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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Awards just recently announced for 2011 were as follows.

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

 

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

Today, saw Part 3 of the ‘Weekly Times’ feature on their perceived ‘100 Greatest Country Australians’, and as I have done for the past two weeks, I’m going to list the next group as a part of today’s blog. Once again, if any reader would like to know a little more about each named individual, just let me know, and I will be happy to oblige!! Today, we have numbers 60 to 41, having started at 100 a couple of weeks ago.

• 60. Brigitte Muir – 1958 – [Explorer]
• 59. Greg Norman –  1955 –  [Golfer]
• 58  Rod Laver – 1938 –  [Tennis player]
• 57. Arthur Streeton – 1867-1943 [Artist]
• 56. Jack Gleeson – 1842-1880  [Kelpie Breeder]
• 55. Stanley Savage – 1890-1954 [Army Officer, Legacy Founder]
• 54. Doug Nicholls – 1906-1988 [Athlete, Minister, Governor]
• 53. John ‘Black Jack’ McEwan – 1900-1980 [Politician]
• 52. Lang Hancock – 1909-1992 [Iron Ore Magnate]
• 51. Charles Bean – 1879-1968 [War Historian]
• 50. Slim Dusty – 1927-2003 [Musician]
• 49. Bob Hawke – 1929 –  [Prime Minister]
• 48. JF Archibald – 1856-1919 [Journalist]
• 47. Margaret Court – 1942 – [Tennis Player]
• 46. Lionel Rose – 1948-2011 [Boxer]
• 45. Otway Falkiner – 1874-1961 [Pastoralist]
• 44. Henry Handcel Richardson – 1870-1946 [Writer]
• 43. John Quick – 1852-1932 [Politician]
• 42. Malcolm Fraser – 1930 – [Prime Minister]
• 41. Miles Franklin – 1879-1954 [Writer]

 

In tonight’s mail, a brief response to a birthday greeting I sent last week, brought a smile to this writer’s face, and a warm glow in the heart  –  ‘Thank you for my birthday wishes and once you retire we may have time to catch up. Love Shirley x’

Finally today, another pleasant  surprise, yesterday this time, at the office  – received a very brief visit from one of the members of the tenants’ association –  as a man who has caused previous administrations, and now the current committee and admin leader much grief, with his criticisms and harsh  reflections on the organisation, we were expecting this surprise visit to be ‘more trouble’. Not for me personally, I had always got on well with ‘Bob’ but then I didn’t really have to involved in the situations that he was constantly creating. Anyway, his visit was brief, after he had made sure earlier, that I would be at the office. He came laden with a ‘farewell retirement’ gift for this here writer –   it was a book, called ‘Bart [my life] by JB Cummings –  an autobiography by Australia’s greatest current racehorse trainer, Bart Cummings – a book that I would probably have put on my Christmas gift list [if anyone had asked me for one].  It was Bob’s way of saying ‘a job well done, thanks for your time here, it has been appreciated’. A few words, a shake  of hands, and he was off – didn’t want to come face to face with Jackie who currently had a legal case against him [and two others] for defamatory remarks distributed by Bob per emails amongst the broader membership!!  The anomalies of this job!!  I realised afterwards that Bob had been talking to another of our former Chairmen, one Geoff Lennie, with whom over the years, I had engaged in various conversations about horse racing!!  Hence Bob’s comment that he felt it was a gift I might like!

 

After today, I only have to do this early Tuesday morning thing two more times!!!! A good feeling, I think!  Though this morning, I did feel like a cappuccino on the way to work, but discovered at the last minute I had no cash, apart from to buy a newspaper, on my person – decided at that point that I was not desperate enough for a drink [that I probably wouldn’t finish anyway] to struggle across the road through the morning peak hour traffic to the local ATM, so went without. It was a cold frosty morning –  luckily for Susan, I don’t think she had to go anywhere too early today, otherwise she would have had some windscreen defrosting to attend to [actually, if Dad was aware that she had an early start, he would have done the job for her!!].  This week [in sharp contrast to last week’s wintry conditions], at least these frosty mornings are been followed by a beautiful sunny Spring day, and it is no exception this morning.

Anyway I have, officially, 11 more days here before that age of retirement is reached. I’ve explained previously, that while there is no obligation on my part to actually cease fulltime work on that day [the 18^th October], and in all reality, probably can’t really afford to do so, I’m simply tired of the fulltime commitment to a  job for which I have no enthusiasm or fondness for any more, I’m tired of the commuting, with often, up to two and a half hours a day, five days a week spent on the roads, and, well, there are so many tasks and interests that I would rather spend this time of my life on [though in most cases, those things will not earn me an income]. Anyway, this is the choice I made over 12 months ago now, and I have no desire to go back on that resolution.  There are reservations and apprehensions, but we will face those as they arise.

Interesting similarity in the ‘Australian’s’ front page headlines this morning, in terms of pointing to the range of issues facing the current Labor Party and/or Government –  just four of them, as an example  [and these make no direct  reference to issues such as refugees or the carbon tax] –  Tax change blows hole in budget [Billions of Dollars at Risk]  –  ALP six  fight for hearts, minds and votes [the fight for Labor’s federal presidency]  – Fictional warrior set for round two with PM [referring to a new novel by Jessica Rudd, daughter of Kevin]  –  Liberals maintain grip in the west –  and so it goes on.  This week,. We have a government initiated ‘tax forum’ going on in Canberra. Needless to say, the Liberals about it’s value, describing it as a ‘Labor-Green’ tax forum. It was actually part  of  the list of requirements that one of the independent mps last year, insisted on Julia Gillard promising to hold such a forum if she wanted his support to form a government. The current Treasurer, Wayne Swan argues of course that the forum would have been held in any case, as part of the government’s  policy of investigating and undertaking taxation reform in Australia. There is quite a deal of reporting about the forum, in papers such as ‘The Australian’ but I must admit I’ve simply skimmed over most of it – seems just too much like another ‘talkfest’ without any real action taking place, almost seems to be a modern means of delaying the taking of action on something by deferring such action while a committee looks at it, or some kind of community consultation or forum takes place, such as we are seeing now!  I think Tony Abbott called it a ‘gabfest’, which is costing taxpayers almost a million dollars, and isn’t considering on it’s agenda such major issues as the carbon tax or the mining tax!   He said today that   ‘I just think this is going to go the same way as the Henry tax review which took a year to do, cost a million dollars and came out with hundreds of recommendations of which only a handful were adopted; and like the 2020 summit which came up with 962 ideas of which only nine were actioned.

On a more interesting note [for me anyway], Marc Murphy has won Carlton’s Football Club’s equivalent ‘best and fairest’ award tonight  –  the ‘2011 John Nicholls Medal’.  Nicholls was the champion Carlton ruckman who was in the closing stages of his career when I started regularly watching the Blues play in the mid 1960s when I first came down to Melbourne to work.  I think that would have pleased son James  [who named his new dog ‘Murphy’ after his football idol] – actually James called around tonight, with a partial repayment of the money I lent to him for his car repairs a few weeks ago. We chatted football for most of his brief visit tonight.

Later tonight, I heard my ‘wandering’ daughter drive out again, quite late, but unlike Sunday night, when I lay awake for hours wondering where she had gone [hoping she had not driven up to Bendigo in the middle of the night], this time, I simply said to myself – well, I’m going to sleep anyway. And I did, right through until the alarm, getting up in the morning to find a brief note from Susie – ‘sorry Dad, went out after you went to bed, to stray with a friend’  – I at least knew she’d not gone far, because she had to work tomorrow!!!  Ahhhh, the ‘fun’ of worrying about one’s adult children, it doesn’t seem to stop, whatever their age!!!

Received an interesting email from the ChilOut organisation today, the group that campaigns to keep refugee children out of detention. Seems like they are trying to make their efforts more professional and supportive. This is what they had to say.

‘After limping along with everyone working on a voluntary basis for the last year, ChilOut has decided to get organised!  In the last year, ChilOut – through the efforts of our volunteer board – has kept people informed through newsletters, our website, facebook and twitter, liaised with detention centre visitors, organised a toy drive for Christmas, prepared numerous submissions for parliamentary inquiries, spoken at schools, community groups and rallies, visited Christmas Island and prepared a major report, No Place for Children, written articles, contributed to the ground-breaking A New Approach: Breaking the Stalemate on Refugees & Asylum Seekers, participated in sector meetings and provided media commentary. All the while juggling families, work and normal life.  With your help we can become more structured and even more effective!!!  We know from our past experience that the ChilOut campaign is so much more effective with a paid campaigner who can dedicate the time needed to coordinate the volunteer efforts of our supporters and the board. We also know that our wonderful supporter base raised the funds to pay for this position in the past, and we hope this can be done again.  Everyone is asking for money these days but if many of us can make a small, regular contribution we can guarantee someone’s salary and not have to spend energy fundraising by other means.  The position is 2 days per week non-ongoing, as we can only guarantee funding for a limited period at this time’.  Certainly, 30 years ago, it might have been something I could have got interested in, but as intimated at the beginning of this entry, I’m trying to slow down a bit in my involvement in so many interests, and concentrate on just a few. There are so many interesting and valuable things that one can do with their life, but there must also be recognised that there is a limit to what one person can do!

Not surprisingly, rather tired at the office today, although things were rather busy despite that. Was just not really in the mood for Jackie’s constant chatter and fluttering about, almost wished Mark would take her on one of his Group trip visits, most of which he seems to have organised for the days when Jackie is in the office, so I don’t think that idea would be too favourable! With no replacement yet found for my position, and time running out before I leave, there will just be the two of them here for a brief period, somehow don’t think that is going to work out well for too long! I am expecting to be called back in on the odd occasion after I finish up, to assist with handover procedures, depending on the experience of the new person, but I’m happy to do that on a strictly limited basis.

On one of my main topics of interest of recent years, I see the Liberal Party is on the attack again over the current refugee system being followed and/or attempted by the Government. With Parliament in recess [again] until next week, most of the political rhetoric is coming through medias reports or political party ‘journalism’. While obviously the following ‘views’ are  biased towards  the Opposition view of things, they do tend to my feelings still, although I do feel that both sides are continuing to head in the wrong direction, and I will continue to maintain that all processing of refugees that reach this country’s borders should have their asylum seeker claims recognised and processed here on the Australian mainland, instead of continually ignoring our humane responsibilities and trying to offload those responsibilities to other countries and locations.  However, this is the current Opposition viewpoint [as of the 28 September – it has probably changed again since then].

“The arrival of the 20th illegal boat since Julia Gillard announced her failed Malaysian solution has coincided with new research showing Australians have no confidence in the Labor government’s handling of asylum seeker issues,” according to Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Scott Morrison.  “The latest illegal boat to arrive carrying 75 people is the 20th since the now failed Malaysian solution was announced on May 7 and brings to more than 1200 people the number to have arrived illegally by boat during this time. “The quota for the Malaysian agreement was just 800 people. More than 1200 have already arrived since the announcement and more than 660 have arrived since the signing. As those 660 would be eligible to be sent to Malaysia, it is clear that the smugglers would have no difficultly swamping Julia Gillard’s 5 for 1 people swap. “After years of policy failures, including the Malaysian agreement, it is not surprising that Australians simply do not trust this Labor Government on handling the asylum seeker issue.  “According to research released yesterday by Monash University[i] only 7.3% of Australians believe that Labor is doing a good job in handling the asylum seeker issue. The same report showed strong support for the Coalition’s policies of temporary protection visas (39%) and turning boats back (23%).  “An Essential Poll[ii] conducted this week showed that 42% of Australians wanted off shore processing, 28% wanted to turn boats back, while 21% favoured onshore processing. Of those who favoured offshore processing almost 75% agreed, but only in a country where human rights were protected.  “This clearly demonstrates the lack of support for Malaysia and provides support for the Coalition’s amendment that, following the High Court’s decision, the UN Convention Refugee should be used as the Litmus test on whether a country can be used for offshore processing.

 “The Prime Minister and Minster Bowen should accept the reality that the Malaysia agreement has failed, accept the Coalition’s amendments that would allow offshore processing on Nauru or the Government’s preferred alternative of Manus Island and just get on with it.  “As of yesterday Nauru is now formally a signatory of the UN Convention. The only thing now standing in the way of restoring off shore processing, abolished by Labor, is Julia Gillard’s stubborn political pride,” Mr Morrison said.  Michael Keenan, Shadow Minister for Justice, Customs and Border Protection said, “People smugglers have been emboldened by the policy vacuum created by Labor’s ongoing failure to provide Australia with a border protection policy.  “The strain on Customs and Border Protection and the frontline men and women who are now required to deal with Julia Gillard’s failure is enormous and they have reached breaking point. “They have been required by this Labor Government to do more arduous work, at a higher tempo, with fewer resources. “Customs and Border Protection officers are becoming increasingly fed up with working under a directionless Gillard Government that has no border protection policy. “This is a Government that has cut scant border protection resources and axed Customs staff from critical areas to cover their border protection mess up north.  “Labor’s border protection failure is complete – there is no control over who comes to Australia and much less control over what comes into Australia because of their savaging of Customs since they came to office,” Mr Keenan said.

Meanwhile, another little comment on older Australians and the use of the Internet. The National Seniors organisation reports that: –  The internet would enrich the lives of older Australians but many of them think that using it is all too hard, the latest report released by the National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre has found.
There was increasing awareness that the internet could provide the convenience of keeping in touch with family and friends, health advice, online shopping, bill-paying, banking, news and events in the community.  But many were deterred by the cost of buying a computer and Internet or broadband connection, a lack of knowledge and skills, confusion about technology, worries about computer security and access to computers – particularly in regional areas.
The study “Older Australians and the Internet: Bridging the Digital Divide” was undertaken by Queensland University of Technology researcher Dr Sandra Haukka for National Seniors.  “Older people with low internet skills are unable to conduct business or access important services over the web,” said Peter Matwijiw, general manager of policy and research at National Seniors. “In short, they are often on the wrong side of ‘the digital divide’.”  The report called for urgent action to tailor current online technologies to help break down barriers and assist older Australians gain the skills and confidence they need to use the internet.

Of course, with my now regular radio show on a Monday night, I am missing what a short while ago, I regarded as the most interesting night on TV with things like Four Corners, Media Watch, and of course, Q & A on air. Yes, I could leave the video tape running and watch Q & A [which I was quite enjoying earlier this year], but then I find afterwards that a week has passed, and I’ve not found the time to watch the previous week’s program. So anyway, I’ve basically given that night’s programs away, and concentrating fully on the three hours of music, etc, that I produce each Monday night.  Tonight, I played a few ‘special’ tracks amongst my usual format  – including a wonderful version of ‘My Devotion’ my the American jazz saxophonist Kenny G, and Amy Whitehouse singing ‘Back to Black’ [I’ve never really taken much notice of her music, until she died a few weeks ago – ironically, born in 1983, a couple of years after my son, and died on his 30^th birthday this year]. I also played one of my favourite Meatloaf tracks  – after that ageing singer’s disastrous performance at the Melbourne Grand Final last Saturday, I felt that listeners needed to be reminded of the way he ‘used’ to sound. Up until about 3 years ago, I had a fortnightly Saturday evening program which I called ‘Rock n roll Dreams Come Through’ and naturally enough, my theme for the show was Meatloaf’s performance of that song. However, apart from a beautiful jazz track by an Australian jazz duo of Tim Stevens and Mark Lau titled ‘Prologue-like’, my most enjoyable piece of music for tonight’s show was a modern ‘jazz’ version of  the song ‘Understand’ by Jessie Upton. An Australian girl , Jessie describes herself as a jazz singer influenced by the big MGM musicals of days gone by and jazz songstresses. She combines with piano or guitar to provide an intimate  performance, which was certainly how tonight’s song came over. In speaking about why this song was included on this particular album, she said ‘I chose to include one of my first songs I ever wrote. It is a very old style jazz ballad accompanied by Kym Dillon on piano. I chose it as it best represents what I want my music to be’. Well if that’s the case, I want to hear a lot of more of Jessie Upton. The album in question is titled ‘Naked In The Woods 2’ and is a special release from a program supporting developing artists, a Victorian Government initiative, The album contains a rather stunning variety of classic artists providing a compilation of female artists containing all different genres of music from indie and folk to pop and rock. I use it regularly on my show since acquiring a copy last year, through the ABC’s Radio National network. I might refer to some of the other singers on the album, as I play their music from time to time.

It’s always difficult wanting to go to sleep after returning home after midnight from Monday’s radio show – it shouldn’t have been tonight, as I’d been rather tired [following Sunday night’s poor sleep] before the evening had started. Not helped by watching another episode of ‘The Clinic’, an English series set in a medical clinic which one of my fellow radio presenters had told me about – now I’m hooked but it’s on from 12.30am- 1.30am!!! Not the advisable thing to get interested in with a 6am start that morning!! Oh well, very soon, the early Tuesday mornings will be in the past!!!

 

 

Susan worked from 8am to around 2pm, then came home and spent most of the next 6 hours sleeping! Hope she is okay, not going out so much over past couple of weeks although she is working. Won’t give me any feedback, in fact  I seem to be off her Face -book list. Cooked her a roast meal which she partially ate about 3 hours after I did. Most of last night’s meal [hers] is still in the fridge not finished! I’m cooking meals I really don’t want to cook, and often they are not eaten, or she goes out!!  I think we need a bit of ‘household’ reorganisation and planning.

Reading a book that Jack Harris gave me to read ‘before’ he went to Thailand  – six months later, he is back this week, thought I’d better make an effort with the book  –  ‘In His Majesty’s Footsteps’ [A Personal Memoir] by Vasit  Dejkunjorn [Former Chief of the Royal Court Police]. A story which offers an intimate, powerful portrait of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the Thai royal family. The loan of this book arose from my querying Jack about the Thai’s attitude to the Burmese refugees on their border. The book appears to be written in quite a casual & informal ‘diary’ style much like my own writing, and while it might not be my first choice of reading at present, it is interesting enough. But I am hoping that I am going to find some reference to the Burmese refugees, and just what kind of attitude applies to them in Thailand. When I asked this question of Jack, he basically avoided the question, and concentrated on all the wonderful things that the King of Thailand has done for ‘his’ people. I don’t doubt those works, but am interested in our they treat their neighbours. As the book was given to me, in response to my query, I’m not sure that I will get an answer there, either!!We shall see.

Rugby World Cup update    1/10/2011 – Australia defeated Russia 68-22;  England defeated Scotland 16-12;  Tonga defeated France 19-14   2/10/2011  –   New Zealand defeated Canada 79-15;   Argentina defeated Georgia 25-7;  Wales defeated Fiji 66-0; and   Ireland defeated  Italy  36-6

After yesterday’s activities, left the TV off for most of today, although I did switch over to watch the National Rugby League Grand Final from Sydney, where a crowd of 81,988 saw one of the local teams, Manley Sea Eagles defeat the3  New Zealand Warriors 24-10. It was quite a good game to watch, and I must say that the pre- match entertainment & National Anthem  presentation were of a far superior quality to what Melbourne’s AFL managed to achieve yesterday, a bit more class to the overall affect

Had an early night, but didn’t help me much, as I still only managed about 4 hours sleep for various reasons zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz  is the way I would be feeling to start the week!!!

Not a good description for a day that is usually the highlight of the Australian football season – AFL Grand Final Saturday! Despite that, the two competing teams are sure to attract a huge crowd to the Melbourne Cricket Ground [MCG] prepared to sit in the rain and cold [I mean, the Grand Final Parade in the city yesterday attracted tens of thousands in similar conditions, simply to watch their football stars drive past!!]. Mmmmm, well that was me about 15/20 years ago, but a little wiser now!! The comfort of a warm lounge room is a better option at about 2pm today!!!

A new month, and a new edition of my favourite magazine these days – ABC’s Classic FM ‘Limelight’ from which I draw much of my education, and information for my Sunday morning radio program. There are a couple of major festivals taking place in Melbourne this month. One is the ‘Melbourne Festival’ which is essentially arts and music related, although as one critic described it ‘Bucking the trend of certain arts festivals this year, which have eschewed so-called ‘artsy-fartsy’ performers [i.e., classical musicians], the Melbourne International Arts Festival has a spectacular line-up showing just how alive the art form is. An African version of  The Magic Flute [‘Mozart] is just one of the many highlights’. On a slightly different note, we have a week long ‘Seniors Festival’ which means what it says – a program of events for us ‘oldies’ – and this goes over a whole range of differing events – a concert series, golf classic, dance, theatre & performances, galleries & exhibitions, museums, genealogy, walking tours, poetry, books & writing, crafts & antiques, lunches & morning teas [exciting stuff], historic sites and buildings tours, seminars & lectures, active living, health & wellbeing, life activities and so on  – as can be seen, virtually anything one could have an interest in is covered in some way!  Yes, there are events at both festivals I’d love the opportunity to get to, but not this year. Hopefully from 2012 onwards I will have the opportunity to enjoy for eg, some of the events put on by the annual Seniors Festivals. But whether I’m involved or not, these things as always get a degree of promotion from this radio presenter!

Susie managed to get off to her part time job early this morning – a good effort after a 12 hour concert she attended yesterday in the city, at ‘Festival Hall’ I think, a popular young people’s concert venue these days. In my younger days, the venue tended to feature boxing and wrestling contests, samples of both which I attended on the odd occasion. I didn’t even bother to ask who was performing, as I imagine most of the names would not have been familiar to me in any case.  Meanwhile, at 10am this morning, thousands of football fans were converging on Melbourne, and the MCG in particular. I about to go out into the weather myself shortly for a bit of shopping, etc, and maybe even a visit to one of the local car sales places, an asset I am going to be short of in a few weeks time!! I shall return with this blog in an ongoing basis as we delve into the afternoon’s activities at Melbourne’s sporting centre.

 

Saturday afternoon,  and this writer is settling down to about 6 hours of football [two varieties], and I warn readers now that most of the balance of today’s contribution will be sports orientated, no apologies for that, that’s one of this blogger’s loves in life, so deal with it, lol!

Over in the New Zealand town of Nelson, at Trafalgar Square, Australia comes up against Russia in our final first round match of the Rugby World Cup before the quarterfinal stage is reached  – I’m hoping the end of that game will come well before the start of our AFL Grand Final!!  Before the rugby began, we were treated to a rather interesting little documentary and historical piece on the town of Nelson, where apparently the first rugby match was played in New Zealand. Quite an  historical heritage about the place overall.  Down in the far south west corner of Victoria, we also have a town of Nelson, but looking at the pictures coming out NZ, our Nelson is but a dot on the map compared to the venue for today’s rugby.  Australia are expected to win this game against Russia –this seems  to be assumed, the big concern is the aim of avoiding any more injuries, something that has plagued the Aussie team through  this tournament. Don’t often get to hear the Russian National Anthem, a pleasant change to share the Aussie anthem with the Russians.  Lots of supporters for Australia there today, but also a lot of New Zealand fans – pretending to be Russian fans!!!

Well, after 20 minutes, the dominance was rather obvious – 4 tries to Australia, and leading 26-0. Another Try to Australia, and then at 34 minutes, the ‘house’ is brought down when the Russians score a Try!! Quick response  by the Aussies however!!  The rain starts to fall in Nelson, as halftime is reached.  Australia 47. Russia 5.  Meanwhile, looking out the window here, the weather looks just as miserable – very cold in Melbourne [and here in Sunbury] this afternoon , the Spring season seems to have briefly deserted us completely. The 2^nd half in the rugby began very quickly as the first had ended – with another converted Try for Australia as the score raced to 54-5.  Not sure if this is a great ‘hit-out’ before the Quarter Finals, although perhaps it may be to our advantage!

Meantime, at the MCG, some of the pre-match entertainment is about to begin – which includes the ageing American rock star ‘Meatloaf’. An unusual choice of entertainment by the AFL, and at one stage with the threatening weather, there was a possibility his performance might be cancelled for security reasons. When I did the ‘rock n roll’ show on the radio a few years ago, Meatloaf tracks were featured often, and in fact one of his songs I used as my theme for the show [Rock n Roll Dreams Come Through] – in fact, we switched over from the rugby for a couple of minutes just in time to find Meatloaf performing, quite a character, even today ‘You took the words right out of my mouth’ belted out around a wet and soggy MCG, or even ‘/Like a bat out of hell’!!! I don’t know what the younger generation thought of him??  But, back at the rugby, the Russians are making a much better effort of things in the 2^nd half, and 69 minutes, the score was 61-22 Australia’s way, and certainly the crowd were also getting into the game more.

It was around 2.15 our time, when the rugby finished [4.15 in Nelson], and the final score saw Australia 68      defeating Russia 22, frustration on the Australian faces for an unsatisfactory finish in  view of the 1^st half score- line, although I understand that the Russian coach really got into his team during the halftime break, so a better effort by the Russians should have been anticipated from that point onwards. The game finished in driving rain!!

Let’s get back to the MCG where we will stay for the next 3 hours or so – and a look at the two teams competing here today  –   and I note I’ve had no offers from any of my ‘kids’ to come over ands watch the game with me, so I am here alone. The attraction of enjoying the match with a mob of ‘drinking’ mates a much better option, and I don’t really blame them for that!!

COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES vs GEELONG CATS at the MCG – Sat Oct 01, 2:30pm  –  the teams:
Collingwood Magpies:
B: Alan Toovey, Ben Reid, Heritier O’Brien
HB: Nick Maxwell, Chris Tarrant, Heath Shaw
C: Jarryd Blair, Dane Swan, Dale Thomas
HF: Ben Johnson, Leigh Brown, Alan Didak
F: Steele Sidebottom, Travis Cloke, Luke Ball
Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Andrew Krakouer
I/C: Leon Davis, Chris Dawes, Sharrod Wellingham, Alex Fasolo
Emg: Tyson Goldsack, Cameron Wood, Ben Sinclair

Geelong Cats:
B: Josh Hunt, Matthew Scarlett, Tom Lonergan
HB: Corey Enright, Harry Taylor, David Wojcinski
C: Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel, Andrew Mackie
HF: Steve Johnson, Tom Hawkins, Travis Varcoe
F: Trent West, James Podsiadly, Paul Chapman
Foll: Brad Ottens, Cameron Ling, Joel Corey
I/C: James Kelly, Mathew Stokes, Mitch Duncan, Allen Christensen
Emg: Shannon Byrnes, Darren Milburn, Cameron Guthrie
Milestones: Andrew Mackie – 150 games, Travis Varcoe – 100 games

Grand Final statistics:

Head to head: Collingwood 126 Geelong 94 Drawn 1
Head to head in grand finals: Collingwood 2 Geelong 3 Drawn 0
Last time in grand finals: Collingwood 11.11 (77) bt Geelong 8.17 (65) GF 1953, MCG.

1^st Quarter, 2011 Grand Final: Craig Willis, who used to be the MC at Susie’s Australian Girls Choir concerts, introduced the National Anthem, sung by Vanessa Amarozi [‘not Meatloaf, lol] – rather a boisterous version for our Anthem, however we are here for the football, not the singing, with the ABC radio commentator describing Meatloaf’s performance as ‘absolutely dreadful!!!@!  Geelong are favourites to win!! This is their 4^th Grand final in 5 years [2010 the only year they didn’t get there] for two premierships in 2007 and 2009. Collingwood going for it’s 2^nd premiership win in a row.  I’m picking Collingwood, by 13 points, but not sure you I want to see win the match! Interesting point – the two captains, who tossed the coin and shook hands, apparently went to the same school, as teenagers! 

A goal to Geelong’s Travis Varcoe within the first ten seconds – and I very quickly realised that the radio and TV commentaries are not in sequence, the radio had the goal scored before the kicker even had the ball!!! Think I might stick to the TV, and put up with the adverts!!! Geelong off to a strong start with two early goals, but then Travis Cloke [No. 32] responds for Collingwood with two brilliant long shots, and two goals – a player who often destroys Carlton when the teams play. The third Collingwood goal went to Indigenous player,  Andrew Krakoeur, who less than 12 months was in jail.!! Collingwood gave him a new chance at life. Despite the weather, a free flowing high scoring first quarter with the lead changing regularly. Near end of quarter, the rain starts to come down, and the big lights at the MCG are switched on as the natural light begins to deteriorate. At quarter time, the scores as close as could be  – Collingwood 4.2.26  Geelong 4.3.27

2^nd Quarter, Three early goals to the Pies, and suddenly, Collingwood starts to creep away.  Susie returns home from work – tells me that in town at the shopping centre [Sunbury Square], crowds are gathered around a small TV screen in the community area cheering on the match, I guess people prefer to share these things in a crowd, rather than alone, like yours truly.  Geelong come back, then a serious injury to a Geelong player, dislocated shoulder, medics tried to put the shoulder back in on the ground, but had to take him off on a stretcher to complete the job [James Podsiadly]. Quick decision by the Cats to put their substitute player on  – commentators felt that Podsiadly could have come back, if they had been able to  fix the dislocated shoulder.  Five minutes to go in the quarter, and Collingwood go to a 15 point lead over a Geelong team with 3 players injured already. And yet, the Cats fight back with two goals, so that at half time, the scores showed Collingwood 9.3.57 to Geelong 8.6.54.

3^rd Quarter:  first goal of the quarter to Geelong, puts the cats back in front. Meanwhile, I notice that comments from family members on Facebook, regarding the performance of Meatloaf, were not very favourable, to say the least. The AFL have a habit of bringing out ‘stars’ of the past to entertain us at the MCG, and year after year, they are criticised for doing so! As the quarter progresses, it’s goal for goal, and the lead changes constantly. A high standard of football by both teams in very poor weather conditions [I only have to look at my window for confirmation of that – the nature strip beside my driveway looks like a series of rivulets!!]  At three quarter time, the score was Geelong 13.7.85 to Collingwood 12.6.78. Meantime, the news headlines are suggesting that ‘Meatloaf’ has received a ‘roasting’ for his performance, but I repeat, not his fault, too much expected by the AFL of  these ‘old’ stars –  surely there is plentiful talent here in Australia that could perform the same role!

Final quarter of 2011:  and also the final quarter as Collingwood coach, for Mick Malthouse [already coached three Premiership teams in his career]. The Geelong coach, Chris Scott is in just his first year as a coach.   Geelong start to get on top – 15 minutes to go, suddenly the Cats are 21 points in front, and Eddie McGuire [Collingwood President] is beginning to look desperate!!  But Collingwood never give up, too good a team to write off  yet! Personally, I think the Cats can hang on! Their defence is supreme in the closing part of the quarter. Ten minutes to go, and Geelong in front by 26 points.

Meanwhile, the crowd  –  99,537 at the MCG!!………………………..as the clocks ticks down, and Collingwood head towards yet another Grand Final loss………………Cats win the 2011 Premiership as they go away with the game [5 goals to 3 points in the last quarter].  Final score”  GEELONG 18.11.119 defeated COLLINGWOOD 12.9.81

I was thinking the other night that daylight saving must be coming up shortly – well in fact, for the participating states, it begins this weekend in Victoria, the ACT, New South Wales and Tasmania as we move our clocks forward one hour. And there I was getting used to heading off in the mornings in the early daylight, now back to pre-dawn conditions for a few weeks! Some states like Queensland and Western Australia have consistently refused to move with the times [no pun intended]  and have not joined the daylight saving program, so for the next six months or so, we end up with a whole new collection of times zones in this country. Unnecessary!

There is a campaign, and proposals at present in the community for restrictions to be ‘imposed’ on gamblers in regard to poker machines in particular, and not surprisingly, the people and businesses that profit from those gambling proceeds are fighting a vigorous counter campaign. The GetUp organisation claims that without reform, pokie machines enable a social problem to continue, that can ruin individuals, families, businesses and marriages.  They suggest, that clubs on the other hand, say they need problem gambling profits so they can give back to the community, but most clubs receive more in tax breaks, and spend more on advertising than they give back to their local communities. Sadly, the reality appears to be that the numbers make a case which is hard to ignore, and reveal a depressing story.
– A problem gambler can currently lose $1,200 in just one hour on high-intensity machines¹
– 40% of pokie losses come from problem gamblers; that’s $5 billion of the $12 billion Australians lose on pokies each year²
– A study in Victoria found that 1 in 10 problem gamblers say they’ve contemplated suicide because of problem gambling³.
GetUp tells us that Australia has the greatest number of dangerous high-loss pokie machines in the world. These machines have been called the “crack cocaine” of gambling – and for good reason. They are designed to be highly appealing to addictive personalities, making them unique compared to other forms of gambling.  While Clubs executives are spending millions playing fast and loose with the facts, Australian families are dealing with the harsh reality of problem gambling. It’s time for reform that limits the prevalence of high-loss machines and gives problem gamblers a way to choose how much they’re willing to lose on the slots before they get carried away in the moment.   Clubs that profit from gambling losses are doing everything they can to preserve their pokie profits, but GetUp believes we don’t have to let them get away with it. But I have to wonder how the problem can ever really be overcome, because there seems to be an inherent gene in a certain proportion of the population to risk everything with a ‘bet’ or gamble of some description.

On a brighter front for this football fan, who on a wet and predictably cold grand final weekend, has some serious ‘couch potato’ viewing to undertake, lol, I see that the news from the Carlton Football Club is what I had been waiting to hear. This is what the Club had to say.

‘The Carlton Football Club has acknowledged the marked improvement in the performance of its playing group, in reappointing Senior Coach Brett Ratten for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The Board of Directors ratified the Club’s decision at a meeting at Visy Park last week, in the aftermath of a campaign which had seen Ratten coach his players to fifth place and complete their first finals victory in AFL competition since 2001.Carlton President Stephen Kernahan said the board was united in its resolve to retain Ratten, who had commandeered the team to one of its best seasons in more than a decade.  “We discussed with Brett at the beginning of the season that the team needed to continue to develop and show widespread improvement for him to be reappointed,” Kernahan said. “Brett has worked extremely hard on improving in all areas, not just footy-related, and we commend him on his achievements. We look forward to what possibilities lay ahead in the years to come.”
 Ratten, a 255-game Carlton premiership player, triple club best and fairest and dual All-Australian, was first appointed caretaker coach in July of 2007, before signing on as Senior Coach for two years.\  In his first full season at the helm, Carlton finished eleventh with 10 wins and in his second seventh with 13, only to be eliminated by Brisbane at the Gabba in the first week of the 2009 finals series. The 2010 season again ended with a narrow elimination final loss, this time to Sydney by five points at ANZ Stadium.  With the inclusion of three new Assistant Coaches, Ratten took the team to fifth place, culminating in its 62-point elimination final victory over Essendon at the MCG before the heart-breaking three point loss to West Coast in the semi-final in Perth.
 “We have continued to provide feedback to Brett during the season and both he and the Club have stuck by the timeframe to wait until our season was completed before making a final decision and announcement in regards to our senior coaching position,” Kernahan added.  Ratten is obviously delighted to be continuing as the senior coach of the Carlton Football Club for the next two seasons. “I appreciate the confidence the Carlton Football Club has in me to continue in this role and to ensure the ongoing improvement of the team. We look forward to taking the next big step and ensuring a top four finish in 2012,” Ratten said.  “The Carlton Football Club’s foundation is built on success and that is what we must achieve.” ‘   Meantime, Carlton will have a presence on the ground at the MCG on Grand Final day.  Ryan Houlihan, who announced his retirement after 201 games for Carlton, will be joined by other retiring players and coaches in a special pre-match presentation on Saturday. While it is not the action Carlton supporters want for the Blues on the big day, it will have to do for at least another year as we wait to see Carlton in action in the AFL Grand Final.  Houlihan has always been one of my favourite players – a steady contributor for the team during a lean decade of success while never really reaching the heights of a champion.  A  job well done.

Australian author, Thomas Keneally, writing in an article in the Limelight Magazine this week, had what I thought was an interesting comment about ‘church’ music, and I quote that paragraph here.  He said ‘I first heard secular music, Mahler and so forth, in Australia in 1952, thanks to a high school teacher at St Patrick’s Strathfield, a Christian Brothers school. He’s still alive, and nudging a 100 now. All his students remember him and love him for his honesty and compassion – things the Christian Brothers weren’t necessarily known for. I recently went to a reunion of that 1952 class, and naturally because it’s a Catholic school there was a mass. And God they sing crappy stuff in church these days! Nondescript, low-church schlock. Old lapsed catholics like me believe we ought to be able to go back into church and hear the good old stuff. Because if you were a working class kid back then,  hearing the mass was the most solemn experience – and probably the peak cultural experience – of your week. Especially if it was a sung mass. It’s sad it’s not like that anymore’.  Strangely, I felt similar thoughts when I went down to Neil Street at the end of August, though on that occasion, I got what I was missing, the mass choir, magnificent organ music, and a large church packed ‘to the rafters’
Just a thought.

Rugby World Cup update:  South Africa defeated Samoa  13-5

Early night, feeling tired!!

I thought I’d directly quote two reports this morning from today’s ‘Age’ newspaper concerning two of the major media stories coming out of Melbourne yesterday [ignoring completely the fact that today is Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s 50^th birthday!!]. One story  relates to yesterday’s storm, the other to controversial newspaper columnist  Andrew Bolt  – whose  opinions I often find quite disturbing, but in this instance, I tend to be on his side a little, though at this point, don’t intend to comment further, simply reprint the way the ‘Age’ has reported on the situation.

“Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt says “multiculturalists” have used fear to silence conservatives rather than engaging in debate about racial identification in the wake of a Federal Court ruling against him.  Bolt was given free rein on the front page of today’s Herald Sun, saying he “cannot believe it’s come to this” and “I am truly shocked”. Inside the paper, he is defended by an editorial and given a further two pages to opine about his “damn columns” and “the calamity that hit me yesterday

Bolt and the Herald and Weekly Times, publisher of the Herald Sun, yesterday lost the case brought against them by nine fair-skinned Aborigines under the Racial Discrimination Act (1975).The nine applicants contended that Bolt had implied in articles and blogs that they had “chosen” to identify as Aboriginal because of financial, political or career benefits, imputations that had offended, insulted, humiliated and intimidated them. Bolt starts today’s column by outlining his own Dutch background and struggles with identity growing up in Australia. He said he decided to identify himself as Australian, but wishes there was no such thing as ethnicity, nationality or race. Bolt laments the increasing trend of people identifying themselves as Aboriginal “when even their looks loudly suggest they have ancestry drawn from many ‘races’ or ethnicities, especially European” and said commenting on this trend was “where this misery started”. Justice Mordecai Bromberg’s finding, Bolt said, is that fair-skinned Aborigines such as the claimants do not choose their ethnic or “racial” identity. “If Justice Bromberg’s view is correct, I would be even more depressed than I am already,” he said.  “It would have grave implications for our multi-ethnic or ‘multi-racial’ community. Must we always be defined by our ancestry, trapped forever in some box of race? Is someone with even just 1/128th Aboriginal ancestry forever an Aborigine, and Aborigine only?  “I wrote about people who, it seemed to me, had other options than to call themselves, without qualification or hyphens, ‘Aboriginal’.  “They included nine fair-skinned Aborigines who responded not with public arguments, but with a legal action in the Federal Court to have my articles banned forever, and me prevented from ever again writing something similar.  “I’m talking about people such as an Aboriginal lawyer whose father was British, an Aboriginal activist whose own sister identified as non-Aboriginal, and an Aboriginal writer whose father was born in Austria.” Bolt was too worried to quote directly what he had written in the columns, but said he did not say the nine people had no right to call themselves Aborigines. He said one of the people he wrote about had since described herself as someone of English, Jewish and Wathaurung descent. “Two years ago, I would cheerfully have argued that this acknowledgment of a multiple ethnicity was healthier, and truer, in such cases than insisting on only being Aboriginal,” Bolt said.”But not today. I no longer dare.”

Bolt’s piece is accompanied by an image of Justitia, the Roman goddess of justice, holding the scales of truth while tied down with rope. Justitia, or Lady Justice, is usually blindfolded to represent the fact justice is blind, but instead has an Australian flag wrapped around her mouth. The article is littered with references to being gagged, such as “I must not go further. I may breach the law”. “For expressing such views, in such language, I have lost my freedom to put my argument as I did,” Bolt said. “And be warned: use such phrases as those yourself, and you too may lose your right to speak. “But as I say, Justice Bromberg insists he hasn’t stopped debate on racial identification, unless, apparently, your adjectives are too sharp, your wit too pointed, your views too blunt, your observations not quite to the point, your teasing too ticklish and your facts not in every case exactly correct. “And even then, having jumped every hurdle and written with the forensic dullness of a Reserve Bank governor, you will run the risk of a judge deciding that whatever you’ve written is, after all, the very opposite of what you really meant.” Bolt said Justice Bromberg, despite saying in his judgment that people are free to express their opinions even if they are “ill-considered”, had silenced those who wanted to comment on multiculturalism. “I feel that writing frankly about multiculturalism, and especially Aboriginal identity, yesterday became too dangerous for any conservative,” he said. “It’s simply safer to stay silent, or write about fluffy puppies instead. “And so the multiculturalists win. They win, because no one now dares object for fear of what it will cost them in court.  “Hope they’re satisfied, to win a debate not by argument but fear.”   Back in April, Bolt’s lawyer, Neil Young, QC, flagged his intention to lodge an appeal in the event that this case was lost. The Herald and Weekly Times said yesterday they were disappointed by the decision and would review the judgment before considering an appeal”.

Meanwhile, here is today’s  ‘Age’ report on yesterday’s storm –  which as I drove home in it, while not really enjoying  that  trip, was rather thankful I was in a vehicle and not out in the weather or trying to cope with the  public transport chaos.

“Last night, electrical storms across parts of Victoria yesterday grounded flights, halted trains, closed the Royal Melbourne Show, brought power blackouts to thousands – and sent countless others running for cover. Melbourne was plunged into eerie darkness about 3pm as clouds gathered from the north-west and unleashed a tropical-style deluge, accompanied by lightning and cracking thunder. Within hours the central city had been soaked by 44.6 millimetres of rain, making it the wettest September day since 1955. Melbourne Airport was wetter still – 48 millimetres up to 9pm – and was a scene of chaos, with dozens of flights grounded from about 5pm as a precaution against lightning.  Although the storms had cleared by mid-evening, many people remained stranded late last night as airlines tried to clear the backlog. And some faced an unscheduled overnight stay after Qantas failed to win permission to extend the Sydney Airport curfew beyond 11pm. Passengers on one plane waited on the tarmac five hours before being told to disembark. Qantas said the airline would pay for their accommodation.

Earlier, peak-hour train services were widely disrupted, with Upfield line services replaced by buses from about 5.30pm due to signal damage. Signals on the Craigieburn and Pakenham lines were also hit. Buses replaced trains from Dandenong to Pakenham and Craigieburn.  Three houses – one each in Doncaster, Malvern and Fitzroy North – were damaged by lightning, and a tree fell through the window of a Pascoe Vale house.  In Ballarat, the horse races were abandoned after 4pm, while organisers of the Royal Melbourne Show halted proceedings early amid concerns about lightning, sending thousands of sodden school holiday visitors to the exits. Power blackouts were widespread, with the major suppliers reporting a total of 29,700 customers still off the grid at 8pm. The State Emergency Service said it had received 280 calls for assistance by 10pm.    Melbourne is in for more wet weather through to the weekend, with showers today and tomorrow, and hail and a top temperature of just 15 degrees on football grand final day”.

Lightning strikes the Melbourne CBD. Photo: Tim Young

Apart from family dates, there are a few other dates that have always remained in my mind over the years –  the 28 September, for eg, the birthday of an old girlfriend with whom I remain occasionally in touch with, and in my usual fashion, sent off a little greeting to her once again this year. I guess I like old friends to be reminded that they are thought of, even if many years down the track.  It doesn’t happen in reverse generally, in many cases, but that’s no matter. I have always tried to live by the philosophy of being content to do something nice to another without expecting anything in return.

I might have referred to this previously, but a significant date next year will be the 19th of February which marks the 70th anniversary of the most significant act of aggression against Australia. Last week in Federal Parliament, the Coalition Opposition moved to have the 19th of February declared as a Day of National Significance, to be known as “Bombing of Darwin Day”. Senator Ronaldson, in his most recent online report noted that the bombing of Darwin was the first time that Australia was attacked by enemy forces. Bombing raids by Japanese forces over Darwin continued for many months and extended to other northern Australian cities including Broome and Townsville. More than 250 people were killed in the attack on Darwin. Many more were wounded and injured. A United States Navy Destroyer, the USS Peary, was also sunk in Darwin Harbour, one of eight vessels sunk that day. More bombs were dropped on Darwin by the Japanese than on Pearl Harbor ten weeks earlier. The senator advised that a Coalition Government would work with the veteran and ex-service community to ensure the Bombing of Darwin is commemorated across Australia each year. Not the most pleasant of memories, but it has to be acknowledged as a significant aspect of our history.

 

Now moving on, readers might recall the vicious fatal dog attack which occurred in a Melbourne suburb a few weeks ago. Well now, as a direct response to that tragedy, owners of restricted breed dogs such as pit bulls are being urged to register their animals before tough new laws come into effect this Friday. Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh said owners of restricted breeds had just a few days to act before un-registered restricted breed dogs could be put down by authorities. “From 30 September councils across Victoria will, after due process, have the right to seize and destroy unregistered restricted breed dogs,” Mr Walsh said. “The message to pit bull owners and other restricted breeds is very clear – you must act now. Your dog must be registered and its breed specified before the amnesty ends.”

The Victorian Coalition Government introduced the new laws including guidelines to identify restricted breeds and overcome uncertainty over the type of dog breeds to be regulated after the frightful death of four-year-old Ayen Chol last month, when she was attacked in her home by a neighbour’s dog. Mr Walsh said he was concerned by reports of restricted breed dogs being abandoned by owners prior to the deadline. People who abandon dogs, particularly dangerous or restricted dogs, can face jail terms of up to 12 months or fines of more than $14,000. “I strongly discourage people from abandoning their pitbull terriers out of concern for being held responsible if their dog injures or kills someone,” Mr Walsh said. “Councils are obliged to take surrendered dogs, including restricted breed dogs, where the owner no longer wishes to keep them. “Many councils will accept surrendered dogs, either for free or a small fee, to discourage owners from abandoning dogs. “There is little or no cost involved in handing in an unwanted pit bull terrier to the local council and it is the most responsible option. “Abandoning the dog creates a serious risk of dog attack and puts council officers attempting to corner and capture these dogs in public places at risk.” Legislation introduced by the Victorian Coalition Government in Parliament last week proposes that owners of declared dangerous, menacing or restricted breed dogs could face up to 10 years in jail if their dog killed another person.

Certainly, as someone who walks around the local streets and parklands, one is always conscious of stray dogs – generally, in Sunbury I don’t come across many dogs that are not with their owners [although quite often the dog is not on a leash but allowed to wander unrestricted subject to the owner’s ability to still control them], but even then, it is wise to be wary.

 

I thought it rather ironic that today’s Weekly Times had a report about heavy rains predicted through late Spring/early Summer [after a relatively dry start to Spring], and then this afternoon, the heavens opened. By 3.30pm, it had become as dark as early dusk outside, and the rain was coming down by the proverbial bucketful, after earlier hailstorms, and soon followed by a vicious thunderstorm which lead to severe power blackouts in many areas of this part of the state. It was not a very pleasant drive home – traffic heavy, slow, and in driving rain, strong winds and misty conditions, with the thunder roaring overhead, and constant flashes of lightning. Apparently the power was out briefly in Sunbury, but seemed to well restored by the time I got there.

In mentioning the Weekly Times, this week saw the second supplement featuring  the ‘100 Greatest Country Australians’, this time listing and detailing numbers 61-80. I will do what I introduced last week – simply the names, dates, and  the activity for which the person is best recognised. If any reader is interested in more detail about a particular individual, simply ask me, and it shall be provided, either through here, or directly.

• 80.  Smoky Dawson 1913-2008  [Musician, Entertainer]
• 79. Edna Daniher 1934 –  [Football Mum]
• 78. Geoffrey Rush 1951 – [Actor]
• 77. Nick Cave 1957 –  [Musician]
• 76. Jackie Howe 1861-1920 [Shearer]
• 75. Tim Cope  1978 –  [Adventurer]
• 74. Neville Bonner 1922- 1999 [Politician]
• 73. Karrie Webb 1974 –  [Golfer]
• 72. Henry Bolte  1908 – 1990 [Victorian Premier]
• 71. Joh Bjelke-Petersen 1911 – 2005 [Queensland Premier]
• 70. Evonne Goolagong Cawley 1951 –  [Tennis player]
• 69. Ben Chifley 1885 – 1951  [Prime Minister]
• 68. Patsy Adam-Smith 1924 – 2001 [Writer, Historian]
• 67. Molly Meldrum 1946 –  [Music Industry Icon]
• 66. John Duigan  1882 – 1951  [Aviator]
• 65. Peter Allen 1944 – 1992 [Musician, Entertainer]
• 64. Alfred Howitt 1830 – 1908  [Explorer, Anthropologist]
• 63. Leslie McClure  1908 – 1966 [Pie Maker]
• 62. Johnny Mullagh 1841 – 1891 [Cricketer]
• 61. Baz Luhrmann 1962 –  [Film Director]

There we are then, sixty more names required, no’s 1 – 60. Another 20 next week, in this series celebrating everyday country Australians who have made a name for themselves for some feat or achievement.  A few politicians finally starting to creep into the list – I have a couple in mind, who are country lads, I wonder if they get in?

No doctors in that list yet! And there may not be. I see that there is presently a concern in regional rural areas, that while the rural doctor shortage [a concern of a few short years ago] is over, there is a corresponding feeling that the influx of overseas medics has lowered standards for patients in country areas. In speaking to his report on the program instigated to alleviate shortages, the Monash University migration  expert, Dr Bob Birrell, said that the success  in exceeding the required benchmark for doctor/patient ratios had come at the expense of a drop in standards and credentials, lowered to secure overseas doctors for rural areas. To become a GP, Australian medical students are required to complete postgraduate studies and a further three years supervised training. However, Dr Birrell said that while international doctors were required to pass a medical exam on entry, there was no independent assessment of their clinical skills nor were they required to have minimum levels of experience. Well, obviously I have no basis on which to judge that opinion, but on the surface I would certainly find it disturbing, particularly if I lived in a rural area where these ‘new’ recruits were located. However the danger of course, is the creation of wrong generalisations and likely misconceived public perceptions of all such overseas medics, surely unjustified in most cases. Some anticipated feedback and reaction from the above report can be assuredly expected. I expect to read more on this matter!

Finally, some good news for Carlton Football team out of the lost season –  Marc Murphy [after whom my son named his dog earlier this year]  has capped off a brilliant year by claiming the AFL Coaches Association’s Player of the Year award. Murphy polled 94 votes to finish in front of Blues skipper Chris Judd (90), Hawk Sam Mitchell and Western Bulldogs captain Matthew Boyd (87 each). The winner of Monday night’s Brownlow Medal for the League’s Best & fairest Player, Dane Swan of Collingwood, finished in 5^th spot under the Coaches Award…….. while for my Rugby World Cup update:  Georgia defeated Romania 25-9 today.