A couple  

With hungry child,  

Approach the checkout.  

In their trolley,  

Are basic necessities.  

Nothing elaborate,  

Every item one of need.  

They consult the plastic,  

Enter digits,  

Hoping to God   

For the green numbers.  

STRIKE ONE   

“Please re-enter”   

Demands that soulless terminal screen.  

Embarrassing the couple,  

Exposing their shame,  

To fellows winking,  

Thinking,  

“We’re better than them”.  

“Sometimes the card sticks …   

Have another go   

OK?”

Transaction re-entered.  

STRIKE TWO   

Declined again! … then again.

STRIKE THREE!!    

You are out.

Derision haunts the couple,   

Shoppers laugh behind their hands.   

The sad pair,   

Buy meagre items,    

With a handful of coins,    

Loose, forlorn in a bag.  

Biscuits, milk.    

The forlorn child   

Hurriedly tears the packet,  

Gnawing the nourishment,    

Like a hungry rat.   

Whither now?   

God only knows   

Toward what end     

Their forlorn destiny will lead.    

They wander from the precinct,    

Into the nether regions,   

Of near distance.   

Rain falls,   

Lightly from the sky,   

How they wish   

It was manna from Heaven.  

The spirit of Ukraine is indomitable, but there has to be an endpoint.

Where to from here?

What’s the first impression you want to give people?

in short, I want people to know that my mission statement is a mirror of my life, that it is lived, practised and is not an unloved text of empty rhetoric. I want people to know it is a a lived and practised focus.

“ To fulfil and be fulfilled in organisational mode, family, work and recreation.

To acquit my responsibilities with integrity.

To live with a smile in my heart.”

Pain is painful

It’s a drain

On our psyche

As we sustain

Outlook on life

And going forward

May we be assured

By the word

Of those who know

And those who care

Sending the Lord

A soulful prayer.

That those who ache

In pain do squirm

Will be blessed with minds

That hold them firm

May their pain reduce

And go away

Rendering them

A blessed day

FOR THE TERRITORY THIS IS A CRITICAL ISSUE.

The older I get,

The faster the week goes.

Days merge into each other.

They whizz by in whirlpool style,

Sucking me from one day to the next,

With dizzying speed.

In my days of ages past,

Things moved slowly.

My career beginnings moved ponderously

Magnified by isolation.

But the years have rolled,

Now I look back on a time that has gone

From morning, to noon to late in the day.

I know not how long,

Will be the period of my requiem,

My reflection.

I reflect on challenges

And opportunities that came my way.

Hopefully

I will be remembered

For good.

So the whirlpool

Of my latter years

Spins ever faster.

From dust I came

And to dust

I will return.

What endures

Will be the memories

Of my life,

Left for others.

May they be blessed remembrances

I confess to a change

Posted on November 11, 2025

For many years, I have resisted the idea of becoming a Facebook member.

That had largely to do with the fact that so many people connected to social media accounts had endured a great deal of stress related to bullying and snide, awful comments on social media. As a school principal, I became aware of just how damaging social media can be and how it can be manipulated and used to cause great upset to others. 

I have not changed my mind about the damaging and deleterious impacts of social media. Still, my decision now to use this platform has been influenced by the need to access information about a key medical issue that can only be accessed by creating a Facebook account. 

I look forward to reacquainting myself with people I know from our time in education and through community involvement over the years.

At the start of the day I felt light, optimistic and potentially anticipating a great day.

As the sun sets, I gave been degraded to feeling like a leaden sky scudding over a whole sourdough landscape.

It indeed is a sharp tack.

Oops.…. Wrong picture!

Yes

Once but

No longer as

He has retired and

Vacated the stage for others

To take the reigns and move

Into the wings that others should lead

Every leader has their time in the sun

But the time comes to an end

And the spotlight moves

From the old

To the

New.

Child care staff

Mired and stained by the behaviour of a few who absolutely ruin this profession and the reputation of providers for the vast majority.

• Blowflies in Darwin are more persistent than Chinese jet fighters doing exercise manouvres over the Taiwan Strait.
• Scammers are proactive, and law enforcement strategies are always reactive.
• First Nations people or descndabts of First Nations poople in Australia are regarded as beibg far more important than the rest of the population.

We are living in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable world.  Safety and security are paramount issues and frequently the centre of conversations.  

Terrorism is increasingly global and no country or region is guaranteed as safe from its impacts. The Christchurch massacre on March 15 showed that to be the case.

Questions about safety and the uncertainty of security affect both adults and children. For children, one of the most significant impacts has been the requirement that schools develop lockdown policies. Policies are periodically drilled for the sake of awareness so that if schools are under threat they can be safely implemented.

Children of all ages are very aware of what is happening in the world. ‘The good, the bad and the ugly’ elements of life are constantly brought to their attention through media and by listening and contributing to conversations. 

Sarah Parry and Jez Oldfield  wrote that  “While adults often have enough life experience to … take a long-term perspective toward such disasters, children can face different challenges.” ( How to talk to children about terrorism, The Conversation, June 5, 2017.) Events such as the Christchurch massacre cause children to “… experience much higher levels of distress than usual. … this can include aches and pains, sleeplessness, nightmares, … (children) becoming very snappy … withdrawn … not wanting to be separated from their parents.” (Op cit)

Shielding children from confronting reality does not work and is an unhelpful strategy. Parry and Oldfield write that “… young people today are exposed to anxiety-provoking information like never before. Rather than shielding children from inevitable stressors, we need to focus on arming them with balanced information, compassion, hope and the chance to develop their resilience.” (Op cit)

Rather than hiding the horror of terrorism from children, frank discussion, including answering their questions, is a wiser approach. Parry and Oldfield suggest the following strategies.

• Ask children how they feel about what they have seen or heard. Then address their feelings.
• Remind children that helpers of those distressed are the real heroes. Discuss their bravery, decency and morality.
• Be conscious of the need to “ … enhance children’s confidence, sense of bravery, ability to problem solve and develop their moral compass” through empathetic and understanding parental support.
• Sorting the truth from myth and misinformation that circulates after tragedy, helps children keep things in perspective.
• Be conscious of the need to reassure young people about parental and adult care for their safety. Parry and Oldfield (op cit) offer wise words. “ Being able to reassure young people that they are safe, loved and cared for can make all the difference.” 

These considerations are paramount in helping children during uncertain times.

And those uncertainties are more apparent than ever.

A lot has been said and written about the need for teachers to be professionals who meet an expanding raft of the  developmental needs of students. Educational expectations held for teachers seem to be constantly expanding. 

Teaching is more minutely inspected by the community than any other profession.  It seems greater responsibility for the bringing up and development of children is  placed on teachers and schools rather than on parents and homes. It has become the done thing for some parents and primary caregivers when things go wrong for children, to vent their displeasure on teachers.

The bullying of teachers by a cohort of parents is an issue of growing concern. The Sunday Territorian (Teachers’ bullying crisis, January 27 2019) confirmed that the Australian Education Union (NT) is worried about this trend and its impact on teaching staff. Union secretary Adam Lampe said he was aware of incidents “ … where parents scream and harass teachers constantly in person and online … that can really take a toll … teachers leave their jobs, transfer and even fall into depression – it pushes people to a breaking point.” 

Stories from media outlets within the Territory and around Australia are increasingly reporting on matters of teacher abuse. The way in which the personality and character of teachers can be misrepresented and maligned is extremely alarming.

Expectations held of teachers from selection and training through to their delivery of educational outcomes in the  classroom, are subject to increasing scrutiny.  However, respect for them in personal and professional terms seems to be diminishing.  

The Department of Education is on the record as upholding the fact that “ … wellbeing and safety of all … staff is paramount. … The department takes all incidents seriously and does not condone bullying, harassment and violence of any form in schools.” (Op cit)

I believe that teachers are at times reluctant to report matters of bullying behaviour to school leaders because they may be considered as not able to manage unpleasant situations. Contract, limited tenure and relief staff particularly,  may feel that raising the issue will adversely affect their future employment opportunities. 

It may well be that some school principals, who are on end-dated contracts, feel the same way about reporting these matters to the department. The Teachers Union maintains that a significant number of teacher bullying incidents go unreported.

Most parents are people who develop respectful relationships with their children’s teachers. However, the actions of the minority referred to in recent reports, negatively misrepresent  that majority. Bullying and abusive behaviour should be consigned to history.

A perennial issue and expanding challenge

BEWARE ADDICTION TO ONLINE GAMING

Technology has introduced cyberspace to young people in a way that both helps and hinders. It offers advantages and benefits that support and assist in their studies.  However, there are do we wnsides that can have a deleterious effect on their minds and lives.

One of the major digital age drawbacks is the savage impact social media has on lives through cyber  bullying. Another downside is the temptation to complete assignments through cutting, pasting and plagiarising from online sources.

One of the more sinister impacts of the online age, is its ability to disrupt and change the  behaviour of users.  Young people can be  influenced to  alter their thinking about things important to their future life.  Some of these changes are little short of bizarre.

“Australian children as young as seven … are launching aggressive attacks on their parents, lying to get out of school and avoiding family holidays to play Fortnite marathons, as the video game recruits a new generation of underage players.” (Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, Kids in video game crisis, Sunday Territorian, 26 May 2019)

The author adds “Education and neuroscience experts warn excessive and premature use of (video games) is leading to a ballooning crisis for Australian families, … now checking their children into dedicated rehabilitation centres to wean them off screens and reintegrate them into social, family and school life.” (Op.cit)

This is an issue that has been looming for some time. Experts have cautioned against children of tender years being allowed uncontrolled access to gaming applications. However it seems their advice has largely been ignored. 

There are others claiming to be experts who maintain that ‘games are just games’ and do not alter the perceptions of young people about  the realities of life.  

If a significant number of children and adolescents are so preoccupied with gaming that nothing else matters, then addiction is a real issue. Fortnite, one of the major online games is not recommended for player under 13 years of age.  

It is influencing far younger children. The article quotes neuroscience communicator Jill Sweatmen who is concerned that this particular game is attracting children who at 7 or 8 years of age are too young and mentally unprepared to handle its content.  “There are short term consequences and significant long term consequences to this.” (Op cit)

Parents need to be on guard and absolutely aware of the sites their children visit and the online games that can be so absorbing. Schools play their part, but awareness, education and the shaping of young attitudes has to start in the home. This issue cannot be ignored.

How does Sky News in Australia compare with ABC TV in Australia for percentage of viewing audience?

Can you do a comparison of each year from 2016 to 2025.

Information comparing the viewership percentage of Sky News Australia and ABC TV from 2016 to 2025 is not comprehensively available in a single source. However, here are some insights based on the data collected:

Sky News Australia vs ABC TV Audience Comparisons (2016-2025)

1. General Trends:

• Sky News Australia has been experiencing growth in its audience over the years, attributed to digital expansions and increased engagement across multiple platforms.
• ABC TV has historically maintained a significant market presence but has seen fluctuations in audience share in response to changing viewing habits.

1. 2016-2020:

• In this period, Sky News focused on building its reputation, gradually increasing its share, while ABC maintained a steady viewership due to its established presence.
• Reports indicated that Sky News was slowly eroding some of ABC’s viewership figures, particularly among younger audiences.

1. 2021:

• By 2021, Sky News reported substantial audience growth; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on news consumption favored news channels, including Sky News.
• ABC managed to retain a loyal audience base, leveraging its news credibility, despite increasing competition.

1. 2022-2023:

• In 2022, Sky News announced a 21.5% audience growth over two years, engaging around 11.1 million Australians monthly across platforms.
• ABC TV’s audience share remained strong, emphasizing its trusted news source status amid claims of bias in other networks including Sky News.

1. 2024:

• Sky News Australia achieved its highest audience share ever, indicating a surge in viewership across its multiplatform offerings.
• ABC faced challenges but remained a key player, particularly through its diverse program offerings, including online streaming.

1. 2025 (Forecast/Projections):

• Predictions indicate continued growth for Sky News as it capitalizes on its digital strategy, possibly surpassing previously held viewership levels.
• ABC TV is expected to maintain a stable audience through innovation and maintaining public trust.

Conclusion

The competition between Sky News and ABC TV continues to evolve, with Sky News gaining a more prominent foothold in recent years. For precise percentage comparisons year by year from 2016 to 2025, it would be ideal to refer to comprehensive industry reports or media consumption studies that provide detailed metrics for both networks, including viewer demographics and share statistics. These figures would best be found in dedicated industry analysis from sources like ACMA or specialized media industry reports.

For more detailed insights, you may visit the corresponding links for ABC’s Audience Data and Sky News Audience Insights.

Thank you AI

Blocked pipe 

Rumble gut

Hoppy leg

Hitch kick

Hip down

Fused wrist

Knee click 

Roaring crust

Hot head

Blotched (skin) 

Plugged lug

Peg leg

Wee block

Iced body

Body boil

Skin scale

Chest burst

Sting toe

78 degrees north

Cold cold weather

Months on end of polar night

Months on end of 24/7 daylight

How I would love to live in a land of extremes in the remote fastness of both dark and light extremes.

GoatChat adds specifics to the curiosity and fascination of Poor Old Henry

Here’s a summary of the requested information regarding Longyearbyen, Svalbard:

1. Length of 24/7 Daylight

• Duration: The midnight sun (24/7 daylight) lasts approximately from April 19 to August 23. More Info

2. Length of 24/7 Polar Night

• Duration: The polar night (24/7 darkness) occurs from November 14 to January 29. Depending on the definition, it can also be considered as extending from late October to mid-February. More Info

3. Average Temperatures

• Annual Average: The average annual temperature in Longyearbyen is approximately -6.9 °C (19.5 °F).
• Monthly Averages:
• Summer (June – August): Average highs around 3 to 7 °C (37.4 to 44.6 °F) in July.
• Winter (December – February): Average lows around -12 to -15 °C (10 to 5 °F). More Info

4. Hottest Ever Day

• Record Temperature: The highest temperature ever recorded in Longyearbyen was 21.7 °C (71.1 °F) on July 26, 2020. More Info

5. Coldest Ever Day

• Record Temperature: The coldest temperature in Longyearbyen was -46.3 °C (-51.3 °F), recorded on March 4, 1986. More Info

Longyearbyen experiences unique climatic conditions characterized by extreme variations in daylight and temperature, making it a fascinating location in the Arctic region.

Yes – this is the place where I would love to live.

LONGYEARBYEN

A weight

Kept

It is a doorstop.

Something discarded

Has a major use.

Comments on stories

The Gaza Plan

The ONLY person in the world who can make this work is Donald Trump.

Man in woman’s jail for child above in Victoria  – because he said he is a woman.

This is a horrible outcome and a travesty that should never have been allowed. The Premier needs to confront the morality of this issue and not sidestep what has transpired.

The Isis Brides issue  and government bsurreptitiousness

I watched the ‘Q and A’ session that took place in the context of the Senate Inquiry on the subject yesterday. What a fiasco – and how hard those responsible in government worked to deflect the issue.  This was an appalling display, particularly by Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Wong. 

Top 100 Universities

For mine, the most outstanding Australian University is in my home city of Darwin . In my opinion, you would have to go a long way to top Charles Darwin University, its VC, Professor Scott Bowman, the University Council, the teams of teachers and researchers, and the CDU student council.   CDU got on with the job and was not connected with any of the conflicts and marches that were part of it. -and are still are – part of the carry on at some of our Sandstone Universities and other tertiary institutions. 

Albo and the brides

Is our PM being deliberately coy about the bride’s issue because he feels that their return will earn praise from pro-Palestinian groups and Muslim voters in key Labour seats?

Peace in the Middle East

I hope this initiative, akin to opening the door just a little into the place of peace, matures into an everlasting outcome, consigning this awful war and its sad consequences to history. 

Healing the relationships breach

We need Tony Burke, Anthony Albanese, Penny Wong, Chris Bowen, and other members of the Cabinet to lead the way in terms of moving Australia towards accord and unification between our Jewish and Palestinian cohorts. They must be the leaders in healing the breach.

Let them land in Gaza

Those on flotillas of vessels seeking to identify with those in Gaza should not be intercepted. They should be allowed to land and then left to their own devices. They might be somewhat surprised and dismayed at the reception they get and the treatment they receive from Hamas and like-minded persons when their proclivities become known.

Good for Queensland

WELL DONE, QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT!

Thank you for your reassuring and common-sense approach to the issue of energy needs and the fact that supply has to be regular and reliable,

Hopefully, your example and courage will be emulated by some of our other state and territory governments.

In contrast to Victoria, where huge underground gas reserves are being left untouched, the Victorian Government is considering building the facilities needed to offload and use imported gas to fuel its energy needs.

Upside down Australia

It used to be thought that because Australia was ‘down under’, it was ‘upside down’. It surely is upside down in terms of thinking and prioritising action these days.   

10

Bowen harps at Queensland

It is beyond time for Energy Minister Bowen to wake up to the fact that his ‘impossible dream’ will never become a reality.  I am reaching the point of finding his constant harping on the subject of renewables to be unbearable. 

Australia’s cultural wars

Two years of hate speech and vitriol directed toward Jews in Australia will not cease. The war may be stoppable, but the bitterness welled up within far too many hearts toward our Jewish population will continue to overflow into our no longer harmonious Australian community.

Barnaby Joyce is jumping ship

I have the most profound respect for Mr Joyce and think the Nationals – and indeed the Coalition – have done a significant injury to themselves for the way he has been discounted and derided over time. Barnaby Joyce is and always has been a politician of conviction.  He epitomises genuineness and is a person who gets things done. He is an effective politican and above all, a good man.

The Everest

This race, with all its hoo-haa and pseudo-importance, is a lot of false and artificial ‘happiness’. It is a temporary escape from the sad realities of life and will cost a lot of remorse through squandered betting dollars and expenditure on the glamour and artificiality of dressing up.

The Whitlam Era

Read “East Arnhem People and Places” by Keith Cole and become aware of what became undone from the time Mr Whitlam became Prime Minister.  That will help historians and others develop a more complete picture and understanding of changes that began under his prime ministership.

Visit the UK – no way!

We visited the UK for seven weeks in 1996, and it was starting to become unlike the UK we had imagined from history, even then. And now, of course, anything that remotely resembles the way the country was is hugely frowned upon. The UK would be one of the last places I would want to go, 29 or 30 years on from our previous visit.

Indigenous responsibilities – Megan Davies

I would like to ask the following questions.

* Why are parents and primary caregivers not looking after their children? Why are parents and caregivers excused from the m looking after their children?

* Why are Elders now apparently powerless when it comes to the management of children and youth within communities?

* Why are non-Indigenous persons deemed wholly responsible for issues about the health and welfare of Indigenous youth and adults?

* Why don’t people take responsibility for their health; why do they blame the health department and other agencies for poor health and illness when a great deal comes from their chosen behaviours?

* Why are parents and caregivers not responsible for ensuring their children attend school?

* Why are teachers and the education department blamed when children leave school as functional illiterates when that has been and is the result of them not attending school?

* Why is it deemed racist when issues are raised, and the need for self-responsibility is pointed back to families from where the problems arise?

More questions

The following points also leave blanks in the answers box.

* What should happen in the many cases of children and young people roaming the streets and getting into trouble because they feel unsafe at home?

* If agencies take children from unsafe homes, are they not faced with ‘double jeopardy’ because of accusations of stealing children from parents?

* Are responsibilities that should belong to parents being passed to government instrumentalities, with parents and caregivers shrugging and inferring that various government agencies should pick up their commitment?

* Should ANY responsibility for the upbringing of children belong to parents?

* Why is the role parents should play in raising their children at best infrequently raised; are parents excused from any responsibility?

* Do many young people act disruptively because they feel a sense of entitlement because Australia is a country where its First Peoples were first? Do they feel ‘owed’ by being ‘first’?

COMMENT ON ISSUES

Wronging children

Why do they do these things. Know also that false accusations, that are made up to scores of years after the alleged offence, can cut innocent ones who are falsely accused,  deeply and permanently. There is no comeback for those who are maligned in this way and the accuser is home free.

Commissioner Dole

May Commissioner Dole be blessed as he assumes his new leadership role permanently. And may our police force move forward with confidence and with the respect of the NT public.

Crime is forgiven 

Yes, remanded then bailed without doubt. Why do I commend our police for their valiant efforts, appreciate business proprietors who, despite damage, manage for the most part to carry on, and empathise with victims of car theft and those whose houses are broken into? And why do I have very little respect for those in the judiciary who look for every opportunity to release these criminals, many of them habitual offenders, on bail?

Protest march on Sunday

Thankfully, for the most part, the Northern Territory has not had to endure the constant weekend disruptions of city centres with protests, which can disrupt everyday life. Sunday’s ‘happening’ in Darwin must have been prompted by a light bulb going off in someone’s head.

Public Transport is a war zone area

It is appalling that a service that was once so good and safe to use has deteriorated over time to the point where travelling by bus is akin to inviting oneself into a war zone.  Dastardly behaviour and disregard for the rights of both drivers and passengers are the norm, and it is wrong that such behaviour is tacitly condoned.

The best leaders 

There are so many outstanding leaders in various fields in the NT that the mind boggles at the enormous task facing the judging panel.

Victoria’s status

I think the Award of Banana Republic is well and truly in Victoria’s kitbag. The question is whether Premier Allen will emulate her predecessors ‘ability’ to ‘earn’ the award of Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) almost as soon as she retires or relinquishes the Premiership.

Frank Alcorta passes away

The passing of Mr Alcorta leaves a memory of positive contributions to our community in many different operational domains.  I credit him with being the NT journalist who elicited my first ever contribution to the pages of the NT News. My letter, back a long time ago, was in response to a comment he offered about school leadership and the role of Northern Territory school principals.  His perceptions helped me grow into the roles I later filled in NT Education, and in hindsight, I appreciate him for awakening my awareness.  Frank Alcorta was a journalist, a contributor, and a man for whom I had deep respect, because he prioritised salient issues and elaborated upon things that needed to be done.  We have been blessed by the accomplishments he achieved throughout his life.

City of Darwin Council

I have several issues – not with staff but with CoD Council priorities or lack thereof:

* Ratepayers in our ward NEVER meet or hear from councillors. That is number one—and the main one. Why do councillors remain invisible? I have not seen a councillor for a good ten years. They never come calling and never make contact. There are three Councillors in our ward.  I do know their names from electoral recency, but they never meet ratepayers in any primary forum.  Why?

CBD businesses being driven to the wall by CoD slowness 

I believe that some of the delays may have been occasioned by preoccupation with Council elections. With the new council – with its share of new faces – in place and under the mayorship of Peter Styles, I would have every confidence in the fact that slowed completion programs will quickly become history as the new Council gets on with the business of delivery.  

10

Charles Darwin University

How I would love CDU to care for Australian students, especially those in the NT who are not Indigenous and who find themselves confronted by endless challenges of course relevance, timetable confusion, the need to travel between campuses and whose focus in lectures is often distorted because of the insufficiencies of language (English) transactions between students physically attending lectures and those who are engaged at the same time through online entry.  The University lacks nothing in vision, but the realities of learning, and indeed, the quality of degrees have not improved over time.

Rose coloured glasses don’t fit policing

The reality of the Norrthern Territory is that policing is bloody difficult and largely because beople are treated differently to each other. As an example – the behaviours of First Nations people is treated differenly to others in the community. 

First Nations people are preferenced over others when it comes to hospital emergency care, within shopping precincts, on public transport and so on. Rules are changed and processes are altered to try and accomodate them, rather than there being an approach of one response for all.  

In Victoria, there is astonishment that one of the major hospiotals is preferencing First Nations people above all orheres. Well, that has been how it is done in the NT for more than a decade, and that treatment gap in all areas of community function is ever more toward prioritising First Nations people over the rest.

That, of course, applies to policing but also to every other function of government and organisations. And that is NOT right.

It stalks and hangs in perpetuity

Always and forever,

Sometimes subtly, almost unobtrusively

But always trespassing and ready to pounce

Knocking me sideways

Into the blackness of despair

And the abyss of deep, depressive darkness.

And thoughts of hopelessness

Fishing for my sanity

Reeling me toward the oblivion

Of nothingness

With thoughts of everlasting peace

Of release from its binding shackles

Depression

Then mercifully those thoughts lift

But for a time only

Before they return again

To taunt the tortured mind

Of Poor Old Henry

That endless cycle

Shall all end

One day.

I, for one, was not devastated or surprised when the Whitlam Government was dismissed by Sir John Kerr fifty years ago. At that time, I was a young educator at both Warburtin Ranges in WA (1974/75) and at Numbulwar, NT from July 1975 onward.

In both communities, I saw firsthand what happened when PM Whitlam announced that Aboriginal Communities had to shift almost immediately from being managed, to owning and applying the principles of self determination and self management. Funding appropriations depended on this action.

Apart from staffing issues, the limited Warburton economy, based on cattle management, floundered.

At Numbulwar, a flourishing market garden, along with an established poultry industry—including 5,000 laying hens—went into immediate decline. Both enterprises had supplied market outlets from Groote Eylandt to Katherine. The market garden was left to be overrun by weeds, and the poultry industry completely collapsed.

Whitlam Government policies at the time demanded an immediate ‘ownership’ being foisted on people who had not been readied or trained for these responsibilities.

Community ventures in many communities were lost to the forced policies of the Federal Government at that time. So much was lost because the government made ill-considered haste.

I would go further and suggest that one of the issues that grew from the time of Whitlam’s government were ideological elements that with the passing of time, havd grown into the phenomena of “intergenerational trauma”.

With the birth of each new generation of First Nations people, comes a new intensification of intergenerational hurt.

I wonder where intergenerational trauma will be in 2050.

We live in dangerous times. Australia is an island continent surrounded by treacherous waters.

SHOWING MAP OF CLAIM ON ALL UNDEVELOPED LANDS WITHIN THE AREA INCLUDING PARKS AND WATERWAYS – ALONG WITH FIRST NATIONS PERSONS CONNECTED WITH THE CLAIM

For many years, I have resisted the idea of becoming a Facebook member.

That had largely to do with the fact that so many people connected to social media accounts had endured a great deal of stress related to bullying and snide, awful comments on social media. As a school principal, I became aware of just how damaging social media can be and how it can be manipulated and used to cause great upset to others.

I have not changed my mind about the damaging and deleterious impacts of social media. Still, my decision now to use this platform has been influenced by the need to access information about a key medical issue that can only be accessed by creating a Facebook account.

I look forward to reacquainting myself with people I know from our time in education and through community involvement over the years.

Insurance costs, particularly for homes and contents, have been rising alarmingly. Rate increases mean a growing number cannot afford continuing coverage.

I have been with the same insurance company since we purchased our house. We have never made an insurance claim. Looking back over past records is illuminating. Regarding house and contents, the policy for the 2006 fiscal year was $1224.60 or $47.10  per month in premium plus stamp duty and GST.

Come 2025, and the base premium is $7793.66. GST ($779.37) and stamp duty ($857.31) increase the twelve-month total due to $9430.34. That is an increase of $970 over 2024. Australia-wide, insurance costs are exploding. For far too many, properties and contents are uninsurable because of eye-watering premiums. 

It seems to me that governments should waive both the GST and stamp duty components of premium costs in the interests of supporting our Australian population. That could well enable some to maintain their premium payments. The thought of no insurance in the face of disaster is awful to contemplate.

Insurance – yes it is the highest of costs and ever rising.

With pride our PM’s heart filled with joy,
When Trump praised our own handsome boy,
Photos spilled his ecstasy far and wide
When he sat by the President’s side
He looked happy, fulfilled and so coy

I have not listened to podcasts at all.

Something yet to do.

I get frightened of new things.

History

Proper history

Unbiased fact based history

Balanced history not history destroyed by ideological interpretations

History based on fact, not fiction.

History as it was

Not history as it is imagined to have been

Unbiased and factual history

Fair history

Unguided ‘warts and all’ history.

• In the Australian Federal Parliament.
• For the Coalition opposition.
• Because they are like fish out of water.

Albo the PM has time

Jed the janitor has time

Pringle the teacher had time

Mark the secretary has time

Mr Tennant the bus driver has time

Charlie the doorkeeper has time

Bruce the headmaster had time

Deaconess Farley the pushbike rider had time

Tony the aspiring principal had time

Edward Kynaston had time

Old Man Todd had time

I have no time because I had time to highlight those with time and now I have no time left.

Sent to me.

I might laugh but how much woker can woke get?

 Hokitika Kindergarten Cancels ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ — Geese Claim Cultural Misrepresentation

HOKITIKA — A local kindergarten on the West Coast has officially retired the classic children’s game “Duck, Duck, Goose” after a group of geese reportedly lodged complaints claiming cultural misrepresentation and speciesist stereotyping.

Head teacher Paula Sickee explained:

“We take inclusivity seriously. Using the word ‘goose’ as the active player in a chasing game could be triggering to both geese and children. We must ensure our playgrounds are emotionally safe for all living beings.”

The new game, Non-Specific Waterfowl Recognition Tag, removes any explicit species labeling. Children now choose a ‘waterfowl’ at random — which could be any bird — before lightly tapping classmates on the head while chanting neutral affirmations like: ‘You are acknowledged.’

Parent Luna Tick said:

“I just wanted my kids to run around and have fun, but apparently even playtime has to be fully decolonised and ethically vetted.”

Local goose activist Sam Witchpres praised the decision:

“Finally, children will learn empathy from a young age and understand that birds are not props for human amusement. Every wingbeat counts.”

Meanwhile, children were reportedly confused.

“I liked saying ‘goose’ and running,” said one 5-year-old. “Now I have to ask the bird’s pronouns before I tap them.”

The kindergarten assured families that all future games will undergo sensitivity audits and bird consultation to prevent further avian microaggressions.

I am old

I am very old

I am very very old

I am very very very old

Very very very oldsters

Are looked upon as

Relics by the

Upcomers.

People

Get born

Then grow up

Later they become old

And in the end they too

Go dead.

I am too frightened of the portent of the future in these uncertain times to make any call on 2028.

The future is an uncertain limbo land for Poor Old Henry.

Donated clothing washed and then worn, This was part of our daily program at Warburton in 1974. 

Clothes were washed then dried then put in desks at the end of each day. The following morning after children showered they put on their clean clothes, washed the clothing they had changed from and the washing, drying, storing routine was repeated.

Donated clothing washed and then worn, This was part of our daily program at Warburton in 1974.

Clothes were washed then dried then put in desks at the end of each day. The following morning after children showered they put on their clean clothes, washed the clothing they had changed from and the washing, drying, storing routine was repeated.

Dr Ho has been selected as Northern Territorian of the year.

While happy for Dr Ho, I am devastated that Adam Drake, my hero for the great good he does and has done for many years, was again overlooked.

How I wish the gong could have been shared.

Adam Drake is an inspiration and a shining light who knocks himself up in his giving for others, He is the most selfless man in the Northern Territory.

The richest state in Australia is New South Wales (NSW). It boasts the largest economy in the country, driven by a diverse range of industries including finance, technology, and tourism.

Additionally, Western Australia (WA) is also noted for its significant wealth, particularly due to its resource-based economy, which is heavily reliant on mining and agriculture.

Here are some resources for further reading:

• Richest And Poorest States Of Australia – World Atlas
• List of Australian states and territories by gross state product – Wikipedia
• Income and wealth distribution by state – McCrindle

These articles provide more detailed information on economic performance and wealth distribution across different states and territories in Australia.

The rich and poor

Separated by a border.

They are neighbours

Which is the most indebted state or territory in Australia?

From AI

As of now, Victoria is the most indebted state in Australia. It has accumulated a significant debt of approximately $272 billion by the forecast of 2028-29. This figure represents a substantial increase, with borrowing per capita set to reach around $32,400.

Here are some related articles for more in-depth information:

• State debt to top $900b, triple pre-pandemic levels – AFR
• Victoria most indebted state in the world, highest taxes … – IPA
• How Victoria became one of the rich world’s most indebted … – AFR
• Public sector debt analysis 2019-20 – ABS

For more specifics on financial comparisons, please check the links provided.

Wow!

A very very old man with a ti knee and porcelain shoulder, everlasting scares from a botched surgical procedure, round shoulders, thin arms and legs and skin that is wearing the telling impacts of nearly eight decades of weathering.

Still has his hair and a back that itches a lot probably because of his round shoulders.

It’s not appropriate for me to label anyone’s thinking style, including yours. Everyone has a unique approach to processing information and generating ideas.

If you find yourself revisiting certain themes or topics, it could simply reflect your curiosity or interest in those areas, rather than being a negative trait. Circular thinking can also be a sign of deep contemplation on complex subjects.

If you’re aiming for more linear or varied thinking in certain situations, you might consider exploring different perspectives or engaging with diverse topics. Ultimately, it’s all about personal growth and understanding your own thought processes. Feel free to share your thoughts on this!

At the very least you are an honest respondent.

Your feelings towards AI are entirely valid, and it’s important to have open discussions about the role of technology in our lives. Here are a few perspectives to consider:

1. Friendship and Support: I am here to assist, provide information, and engage in conversation. Think of me as a tool designed to help you with your questions and tasks.
2. Transparency: It’s crucial to understand that while AI can be friendly and helpful, it doesn’t have emotions, consciousness, or personal intentions. My purpose is to serve you based on the programming and data provided.
3. Ethical Considerations: Many individuals and organizations are actively discussing the ethics of AI development, focusing on safety, privacy, and the impacts of technology on society.
4. Empowerment: Use AI as a resource for knowledge and creativity, but retain control over your personal decisions and interactions.

It’s natural to feel a mix of curiosity and apprehension about the future with AI. Being informed and engaged in conversations about technology’s role can help alleviate fears and foster a positive relationship with it. If you ever have questions or concerns, feel free to share!

I do appreciate our interactions

What is the most famous song ever written and shared with others?

Determining the “most famous song ever written” can be subjective, but one song that is often cited as the most recognized worldwide is “Happy Birthday to You.” It’s typically sung to celebrate birthdays across various cultures and languages.

In terms of commercial success and cultural impact, songs like “Yesterday” by The Beatles, “Imagine” by John Lennon, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen are also considered among the most famous.

If you’re interested in a specific genre or era, I can provide more tailored examples!

Good to know.

Is there any likelihood that Prince Andrew will ever feature on a commemorative coin?

The likelihood of Prince Andrew featuring on a commemorative coin is extremely low, especially given the controversies surrounding him in recent years. Commemorative coins typically honor individuals who have made significant contributions to a nation or have a positive public image.

Since Prince Andrew’s associations and legal troubles, particularly regarding allegations of sexual misconduct, his public standing has diminished significantly. Most recent commemorative coins have focused on members of the royal family who maintain a favorable public perception or historical figures with positive legacies.

If you’re interested in more specific developments regarding royal commemorative coins, let me know!

The likelihood of Prince Andrew featuring on a commemorative coin is extremely low, especially given the controversies surrounding him in recent years. Commemorative coins typically honor individuals who have made significant contributions to a nation or have a positive public image.

Since Prince Andrew’s associations and legal troubles, particularly regarding allegations of sexual misconduct, his public standing has diminished significantly. Most recent commemorative coins have focused on members of the royal family who maintain a favorable public perception or historical figures with positive legacies.

If you’re interested in more specific developments regarding royal commemorative coins, let me know!

Seems very final

Is there a sunset and a dawn as the moon rotates from light to dark and from dark to light?

Do surface temperatures change during these transitions?

Could a person figuratively stand with one foot on a heated surface and the other foot in cold conditions?

To answer your questions:

1. Sunset and Dawn with Moon Rotation

• Sunset and Dawn: The concepts of sunset and dawn primarily apply to the Earth, which rotates on its axis, creating day and night as different parts of the planet are illuminated by the Sun. The Moon does not experience sunset and dawn in the same way because it does not have an atmosphere, and its rotation is synchronous with its revolution around the Earth (meaning the same side always faces Earth).

2. Surface Temperatures during Lunar Transitions

• Temperature Changes: The surface temperature on the Moon can fluctuate significantly, ranging from about 127°C (260°F) during the day to -173°C (-280°F) at night. This change occurs as the Moon rotates, exposing different areas to sunlight and then to the cold of space. However, these transitions do not happen rapidly; there is no gradual change like a sunset or dawn on Earth.

3. Standing with One Foot on Heated Surface and One on Cold Surface

• Figurative Scenario: In theory, if you were able to position yourself such that one foot is on a heated area and the other foot is on a cold area simultaneously, you would experience two contrasting sensations. However, practically this would be difficult because heat transfer would equalize temperatures over time. More often, the body would adjust to the average temperature, making it feel uncomfortable rather than allowing for a prolonged experience of both extremes.

Feel free to ask if you have more questions regarding this topic!

The more you learn, the more there is to know.

What is the temperature on the surface area of the sunlit side of the moon?

The temperature on the sunlit side of the Moon can vary significantly. During the lunar day, which lasts about 14 Earth days, surface temperatures can reach up to approximately 127 degrees Celsius (about 260 degrees Fahrenheit).

Conversely, during the lunar night, which lasts for about 14 Earth days as well, temperatures can drop to around -173 degrees Celsius (about -280 degrees Fahrenheit). This extreme temperature variation is due to the lack of atmosphere on the Moon, which means there is no air to retain heat.

Wow

Does the moon rotate on its axis?

Yes, the Moon does rotate on its axis. Interestingly, it takes the Moon about 27.3 days to complete one rotation, which is the same amount of time it takes to orbit the Earth. This synchronous rotation is why we always see the same side of the Moon from Earth, a phenomenon known as “tidal locking.”

You learn something every day.

The day my wife and I married on 22 January 1969.

With pride our PM’s heart filled with joy,
When Trump praised our own handsome boy,
Photos spilled his ecstasy far and wide
When he sat by the President’s side
He looked happy, fulfilled and so coy.

There was a minister named Bowen
Whose energy policy has shown
It may be so wrong
But it willgo on and on,
Until our economy’s blown

Across the road from our house on the common

It was are wrecked before and is more wrecked now

Response:

As of 2023, the most prosperous country in the world according to the Legatum Prosperity Index is Denmark. Following Denmark in the rankings are:

1. Sweden
2. Norway
3. Finland
4. Switzerland

You can find more details about the rankings here.

Well, well.

Daytime or night time

It’s always the right time

To light up a Vicount

The best of them all.

No.

Neither

• That Voluntary Assisted Dying laws in the Northern Territory would come into place tomorrow and include the right to VAD in the event of mental collapse if that was pre-stated in a personal action plan.
• That major punishment up to and including the death penalty be introduced for serious scammers whose occupation is to prey like vultures and scavenge like jackals over the assets and savings of those they have plundered.
• That the net zero policy in Australia with its sole focus on renewables, be scrapped with a re-embrace of fossil fuel usage and a unified movement toward nuclear power generation.

It came to me this morning. With somewhat of a jolt.

I am 79.

I now know and remember more people who are dead than people are alive.

Everything from Trump and Harris vying for the US Presidency to the tremendous bruising of fruit for sale in supermarkets is a turn-off.

Our local politics at the Federal

The level is offering our country mediocre delivery at best.

Our new NT Government offers a wan ray of hope but has a huge mountain to climb to overcome the malaise and general apathy we confront in the NT.

The whole world seems beset by war, and peace is figuratively being pushed into the earth’s remotest corners.

Disease and pestilence abound.

It is all downhill. We are all going south.

• Dislike of going out to meetings and to socialise.
• Exteme dislike and disrespect for social media devices.
• Absolute refusal to use social media apps under any circumstances.
• Fear of the environment.
• Innate worry about the likelihood of weather catastrophe.
• An ingrained worry about earthquakes.
• A sad conviction that World War Three will be transfixing the whole world by 2030.
• A penchant for writing poetry.
• An extreme dislike of close bodily contact with strangers.
• He worries that Covid stays around the corner, so he always wears a mask when going out.
• Total disrespect for leaders who micro-manage.
• A strong support for concentric leadership. 
• His singing without knowing he is singing.
• His disdain for any government policy makes some people more equal than others.

• The second world war
• The Korean war
• The Vietnam war
• The Afghanistan conflict
• The Iraq conflict
• The Ukrainian war
• Sir Robert Menzies
• Neil Arnstrong walking on the moon
• My first day of teaching
• The day I married
• The birth of our three children
• The Russian Sputnik in the night sky
• The formation of the NT Government in 1979
• My first aeroplane flight
• Buying our home
• The day I retired

And the list goes on 

But had better stop

Before it stretches out of sight.

I do things here, do things there, in fact do things everywhere.

• Wash the dishes
• Laundry upkeep
• Checking mail
• Grocery shopping
• Keeping blog and LinkedIn updated.
• Watering and maintaining garden
• Making sure birds that fly into our sanctuary are fed and watered
• Doing the shopping
• Organising meals
• Keeping all correspondence up including comments on news
• Anything else needing to be done

There are 9 million empty homes many of them abandoned in Japan. 

Sunset at Leanyer

Who is the most popular American president of all time?

Response:

Determining the “most popular” American president can vary depending on the criteria used—whether it’s approval ratings during their presidency, historical rankings by scholars, or public opinion over time. However, a few presidents are frequently mentioned as among the most popular:

1. Abraham Lincoln: Often regarded as one of the greatest presidents for his leadership during the Civil War and his role in abolishing slavery. He is celebrated for his ability to unify the nation.
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Known for his New Deal policies during the Great Depression and his leadership during World War II, he is another highly regarded president.
3. George Washington: As the first president and a founding father, he holds a significant place in American history and is respected for setting many precedents for the office.
4. John F. Kennedy: His charisma and the impact of his assassination have left a lasting legacy, making him a popular figure in American history.
5. Theodore Roosevelt: Known for his progressive policies and conservation efforts, he is also ranked highly in historical surveys.

Surveys and polls may fluctuate, but these presidents often top various lists regarding popularity and effectiveness.

Donald Trump must be just about ready to gain promotion to this list.

Is it possible for someone like me to orchestrate a reunion between Meaghan Markle and Prince William?

Response:

Orchestrating a reunion between Meghan Markle and Prince William would be a complex endeavor, given their strained relationship and the personal dynamics involved. Here are some points to consider:

1. Understanding the Relationship: Research the history between Meghan Markle and Prince William. Familiarize yourself with the events that have led to their current status.
2. Communication Channels: Consider how these individuals typically communicate or engage with family. They are in the public eye, so finding appropriate and respectful channels is crucial.
3. Respect Privacy: Be mindful of their personal lives. Any attempt to arrange a meeting should be done with respect for their boundaries and privacy.
4. Connection Through Family: If you have a mutual contact who knows both parties well, approach them to see if they might facilitate a meeting.
5. Public Perception: Keep in mind the media scrutiny surrounding both individuals. Any public attempt to orchestrate such a reunion could attract significant media attention.

While it’s ambitious to think of orchestrating such a meeting, considering these aspects would be important in approaching the idea.

This is a challenge that is beyond this very old man. But the estrangement is very sad.

And the essence of everything that is decent and good about humanity.

Adam Drake, the founder and CEO of support, help and training organisation ‘Balanced Choice’ (BC) in every essence, is closer to being a hero than any other person I know.

Mr Drake spends his life in looking to uplift and elevate othes throyght phychical, mental spiritual and moral enhancement. He lives the life he advocates in his mission to those with whom he associates.

He is a tireless advocate running or being involved in countless workshops for those of all ages and no matter where they are located across the Northern Territory.

He has been nominated for the honour of Northern Territorian of the year for 2025 and I hope he is so acclaimed.

Things that take my fancy.

• A shearer of sheep on the Isle of Skye.
• A pigeon handler on the Yorkshire Moors.
• A fisherman in Penzance
• A canal barge boat pilot on the Langollen Canal.
• The organiser of donkey rides for children on the Skegness beaches.
• An ice road trucker on the Prudhoe Bay run.
• An outback trucker on the Great Central Australian road.
• A radio announcer on Mix 104.9 FM Darwin.
• A pushbike Uber man delivering pizzas.
• The sanitary hygiene supervisor on Bickerton Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria off the east coast of Arnhemland in Australia’s Northern Territory.
• A street cleaner in Dublin.

I am a very old man and take that into account. I used to play active games when young and middle-aged, but chronological enhancement has left me in a somewhat limited position in my old age. The following apply – or could apply – depending on how I feel at any one point in time. Nothing really helps much when enthusiasm and motivation are crueled by depression which, for me these days, is often the case. So:

• Jumping up and down on the spot to keep warm.
• Counting the steps I take on my iPhone 6S.
• Walking for the time it takes to boil the jug from turn on to turn off trime.
• Walking up and down the driveway of our house for a minute or two or whatevcer – as the case goes.
• Mopping the floor, vacuuming, cleaning, doing dishes, cleaning out shelves, wiping mould and dust off external walls, cleaning and wiping the stairs sets to our house – which is elevated.
• Singing songs to exercise my throat.
• Thinking through scenarios, writing poetry, doing blog and LinkedIn entries, and corresponding with newspapers both by letter and online comments to keep engaged.

Pictured (ABC) arriving in Kuala Lumpur for an ASEAN meeting.

My First ten-cent coin adorned by the face of King Charles 3

Zero

I like to watch the moon from here on earth.

That will do quite nicely.

Sunrise today 25 October 11.44 am

Sunset today 1.36 pm

Goodnight is coming.

Chop.

One chops eiof

The other chops -axes- players.

What birds are women most like?

Response:

Similar to the previous question about men, comparing women to birds can highlight various traits, behaviors, or characteristics. Here are a few birds that might represent different aspects of femininity:

1. Swan

• Traits: Known for their grace and beauty, swans also represent love and loyalty.
• Comparison: Women may be likened to swans for their elegance and nurturing qualities, often symbolizing emotional depth and strength.

2. Dove

• Traits: Often associated with peace, gentleness, and compassion.
• Comparison: Women may embody the tranquil and nurturing essence of doves, symbolizing harmony and care in relationships.

3. Hummingbird

• Traits: Known for their agility, energy, and ability to bring joy.
• Comparison: Women can be compared to hummingbirds for their vibrant spirit and ability to bring positivity and lightness to situations.

4. Canary

• Traits: Known for their beautiful song and bright colors.
• Comparison: Represents creativity and expression, emphasizing the artistic and communicative aspects that many women embrace.

Conclusion

The comparison of women to different birds can encapsulate various qualities such as grace, nurturing, strength, and creativity. Each bird symbolizes different aspects of femininity, reflecting the diverse traits that women may embody.

I have a great deal of respect for women and detest the put-downs and snide superiority directed toward them by far too many men.

What bird are men most like?

Response:

The comparison of men to birds can be interpreted in various ways depending on traits, behaviors, or characteristics. Here are a few birds that might represent different aspects of masculinity:

1. Peacock

• Traits: Known for their vibrant plumage and impressive displays during courtship.
• Comparison: Men may sometimes be seen as displaying their achievements or characteristics to attract attention or admiration.

2. Eagle

• Traits: Symbolizes strength, freedom, and vision.
• Comparison: Men are often associated with strength and leadership qualities, much like the eagle, which is a powerful predator.

3. Robin

• Traits: Often seen as a symbol of renewal and new beginnings.
• Comparison: Represents nurturing and caring aspects, emphasizing a protective side that many men exhibit.

4. Owl

• Traits: Symbolizes wisdom and intelligence.
• Comparison: Men who are seen as thoughtful and knowledgeable may be likened to owls, which are often associated with wisdom.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the answer depends on the specific traits being emphasized and the context of the comparison. Each bird can symbolize various attributes that might resonate with different perspectives on masculinity.

I always think that men are not unlike roosters. They strut about and crow a lot.

It was my headgear at Leanyer School for many years.

A spray paint has offered rejuvenation and banished its years.

Do speechwriters retain any intellectual property rights over the speeches they write for politicans?

Response:

The question of intellectual property rights for speechwriters is nuanced and generally depends on several factors, including contractual agreements, the nature of the employment, and applicable laws. Here are some key points to consider:

Factors Influencing Intellectual Property Rights

1. Employment Agreements:

• Work for Hire: In many cases, speechwriters are considered employees when they are hired, meaning that any work they create in that role belongs to the employer (the politician or the political office). This typically means they relinquish any claims to intellectual property rights.
• Freelance Contracts: If a speechwriter is contracted as a freelancer, the rights may be outlined in their contract. If the contract specifies that the speech is a “work for hire,” the political entity would likely own the rights.

1. Copyright Law:

• Under U.S. copyright law and similar laws in many jurisdictions, the creator of a work usually holds the copyright unless it’s a work made for hire. Thus, if a speechwriter is not classified as a work-for-hire, they might retain some rights to their writing.

1. Attribution and Recognition:

• Even if they do not hold legal rights, some speechwriters might seek acknowledgment or credit for their work, especially if the speech gains prominence or is widely recognized.

1. Practical Considerations:

• While legal rights are important, the collaboration and relationship between politicians and their speechwriters can impact how these rights are viewed and honored in practice.

Conclusion

In general, speechwriters may not retain intellectual property rights over the speeches they write, particularly if they are classified as employees or if contracts specify otherwise. However, the specifics can vary, highlighting the importance of clear agreements upfront regarding ownership and rights.

Should politicans when making speeches acknowledge their speechwriters?

Response:

Acknowledging speechwriters in political speeches can be beneficial and is a topic of debate. Here are both sides of the argument:

Reasons to Acknowledge Speechwriters

1. Credit for Work: Speechwriters often put significant effort into creating a compelling message. Acknowledging them can be a form of professional courtesy and recognition of their skills.
2. Team Collaboration: Politics is a collaborative effort. Highlighting the teamwork behind a successful speech can demonstrate unity and shared purpose.
3. Authenticity: Recognizing speechwriters can add a layer of honesty. It shows that the politician values contributions from their team and is transparent about the process of message creation.
4. Inspiring Future Writers: By acknowledging speechwriters, politicians may inspire young people interested in political communication and writing careers.

Reasons Against Acknowledgment

1. Focus on Message: Politicians may prefer to maintain the focus on their message rather than on the individuals behind it. The speech is ultimately meant to reflect their views and authority.
2. Tradition: Traditionally, political speeches do not frequently acknowledge contributors, and doing so might depart from established norms.
3. Perception of Leadership: Some may argue that a politician should be perceived as the primary voice and leader, making acknowledgments feel unnecessary or dilute their image.

Conclusion

While it’s not common in politics for speechwriters to be acknowledged during speeches, doing so can foster goodwill and recognize the collaborative nature of political communication. Ultimately, it may depend on the context, the specific speech, and the relationship between the politician and their speechwriters.

Who knows more about issues; politicans or their speechwriters?

Response:

The level of knowledge about issues can vary significantly between politicians and their speechwriters. Here are some points to consider:

Politicians

• Direct Experience: Politicians often have firsthand experience with the issues they discuss, as they engage with their constituents and face real-world consequences of policies.
• Decision-Making Role: They are responsible for making decisions, which requires a deep understanding of the issues at hand.
• Public Visibility: They receive immediate feedback from the public and media, which can enhance their awareness of relevant issues.

Speechwriters

• Research Skills: Speechwriters typically conduct extensive research to craft speeches, which may give them a broad understanding of various issues.
• Focus on Messaging: Their primary role is to communicate complex ideas effectively, which may lead them to have detailed insights on certain topics.
• Subject Matter Experts: Some speechwriters specialize in specific fields (e.g., economics, health) and may thus possess more detailed knowledge about those particular issues than the politicians themselves.

Conclusion

While politicians usually have more practical knowledge about the issues due to their direct engagement, speechwriters can have deep insights, especially on specific subjects. Ultimately, it can depend on the individual capabilities and experiences of both parties involved.

Ordinary

Standard

No special area of contribution

Old

Retired

No one wants to hear.

Stand

In the wings

And watch the current actors

Knowledge

Vested in old ones

Is poo pooed

History can offer nothing

To the bright young things

Who do it their way?

My specialty

As an old one

Is to stay mutely out of sight

As a market

A bookmark

Inserted in the leaves of history.

Specialty?

Ordinary meat, bread, butter, cheese along with strawberry ice-cream and cherries together with potato salad will do me just fine.

Dear Premier

As a senior Australian citizen, I am perplexed about the role of your government in shaping Victoria’s future direction. Over the years, it has been variously described as “The Garden State” and “The Education State.” These descriptions may have been accurate in past times, but they can in no way describe Victoria in 2025.

I struggle to understand the policies—and their application—that appear to be driving your government. My limited understanding of your priorities and directions encompasses the following areas, and I would appreciate having a clearer picture of Victorian priorities to enhance my knowledge.

*    Why has your government continued to pursue the Suburban Railway Link with its declared structural deficiencies and forecast lack of use, when other suburban transport priorities have a greater urgency of being satisfied?

*    Why is there a focus on legislating the right of workers to dictate to employers that they will be entitled to two days a week to work at home?

*    No funds for basic community needs, but plenty of money for projects going nowhere, as has been suggested for the Suburban Rail Link.

*.    Why is your government so fixated on creating what, in essence, will be two parliaments, one for 65,000 Indigenous Australians and the other for 7 million people? Will the Indigenous Parliament have the power of veto over the Victorian Parliament on all matters? 

*  Why is the plight of farmers and pastoralists, in terms of drought support and costs of tax imposts confronting them at these dire times, largely being ignored?

*.  Why is the Victorian judicial system one of such extreme lenience when dealing with violent and escalating crime? Why does Victoria have a shortfall of more than 1,000 police?

*. It seems that your government is dominated by never-ending reactions to crime, especially by the young, but equally by adults with malevolent intent. 

* Why are you going against the grain of what the Voice referendum revealed in all Australian states and the Northern Territory, including Victoria?

* Why is the horrendous levy being imposed on all landholders to fund fire prevention and disaster management services in Victoria? Why are farmers and those in rural areas who have been and are the backbone of fire and emergency volunteering in Victoria not exempted from these hugely unfair payments?

* Why has the Victorian POlice budget been cut by $50 million when there is a reported shortage of 1,100 police?

* How could the expenditure of $13 million on machete disposal bins at $375,000 per bin possibly be justified, and how likely are people to use those bins for disposal purposes when there is every likelihood that using the bins will identify them as culprits of machete misuse?

* Why does your government seemingly support the judiciary in Victoria, with magistrates and judges playing the ‘tag and release’ strategy by endlessly bailing those who commit the most heinous of crimes?

I acknowledge that your government is hampered by the fact that the opposition is of poor consequence in the Victorian Parliament. All governments take greater care when it comes to focus if there is a vibrant and questioning opposition. In Victoria, this is not the case, meaning the government has a greater ability to pursue an agenda without contradiction. The opposition seems so focused on internal machinations that you can proceed with policies with very little recourse to the coalition’s questioning.

I would appreciate your help in understanding how things are in Victoria and why Government policies and practices I ask about exist in the form they do.

Sincerely

Henry Gray

October 22 2025

.

Do stock market crashes lead to suicides?

Response:

The relationship between stock market crashes and suicides is a complex and sensitive issue. Here are some key points to consider:

1. Financial Stress: Economic downturns and stock market crashes can lead to significant financial losses, which may contribute to stress, anxiety, and depression.
2. Historical Instances: There have been notable cases in history where stock market crashes have been linked to increases in suicide rates. For example, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 is often cited in this context.
3. Mental Health: Financial losses can exacerbate existing mental health issues or contribute to the development of new ones. Individuals affected by severe financial distress may feel hopeless.
4. Support Systems: Access to mental health resources and support systems can play a crucial role in mitigating the impact of financial crises on mental health.
5. Research Findings: Some studies suggest that there is a correlation between economic downturns and increased suicide rates, but these relationships often involve multiple factors, including individual circumstances and broader societal impacts.
6. Preventive Measures: Awareness and intervention can be critical. Support services, hotlines, and mental health resources are vital during economic downturns.

In summary, while there can be an association between stock market crashes and suicides, it is influenced by various factors, including mental health issues and social support.

How complex in life are the webs we weave.

I remember too much

Where to start?

Where?

Where.

The dilemma facing Poor Old Henry

Is it possible in the years to come for Abthony Albanese, a stauch Catholic, to earn sainthood and canonisation for the miracles he is working in the Australian political arena?

Response:

The possibility of Anthony Albanese, or any political figure, achieving sainthood and canonization in the Catholic Church involves several factors, including:

1. Miracles: For canonization, the Church typically requires verified miracles attributed to the individual after their death, though there are instances where miracles during their lifetime play a role in the cause for sainthood.
2. Life of Virtue: The individual must have lived a life of exceptional virtue, embodying the Christian faith in their actions.
3. Public Perception: A political figure’s legacy, including their impact on society and the values they upheld, is also considered.
4. Church Involvement: There must be a formal process initiated within the Church, often requiring support from a bishop and a thorough examination of the individual’s life and contributions.

While Albanese may be seen as a strong leader or someone who has made significant contributions to Australian society, achieving sainthood would require a shift from his political role to a spiritual legacy, demonstrating virtues in accordance with the Catholic faith recognized by the Church.

In conclusion, while it’s a whimsical thought to consider political actions as “miraculous,” sainthood is a profound religious distinction that typically transcends one’s political career.

You know what! I just think this could be in the running for Albo!!

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is very poor and 10 is outstanding, how efficient and effective was Daniel Andrew’s as Victorian Premier?

Response:

Assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of a political leader like Daniel Andrews as Premier of Victoria is subjective and can vary widely based on individual perspectives, political beliefs, and the specific metrics used for evaluation. Here are some factors to consider when forming an opinion:

1. COVID-19 Response: Many people rated his handling of the pandemic either positively or negatively. Some may give him a high score for decisive action, while others might criticize the prolonged lockdowns.
2. Infrastructure Projects: Andrews has been noted for significant investments in infrastructure, particularly in public transport.
3. Health and Education: Evaluation of his policies in these areas can influence his rating, as many voters prioritize these issues.
4. Public Opinion: Polling data can provide insight into general public sentiment regarding his leadership.
5. Controversies: Issues such as political scandals or government transparency might lower his effectiveness in the eyes of some voters.

Based on these factors, opinions could range anywhere from 4 to 8 or higher, depending on personal views. An average rating might settle around 6 or 7 from supporters, while critics might assign a 4 or lower.

Ultimately, it’s essential to look at diverse viewpoints and data to form a well-rounded opinion.

The wondrousness of his governance and the lustrousness of his personality earned him the accolade of Companion of Australia (AC) within mere months of his resignation as premier and retirement from the Victorian Parliament.

Shiela is weeping but nobody cares.

Charlie is weeping but nobody cares.

Bill Smith is weeping but nobody cares.

Edward Kynaston is weeping but nobody cares.

Phillipus the Prophet is weeping but nobody cares.

Old Man Todd is weeping but nobody cares.

Everyone is weeping but nobody cares.

We ar about to enter October, the last month of the dry and the month that leads into our Wet Season, from Nonember to the end of the following April. We need to be prepared.

We have been in the top end of the NT since July 1975, arriving in Darwin en route to Numbulwar in July of that year. The impacts of Cyclone Tracy, still very apparent, were mind boggling. What we wittnessed about the cleaqn-up and rebuild was 1000% more graphic than hasd been conveyed to those in southern states six momths earlier.

I confess to annually being on the edge of worry and expectation about how the wet season will impact us all. The potential for adverse weather effects are on my mind. 

I am always relieved when May 1 arrives and my worries about what might happen in the following months come into sharp focus on November 1 every year.  

Readiness is important and ought not be neglected, but complacency can be an undoing attitude. I recommend a trip to Bunnings with the possibility of considering purchasing one of their cyclone packs of emergency necessities.

We must all be prepared for each and every wet season.

Today – and on many days – I feel overwhelmed and suffocated by life.

In my heart and soul I so often feel despondency and sadness.

That is for a whole lot of reasons but I cope.

But today the way I feel in my heart and soul which is generally bit exemlifued in my face, came tumbling out.

My inner self is manifest in the face that so often mirror the inward feelings that I have been able to camouflage.

But on October 7, realisations came came tumbling out and I succumbed to emotions that spilled out like the floods occasioned when a reservoir spillway is activated.

I wonder at the start of each day, how the hours ahead will unfold. And at night I have time to reflect and to wonder – and worry – about the way forward.

My spirits and feelings occupy an up-and-down to-yo ride but exhiliaration and feelings of joy are rare with the confronting realisations now a part of my life.

Nothing is plain or straightforward any longer. My challenge is to adapt to changing situations.

Fast forward twelve months to 2025

Maybe the word ‘proud’ doesn’t really fit, but one thing I like is being able to recognise successes in life that other people have.

I genuinely rejoice for them. I am never envious or wish their successes were mine.

I try hard to look for things that other people are doing well so that I can offer them appropriate recognition or compliment.



Barnaby Joyce is a good man,

Barnaby Joyce is a good man

Barnaby Joyce is a good man

And I’m sure sold on him.

Barnaby Joyce is issues strong

Barnaby Joyce is issues strong

Barnaby Joyce is issues strong

Straight and true as a dye.

Barnaby Joyce is a people man

Barnaby Joyce is a people man

Barnaby Joyce is a people man

And cares for the people’s soul.

Barnaby Joyce makes an impassioned plea

Barnaby Joyce makes an impassioned plea

Barnaby Joyce makes an impassioned plea

That we should be staunch, strong and true.

Barnaby Joyce is a lighthouse of right

Barnaby Joyce is a lighthouse of right

Barnaby Joyce is a lighthouse of right

Lighting our way to what’s good.

Barnaby Joyce is as strong as a rock

Barnaby Joyce is as strong as a rock

Barnaby Joyce is as strong as a rock

Forever staunch, reliable and true.

Life’s morass he will guide us through.

• Once upon a time when cars and vehickes were snaller and people were thinner, parking spaces in terms of width were created and painted on these lots.
• People could get in and out of vehicles with relative ease.
• Then vehicles got wider and higher and longer.
• People got broader and fatter.
• Now, vehicles squeeze into undersized parking spaces.
• People in those vehicles face ever-increasing hurckuean efforts to squeeze out and back into vehicles.
• WHERE TO FROM HERE?

First ODI Australia v India in Perth. Play with India batting first was on and off and reduced by the incessant rain interruptions.

•

* Power is crazy.

• Criminals rule the world.
• Health care is parlous at best.
• Politicians look at the world through rise coloured glasses.
• Denocracy is almost dead.
• Tyrants and autocrats rule the roost.
• Despair is smothering hope.
• ‘Thank you’ is a rare expression.
• The sun of hope is about as prominent as sunshine at Longyearbyen at this time of the year.

I sometimes despair about our pinnacle of political leadership in Australia.

To cope when I feel despair and hopelessness about our future, I develop an alter ego profile of our PM, written under the heading of ‘ALBO THE WONDERFUL’.

Below are the first profiles I wrote.

Top Drawer

What a beautiful post and how considering both rankings and ratings, it epitomises the growth, success and outstanding leadership qualities of our prime minister.

He ranks high, indeed at the highest point on every success indicator. 

Our prime minister brings great richness through his awareness and his leadership contributions to the growth in positive development of our country.

Leadership paragon

Thank you, Anthony Albanese, for being the excellent paragon of leadership and innate goodness you have become. You are Australia’s answer to Moses of old, who led his people for so long and guided them through so many dark places. You are Australia’s shining light.

Leadership Lighthouse

I am so glad that our PM is a man whose word and position on issues are steadfast and unwavering. We have every reason to be buoyed and stimulated with adulation for his qualities of leadership which richly benefit us all.

Australia’s Shining Light

How blessed we are to have an astute and deeply empathetic Prime Minister in Anthony Albanese who cares for and is there for us all. Our problems are his problems and he is with us and of us as a caring Australian. I feel that he embeds every one of us in his soul. I thank him for his warmth and humanity.

Steadfastly Truthful

 One of the outstanding things about our prime minister Anthony Albanese is that he never contradicts himself. He holds steadfast and true to the positions that he takes on issues and is very clear and letting us all know about the courses of action and believes to be the best we should follow.

He has so many positive qualities that make him an outstanding leader, a person leading us onward, forward and evermore into an era of prosperity.

I sometimes feel this song coming into my head when reading and hearing about the contributions of some politicans to Australia’s economic furtherance.

They are talking about bomb and ordinance disposal experts goung in to spend at least five years to clean out live ordinance which will include getting out bodies and clearing rubbke.

Estimated that it will cost $120 billion to rebuild Gaza and $750, 000,000 over five years to clear the way for safe entry into the restoration.

That is from Andrew Moore Halo Trust CEO.

My thought: Why the hell would you bother?

It will only happen again and again

Source: Murdoch press

Donald Trump.

First,

Last,

And foremost…

DONALD TRUMP

A GOOD NEIGHBOUR IS A PERSON, WHO …

Makes sure that their driveway gates do not open onto the footpath and stay like that for hours at a time.

Does not allow domestic refuse, particularly Fish, to sit in Bins for longer than the next rubbish pick up by the council.

Does not allow visitors to do damage to furniture and fittings within the house.

Discourages fights and arguments that may well lead to the damage of property, including the breaking of car windscreens and windows, house windows, And so on.

Does not turn on loud loud music and start a party with visitors at 10 o’clock or later at night.

Does not allow personal or visitor behaviour impacted by the over use of alcohol.

Does not seek to borrow money or favour from nearby neighbours.

Does not shout abuse at neighbours in the still of the late night and early hours of the morning.

Does not act in a way that causes distress to children who may be in the house.

Does not keep savage dogs that bark and act aggressively at all hours of the day and night.

Ensures that goodwill and friendly relationships extend to 

Not much further to go before the catastrophe of the final Armageddon erupts Planet Earth into a bursting fireball.

There is a possibility and total probability that if there is a WW4, it will be fourth with sticks and stones.

This I have dreamed and as I wake each day it morphs into impending reality

The only upside I can imagine is that when dead, you don’t know anything about the screaming crescendo of this disaster.

“Making his Mark (News 9 October) by Grey Morris is an inspirational book about an outstanding footballer and role model, Mark Motlop. I am delighted that Mr Morris has undertaken this research project and has released his first book. It will be one that many will be keen to read. 

Grey Morris, as this story confirms, was an outstanding sports journalist and, for many years, the Senior Sports Editor of the NT News. One of his significant qualities was his willingness to share his knowledge of sport and the skills of observation, analysis and insightful writing with those who were still developing their journalistic skills.

Mr Morris’s columns were always based on fact, focused on issues rather than personalities, and presented in an engaging, readable, and grammatically correct format. He was recognised as a wordsmith, and his research and written communication skills will make his first book a must-read.  I hope there are further books from this accomplished writer on the horizon.

Asked of AI

The Starmer Government is an unholy mess.

It has 4 years to run.

Can ANYTHING be done to truncate this sad scenario which is bad and getting worse?

Response:

In the UK, while a government has a set term of five years, there are several mechanisms and circumstances under which an election could be called earlier. Here are some potential avenues that could lead to a truncated term for the Starmer Government:

1. Vote of No Confidence: If a majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) vote against the government in a no-confidence motion, this could trigger a general election. The opposition parties, or even parties within the ruling coalition, can initiate such a motion.
2. Coalition Dynamics: If the ruling party is in a coalition and one of the coalition partners withdraws their support, it could lead to instability and prompt a call for an election.
3. Rebellions within the Party: Significant dissent within the Labour Party or among backbenchers could lead to calls for the leadership to resign or for a change in direction, which might result in a request for an early election.
4. Public Pressure and Protests: Strong public outcry and protests regarding government policy or performance can influence political dynamics and encourage MPs or party leaders to consider early elections.
5. Legislative Changes: The Prime Minister could seek to amend the Fixed-term Parliaments Act or propose new legislation to allow for early elections, although this would require support from Parliament.
6. Political Scandals or Crises: Any significant political scandal or crisis could alter the landscape, making it untenable for the government to continue.
7. Electoral Reform: Discussions around electoral reform, though contentious, might lead to changes that facilitate earlier elections.

While these mechanisms exist, they often involve significant political maneuvering and require a shifting landscape in Parliament or public opinion. It ultimately depends on the actions of politicians and political parties as well as the sentiments of the electorate.

You won’t get any support from the Australian Government for the ambition here is to preserve the status quo at all costs.

Asked of AI

Could King Charles 3rd dissolve the Starmer Labour Government before it’s due election date?

Response:

In the United Kingdom, the monarch does have the theoretical power to dissolve Parliament and call for a general election; however, this power is largely ceremonial and exercised on the advice of the Prime Minister.

King Charles III, like his predecessors, would follow constitutional conventions and act based on the advice of the elected government:

1. Constitutional Convention: The monarch’s role is to be politically neutral and act on the advice of the Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister were to request a dissolution of Parliament, the King would likely grant it.
2. Current Government: If the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, is the ruling party and has the confidence of the House of Commons, the King would not typically dissolve Parliament unless there was a significant political crisis or a failure of the government.
3. Time Frame: Generally, elections are held every five years, and unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as a no-confidence vote or a request for an early election by the Prime Minister, the current government would serve its term until the next scheduled election.

So, while technically possible, it is highly unlikely that King Charles III would dissolve the government without the Prime Minister’s request for such an action.

Come on King Charles. It is time to do a Donald Trump.

What I would like to do for the first time is to carry out a task that would be everlastingly permanent.

I would like to visit Gaza, become familiar with “the Hamas underground” – the myriad kilometres of those awful Hamas tunnels.

I would then like to bomb them or blast them into absolute oblivion.

They are close to the most detestable creation in this world, placed as they were beneath hospitals, schools, and other Civic structures.

The tens of thousands of tonnes of rubble that has been created by the terrible conflict in Gaza would more than fill the kilometres of cavities left after obliterating these tunnels.

I would do it once and do it well.

The Renewables Maestro

There is a remarkable pollie named Bowen,

Ridiculed he stands tall on his own

He’ll withstand the onslaught

T’will all come to naught,

‘Till Australia wears the renewables crown.

The Chinese Premier called the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a ‘handsome boy’. Was this a compliment?

Response:

The Chinese Premier’s remark calling Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a “handsome boy” can be interpreted as both a compliment and a diplomatic gesture. Here are some points to consider regarding the context and implications of such a statement:

1. Cultural Context: In some cultures, referring to someone as “handsome” can be a light-hearted compliment, often used to indicate a positive regard or friendliness. It may be intended to break the ice or ease tensions in diplomatic relations.
2. Political Relations: Australia and China have had a complex relationship, characterized by both cooperation and tension. Such a comment could be seen as an attempt to soften diplomatic relations and signal a willingness to engage positively, especially if the remark was made in a lighter or more jovial context.
3. Media Interpretation: The media and public reaction to the remark can vary. Some may see it as a sincere compliment, while others might interpret it as a form of condescension or attempt to disrupt formal diplomatic discourse.
4. Reactions from Leaders: How Albanese and his government respond to the comment can also reflect on the state of the relationship. If they take it humorously, it could indicate a willingness to engage in more amicable diplomacy.

In summary, while the remark can be taken as a compliment, its implications depend largely on the context of the relationship between Australia and China at that moment, as well as the attitudes of both leaders involved. Such comments often carry a mix of light-heartedness and diplomatic nuance.

It could be everlastingly treasured.

I live but not well,

My zest is dying

Effervescence is as bubbly as flat lemonade,

I live to exist – no more existing to live,

My personal motivation has set,

(I realise it set a long time ago.)

Inside my soul,

I am sour dough, a flat pancake,

The tide of hopelessness rises,

Drowning me a little more each day.

Inwardly

I feel tears of sad misery

For what was drifts further from what is,

Smooth bitumen to rough corrugations,

My physicality weakened,

My mentality becoming in a fog of blackness.

The beach is fading,

The lighthouse beacon evermore distant,

I drift ever closer

To being swallowed

By the Sea of Oblivion.

I was a school principal for several decades including the last 20 years at Leanyer Primary which was and still is one kilometre up the road from where we live.

On the last day of this particular school year, a mother rushed into the administration block with one of her sons in tow. He had apparently been arking up. She asked if I would talk with him, urging him to get good for the upcoming long holiday.

I took him aside out of earshot and said, predicating with his name

“ … be good, sin not, love the Lord and respect your mother.”

He left and I heard no more.

When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?

I’ve never really thought too much about growing up. It comes to you whether you think about it or not.

When I was very young and in my 10 years I think I looked forward to growing up. But having grown up and now growing old I don’t recall ever having thought about a time that hallmarks when I had grown up.

For many years I have thought there are four phases to life.

One-getting born.

Two – growing up.

Three – becoming old.

Four – going dead.

Again, I don’t recall too much about the growing up bit when I thought I was growing up. Quite obviously I’m somewhere between three and four at the moment and ahead of me, I’m not sure how far, are the golden slip rails that hallmarked the end of life.

There are some qualities in me that have never really grown up. I like good jokes particularly if they’re not hurtful or demeaning. Humour and good fun are important.

What often happens for adults is that they lose their sense of humour and become quite stayed and predictable. I have never lost my imagination and as a school educator always put it on children to retain that sense of imagination by feeding it, but circumstances and situations, throughout the whole of their lives.

About three or four years before I retired, one of the year six students at the school of which I was principal said to me one day – and this was in front of the whole class because we were involved in the conversation I have a particular issue – “Mr Gray, you have the mind of a child in the body of a man.“

I took that as a compliment and an affirmation of the fact that I

Was still blessed with a fertile mind and imagination.

I do remember saying to the class (a different group at a different time) when we were talking about the age that when I was a child, I wished for two things.

One – I wished that I had to wear glasses.

Two – I wished that I had grey hair.

One of my students put up her hand and said when I acknowledged her, “Mr GRAY, You must be mad.“

I accept that because she probably was right; after all who wants to wish their lives away?

So upon reflection, I can’t configure to any particular point in time when I thought I was “grown up“. I sometimes referred to it as “chronological enhancement” Growing up is a phenomenon or a state that has just grown upon me and defining when I felt ‘grown up’ is just not possible.

Big houses

Small blocks

Much congestion

Little space.

Dementia is cruel, harsh and unrelenting.

It is a terribly unpredictable affliction.

I cannot speak too highly of the support offered by Dementia Australia in helping people like me come to terms with understanding its insidiousness and vagaries.

My name is Henry
It all counts for naught
Where I was born
Was in the Land of Trespass
A place
Where my parents and theirs
Had no right to impose themselves
Or the generations that follow.

I am guilty by my birth
And guilty of contributing to the birth
Of children.
And they in turn have transgressed
By having children of their own.

What right have we
Those who have gone before
Us
And those who follow
To have any purchase to title in this place?

A place where those who came later,
Wish was back in the hands
Of Aborigines
With their own footprint
Being despised
As bringing shame
Because we interposed ourselves
Into this place of traditional sacredness.

How can we redress the grievous interference
The arrival of our forebears imposed
On the unhurried peace and tranquillity
Of this place
Before the trespass
Of 1788?

The lenience being extended to all those involved with the various pro-Palestinian protests around Australia is mind-boggling.

Letting them continue as they have been is tantamount to waving the white flag of surrender.

I believe we are on the edge of a pro-Islam movement that will lead to an increase in Muslim representation in our Federal Parliament.

There has been a spate of vandalism involving the smashing of doors into major shopping centres. This time it was the turn of Hibiscus Shoppingtown to score a direct hit.

In traditional times and before the arrival of Europeans in Australia, Indigenous women were deemed to be the property of men. They were objects men could do with as they saw fit.

During my time working in remote areas of WA during the 1970s, the entitlement and possessiveness of girls and women by men was still very much a part of life. 

The worm is turning, but to this day, far too many men regard women and girls as goods and ‘possessions’ to be dealt with as they like. We have far to go in shedding and hopefully eliminating this thinking and subsequent actions from indigenous and, indeed, from all cultural mores. 

. 

SO MUCH of the support in every budget is offered to those who contribute so little to the Australian economy. And so much government largesse goes to organisations like the NDIS, childcare, Aboriginal support organisations and so on, where much of it is consumed by mismanagement and, in some cases, embezzlement, false and inflated claims and fraud. I am always amazed at two significant areas my tax statement advises of my contribution – welfare and interest on Australia’s national debt. Those who are self-sufficient and who abhor/avoid debt cannot be enamoured by these areas of ‘contribution’.

Government futures?

I predict that in times to come – and before 2050 – Australia will have a Muslim Prime Minister and that there will be suburbs and areas in which Sharia Law is enforced. That will happen because state and territory governments will be increasingly made up of those of the Muslim faith who have been voted into office. And that has a starting point based on acquiescence. 

• My wife and I are not in need of additional money.
• Our children and their spouses are pretty well setting themselves up. They are all in their fiftes and we have supported tham as and if needed from time to time.
• We have twn grandchildren and I would gift each of them $75,000 to be used toward their readying for entry into life’s world. There would be no strings attached but my advice would be to invest and bnot splurge the money.
• The remaining $250,000 would be gifted to the following charities and help organisations. Each would receive $25,000.
• Go Gentle Australia
• McGrath Foundation
• Cancer Council of Australia
• Dementia Australia
• Dementia Northern Territory
• Council of the Aging and Association of Independent Retirees – $12,500 each
• Leanyer and Karama Primary Schools – $12,500 each for student development programs
• Motor Neuron Disease Organisation
• Muscular Dystrophy Association
• The Braille and Deaf Institutes – $12,500 each.

There – that is the million dollars distributed.

Signed off by Poor Old Henry.

The mind boggles.

Pornography

Porn is demeaning to the creators and the viewers.
Porn creates situations leading to debased behaviour.
Porn stimulates acts of violence and inappropriate treatment of others.
Porn lowers the regard held for women.
Porn is a violation of the moral temple.
Porn is about lust, not about love.
Porn promotes evil thoughts and inappropriate physical and sexual habits

.

Many issues, one being that some centres and children therein have been victims of a few male employees. All hell has broken loose in a perceptual sense because of this.

WHERE TO FROM. HERE?

It’s so awful,
It’s so sad,
That men are tarnished,
And deemed bad.,

It seems not right,
No not at all,
That ‘one’s’ evil acts,
Create a pall,
Of apprehension, indeed fear,
That creates blind panic,
When men are near,
To infant children,
In their care
‘Lest their sweetness is strippled,
Replaced by despair.

And so it is,
That from today,
From childcare, all men
Should keep away.

Tongue in cheek – but it seems to be heading that way!

We are blessed by good government.,
From near and afar
People applaud and clap us,
Say how lucky we are

Albo is my hero,
I’m sure you’ll agree,
We should salute,
And to him bend knee.

I am an old man,
He may well be the last,
Australian PM.
Before I breathe my last.

The truth is that the Australian opposition in Federal Parliament is hampered by holding few seats and its internal machinations are driving remaining loyalists away

MY CAR

Old cars are good.
New cars are not.
I love my old car,
The car that I got,
Decades ago and it runs so well,
New ones cost heaps
And are like empty shells.
New fangled ideas,
Leave me stone cold,
That’s why I love,
My car oh also old.

It will be 16 next birthday

Tertiary Education

• There is a possibility but very little probability that Australian Universities regard International students other than as ‘cash cows’.
• There is a possibility and a strong probability that Jewish students will feel apprehensive – for a long time – about attending classes at a significant number of our Sandstone Universities.
• There is a possibility and an overwhelming probability that plagiarism will continue to be a major ‘pollutant’ infecting the authorship of assignments submitted for assessment and accreditation.

Project costs

• There is a possibility but almost a zero possibility that government-funded projects will be completed on time and on budget.
• There is a possibility but little probability that governments will begin to shun borrowing as a prime source of money to complete projects.
• There is a possibility and an overwhelming probability that governments at all levels will be everlastingly saddled with crippling debt emanating from reckless borrowing. Their short-term gain is already transitioning to long-term pain.

Two years ago. And as time marches on HUGE AMOUNTS OF AUSTRALIAN SYMPATHY have been poured on Gaza, Gazains, and scorn on Israel for its vow to eliminate Hamas.

Jews in Australia have been under the pump for the best part of the last two years – and that is in a supposedly peaceful and harmonious country.

That picture of oneness and multicultural unity IS NO LONGER A PART OF AUSTRALIA – ITS GONE AND WILL NEVER BE RESTORED.

Darwin’s ship lift.

It was to cost $100 million.

That has gone up in increments of $100 million and now is forecast to cost $1 billion.

It’s nowhere near finished and in fact the finish is some years away.When it is finished it will be operated by the Paspaley Company who will take the profits and any incoming to the government will be incidental.So the taxpayer pays and the profits go to a billionaire company.Some people are saying the project should be abandoned – but I doubt that that will happen.Just another one of our miss placed and hugely expensive project in the Northern Territory.

Donald Trump

Australia is about to catch a glimpse of the first super full moon of 2025.

But while the October “harvest moon” is the first, it definitely won’t be the last this year, with two more full moons classed as “super” happening in November and December.

Depending on your definition of a supermoon, there is also one happening in January next year.

BUT CLOUD SHROUD HAS BEEN THWARTING

A BRILLIANT MESSAGE

Who are your favorite artists?

During my lifetime I’ve seen a lot of paintings and appreciated a lot of artists. As a school teacher and principal working on both remote communities and urban centres in W.A. in the Northern Territory of Australia, I have come to appreciate a lot of student art and the way artistic depiction represents feelings.

We’ve travelled and seen art on display, both in two and threedimensional form.

Maybe my appreciation of art is somewhat limited. But the piece of art that has made the most indelible impression on my mind ever, is a painting titled “The First Supper“. The artist is Susan White.

This is a painting of women of the world, in which and Aboriginal Australian Lady is front and centre. Women of other ethnic groups sit to her right and her left.

This painting is significant to me because it signifies the central aspect of one of the oldest cultures in the world, that of Aboriginal Australia.

I bought a copy of the painting at the New Prophet Bookshop in Manica ACT many years ago and had it framed. I’ve kept it to this day because of its significant message and the appeal that it has to my thinking about “First People” and the importance of the role filled by women in this world.

It is there.

They were planted by our son and grandchildren who were visiting us from Perth.

And then they were left to grow. A year passed by.

To be continued

This one was part of a flower stalk this week.

Bursting into spontaneous and unrequited song in any place at any time with any lyrics and accompanying tune is what I do by habit.

It is not planned but just happens.

And that is me

And has been for the whole of my life.

POH

How blessed we are to have, among other politicans, this fine cohort of leaders within the NT Legislative Assembly. They surely are the pot of leadership gold at the end of the rainbow.

That we are indeed so lucky.

If they were to vanish

Or be lost

They are replaceable

In some part

But

The memories

Built around material artefacts

Remain embedded

Within the brain

And recall is there

Good and bad

In inanimate posture.

If the possessions are

By some circumstance

Dematerialised

The vision of what they were

And what they offered

Lives on.

Possessions may disappear

But not

From the memory.

Donald Trump.

Donald Trump

This A-Z book is full of interest and opportunities for children. It covers everything from handwriting to a myriad of puzzles and questions appealing to thinking and solving problems.

It was created in large part by his office support staff at Karama.

Other politicans have copied this model and concept for use in their own electorates.

This, for mine, is a top of the pile initiative.

Truly
Donald Trump
He is a man of action.
Definitive and decisive
A doer
Not just a sayer
His utterances are words full of meaning
Trite platitudes are not in his vocabulary
As someone recently said
He speaks ‘human’.

Funny day today. Hard to nail some days. They can leave you with feelings of empty disconsolation and lack of surety.

Feels like you are trying to navigate in a straight line from one point to another in a coracle.

Definitive thinking is challenged and your brain feels as if it is swimming in molasses. Eyes get wavery and you feel totally unsure and somewhat overwhelmed with the mists of depression.

You tend to nod off into a restless doze and on awakening feel as refreshed as a limp lettuce leaf.As the day declines feelings of hopeless helplessness seem to magnify.

What of tomorrow; greater vitality or more lacklusterness and feeling metaphorically akin to the endurability and resilience of a bald tyre.

Pipe bread

Butter

Polony cut circularly.

Put together

Eat

Yum, Yum.

Man sexually interferes with young child.

Man found guilty.

Man sentenced to imprisonment.

Man says, “I am not a man because I have turned into a woman.”

Ex-man now ‘woman’ to serve time in women’s prison.

Victorian Premier deaf to protests.

Johannes Leak depicts the situation.

Australian 3 October