PENALTY RATES

Well the true colours of the Turnbull Liberal Government have finally been revealed.  His Government plans to attack the workers of this country, whilst business makes more money.

The plan is to lower Sunday penalty rates to the level of Saturday.  I have been around long enough to realise that this is the first step in removing all penalty rates.  This is a disgusting attack on the workers of Australia.

If Mr Turncoat (oops Turnbull) wants to continue down this path then fine.  

I AND EVERY OTHER AUSTRALIAN WHO CURRENTLY WORKS SUNDAYS, PUBLIC HOLIDAYS, CHRISTMAS DAY AND GOOD FRIDAY WISH TO SEE ALL GOVERNMENT OFFICES OPEN FOR BUSINESS ON THESE DAYS ALSO, AS APPARENTLY WE ARE A 7 DAY SOCIETY.

I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO BANKING ON A SUNDAY AND THEN GO INTO SERVICE SA OR VISIT A POST OFFICE!  THE BUSINESS WORLD IS PUSHING THIS AGENDA SO I EXPECT TO SEE OFFICE STAFF, MANAGERS AND CEO'S IN THEIR OFFICES TOO ON THESE DAYS, PARLIAMENT CAN EVEN SIT ON SUNDAYS.  PERHAPS THESE PEOPLE CAN THEN HAVE A TUESDAY OR THURSDAY OFF INSTEAD, AS IT IS PERFECTLY OK FOR THEIR WORKERS TO ADHERE TOO.

AFTERALL, WE ARE A 24/7 SOCIETY ARE'NT WE?

I wish these people who come up with these outrageous plans would stop and think for a moment, that is if they can possibly think about anything other than their own life.  Whilst, they are out at a restaurant or pub having Christmas drinks on Christmas Eve, who is serving them?  If they catch a bus or train home who is driving it?  On their way home they have an accident and who attends?  If they end up in Hospital, who treats them?

Yes we are pretty much a 24/7 society and gone are the days over Christmas that shops were shut for 4 days, petrol stations in the metro area were also closed and virtually everything shut down.  The workers that choose to work in an industry that provides a service to the Community and to the same people who wish to cut their wage do so to help our country move forward.  Without them, this country stops.  Do we want to go back to 1970?  I think not.

Here is my list off the top of my head of workers who SHOULD be compensated for working and providing services to the community at all hours of the day and night when many other fortunate employee's are enjoying precious time with their family and friends.  Sorry in advance if I miss any worker.

Nurses, Doctors, Orderly's, Fire Fighters, Paramedics, Police Officers, Waiters, Bar Staff, Bus Drivers, Train Drivers, Tram Drivers, Taxi Drivers, Security Guards, Service Station Attendants, Airline Employee's, Hotel / Motel staff, Radio Announcers, TV presenters, Journalists, Tow Truck drivers, SES Volunteers plus many many more.

Surely, it is not too much to ask to leave these worker's pay packets alone as many are lowly paid as it is and the penalties help lift their wage to a suitable level.

I think that the Government will definately have a fight on their hands if they continue down this path.  A re-think on their strategy is required I reckon.

That's my opinion!

FREEDOM TO OUR CHILDREN

As I walk around suburbia and from my experience as a bus driver I am increasingly astonished as to how many children of all ages whether it be primary or high school get picked up and dropped off to school.

Very few of them walk, ride their bikes or scooters or even catch the bus or train.  I must say that I see more high school students out on their own but not in the numbers as seen in the 70's and 80's for example.

There would be a number of reasons for the sharp decline in kids getting themselves to and from school and the main reason would be parents' fears of something happening to their child.  Parents fear the supposed increase in pedophiles hanging around.  I believe that there is no more nasty people around today than there was in 1976, it is just reported more these days and therefore it seems like it is more prevalent.

The streets around almost every school from about 2.30pm-3.15pm are almost gridlocked.  Parents park illegally and with blatant disregard for residents in that particular street.  Many parents even park then walk into the school grounds to wait for little Johnny or Mary-Ann at the classroom door.

How bloody ridiculous.  Children need to be given their own space and freedom.  Walking, riding or catching the bus to and from school either on their own or with friends builds their self confidence and social skills.  Parents cannot wrap them in cotton wool and protect them from everything until they turn 30.

Yes, I agree, something may happen.  Then again in may not!  They may have an accident or they may encounter a person wishing them harm.  They could just as easily be hit by falling space junk or get struck by lightning.  We cannot live our lives on the 'what if' principal.  If that were the case we should all go live in a cave somewhere in the outback just in case we encounter a terrorist who wants to blow us up.  

I regularly encounter and observe children, teenagers and young adults who have no self confidence to fend for themselves.  This is because their parents have wrapped them so tight in a cocoon to protect them from all the bad things they may or may not encounter.

The Government and schools should embark on a spirited campaign to encourage children of all ages to walk, ride or use public transport to get to and from school.  Parents need to let go.  As a parent myself, I admit I worry when my children are out and about on their own, its only natural to worry about their welfare.  However, I cannot and I will not let my fear ruin their experience to grow and experience the world on their own.  My parents awarded me with the same freedom in the 1970's.  I walked to primary school and later caught the bus or train into the City to attend high school.  I have fond memories of the experience and I learnt how to interact with authority figures and other members of the public.  These skills are lost to many youth today, primarily due to the fears of their parents.

Many reported incidents over the past few years of people molesting or assaulting children have been adults in positions of trust or family members.  Statistics show that very few children are molested or assaulted by a stranger, it is usually someone they know.

We need to give our children freedom to experience the world on their own.

That's my opinion 

MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS

I think we all know people who cannot help themselves by telling everyone around them what to do, what they are doing wrong and how they should do it.  We all know that someone don't we?

This person is a self professed authority from child rearing to brain surgery and from gardening to top level physics and everything else inbetween.  These people cannot help themselves by sticking their noses into other peoples business and telling them how it is or how it should be.

I take these individuals with a pinch of salt.  Target me all you like, I particularly don't care.  I have adopted the attitude that obviously these people's lives are so shallow and boring that they immerse themselves in other peoples lives to try and make themselves feel somewhat important.

However, there is a fine line between being critical of someone or being a bully.  When their one sided views are venomous towards another which then degrades into verbal taunts then this is bullying and harrasment.  Especially when these people use children as their fodder, for making them feel good.

Most children do not have the skills to overcome such taunts and ultimately this affects their confidence and self esteem.  It can be very damaging and the effects can last for years and have a wide range of other issues that can arise.

Avoiding the negativity of these people is easy if they are in the workplace but if they are family, then avoiding them is particularly difficult, especially for a child.  In the case of children, the responsibilty lies with the parents, to identify what is going on and as difficult as it may be, take steps to remove the problem or avoid the person involved.

My experience tell me that these 'High and Mighty' people are virtually impossible to reason with, because in their minds they are right and everyone else in wrong.  These people often have a pre-conceived idea about something and that is that.  They will not be swayed even when presented with facts by someone who is expert in the field of discussion, they still think and believe that they know more!

You can see then of how difficult it is for children to deal with these people when adults can't either.  Avoidance is the key.  Just remember that these people will often end up being lonely and bitter, largely all because of their own doing.  The trick is, not to engage in heated discussion or debate with them, because you would be better off yelling at the cactus in the front yard, but to avoid heated conversation by just walking away or say nothing in response or simply just avoid the individual all together.

That's my view.....

POLITICIANS EXPENSES

The recent saga involving the now former Speaker of the House, Bronwyn Bishop over her extravagant spending spree to travel to various private and Liberal Party appointments using taxpayers money.  

The Prime Minister, Tony Abbott says that he is going to look into MP's entitlements!

Entitlements????  MP's are NOT entitled to this extravagance.  It is an expense, nothing more.  In business many thousands of people incur expenses to carry out their duties as part of their job title.  MP's are no different.

Unfortunately, this crap has been going on for far too long and on both sides of politics.  Many MP's seem to only aim to become a Member of Parliament simply for the perks that come with it, not for serving their constituents.  This ideology has to come to an end and quickly.

The citizens of this great country of ours are not stupid and we do not forget.  For the best part of the last decade and in particular since the fallout of the GFC our politicians have be ramming down our throats, that the country and the world are struggling and we must all watch our spending.  

For the worker, it is very very easy to watch our spending, because as the prices of all our utilities rise, public transport fares increase, Government fees and charges increase and our take home pay lags sadly way behind, we have no choice but to watch our spending.

There would hardly be a working family out there that does not have to survive from pay to pay.  The moment their earnings hit their bank accounts almost their entire amount is fleeced in paying bills, to enable us to survive.  The meagre amounts left have to be frugally distributed to petrol, Metrocard, food, children's needs and maybe treat ourselves to an ice cream at the end if we are lucky.

All of this for the workers of this country, the people who keep this country moving.  As these people struggle from week to week they sit back dismayed at the blatant and disgusting abuse of power that politicians like Bronwyn Bishop have undertaken.  Whilst thousands of families are doing it tough, she spent thousands of OUR taxpayers money on helicopter flights and private jets to take her to Liberal functions and some private functions.  She did this because she is lazy, she is out of touch with mainstream Australians and in my view now a disgrace to the Parliamentary system in this country.  Who the hell does she think she is?

The Prime Minister, Tony Abbott should have sacked her on the spot.  The fact that he didn't also displays a complete disregard for the thousands of struggling Australian families doing it tough.  He failed in his duty to show true leadership.  Since Ms Bishop announced her resignation, Tony Abbott announced that he is going to look into and review MP entitlements!  Another issue here as mentioned at the beginning.

Remember folks, the MP's of this country whether it be Federal, State or Local are OUR employee's.  We vote them in and we vote them out.  The monies they use to carry out their public duties, is OUR money.  It's taxpayers money.  Not theirs.  They are no more entitled to this money than you and I are.

As with any reasonable business, if one incurs a personal loss whilst carrying out your duties, one must fill out the required form, attach a copy of the receipt/s and present that to your Management.  The money will then be refunded to you.  Perfectly simple.  Why can't the MP's operate under this system?

Recently, Malcolm Turnbull MP was tweeted that he had to attend a meeting in Geelong and he took two tram rides then caught the train to Geelong and back.  Good on him and well done Mr Turnbull.  Locally, in Adelaide Michael Atkinson MP regularly takes the train or bus when he is not on his bike and this is the way it should be.  The Commonwealth car should be used for dignitaries or out of hours work, however, whatever happened to having a car for their own use supplied as part of their employment agreement?  That way we don't need chauffeurs hanging around getting paid to be on call.

It is about time our politicians finally pull their collective heads in and realise that they are employed by the people and work for the people.

That's my opinion.

BOOING AND ADAM GOODES

Let me start by saying that I am in no way a racist, I have many friends from various backgrounds, some are Aboriginal, some are not.  I treat everyone of my friends and family the same and vice versa.  I love the Australian multi-cultural lifestyle that we have largely embraced for the past 50-60 years or more and it continues to grow.  Life would be bloody boring if we were all the same.

Now, lets get onto the topic of booing at the football or sport in general and the antics of Mr Adam Goodes from the Sydney Swans FC.  I have attended football matches for as long as I can remember and have been an avid Norwood FC supporter and in recent times a supporter of Adelaide Crows FC and pretty much anyone playing against Collingwood or Port Adelaide.

There would not be a game that I have attended where booing of someone, more often than not the Umpires has not taken place.  It is part of our game, it is part of our release to vent and let off steam.  We do this in Australia rather than get involved in violence or lighting flares, such is the case in overseas Soccer matches.  Over the years the crowds have (myself included) booed legends of our great game such as: Michael Aish, Russell Ebert, Wayne Carey, Mathew Lloyd, Tony Lockett, Garry McIntosh, Michael Graham, Gavin Wanganeen, Wilbur Wilson, Paul Bagshaw, John Wynne the list is endless.

We booed them not because we thought they were idiots or a different colour but quite simply because they were good.  They were in fact greats, who often would tear up the opposition because of their talents and they were often booed in a vain attempt to perhaps put them off their game.  On the other side of the ledger the entire crowd from both supporter bases would often applaud as one when someone like Roger Luders, Tony Modra, Stephen Silvagni, Michael O'Loughlin or Eddie Betts took a screamer.

Football is just one arena where booing often takes place but I have heard it at the cricket, aimed at Shane Warne or Steve Waugh from the English Barmy Army.  I have heard it at the Soccer and even baseball and basketball.  Sometimes the booing by the crowd is aimed at a particular player because of a recent indiscretion and then the crowd moves on.

However, in the case of Adam Goodes it has been allowed to fester on and on for weeks by the media and his own actions.  He has largely brought this on himself.  When you put yourself out there for a cause you then become the focal point of that cause.  The issue with Adam Goodes came to ahead at the Carlton game because they were booing him.  They were booing him because he is good not because he is Aboriginal.

Mr Adam Goodes has made this issue a racial one not the crowds who have booed him.  He has turned our game into a political statement.  Like I have said people boo opposition players to try and put them off their game and in this case Adam Goodes has let them win.  I am sure the Adelaide Crows appreciate the fact he wont be playing against them this weekend as he usually performs very well.

I don't think the booing is the issue, as a student studying human behaviour at the moment for my diploma in Counselling I suspect Mr Adam Goodes has some serious underlying mental issues that need resolving and the booing has just highlighted his plight and brought it all to the surface.  If his issues were simply just the booing alone, then hell we would not have one umpire left standing, they would be all out on stress as these poor dudes get booed by everyone and constantly.  Think about that one.

That's my opinion.

BEING CALLED A RACIST

Last Saturday my wife and I attended a rally in the City of Adelaide called 'Reclaim Australia'.  It was held on the steps of Parliament House and it attracted hundreds of people to voice their concerns and listen to some respected speakers.

There was a large police presence who seemed to be only focussed on the socialist movement that were hurling their abuse towards us. I was disgusted at their foul language and the pure hate they were peddling.

It was frightening as 98% of them appeared to be University student age and they form an important part of this great countries future.  It is horrific to think that so many young people walk our streets filled with so much hate to others they disapprove of.

Living in this wonderful country with its associated freedoms and of course freedom of speech enables us all to speak out loud about things that concern us.  However, it is wrong to hurl abuse or assault others, simply because they have a different viewpoint.  I was taught many years ago, that when having a debate or argument the quickest way to loose your argument is to resort to using foul language and / or violence.  The moment you delve into such things your argument is lost.  At that is exactly what these youngsters did on the weekend.

Little did they realise that the police officers holding them back often looked at one another or the organisers of Reclaim Australia and shook their heads.  One officer near by us, looked in our direction and said "Do you believe these people"?  They, like us have the right to voice their opinion, but they lost that right the moment they started hurling abuse, giving the bird and calling all of us Nazi's.

I for one am highly offended by these uneducated people calling myself and my wife Nazi's.  Do these people actually know who the real Nazi's were and the atrocities they were responsible for across Europe 70 years ago?  Do they also know what policies the Nazi's stood for?  No, would be the answer.

They called us racists! Yet, in our group we had Muslims, Aboriginals, Greek, African and Italian people who love to call Australia their home, just as we do.  If we were racists, then these other cultural groups wouldn't have been welcome, but they were.  The only Nazi symbols (Swastika) I saw, were in the crowd of the foul mouthed Socialists.  Furthermore, they obviously do not approve of our wonderful Australian way of life as not one Aussie flag was amongst them.  Many of the cowards hid their pathetic faces, probably in fear of their parents or family knowing that their children had become such bigoted fools and obviously an embarrassment.

Like I said earlier, EVERYONE in this great country is entitled to their opinion and they are more than welcome to voice that opinion in public, in the media or on social media.  But DO NOT abuse those who may disagree with you.  In closing I would like to point out that being against radical Islamic idealogy does not make me or anyone racist.  I am just as against the church of scientology and their bizarre views on society.  I am sick to death of people apologising on other people's behalves.

That is my opinion.

CENTRELINK DRAMA

Back in September last year, I made the bold decision to return to some study and head off on a different career path.  After much deliberation I chose to study a double diploma in Counselling and Community Service, whilst still working full time as a bus driver.

In the early stages of 2015 as I progressed through the units of my double diploma I was discovering that full time work was not allowing me to focus enough time on my study.  I also had to consider that as part of the study I have to undertake 250 hours (6 weeks) worth of in the field placement, something that would conflict majorly with my work.

On the 1st May 2015 I made a trip to the Modbury office of Centrelink to enquire what options were available to me to enable me to study more effectively.  Following, a discussion with a Centrelink employee, I was informed that I am eligible for Ausstudy.  I understood that the Ausstudy payment would be no where near my wage as a bus driver, my wife and I could wear that impost temporarily as my studies are due to finish in April 2016.  I was signed up and given a Centrelink account and ID and given the appropriate forms to fill out and the ball was set in motion.  I was given the understanding that Ausstudy would start following all Centrelink processes in about 6 weeks or so.

With this information and huge amount of enthusiasm for my new career I was aiming for, I drafted my resignation letter and with an element of sadness presented it to my employer, with my employment to cease on 15th May.  I envisaged that once I ceased work I would spend a month or so catching up on my study as I had fallen a little behind, then seek a casual 2-3 day a week job to keep me in the workforce.

Since I finished work in mid May, I have been given the run around by Centrelink.  I need this form, or that form, then another form.  All this was taking time and then after being told my claim would not be finalised at least until the end of June, I contacted Leon Byner at radio station 5AA.  He forwarded my information onto his contact at Centrelink and within 48 hours I had my Ausstudy processed and payments were forthcoming. 

I received my first part payment of $59.95 and I thought "cool" I am on my way.  I received notification that I had to report on the 8th July for payment on the 9th July.  I did this and as I had not worked I reported the income of my wife.  The 9th came and went with no payment or notifications, then on the 10th with still no payment or notification I rang Centrelink.  After sitting on hold for 70 minutes I was told that Centrelink were not satisfied who I was and that I had to prove that I was an Australian Citizen!!  True.  I was born here at the Lyell McEwen Hospital 45 years ago and have lived in Adelaide ever since.  What an insult.

I duly went to the Salisbury office of Centrelink armed with my Birth Certificate and sat down with a gentleman named Paul.  After he found a glitch on my file then spoke to a colleague on the phone for about 20 minutes he informed me that my payment has now been released, however as it was Friday afternoon it wouldn't hit my account until Monday morning.  After much frustration, I left the Salisbury office thinking finally they are happy and lets get on with it.

Now, in amongst all of this my wife had been assaulted at her workplace and was placed on WorkCover, in late March.  As a result of her turmoil, combined with my frustration and the resultant financial strain her mental state deteriorated rapidly coming to a point where she had a significant breakdown on Friday afternoon.  The stress had taken it's toll and the Centrelink issues did not help.

Imagine my surprise on Monday morning when still no money from Centrelink was in my account.  I checked my notifications and nothing.  Hmm, I thought ok, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and wait until Tuesday morning.  Well, Tuesday arrived and still no money nor any notifications from Centrelink.  I rang at exactly 8.00am when their lines opened and waited on hold for 40 minutes!!  I was then informed by a rather rude lady named Meredith, that my Ausstudy was not approved because my wife receives compensation.  I explained that her compensation has not been finalised and she only receives provisional payments.  Meredith says, we have been told she is receiving compensation payments and under legislation I do not get Ausstudy!  So because some feral passenger on a train, assaults my wife, I lose my Ausstudy.  Go figure.  Does not seem very fair to me. 

Oh my God, I lost it over the phone.  Where to now? 

Last ditch effort, I contact Leon Byner again at 5AA and see what happens.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH CENTRELINK?

The people who know me well would understand that I have a strong passion for the public transport industry and it was with no surprise that I began working with the STA straight out of High School as a naïve 15 year old.  I recently resigned from the industry I loved bringing an end to my career of 29 years 7 months.

I had become jaded with the industry and it's lack of vision and in October last year I embarked on a new career path by entering into a course with Careers Australia.  I am studying for a double diploma in Counselling and Community Service.  As I got further into the course the study work steadily increased and I was struggling to cope with my full time job as a bus driver.  So, upon discussing things with my wife, I decided to bite the bullet and resign.  A tough and risky decision indeed. 

However, prior to handing in my resignation, I attended a Centrelink branch at Modbury and enquired about obtaining Ausstudy.  I sat down with a lovely staff member and went through the process of creating my account, 100 points of ID etc etc.  The lady I was talking to, made it feel like a seemless process going from work to Ausstudy, primarily because I was already studying.  This first contact with Centrelink was on 1st March.

I then went home and set up my online account and filled out the required forms.  I then only had to wait for the Employment Seperation Certificate which was filled out by my employer after I ceased employment.  I could handle that, I only had to wait 3 weeks, uploading the form only took seconds.  What could go wrong?  I thought, finally something is going along nicely and I can now focus on my study and after a month or two perhaps pick up some casual work for two or three days.  How wrong and deluded was I?

It is now 15th June (2 months after I ceased employment) and I am still no closer to receiving my Ausstudy than I was at 1st March.  After waiting weeks and after repeated phone calls that required sitting on hold for 60-70 minutes only to be told yes we have everything it is being processed as quick as possible, I receive a abrupt phone call last Thursday morning by this rude bitch telling me "Your Ausstudy claim has been rejected as you have not filled out a Mod P and a Mod I form.  You also do not study full time" then she hung up on me.  Well Bitch.

I got extremely emotional and if it wasn't for my loving and understanding wife I think I may have gone over the edge.  She rang Centrelink herself and ultimately spoke to someone different than the rude cow that rang me.  We went and got the appropriate forms, filled them out, uploaded them on Friday.  Whilst doing this I enquired about getting the process sped up as I need to get medication.

I was put onto a Financial Counsellor at Centrelink who informed me that if I require medication then go to St Vinnies, Salvation Army and ask them for the money for my medication which totals $71 as I am yet to get concession.  What the fuck is this shit I thought.  This is not what these wonderful charity organisations are there for, to pick up the slack of Centrelink!

I believed I had done the right thing from the get go.  I enquired on the processes involved before resigning and have been sadly let down by my Government.  We are barely keeping our heads above water.  We have no money to register my motorbike or the car.  Our Commodore shit itself last week with $2000 required to fix the computer.  When it rains it pours.

I would be better off getting in a rubber dinghy and land back on the beach and then claim asylum.  I would be given money, a house, a Tarago to drive and my study would be paid for.

Oh and Mr Joe Hockey, you are an arrogant goose.  You have no bloody idea of how tough it is out here in the REAL world.  Quite simply, you are an arrogant prick.

HARSH PENALTIES FOR SERIOUS CRIME

I am sure I am not the only person who reads this that supports the death penalty for serious crime like cold blooded murder, child molestation etc etc.  I would love to see sick individuals that have preyed on the vulnerable, especially children be executed because in my eyes they are the lowest form of human filth imaginable.

However, often their victims suffer for the remainder of their lives knowing full well that the perpetrator is happily being protected in prison.  They also get looked after at the tax payers expense.  This too is a disgusting way to spend our money by looking after the filth of society.

I would like to see our Government construct a maximum security prison in the harsh outback, hundreds of kilometres from any settlement to house these inmates.  The prison would be virtually self sufficient with prisoners having to grow their food, cook their food.  They would also be required to perform maintenance and work hard labour.  Air-conditioning would be provided in staff area's only, the prisoners would only have fans.

The crux of this would be punishment, whilst keeping costs to the taxpayer at an absolute minimum.  Construction of a railway to the facility would enable prisoner transfer by rail.  These prisoners do not deserve to have the easy option of being put to death, they need to be made to suffer for their crimes.

I can hear it now, the Civil Libitarians would be up in arms, because we cant be treating prisoners in this way.  Well, let's think about their victims for just a minute.  All of their victims suffer the mental trauma and some show physical scars for the rest of their lives.  They get punished everyday by knowing that this scum is happily perched in prison with free medical, 3 meals a day and they get to do arts and crafts etc etc and at a cost of almost $120,000 per annum.

How very unfair.

Paedophiles & cold blooded killers should pay a heavy price for their actions, just as their victims do.  Executing them is the easy way out for them.

Well that's my opinion.

MY AWESOME LIFE, AND YOURS

This afternoon I sat down with my youngest son (12 year old Darcy) and we watched the classic Australian film, The Castle which portrays the Kerrigan family fighting a huge multi-national company in order to save their home from compulsory acquisition for an extension of the adjacent Airport.

My son loved it.  He thought it was funny and he said that Daryl wasn't interested in the $95,000 offered for his home.  All he wanted was his and his families home.

Young Darcy hit the nail on the head.  Money is not important in this life of ours.  Yes it helps pay the bills, but at the end of the day you and I are no different to someone like George Lucas or a homeless person once we pass away.  We are dead and that is that.

Wealth, just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  In the movie Daryl Kerrigan prided himself on providing a home for his family.  A home that was theirs and it held so many fond memories that no amount of money could replace.

So many people have simply lost sight of what is important in LIFE.  It's not how wealthy you are or how expensive your car is.  It's not how many possessions you have or what suburb you live in.  It's about family, it's about friends and good close friends.  It's about doing things that you love.  Sounds too simple hey?

Well it is.  Since I resigned from my much loved job as a bus driver after almost 30 years in the industry my life has got a new lease.  I am healthier, I am happier and I am spending more quality time with my family and friends.  Good friends are not the ones you have to see or speak too every second day, they are great friends because you may not converse for weeks then simply pick up from where you left off last time.  Furthermore, when things go bad your great friends are always there to lend a hand or support.

Since resigning from my job, I am focussed on my study and supporting my wife and any other family member or friend that requires assistance.  Money is not everything and equally possessions are not everything either. Some of my most valuable possessions are simple little knick knacks that have been bought for me by my family or friends and especially things made by my kids.  If I had a pool room like Mr Kerrigan, that is where these things will go.

I am not interested in keeping up with others, on what they earn per annum or what type of car they drive.  I am happy with what I have got.  I have the most amazing people in my life.  I have a loving wife, Clorinda who I absolutely adore.  I have two amazing kids, Zac and Darcy who always find ways of inspiring me.  Although she wouldn't agree totally, I have a wonderful Mum plus amazing Grand parents, Aunties, Uncles, Cousins and even Brother in-law.  My friends of which I have many who are close to me are some of the most amazing people anyone could possibly have in their lives.  For this I am truly blessed and I am grateful.

This is what life is about.  Get out there and live a little.  Don't worry about others, worry about yourself.  Have fun.  Walk the dog on the beach, eat the donut, drink that beer, watch that movie, take your spouse out to dinner.  Life is way too short to be piss farting around worrying about what everyone else is doing.  Once we die, we are all the same.  Your money, house, car, clothes etc don't go with you.

Anyone who thinks that they are more important to this planet or universe than someone else "Tell em their dreamin"!!

Until next time.  Keep safe and may your God go with you.

BUILDING HEALTHY CHILDREN

Listening to 5AA recently, there was some discussion about children and their parents eating healthily and getting enough exercise.  Discussions revolved around family time constraints, weather events and other excuses to not walk the dog and call into Hungry Jacks on the way home, instead of cooking something at home.

I am 45 and spent my days growing up in the 1970's and 80's where us kids were never bored, eating Hungry Jacks, Macca's or even a pizza was a treat.  Usually we would have fish or chicken & chips about once a fortnight on payday.  The remaining 13 nights my mum would cook tea and she also worked full time as a school teacher.

The reason parents these days are time poor is (in their words) because they work, then they pick the kids up take them to sport practice or other things and by the time they get home they do not feel like cooking as it is about 7 or 7.30pm, so it's easier to call in and get takeaway.

Parents these days are too over protective and believe that if they leave their children to walk home or ride home on their own, something might happen.  Well it might.  Our lives are full of 'What if's', from the time we a born through to death.  There is no more paedophiles and creeps around today as there were in 1975.  The difference is that it is reported much more than 40 years ago, so it seems like its worse.  Some of the most infamous child abduction cases in Adelaide go back to the 60's and early 70's and also Richard Kelvin in the early 80's.

When I was growing up my parents did not have a mobile phone to constantly keep track of me.  My friends and I would head off on our bikes or go to the oval and not come home until the street lights came on.  We cannot wrap our children in cotton wool 'for their protection' because we end up breeding teenagers and adults who have no self confidence once they leave school and begin to enter the workforce.  Mummy and Daddy cant be with them all day to wipe their noses.

If little Johnny or Mary-ann has footy or netball practice after school, give them the freedom to get themselves there and home again.  Rain, hail or shine.  It helps build their confidence.  The added benefits these days are mobile phones, so if anything did happen you have a chance to make contact.  Allowing your children this freedom, then allows the parents to get back to keeping a home and preparing decent meals for the entire family.

Well that's my view.

MENTAL HEALTH

In a follow on from my previous post, lets analyse the issues and stigma surrounding mental health.  Today, thousands of people are still suffering in relative silence from depression, anxiety or many other mental health issues.  Depression and anxiety are probably the two most common forms of mental illness.

I say that people suffer in silence because they feel that the people around them such as work colleagues, their boss, friends and even their family will not understand or be sympathetic to their illness.  Primarily because mental illness is not a visible illness like the flu or a broken leg.  However, they have a broken mind.

It is also hard to admit to others that you are suffering because of the issues I mentioned above but also because they themselves feel inadequate and stupid for feeling this way.  And this my friends is the vicious cycle.

People suffering from a mental illness simply want the people around them, especially their loved ones to be there and be understanding.  They don't want sympathy or pats on the head or people fussing around them.  They require people to understand what may trigger a bout of sadness or anger which is not generally aimed at the person but is a burst of frustration.

For loved ones, this can be extremely difficult to contend with.  It may appear that the person is flying off the handle and aimed their tyraid at you, but that is only because your there.  They are just as likely to yell at the dog if they were the only person around too.  Again, extreme bouts of sadness is brought on sometimes by a reaction to a situation that has become overwhelming and not necessarily a result of something you said or did.

Often the person suffering from the illness does not know themselves why they have these extreme emotions and again this is where frustration creeps in.  It is advisable for people who are with someone experiencing an episode to simply just be there.  Talk calmy and about normal things.  Don't try and solve their problem as it often makes things worse.

I urge everyone to look out for their loved ones as well as their friends, co-workers and neighbours.  Mental illness can affect anyone and often these people are very good at putting up a façade.  Just think back to the much loved Robin Williams.  I have watched in absolute awe some of his interviews with Parkinson and many others where he had everyone in stitches.  Yet, behind the smiling face and hundreds of voices was a man who was suffering from depression.  A deep depression that ultimately saw him take his own life.
I watch his video's and have a laugh at his wonderful comedy, yet cry at the same time because this troubled person could see no way out of his darkness and the world lost a true comic genius.

Just because someone looks and perhaps says that they are ok, doesn't necessarily mean that they are indeed ok.  Notwithstanding the normal pressures that come with living like, paying bills, working, driving, dealing with children etc there are many more manufactured pressures put on us like how we look, we are too fat or thin and don't look like a model, cant eat this or that, can't drink this or that either, can't discipline your children, your working too hard, your not working enough the list is endless.  We all experience these things and we all deal with them differently.  Just because you can handle most of these things, does not necessarily mean that I can and vice versa.

With these normal issues with life we then often get thrown a curve ball and experience a major trauma in our lives like death, accident, divorce, job loss etc etc.  If one is not handling day to day life very well then one of these will simply push them over the edge or take them very close to it.

We quite simply should be looking out for one another and ensuring that everyone is ok. 

That's my view.  Please look out for one another.

MENTAL ILLNESS

I am quite literally stunned.  I have just read a report from a 'so called' psychiatrist and I simply could not believe what I read.

Firstly, let me ask you: What does depression and or anxiety look like?  Hmm, I am stumped too.  This is the problem with mental illness because it is not as visible as a broken arm or leg and the body does not have any contusions.  Therefore one relies on suitably qualified practitioners to make assessment and then administer appropriate treatment.

It makes me furious that a supposed well trained and respected psychiatrist would use terms as 'they presented well, were well groomed, spoke clearly and had good posture'.  This was to insinuate that there was nothing really wrong.  Especially when reading on further.

Well, I ask this gentleman (and we will get the chance), obviously using his very loose model he would have determined that there was nothing wrong with Mr Robin Williams.  He was always well groomed, well spoken and as we all know was as funny as a fit.  However, we are all aware that he suffered terribly from depression and he hid it really well.  Mr Williams eventually could not take it anymore and committed suicide and ultimately leaving the professional world who treated and knew him stunned.

This reaction is sad because still in 2015 despite all the media focus on the subject from teenage suicide through to shift workers and anyone effectively.  Anyone can surrender to depression or anxiety and no one is immune.  Yet there is still this stigma attached to it, especially from a professional perspective and from many employers.

There are many people in Management that are too ready to dismiss mental illness because people look ok.  Gone are the days of 'she'll be right mate'!  But to get such a dismissive response from a professional is somewhat bewildering.

I ask you to make sure you ask your loved ones, friends, co-workers, anyone that you care about if they are ok.  Seriously, ask them if they are cool, anything bothering them.  If they are struggling encourage them to seek help but don't ever tell them to get over it or don't be silly because chances are they themselves feel silly for bothering you with their problems.  Just because something does not bother you does not mean that it does not bother others.

Mental illness is more prevalent in our society than many people give credit for.  As with Mr Robin Williams don't leave it too late to render assistance to someone in need. 

That's my view.

SAME SEX MARRIAGE

Surely our world has more things to get its knickers in a knot over than carrying on about why two people who love one another cannot get married if they happen to be gay.

This is 2015 not 1955.  I applaud the citizens of Ireland who made the overwhelmingly supported gay marriage in their recent referendum.  We in Australia pride ourselves on being easy going and welcoming of all cultures and creeds, yet we as a collective group resist going this final step in allowing gay people to marry legally in this country.

It is quite bizarre, that we have people to quite literally get hot under the collar on the mere mention of the topic, yet fall silent when a group of fanatics burn our flag in our own country and denounce its laws and traditions.  Surely, this is more important than two people marrying one another.

These same people who often get offended for other people claim that children in gay relationships suffer.  What utter unfounded bullshit.  I see more children being mistreated by 'straight' parents than those of gay parents.  The real truth is that there are sometimes poor parenting from either parents whether gay or straight. 

I have some family members who are gay.  I have worked with people who are gay and I have a number of gay friends.  They are no different to anyone else and they are just as deserving of being married to their soul mate as I am being married to Clorinda.

Again, small minded people will say it's not Gods way!!  Well, if that is what YOU believe then wonderful, but I am sure your God loves everyone and does not pick or choose, does he or she?

That's my view.

ASHLEY MADISON

Forgive me if I seem a little naïve here, but I am sitting in my lounge room watching some TV and a commercial comes on for ASHLEY MADISON.COM.  It proudly states on there 'HAVE AN AFFAIR'!

What the fuck is this shit?  Encouraging gutless wonders (male & female) to have an affair.  This world has completely gone insane if our society allows the promotion of this type of garbage.

Anyone who has been on the receiving end of being cheated on like myself would testify that it is one of the worst feelings in the world.  To have someone you love and trust betray you in such a way hurts and quite literally your heart shatters.

If people are unhappy in a relationship, have some common decency and front up to your partner and end it.  Just think for a second (that's if you can) of the feelings for your partner and how would you react if the roles were reversed.

In my case it happened to me 10 years ago.  My marriage finally ended almost 5 years ago officially, but, despite a good effort it was on a downhill slide since that fateful event was uncovered.  The whole scenario not only affected myself, by reducing me to someone who had trust issues, low self esteem and ultimately depression and anxiety.  It also affected my children, my working life and I sort of just bumbled my way through life until I bumped into someone who turned my fortunes around.  And that was my current wife, Clorinda.  She picked me up, dusted me off and helped steer me in a upward direction.

I am beyond disgusted over this Ashley Madison.com crap.  I simply cannot believe what I saw.  If NORMAL people think this is OK then there is no hope for our civilisation.

That's my view.  Until next time, stay safe and may your God go with you.

LIFE STRUGGLES

So far in 2015 both Clorinda and I have had an ordinary year to say the least.  If anything could go wrong it has gone wrong.  Some of the goings on have been our own doing by not managing our finances very well.  Other issues that have arisen have been out of our control.

My beautiful wife was unfortunately assaulted at her workplace twice within 2 weeks by some of the lovely people who frequent our public transport system.  As a result of these two incidents she has been placed on Workcover and her mental health has deteriorated significantly.  She has had a couple of melt downs along the way also.  My stupid attitude whilst often softening a situation has backfired and made the situation worse.

I have had to take stock and rethink how I react to certain situations with Clorinda, especially when she is not fully on her game and having a bit of a downer.  At these times she does not need my dumb comments.

As well as these issues with Clorinda, my satisfaction with working in the public transport industry has continued to decline.  So much so that my anxiety levels have risen significantly, so much so that I experienced my first panic attack one day whilst out shopping.

Combine this with an increase in the effort I need to put in towards my study, something had to give, so I made the bold decision to resign from Transfield and ultimately bring an end to my 29+ year career within the public transport industry.  29 years 7 months to be exact.

Prior to this my brand new motorbike tyre went flat in an instant.  The motorbike shop did not replace the valve when they did the tyre.  The valve was fucked.

Clorinda has not been paid since March and we have been struggling big time.  This added stress has just added to my darlings anxiety.  A big thank you to my brother in law Beau for being an enormous help financially.

We have had to cancel our proposed weekend and annual trip to Hawker for the races, due to the uncertainty of funding.  Then if things couldn't get any worse, we picked up a huge piece of glass in one of our back tyres on the car.  Again a huge thank you to my long time friend Paul Childs for firstly fixing my valve on the motorbike tyre then fixing the car tyre so we can get it through to Thursday when we can buy two new tyres.

On top of all of this, we have been looking at other rental properties since our current Property Manager seems less than sympathetic to our financial woes, despite us having fixed, replaced and repaired most things ourselves and ultimately saved the owner well in excess $1500.

But as Doris Day once said "Que Sera Sera, what ever will be will be".

Hopefully we get the place over at Hectorville.

Until next time - Stay safe and may your God go with you

Social Behaviour - PartII

Continuing on from my blog yesterday, I find it disturbing that many people conduct themselves in a manner that would make our Grand Parents cringe.

There are now so many people who are so downright rude it amazes me that noone has ever pulled them up on it.  Then push into lines, despite others in a queue that have been there before them.  Then when they are challenged they either get aggressive or are genuinely shocked that someone dare tell them that they are wrong.

This is a direct result of the changed attitudes in our society that began changing in the mid 1980's as I mentioned in my earlier blog.

Almost daily I hear people at work whinging about everyone else or they feel compelled to humiliate another publicly as if its their right to do so.  However, these same people are often mortified when the tables are turned and the focus of negativity is aimed squarely at them.

From a young age, there is nothing wrong with firm discipline.  A tap to instill your displeasure at your youngsters behaviour is perfectly acceptable in my view.  If you disagree and feel that a pleasant chat will suffice and that a medium smack is a form of abuse then you must study many species in the animal world of which we are a part of.

Study the parents of cats, dogs, monkeys etc etc and you will see that when the parent has had enough of their youngs behaviour they will use an element of force to show their displeasure.  The force slowly increases until the unwanted behaviour ceases.

We (humans) are no different.  Because of this anti-discipline culture of ours we now have 3 or 4 generations who simply do not know boundaries.  Many people think it is their right to abuse others, steal others belongings, vandalise someone elses property and generally just do what they want and when they want to do it.  Heaven forbid, someone should stand up to them, at which point and all too often hell breaks loose.

Just look around suburbia and on public transport.  There is hardly a wall, fence, sign, post, window and even trees that have not been covered in meaningless grafitti.  I cast my mind back to when I was at school in the 1970's and early 80's, never did myself or my friends even contemplate vandalising someone else's property.  It never even entered our heads.  In about 1983, one girl in our class thought it funny to scribble on the floor of the bus.  Her happiness soon turned to shame because the rest of us thought she was stupid for doing it and more importantly thinking of it.

What do these people get out of scribbling a tag on a tree, sign, fence or post and then scratching the same garbage into a window?  What sense of fulfillment do they get?  The answer is none!  They do not have respect for themselves let alone for others and their property.

Back when I was growing up, it was the simply fact of fear of consequences.  Consequences from the law and more importantly consequences from my parents.  Sadly, these days people do not fear consequences from anyone, because largely there are none.  Civil libitarians go into bat for people who continually do the wrong things as apperently they have rights!!  Well, what about the rights of the person/s who was assualted or property vandalised?  The civil libatarians have no comment on this issue.

I firmly believe that if we need to build more prisons for people who do the wrong thing, then so be it.  We could keep our costs down by operating our prisons like the one in Maricopa County in the U.S where it is practically self sufficient.  Make prisoners work.  Chain gangs, work groups.  Building roads and property maintenance just to name a couple of tasks easily outsourced to this burgeoning labour force.

Anyway, thats my view. 

Until next time - May your God go with you

Social Behaviour

Having spent the past 29 years working in the public transport industry I have had the priviledge of interacting with a diverse range of the population.  On a daily basis I deal with adults, children, elderly, sick, frail, disabled, workers, unemployed, alcoholics, drug users, happy, sad and angry people and many others.

However, there has emerged over time one striking similarity between all of these groups and I call it the "ME" attitude.  Most people these days are so self absorbed with themselves that they think (to coin a phrase) the world revolves around them.

These people conduct themselves throughout their daily lives with the attitude that they can do whatever they want, whenever they want and nothing or noone will tell them otherwise.

Take a minute and think about the last time you went for a drive through the City and suburbs.  The number of people who continually flout the road rules astounds me.  This is despite repeated campaigns from the Government and Police about the dangers of being on the road.  Here are a list of the things I see on the roads daily:

• Using mobile phones
• Speeding
• U-turn at traffic lights
• Illegally parked
• Queuing over intersections
• Speeding through school crossings
• Disobeying road signs like "No Left Turn"
• Not indicating
• Failing to Give Way
• Not getting out of the way of Emergency Vehicles

Plus many many more.  These people (and they are now in the majority) come from all walks of life, young, middle aged, old, male, female etc etc.  Take the "No Left Turn" sign for example.  There is a street that runs off of Currie Street, called Clarendon Street.  This is used by many buses throughout the day to turn left onto Currie Street and head in an Easterly direction.  However, when on Currie Street there is a clear 'No Left Turn' sign into Clarendon Street and an island that encroaches halfway across Clarendon Street.  Yet, despite this many people simply turn left, then give the finger to anyone who dares point out the error of their ways.

They do this because they they have the mind set of NO SIGN WILL TELL ME WHAT TO DO.  IF I WANT TO DO IT, THEN I WILL. 

Sadly, social attitudes began changing in the mid 1980's with this lovey dovey attitude towards everyone and that let litttle Johnny and Mary-Ann do want they want because they will have a tantrum.  I was brought up the opposite, where I respected the rules and if heaven forbid I cracked a tantrum I had zero chance of getting or doing whatever it was that I got told NO for.

We now have three generations who have come through this lovey dovey garbage, who have no respect for authority, no respect for rules, no respect for others and no respect for themselves.

I am happy in the knowledge that I at least am trying to teach my kids old fashioned values of respecting the law, respecting your peers, respecting your elders and respect yourself.

Till next time - Be Safe and my your God go with you.