ADELAIDE TRIP – A FEW YEARS AGO

Checked in quickly and joined the line of those who have to be zapped. ‘Dome’ was crowded and they have changed things upstairs so sandwiches are no longer an option. Finished up having to settle for s couple of MacDonald’s whoppers. Took out the rubbish bits.

25D was my allocated seat.

Plane late getting away because of Pitch Black planes landing and creating a backlog for commercials.

A personable captain on flight deck kept us apprised of developments.

Seat mate had shit tucker in a seal pack and chose to eat it before takeoff. The smell was enough.

Plane was pretty full with a few empty seats here and there.

The lunch smelled and it wasn’t a pleasant odour.

Toilets were getting plenty of patronage and by the time we were closing on Adelaide there was an occasional waft of ablutions odour drifting up the plane from the rear conveniences.

Seats are very close in economy and armrests close in on you.

Hard to move legs and feet and exercise.

Bought a book on the Top End for Trevor Collinson my surgeon.

Watched a movie on the way down. Not a terrific movie but it helps pass the time a little. Takes one’s mind off aches and pains.

Watched ‘Fahrenheit 451 Science Fiction 1.42. Film took us to 950 kilometres and 1.13 from Adelaide. Flying at 11466 metres and an outside temperature of -46C. 909 to go as I typed this bit.

Watched an episode of ‘True Detectives’. Essentially American and second rate.

Bit of reading in latest ‘Time’ magazine and also bought ‘The Readers Digest’. That will be for later.

4.10 on and we are two minutes from touching down. Adelaide temperature is 17C.

2733 kilometres travelled. 3.38 on stopwatch.

Taxi in at $35. Taxis organised by a dispatch officer at the Adelaide Airport. A very long queue of people were dispatched in a very short time. You are directed to a taxi spot.

Taxis are clean and the drivers dispositioned in a way that is quite foreign in Darwin. City continues to be clean and graffiti free.

Lodge is fine. Upstairs in room 48. Place is quite busy with people liberally sharing their stories on everything from plane travel to superannuation issues.

Leek and vegetable soup.

Sirloin steak, chips and salad.

Ice cream with strawberry topping.

August 2

Did not sleep all that well last night. Quite fitfully in fact. Dozed more than having slept.

Spent the morning reading and listening to current affairs in Darwin radio through the ABC and Mix 104.9. ABC contacted me regarding School Based Policing and my dissertation. Spoke with Adam Steer about the changes that happened, which started and gained momentum under the Martin Government’s watch. Things went from there and the program gradually eroded.

I was phoned by Thomas Morehouse who is the Policy Adviser to Gary Higgins. He asked for a copy of my dissertation. I sent it to him. I offered a conversation if that would be useful at some future time.

I will so sent a long text to Katie Woolf at Mix 104.9 about the youth program that’s looking at developing positive leadership and attitudes. Session of this program was held in Palmerston yesterday.

Part of my message was to convey the point that valuable though this program is, it is not the first rather an extension of what has gone before.

To be continued