^.

GetUp is quick to point out that the proposal is far from a done deal, because as Water Minister Tony Burke can fix it. With the Federal Government focused on assessing community reaction before delivering the final report, GetUp is urging members and supporters to make their voices heard, and tell Minister Burke to ensure the next version of the plan will deliver what it takes to save the River. As the Premier says in his letter, “it’s not a choice between producing food and having a healthy river. We need a healthy river and sustainable food production’, and we need to ask Tony Burke to put science before politics.  We were told that was the basis behind the carbon pricing decision – hopefully a similar outlook can be determined in this case. While personally, the Murray Darling system has no direct affect on myself, it is a major ‘food bowl’ area of Australia, and down the track there must be affects of some nature for all of us, if this project is not handled properly.

And then there’s a little generally unknown part of Tasmania, also under threat, and again, Minister Burke is been called upon to protect it –  because  ‘It’s little known outside of Tasmania. A place of sweeping beaches, temperate rainforest, sand dunes and pristine river systems; along with more than 60 species of threatened, rare or endangered animals – including a certain famous devil, the world’s largest freshwater crustacean and Australia’s largest eagle. It’s the Tarkine Rainforest: a living, breathing relic of Earth’s original super continent, Gondwanaland, and the second largest intact stretch of rainforest in the world. But if we’re not vocal, it will soon be home to some of Tasmania’s newest open cut mines’.

A chance for some of those kind of issues to be raised at the coming weekend’s ALP [Labour] Annual Conference, but they will probably be overshadowed by other items on the national agenda, for example, that long running subject of refugees. The Government is moving to adopt the changes to refugee and asylum seeker policy that groups like ‘A Just Australia’ have been pushing for years. Asylum seekers, including those arriving by boat, will be issued with bridging visas to live in the community while their claims for asylum are assessed. However, the Malaysia deal is still government policy and the excision legislation remains in place. This topic is likely to be hotly debated by those in the government who still want to push for the Malaysian solution. As ‘A Just Australia’ says in a recent communication,  ‘We need all the help we can get to make this new community-based policy work – we’ve worked too hard to let it fall victim to political division and media hysteria.  Community processing will work with strong political leadership in every community’. As a supporter of that work, I sincerely hope that this new change in policy direction by the Federal Government [despite the fact it was forced upon them] is proceeded with, and we start to treat these refugees and asylum seekers with a little more care and humanity than has occurred in Australia over the past decade or so. The two remaining main concerns over Australia’s asylum policy continue to be

• the refugee swap agreement with Malaysia is still government policy and doesn’t address the real issue – the lack of protection in our region
• the excision legislation remains in place which leaves the door open to the resumption of offshore processing

Meanwhile, this was a bit of a worrying report for us Carlton fans, on the Blues website tonight –  Carlton captain Chris Judd has had precautionary scans on his right shoulder after suffering an injury during pre-season training.  Chris will see his specialist tomorrow for a review to decide what, if any, intervention will be required.  The Carlton medical team and Chris decided it was best to take this action now to ensure, no matter what the outcome of the review, that Chris will be available for the 2012 AFL season.

And let us finish this rather newsy contribution today, with a little bit of humor – while many of you might have seen it before, I decided I’d like to share it in any case.  And here’s to lifelong, understanding friends and wonderful lunches !!!!

“A group of girlfriends, all age 40, discussed where they should meet for lunch.  Finally it was agreed that they would meet at the Ocean View restaurant  because the waiters there were handsome, with tight pants and nice bums.
 
Ten  years later, at age 50, the friends once again discussed where they should  meet for lunch. Finally it was agreed that they would meet at the Ocean  View restaurant because the food was good and the wine selection was  excellent.
 
Ten years later, at age 60, the friends again  discussed where they should meet for lunch. Finally it was agreed that  they would meet at the Ocean View restaurant because they could dine in  peace and quiet and the restaurant had a beautiful view of the ocean. 
 
Ten years later, at age 70, the friends discussed where they  should meet for lunch. Finally it was agreed that they would meet at the  Ocean View restaurant because the restaurant was wheelchair accessible and  had an elevator.
 
Ten years later, at age 80, the friends  discussed where they should meet for lunch. Finally it was agreed that  they would meet at the Ocean View restaurant because they had never been  there before”.
 
_______________________________________________________________

In my involvement with the story of John Flynn yesterday, I omitted to mention an early evening visit to Melbourne Airport, where I had a coffee and a chat with my nephew, Duncan, before he flew back to Brisbane after spending another 3 days in Melbourne completing requirements for an M BA course he was doing. We met in the Qantas Club, where presumably, I was only there as a ‘guest’, as I certainly didn’t have a ticket to go anywhere. Duncan was the third and youngest child of my sister, Jill and her husband Robert  – they have now lived in Brisbane since the mid 1970s, Duncan being the only member of their family born in Queensland.

I enjoyed that little sojourn, as it is not very often I get to catch up with any of my northern siblings and/or their children. Duncan has obviously got a very carefully planned successful life ahead of him, and is currently going through the process of another move in his career, together with moving house, as the family prepares to move further north to Noosa, in Queensland. Rather an interesting coincidence, having just been relating the story of John Flynn and the Flying Doctor Service, as while I’m not sure of the exact details, Duncan works with the Ambulance Services in Queensland, and is a qualified pilot in that health services area. He is also still involved in the  music industry – told me of a production he is involved in, both in the production side of things, and as a performer,  which has a nation wide tour planned during 2012 including a number of centres here in Victoria. I made a note of some of the relevant dates, intending to get along and see my nephew performing as Eddie Cochran, a rock singer from the Buddy Holly era of music who also died in tragic circumstances at the height of his popularity.

Anyway, amongst our various discussions, we got around to the topic of the Brisbane Roar Soccer team, which last weekend achieved the fame of the record of the longest unbeaten run of a sporting team in Australia. Apparently Jill & Robert went to that game last Saturday night, with Duncan’s young son. All of the family being keen supporters of the local team. Some interesting comments made about former Australian international, Harry Kewell, who finally returned to Australia this year, to play with Melbourne Victory. While his performances and success so far with Victory, have not met up with expectations, Harry himself has apparently a high regard for his worth, and the way he expects to be treated!!!  Perhaps if some of those stories surfaced, our Harry Kewell might lose some of the shine attached to his hero worship status!! But that’s another story!

The other thing I did last night of course, was to present and enjoy another great three hours on my Monday night radio show. Slow start this morning after that late night! Called back up to the radio station mid morning – do a bit of printing, sort out some finance matters, and generally chat with Mike, Maureen, Christine and others. Followed that up with some banking matters for the station, and did a bit of rare ‘window shopping’ – at Collins Bookshop, and Dick Smith’s place – there are few items I need for the computer and TVs at home – didn’t want to spend any money today, just get a feel for what was available, and return in a day or two!  As you can see, I avoid spending money unless I have to, which nevertheless, seems to be quite regular!!

Drove over to the  Langama sporting complex early this evening – Adam’s ‘B’ Grade Sunbury CC team was playing in a 20/20 against the higher graded Sunbury United team. Must be in for a bit of a show, as in this competition last Tuesday night, they defeated another first grade team and winner of this competition last year, Riddell. Actually, Tuesday evening seems to be the only time we can get any cricket played in Sunbury, and even tonight, the weather was overcast, humid and windy, looking quite threatening at times. Anyway, I got to the cricket ground soon after United had started to bat – didn’t realise they’d lost their first wicket for just one run. However, from that point onwards, things looked quite bright for the opposition, and from a batting viewpoint, runs were flowing freely. Their surviving opener went on to score a fast century, and the team finished with  7 wickets for 177 runs in their allotted 20 overs.  I didn’t think one of two of thed Sunbury CC bowlers were that good, and a couple of easy catches went down in the outfield. Adam himself picked up a good catch midway through the innings. Had a brief chat with Adam, before his team’s innings started – he expected to be batting down the list a bit, apparently his batting style was a little too steady and careful fort a 20/20 innings, but I was pleased to see that he was still in the senior Sunbury team.

Not a good start for Adam’s team – one run, then one wicket [a runout!!!], then suddenly, after a flurry of runs, the score dropped to about 3 for 21, then 4 for 25. Not looking good. The score moved on a bit, next wicket fell on 65 runs, but the team managed to pick up their effort a bit from that point, losing just two more wickets in the innings. However, that early loss of wickets put them well behind on the clock, and the 20 overs quickly disappeared and it soon became obvious that even if they retained their wickets, there would not be enough time or balls left to catch the opposition’s score. 6 for 114 with just 2 overs to go.  Final score for Sunbury CC was 7 wickets for 142 runs. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see Adam have a bat – he was padded up and ready to go in, when the match ended!!

Susan returned home from her visit to friends on the other side of Melbourne [towards Phillip Island] later this evening, and although I had a meal ready for her, if it was wan ted, she had apparently eaten! Always the way!!  She was in bed before me tonight – must be rostered to work tomorrow!

Of course politics is seldom far from the agenda – today, the Labor Government put down a mini-budget. The treasurer, Wayne Swan revealed a massive $14.5bn blowout in the current 2011-2012 budget deficit to $37.1bn in just 6 months, but promised Labor would still be able to deliver it’s promised return to surplus next year.  Mr Swan said that the government had steered a line between maintaining budget discipline and allowing for the risks in the global outlook. He said ‘Most countries could only dream of having growth at trend levels, but that’s what we are expecting here in Australia despite all the storm clouds that are on the horizon’. That’s likely to be true, and Australia’s economy has certainly given the appearance of being in better shape than much of the rest of the world. Not surprisingly, the Opposition’s Tony Abbott, or shadow Treasurer, Joe Hockey, are not impressed by the mini budget – with Tony Abbott claiming that tiny budget surpluses forecast from 201w2-2013 onwards, meant Australia now had no buffer against international global problems. Admittedly, those surpluses are dependant upon things such as the carbon tax, predicted other savings, etc.

And Joe Hockey’s words, predictable enough I guess:-

“Labor is all talk and no action when it comes to delivering a budget surplus.  In just four years, Labor has delivered four consecutive budget deficits totalling $167 billion. As a result, Australian Government debt is now due to soar to $136 billion.  Australians are now borrowing $100 million every day and are paying $100 million every week to fund Labor’s debt-fuelled, wasteful spending spree. Wayne Swan is now asking Australians to believe him when he says he can turn a $37 billion deficit into a surplus in just one year.  When it comes to budgets, you have to look at what Labor does, not what they say. Australians are looking for stability and certainty from their government, not Labor’s weak, confused and directionless approach. The Coalition delivered surpluses in 10 out of 12 budgets and left this government with a $20 billlion budget surplus”.  

No doubt, the serious media sources of the next few days will have plenty to comment about – interesting of course that this mini budget has been announced in the week following the finish of Parliament for 2011, another Gillard tactic to avoid direct immediate scrutiny from the parliamentary benches!!

It was today that I finished reading the book published in 1932 –  Ion L Idriess’s ‘Flynn of the Inland’ –  to which I have referred in recent blogs. A book which came down from my father’s collection, and which I’m assuming he purchased prior to WWII when he was in his late teens. Rather a fascinating history in the form of a kind of novel of the man who began his work on a camel, and eventually was responsible for the creation of the Australian Inland Mission, the predecessor of today’s ‘frontier Services’.  From the Author’s note, we read that:-    ‘I have written Flynn of the Inland in order that the people of Australia may learn something of the work which has been and is being done for isolated and suffering humanity by the Australian Inland Mission, its Padres and Doctors, its Sisters and voluntary workers, and by one Padre in particular.  This book is not a history; but it is a true story. The omission of the names of many good friends will, I hope, not be misunderstood. If it had been a history of the A.I.M., they would certainly have received the recognition to which their services entitle them  A wanderer myself for many years in the Inland, I have seen the work of the A.I.M. there. This book is my humble tribute of admiration for John Flynn and his fellow workers. If any work bears the hall-mark of the Master who inspired it, theirs does. My thanks are due to the officers of the A.I.M. for allowing me access to official records, and the Inlander; and to the Patrol Padres and Nurses for help and inspiration in my work It would be ungrateful not to mention specially Miss Baird, the Secretary of the A.I.M., whose patience I fear I have more than once tried, but whose smiling face and unfailing courtesy gave no sign of the fact’.

In one quotation stated in the book,   ‘The church has never come out this way before… if you combed the country for two hundred miles around you would not muster up a congregation.” “We do not expect them to come… Our work is to go to them. Here I am.”   – John Flynn, quoted by Ion Idriess, in Flynn of the Inland
Meanwhile, the author himself, Ion Llewellyn Idriess, better known as Jack “in the bush,” was an Australian author. His writing drew on his own experiences as a prospector, bushman and soldier. He travelled extensively around Australia, including the Torres Strait Islands, and fought in World War I. Idriess was born at Waverley, NSW, in 1889. He authored more than 50 books over 43 years from 1927 to 1969 – an average of one book every 10 months. These could be loosely described as “Australiana”, but that one word can cover a multitude of topics. He wrote books of travel, recollection, biography, history, anthropology and futurology. None of these were fiction, but all were written in a narrative, “story” style. Many of the historical works interwove documented and oral history with cultural research and imagination. He also wrote political pamphlets and text books for miners and soldiers. Idriess wrote his last book at the age of 79. Challenge of the North is an amazing collection of ideas for developing the north of Australia – a tour around the coast north above the Tropic of Capricorn. In the poignant Foreword to this book, Jack passes on the baton – To the Younger Generation of Australians:

“This may be my last book (though I’ll keep going while I have a kick left in me) and I have written it above all for the younger generation of Australians … there are unlimited possibilities and untold rewards and satisfactions for those who devote their brains and skills to Australia’s development.   Our young people must become continent-minded fast; for there is plenty of high adventure awaiting them – adventure as fascinating as that being found by the wonder men who set the astronauts on voyages of discovery into space. For we are opening up the Last Continent and our vision shows breathless possibilities…The next hundred years beckon with wonders to be discovered … You, the younger generation, and your sons and your daughters, must adventure into new fields … Good health and questing minds to you”.

What I found of particular interest when reading this book about John Flynn, was the little collection of old newspaper clippings which were either pasted into the book, or inserted between the pages. One of these was a report [date unknown] of a Pleasant Sunday Afternoon church service, where the quest speaker was Dr Allen Vickers, for many years, the Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Aerial Medical Service – ‘He gave a brief history of the establishment of the air service, by Flynn of the Inland, and pointed out what a boon it had been to the lonely settlers in those vast spaces up north.’  Of course Flynn  not only established the mission through his years of toil and encouraged, but was also, through his persistence, a chief motivating factor in the creation and widespread establishment of a network of wireless services, and the eventual air service establishment.

One of those newspaper cuttings appeared in the Herald, dated May 7, 1951, a report of Flynn’s death, and to a large degree, that report provides a good summary of Flynn’s life and achievements, and I’m going to reprint it in this contribution.

“Flynn, the man who beat the great Australian loneliness, is dead. All through the inland today, people will be remembering what he did for them. The Rev. Dr John Flynn, who would have been 71 this year, was a persistent man. When he got his teeth into an idea, he never stopped working on it, talking about it, until he got something done about it. No job was too big to be tackled.  That was how he came to give a lead, not only to Australia, but to the world, on how to break down the terrible isolation of the sparsely populated outback.

He began as a country school teacher at Buchan, in the Snowy River district, but soon decided to study for the ministry, to take on bush mission work. He was ordained in 1911, and appointed to the Smith of Dunesk Mission, South Australia. In 1912, Flynn travelled the continent from north to south as the Presbyterian General Assembly’s investigator.  Those were the days when one white woman beyond Alice Spring used to travel 600 miles – 25 days by camel team, with no other company than the Afghan drivers – to have her babies. Sickness and accident was the great dread of the outback.

People called Flynn a dreamer and a visionary when he organised a nation-wide appeal for funds to establish nursing homes and base hospitals in central Australia. But gradually, by the Australian Inland Mission, by Government grants, and by local funds, his plan began to work. The First World War showed him how planes could be used for a flying doctor and air ambulance service. The beginning of Qantas brought this, the first flying doctor service, in sight. There was still the problem of communications. Flynn helped inspire Alfred Traeger, a young Adelaide electrician, to devise the pedal generator. With this combined transmitting and receiving set, the outback people could not only call the doctor in emergency. They could talk to each other, have a gossip over the back fence with neighbours 1oo miles away. When the system was tied in with the telegraph service, they could even – a controversial subject, this – place bets, as the townsmen can by telephone.

The thing grew beyond the scope of mission control. Australian Aerial Medical Services was founded in 1934. The loneliness was beaten. Flynn saw his dream come true’.  [H A Standish, May 1951].

John Fynn in 1929……certainly not the way the story of his life depicts how he would look!!!

I’m rather indebted to my father for possessing this book, and to the author, who in his time wrote many other popular books of Australian outback life. With the bulk of the Australian population living around the fertile coastal fringes of our island nation, it is \books like those of Ion Idriess, that are sorely missed these days, as those city and town based ‘populations’ have little idea in many respects of the isolation and loneliness that still exists today, though to a much lesser than in Flynn’s time. It’s for that reason, that I’m pleased to be able to continue to support and promote [as I do from time to time through these pages] the inherited work and dedication of John Flynn through our modern day ‘Frontier Services’ organisation.

Ion L Idriess

Yes, it’s Saturday morning [26^th November], and of course, it’s raining again  – the heavens have been saving up all week for this, just waiting for Saturday to come along!  No cricket, again for Adam, I know he will be disappointed, but the way it has been raining this morning, the grounds will be almost underwater!! Like the sides to part of my driveway, as Susie discovered this morning, when she rather hurriedly tried top back her car out, and was immediately bogged in a couple of holes that had been recreated with the overnight rain!!!  I was hoping for a couple of weeks of dry weather to dry that area out completely, and had been parking there myself, being very careful as to how and where I left the car. Last night, I should have done the same thing, instead went under the carport. When Susie came home late in the evening, she drove straight in and parked on the weak spots!! Had I realised how much overnight rain we were in for, I’d have made sure I was there, which would have avoided this morning’s ‘disaster’.

Realising what had occurred, I went out to help, but as usual, it was a last minute rush to get to work by Susie, no time for discussion, she would take my car. Stupidly, I omitted to insist she leave her keys behind, as later in the morning, I could have tried to move her car. Instead, now had to wait until she returned early afternoon. In fact, we decided to leave it until tomorrow, she was going somewhere today with someone else so would not need the car, and as it turned out, the rain continued all day, and the ground conditions worsened by the minute. It was a little unfortunate that I had to go out tonight – weather conditions did not offer up my favourite driving environment, especially out on the country roads where I was headed.

In fact, it was the annual Christmas breakup dinner and presentation night of our casual ‘Betting Club’ tonight, appropriately held at another race course location – this time, the Melton Harness Racing Centre complex over in our neighbouring town of Melton. Didn’t really enjoy the drive to get, late afternoon, in driving rain and somewhat misty conditions, I became a little frustrated at the unusual difficulty I had in finding my way into the complex – eventually we got there, almost by accident, but not before a few expletives of frustration passed these innocent lips. Anyway, it was a relatively short evening, not a large number of members present, and as I was not particularly interested in taking advantage [and losing money] on the range of pokie and other gambling facilities in the place, I was content with being there long enough too enjoy a meal, some conversation with Ron Bourke and others present, and generally enjoy a relaxed environment and some good food.  The surprise of the night, in view of the fact that I’d thought that I had  experienced a rather poor year as far as picking winners for the group was concerned,  was that yours truely in fact was presented with the Award for the most successful tipper of the year –  my periods of selection weekends won the group more money than anyone else!!!  Which indicated I think, that our little Betting Club had not had a very successful year overall, with a fairly small profit available for distribution amongst ‘shareholders’ in addition to the return of our individual fortnightly contributions. A very handy return nevertheless at this time of the year, which is why I refer to my annual participation as ‘Bill’s Christmas Club’ account, that being the purpose to which I put the end of year payout!  Anyway, the little inscription, which appeared on my trophy [the rear half of a racehorse] simply said in as polite a way as was decent  –   “2011 SMART ‘A’ AWARD BILL”  It’s not often that I win anything, so this was all rather flattering to say the least – in fact, the less said, the better!!

The drive home was an improvement on the forward trip, and it ended up being an early night’s return, which I didn’t mind. Don’t know where Susie was, though I would learn that tomorrow afternoon. Meanwhile, after a non-exciting day, as far as any readers are probably concerned, I called it a night, rather early, though as will be seen, that didn’t give me the advantage of any extra sleep!

Yes, Sunday morning [27^th November] began rather early with this scribe. Despite being in bed at 10pm last night, and  ‘hoping’ for a decent Saturday night sleep for a change, I must have been deluding myself.  Hahahaha!!  Woke at 2.,30am, and that was it!!  Went and made a drink about an hour later, found Susan had not come home from wherever she went, but can’t use that as an excuse. Saturday nights for me a simply not for sleeping apparently, the mind is at it’s most active for the week! I must say however, that SBS were playing some beautiful music as background to their overnight weather pattern program!

Anyway, after all of that, I was ready well in advance of my usual departure time for the radio station of a Sunday morning, and would have a relatively pleasant program, with little in the way of regrets or thoughts about the lack of sleep. This morning I made sure I played some selections of music from the concerts I’d been to during the past week, including a couple arias from La Traviata sung by Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland, record at a special celebratory concert held at Sydney Opera House some years ago – both of those singers of course, no longer being with us.  Also played a sample track from the Zephyr Quartet CD, as well as a song from Greta Bradman – not strictly a bit of classical music that one, but simply wanted to demonstrate to listeners, the beautiful quality of her voice.

Meanwhile, my major musical contribution for the morning came from the C20th Polish composer, Henryk Gorecki, when I played the 2^nd and 3^rd movements of his Symphony No. 3 [subtitled ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs], and while as the title indicated, not a particularly ‘happy’ piece of music, the orchestration, and wonderfully ‘soothing’ voice of the Polish soprano Zofia Kilanowicz, made it quite relaxing music to enjoy at that time of day. I’d played the quite long first movement last week of the lamentation of the Mother of Christ for her dying son. This morning, the shorter movement concerned the prayer of the 18 year old Helena Wanda Blazusiakowna inscribed on the wall of a Gestapo cell in Zakopane, during World War II, as she seeks the protection of the Queen of Heaven.  The third movement, which has quite a large vocal contribution ass part of it, was basically a folk song  in which a mother laments the loss of her son, whose body she now seeks, with the insistent melody of the orchestra pointing to a rather simplistic but tragic and ongoing plea. It ends however, with a expression of hope, allowing the boy, killed by cruel enemies, to rest in peace, lulled by God’s song-birds and surrounded by the flowers  of God. Depictions of beauty and tranquillity amongst the tragedy of loss. I found quite a concise description of the whole symphony on Wikepedia, which summarises the overall music, and the theme behind it’s composition.

‘A solo soprano sings a different Polish text in each of the three movements. The first is a 15th-century Polish lament of Mary, mother of Jesus, the second a message written on the wall of a Gestapo cell during World War II, and the third a Silesian folk song of a mother searching for her son killed in the Silesian uprising. The first and third movements are written from the perspective of a parent who has lost a child, and the second movement from that of a child separated from a parent. The dominant themes of the symphony are motherhood and separation through war’.

The summary goes on to describe in more detail the impetus for putting this symphony together, and I think, goes a long way to explaining how so much of the ‘classical’ music we might hear today, while to many it’s seems meaningless with little purpose, generally has a picture or story to present, albeit in musical terms. For that reason, I’ve decided to copy those comments into my contribution today. I’ll leave the technical musical to the real music enthusiasts to search out!

In 1973, Górecki approached the Polish folklorist Adolf Dygacz in search of traditional melodies to incorporate in a new work. Dygacz presented four songs which had been recorded in the Silesia region in south-western Poland. Górecki was impressed by the melody “Where has he gone, my dear young son” (Kajze mi sie podzioł mój synocek miły), which describes a mother’s mourning for a son lost in war, and probably dates from the Silesian Uprisings of 1919–21. Górecki had heard a version of the song in the 1960s and had not been impressed by the arrangement, but the words and the melody of Dygacz’s new version made a lasting impression on him. He said “for me, it is a wonderfully poetic text. I do not know if a ‘professional’ poet would create such a powerful entity out of such terse, simple words. It is not sorrow, despair or resignation, or the wringing of hands: it is just the great grief and lamenting of a mother who has lost her son.”  

Later that year Górecki learned of an inscription scrawled on the wall of a cell of a Gestapo prison in the town of Zakopane, which lies at the foot of the Tatra mountains in southern Poland. The words were those of 18-year-old Helena Wanda Błażusiakówna, a highland woman incarcerated on 25 September 1944. It read O Mamo nie płacz nie—Niebios Przeczysta Królowo Ty zawsze wspieraj mnie (Oh Mamma do not cry—Immaculate Queen of Heaven support me always). The composer recalled, “I have to admit that I have always been irritated by grand words, by calls for revenge. Perhaps in the face of death I would shout out in this way. But the sentence I found is different, almost an apology or explanation for having got herself into such trouble; she is seeking comfort and support in simple, short but meaningful words”.^[8] He later explained, “In prison, the whole wall was covered with inscriptions screaming out loud: ‘I’m innocent’, ‘Murderers’, ‘Executioners’, ‘Free me’, ‘You have to save me’—it was all so loud, so banal. Adults were writing this, while here it is an eighteen-year-old girl, almost a child. And she is so different. She does not despair, does not cry, does not scream for revenge. She does not think about herself; whether she deserves her fate or not. Instead, she only thinks about her mother: because it is her mother who will experience true despair. This inscription was something extraordinary. And it really fascinated me.” 

Górecki now had two texts: one from a mother to her son, the other from a daughter to her mother. While looking for a third that would continue the theme, he decided on a mid-15th century folk song from the southern city of Opole.   Its text contains a passage in which the Virgin Mary speaks to her Son dying on the cross: “O my son, beloved and chosen, Share your wounds with your mother …” (Synku miły i wybrany, Rozdziel z matką swoje rany …). Górecki said, “this text was folk-like, anonymous. So now I had three acts, three persons … Originally, I wanted to frame these texts with an introduction and a conclusion. I even chose two verses (5 and 6) from Psalm 93/94 in the translation by Wujek: ‘They humiliated Your people, O Lord, and afflicted Your heritage, they killed the widow and the passer-by, murdered the orphans.’”  However, he rejected this format because he believed the structure would position the work as a symphony “about war”. Górecki sought to transcend such specifics, and instead structured the work as three independent laments’.

Tatra mountains, near the Nazi prison in the town of Zakopane, where the composer took an inscription scrawled on the wall of a cell for the composition of his symphony.

So there we have it, a much more detailed summary of one little aspect of my radio show from this morning, than readers were expecting to get!  I do get a little over enthusiastic about things at times!

The rest of my Sunday, relatively uneventful, though well occupied, preparing future programs, continuing my ‘Spring clean’ of material collected over the years, decision time continues about what to get rid of, what to keep. Realities of practicality coming into play here!  And yes, Susan returned home mid afternoon – with ex boyfriend, Jimmy. They had been up in Bendigo where she had collected all of her belongings from the ‘apartment’ that I had been paying for through most of the year, but that because of the breakdown in her studies this year, Susie had not spent much time there over recent months.  Unfortunately, the contract was unable to have been broken, so the lease continued until this weekend as it turned out – hence the visit to Bendigo overnight to clear out all her belongings. A bit of a surprise with Jimmy being with her – I’d mistakenly though all contact with him had ceased. But what would I know, presumably Susan had sought his assistance in returning her gear [including a small fridge which she had taken up there] rather than ask myself or others in the family to help her.

Anyway, before he left, I took advantage of his presence – a chance to get Susie’s out of the bog hole of mud she had got it in to yesterday morning – on the side of my driveway!!  Not that I can claim to have been much physical help, but the two of us were unsuccessful, and the car remained unmovable.  Called Adam, and thankfully, he was still up, having just got home from a longer than usual shift at the bakery – would be straight over. In the meanwhile, Susie rang her other brother James, who was also coincidentally available – though he in true form would time his arrival just after the task had been achieved.  Unfortunately, Jimmy had to go before Adam arrived – he had another appointment, or maybe simply didn’t wish to run into Susie’s two brothers, in view of the year’s circumstances. Anyway, that left Adam and myself p- the former had a few helpful ideas in moving the car, and with a degree of pushing and shoving [and the resulting overall complete destruction of that part of my front garden], we eventually got that damn little car out onto firm ground and concrete, everyone including the car splattered in mud, with a firm promise by Susie that she would not park on that spot again!! And of course, as indicated, the car was freed from it’s little mud sink hole just as James Kirk arrived to ‘help’!! As Susie would write on Face Book later –  ‘Thanks Adam and Bill for unbogging my car!! And James for rocking up just as we got it out.  And James replied –  ‘haha, I timed it to perfection…’  

The rest of my Sunday – nothing worth writing home about  – although Susie spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning, washing, etc, etc, a bit sudden ‘spring clean’ of the kitchen area etc – with the return of her belongings from Bendigo, we suddenly needed more storage space!! And for myself,  I sat down Sunday night, and watched a movie length version of ‘Brideshead Revisited’, not a show I’ve watched previously, but simply felt in the mood for something of that nature!!