This post will not really be written by me. I have spent the past few minutes looking through Facebook at what my various friends have to say about being Australian and Australia Day. Australia Day appears to mean very different things to each person but the one thing they all have in common was the pride they all take in this country. It truly is a beautiful and astounding place to live and after the recent floods it seems more of us are taking our Aussie status very seriously.
Here are some of my favourites;
'I'm so proud to be an australian thanks mum&dad for making that huge sacrifice 38yrs ago by leaving your whole family in the UK for a better life down under!!!'
'Everything ready now- lamb marinated in homegrown herbs, drinks and salad, Australian themed beach ball, hat, towel, umbrella, boardies, stubby cooler, infatable thong, eski, hats... even Ozzy nails!!! Have I forgotten anything????'
'Proud to be an Aussie, proud to be a Queenslander, especially after the amazing work put in down south during the floods! That's the spirit!!'
'Probably going to movies and for lunch somewhere and maybe Sugarworld Gardens. It's just nice to have a day to spend with the family doing something and the weather is glorious at the moment.'
'Australian girls have fire and ice in our blood. We can handle floods and droughts, handle the cold, beat the heat, be a princess, throw a right hook and drink with the boys! We are born tough, We can cook a wicked good meal and if we have an opinion...You can bet your ass you're gonna hear it!'
'Happy Australia day to all, we are a great nation.'
'Happy Survival Day All! Acknowledge our past and look to the future :)'
'Happy Australia Day! A day to celebrate our history, our traditional owners of our land (thank you for letting us live here) and our multi cultural community! We are a strong nation, full of people with courage, love and compassion. What a day :)'
There were many who simply said 'Happy Australia Day!!"
I love being Australian but having only ever been Australian I am unsure if I would have the same pride in the country of my birth if it was any other place on earth. I have a feeling that we Australians are particularly proud of our achievements and rightly so. We excel in many areas but more than that, we have a can do attitude that allows us to believe that anything is possible. The optimist is alive and well here in this country and as a self confessed leader of the optimism party it's great to know that I am far from alone in my perspective.
As a country we are young, yet we are one of the oldest in the world. Depends which way you look at it. Either way you choose to view things the fact is we have come a long way and sometimes it pays to acknowledge that. We are far from perfect and there is still much further we need to travel before we can stop and rest. Luckily we have a wealth of opportunity and knowledge in this country and we know how to utilise it. Our leaders are not perfect and will always disappoint us but those members of the community who work tirelessly for all of us are the ones we should be celebrating as our hero's. These people have chosen to follow a difficult path and will not be swayed or moved until the job is done. Australia would not be going anywhere if it wasn't for their actions.
I confess to being a little disappointed with Australia Day being referred to as Survival Day. Not because I don't believe we should acknowledge our past. More because I choose to believe that our indigenous population did much more than simply survive. The culture, languages and the spirit that allowed them to survive have also been kept. White culture is not so strong in that regard. Our Aboriginal communities have not fared well in the past and the gap is still wide. There is a certain comfort to be had in the absolute courage and conviction of those who are looking for ways to bridge that gap and are ensuring it doesn't widen. Australia Day is the perfect opportunity for us to demand that our leaders work even harder to ensure that all Australians have the same opportunities and quality of life, in every part of our country.
This is what one of my friends had to say today about her views on the issue. Once again, it's all in the attitude!
'Hopefully we've learnt over the years that negativity breeds negativity and us as Indigenous Australians can look to more positive ways of moving forward while still acknowledging our past. We need to lose that "hard done by" mentality and GET UP off our arses and do something about it! Today is the day to have good long think about our survival of our culture and what we are doing for the next generation.'
Curtis Pitt posted a press release this morning about his views on Australia. It's a great read and it's how I will end my post. Happy Australia Day everyone. Whether you are headed out for a bbq, a lunch, a family fun day or staying at home watching some great Aussie sport remember to be grateful for all we have today and thankful that we have so many Australian's in our midst who are working hard to make it even better!
AUSTRALIA DAY.
Australia Day is our national day – an occasion to honour our achievements and successes, an official holiday to remind us what it means to be Australian and to celebrate the reasons we love living in this country. But each year, January 26 means different things to different people.
Australians come from a range of cultural backgrounds. The history of this land started long before the arrival of European settlement, so for our first Australians it marked that day in 1788 that forever changed Indigenous culture, customs and way of life.
Today is a day when we should remember that it is our differences that actually unite us. It is our respect for each other and tolerance of our differences that makes our country stand out from the rest.
Today is a day that will see towns and cities across the country unite their diverse communities and promote cultural and religious harmony. We acknowledge the role that migrants from throughout the globe have played in recent years to make our society so much richer. It is for these reasons that it’s a day that many will choose to become Australian citizens at naturalisation ceremonies around the nation.
Today is also an opportunity to publicly acknowledge our best. Here in the Far North, we’re well known for our sense of community and for a willingness to freely give of our time to help others. Through Australia Day awards, it’s a chance to express our thanks and gratitude to those who contribute an enormous amount of time and effort to make our community a better place – everyday people who contribute in all areas of community and civic life. Congratulations to all Australia Day award winners.
The start of 2011 has seen thousands of people adversely affected by extreme weather events which have caused a great deal of sorrow and hardship – not only in south east Queensland but also in other parts of the State. I couldn’t think of a better example of why I’m proud to be Australian, and more importantly a Queenslander.
In some of our State’s darkest hours, trained professionals have worked alongside volunteers to help out fellow Queenslanders, saving lives in flood-ravaged cities and towns. In the cleanup, total strangers have lobbed onto people’s doorsteps and offered assistance. Through it all, they’ve responded to the most difficult of situations with good humour.
As they begin the massive task of reconstruction, I think back to the response following Cyclone Larry. The scale of the disaster in SEQ may be larger but the principles behind the recovery must be the same. In the midst of the devastation and chaos, Premier Anna Bligh said with some emotion but much conviction:
“As we weep for what we have lost, and as we grieve for family and friends and we confront the challenge that is before us, I want us to remember who we are. We are Queenslanders. We’re the people that they breed tough, north of the border. We’re the ones that they knock down, and we get up again.”
Nope, it’s not football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars that makes an Aussie. It’s that thing that you can’t see. It’s an attitude – a belief – that we can achieve anything if we work together.
Happy Australia Day to all – and no matter what Australia Day means to you, I hope you enjoy it with family and friends.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Bored kids = random acts of stupidity.
There is a small problem in the southern corridor of Cairns that needs addressing. It's the amount of children that reside here. I call it a small problem only because they are. Small, that is. The problem is actually a large one and it's growing all the time.
The Cairns Post front page states the need for more schools on the south side of Cairns as this area has more school age children than anywhere else in North Queensland. After watching the flood coverage and the pictures of the devastated areas I have come to realise that the area known as North Queensland is very, very big. If this area has so many children I would like to know why they are being ignored?
The need for more schools is a given. Please hurry up and build them and for God's sakes don't make their catchment areas so darned tiny! When enrolling my children in school I rang the Department of Education in Brisbane to enquire about which schools would be available to me. Due to the fact that I have a 'quirky' daughter I had two schools in mind for her to attend. Neither one was in my 'catchment area' but both are in my suburb. When I asked the person on the other end of the phone what my options were if I wanted to ask for special permission for her to apply at one of these schools I was told to do what 'all the other parents do'....fake my address. Seriously? If I had to resort to that option in order to get my daughter an education, surely we are making parents lives much too hard.
Needless to say, we didn't go via that route. Luckily there are other schools in the area that were very happy to have my child (and the following two) and they were very understanding of her needs. Unfortunately, they also cost a fair chunk of cash to utilise, so the swimming lessons became a luxury item that was out of our reach. No parent should have to choose between lying or paying through the teeth just to get their child a good start in life.
Beyond the schooling issue however, is a far bigger one that is being completely overlooked in the planning and implementation of facilities in the area. It's fine to build more schools, great even. That takes care of 6 hours of the day, 5 days a week. What do you do with the kids when school is out and on weekends? There are several good parks and Sugarworld is half open, giving children some outlet for all that energy they have. Plenty of children are not that active though. What do those children do? Where do they go?
Oh, I am not referring to young kids who should be wherever their parents are. I am talking about teenagers. The ones who are old enough to travel by bike or on foot around the suburb, exploring and socialising. At the moment, these kids have a serious lack of things to do with their spare time. Going somewhere to play sport, skate or ride the BMX is fine for three days a week (and if you can find somewhere suitable). Then there are the other four to fill in. Why has this area got no pool hall? Why is there no games hall? Or a cafe that caters to teens and young adults? I realise that those are facilities that would require business operation, not Council or Government, but I still ask the question anyway. If this area has so many school kids, one would assume that plenty of those are in their teens. Somebody needs to open a business on this side of town to cater to this demographic. I guarantee you it would be popular.
Bored kids make stupid choices. They steal from cars. They wander about vandalising property. They make a general nuisance of themselves. They are not bad kids. There is nothing in their DNA that shouts evil or nasty. They just need something to do! A pool hall or a games place is not constructive, will not utilise their growing brains and won't solve the health issues of our youth. It will however, get our children to socialise, instead of sitting at home in their rooms on a computer playing games, they could be with their peers and included in actual conversation while playing the same games they would play at home.
Cinemas are coming to the south side when the Edmonton Town Centre is up and running. At least, it's been suggested that they will. Fantastic, bring it on. I realise it's a fair way off but as long as it happens I am all for it. It's not just children who would benefit from that particular pastime, the whole community would attend.
There is a study being undertaken regarding the possibility of building a skate park in the Bentley Park/Mt Sheridan area, one more useful and expansive than the simple half pipe in Robert Road. Again, a great idea. Consulting with those potentially using the facility before design and construction is an excellent idea as too many decisions are made and buildings built without consultation, resulting in inappropriate development that nobody uses.
The idea being bandied about that this area could be the perfect area for a new PCYC is also a fantastic idea. A PCYC would encompass many of the things I have mentioned and is run along strict guidelines with excellent results. Hurry up and decide, then hurry up and build it.
The population explosion from White Rock to Gordonvale is all inclusive. Children are naturally a large part of that growth and need to be catered for just as much as the adults do. They already feel disconnected and alienated so let's not exacerbate that problem any further by ignoring them when we choose what to build out here.
By all means, start tomorrow with building a new school, just don't forget to give the kids something to do when they aren't there.
The Cairns Post front page states the need for more schools on the south side of Cairns as this area has more school age children than anywhere else in North Queensland. After watching the flood coverage and the pictures of the devastated areas I have come to realise that the area known as North Queensland is very, very big. If this area has so many children I would like to know why they are being ignored?
The need for more schools is a given. Please hurry up and build them and for God's sakes don't make their catchment areas so darned tiny! When enrolling my children in school I rang the Department of Education in Brisbane to enquire about which schools would be available to me. Due to the fact that I have a 'quirky' daughter I had two schools in mind for her to attend. Neither one was in my 'catchment area' but both are in my suburb. When I asked the person on the other end of the phone what my options were if I wanted to ask for special permission for her to apply at one of these schools I was told to do what 'all the other parents do'....fake my address. Seriously? If I had to resort to that option in order to get my daughter an education, surely we are making parents lives much too hard.
Needless to say, we didn't go via that route. Luckily there are other schools in the area that were very happy to have my child (and the following two) and they were very understanding of her needs. Unfortunately, they also cost a fair chunk of cash to utilise, so the swimming lessons became a luxury item that was out of our reach. No parent should have to choose between lying or paying through the teeth just to get their child a good start in life.
Beyond the schooling issue however, is a far bigger one that is being completely overlooked in the planning and implementation of facilities in the area. It's fine to build more schools, great even. That takes care of 6 hours of the day, 5 days a week. What do you do with the kids when school is out and on weekends? There are several good parks and Sugarworld is half open, giving children some outlet for all that energy they have. Plenty of children are not that active though. What do those children do? Where do they go?
Oh, I am not referring to young kids who should be wherever their parents are. I am talking about teenagers. The ones who are old enough to travel by bike or on foot around the suburb, exploring and socialising. At the moment, these kids have a serious lack of things to do with their spare time. Going somewhere to play sport, skate or ride the BMX is fine for three days a week (and if you can find somewhere suitable). Then there are the other four to fill in. Why has this area got no pool hall? Why is there no games hall? Or a cafe that caters to teens and young adults? I realise that those are facilities that would require business operation, not Council or Government, but I still ask the question anyway. If this area has so many school kids, one would assume that plenty of those are in their teens. Somebody needs to open a business on this side of town to cater to this demographic. I guarantee you it would be popular.
Bored kids make stupid choices. They steal from cars. They wander about vandalising property. They make a general nuisance of themselves. They are not bad kids. There is nothing in their DNA that shouts evil or nasty. They just need something to do! A pool hall or a games place is not constructive, will not utilise their growing brains and won't solve the health issues of our youth. It will however, get our children to socialise, instead of sitting at home in their rooms on a computer playing games, they could be with their peers and included in actual conversation while playing the same games they would play at home.
Cinemas are coming to the south side when the Edmonton Town Centre is up and running. At least, it's been suggested that they will. Fantastic, bring it on. I realise it's a fair way off but as long as it happens I am all for it. It's not just children who would benefit from that particular pastime, the whole community would attend.
There is a study being undertaken regarding the possibility of building a skate park in the Bentley Park/Mt Sheridan area, one more useful and expansive than the simple half pipe in Robert Road. Again, a great idea. Consulting with those potentially using the facility before design and construction is an excellent idea as too many decisions are made and buildings built without consultation, resulting in inappropriate development that nobody uses.
The idea being bandied about that this area could be the perfect area for a new PCYC is also a fantastic idea. A PCYC would encompass many of the things I have mentioned and is run along strict guidelines with excellent results. Hurry up and decide, then hurry up and build it.
The population explosion from White Rock to Gordonvale is all inclusive. Children are naturally a large part of that growth and need to be catered for just as much as the adults do. They already feel disconnected and alienated so let's not exacerbate that problem any further by ignoring them when we choose what to build out here.
By all means, start tomorrow with building a new school, just don't forget to give the kids something to do when they aren't there.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Feel good? I hope so..........
In the 7 months I have been blogging, parts of my blog have appeared on 6 different occasions in other local blogs around the region. Sometimes they are complimentary, usually they are not. The most common complaint appears to be that I write 'feel good' articles.
I write about many and varied issues; politics, parenting and current affairs. I write about my views and those of the people in my immediate area. I write about the things that are affecting the people in my community.
My primary purpose in writing this blog was to galvanise those people into action to affect change where change is needed. The best way to do that, is with positive direction.
I could write about all of the negative parts of every issue that we in the community are facing. I could write about the despair and hopelessness that is everywhere you look. I could even write feature articles about things we can't, or won't change. Frankly, I see no point in doing that.
There are plenty of blogs that focus on those aspects of our lives. Plenty of media avenues that fill their pages or airways with the dreary, depressing nature of the way we live. Why would I choose to follow that same path and compound the constricting nature of that method of doing things?
Everything I write has hope. Every article has a bright side. It's how I choose to live. If I can't offer a solution (even a slightly naive one) or a positive direction then I haven't achieved what I set out to do. I am sick and tired of reading articles that inform the public of all that is wrong and never try to offer a way to make it right. Who wants to live in that world? Not me!
Change is possible. Change is necessary. Change should never be put in the 'too hard basket'. Nor should we ever be led to believe that because we aren't in a position of power we are unable to make those changes happen ourselves.
After reading the comments made by others I have come to the realisation that they are completely truthful and actually quite complimentary. After all.......who doesn't want to feel good?
I write about many and varied issues; politics, parenting and current affairs. I write about my views and those of the people in my immediate area. I write about the things that are affecting the people in my community.
My primary purpose in writing this blog was to galvanise those people into action to affect change where change is needed. The best way to do that, is with positive direction.
I could write about all of the negative parts of every issue that we in the community are facing. I could write about the despair and hopelessness that is everywhere you look. I could even write feature articles about things we can't, or won't change. Frankly, I see no point in doing that.
There are plenty of blogs that focus on those aspects of our lives. Plenty of media avenues that fill their pages or airways with the dreary, depressing nature of the way we live. Why would I choose to follow that same path and compound the constricting nature of that method of doing things?
Everything I write has hope. Every article has a bright side. It's how I choose to live. If I can't offer a solution (even a slightly naive one) or a positive direction then I haven't achieved what I set out to do. I am sick and tired of reading articles that inform the public of all that is wrong and never try to offer a way to make it right. Who wants to live in that world? Not me!
Change is possible. Change is necessary. Change should never be put in the 'too hard basket'. Nor should we ever be led to believe that because we aren't in a position of power we are unable to make those changes happen ourselves.
After reading the comments made by others I have come to the realisation that they are completely truthful and actually quite complimentary. After all.......who doesn't want to feel good?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Australian Way.
During the past few days there have been many messages passed around, through Facebook, Twitter and e-mail, having a whinge about the measly sum our Federal and State Government donated to the public Flood Appeal. There have been complaints about the possibility of a rise in our taxes and the very real possibility of a rise in our country's deficit.
Contrary to those believing that this type of complaining is unAustralian and unjustified, the Australian way has always been to have a good whinge about anything that may affect our lives. Even those instances that don't really affect us at all. Our cricket team, our swimming team, our soccer team, our politicians, the 'Greenies', the stock market, our dollar, internet shopping........You name it, we whinge.
Thankfully, we have two things working in contrast to the whingers that will counteract and perhaps cancel out the complaints.
First and foremost is our other 'Australian way'. We are nothing, if not generous. To those in need in the southern parts of our state and perhaps later, those affected in NSW, Victoria and Tassie, we will continue to give as much money as we can possibly afford. We will offer our support in any way we can and if asked, will rise to the occasion and get our communities galvanised in a particular direction to ensure what is needed is provided. Whether it be hands on assistance when the floods have passed, linen and clothing for those in emergency accommodation, help with re-locating animals or just well wishes and heartfelt sympathy for those who have lost so much. It's what we do. It's the Australian way.
There have been many, many stories of courage, mateship and community spirit throughout this ordeal and those stories will linger long after the water recedes. We are very lucky to have such strong community's in Australia, resilient and resourceful. They will re-build their lives and continue on, but only with our help.
The second part to the story is the actual contribution by both main tiers of government. In no way will the 1 million contributed to kick start the public appeal be significant in the actual cost of these floods. Already the Government has spent huge amounts on military, police and specialised services to assist those in the flooded region. They have spend large amounts on helicopters, search and rescue missions and on establishing shelters for those in need. All this, and the water is still rising.
When the water is gone, all tiers of government will then have some massive amounts of money to shell out for the re-building of 75 percent of our state. New roads, sewage plants, electricity and water infrastructure. This process alone will cost several billion dollars to complete.
Then there are the emergency payments available to families for clean-up and for food and clothing. These amounts are also not insignificant with $25'000 available per family and separate payments of $400 per child and $1000 per adult for the most urgent purchases of food and clothing. With so many affected, these payments will total millions of dollars.
The Centrelink payments that will become immediately available to those who have lost their source of income will cost millions. The task force set up to help the residents get back home and start the healing process will cost millions.
So many needs, so much cost. The numbers are staggering and the cost to our nation will be felt for some time to come. Will our taxes rise? Probably not. They didn't with Larry and they didn't with the bushfires and while this disaster is on a whole other scale, my belief is that they will refrain from adding the cost to our taxes in this instance as well.
Will our deficit rise in Queensland and Federally? Probably, you could almost say definitely. How will that affect us? In Queensland it will be an interesting time ahead. While we will have a bigger debt and our credit rating as a state will go back to previous levels, there will be more work here that at any time previously. For tradespeople and builders, there will be a massive boom in work due to the flooding. For labourers, clothing stores, furniture traders and raw material and timber yards there will be a huge boost in trade over the coming months.
This may mean that tradespeople will leave the north and travel south for the work so that possibility must be taken into account. It may mean that the whingers who already feel the south east corner is getting the bulk of state monies will whinge harder. It may mean that we have a substantial increase in the costs of fresh food in Australia because the flooded area was a production area for so many of our food industries. We may be living on seafood and chicken for the next year while the farmers replenish their beef stock.
All of those potential issues are temporary and things we can live with in the short term. After Larry we had a massive influx of people from all over Australia wanting to lend a hand, those people helped prop up the economy, helped heal the community and helped re-build Innisfail and surrounds so that life could continue there. There is no denying that this crisis will require the same assistance from all those who can help out and nobody would deny the affected areas that right.
For the next few days, rescuers will be uncovering tragic stories and the death toll from the floods will most assuredly rise. The SES, the Police, Military and political leaders (especially Anna Bligh) have ensured that this unfolding disaster is getting all assistance possible and that the lives of so many have been saved. This is not a time for blame, this is not a time for worrying about our taxes. This is a time to lend a hand, to encourage and support those who are assisting the relief efforts and to lend our ears and our compassion to communities that have been devastated.
Our hearts go out to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one and also to those who have been given the task of searching the areas where there are missing people.
It's been a tragic week in Queensland. In respect for those who have lost so much, let's suspend our Aussie whinging and focus instead on trying to lend a hand. It's a much better use of our skills.
Contrary to those believing that this type of complaining is unAustralian and unjustified, the Australian way has always been to have a good whinge about anything that may affect our lives. Even those instances that don't really affect us at all. Our cricket team, our swimming team, our soccer team, our politicians, the 'Greenies', the stock market, our dollar, internet shopping........You name it, we whinge.
Thankfully, we have two things working in contrast to the whingers that will counteract and perhaps cancel out the complaints.
First and foremost is our other 'Australian way'. We are nothing, if not generous. To those in need in the southern parts of our state and perhaps later, those affected in NSW, Victoria and Tassie, we will continue to give as much money as we can possibly afford. We will offer our support in any way we can and if asked, will rise to the occasion and get our communities galvanised in a particular direction to ensure what is needed is provided. Whether it be hands on assistance when the floods have passed, linen and clothing for those in emergency accommodation, help with re-locating animals or just well wishes and heartfelt sympathy for those who have lost so much. It's what we do. It's the Australian way.
There have been many, many stories of courage, mateship and community spirit throughout this ordeal and those stories will linger long after the water recedes. We are very lucky to have such strong community's in Australia, resilient and resourceful. They will re-build their lives and continue on, but only with our help.
The second part to the story is the actual contribution by both main tiers of government. In no way will the 1 million contributed to kick start the public appeal be significant in the actual cost of these floods. Already the Government has spent huge amounts on military, police and specialised services to assist those in the flooded region. They have spend large amounts on helicopters, search and rescue missions and on establishing shelters for those in need. All this, and the water is still rising.
When the water is gone, all tiers of government will then have some massive amounts of money to shell out for the re-building of 75 percent of our state. New roads, sewage plants, electricity and water infrastructure. This process alone will cost several billion dollars to complete.
Then there are the emergency payments available to families for clean-up and for food and clothing. These amounts are also not insignificant with $25'000 available per family and separate payments of $400 per child and $1000 per adult for the most urgent purchases of food and clothing. With so many affected, these payments will total millions of dollars.
The Centrelink payments that will become immediately available to those who have lost their source of income will cost millions. The task force set up to help the residents get back home and start the healing process will cost millions.
So many needs, so much cost. The numbers are staggering and the cost to our nation will be felt for some time to come. Will our taxes rise? Probably not. They didn't with Larry and they didn't with the bushfires and while this disaster is on a whole other scale, my belief is that they will refrain from adding the cost to our taxes in this instance as well.
Will our deficit rise in Queensland and Federally? Probably, you could almost say definitely. How will that affect us? In Queensland it will be an interesting time ahead. While we will have a bigger debt and our credit rating as a state will go back to previous levels, there will be more work here that at any time previously. For tradespeople and builders, there will be a massive boom in work due to the flooding. For labourers, clothing stores, furniture traders and raw material and timber yards there will be a huge boost in trade over the coming months.
This may mean that tradespeople will leave the north and travel south for the work so that possibility must be taken into account. It may mean that the whingers who already feel the south east corner is getting the bulk of state monies will whinge harder. It may mean that we have a substantial increase in the costs of fresh food in Australia because the flooded area was a production area for so many of our food industries. We may be living on seafood and chicken for the next year while the farmers replenish their beef stock.
All of those potential issues are temporary and things we can live with in the short term. After Larry we had a massive influx of people from all over Australia wanting to lend a hand, those people helped prop up the economy, helped heal the community and helped re-build Innisfail and surrounds so that life could continue there. There is no denying that this crisis will require the same assistance from all those who can help out and nobody would deny the affected areas that right.
For the next few days, rescuers will be uncovering tragic stories and the death toll from the floods will most assuredly rise. The SES, the Police, Military and political leaders (especially Anna Bligh) have ensured that this unfolding disaster is getting all assistance possible and that the lives of so many have been saved. This is not a time for blame, this is not a time for worrying about our taxes. This is a time to lend a hand, to encourage and support those who are assisting the relief efforts and to lend our ears and our compassion to communities that have been devastated.
Our hearts go out to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one and also to those who have been given the task of searching the areas where there are missing people.
It's been a tragic week in Queensland. In respect for those who have lost so much, let's suspend our Aussie whinging and focus instead on trying to lend a hand. It's a much better use of our skills.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
What the Floods have Revealed....about us.
Earlier this week I made a silly comment about using Army Ducks from Rainforest Station in times of flood so that we don't have to go without here in Cairns. My five year old son made the suggestion and at the time I thought it was amusing.
Now, one week later, there is nothing funny about what is occurring in the southern parts of this state. The scope of the floods are very hard to get your head around and the vision we are seeing of floating homes and belongings is just devastating.
We have been largely unaffected by the floods. People are still making remark about the need to flood-proof the Bruce Highway and the annoyance at finding shelves bare of stock in the supermarkets and stores but this has always happened while we are in the middle of a natural disaster. After the water falls and the roads re-open it will once again be apparent to all that you simply cannot flood-proof against a 100 year event. Even 50 year floods like those in 2008 cause roads to flood for weeks at a time.
In Cairns, we are naturally immune to this type of disaster. Water goes straight out to sea from here and while we may have the inconvenience of minor flooding, it is always temporary. South and north of us have never fared very well. The land is flat and there is simply nowhere for the water to go....but up. We are all aware of it, we all prepare for it and we all get annoyed by it, every time it happens.
Let's ignore our bare shelves for a moment though and focus on those who are really doing it tough. In Rockhampton yesterday the flood waters reached their peak. It was slightly lower than predicted, peaking at 9.2m rather than 9.4. Looking at the number on it's own it seems that 200ml would not make much difference really but on further investigation it was revealed that it most certainly would. 9.2m would reach the bottom of floorboards on a two story home (which is a common structure in Rockhampton). 9.4m would cause those floorboards to disappear under the murky water and a whole house full of belongings to potentially be ruined, along with the house. Soaking floorboards in water for 36 hrs (the amount of time the water is expected to sit, before beginning to go down) would ruin them, making entering homes and recovering items impossible.
The Mayor of Rockhampton has said that the food drops to the north of the town are lovely, but not necessary. All of the local stores stocked up before the floods in preparation of what was to come and in order to support them staying afloat (sorry, bad pun) the local residents needed to purchase those items before accepting any relief. Essentially, he believed that any perishable items that were part of those drops would possibly be wasted. Sounds to me like someone is either not listening or is so desperate to be seen as giving a swift and effective response, they have gone a bit too far.
I applaud the much needed State and Federal response from the police, military and SES workers. These, along with the Red Cross, are ensuring that homes stay safe from looting and that safety of residents remains a top priority. Once again it is our emergency services and our volunteers who are making up the bulk of those doing the hard work while the crisis is unfolding. They will not be getting any rewards for this, no bravery awards and no ticker-tape parade. I watched a policewomen, in shorts, walk through waist level water on several occasions during flood coverage yesterday to check on residents that had chosen to stay, while those still in the boat were pointing out the snakes in the water.
The psychological effects of an event such as this will surely be felt for many months to come. Losing your home is one thing, dealing with a thick layer of stinking mud another, but worrying constantly that this will happen again would most assuredly take it's toll. I hope that when the roads are clear and the homes are cleaned, when the streets are passable and the insurance claims are in....we don't leave these towns to fend for themselves and ignore the ongoing struggles they will have.
The tiny towns with lost cattle, lost crops and lost homes. The larger ones with lost livelihoods, homes and belongings. The area that was affected is massive. Over 60 percent of the state. When we had a crisis in Larry, only a quarter of that amount was affected. The entire country dug deep and helped us out through this crisis. People travelled from all over the state, country and even came from overseas to help out where they could. Tradespeople donated time, expertise and tools to help rebuild. Cash donations were sent in from all over the world. The military and civilian response was incredible and the process to start over was made much easier.
This time it is not us affected. It's not right here on our doorstep. I wonder if we will be as generous now as we all were in 2006? I wonder if there will be complaints made about the cost of food when the limited stock that has survived the floods starts to trickle into stores. Will we remember paying $12 per kilo for bananas?
This situation will only be a temporary one if we all band together and make sure of it. Send in as much money as you can afford to the Premiers Flood Relief Fund. Gather together your unused linen and clothing items and take them to Pillow Talk, the Red Cross stores or one of the other drop off points. These items will be essential and in very short supply once the waters recede.
I will be watching the rest of this dramatic situation with thoughts always of those who are in limbo right now, waiting to hear what more I can do to help alleviate the struggle. Most importantly though, I will make sure I don't forget these people in two weeks, when the water is all gone.
Now, one week later, there is nothing funny about what is occurring in the southern parts of this state. The scope of the floods are very hard to get your head around and the vision we are seeing of floating homes and belongings is just devastating.
We have been largely unaffected by the floods. People are still making remark about the need to flood-proof the Bruce Highway and the annoyance at finding shelves bare of stock in the supermarkets and stores but this has always happened while we are in the middle of a natural disaster. After the water falls and the roads re-open it will once again be apparent to all that you simply cannot flood-proof against a 100 year event. Even 50 year floods like those in 2008 cause roads to flood for weeks at a time.
In Cairns, we are naturally immune to this type of disaster. Water goes straight out to sea from here and while we may have the inconvenience of minor flooding, it is always temporary. South and north of us have never fared very well. The land is flat and there is simply nowhere for the water to go....but up. We are all aware of it, we all prepare for it and we all get annoyed by it, every time it happens.
Let's ignore our bare shelves for a moment though and focus on those who are really doing it tough. In Rockhampton yesterday the flood waters reached their peak. It was slightly lower than predicted, peaking at 9.2m rather than 9.4. Looking at the number on it's own it seems that 200ml would not make much difference really but on further investigation it was revealed that it most certainly would. 9.2m would reach the bottom of floorboards on a two story home (which is a common structure in Rockhampton). 9.4m would cause those floorboards to disappear under the murky water and a whole house full of belongings to potentially be ruined, along with the house. Soaking floorboards in water for 36 hrs (the amount of time the water is expected to sit, before beginning to go down) would ruin them, making entering homes and recovering items impossible.
The Mayor of Rockhampton has said that the food drops to the north of the town are lovely, but not necessary. All of the local stores stocked up before the floods in preparation of what was to come and in order to support them staying afloat (sorry, bad pun) the local residents needed to purchase those items before accepting any relief. Essentially, he believed that any perishable items that were part of those drops would possibly be wasted. Sounds to me like someone is either not listening or is so desperate to be seen as giving a swift and effective response, they have gone a bit too far.
I applaud the much needed State and Federal response from the police, military and SES workers. These, along with the Red Cross, are ensuring that homes stay safe from looting and that safety of residents remains a top priority. Once again it is our emergency services and our volunteers who are making up the bulk of those doing the hard work while the crisis is unfolding. They will not be getting any rewards for this, no bravery awards and no ticker-tape parade. I watched a policewomen, in shorts, walk through waist level water on several occasions during flood coverage yesterday to check on residents that had chosen to stay, while those still in the boat were pointing out the snakes in the water.
The psychological effects of an event such as this will surely be felt for many months to come. Losing your home is one thing, dealing with a thick layer of stinking mud another, but worrying constantly that this will happen again would most assuredly take it's toll. I hope that when the roads are clear and the homes are cleaned, when the streets are passable and the insurance claims are in....we don't leave these towns to fend for themselves and ignore the ongoing struggles they will have.
The tiny towns with lost cattle, lost crops and lost homes. The larger ones with lost livelihoods, homes and belongings. The area that was affected is massive. Over 60 percent of the state. When we had a crisis in Larry, only a quarter of that amount was affected. The entire country dug deep and helped us out through this crisis. People travelled from all over the state, country and even came from overseas to help out where they could. Tradespeople donated time, expertise and tools to help rebuild. Cash donations were sent in from all over the world. The military and civilian response was incredible and the process to start over was made much easier.
This time it is not us affected. It's not right here on our doorstep. I wonder if we will be as generous now as we all were in 2006? I wonder if there will be complaints made about the cost of food when the limited stock that has survived the floods starts to trickle into stores. Will we remember paying $12 per kilo for bananas?
This situation will only be a temporary one if we all band together and make sure of it. Send in as much money as you can afford to the Premiers Flood Relief Fund. Gather together your unused linen and clothing items and take them to Pillow Talk, the Red Cross stores or one of the other drop off points. These items will be essential and in very short supply once the waters recede.
I will be watching the rest of this dramatic situation with thoughts always of those who are in limbo right now, waiting to hear what more I can do to help alleviate the struggle. Most importantly though, I will make sure I don't forget these people in two weeks, when the water is all gone.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Can you afford to send your children to school?
Well, the Christmas decorations are packed away, the goodies are almost gone. The presents have been played with, broken, lost and forgotten and the New Years fireworks went off with a bang. Resolutions have been broken and bank accounts plundered at the post Christmas sales. The floods are still around but the response has been swift and large. Alarms went off all over town this morning as workers made their way back to the daily grind.
Goodbye festive season, hello real world.
For those of us with children, now is the time to prepare for the day, later this month, when our children will don hideous outfits and oversized backpacks and head off into the abyss.....sometimes referred to as school.
I have three children (we chose to live by the old adage....quit when they start to outnumber you) and two of those will be making their mark in a classroom this year. One will be making his debut.
Yesterday I decided it was time to start the preparations for this big event. My first order of business was to download their school book list from the net (thankyou kindly Harley's Educational) to see what I am in for. Question: Who decided that text books were necessary for Prep students? Seriously, two of them? Amazing. Nonetheless, the combined total for the two kids will amount to somewhere in the vicinity of $400. Lovely. My daughter, in year 5 this year, will need the bulk of that, so next year will be truly frightening when my son is in year 1 and will need more textbooks and plenty of other odds and ends. I can't wait!
After recovering from the shock I moved on to uniforms. Who else thinks it was a great idea to make boys and girls in the same school wear different coloured socks? What that means for me is that I now need to buy two lots of socks instead of getting them to share. Then there are the shoes. Black, velcro sports shoes. That's what is says on the form I received. Not too hard I thought, until I found that my son has big feet and it was nearly impossible to find school shoes with VELCRO in his size. Still, I must sincerely thank the DFO for having a Williams The Shoemen and ample supply of discontinued school shoes. So far, I have dressed my children's feet. I suppose that's a start at least.
Next will come the actual clothes. Dresses for the girl. Shirt and shorts for the boy. Sports uniforms, coloured shirts for sports days and school hats. Most of which is only available at Uniform Link. Cheap? Well, no!
School bag...check. School lunchboxes....check. Guess what my kids got for Christmas? Yep...school stuff.
I am just one of many hundreds of thousands of parents all over Australia doing the same thing at this time of year. Struggling to pay for all of these 'necessary' items so that our children can attend school and learn how to bully other kids while texting. We are already struggling with paying for mortgages, rates, groceries, petrol, utilities and vehicles. It is not an easy time of year.
I always wondered why we have all of this pressure on us to buy kids amazing presents for Christmas plenty of us can't afford, spend up big at the sales, then pay out huge amounts for our kids to go to school? Seems like an awful lot of expense in just a few weeks! Still, we do it anyway. We have no choice in the matter. Children are sent home from school if they have a button missing on their shirt so the onus is on us to make sure we do the job properly.
It's not all bad news though. The Government introduced a payment for parents in the form of a tax rebate to help with the costs of Education. We can now claim for quite a few of the items that our children require, all we have to do is keep the receipts. It can't be claimed until July but it's worth the wait. Every parent should be keeping every receipt in a safe place for use when they do their taxes.
So, what can you claim?
Uniforms? No. Socks? No. Shoes? No. Backpacks? No. Lunchboxes? No. Schools fees? No. Subject levies? No.
Computer or laptop purchase? Yes. Internet connection? Yes. USB flashdrives and other computer related equipment? Yes. Computer programs? Yes. Trade tools? Yes. Textbooks? Yes. Pencils, textas, biro's, calculators, folders, exercise books....YES.
So, with two children in primary school, neither of which have much use yet for a computer (even if we could afford another one) and neither even close to doing a school based trade...we can claim for textbooks only. Still with textbooks totalling about $300 for both...I will take the $150 it gets me. Every little bit helps.
The Government has been complaining that the rebate is not being taken up by parents or they are simply not claiming to the maximum allowed. Well frankly, most of us can't. There is no way my two children will be anywhere near claiming the full $750 each they are entitled to. This would give us back $325 per child which would be fantastic, but I am not buying a new computer and giving my 5 and 9 year old internet access just to get a few extra dollars back in August.
The Opposition advocated raising the amount claimable and adding uniforms to the list of allowable items. I don't think that is necessary. Simply adding uniforms while leaving the amount where it is would make a huge difference for most of us, without the need to take more from the already strained coffers. The current amount has already been budgeted for but nobody can use it.
Still, whatever happens at tax time is irrelevant today. Today, I will go and buy the uniforms....next week the textbooks....and following that, the hats, library bags and drink bottles. Then I will get all that booty home and frantically attempt to get it all labelled, covered and organised by the time school begins.
Wish me luck.....I'm going to need it!
Goodbye festive season, hello real world.
For those of us with children, now is the time to prepare for the day, later this month, when our children will don hideous outfits and oversized backpacks and head off into the abyss.....sometimes referred to as school.
I have three children (we chose to live by the old adage....quit when they start to outnumber you) and two of those will be making their mark in a classroom this year. One will be making his debut.
Yesterday I decided it was time to start the preparations for this big event. My first order of business was to download their school book list from the net (thankyou kindly Harley's Educational) to see what I am in for. Question: Who decided that text books were necessary for Prep students? Seriously, two of them? Amazing. Nonetheless, the combined total for the two kids will amount to somewhere in the vicinity of $400. Lovely. My daughter, in year 5 this year, will need the bulk of that, so next year will be truly frightening when my son is in year 1 and will need more textbooks and plenty of other odds and ends. I can't wait!
After recovering from the shock I moved on to uniforms. Who else thinks it was a great idea to make boys and girls in the same school wear different coloured socks? What that means for me is that I now need to buy two lots of socks instead of getting them to share. Then there are the shoes. Black, velcro sports shoes. That's what is says on the form I received. Not too hard I thought, until I found that my son has big feet and it was nearly impossible to find school shoes with VELCRO in his size. Still, I must sincerely thank the DFO for having a Williams The Shoemen and ample supply of discontinued school shoes. So far, I have dressed my children's feet. I suppose that's a start at least.
Next will come the actual clothes. Dresses for the girl. Shirt and shorts for the boy. Sports uniforms, coloured shirts for sports days and school hats. Most of which is only available at Uniform Link. Cheap? Well, no!
School bag...check. School lunchboxes....check. Guess what my kids got for Christmas? Yep...school stuff.
I am just one of many hundreds of thousands of parents all over Australia doing the same thing at this time of year. Struggling to pay for all of these 'necessary' items so that our children can attend school and learn how to bully other kids while texting. We are already struggling with paying for mortgages, rates, groceries, petrol, utilities and vehicles. It is not an easy time of year.
I always wondered why we have all of this pressure on us to buy kids amazing presents for Christmas plenty of us can't afford, spend up big at the sales, then pay out huge amounts for our kids to go to school? Seems like an awful lot of expense in just a few weeks! Still, we do it anyway. We have no choice in the matter. Children are sent home from school if they have a button missing on their shirt so the onus is on us to make sure we do the job properly.
It's not all bad news though. The Government introduced a payment for parents in the form of a tax rebate to help with the costs of Education. We can now claim for quite a few of the items that our children require, all we have to do is keep the receipts. It can't be claimed until July but it's worth the wait. Every parent should be keeping every receipt in a safe place for use when they do their taxes.
So, what can you claim?
Uniforms? No. Socks? No. Shoes? No. Backpacks? No. Lunchboxes? No. Schools fees? No. Subject levies? No.
Computer or laptop purchase? Yes. Internet connection? Yes. USB flashdrives and other computer related equipment? Yes. Computer programs? Yes. Trade tools? Yes. Textbooks? Yes. Pencils, textas, biro's, calculators, folders, exercise books....YES.
So, with two children in primary school, neither of which have much use yet for a computer (even if we could afford another one) and neither even close to doing a school based trade...we can claim for textbooks only. Still with textbooks totalling about $300 for both...I will take the $150 it gets me. Every little bit helps.
The Government has been complaining that the rebate is not being taken up by parents or they are simply not claiming to the maximum allowed. Well frankly, most of us can't. There is no way my two children will be anywhere near claiming the full $750 each they are entitled to. This would give us back $325 per child which would be fantastic, but I am not buying a new computer and giving my 5 and 9 year old internet access just to get a few extra dollars back in August.
The Opposition advocated raising the amount claimable and adding uniforms to the list of allowable items. I don't think that is necessary. Simply adding uniforms while leaving the amount where it is would make a huge difference for most of us, without the need to take more from the already strained coffers. The current amount has already been budgeted for but nobody can use it.
Still, whatever happens at tax time is irrelevant today. Today, I will go and buy the uniforms....next week the textbooks....and following that, the hats, library bags and drink bottles. Then I will get all that booty home and frantically attempt to get it all labelled, covered and organised by the time school begins.
Wish me luck.....I'm going to need it!
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