First and foremost

All school pedagogy put should put children first. When the Northern Territory took on responsibility for education in 1979, our first director was Dr Jim Eedle. 

In March of that year he gathered all Principals of Northern Territory schools to a conference in Katherine. He said to us in his inimitable way of speaking, that we should always remember that “schools are for children”.

This he said was the prime function of schools. He went on to say that structure and organisation should always be about supporting function, the looking after of education for children. He suggested that if structure became the all important thing, that the quality of function would diminish.

Fast forward 45 years, and I think that the function of education is now well and truly in the shadow of structure. How I would love to have a revisitation to the words and sentiments of our first Director.i

Question Time

Shouting

Telling

Backbiting and stinging comments 

Ribald behaviour

Rapid fire and statacco like gabbled speech

Pointless questions

Dorothy Dix inquiry

Incomprehensible and deflected answers

Incredible interruptions

Points of order, many of them trite

And on and on and on

Minimal positivity

Maximum negativity

Question time?

Bunfights have no winners.

February 5 2025

The government’s promises fill my head with the reality that all those aspirational statements have been realised. I live in a land of beautiful peace and prosperous tranquillity. How wonderful it is to be in a promised land that delivers so many positives in social, economic, and happiness-of-living terms.

How sad it is to waken and resume living as part of the real Australia.

From January 2020

With updated connents

POINTS TO PONDER

All the very best for the upcoming school year to our teachers and support staff who are resuming  duty for the upcoming school year. And all the very best to those starting out on teaching careers in the NT. I hope the year goes well and that you all have cause to rejoice in your calling to the greatest of all professions.

School has just gone back for 2025

Education Minister Uibo (NT News 22/1) is reported as saying that 32 executive contract principals signed up to the VOLUNTARY pay freeze.  There was no ‘voluntary’ about it! It was demanded under duress that principals agree to the freeze – or else!

Selina Ubio is now the Leader of the ALP Opposition with Jo Hersey the CLP Minister for Education. This salary freeze demand was eventually resolved.

—-

Make balanced decisions about educational appointments and teaching positions.   Make sure that your awareness is balanced. There is a reality and responsibility about education that goes beyond romantic notions.

This advice still stands – and is still needed.

From January 2020 with updates

POINTS TO PONDER

Jacinta Price’s recent column in the NT News (18/1) paints a picture of Australia Day as an opportunity for Indigenous Australians to reflect upon the wonderful contributions they make to our multicultural and multilingual country. 71% of Australians want January 26 to be a day of positive and shared  remembrance. That’s the way it should remain.

Jacinta Price is now the CLP Senator for the NT in the Federal Paliament and the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs.

—

Relief and joy are often expressed when  thieves stealing vehicles are not maimed or killed in  accidents that often follow. What about trotting our empathy and understanding for victims whose stolen vehicles are so often   trashed, burned or otherwise totally destroyed.

More vehicles than ever are being stolen and wrecked.

—

The Gunner Government’s determination to bring on Dan Murphy’s at whatever cost, is destroying the integrity of Justice Trevor Riley’s findings. Our CM needs to stand behind the Tribunal’s findings. To waver and vacillate flies in the face of what government has done to secure Riley’s findings in action outcomes.

Alcohol continues to be the number one Territory scourge.

Riley is now the Chancellor of the Charles Darwin University

—

From January 2020

POINTS TO PONDER

Business and industry leaders have been asked to comment on satisfaction with the performance of the NT Government.

Can a paralleling survey please be designed and launched for completion by Ms and Mr NT Citizen.

—

Southern bushfires are throwing up three vile human types. The arsonists, looters and scammers are the lowest of the low. If apprehended, they should face massive punitive sentences. There can be no forgiveness for those who create bushfire loss or prey on the misery of fire  victims.

—

From February 2020

POINTS TO PONDER

It was sad that three people died in a road traffic accident in Alice Springs. But to treat the tragedy as a ‘death in custody’ incident when there was no pursuit after the driver chose to ignore a pull over request instead speeding off then crashing, is totally ridiculous. 

—

Watching Australia bat against NZ on the first day and into the early part of the second was a form of spectator torture.

—

Hundreds and hundreds of people in Alice Springs have signed and are signing a petition asking for a youth curfew. Similar curfews have been periodically advocated for the past 30 years.  This one won’t get up either as it will be seen as an infringement on the nocturnal rights of young people. 

Yay! It is 2020. Football wise we are in the last quarter of the four year political game leading to the Territory election. Watch as ‘Team Government’ goes all out with promises and exhortations, all the while hoping that the Territory memory of the first three quarters (years) will be expunged.

Power outages for lengthy periods of time in Nhulunbuy, although often notified, are far too regular and ongoing. When the town loses power, it is often for hours on end. This makes for both domestic discomfort  and substantial losses in trade (and sometimes perishable stock) for businesses.

This problem is years old.

—

Swinburne Uni professor James Ogloff said about 50% of bushfires were lit by firebugs (arsonists) because blazes excited them. 183 arsonists have been arrested and charged during this bushfire season (Australian 7/1). Cautions and minimal sentencing seem to be the general judicial response. A far heavier hand, including murder charges, is warranted for this deliberately criminal conduct. 

Prioritising Government expenditure 

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’.

All students are important

The Charles Darwin University’s new campus is an imposing and architecturally significant building. The facility will substantially support international students enrolling in the NT. Accommodation facilities will be established in an area adjacent to the city campus.

The influx of overseas students will go a long way toward fulfilling the university’s dream of expansion and development outlined in the Darwin City Deal developed during the Gunner Government era.

I worry that the focus on International students and the massive amounts they pay in advance for courses diminishes the value placed on local students and their needs—these range from a disproportionate focus on online learning to the need for greater awareness of fee-paying options.

Most domestic students would be unaware of the savings they can achieve if course fees are paid upfront, compared to the indexed debt they incur if costs are deferred until they graduate.

International students, yes. But please don’t regard our homegrown cohort in a lesser light than their overseas counterparts.

Sadly there are downsides to the festive season

• There is a possibility but an almost zero probability that people will spend within their means in the period leading into Christmas.

• It is possible and 100% probable that people will gift cats and dogs to others this Christmas.

• There is a possibility, and unfortunately, a strong probability, that disunity and acrimony will prevail in some households when the post-Christmas reality of penury and debt sink in.

Text of letter published in the NT News post Chriostmas.

Its getting right out of hand

I am both alarmed and saddened by the rising tide of anti-Semitic hate being launched upon our Australian Jewish Community in NSW and Victoria. And it could have  been prevented.

The Federal government, or at least responsible ministers, made their first mistake when refusing to take action over the hate speech sermons of various leaders of the Muslim faith.  

The second mistake was the dismissive attitude toward the Pro-Palestinian Opera House rally, including bending over backwards to explain how the slogan “Gas the Jews” was something else much more benign.

Then some major universities, to their shame, allowed their premises and facilities to be used for anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic rallies and camps. 

From there, the torching of synagogues and horrific damage to vehicles, houses and property reportedly owned by menbers of theJewish Community, especially in Victoria and New South Wales, has escalated alarmingly. 

Still nothing but the bleating of platitudes and supposedly soothing responses of “there, there that IS naughty” – which made official reaction  wet-lettuce-leaf-like.  This awful situation is going from bad to worse. Will the Government(s) and law enforcement authorities do their job and hold those responsible to account for their actions? Sadly, I think not.

My hopes and aspirations for Northern Territory education were lifted by reading Education Minister Jo Hersey’s column “Priority is to fix downturn in School Attendance” (The Sunday Territorian, 26/1/2025).

The Minister hits on the nub of the issue that has been the Achilles heel of education for as long as I can remember.

From the time I connected with NT Education in 1975 until retiring in 2012—and then as someone who has studied our schooling system in the years since—the attendance issue has been education’s number one challenge. 

Throughout the years, countless schemes have been devised to rectify the problem, with the funding and endorsement of both NT and the Commonwealth Education Department. None have worked. The issue is as challenging now as it has ever been.

I hope the actions proposed by the Minister for non compliance come to pass. However, I caution that in past years and decades, successive Territory Governments have pulled back from the ultimate action of holding parents accountable by imposing financial sanctions.  

From my past involvement in these matters, I know that to be the case—it’s been about time-consuming processes and no action outcomes.

Text of letter published in the NT News

For many years, I have followed the work done by Helping People Achieve (HPA) to support employees in developing their confidence and skills in a challenging world. The Recycling Shop and its staff at Shoal Bay became iconic—and appreciated—for the success of their endeavours.

HPA has done an enormous amount of good through the recycling shop program—and other facets of its enterprise—in upskilling and building confidence in its supported workforce. 

I don’t understand the intricate processes involved in tendering these days, but I imagine that some of the contractual requirements are difficult to interpret, therefore disadvantaging some tenderers.

However, the City of Darwin Council’s decision to prevent an organisation from continuing its humanitarian and developmental focus was, in my opinion, an awful decision.

Text of letter published in the NT News

Channel Nine has been a source of information for decades, and its regular good news stories have been uplifting. The channel has brought  local perspective and background to its reporting—in no small way because of the quality of the station’s local staff cohort.

Along with thousands of other Territorians, young and old, I regularly looked forward to our nightly news bulletin. This communication link has now been canned with undue haste and scant and unrealistic justification.

 We the poorer for the extinguishment of this vital news link.

Published as a letter in the NT News

Appeal of Australia

• There is a possibility but only a very slight probability that overseas residents are falling over themselves to take up residence in Australia.

• There is a possibility but not a very strong probability that people smugglers will be turned away from trying to bring that illegal car to Australia’s northern shores.

• There is a possibility but an almost zero probability that people brought into Australia from overseas will be happy to consider integration rather than the strengthening of their own ideologies.

Words and thoughts of the day

Flat
Dull
Hopeless
Frustrated
Dead end
Brick wall
Opal shaft at Cooper Pedy
Brainboil
Longyearbyen midnight in midwinter
Gagged
Hometrap
Black hole
…..
Blocked portal of liberation
Historical Tsunami
Savaged past
Lifeline of life shattered by the howling winds of depression
Mental impotence
Endless
Scant euphoria and endless despair
Lost in the maze
Shrouded in sackcloth and dripping in the ashes of wetness.

Paid parental leave and baby bonus schemes have always been problematic.

Our children were born in the period from 1970 – 74. We had no financial support gifted to us by government and managed to bring them up in a way that has returned blessing to us as parents and to the community through their contribution. To that extent we regarded our children as our responsibility and not as a means of gaining entitlements from government.

I believe that the baby bonus scheme introduced by Peter Costello when treasurer in the Howard Government was one of the worst things a liberal government ever did to this country. Living in the NT (but being well aware of the rest of Australia) revealed the worst of this scenario.

When a sum of $600 plus dollars for child support was rolled out before the formal baby bonus scheme was properly introduced, many, many people grabbed the cash and splurged big time. I remember a story in The Australian which reported that in Katherine NT, the ATM’s in that town were drained of cash within thirty minutes of it being available in accounts. Katherine retailers and hoteliers had a ball. The money intended to support children went on anything but that support.

Then came the baby bonus of thousands and again the profligate and unthinking ways in which the majority spent that money made me shidder. Children who were supposed to benefit from the money became, when they reached preschool (kindergarten) became known as the ‘plasma kids’. Birthrates escalated with many treating the promise of thousands of dollars as an incentive to give birth.

While the scheme changed in form and shape over time, the money was always there and in so many cases was misused. Children became ‘cash cows’ for parents.

Sadly, what this scheme did was to turn many parents from people being responsible for their babies and children to people who felt it was their ‘entitled right’ to hold out their hands for support.

It goes on. The Abbott scheme is simply an extension of the bonus for birth-giving scheme. That scheme created far more misery than can bee imagined, particularly in the remote communities of our country. This scheme will continue to perpetuate the belief that Australians are ‘entitled’, with responsibilities many parents should own for their children continuing to take a back seat.

An alternative

The baby bonus schemes that have been anaddendum to create a paid parental leave program could be better orchestrated. The baby bonus program in particular, has failed in many cases, because parents have grabbed the funds and splurged on anything BUT the baby. Not all, but many.

In my opinion, funds generated at birth should be put into trust funds in the names of those born, with guardianship for funds being vested in an appropriate government entity. The fund would grow over years with interest compounding band adding to the initial payment.

The fund would remain under the control of a government improved actuary (either departmental or an investment agent) until the child turned eighteen. If an agent is engaged, it would be on a strict understanding about management fees, so the fund is not diminished, At that point in time (eighteenth birthday) the control of the fund would return to the beneficiary (the baby now grown) but with the imprimatur it be applied to educational furtherance or occupational advancement.

There will be some young adults who misapply these funds but I would be willing to bet the majority would appreciate the benefit and apply it for educational or occupational benefit. At the moment, far too much of this ‘taxpayers via government’ gift is wasted. The last to benefit are the babies on whose behalf it is paid..  

t is paradoxical that in an era of cost cutting and pruning, one domain which seems to be forever expanded and never curtailed by government ministers, aids, departmental heads and employees relates to travel and accommodation costs associated with meetings, conferences and gatherings. Without being too cynical, it seems to me that people within government and its agencies take every opportunity possible to travel for the purpose of meetings. Some meetings attended, last for very short periods of time but that doesn’t reduce travel costs.

There is absolutely no need for these constant gatherings. They are disruptive, detract from work function and add hugely to enterprise costs. One of the first changes I would make if PM or Treasurer would be to institute a program of meeting online through whichever of the technologies is most appropriate. It could be by teleconference, video-conferencing, Skype or some other cyberspace methodology. Meetings would be instantaneous. Within the framework of reasonableness, people could connect worldwide and engage in conversation of the subject under discussion. While socialisation and getting together are important, the issue of time utilisation and cost saving makes this method one that needs further exploration.

I suspect that airline companies, convention organisers and accommodation providers may not be particularly impressed by this alternative method of gathering. In the interests of budget setting and establishing expenditure priorities cuts to travel and alternative meeting options would go a long way to budget balancing.

Of course, after they leave parliament, politicians of both persuasions dip more than liberally into the retirement fund bucket for travel purposes.  

I don’t understand how it works or what it does? Can anyone help?

I

Tried for

Many a year

To master the art

Being a genuine cook

In the field of food preparation

Try as I might to master the art

Understanding the nuances

The ins and outs of the kitchen

But I never got it right

The food always seemed

To come out overdone

Or indeed underdone

The meat was the worst

It tended to be

Rare and undercooked.

Or

Burnt to

A cinder and

Cremated.

Why

Would it

Never come

Out just right and

Cooked to absolute perfection.

But

Now it

Has come right

For I have learned

There is one thing

I can cook

And that.

Is

That my

Very favourite dish.

What I love

To cook

Are

Sausages.

Lots and lots of sausages

The very best.

Never

Ever any

Trouble cooking

My very favourite dish.

Sizzling sausages

Spluttering to cooked perfection

In the frying pan.

Gastronomic euphoria.

My sausages

Always the

BEST

LIMITED CAPACITY MAKES ME A COOKING ‘L PLATER’

It wasn’t until quite late in life that I became someone who was in any way involved with proper cooking. Unlike our children who learnt to cook with their mother from quite young ages and who are now, all three of them, excellent cooks and Stuart for food preparers, I would consider myself to still be on my L’s in the world of cooking.

I can cook chops, steak, and eggs, make toast, and put hot water on pre-prepared vegetables, and that’s more or less it. The worst experience I’ve ever had would be admitting to burnt toast. Fortunately, none of the toast I have burnt has ever caught on fire.

I can cook sausages, heat up and cook rissoles, and do a couple of other things. But my culinary capacities are very, very limited.

I really can’t fail this topic because I’ve not had enough exposure to warrant much consideration about what I can do and what I can’t, in the world of cooking. I often wish I had learnt to cook, including sweets, cakes, and a whole variety of things but alas cooking to me is largely foreign. It’s pretty hard to muck up on coming steak, particularly when you want it very well done or cremated. Similarly, the other items I’ve mentioned don’t lend themselves to too much spoiling. I simply do everything on a timer so get things ready in that regard.

One thing I do is to make sure the dirty dishes associated with cooking and eating are cleaned up as soon as they have been used. So though I might get an ‘L’ and even a fail for cooking, I get top marks for cleaning up and making sure that all utensils, plates, cutlery and everything else are clean and looked after and never allowed to clutter the sink.

Our PM may have to do a lot of sitting because that is an element of his role. However, we should never be lulled into believing he is being complacent when in a physically sedentary context.

His eyes and his mind are constantly on the go, absorbing and considering everything going on around him.

He is never inert or unaware, but rather is carefully considering and appraising every situation and the entire context of every conversation being directed at him or to others in the group.

A man most active is our Prime Minister.

What would we do without NIMBY’s

NIMBY’s here

And NIMBY’s there

These NIMBY’s 

They are everywhere.

Talk loudly here,

Hold protests there,

All anti-progress

Makes for despair.

‘Round the NT 

They circulate,

Look for projects

They can hate.

Building up

No bring it down.

‘Till in mediocrity,

We all drown.

They succeed 

While we despair

They retreat 

To their castles in the air.

Raising Teacher Bar

A lot is being talked about in the community and reported in the media on the subject of teacher quality.

The soul-searching and almost daily comments around Australia and the Northern Territory are futuristic and forward-looking.

In looking forward, those responsible for teacher preparation need to reflect on past teacher training practices, revisiting and including some of the critical elements in our 21st-century teacher preparation courses.

I worry that critical teaching and preparation methodologies are insufficiently stressed.

Rather than prospective teachers receiving that understanding while in training, they graduate with degrees and, as neophytes, are expected to acquire practical teaching skills and dispositions upon full-time entry into classroom teaching positions.

It wasn’t good then, It isn’t good now!

August 15: The world laughs at us

We are a joke in the eyes of the world.

What other country takes in overseas people from those who are legitimate to illegals, then panders to their beliefs by changing our customs, i.e. being an apologist for Christmas, Easter and so on?

What other country is so welfare-bound that it takes the taxation contributions of three average households to fund the welfare entitlements of one (household)?

And what other country so softly folds its hands and gives in to the trading demands of overseas partners? We ARE a soft touch.   

L

‘Old Man’ on News 2014

October 5

I don’t envy Colin Wicking during his holidays, but I cannot wait for his return to the pages of our NT News. He is the unsurpassed master of cartoon commentary and a commentator without a peer.

Anticipating Old Man

19 September

A person who lives to be 100 is deemed to be old. When one considers that there are only 36,525 days, including leap years in a century, that somehow makes the period seem a whole lot shorter.

Young Old Man

16 September

All night roadworks on Vanderlin Drive from Lee Point Roundabout to Patterson Street are causing an unimaginable cacophony of noise. Sound sleep is impossible. With windows closed and air conditioners on, the noise is still resonating in our bedrooms. Is it necessary for major road upgrades in our suburbs to be undertaken at night?

Sleep Deprived Old Man

14 September

Interesting that  during Darwin’s rolling black-outs, fire crackers in abundance were being let off. It as also a night out for hoons. Total darkness certainly emboldens sinful behaviour.

Observing Old Man

11 September

Staffers responsible for drawing up and publishing house seating plans for the Legislative Assembly must be totally perplexed by the shifting of politicians from one seat to another to another. Each sitting of Parliament has a new chair arrangement. Staffers must feel our members are  like participants in a game of musical chairs.

Seat Hopping Old Man

10 September

 Sadly, we know that the Darwin Bus Service has been privatised. Our busses have gone from reflecting territory colours to being travelling billboards.

Advertising Old Man

4 September

The burgeoning growth of Darwin’s Northern Suburbs is putting huge retail pressure on Hibiscus Shopping town in Leanyer and also Karama. Lyons and Muirhead are adding 2000 homes and many more thousands if people to our population. We desperately need a new shopping centre, even a small one, to cater more locally for these growing needs. Present shopping centres are constantly chockers  with people most of the time while car parking areas are choked with vehicles.

Demographic Old Man

3 September

Chief Minister Adam Giles portfolio workload is mind boggling. Few people could take on 13 portfolios including  treasury responsibilities. Our CM’s voracious appetite for work is spell-binding.

Awestruck Old Man  

2 September

Recent events within the CLP Government’s party room convince me that it is awkward to be the boss of one’s best mate. A separation of personal regard from professional appreciation helps when it comes to building organisational credibility. 

Observing Old Man 

August 31

In the early hours of any still morning, we are entertained by the screeching of car tyres and the squealing of brakes. The streets of our suburbs increasingly belong to rev-heads. Road surfaces in our built-up areas are scoured by tyre 

marks and there are cannonball drags in every suburb. It’s getting worse, not better and will end in tragedy.

Apprehensive Old Man

August 30

Politics in the NT seems to raise  a new Dorothy Dixer for us every time the sun comes up. On awakening each morning W e are regaled by a new episode of the political  melodrama. Each episode is too good to miss.

Theatric Old Man

August 28

Only 7.1% of  Darwin’s population is over 65 years of age. How senior  and chronologically enhanced that makes me feel. It seems there are Hardly  enough of us to fill a bus.

Rare Old Man

August 24

How sad it is that the half size  trolleys from shopping centres disappear almost as soon as they arrive for customer use. Apparently they make very good washing trolleys for  clothes and also quite excellent pots  for crabbing. Karama and Leanyer shopping centres had plenty – now none at all.

Disappointed Old Man

August 21

In terms of “gaffes” and foot – in – mouth comments, David Tollner  is the Northern Territory’s answer to Prince Philip the  Duke of Edinburgh.

Comparing Old Man

The way things are going in the Senate, the 2015 federal budget will be presented before the 2014 budget is passed. 

Waiting Old Man

August 19

Praise The Lord that our parliament is back in session. How I have missed the pantomime, performance and the daily entertainment that is question time. The  parliamentary  escapades of our elected members  are akin to the unfolding of a melodrama.

Rejuvenated Old Man

August 16

“Pitch Black” as an exercise offers us a reassurance about the safety of our skies and affirms our security interests as being in the hands of Australians and our friends. It is important that exercises continue in order that we are always in a state of preparedness for the unexpected.

Secure Old Man

August 11

So people have tossed their previous employment, leaving businesses high, dry and labour strapped. Business owners want 457 visa visitors to fill the gap . Fair enough. When Impex is done, those who deserted should have no claim on returning to jobs from which they fled.

Adjudicating Old Man

August 6

I feel blessed when compared to those Territoriabs living in Nhulunbuy, Jabiru, Alyangula and in other smaller towns around the territory. We at least get pamphlets and plenty of them in our letter boxes.

Thankful Old Man 

August 2

It’s easy for Mr Elferink to confirm that bullying within Family and Children’s Services is a furphy. Who would he have asked about the issue, the bullied or the alleged bullies? Problem solved!

Pondering Old Man

August 1

  I believe that in so many ways and in multiple management and leadership situations, women do a far better job than men.  Their qualities of organisation and efficiency along with their ability to multitask, leaves me gasping in admiration (and indeed envy) at their capacities.

Wistful Old Man 

July 27

The Tiger Brennan section opened last Friday will continue to ease the burden of traffic from Palmerston and beyond. Even so our roads are barely keeping pace with the increasing volumes of vehicles unleashed by our burgeoning population. Our infrastructural gurus face a continuing traffic management challenge.

Traffic Watching Old Man

July 25

Our annual show circuit offers people from all walks of life the opportunity to come together, share stories and celebrate our territory together. It enriches and uplifts those attending. Our shows also give us a chance to share our place with many visitors who are here at this time of the year. People from all walks of life rub shoulders and share the show experience as equals. May our shows long prevail.

Appreciative Old Man

July 24

I think it is a bit rich for certain people in high places to tell Territorians that extra living costs are our privilege to pay as a consequence for us residing in the best place in Australia. The more so because those making such pronouncements would not know what it was like to live on lower incomes and fewer benefits than what they receive. Do our leaders really know their people?

Wondering Old Man

July 22

On the one hand, Top Springs Hotel is under severe restrictions to limit supply of alcohol to nearby communities. On the other, David Tollner is talking of social clubs and pokies in communities. Help please for I do not understand!

Confused Old Man 

July 16

Many of the ‘new’ ideas tried by government and departments in the NT have been tried and disgarded in past times. As we are so abysmal at keeping historical records, new leaders don’t have a clue about past times. So often our recall of the past stops at yesterday. We need to get smarter about recording and revisiting and learning from our past.

Mm

July 15

First we had The Hoff and now Hodor is to grace Darwin with his presence. How lucky we are to have these men and other great people come and enrich us through their contribution. We are certainly in the map when it comes to attracting celebrity attention.

Appreciative Old Man

July 14

So many Departments and organisations look interstate to recruit heads and CEO’s denying Territory talent and those committed to the NT. The vast majority come for a while, often do a mediocre job, build their CV’s then leave. They treat the NT as a launching pad to greater personal glory. Oh for leaders who really care.

Wishful Old Man  

July 13

If politics and governance were taken off the reporting agenda for seven days, radio and  TV news bulletins along with print media would lose 95% of their content for the week.

Calculating Old Man

July 8

If our City of Darwin wants to increase its rate take without increasing rates, it could arrange a land revaluation. Unimproved capital values would increase and therefore rates paid. There are so many ways to enrich council’s coffers.

Old Man on Options 

July 7

The number one improvement the new company taking over the Darwin Bus Service could make is adding to the comfort of  passengers and security of drivers by controlling the obnoxious, bullying few whose antisocial behaviour ruins travel for commuters.

 Observing Old Man

July 6

Those of us who hang out to buy ‘Australian made’ products will soon find there is nothing left to buy .

Searching Old Man

July 3

The new student units being built on Dripstone Road but within the Casuarina Shopping Complex will be great for CDU students.  However it will add further strain to the already overcrowded car parking situation. Parking, a chronic centre issue already  will be stretched to absolute breaking point.

Concerned Old Man

There are some people who throughout life are a constant challenge to others. They contribute little other than problems for others to fix. When passing over, they are spoken of fondly, reverentially and portrayed as great people. Are such eulogies warranted or hypocritical?

Questioning Old Man

July 2

Territory Day is one if celebration. I hope the year ahead of our ‘birthday’ will bring us peace and prosperity. May we grow together in oneness and unity, remembering that the Territory we call home is a good place. 

Celebrating Old Man

June 30

Modern technology is stripping the privacy which once surrounded people. We are becoming more and more revealed to others. I hope no technological advance enables the reading and revealing of one’s thoughts. If that happens our rights to think will be compromised and privacy totally lost. 

Scared Old Man

June 29

I move a vote of thanks to Darwin Bus Service drivers for the job they do and often in difficult circumstances. The passengers  with whom they deal include uncooperative, disruptive elements. They manage well and try their best to deliver a quality service. Drivers, you are appreciated for the way you approach the task. I am sure many of the public transport travellers join me in thanking you all.

Appreciative Old Man 

June 27

How did people get on at airports,train stations and bus depots before electronic gagetary? Their preoccupation helps them pass the time while totally zoned out.

Observing Old Man

June 25

The transient population of the NT means that come election time, candidates standing for election are hardly know by hundreds and hundreds of voters. Track record of Government means little to those who are but short term residents when they go to the polls.

Political Old Man

June 22

Judging by the amount of litter blowing into our yard when dropped from unsecured loads of rubbish or tossed from passing cars, McDonalds sells  the most popular take-away food and drink in Darwin. 

Calculating Old Man

June  21

Alison Anderson has belonged to three political parties and has also had independent status? Could this be an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the greatest number of affiliations held by one Politican?

Wondering Old Man  

June 12

The way in which Mr Giles used Estimates Committee  time on June 11 by launching into ‘off question’ answers to questions put, in order to use time and run the clock down is deplorable. Then to mock the opposition for their inability to ask meaningful questions adds to the charade. Charming!

Disgusted Old Man

June 10

The fact our NT economy and infrastructure are in rapid growth mode is a good thing. However, we also suffer from poor repair and  maintenance of existing facilities. Growth will be sullied if existing facilities are allowed to fall into disrepair.

Practical Old Man

June 8

Australia Post is rumoured to be cutting postal delivery services and jobs. This seems the latest of a never-ending list of companies and agencies paring staff back to the bone. Nothing replaces the service people offer people. Sadly personality and the human side of enterprise is becoming a thing of the past.

A Disappointed Old Man

June 5

With the NT living costs forever rising and with salary increases not keeping pace, we live on the edge of a growing underclass. Some grow richer, including those in the mining and some in the construction industry. The rest, the majority, are going backward in terms of economic security. Where will it end?

Wondering Old Man

June 4

More and more jobs are bring sent offshore, outsourced and given over to robotic control. Manufacturers are shutting down, going overseas or selling to foreign ownership. How is that going to help reduce unemployment and where will jobs for the displaced come from?

Confused Old Man

June 2

It seems ironic that we mull over the pros and cons of Carbon Tax when a decent volcanic eruption spews the equivalent of 20 years of man made pollutants into the atmosphere within the space of a few days.

Calculating Old Man

May 29

Oh dear! There is a furore over cabinet documents being released before the  30 year time lapse period is up. How much more accountable would governments be if not protected by this time barrier?

Transparent Old Man

May  18

Our parliament is done for the next month. The pantomime ceases. It!s back to ordinary living. Bring on the next sitting so we can become galvanized Territorians riveted to put downs, rivalries and question time antics.

Impatient Old Man

May 9

The AEU (NT) Annual Conference Friday and Saturday will be an interesting affair with the President gone, the Secretary on leave and the two days presided by an Acting President drafted into the job only days ago. Bet there are some interesting exchanges, especially with the EBA still outstanding.

Prognosticating Old Man

May 8

I feel sad that the Government  was prepared to spin on, disallowing the opposition and independents the chance to raise matters for debate on Wednesday evening of this sitting week. This was the height of selfishness and unfairness. 

Concerned Old Man

May 4

I ask this question:  Would the CLP in opposition have been elected to government  if it had gone to the August 2012 election with other than Terry Mills and Kezia Purich as it’s leader and deputy?

Querying Old Man   

May 3

I am really, really looking forward to Tuesday and the resumption of our Legislative Assembly. What a question time we are in for! I can’t wait!!

Anticipating Old Man 

April 29

Last night I dreamt we were blessed by stable government and a steady economy. Then I awoke. It was but a dream. 

Visionary Old Man

April 28

The possibility of a ‘debt levy’ as part of the upcoming Federal budget makes me bristle. Governments waste in a profligate, splurging manner, then want citizens to take accountability for their indiscretions. Ripping from the industrious to alleviate Government waste is immoral. 

Angry Old Man.  

April 12

The difference between the   CLP in recent months and a pantomime at the Darwin Entertainment  Centre, is that  CLP entertainment does not attract an admission fee. 

Comparing Old Man

March 20

Nhulunbuy MLA Lynne Walker was criticised during question time on Tuesday for doing nothing for her community and caring little about the consequences of the refinery shut-down. Slamming her was wrong; she has been there advocating for and supporting her community since foreclosure was announced. Don’t slag good parliamentary members.

Correcting Old Man

March 18

I hope the school groups attending Parliament today      who  witnessed question time didn’t leave thinking that slanging, name calling, put downs and avoidance in answering questions is the way conversation should be conducted. My advice to schools would be to take groups to Parliament  OTHER than at question time.

Concerned Old Man

March 16

Any Territory child born today will be at least eleven before a team other than Saint Mary’s wins the Northern Territory (AFL. NT) Premier League  Grand Final.

Predicting Old Man

March 6

Whoa! What is going to happen on Friday when Nigel’s Army of truancy officers go out and do their Territory-wide round-up of truants for delivery to the school gate? Schools will be shut with students there but without teachers. Could be some interesting scenarios.

Wondering Old Man

Feb 14

I forecast Afghanistan would revert to being a living hell with the departure of Australian and American troops. That is coming to pass with the country day descending toward a return to chaos. 

Sadly Correct Old Man

Feb 14

The NT Governmebt has reinstated of open speed limits (albeit as a trial) it is taking a huge risk. If accidents occur and drivers of crash vehicles are denied insurance (as per the TIO warning) taxpayers may be up for huge payouts. Third party insurance is likely to be touched by extra claims  and that will impact by imposts at vehicle registration time. The open speed outlook is gloomy.

Cautioning Old Man

Feb 14

Can we know what the intentions of Government are, in relation to the reinstatement t (in some form)  of the Arafura Games or whether  they are gone for good. No problem of-course for Government sponsorship of AFL, Rugby League  (Paramatta Eels), cars, horses and motor bikes. They are for spectators. The Arafura’s were great for local and regional participation and brought volunteers out in their hundreds. Canning the best makes no sense.

Questioning Old Man

Feb 11

Why is it that so many CEO’s, business and industry heads draw hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars in salary as a reward for poor business practice and running their company’s into the ground? Why is it that workers are squeezed and service reduced, with the only thing appearing to count being shareholder dividends?

Confused Old Man

Feb 11

May we all be blessed and enriched by the decisions which will come from our Territory Parliament during the year of sittings now unfolding. May our political leaders and those who sit,deliberate and decide on issues within its hallowed halls, be given guidance and offered wise advice to support their decision making.

Trusting Old Man

Feb 7

The Wilson Report on Indigenous Education confirms we go round and round. We had residential colleges for indigenous Students and scrapped them; now they are coming again? We went from monolingual ( English only) to bilingual to monolingual to bilingual – now back to monolingual education again. Help,help I am getting giddy!

Dizzy Old Man 

Jan 30

If the NT Government allows the reinstatement of open speed limits (albeit as a trial) it is taking a huge risk. If accidents occur and drivers of crash vehicles are denied insurance (as per the TIO warning) taxpayers may be up for huge payouts. Third party insurance is likely to be touched by extra claims  and that will impact by imposts at vehicle registration time. The open speed outlook is gloomy.

Cautioning Old Man

Jan 29

All the very best for a great year to students, teachers, support staff, school leaders and everyone associated with our Territory schools this year. Contrary to some of the messages that get out and about, we have a good system. Remember to celebrate success as well as responding to educational challenges.

Henry Gray 

Jan 28

Without doubt attendance will be up in remote schools at the end of one week after the invasion of ‘Nigel’s Army’ of truancy officers. I would be far more interested in the attendance statistic at the end of the first week, month, semester and school year. A week is nothing and the ‘initiative’ will only be proved successful if improvement is long term.  I hope it works but from experience I have concerns.  

Data-Interested Old Man 

Jan 27

Cable television suggests Americans to be a nation of extreme couponers, ‘gaitor boys, swamp people, bootleggers, pickers, ice road drivers … The list of ‘extreme’ shows goes on.  Are there any ordinary Americans?

Geographic Old Man

Jan 23

Over the centuries through exploration and invasion, mankind has moved into the territory of others and taken it over. On the last half century we have become historically apologetic for this misplaced enterprise. It we retreat through history to where the outreach all began, we would be be back to the Garden of Eden. Get on with life and cut the self recrimination.

Historic Old Man

It is fantastic to wake on mornings when gently precipitating raindrops are refreshing the earth with their cleansing power. Such days bring special blessing.

Spiritual Old Man

Jan 21

Good morning and look forward with anticipation to what the day may unfold onto Australia. What momentous Government decision, initiative, reform or policy is waiting in the wings to be added to the fabric of our lives. May we all be blessed.

Old Man Waiting with Bated  Breath.

Jan 20

Every morning Australians are united by daylight’s emergence across this the best of all continental places on God’s earth. How lucky we are to be part of this great geographic and socially alive place. May we unite our hearts and our spirits in a universal chorus of praise and appreciation for all that is good about our Great Land.

Thanks-giving Old Man

If the Gillard/Rudd Government still reigned supreme, hundreds of bureaucrats in Canberra, right now, would be calculating what the States owed in terms of carbon tax contributions for Australia’s rash of bushfires. It would provide a windfall of hundreds of millions for a continuation of Federal Labor’s profligate spending.

Calculating Old Man

Sports sponsorship by tobacco companies was banned in order to recognise the deleterious impact of smoking on lives. Now is the time to ban sponsorship by the alcohol industry for the same reason. Grog is as much an evil influence  as tobacco. 

Teetotally  Focussed Old Man

People build houses among trees and in places where fuel loads are encourage by no raring and no controlled  burning policies. Many places are inaccessible fire control vehicles. Arsonists are handed meek punishments  if caught.  Then there is wonder when homes and property are destroyed.  Thank God we have back burning and fuel control provisions in the NT. 

Reflecting Old Man 

Jan 8

 I would like to acknowledge Mr Moir for his regular and perceptive letters and comments published in the pages of the ‘NT News’ throughout 2013. For mine he is your ‘corespondent of the year’ and an enduring Territory Patriarch.

Appreciating Territorian

Jan 4

I look forward to 2014 with a positive and buoyed spirit. How lucky we Territorians are to be in the place we are, being lead toward the future by wise, focused  government.  Surely we must be among those who are the envy of the world. 

Reflective Old Man  

Jan. 2

May all your readers and avid followers of the NT News and your Suns Newspapers have a great year. I hope 2014 is the best year for us all. 

Newspaper Appreciating Old Man

If recognition of Indigenous Australians needs constitutional change because they are presently not seen as Australian, does this not mean that land rights confer land ownership on aliens? 

Confused Old Man

Jan 1

Worldwide, celebratory fire crackers to welcome 2014, weighted thousands and thousands of tonnes and cost many tens of millions of dollars. Happy New Year everyone, everywhere.

Celebrating Old Man

Christmas Day is almost like an unfortunate full stop getting in the way of the full on tsunami of life. It is like a small eye of exhaustion in the midst of life’s economic cyclone.

Bemused Old Man

I hope all staff of the NT News have a wonderful festive season. You work magnificently and gel as a fine team to bring us a daily paper that is forever growing in bigger, brighter and better directions. We in the Territory are blessed to have ‘the News’ (including online options) as our daily voice in print and online. You are appreciated.

Blessed  Old Man 

How lucky we are to be in a state of government realisation about the need to reduce debt and live within our means. How glad I am that our government is stressing the need for Australians to be responsible citizens, not merely persons and companies entitled to propping up and endless support.

Euphoric Old Man 

How things change.

‘Old Man’ and ABC 2014

August 22

Sadly both political parties in our territory are beset by frailties. Leadership is still to be proven and many politicians who are novices have to gain experience in order for our parliament to return to what was once more viable position. The uncertainties of political leadership are not good for the territory and its people.

Henry

August 25

The government almost immediately after the election set its promised charter, held up for our awareness to one side. For weeks prior to 25 August 2012, then opposition leader Terry Mills, wrote in the News of promised priorities if elected. Immediately after the election the new government changed tack ; what we got wasn’t what we had voted for. We anticipated a Mills/ Purich led government and in no time had Giles/Tollner leading us. The one leadership pair is totally different to the other. This Governnent will be hard pressed to overcome the fact it s seen as inwardly splintered and disunited. I am naturally conservative but now feel disillusioned and badly let down.

Henry

August 20

No money for fines but plenty for grog. The last election for DCC was about overcoming the itinerant issues. The matter is getting worse and all over Darwin not simply in Stuart Park. The city public spaces are becoming overrun. I love the way various arms of government pass the buck to each other.

The problem will not go away until affirmative action is taken.

Time to truck these people back to their communities. 

Henry

August 18

The prices charged at the new Nightcliffe Foreshore Cafe will need to be sky high to recoup the lease and capital costs outlay.

Henry 

August 17

Today marks the last Qantas Regional Link flight from Darwin to Cairns via Gove (Nhulunbuy). It is the end of an era in that Qantas have been flying that route for decades. Local MLA Member Lynne Walker took an especially made and decorated cake out to the Gove Airport to mark this sad occasion. The Flying Kangaroo was iced onto the cake along with the words   “Thank you and goodbye”. While Air North will pick up the route, Qantas’ last flight marks the end on an era and is our they proof of Nhulunbuy’s diminishment.

Henry Gray

August 14

Mr Hockey unfortunately does not live in the real world. Neither do authorities who could something about fuel costs in the NT and choose to bury their heads in the sand over this horrendous issue. We are being taken to the cleaners on this issue.

Henry

July 30

Praise The Lord for the fact that old ones who are chronological enhanced , like me, are comfortable to call the Territory home. May we bless the Territory by our continuing presence.

Henry

July 28

Surely we have enough alcohol saturation as it is. So adults  would  be sipping grog with children. Is the cinema. Give it up its a bad idea and  obviously underpinned by the profit motive.   Henry

–————

It is a real positive at the Commonwealth Games that the para games are being held in conjunction with events for able-bodied athletes. This could well be a model for the future. Why differentiate between the two sets of athletes and games competitors as has happened for far too long.

Henry

July 28

It is a real positive at the Commonwealth Games that the para games are being held in conjunction with events for able-bodied athletes. This could well be a model for the future. Why differentiate between the two sets of athletes and games competitors as has happened for far too long.

Henry

July 14

 I suspect that community discontent over  holidays is due in part to schools being considered by some as child-minding centres rather than educating institutions. This misplaced understanding is fuelled by governments who charge educational systems and schools with taking on responsibilities  for bringing up children. These were once once vested in parents. With schools closed, the onus of responsibility for  holiday weeks falls back on parents. Child care costs far more than school attendance and this can lead to resentment.  There are of course many parents who welcome holidays as apo chance for family refreshment and organise their yearly schedules around school term time. However, it is the perceived ‘negatives’ of school holidays that are most upheld in the public eye.

Without these necessary breaks, teachers and students would be forever flagging and never refreshed. Teaching would suffer with learning becoming a drudge. It is in the interests of teachers, support staff and students that school holidays stay in place.

Henry

July 11

The ‘Blingy bracelets’ were distributed to students through schools three weeks ago today. The ACC  issued recalls today, with schools all closed. How practical is that? Maybe checks prior to issue of goods might be more practical next time.

Henry 

July 9

What also needs considering is that housing in communities is quickly made to be in need of repair. There need to be educational programs directed toward living in houses.  Care and maintenance is important.

Henry

July 8

There is no way known that everyone earns these high incomes Mr Tollner speaks about. There are many in the NT, Darwin included, who are battling. A bus driver for instance earns way less than $50,000 a year and there are many blue collar workers in the same boat . Mr Tollner is deliberately distancing himself from the realities and the austerity confronted by thousands of Territorians. No empathy in what he suggested this morning.

Henry Gray 

July 8

We can always afford alcohol, tobacco, high cost entertainment and similar expense. However the Government should not be talking down the reality of our horrendous living costs .

Henry

May 9

Good morning Katrina and Julia.

There are good things about our city and its surrounds and you are right to remind us of those. My major concern is the disconnect between our City Centre and the surrounding suburbs. It often seems like there are “two Darwin’s”, not one.

Does Council have any plans to “join” the two entities?

Henry Gray

May 8

Good morning Katrina and Julia.

There are good things about our city and its surrounds and you are right to remind us of those. My major concern is the disconnect between our City Centre and the surrounding suburbs. It often seems like there are “two Darwin’s”, not one.

Does Council have any plans to “join” the two entities?

Henry Gray

March 19

Good morning Katrina and Julia.

There are good things about our city and its surrounds and you are right to remind us of those. My major concern is the disconnect between our City Centre and the surrounding suburbs. It often seems like there are “two Darwin’s”, not one.

Does Council have any plans to “join” the two entities?

Henry Gray

February 15

Hats off to our defence people. You do a great job and one embracing every member of your families. What a blessing you are to our country and in a local context, to our community. The Defence Force Transition Aides in our schools also do wonderful work. 

All the best to all of you and may you be blessed by good Karma.

Henry 

February  11

It is not academic of ‘busting up’ public schools. It is the ability of the privates to select students that sets them apart.  Quality of teaching and calibre of teachers is what counts. As a past principal I valued good teachers. It was also exteaordinary hard to get rid of poor performing teachers.

They are system protected and guarded by the Public Sector Management Act. I know that from experience .

 Henry

February 1

Darwin is it good place and people are different and more relaxed than down south. However, those who gain “power” often change become different and really are not pleasant people they were before the assignment of that power. 

Henry

January 30

Elcho wants its community cleaned up! How about Elcho cleaning up its own  community and looking after its rubbish. Ownership and not delegation of issue.

Henry

For a packet of 20 cigarettes, what are the five most expensive countries in the world and what are the five cheapest countries in the world for a pack of 20 cigarettes?

Most Expensive Countries for a Pack of 20 Cigarettes (2023)

1. **Australia** – $28.64

2. **New Zealand** – $22.58

3. **United Kingdom** – $17.43

4. **Ireland** – $17.15

5. **Norway** – Approximately $15.61

Cheapest Countries for a Pack of 20 Cigarettes (2023)

1. **Zimbabwe** – Approximately $1.06

2. **Kazakhstan** – Approximately $1.55

3. **Vietnam** – Approximately $1.73

4. **Philippines** – Approximately $1.92

5. **Timor-Leste** – Approximately $2.00

Peace Park Bali – Peace Park Leanyer

We had a Peace Park in  Castlereagh Street, Leanyer. It was a lovely park replete with signage. But that was before it was vandalised, the signage was destroyed, the maintenance program was neglected, and the park was essentially abandoned. 

Minister Burke

I have very little faith in Minister Burke. My respect for him as a politician was largely destroyed when he seconded the Kevin Andrews bill to outlaw the Assisted Dying (Perron Legislation) Act in the Northern Territory. As a minister, he has failed to impress me, and I often wonder why he and Chris Bowen are permanent fixtures on the front bench of the Albanese Government cabinet.

Peter Dutton, Donald Trump and the NT

Being all things to all people is very hard for politicians of any party. Without a doubt, Peter Dutton is keen to reinforce to Donald Trump the need to ensure that defence priorities remain front and centre in allegiance between Australia and the USA. The NT plays a vital role in this relationship – everything from Pine Gap to the growing presence of American forces in annual exercises within the NT and especially the Top End.  This is Dutton caring for Australia and the NT.

Alcohol – the Number One Territory scourge

Nobody, it seems, wants to confront the significant issue facing the NT – that of alcohol abuse with its deleterious economic, social and moral consequences. No wonder DV is on the increase, along with assaults and property damage. No wonder that many young people who, in effect, become street kids to avoid the sadness of their homes get caught up in cycles of crime.  Alcohol and its consequences are the number one bane of the NT  – and its negative impacts are worsening with time.

Tin Lizards for Tennant Creek

There is much more to a town than tin lizards

Lizards here,

Lizards there,

Lizards, lizards everywhere,

In houses here,

And buildings  there,

Of underfoot …  and I despair,

Of noise they make, 

And mess they leave,

Makes cleaning up,

An awful peeve.

And now I am supposed to want,

Big tin lizards on the front,

Of entry into Tennant Creek, 

Na – it’s  not lizards that we seek,

We want TC to be clean 

And tidy with the surge of green,

In streetscape fronts, 

And lawns of homes,

To make the  town a tranquil place,

Where people act with poise and grace.

TC could revitalise,

And transform before our eyes,

It’s no surprise,

 as you must see,

Tin lizards.

 They are not for me.

Is beer cheap in Australia?

The cost of beer in Australia can be considered relatively high compared to many other countries. Here are some insights into beer prices in 2023:

– The average price per unit of alcoholic beer in Australia was around **$10.51** USD.

– A pint of domestic beer typically costs around **AU$11.00** (approximately **$7.00 USD**) in bars and pubs.

– Due to high taxes on alcohol, Australians pay a significant amount in tax for beer, which is reported to be around **$20** USD for every slab of beer purchased.

In summary, beer is generally not considered cheap in Australia, especially compared to countries with lower alcohol taxes.

We get so used to second and even third-grade cherries in the Northern Territory, that my eyes sparkled when I happened upon these first grade beauties in a Woolworths supermarket.

Comment on stories in the ‘NT News’ and ‘Sunday Territorian’

Thank you Finnochario Government

I wake every morning and thank the NT for electing the Finocchario Government to power on August 24 2024. The territory had flatlined. Now vibrance and a feeling of well-being starting to rejuvenate this place. That is such a good thing.

Muirhead Assault

Muirhead is one of our newer suburbs and is claimed by many to be ‘upmarket’. It now seems that the area is not immune to those social behaviours and physical manifestations that have become ingrained into the older and more established suburbs. Nowhere is immune from these assaults on people and property.

Grant Tambling Passes Away

P

Senator Tambling was a fine man, a practical politician, and an unswerving supporter of the NT and its people of all persuasions. His contributions to representing this place were constant, both within the NT and later in Canberra. He never wavered from considering the Territory and Territorians ‘first and foremost’ in all he did. Every time I drive down Tambling Terrace, I appreciate his contributions to the NT. A good life has ended, but the great work he did will live on.

Assistance for students to offset training costs

How wonderful it would be if this assistance program were extended to ALL domestic students at Charles Darwin University. I hear so much about how important, necessary, and vital international students are but very, very little about our own homegrown cohort. 

Darwin City is so changed to how it used to be

As a long-time Darwin resident, I often reflect on our city in 1987 – when we came to Darwin from elsewhere in the Territory – compared to how the city reflects on us all in 2025. There are upsides and downsides, but it is sad that we have a situation of feeling the city is more challenged now, than before the last 40 years of development really began. Where to from here is the question that sits in my mind.

Bring goshawks to Darwin

Can we please have some  Goshawks come to Darwin to help FC clean out the epidemic of cockatoos that are all over the place, invading yards, our parks, roadsides, rooftops and everywhere else, from dawn to dusk every day?

Peter and Anthony both on the trail

The Federal Election outcome will be a ‘nip and tuck’ affair with both major parties being touted to push close to governing for the next three years. We are in for significant weeks of campaigning.

There is rebuilding to be done

The CLP has the resource and the initiative to take the Territory to a better social and economic place and I have little doubt this will be achieved. After eight years of the previous government, there is a lot of rebuilding to be done.

ALP commitment to Katherine

There are two components to this announcement. On the one hand, the program when implemented will provide critical infrastructure and facilities for the town. But on the other is this project, along with multiple other promised projects, will keep plunging our country ever further into what seems to be everlasting debt. Then there is the question of how long it will be before this commitment becomes an actuality.

NT Hospitals to be identified by the one flag

Maybe all this leftist-leaning recognition is starting to fade. Maybe we are returning, albeit slowly, to the prevailing of common sense. Groups within our country are groups with their own identification. But Australia is ONE country home to ALL its people, and we should stand united and identified by one flag.

Can you give me a list of the five countries in the world where cigarettes are the most expensive to buy and the five countries in the world where they are the cheapest to buy?

Response

Based on the information gathered, here are the countries where cigarettes are the most and least expensive to buy as of 2023:

Most Expensive Countries for Cigarettes

1. Australia – $28.73
2. New Zealand – $22.66
3. United Kingdom – $17.44
4. Ireland – $17.12
5. Canada – $13.89

Cheapest Countries for Cigarettes

1. Zimbabwe – Approx. $0.02 – $0.05 (varies widely)
2. Kazakhstan – Approx. $0.90
3. Vietnam – Approx. $1.00
4. Philippines – Approx. $1.50
5. Timor-Leste – Approx. $1.60

For more detailed information, you can explore articles on Statista and Numbeo.

These modern times

• There is a possibility but not a strong probability that retired leaders will be appreciated and asked for advice by those new to leadership positions.

• There is a possibility but very little probability that appointments to positions will one again be made on the merit principle.

• There is a possibiity but very little probability that Australians will ever return to appreciating the establishment of institutions by their predecessors. 

• . 

What is the best and most effective invention of all time?

AI responded

Identifying the “best” and “most effective” invention of all time is subjective, as it depends on various factors, including social, economic, and technological impacts. However, several inventions are often regarded as transformative and influential across different eras:

1. The Wheel – Invented around 3500 BC, the wheel revolutionized transportation and machinery, greatly facilitating trade and travel.
2. The Printing Press – Invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century, this invention enabled the mass production of books, promoting literacy, education, and the spread of ideas.
3. Electricity – The harnessing and utilization of electricity have powered countless inventions and transformed industries, making it one of the most significant developments in human history.
4. The Internet – Developed in the late 20th century, the Internet has transformed communication, commerce, and access to information, shaping modern society and global interactions.
5. Vaccines – The development of vaccines has had a profound impact on public health, eradicating or reducing the prevalence of various diseases, saving millions of lives.
6. The Telephone – Invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, the telephone revolutionized communication, making it faster and more accessible.
7. The Computer – The advent of computers has changed the way we work, communicate, and process information, influencing every aspect of modern life.
8. The Steam Engine – Spearheading the Industrial Revolution, the steam engine revolutionized transportation and manufacturing, leading to significant economic changes.

Each of these inventions has had a lasting impact on society, enhancing human life in various ways. The determination of the “best” invention often boils down to personal values, priorities, and the specific context in which its impact is evaluated.

Who is deemed to be the most religious person who has ever lived?

AI responded

Identifying the “most religious person” who has ever lived is a complex and subjective matter, as it greatly depends on individual beliefs, cultural backgrounds, and definitions of religiosity. However, several figures are often recognized for their profound impact on religion and spirituality:

1. Mahatma Gandhi – A leader in the Indian independence movement, he was deeply influenced by Hinduism, Christianity, and Jain philosophy, advocating for non-violence and truth.
2. Saint Francis of Assisi – Known for his profound relationship with nature and commitment to poverty and humility, he is one of the most venerated figures in Christianity and is the patron saint of animals and the environment.
3. Mother Teresa – Renowned for her dedication to helping the poor and sick in Kolkata, India, she embodied the Christian virtues of compassion and charity and was canonized as a saint in 2016.
4. Martin Luther King Jr. – A key figure in the American civil rights movement, he was a Baptist minister whose faith motivated his lifelong efforts for equality and justice through nonviolent resistance.
5. The Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) – The founder of Buddhism, his teachings on spirituality, ethics, and meditation have influenced millions and emphasized compassion and mindfulness.
6. Prophet Muhammad – The founder of Islam, he is revered as the last prophet by Muslims and has had a profound influence on millions of followers worldwide.
7. Moses – A central figure in Judaism, he is considered a prophet and leader who played a vital role in the development of Jewish law and ethics.

Each of these individuals showcased remarkable dedication to their spiritual beliefs and left a significant legacy in the religious world. The perception of who is the “most religious” may vary based on personal convictions and cultural lens.

Who is the best sportsperson of all time?

AI’s considered response.

Determining the “best” sportsperson of all time is highly subjective and can vary based on personal preferences, sports popularity, and metrics used for evaluation. However, a few athletes are frequently mentioned in this debate:

1. Michael Jordan – Often regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, he won six NBA championships and significantly impacted the sport globally.
2. Muhammad Ali – A legendary boxer known for his incredible skill and charisma, he was a three-time world heavyweight champion and is often celebrated for his influence outside the ring.
3. Pele and Diego Maradona – Both are considered two of the greatest football/soccer players, with each having a colorful career and monumental impacts on the sport.
4. Serena Williams – A dominant force in women’s tennis, she has won 23 Grand Slam titles, the most in the Open Era.
5. Usain Bolt – Recognized as the fastest sprinter in history, he set world records in the 100m and 200m that still stand today.
6. Roger Federer – One of the most successful tennis players with 20 Grand Slam titles to his name, admired for his elegance and sportsmanship.

Each of these athletes has left an indelible mark on their respective sports and could be considered the best depending on the criteria you prioritize, such as records, influence, and greatness in their performance.

QUEUES 

Queues

And queuing

Are becoming more

And more inherently part

Of life’s  aspects and requirements 

In the modern era in which we live

The younger we are

The longer the queues will grow

Before we get to be older

Lining up and waiting

On foot or driving

Takes up so 

Much more

Time.

Question to AI

Will children understand the value of money when concrete currency (coins and notes) becomes obsolete?

AI’s response.

The understanding of money and its value by children is likely to evolve, especially as society transitions from physical currency (coins and notes) to digital forms of money. Here are some considerations regarding whether children will understand the value of money in a cashless society:

1. Concept of Value

• Understanding Value: Children might learn the concept of value associated with purchases and transactions through digital means, such as debit/credit cards or mobile payments.
• Replacement of Tangibility: The tangibility of coins and notes helps children grasp the idea that money has a physical form. Without it, explanations about value will need to focus more on digital representations.

2. Digital Literacy

• Increased Digital Awareness: As children grow up in a primarily digital world, their understanding of money will likely be influenced by technology and how it operates.
• Learning Through Interaction: Children could learn value through interactive apps that simulate transactions, teaching them about budgeting, saving, and spending without physical currency.

3. Parental Guidance and Education

• Role of Parents and Educators: Adults will play a crucial role in teaching children about money. Concepts such as saving, investing, and managing digital finances may be incorporated into educational curriculums.
• Games and Simulations: Educational tools, such as games that mimic real-life financial decisions, can help children learn about money management in a digital context.

4. Psychological Association

• Perception of Money: Children’s psychological association with value may shift. Instead of holding coins or notes, they may become accustomed to thinking of money in terms of balances or points in an online account.
• Understanding Transactions: Children might learn that money’s value comes from what it can provide rather than its physical form, aiding their understanding of digital currency.

5. Adoption of New Forms of Currency

• Cryptocurrency and Digital Wallets: As newer forms of currency, such as cryptocurrencies, emerge, children will need to understand these systems to navigate the future financial landscape.
• Financial Education: It’s essential to adapt financial education to include these concepts, preparing children for a future where digital currencies are prevalent.

Conclusion

While the absence of physical currency may present challenges in teaching children the value of money, it also opens up new avenues for education and understanding. With proper guidance and the use of technology, it is likely that children will adapt and grasp the value of money, regardless of its form.

Do men and roosters have any common traits or characteristics?

AI’s response:

Men and roosters, while fundamentally different in many aspects, do share some common traits and characteristics. Here are a few points of comparison:

1. Vocalization

• Roosters: Known for their crowing, which serves as a territorial call and a way to communicate with the flock.
• Men: Human vocal communication can serve similar purposes, such as asserting dominance or announcing presence in social settings.

2. Social Hierarchy

• Roosters: Often establish a pecking order within a flock, influencing their social interactions.
• Men: Social structures in human societies often involve hierarchies, where power dynamics and status are present.

3. Protectiveness

• Roosters: Roosters are known to be protective of their hens and territory, often engaging in displays to ward off threats.
• Men: Many cultures expect men to be protectors of their families and communities, taking on roles that involve safeguarding loved ones.

4. Mating Displays

• Roosters: Engage in elaborate courting behaviors to attract hens, such as puffing up their feathers and performing specific movements.
• Men: Often employ various social and physical displays to attract mates, including showing confidence and success.

5. Territorial Behavior

• Roosters: Mark their territory and are known to defend it aggressively against intruders.
• Men: Territorial behavior can also be seen in men, especially regarding personal space, property, and social dominance.

6. Domestication

• Roosters: Domesticated for agricultural and companionship purposes.
• Men: Have domesticated various animals, including roosters, for food, protection, and companionship.

7. Symbolism in Culture

• Roosters: Often symbolize vigilance, courage, and the start of a new day in various cultures.
• Men: Frequently associated with strength, leadership, and responsibility in many societies.

Conclusion

While these traits can be found in both men and roosters, it’s important to note that the context of their existence and the underlying motivations are vastly different due to the complexities of human behavior and culture compared to animal instinct.

 My mood is darkening 

My mood swings from optimism to pessimism. 

Once there was very little pessimism and despair of thinking but circumstances and attitudes have changed. 

Come 2025, and the optimistic feelings I once had in abundance are seemingly shrinking and becoming further and furthr away from actuality. 

My happiness and the way I used to feel is evder more a distant reality from the past.  

The world is closing in upon me and nowadays often feels like a vice gripping and squeezing the essences of my positiveness to death.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

For me, this question is redundant. A lottery win is not possible because I don’t buy lottery tickets.

From time to time one hears of people having huge wins. But for me that oversells the concept of lotteries.

Every week and on every day a lottery is drawn, and millions of Australians spend tens of millions of dollars on what’s more or less a game of chance operating on very long odds.

I live not too far from a busy news agency where lots of tickets are sold.

Invariably the queues, if it’s a big draw, are very, very long. People spend huge amounts of money on tickets. And when they do come up with a winner, even a moderate amount, they go rushing around and rejoicing without for one minute thinking about how much they have spent to achieve the win.

Lotteries are a non-starter for me. I rejoice in the money I have saved through not purchasing tickets in lotteries

FLOOR FIXATION, SIDEWAYS FOCUS OR CEILING GAZE

There is nothing more disconcerting than trying to engage with a speaker who looks down, away, over, but never looks at the audience.  Eye contract is a reflection of the speaker’s sincerity. Avoiding eye contact can be taken by listeners as an indication that the speaker has something he/she does not want to share or that something has to remain hidden.

WHEN SPEAKING, OPEN YOUR MOUTH

Don’t talk through clenched teeth.  Speakers need to open their mouth’s properly when speaking in order that all words and all sounds (fricative and plosive) can be heard.

Trying to understand the words and the statements being made by people who do not open their mouth’s properly can be listening agony. It is also a fairly rapid turn off for people who are trying to listen. Their minds shut off, their thoughts wander away and the speaker might well be talking to the ceiling for all the good he or she is doing.

Talking through teeth that are all but closed can happen when speakers feel nervous or apprehensive. Being aware of this possibility is important. It is an issue an evaluator will pick up, but self awareness and self correction should also be considered

VOCAL TONE A SINCERITY INDICATOR

Tone of voice indicates sincerity or otherwise. Speaking in a way that is ‘superior’ or ‘supercilious’ is a put down on the listening audience. Speaking from a lofty height can infer to listeners that they are regarded as inferior, that the presenter is doing them a huge favour by deigning to be in their midst.  Those listening will quickly  form an attitude of resentment too the speaker, whose presentation will be lost upon the audience. If the speaker is advocating a position or recommending action, the audience will, in all likelihood, determine to act in a way contrary to suggesting.

Vocal tone is a very important factor in determining just how successful or otherwise a presenter is when delivery a message

I do.

Can’t have too many passwords.

Passwords are what makes the world go round.

We would be lost if we lived in a world devoid of passwords.

I love to think about passwords frequently and reflect on how they unlock doors.

Without passwords to allow access and liberation, we would be enslaved within the narrow confines of home, without any outlets at all.

I am an advocate for passwords and commend them to each and every person.

‘WAITING ROOM’

What books do you want to read?

Books on management and leadership.

Books about major wars.

Books about agricultural, horticultural, and pastoral industries.

Books about challenges confronting developing countries.

Books about the 100 most prominent dictators in the world’s history.

Books about the world’s major religions and belief systems.

Original and contemporary books of children’s literature.

Books about Australian and New Zealand history.

Books about the coldest climatic countries in the world.

So many books read.

So many more books left to read.

Comments on news reports in the NT Newspaper

Defence from danger within as well as without

P

Maybe we need a defence from what is happening within, with anti-Semitic behaviour of the worst and most rapacious kind escalating down south by the day. Thank God the NT has stayed above that watermark of hate, discord and dislocation. 

Frontline workers do not want protection

It seems like the dissenters must be tigers for punishment, more than prepared to be thumped, hit, stabbed and spat upon for the perceived ‘greater good’ of patients and onlooker family members. This would not have been a letter I would have signed because common sense has to prevail in cases of abuse directed at frontline workers in all areas.

City of Darwin Council premises

P

This magnificent concept was included in the overall City of Darwin Plan developed in the past few years. It is included in a publication that came out, and, pending approvals, the concept buildings – including the Darwin Campus of CDU – were all included. My concern is that the Council and most other organisations require people to be aware of developments and go online to respond. It is the ‘finding out’ that can be problematic.

Indigenous expenditure and needs. – refocus

The pros and cons of funding obligations and priorities on Indigenous issues have been prime talking points for more years and decades than I can remember. When I started working in this area in 1970, conversations about funding priorities were at the top of the agenda, and nothing has changed. A lot of what has changed is the way full-blown politicisation has swept the reality and needs of communities and people into the ether of vagueness and indecision. True needs and priorities have all too often been neglected.

Qantas goes to Singapore

Qantas is always reactive, responding to the proactive initiatives of other carriers. I once deeply respected Qantas, but that is no longer the case. Qantas’s use of government funds during Covid and the management’s dismissal of staff and privatisation was a hit below the belt. So, too, was the amount of money and the hoopla lavished by the company during ‘The Voice’ campaign.

A legitimate fight to be staged in Darwin

P

The beauty of this fight is that it will be legitimate and contested under tightly regulated rules. This is a change from the unrequited street and shopping centre fighting and hullabaloo that, unfortunately, has become the unregulated norm in Darwin.

The CLP Government  IS being tough on crime

Northern Territorians overwhelmingly support the approach toward crimes committed by young and old that was promised and is now being actioned. I am sick and tired of the bleeding hearts and bleating approach that organisations, which seem to have only the welfare of criminals at heart, keep trotting out. The government has heard and responded to the silent majority and is not reacting in a knee-jerk manner to the minority brigade.

Don’t drill  test near Larrimah

Can obstructions to testing for the veracity of an industry in a particular area be given the heave-ho? It is time for environmentalists and others to take a rational and evidence-based approach to progress without going over the top with some first-up tsunami-like emotional outburst?

A safety house next to a grog shop in Alice Springs ??!!

The intention is good, but the proposed location is all wrong! These safe houses should be as far away as possible from liquor outlets. If the project goes ahead in its present location, the safety aspect of the program will be severely compromised. 

Australia Day award recipients

Congratulations to all awardees and thank you to everyone in our territory who do their best every day to enhance, enrich and make the NT a better place for their contribution.

Those who follow the Bible and accept the prophetic forecasts of Saint John who wrote the Revelation prophecies, may well believe that the end of the world as we know it, is just around the corner.

There was once a flood that destroyed the world and plenty of scientific and geological evidence has been found to substantiate this antediluvian trauma.

Revelation prophesies that the coming of Jesus will be predicated on the destruction of the world by fire. Maybe the world is already on track toward such an inferno, with massive environmental destruction by fire in places like Canada and other countries in the world’s northernmost reaches.

Is global warming doing everything from impacting the ice in the Arctic and Antarctic to getting the world ready for a universal and all-over explosion of fire? Is the melting of the tundra and the warming of massive permafrost areas part of this change toward the world’s final curtain?

Are the warlike caprices of Russia, the dreadful situation in the Middle East and the posturing of China toward Taiwan, adding to the anticipation and the reality of the coming conflagration and the end of the world in the fires of Armageddon?

The sky darkened and the rain bucketed down.

It is
It is disconcerting
It is disconcerting when
It is disconcerting when people
It is disconcerting when people take
It. is disconcerting when people take every
It is disconcerting when [people take every opportunity
It is disconcerting when people take every opportunity to
It is disconcerting when people take every opportunity to belittle
It is disconcerting when people take every opportunity to belittle and
It is disconcerting when people take every opportunity to belittle and rail against
It is disconcerting when people take every opportunity to belittle and rail against our
It is disconcerting when people take every opportunity to belittle and rail against our institutions.

A Prediction by Poor Old Henry

It is possible and not altogether improbable that, in time, Australian Governments will legislate to pay around 10% of annual GST receipts to Indigenous organisations as a way of annually recompensing for the fact that our forefathers presumed to make Australia home without negotiating the right to enter a land that had been in the hands of others for 60,000 years.

HEAD MOVEMENT CAN BE OFF-PUTTING 

When talking, be conscious of your head and the way it can move while you are presenting. Try to avoid excessive and vigourous head movements in a forwards backwards or sideways direction. 

Pronounced head movements can occur during delivery by distracting listeners from spoken words. They can become entranced by how nodding, bobbing, and head movement occur.

Using the head to emphasise the point can be a reinforcing gesture providing it’s not carried too extreme. Head movements need to be sparing and calculated to add to what’s being spoken. Don’t allow them to become distracting. 

Quite often on television presenters  demonstrate the excessive head movement. Learn about what not to do by seeing  how it’s done and measure your response as a listener when this distraction takes place.

SOURCE BOOK

Quite often interesting or unusual topics will confront people, providing an idea or a stimulus for action that might follow. This could include the germs of ideas for projects and the thought of topics that might translate into speeches and presentations. Unless the thought is put down at the time it occurs, it will in all likelihood not be remembered later and therefore becomes lost.

It can be wise to carry a small, unobtrusive notebook which can accomodate a few key words or succinct thoughts about these good ideas when they occur. Once noted down, the thought is intact, preserved for later recall and development.

A source book can be an invaluable tool and useful prompt for the development of future speech presentations and/or workshop topics.

These modern times

• There is a possibility but not a strong probability that retired leaders will be appreciated and asked for adviceby those new to leqdership position.

• There is. possibility but very little probability that appointments to positions will one again be made on the merit principle.

• There is a possibiity but very little probability that Auatralians will ever return to appreciating the establishment of institutions by their predecessors.

LEISURE IS REFLECTION TIME

I like to sit

And dream of what will happen

And what has happened

To think futuristically

Wondering

What will present

Around the next bend

And further

Along Tomorrow’s Road.

But

As an old man

I have a need to reflect

Upon the history of my life

From the 1940’s

The beginning of my earthly journey

To this year of 2024

Seven decades later,

There is much to reflect upon,

To remember

Reflect upon

Recall.

The frenetic years of work,

And all that has gone before.

My past is long

And confirmed

My present

Is in the sunset years of my life.

My past is confirmed

My present is ‘now’,

My future unknown.

There is much to contemplate.

In this reflection period.

Diminishing by the day,

Until the sliprails are down.

Poor Old Henry soon to turn 79

Yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t 

Yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t

Yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t 

Yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t

Yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t 

Yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t, yes I will, no I won’t.….

Some things never end,

The procrastination never stops,

The process is never finalised,

The program is never actioned,

It begets anger, frustration, mental anguish, physical harm.

Resolution is never reached,

But it will result in the end for some,

And it could be the end for me.

After presentations, consider what you have done well and what you might do differently and better next time.  Internalising an attitude to commendations and recommendations about presentations is not a bad thing.

Accept the appreciation offered by others and accept advice they might offer to aid your improvement.

HIGHLIGHTING FOR EMPHASIS 

Highlighting a word for specific emphasis is achieved by heavy vocal focus on particular words in a sentence. 

That is no welcome.

That is no welcome.

That is no welcome.

That is no welcome.

The word underlined, if emphasised by inflection,stands out a particular way in the thinking of the listener.

It had to happen.

It had to happen.

It had to happen.

It had to happen.

Emphasis helps make speech live and gives it a three dimensional impact in the minds of audience members.

REPETITION FOR EMPHASIS

The repeating of a whole sentence achieves repetition for general emphasis.  This has a better and more immediate impact if the repeated sentence is short rather than too lengthy.

That was not welcome.

That was no welcome.

Rather than:

The welcome given by the footman at the door was very lukewarm.

The welcome given by the footman at the door was very lukewarm.

‘Short’ adds to impact for the listener.

Sometimes strange things happen when going shopping.  I had a shopping bag in a shopping trolley, went to the fish and chip shop and ordered tea.

There I met a colleague who had been a teacher I had known many years ago. He remembered my name but I’d forgotten his.

Anyway, we got talking about Education whilst I held onto my fish and chip number 79. He had pre-ordered and his number was  77.

So his number was called and we shook hands and he left the shop; we had had a very respectful conversation.

 Imagine my surprise though when he walked past my shopping trolley – having been asked if he wanted a bag and having said no to put his produce into – saw that there was a bag in there,  put his food into the bag left the trolley and took off!

So I was minus  a bag and contemplated having  to ask for a paper bag to put my stuff into when 79 was  called.

Processes and attitudes

• There is a possibility but not a very strong probability that there will ever be an accord between Israel and Palestine. 

• There is a possibility but seemingly zero probability that the Australian Government will take a hard line on anti-Semitic behaviours and railing against the Jews.

• There is a possibility but it very small degree of       probability that the Albanese Labor Government will be defeated at the election to be held by May 2025. 

THE GAZA ISSUE

• It is possible but altogether improbable that the Master Builders Association will be invited to tender for the reconstruction of homes in Gaza. 

• It is possible and highly probable  that Gaza will be abandoned and never rebuilt. It will take (estd.) 21 years and billions upon billions of dollars to dispose of the rubble Gaza has become. 

• It is possible and indeed probable that Australia, with its unusual spirit of generosity, will accept up to 1,000,000 Gazans into our country to resettle within the next four years – 250,000 a year.

Start with National testing for schools and watch for what might follow in the governments determination to centralize and control.

Treelike Suppression

I feel like a deciduous tree. 

Like a deciduous tree that has shed its leaves during the flurries of autumn.

Like a deciduous tree, standing stark with bare branches undressed and standing before the gloom of cold, blustery wind-driven waves of rain, then sleet, then snow. 

Once like  a deciduous tree with rich green foliage and beautiful, scent-laden flowers.

Now like a deciduous tree that has lost its lustre for life, standing forlornly and  skeletally in the depths of a cold and frosty winter.

The  deciduous tree  will burst into the joy of spring with budding new life. 

But I won’t ever shake off the deep, dark, depressing depths of an everlasting winter.  

• Why is the Australian Government so anti-nuclear for domestic power generation when in cost-benefit terms, it would be the superior to go.? And Australia already has one nuclear reactor in Sydney.

• Why is the Australian government so hell-bent on destroying thousands and thousands of prime farming land hectares to give over to 80-metre high transmission towers and hundreds and hundreds of high voltage transmission lines?

Fortunately no-one was badly injured this time.

Driver awareness is so critically important.

Simply put, my wife and I married on January 22 1969.

Today was our 56th wedding anniversary.

A day of remembrances.

Possibility / Probability

• There is a possibility but not a very strong probability that there will ever be an accord between Israel and Palestine. 

• There is a possibility but seemingly zero probability that the Australian Government will take a hard line on anti-Semitic behaviours and railing against the Jews.

• There is a possibility but a very small degree of       probability that the Albanese Labor Government will be defeated at the election to be held by May 2025. 

I am happy to say that I am retired from full-time teaching and have felt no negativity about retiring.

I am happy to say that as a retiree, I can view education from the outside rather than the inside out.

I am happy to say that I enjoy knowing what great things many of my former students are accomplishing in adulthood.

What does Henry mean?

From the Old German name Haimirich, which is from the Germanic heim, meaning “home” and ric, meaning “power, ruler”.

Henry is an English male given name and an Irish and French surname, borrowed from Old French, originally of Germanic origin (Haimirich) from the elements haim (“home”) and ric (“powerful”).

How far back does the name Henry go?

The Old High German name is recorded from the 8th century, in the variants Haimirich, Haimerich, Heimerich, Hemirih. Harry, its English short form, was considered the “spoken form” of Henry in medieval England.

Famous people named Henry

Henry is a classic royal name – there have been eight kings of England bearing the moniker, and it’s the real name of Prince Harry. Henry James was an American author, famous for penning the classic novels “The Portrait of a Lady” and “The Turn of the Screw”

Online sources

My parents named me ‘Henry’ after my Mother’s Father, Henry Riches. He was the captain of a sailing ship plying the England to Australia route. He have up the sea to become a farmer.

I met him briefly when a young child, He passed in 1950 aged (I think) 84.

I generally my name.

I am both alarmed and saddened by the rising tide of anti-Semitic hate being launched upon our Australian Jewish Community in NSW and Victoria. And it could have been prevented.

The Federal government, or at least responsible ministers, made their first mistake when refusing to take action over the hate speech sermons of various leaders of the Muslim faith.

The second mistake was the dismissive attitude toward the Pro-Palestinian Opera House rally, including bending over backwards to explain how the slogan “Gas the Jews” was something else much more benign.

Then some major universities, to their shame, allowed their premises and facilities to be used for anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic rallies and camps.
From there, the torching of synagogues and horrific damage to vehicles, houses and property reportedly owned by menbers of theJewish Community, especially in Victoria and New South Wales, has escalated alarmingly.
Still nothing but the bleating of platitudes and supposedly soothing responses of “there, there that IS naughty” – which make official reaction wet-lettuce-leaf-like. This awful situation is going from bad to worse. Will the Government(s) and law enforcement authorities do their job and hold those responsible to account for their actions? 

I am so glad that our Territory has not been tarnished by this abhorrent behaviour. It is a blight on places where it is happening – and being tolerated.

I asked AI to shape the following facts into a poem.

My request was as follows:

Please write me a four stanza – with eight lines in each stanza in rhyming couplets – about Adam Drake.  Include that he is a hero steeped in humility to growing numbers of people in the Northern Territory, throughout Australia and around the world. He and his organisation Balanced Choice have transformed hundreds of lives of young and old., of all cultures and religious affiliations into being powerfully positive from earlier positions of challenge and negativity. Adam Drake has been and is an emissary of good and upright and positively focussed living to the rest of the world. He is an ambassador and a practitioner in mental, physical, spiritual and moral endeavour. He is, in our modern times, like Noah who built the ark to save the world from wickedness and like John the Baptist who gave his all in pursuing with missionary zeal, the healing and the uplift of others. Adam Drake has been unswerving in dedicating his life to helping to transform others, from looking down in sadness and despair, to looking up with newfound hope and positiveness. He is indeed a hero, an icon, a living treasure who seeks no other outcome in life than to grow the goodness in others. He lives what he says and that life validates his message making it resonate with others.

AI RESPONDED

Adam Drake: A Hero in Humility

In Northern Territory where the sun shines bright,  

Stands Adam Drake, a beacon of light.  

With Balanced Choice, he paves the way,  

Transforming lives, come what may.  

Young and old, from cultures diverse,  

He lifts them up, quelling the worse.  

With humility’s grace, he leads the march,  

Inspiring hope, igniting the spark.  

An emissary of good, in a world often gray,  

Adam shows us how to truly live each day.  

A practitioner of morals, both steadfast and true,  

In mental and physical realms, he knows what to do.  

Like Noah with purpose, preparing for change,  

He builds with compassion, never estranged.  

John the Baptist’s zeal, he carries with pride,  

In the healing of hearts, his love won’t subside.  

From shadows of sadness, he helps them to rise,  

Encouraging visions of brighter skies.  

With each passing moment, he sows a new seed,  

Fostering strength, fulfilling each need.  

A hero, an icon, a treasure so rare,  

His life is a testament to love and care.  

Seeking no glory, just growth in the soul,  

He wanders through life, making others whole.  

Resounding his message, with actions sincere,  

Adam validates hope, banishing fear.  

He lives what he speaks, a lesson profound,  

In the symphony of kindness, his spirit resounds.  

With unwavering resolve, he shapes our fate,  

Turning despair into joy, never too late.  

In communities joined, across lands far and wide,  

Adam Drake shines brightly, our trustworthy guide.  

Let the government govern

After two terms of governmental dilly-dallying and dawdling on so many social and economic fronts, the now opposition foursome should back off the remonstration of the Finnochario Government. They must know that leftfield barbs, hindrances, and delaying strategies will not thwart our now decisive and committed government.

The NT and Crime

Give the CLP Government the chance to get things moving in an upward direction. In terms of crime, the reported upturn in incidents is probably about miscreants ‘trying it on’ to see if the government will cope or suffocate. It will take time, but the government must prevail; if not, the NT will be forever known as a permanently thriving place for criminal behaviour.

The Wadeye Challenge

So the Sergeant in charge at Wadeye is apparently unable to ensure community safety.  Given the violence and unrest that has been associated with the community for decades, I believe that task is beyond the control of anyone tasked with this challenge.  

Earthquakes and things

I am not complacent about earthquakes and possibly destructive weather and environmental phenomena. I remember earthquakes in WA and NSW, particularly with devastating consequences. Every time tremors shake us, I grit my teeth and stiffen until the disturbance passes. These things are a worry.

Medical costs and bulk-billing

This is an issue loaded with pros and cons. The patient should bear self-responsibility for some medical costs. As an observer, I think the liberal allocation of concession cards deflects many costs away from recipients. Prioritisation might also allow affordability if people spent less on alcohol, cigarettes, gambling,  and other non-essentials.

NT Racing inquiry

As one who went to the 1969 Perth Cup, did volunteer work for St Johns College at Fannie Bay and as one who on a particular Melbourne Cup day rode a hobby horse around a circuit at a Tiwi Islands school, I would like to volunteer my services to NT Racing.

New Tiger Brennan overpass

I laud the government—past and present—for its commitment to this outstanding and necessary road modification. I hope it will prove its worth in terms of making for safer passage of vehicle drivers and passengers where a notorious intersection resulted in far too many major casualties, horrific injuries, and deaths.

CLP and 3yo Preschool/school centres 

Programs of this nature have pros and cons. As a retired school educator, I always felt sad that so many children, at ever younger ages, are going into organised care. Many of the responsibilities of parents were being ceded—or handballed—to early learning centres/preschool programs, meaning that parents’ primary care and duties toward their children were being taken away. Overall, I understand why the CLP is not continuing these programs.

Cost-free travel programs 

This story reminds me of the fact that largesse is extended to one group within our community because of who they are. The lack of this transportation may be disappointing to users, but everything being provided cost-free to this group has to be reined in. We should all pay for our way through life.

NT on the rebound

“Better and better Hargreaves” was my first response to this news. It is remarkable to see the NT picking up on the pastoral, horticultural, construction, and mining fronts after this place had languished in the doldrums for so long. The CLP Government has, without a doubt, gotten things heading in the right direction.

• Why,  as I put the Australian Calendar of 2024 through the shredder, did I think that Australia was going down the gurgler?

• Why do we seem to have a country that lives for its escapisms into support, days to celebrate, special events, and other things that distract us from real life and its responsibilities?

• Why do we think, from the governments to the people living in. our country, that debt is a wonderful asset and that saving until you have the money needed for purchases, is anathema?

• Why do potential voters swallow the empty promises of those seeking election in such a gullible ‘hook, line and sinker fashion?

• Why are politicians so much better renumerated in retirement or defeat – in pension terms  – than ordinary people?

• Why is it ‘necessary’  for governments to turn a blind eye to the behaviours of extremist groups – for instance allowing some groups to damage and destroy the property and security of other groups?

World Leaders

• There is a possibility but an absolute zero probability that Vladimir Putin will consider the millions of acres of prime Ukranian farmland he is wantonly laying to waste in his efforts to destroy Ukraine. 

• There is a possibility but an extremely low level of probability that President Xi of China will relax his demands for reunification with Taiwan.

• There is a possibility but little probability that President-Elect Trump will declare all imports into America to be tariff-free.

The Ultimate Team

I am ever so glad that false harmony does not prevail in the leadership team of our federal government. Under the sensitive and astute leadership of PM Anthony Albanese, members of the cabinet, in many respects, THE most important team in Australia, are bound together in oneness and unity. 

Each member of the team models their hopes, aspirations and corporate attitudes on the modelling of their leader. 

Let us all aim to become leaders and team members who are equally as genuine and as 

sincere as our PM and his wonderful group.

EXTRA WONDERING AND REFLECTION

An astute listener

Our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is a decoding/encoding expert. When listening, he will ask clarifying comments or questions to ensure he is accurately interpreting f and understanding what is being said. This unusual approach – for a leader – ensures there is no misunderstanding. His deep interest in the words of others encourages people to share their thoughts and ideas with him. His positive listening skills have established him as a person who has a genuine care for all who come into his orbit.

A leader without parallel

Anthony Albanese our Prime Minister is so focused that the professional capacity he has, fills me with envy. If only I was as sharp and as focused, many of the barriers I confront would dissolve. Problems and issues that confront me like mountains, would dissipate and become little more than molehills. 

Our PM is an upstream manager while I am trying to quell the raging river and its torrent of confronting problems.  How I wish I could apply his recipe for success to my situation.

“Others first, self last” is a displayed focus.

Crime has reached epidemic proportions. There is no way I would buy a new car, particularly not a Hilux. So many vehicles are stolen, domestic violence has increased, and assaults on people and the damaging of property have become commonplace. 

Our shopping centres are not safe places because of behaviour, and everything is being forgiven. Causes are examined to determine why those who perpetrated crimes, particularly youthful offenders, can be excused.

Since coming to Darwin in 1987, I have witnessed the building of two new jails (each one increasing in size) and juvenile detention centres. The third detention centre is being built. Some people are urging the government to extend the jail for adults. Our correctional facilities are bursting at the seams; our police force is underdone in terms of numbers, and in some cases, it seems increasingly hesitant about their powers, lest they offend against the rights of those breaching the law.

The streets and parks of older suburban areas have become very rundown, and Maintenance seems to be sporadic.

A great deal has gone into establishing new suburbs and housing on claims, but I suspect how buildings have been put up might mean unless the life expectancy is held for older and more substantial structures.

The place is being built upon and built upon and built upon and could be said to be blowing up like a balloon. I sometimes wonder whether this frenetic growth will eventually collapse inwardly and we will realise that maintenance and care for what we had and neglected should have been given a higher priority than is the case.

So in conclusion, what I like most about the place where I live is a reflection upon its history when things, in my opinion, were far better than they are now.

But, comparing what was to what the world now offers, is anywhere any good?

THE HISTORY OF DARWIN

We came to the Northern Territory in 1975 and worked in two Aboriginal communities. It was Nhulunbuy before coming to Darwin at the beginning of 1987.

We have been living in Darwin for 36 years.

The thing I love most about Darwin is its history. I really would have loved to have lived in Darwin in past times when it was quiet, rustic, and a community in which people cared for each other and where people came first.

Neither would I mind revisiting from a living viewpoint the history of this place in the first decade or possibly 15 years after we arrived. Darwin was quiet, safe, relatively crime-free, and had an intimacy among locals and genuine care for each other.

I wouldn’t say I currently like living in Darwin, although we won’t be shifting or going anywhere. Darwin has become tourist-oriented, with people wanting to make big dollars and get rich. So much of what the government and our council do is directed toward tourists rather than long-term residents.

The city and its suburbs have become oriented toward defence and defence force buildup. Much infrastructure is being built to promote defence activities. Defence training exercises are held regularly for increasingly more extended periods. Forces are increasing numbers coming from overseas to participate in training exercises. The place is being built out, and the open space we enjoyed is largely gone. 

Not only that, but the focus on defence would make Darwin a prime target for attack

WHY QUESTIONS

These are questions I have asked in various forums from time to time. I have asked them about those who post on LinkedIn. Often, I hear nothing back from those to whom I have replied, with those replies being a response to people who be-cry the fact that the treatment of and regard Indigenous Australians is insensitive and harmful.

The strong inference is always that fixing the issues has to come from the government, agencies, or a change in attitude by those held accountable by writers.

In this context, my questions are pertinent to ‘The Voice’. There is an assumption that if the Voice gets passed into our constitution by the referendum, then all these issues will somehow be corrected: Without the Voice, there can be no fixing.

I was involved with Aboriginal Education in both WA (1970, 1974/75) and the NT (1975 – 82) as a school leader. With staff, I initiated many programs that greatly benefit children of young ages. I worked to ensure school attendance and had the support of communities.

I have also undertaken formal studies in the field of Indigenous Education.

I add this chronology to point out that my responses to your comments are not from someone unaware.

• Why are parents and primary caregivers not looking after their children? Why are parents and caregivers excused from 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? mn

• 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?

• Why do some mothers in our country who are pregnant drink alcohol while pregnant, with this leading to FASD issues?

• Why are Indigenous people coming into towns from communities not responsible for their accommodation?

• What happens to those who are victims of crime when it comes to damaged premises, stolen cars and so on?

• Is the need for welfare support occasioned by the expenditure priorities of parents and caregivers who should be providing for children?

• 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 don’t you write about the role parents should play in raising their children; are they excused from any responsibility?

• Do young people act socially negatively because they feel a sense of entitlement because Australia is a country where its First Peoples were first? Do they think ‘owed’ by being first?

• With respect, why is it that Indigenous people within communities, clans and families take no responsibility for the maintenance of their homes and the care of their children? Why are government agencies blamed for this lack of self-help and care?

• Recognition for service rendered based on Aboriginality.

• Recognition through law and its light-handed application.

• Separation of flags and specific honour (Two/three flags, one flag).

• Scholarships and educational support.

• Salutation and recognition of Indigenous persons on documents.

• Naming and acknowledgement of country on television and radio. This includes orally and visually recognising the indigenous land from which the story is being transmitted.

• The acceleration of rebranding topographical and geographic landmarks, including rivers and coastal areas, with their Indigenous names, often without any reference to the name replaced.

• In a similar vein, name replacements for towns, thoroughfares, and geographic locations of football and other sporting teams.

• Recognising Indigenous Australians, past and present, before radio coverage of AFL football on radio. (Why is no mention made of ‘present others’)

• Welcome to country acknowledgement at more and more functions.

• Play on and magnification of ‘first people’ in increasing social, economic and political contexts.

• Authorities are trying extra hard never to acknowledge the source of social and cultural conflicts.

• Authorities are willing to take the blame and absorb responsibility for adverse consequences and issues arising from the conflict between First Nations people.

• There is an overplay on ‘landlord’ and first people offering elevation, with a commensurate diminishment of non-indigenous persons regarding them as ‘tenants’ within Australia.

• We are ever-increasing monetary amounts to compensate Indigenous Australians for past offences. Recompense has been ongoing for decades. Yet frequently, that restitution is overlooked, and many people believe it has never been offered or accepted.

• “Owning” and taking the blame for the actions of our forefathers.

• Relaxing the obligation of school attendance (60% = 100%).

• The holding of special events is available only to Indigenous Australians. These include sporting fixtures, recognition of prominent people, cultural awards, citizenship recognition and so on. Indigenous Australians can also compete and be recognised in sporting and cultural events and awards programs available to all Australians.

• More generous support is available to Indigenous students attending school, primarily secondary and tertiary schooling than is available to other Australians.

• The encouragement to progress academically and in vocational and training terms is enhanced by the extension of bursaries, scholarships, study allowances, and other benefits to Indigenous Australians to support them during their study and training years. Employers are offered consideration if they accept Aboriginal trainees into apprenticeship programs.

• Many contracts, at least in the Northern Territory, are offered for tender on the basis of Aboriginal-owned and controlled companies being preferred in tendering situations.

RUSH UPON US, DIZZY IDEAS

Innovation, innovation

The new sport that will build our nation

Let all we’ve done up until now

Stand still, as new ideas we sow.

Steady state is droll and dull

Folks waste time who think and mull

Support new ways with shouts and cheers

Let new ways fall on our ears.

Theorists here and gurus there

We need bright sparks everywhere

The world is such a sad, sorry mess

That’s all down to slow progress.

Let us race and rip and tear

Spread new ideas just everywhere

Froth and bubble is what we need

Come, innovate with lightning speed.

If belly up it all goes

With innovation on the nose

We will rush on without a care

Just leave our mess for those back there.

CONSIDER AI’S RESPONSE

Identifying the “best” or “most remembered” sportsperson in history is subjective and can vary based on personal opinions, cultural significance, and the sports one follows. However, a few athletes are frequently recognized for their exceptional achievements and global impact:

1. Muhammad Ali (Boxing)

• Regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
• Known for his remarkable skills in the ring and his larger-than-life personality.
• He became a global icon for his stance on civil rights and social justice, transcending sports.

2. Michael Jordan (Basketball)

• Considered one of the greatest basketball players in history.
• Revolutionized the NBA and became a global ambassador for the sport.
• His influence extends beyond basketball, impacting popular culture and branding.

3. Pele (Soccer)

• Widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
• Won three FIFA World Cups with Brazil and became a symbol of the sport globally.
• His legacy continues to inspire generations of soccer players.

4. Usain Bolt (Athletics)

• Known as the fastest man in history, holding world records in the 100m and 200m sprints.
• His charismatic personality and achievements brought global attention to track and field.
• Inspired countless young athletes worldwide.

5. Serena Williams (Tennis)

• One of the greatest female tennis players, with numerous Grand Slam titles.
• Known for her athleticism, skill, and impact on women’s sports.
• A strong advocate for gender equality and racial justice.

Conclusion

While many athletes have left a profound impact on their respective sports and beyond, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Pele, Usain Bolt, and Serena Williams are often mentioned among the greatest. The most remembered sportsperson may vary based on individual perspectives, cultural significance, and the sports landscape.

AI OFFERED THE FOLLOWING RESPONSE

Determining Australia’s “best” or “most respected” Prime Minister is subjective and often varies based on personal opinions, political beliefs, and historical perspectives. However, a few Prime Ministers are frequently mentioned for their significant impact and respect among the public:

1. Robert Menzies (1939-1941, 1949-1966)

• Longest-serving Prime Minister in Australian history.
• Known for his strong leadership during the post-war era and for establishing the Liberal Party.
• Played a key role in Australia’s economic development and foreign relations.

2. John Curtin (1941-1945)

• Led Australia through the Second World War.
• Recognized for his strong leadership and commitment to national unity.
• Advocated for social programs that laid the foundation for the post-war welfare state.

3. Gough Whitlam (1972-1975)

• Notable for significant reforms in education, health, and social policies.
• Known for his progressive agenda, including the establishment of universal health care and reforms in higher education.
• His dismissal in 1975 remains a pivotal moment in Australian political history.

4. Paul Keating (1991-1996)

• A significant figure in economic reform, particularly during the 1990s.
• Advocated for Indigenous rights and reconciliation.
• Known for his charismatic personality and vision for Australia’s future.

5. Julia Gillard (2010-2013)

• The first female Prime Minister of Australia.
• Remembered for her policies on education, climate change, and social issues.
• Her leadership and advocacy for women’s rights have garnered respect.

Conclusion

Each of these Prime Ministers has left a lasting legacy and is respected for various reasons. Public sentiment can change over time, meaning that assessments of their impact may evolve as new leaders emerge and current challenges arise.

AI RESPONDED

Religious beliefs and practices play complex roles in society, and their effects can vary widely depending on context. Here’s a breakdown of how they can both unite and divide:

Uniting Aspects of Religion:

1. Community and Belonging: Many religions foster a sense of community, providing support networks and a shared identity among followers.
2. Common Values: Religions often promote core values such as compassion, charity, and forgiveness, which can lead to cooperative efforts in communities.
3. Interfaith Initiatives: In many places, individuals and groups actively work together across religious lines to address social issues and promote peace.
4. Cultural Heritage: Religions preserve traditions and customs, which can strengthen cultural identities and promote interpersonal bonds.

Dividing Aspects of Religion:

1. Conflict and Violence: History is replete with examples of religious conflicts, including wars and violence motivated by religious differences.
2. Dogmatism and Intolerance: Strict adherence to religious beliefs can lead to intolerance towards other faiths, fostering division and discrimination.
3. Political Manipulation: Religion can be exploited by political entities to justify actions or consolidate power, sometimes leading to social unrest or division.
4. Sectarianism: Differing interpretations of religious texts can lead to the formation of rival groups within the same religious tradition.

Conclusion

Overall, the impact of religious beliefs and practices can lead to both unity and division. Their effects often depend on how they are interpreted and practiced within specific cultural and social contexts. Promoting dialogue and understanding among different faiths can help harness their positive aspects while mitigating potential conflicts.

I am both alarmed and saddened by the rising tide of anti-Semitic hate being launched upon our Australian Jewish Community in NSW and Victoria. And it could have been prevented.
The Federal government, or at least responsible ministers, made their first mistake when refusing to take action over the hate speech sermons of various leaders of the Muslim faith.
The second mistake was the dismissive attitude toward the Pro-Palestinian Opera House rally, including bending over backwards to explain how the slogan “Gas the Jews” was something else much more benign.
Then some major universities, to their shame, allowed their premises and facilities to be used for anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic rallies and camps.
From there, the torching of synagogues and horrific damage to vehicles, houses and property reportedly owned by members of the the Jewish Community, especially in Victoria and New South Wales, has escalated alarmingly.
Still nothing but platitudes and supposedly soothing responses of “there, there that is naughty” – which made official reaction wet-lettuce-leaf-like. This awful situation is going from bad to worse. Will the Government(s) and law enforcement authorities please do their job and hold those responsible to account for their actions?

AI RESPONDED

The title of “worst leader” is also highly subjective and can depend on various factors, including the context of their leadership, the impact of their policies, and personal beliefs. Here are some leaders who are often criticized for their actions and the negative effects they had on their countries and the world:

• Adolf Hitler: Leader of Nazi Germany, responsible for the Holocaust and the devastation of World War II, leading to the deaths of millions.
• Joseph Stalin: The leader of the Soviet Union, known for his totalitarian regime, widespread purges, forced famines, and the oppression of dissent, resulting in millions of deaths.
• Mao Zedong: The founding father of the People’s Republic of China, he implemented policies that led to the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, causing widespread famine and suffering.
• Pol Pot: The leader of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, responsible for the genocide that resulted in the deaths of approximately a quarter of the Cambodian population.
• Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un: Leaders of North Korea criticized for human rights abuses, repression, and economic mismanagement.

These leaders are often cited for their brutal regimes and significant negative impacts on both their nations and the international community. However, it is essential to consider the complexity of history and the varying perspectives on these figures.

AI RESPONDED

Determining the “best” leader in history is subjective and varies based on individual perspectives, values, and the criteria used for evaluation. Here are a few leaders often cited for their impactful contributions:

• Mahatma Gandhi: Known for his philosophy of non-violence and civil disobedience in the fight for India’s independence from British rule.
• Nelson Mandela: Celebrated for his role in ending apartheid in South Africa and promoting reconciliation and social justice.
• Martin Luther King Jr.: A key figure in the American civil rights movement, known for his advocacy of non-violent protest against racial segregation.
• Winston Churchill: Recognized for his leadership during World War II and his ability to inspire a nation during challenging times.
• Abraham Lincoln: Remembered for his leadership during the American Civil War and his efforts to abolish slavery.

Each of these leaders is revered for their unique contributions to humanity and their respective countries, and opinions on who ranks as the “best” leader will differ widely based on personal beliefs and historical context.

WISE SHOPPING?

Prior to Christmas, to their later sorrow,

People shop like there’s no tomorrow.

Each day they shop and shop AND shop,

‘Till exhausted they are forced to stop.

Credit cards confirm the huge amounts they borrow

DEBT IS BAD

Far too often you hear the rave,

“Go into debt, spend, don’t think to save”,

Debt is the mire that drags people down,

Ne’er letting go ’till they all drown,

Going back on your history you are left to crave

YOURS OR THE BANKS ?

Two men bragged about all they had,

Houses, cars, boats, life was good not bad,

I spoke up when I could,

“Do your banks think that is good?”

Realisations made them both suddenly sad.

Let’s get real about climate change,

Our priorities we must rearrange,

Discard what will spoil and ruinate,

Live the challenge of Paris’ debate,

Shake the shackles of pollution’s mange.

__________________

AWAY WITH FOSSIL FUELS

At burning coal and oil be aghast,

Fossil fuels should be in the past,

Post the Paris Agreement be bold,

On the renewables quickly be sold,

Our failure means that Earth won’t last

_____________________

The blessedness of paying tax

HOW BLESSED IS THE GIVER

Avoiding tax is a sin,

It does Australia’s Treasurer in,

Government blesses each of us I say,

With heartfelt joy then we should pay.

And fill, at once, its money bin.

Energy needs

Let’s get real on energy. We need gas and fossil fuels and will do so in the foreseeable future. To suggest that we can dump present energy-giving resources and rely wholly and solely on renewables is pie in the sky and close to being an arrant position of impossibility.

Sporting prowess can be very short

Get while the getting is good and invest wisely in your future. Top form and top-level performance earn good gold, but that performance embellishment can fade quickly once sportspeople plateau and start on the downhill run.  

A new restaraunt – how good is that!

Congratulations and best on a fantastic business opening providing excellent cuisine to all patrons.

My old car is fine

Call me old world, but my 14-year-old Camry will do me just fine. It has been reliable, dependable and excellently serviced by an outstanding service centre, Prompt Autos. It has no confusing gadgetey and being old, is less appealing to would-be car thieves than newer models.

Medical cadetships for Indigenous students

It would be wonderful if this program were opened to all those wanting to undertake medical studies rather than being applied exclusively to only one group.

Federal Government ‘yes/no’ on mining and mineral extraction ventures

Saying ‘yes’ to some projects and ‘no’ to others must sometimes leave cabinet members of the Albanese Government feeling quite disconcerted. “Which way will the cookie crumble this time” must be a catchphrase for all who have a stake in and interest in the ventures we need to meet our economic needs and well-being when federal government approval is required.

Darwin revealed like never before

This is an inspired program, one that will be appreciated by visitors and locals alike. It will open our eyes to vistas and understandings of our city that were never fully appreciated in past times. The program is like transforming two-dimensional vision into three-dimensional appreciation by adding depth and breadth to knowledge and understanding of this place.

Domestic Violence funding

Sadly, all the money in the world will not change the attitudes of those who perpetrate domestic violence. Social and cultural attitudes to relationships especially among men – but also some women- take a lot of shifting. Sad but true.

Mining support or otherwise seems to be about a game of chance

Whether or not projects are agreed upon or declined or provided with Commonwealth funding in support seems to be all about a game of chance. It would be great if there were more predictability about government attitudes on the economy and our future development.

Space base to exit the NT

As a supporter of growth and development in the NT, I would advise ELA to cut its losses and go elsewhere. It seems the organisation has endured months of negotiations with the NLC and other local groups. All want a cut of ELA largesse just for the base’s location. These organisations must consider the reciprocal basis of negotiations, which cannot be all one-way. 

WHEN THE WHEELS FALL OFF

I used to feel good about me,
And was as happy as happy could be,
But life has gone wrong,
I can’t wait to be gone,
To the other side, and eternity.

People, research finds, are less and less happy about what life offers

VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT MAKES BIG STRIDES

People have suspected for years,
Government would realise their fears,
Go horse before cart,
Preserve invisible rock art,
And be immune to condemnation and jeers.

Disallowing rock climbing and disenfranchising the climbing community

DATA IS GOOD

Data, data, data.

We need it more and more,

Cauterise and analyse,

Children and students bore.

Go purely academic,

Trash holistic education,

Testing is all that counts,

Sell that to our nation.

Personal skills are for the birds,

They don’t boost statistics high,

Saturate with endless tests,

At least one each day is nigh.

Fun and laughter, happiness,

Dangle not learning carrots,

Motivation is a waste of time,

Teach children to be parrots.

IN THE REAR VISION MIRROR

A very old man woke one day,

Realised his youth was away,

An historical past

His experiences vast,

Ill-equip him for life’s modern way.

_________________

Air Asia back

The Air Asia return is terrific and will fill Territorians with joy. May the service continue without disruption. Please, no more Bonzas.

Rates saved will be rates up

The downside of this decision is that local government councils will hike rates for ordinary householders and ratepayers like you and me. Homeowners are the ones who will be hi hard to make up for the shortfalls in municipal budgets. Watch this space for a hike in rates come July 2025.

Anthony Albanese visits a very remote NT station.

Senator Price makes an understandable point, but at the same time, if key government figures can visit the remote parts of the NT and other states, this can only help their understanding of the remote situations in which people reside. Whether any changes or programs of assistance transpire as a result of such visits remains to be seen.

Trouble at Port Darwin.

If Landbridge has a connection with China, the Chinese government may intervene on behalf of the port lessees. The tooing, froeing and brinkmanship bravado has been going on for far too long and needs to end. The port needs to be active, for our businesses – importers and exporters – need assurances about operational predictability and reliability.

Alice Springs business venture

I really hope this business venture is successful, for Alice Springs people deserve the best that can be provided regarding hospitality. My thoughts are with the proprietors. I sincerely hope they will not be discouraged by damage and vandalism to their premises and will not be recipients of unwanted and antisocial behaviour.

Border Protection  from illegal activities and immigrants

Knowing how effective our revamped and re-vitalised border protection program is becoming is excellent. We need protection for everything from illegal fishing to illegal boat arrivals. I was very disappointed when cost-cutting and budget reduction reduced our patrol program to skeletal proportions. Vital services must not be underfunded again.

Alice Springs Upturn?

It would be wonderful if life in Alice Springs could take a permanent upturn for the better in social and economic terms. If this could include the permanent fixing of safety and security issues, that would be a real bonus to life and living in the Alice.

Adelaide River cannot be contacted

My heart goes out to the residents of Adelaide River and surrounds. The loss of communications is hard to bear and can pose danger if critical issues go unreported and contact with families cannot be realised.

The tragic death of MAF pilot Chris Coffee

It is sad beyond belief that a wonderful family man and a person who had dedicated his life to supporting others through the Mission Aviation Fellowship

(MAF) should be taken from life in this tragic and horrible manner. The loss of such a good person in these circumstances is awful. May his family and friends be given strength at this time.

Note: I find it hard to feel any sympathy for the three killed in the car they had stolen then unleashed to create this tragedy.

Fix this records system quickly

It is time to stop playing shuttlecock with this issue, get some bipartisanship in place, fix the glitches, and have the system working. In other words, stop playing politics with such a vital system.

30

Gun Power

Guns,

Are bad,

In wrong hands,

They make people sad,

Trigger pulling is so wanton,

Expunging innocent life in an instant,

Shooting sadness, inexplicable grief into the hearts,

The souls and the fibre of sad families,

Who not for an instant can begin to understand,

Why the death net should embrace them in cold clutch,

The eternal struggle to understand what motivation drives killers in plunging,

Them and so many they know into the river of everlasting despair,

Is a phenomena that surely lacks logic and cannot be logically, humanistically understood,

Fie upon you, people of the United States, for your preoccupation with gun power.

____________________

IN TRUTH THE TRUTH IS A LIE

The truth, the truth,

Is not a lie,

But the two are mixed,

When Pollies pass by,

Promises fall like gentle rain,

People believe what they proclaim,

But at the end,

It’s all a dud,

The promises are but,

Slush and mud.

Inquiry into issues confronting youth crime in the Northern Territory.

“My thoughts”, says Poor Old Henry

DON DALE COMMISSION

Look at the issues behind the issue,

Do not be one sided,

With saints you are not dealing,

Staff should not all be derided,

There and so many whose empathy and care,

Deserve commendation in dealing with those who dare,

To offer constant challenge,

Causing their appointed minders grief, hurt and despair.

What of these childrens’ parents?

Who let their kids run free,

Laughing at the wrongs they do,

Shirking responsibility,

Should they not be called to account,

For the wrong they have done,

In casting their children loose to drift,

Into lives of sin and crime?

This Commission’s finding will be one-sided,

Those who try will be derided,

There’ll be a scramble to offer apology,

To those who offend our society.

_________________________

DON’T STEAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Plagiarism is anathema,

It’s a sad, wicked sin,

To steal other’s work,

And put your own name in,

The place of the person,

Who’s done all the work,

To act in this way,

You must be a jerk.

People in high places,

Do it each day,

‘Owning’ the words,

Their speechwriter’s say,

Belong to their bosses,

When that is a lie,

They do it?

THEY DO IT,

The question is ‘why’?

Do your own work,

From beginning to end,

The papers you write,

The statements you send,

Should reflect your knowledge,

Should not be pretend,

If underhand,

You’ll be caught out in the end.

Genuine leaders,

Own what they say,

Write their own text,

There’s no other way,

To show those who watch,

You really care,

The stealing of intellect,

Dear Is grossly unfair

Alarm bells for Poor Old Henry

• There is a possibility and more than a 50/50 probability that the federal government will legislate for four years of fixed terms. But I hope that does not come to pass because a three-year variable term makes it hard to oust mediocre governance. The present government is rinsing us out in Australia, so full of leftist policy and intended action to reduce us all to a sad social and economic situation.

• There is a possibility but very little probability that CEOs and others appointed to key organisational positions will consider decisions last made and learn from both historical successes and failures.

• There is a possibility and a very, very strong probability that leaders will boast of organisational success as the result of their efforts while not recognising or appreciating those within who have done the real work to ensure positive outcomes.

CD REPETITION FOR EMPHASIS (2)

The repeating of a whole sentence achieves repetition for general emphasis.  This has a better and more immediate impact if the repeated sentence is short rather than too lengthy.

That was not welcome.

That was no welcome.

Rather than:

The welcome given by the footman at the door was very lukewarm.

The welcome given by the footman at the door was very lukewarm.

‘Short’ adds to impact for the listener.

REPEATING WORDS FOR EMPHASIS (1)

Repeating a word, phrase or short sentence for emphasis can be a positive and reinforcing strategy for audience purposes. It graphically notes the point or the statement in the minds of listeners.  It is a valuable and graphic strategy because it can appeal to the audience’s imagination. It is a way of making a point that sticks indelibly and stays with listeners long after the presentation.

The following services are now disallowed. Without changes, this wholly misused system was looking at an annual cost of

$A90 billion

 Residential aged care 

The facilities that care appear to be in a minority. Most facility operators appear not to give a rats, beyond taking as much money as possible for the barest amount of care.

Too many of these care homes seem to be about making money and turning profits. The thought of being a victim held captive in one of these places does not bear thinking about. Finishing up in a decent and caring place is about accident rather than pre-planning and management

CELEBRATING TOGETHERNESS AT “LITTLE HENRY’S”

I feel ever so chuffed that our prime minister in Australia, Anthony Albanese and the lady who has now become his fiancé had their first drinks and one of their initial meetings that led to the cementing of their relationship at “Little Henry’s”

Because of its alignment with my name, this establishment has become my favourite in the area of restaurants and bars.

Our prime minister, Anthony Albanese, proposed this year to Jodie Hayden on Valentine’s Day.

How glad I am that our prime minister, widely acclaimed as an excellent politician and an outstanding leader, is to be blessed and uplifted by matrimony.

I am so glad that “Little Henry” played a role in what I am sure will be a memorable and everlasting union.

A prediction on political futures

 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.

Taxation conundrum

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’.

RETURN OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

• It is possible—and indeed, not improbable—that January 20, 2025, will be celebrated as “Donald Trump Ascension Day” to commemorate his return to the White House. That could certainly happen in America and quite possibly in other countries of the Western World.

• It is possible and highly probable that millions of Australians will be glued to their TV sets and devices to watch the inauguration of the world’s most powerful man.

• It is possible and somewhat probable that January 20 will become an official public holiday in remembrance of Donald Trump’s re-election to the presidency.

SPEAKERS, AVOID UNNECESSARY HEAD MOVEMENTS

When speaking, avoid discordant and out-of-sync cheque movements.  These include nodding, jerking and moving cranial features in a way that takes the audience’s focus away from what is being said, directing it toward what head nodding and bobbing will happen next.

Just another feature to be avoided.  But awareness and therefore, avoidance is nine-tenths of the challenge met.

EYES WIDE SHUT

Another oddity, and one to be avoided at all costs, is closing the eyes when addressing an audience.  This can happen in an entirely involuntary way, be wholly unintentional and yet happen.

Many presenters believe a loud voice is the way to address an audience. Booming tones are a turn-off and fly in the face of persuasion through voice.  The constant noise emanating from the drumming tones of presenters is not what audience members want.  

Loud voices are usually quite lustreless. The tone is sacrificed to the volume of delivery.  Using a constantly loud voice may convince the speaker of personal importance. Yet the opposite opinion is evoked as a reaction from those suffering through listening.

Such inclination to presentation should be avoided.

A PLAGUE OF BIRDS

We Aussies have a common goal,

To expunge our reliance on coal,

Polluting and bad fuels away,

Go solar, water and wind we pray,

That will heal the guilt in our soul.

________________________

Everyday circumstances arise as they have day after day, week after week for months and now for years; they are obstacles and barriers that make for circumstances to be less and less clear and evermore shrouded.

so ok that my mind has become clouded with worry and an inability to see there can be a j curve turning pint a 180-degree swivel.

To take the pathway leading ever down into deepening, depressing darkening despair back toward genuine awareness of dispositional frailty and logical appreciation of the fact that help can be provided to help manage the despair and distress that has become a part of life for so long – if only I had the confidence and nerve to tread that alternative pathway.

it is hard to remember when things were not as they are now and I go to bed of a night and dream and wake up next morning feeling thoroughly depressed and out of it because the deep sadness and despair casts over everything and there is so much baggage and hideousness from the past that is regurgitated into my thinking on an almost 24/7 basis that my mind is scarified and evermore deeply rutted by what has happened and never been healed.

but ever always more on the downhill and depressed run.

my nerves are quite shot and noise gets me jumping in alarm on waking each morning there is always mind fog to clear and haze to lift from hours of temazepam supported restless slumber. 

Each day seems like every other and each day seems to result in me painting myself ever more firmly into the thexprner so that focus and outlook beyond the perimeter of our boundary fence seems to be ever further away.

Maybe the end is drawing nigh.

WHEN SPEAKING, PUNCTUATE AND PAUSE

When speaking, oralise punctuation into verbal text in the same way as done by people who are writing. Punctuation introduces pause and acts to reinforce points being made subtly. Those pauses give listeners time to consider the significance of what has been said.  Full stops incorporated into speech are essential in this regard.

Without pause reinforced by punctuation, speakers can go on and on AND ON. The message being delivered can become lost in rhetoric.

Punctuated speech, which amplifies pause, is about superior oral delivery.

RECOMMENDATION’ CAN ENHANCE THE FUTURE OF PRESENTERS

Presenters who take an interest in the audience and connect in formally with them following an event can earn admiration, which translates into recommendations to others.

Many presenters look for follow-up opportunities with different groups and other times. Recommendations that come from an earlier presentation can help when it comes to establishing forward genders for these presenters. The value of the “personal touch” can never be overlooked.

SPEAKERS, MEET AUDIENCE MEMBERS

It is wise, polite and a manifestation of good manners for presenters to spend a little time meeting audience members after the presentation. It can be not very pleasant from the viewpoint of audience response for somebody to present and then rush straight off to another appointment with a selected host or just to disappear altogether.

I believe the part of a presenter convincing listeners of the speech’s worth comes from staying behind and rubbing shoulders with people in formally at the end of the session. I this helps to convince people of his or her interest in them. There is a certain “humanity” about following this line of action.

________

SPEAKERS, USE PALM CARDS (2)

Using a palm card with keywords and highlighted points is generally enough to prompt a speaker who knows their subject. Succinct summative points usually suffice. A casual glance down, keeps presenters pointed in the right direction. Reminders of the elements to be canvassed together with the order of their presentation can all be incorporated onto a small card. 

I highly recommend this strategy.

SPEAKERS, USE PALM CARDS (1)

The best supports for recording speech prompts are small, easily accommodated palm cards – cards that fit snugly into the palm of one’s hand.

WHEN SPEAKING, AVOID THE BURDEN OF NOTES

Often, presenters feel the need to be “encumbered” by notes and pieces of paper that contain an outline of the presentation. It’s easy to see when over-dependence upon notes exists because presenters keep referring back and forth to their messages. The presenter can become so dependent upon notes that “spoken” speech is really “read” speech.

It’s easy to understand that people need notes security, but often, they know much more about the subject than they even understand. What needs to be said is already in the head and doesn’t need reams of paper to bring it out.

The speaker who presents without using copious notes builds confidence with their audience.  They understand that the speaker is fully conversant with the subject being canvassed.

While notes may be necessary, they should be minimised. And they can and should be!

______________

SPEAKERS, ADDRESS THE AUDIENCE 

When presenting, taking into account the overall character of an audience is essential. If the audience is young, exploratory and in the business of finding new facts on issues for the first time, then language appropriate to their level of understanding is essential. Similarly, if dealing with an audience well-qualified in the area being canvassed, “speaking down” to them would be conciliatory and insulting. Audience-specific language is essential. That adds to the credibility and the respect held for the presenter. In this context, it’s vital to know what audience is going to be addressed and to have an understanding of the background before delivery is important.

SPEAKERS SHOULD EMBRACE THE ‘KISS’ PRINCIPLE 

Too often, presenters lose audiences by being far too “language-specific” and talking in a way that sounds fantastic but is beyond ordinary comprehension. It’s essential to apply the “keep it simple, stupid” when dealing with audiences. Speaking a language level appropriate to an audience is vital if the message and its meaning are to get through.

Too often, people “brag” about their language capacity and vernacular ability before going ahead and losing the audience.  So all is lost. And it shouldn’t 

DEATH BY POWERPOINT (2)

The second aspect of PowerPoint is that presenters can become so reliant upon its use to distribute information that they are lost without it. I’m not the only person who has been to forums where PowerPoint has gone on the blink, leaving the presenter in limbo land.

It is interesting and humorous, but pathetically sad when the presenter is left without knowledge of what to present because, without PowerPoint, they are lost. Knowing subject matter of being able to communicate verbally is of paramount importance.

DEATH BY POWERPOINT (1)

“Death by PowerPoint” is an aspect or method of presenting that is still very alive and well. Everyone has an opinion about PowerPoint. My opinion is that PowerPoint as a support should be used very minimally. Nothing is worse than somebody presenting by reading entries from PowerPoint to PowerPoint slides. It becomes dull, monotonous, repetitious and seemingly never-ending for audience members.  

Using PowerPoint to highlight significant speech elements or offer a concise summary is acceptable. But for mine, that should be it.

PowerPoint should never be allowed to take over from the presenter, with PowerPoint becoming the central aspect of the presentation, the presenter being little more than an auxiliary.

WHEN SPEAKING, SHUN ‘UNO’

Undoubtedly, ‘uno’ (you know) takes the gold medal for being the most commonly and frequently inserted pair of words into conversations. ‘Uno’ always comes up when people respond to questions or offer information on issues.  This widespread use of words in inappropriate contexts can be overcome if users know its use.

WHEN SPEAKING, DON’T  SCRABBLE AROUND WITH PROPS 

A further downside with props can be the presented losing touch with their audience while scrambling and scrabbling around trying to organise them for show and display. Props are usually planned to be presented sequentially but can easily be mixed up, causing the presenter to become hot, bothered and dithery. The whole focus of a presentation can become lost.  With props, minimalist use is the best option.

WHEN SPEAKING, 

DON’T RELY ON PROPS

Props and support materials can help embellish a presentation. However, there are ONLY props supporting the presenter and should never, in their display, take centre stage. Listeners and audience members are there to hear the presenter, not to be entertained by a collection of props.  Their overuse can distract listeners from the point of the speech. There is a need to avoid sullying the presentation and taking from the prime purpose of the gathering.

And all in our backyard.

How lucky we are,

How lucky we are,

Blessed by good government,

How lucky we are.

People hear about Aus,

From near and from far,

They envy our government,

How lucky we are.

They seek to come to this land,

From places afar,

Because of good government,

How lucky we are.

Australia’s so special,

Little goes wrong,

Because of good government,

In our hearts a song,

Uplifted by Canberra,

Through trouble and strife,

They sort all our ills,

Turn on the good life.

Without our good governance,

This country would fall,

Preserve our good government,

For it helps us all.

How lucky we are,

How lucky we are,

In the arms of good government,

How lucky we are.

FOREVER CONFINED

Skip was a bow bow

He wandered at will

A fence never stopped him

He roamed until

One day the dog catcher

Happened his way

“It’s into the pound

And there you will stay.”

His owner got notice from Council

And frowned a deep frown

“Redeem Skip for moola

Or he’ll be put down”

No money they had

Though they looked near and far

They had but one option

To pawn their car.

The money they got

Freed Skip from the pound

“But we now have no car

You miserable hound

You’re confined to the yard

The holes we will fix

If you try getting out

We’ll hit you with sticks.”

Locked in the yard

Skip pined and got thin

You could count his ribs

Right under his skin

He whimpered and whined

Each passing day

His zest fast fading

He’s wasting away

There is no redemption

His freedom has gone

No walks for this bow wow

So often alone

The yard is his prison

The fence doesn’t fail

Is where he resides

His home or his jail

Criticising the CLP is a bit rich

Sour grapes, Ms. Uibo, I think. Statistics can be interpreted in many different ways. The CLP Government IS making a difference on the issues of rime—its major challenge being to find the space needed to house the miscreants. Accommodation is a critical issue and one that was far less bothersome to the ALP when in government.

Alcohol the dominator of life

It sounds like a good idea, but those who are hell-bent on finding something containing alcohol they can misuse will keep looking for alternatives. That will be part of the ongoing and neverending process of trying to get a hold of alcohol by whatever means possible.

Suicide Inquest 

Far, far too much time has elapsed between the taking of his own life by this outstanding policeman and the inquest into his tragic passing. The issues causing suicide among our front-line workers and community protectors must be addressed. Discourse and consideration must go toward finding solutions, not merely restating the ‘barbed wire and brambles’ problems that confront our police in a harassing and hindering manner.

Sleep in your shop

This is a sad indictment of Katherine and the NT in general. An underclass is setting a malevolent agenda of attacks on property and people with increasing frequency and escalating viciousness. Having to sleep in one’s business, keeping doors locked during trading hours, and dealing with breakages, litter, and mess drive the NT into an ever-more-pronounced downward spiral.

Community clubs – yes, please

This is a step in the right direction for Wadeye and should be an example followed by many other communities. For many years, Darwinians and residents in other urban and town centres have borne the brunt of social behaviours visited upon us by people coming for no other reason than to acquire alcohol. Community clubs will make for a quieter and more orderly living alternative for city dwellers and townies.

Revamp of historical hotel

It would be wonderfully fitting if Prince William or Prince Harry could attend to open this facility when it is re-commissioned.  The icing on the cake would be the visitation with him of Princess Catherine and Harry’s gracious wife, Meaghan Markle. It would be fantastic to have them reunite as ‘the awesome foursome’ in Australia’s inland capital.

Mr Walsh an excellent appointee

Mr Walsh will do an excellent job in his new role. He is a wise and astute leader, a person with great perception and an appreciator of the efforts of others. He is a people person but never loses sight of the objectives of the organisation he leads. The PCC will not regret his appointment.

Darwin’s CBD

May these business providers – and indeed all other retail owners, managers, and staff – have a return to better and more prosperous times. May the on-street behaviours of all those using the CBD become proper and positive in terms of conduct and department so that the CBD becomes a place of attraction and not an area to be avoided.

School issues

The northern suburbs of Lyons and Muirhead—with residential expansion continuing—need major and immediate attention in terms of school needs. Parents have to drive children a considerable distance to existing schools, and that has to have an endpoint. A site for a primary school in Muirhead was identified over a decade ago, and that area remains as is—a site—while suburban housing continues to expand.

Government tacklingt NT crime

Good for you, Chief Minister. Your government is standing firm in its determination to surmount and overcome the tsunami of crime that has engulfed the territory. Know that most Territorians are behind you and appreciate the lengths you, our police, and corrections staff will take to make a difference.

Does this number plate in any way remind you – and me – of some Politicians?

SPEAKERS, GO ‘HANDS FREE’

Unless an object is used to support a speech or conversation with a group, “hands-free” is a wise policy. An exception might be a pointer, a laser pointer or similar when this is being used to pinpoint or highlight something on a chart, transparency or PowerPoint.

Presenters can, quite unconsciously, get into the habit of holding a pencil or some other object in their hand as they speak. This distorts the gesture and is very off-putting. It focuses the audience on the thing in hand rather than the speaker’s presentation. Something to be avoided!

SPEAKERS MAY NEED A GLASS OF WATER

If responsible for a presentation, it can be a good idea to have a glass of water handy. Sometimes, when speaking, throats become uncontrollably dry.  This can lead to hoarseness, speech difficulty, coughing, and other visible discomforts.

Having a glass of water handy and taking a sip can overcome the problem and alleviate the difficulty.

The water may not be used, but it’s a handy insurance. You don’t want to be remembered as the presenter who coughed and spluttered everywhere.

SPEAKERS, AVOID ‘SAME, SAME’ WORDS

Variation in speech delivery is essential. It can be easy to fall into habits that are established almost unconsciously.

This often relates to the commencement of sentences, where answers to questions are provided.

A typical response is an answer with the sentence commencing with the word “look”. If this becomes a habit, listeners won’t listen for the reply; Rather, they listen for “look”.

“Now look”  can, in the same way, be an everlasting sentence beginning.   “So” is another

The list goes on. Be careful when phrasing answers so as not to fall into this repetitive habit

WHEN SPEAKING FACE THE AUDIENCE

From time to time, presenters get caught talking away from the audience. Side on and even back on the address to the audience occurs.  That, in my opinion, needs to be avoided at all costs. If I’m icing sideways or backwards, do it in a way that keeps you as the presenter front on (face on) to the audience. It can be too easy to get caught up on this point.

The NT tourist industry

The NT overflows with bountiful sightseeing and experiential opportunities. May the tourism and hospitality industry have a great year supporting an abundance of visitors who will have unforgettable and positive experiences that last a lifetime.

The new government 

The NT Government is doing its best for all Territorians. The Finnochario Team faces huge challenges and has made a valiant start in all areas needing reform and renewal. Through the efforts of both government and its departments, I hope that 2025 will be a year of revamping and redirection for us all.

NT Government cabinet papers from 1994

Be it good or otherwise, nostalgic reflection and memories of what transpired all those years ago are, for me, a great reminder of the past. One also considers what has transpired in the intervening years from 1994. Thank you for this story and the opportunity it has offered me—a youngish person who came to the NT with his family in 1975 — to think 

Casuarina not a safe shopping precinct

I am sure Casuarina’s non-response to questions about public behaviour and customer safety was not deliberately overlooked. Instead, distractions caused by those who make shopping in that precinct a real challenge would have occurred. That happens very regularly. 

Paddy Peckover Passes

Thank you Paddy for your contribution to the NT. You were a great man, a person with many skills, a carer about everyone and a stand-out citizen. You brought enrichment to the NT and we are the poorer for your passing. 

Cometh the monsoon 

I love the rain and the monsoon; they are refreshing and invigorating. However, part of me is apprehensive from November 1 until April 30 the following year. That is because I am very nervous and apprehensive about cyclones. We came to the NT in July 1975, and I remember a taxi ride around Darwin while waiting for our connecting plane to Numbulwar. The devastation and the realisation about what Tracy had done were with me and have never left the back of my mind. 

Litchfield Shire 

Thank you, Minister Edgington, for this wise decision. Lumping everything developmental into Palmerston and detracting from the statue and status of the Litchfield Council would have been a poor alternative, in my opinion. Let the whole Top End grow, not just bits here and there.

Sacred sites proliferating

It seems to me that the sudden awareness of sacred sites is all about holding up project development—playing into the hands of environmentalists and others. Over decades in the NT, I have seen sacred sites pop up everywhere, and their proliferation seems to be increasing.

The challenge to government

Sadly, good government in the Northern Territory is more historical than contemporary. As a Territorian since 1975, I feel the low point in political decline was the ousting – while he was overseas on key government business – of then Chief Minister Terry Mills, who had led the CLP to its 2012 win after several Labor terms of government. The impact of that implosion has lasted for many years, and our new CLP Government faces a real challenge in sustaining the party’s rebuilding beyond the August 2024 election  win.

Benefits for Aboriginal people

Many exceptions are made to benefit our Aboriginal people concerning issues of living, education costs, grant availability to assist in business ventures, and scholarships relating to secondary and tertiary education students— exclusive and based on indigeneity. This is often justified, but some may be miffed by the exclusivity applied.

For the first time in ten years

WHEN SPEAKING FACE THE AUDIENCE

From time to time, presenters get caught talking away from the audience. Side on and even back on the address to the audience occurs.  That, in my opinion, needs to be avoided at all costs. If I’m icing sideways or backwards, do it in a way that keeps you as the presenter front on (face on) to the audience. It can be too easy to get caught up on this point.

Alcohol a road killer

To spend tens of millions of dollars on upgrades is necessary to overcome the growing number of black spots on our highways and connecting roads. However, that will do nothing to overcome the deaths and injuries to drivers, passengers and pedestrians, while alcohol is a primary contributor to well over half the deaths on our roads.

Sandalwood Farms sold

This story again brings a sparkle of renewed hope to mind. Economic progressiveness has many facets, not the least of which are in the agricultural and horticultural fields. May 2025 be a year during which, with its new and pragmatic government, the NT continues to revive after what had become a long period of stagnation.

Henry is weeping

Henry is weeping—at the new format and because of his disappointment—but nobody cares. Henry also wept when excellent cartoonist Colin Wicking’s last cartoon appeared in the NT News on March 31, 2022, and he was never replaced. This made the NT News the only Australian paper in the Murdoch Stable not to have a cartoonist sharing the lighter side of news with readers. 

How people present often stands the test of time for far longer than what they say.  Two examples.

• I remember 20 years later, a person normally articulate who was out of depth when presenting on a particular topic. There were 224 ‘um’ type utterances offered in 20 minutes—a record on my calculation that still stands.

• A very important leader stood on a stage, also 20 plus years ago, and addressed an audience.  No, I don’t remember a word of the presentation.  But I remember the one hand on the hip, with a coffee cup in the other. I remember the occasional coffee sips, the strutting back and forth across the stage, and the overall body language. I remember it to this day.

First impressions can be more than last impressions; They can be everlasting.

FEEDBACK BY DEVICE

Media can play an essential part in supporting feedback loops. If presentations are recorded visually or orally, seek to view or listen to how your presentation went.  A great deal about strengths of delivery and points from improvement will become self-evident.

This approach is not overdoing self-focus.  It is about each of us wanting to improve how effectively and efficiently, empathetically and humanistically, we reach out to others.

 POST PRESENTATION – LOOKING AT HOW YOU HAVE DONE

Self-evaluation is essential when considering how successful one is at presenting to an audience—several suggestions.

• Reflect
• Ask others for unbiased feedback
• Ask audience members to complete an evaluation form
• Invite contact by text or to an online address
• THANK those who take the time to offer feedback
• Seek and take advice from family members.

LEADERS NEED SPEECH DEVELOPMENT

WORTHWHILE CONSIDERING

It would be more than worthwhile for many of our leaders across all fields of leadership to consider their need for speech development. Many with essential messages are poor presenters on radio and TV. They are also poor-speaking presenters in other forums.  The way these people speak needs fixing, for they do a poor job.

Australia 2 wins, India 1 wins and one test drawn so far.

EVALUATING SPEECH

This might be done formally or informally.  

Elements evaluated and ratings might include the following.

*  The general purpose of the speech was clear.                                          

*  The specific purpose of the speech was clear.                                          

*  Speech organisation including planning and structure.                             

*  Material content supporting main speech points.                                      

*  Specific speech purpose reinforced by its beginning, middle and end.     

*  Confidence and sincerity of the speaker.                                                    

*  Reliance on notes.    

LANGUAGE – THE THEORY AND THE PRACTICE

The English language, like all languages, is fascinating. Unlike some languages, there is a strong differentiation between the theoretical study and the practical application of the English Language.

An intriguing element about language is the disconnect between its theory and practice.  The theory of language can be reasonably straightforward and understandable as it is studied on paper:  Language in practice and day-to-day terms of usage can be a lot more tricky.

In Australian contexts, there are conversational factors of expression, the way words are emphasised, nuances, hidden messages, colloquialisms (expressions) and so on. 

There is also pitch, rhythm, tone, intonation and volume.  How voice is used is a huge part of language expression.

INTONATION (EMPHASIS) MAKES A DIFFERENCE

How speakers emphasise words makes a difference in the way an audience receives and interprets the spoken word.  The emphasis placed on terms causes the listening audience to focus greater attention on the emphasised element.

‘Today is Wednesday ‘.    Emphasis can be focussed.

Today is Wednesday.

Today is Wednesday.

Today is Wednesday.

The usage of intonation is a way to lead an audience.  It is often not used and, therefore, remains under-appreciated

He said

“Socialism is always good until you run out of everyone’s money.”

How true that is for our Federal and several state governments.

WHEN SPEAKING REMEMBER GESTURE ADDS AND DISTRACTS

* Gesture must be ‘compatible’  with the presenter and magnifying of speech. 

* Gesture is a tool that can help emphasise and reinforce points.

* Overdoing gestures can undermine conversation because recipients are studying aspects of body language rather than listening to what is being said.

Avoid ‘accidental’ gestures which are off-putting. These might include the following:

* Wagging a cordless microphone while speaking.

* Rocking from one foot to the other or swaying from the waist.

* Neck movement which is out of sync with the general         movement

* Eye contact, which has you speaking in one direction and looking in another.

* Randomly putting on and taking off spectacles.

* Holding and wagging or twirling glasses while speaking.

* Doing similar with a pen, lazar pointer or some other prop.

* Pulling at the collar, sleeves or any other aspect of apparel.

EYE CONTACT (Revisited and Extended)

The eyes are the most essential organs of gesture. They can reflect countless moods and signal everything from willing acceptance to absolute rejection—some important reminders for those presenting to an audience.

* Look at people. Don’t look over them, under them or around them.

* Engage people individually and collectively through eye contact. Rest on individuals and cover the audience.

* Make your eyes friendly, encouraging and inviting.

* Avoid flat or hostile eyes.

* Eyes are the most critical parts of the anatomy regarding gesture.

SPEAK CONVERSATIONALLY TO YOUR AUDIENCE 

* A CONVERSATIONAL VOICE is engaging. A listening audience is reassured to hear program presenters speaking relaxedly. Many listeners are working through the hassles of the day. A calm and relaxed manner coming at them over the airwaves is relaxing and reassuring.

* Using pause, allow your audience time to digest and reflect on what you have said.

* Projection and outreach, avoiding ear bursts and fade-out, which impose ear strain.

* Use words to paint pictures, stimulating the listener’s imagination.  Successful radio and media communications are those which, by their appeal, draw listeners to programs.

* If working on a presentation from within the broadcast studio, IMAGINE you have people with you as guests. Work as a radio presenter in the same way you would if others were there

SPEECH DEVELOPMENT TOO OFTEN DISCOUNTED

I often listen to the radio or watch on television as key, prominent, important people speak on and about their areas of expertise.

So many, yes SO many of them are very poor presenters regarding their qualities of speech, diction and (on television) gesture.

The ‘matter’ factor of their offering is acceptable.  They know their subjects. 

But it is their manner and method of delivery that let them down.

Leaving lasting impressions of mediocre delivery, I am sure, is not what the speakers want. But unfortunately, that’s the way it often goes.

And all for the want of a bit of fixing!

HOUSING ISSUES dominate Australia. In urban contexts, houses are getting bigger and the blocks on which they are constructed are ever more expensive and ever growing smaller.

I admire those who can cope with this spatial strangulation – it would be beyond my capabilities.

John Howard and Peter Costello bookend Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers.

The political leadership duo were the Coalition’s best.

The jury is still out on the Labor pair.

Are we looking at an awesome foursome or a duo who were excellent along with the other two who are bogged in leftist wokeism?

Source – The Australian Newspaper

Dear Bloggers one and all. Allow me to wish you the very best for the New Year of 2025.

I am not into resolutions, but please accept my sincere wishes that the traverse of the coming year will bring blessings, happiness and fulfilment to you and your families, friends and associates.

May the parlous state of the world in general – and some regions in particular – be constrained from ongoing unrest and deterioration.

May we all think less about ‘I’ and ‘me’ and more about the collectivity of ‘we’ and ‘us’, when it comes to the establishment of priorities and actions.

All the very best for 2025.

Regards

Henry Gray

January 1 2025

It is New Year’s Eve. But it is also the day on which we celebrate the SECOND NEW MOON for the month – the first being on December 1st.

Two full moons in a calendar month designates the second full moon as the blue moon.

The second new moon in a calendar month is designated as a black moon.

So this new year’s Eve, we have a Black Moon

The details show and tell us all!

Henry is weeping—at the new quiz format and because of his disappointment—but nobody cares.

Henry also wept when excellent cartoonist Colin Wicking’s last cartoon appeared in the NT News on March 31, 2022, and he was never replaced.

This made the NT News the only Australian paper in the Murdoch Stable not to have a cartoonist sharing the lighter side of news with readers.

Never any response from the NT News when I emailed and asked why – including suggestions on what might follow Mr Wicking’s cartoon cessation.

Enshittification

Judging committee says term captures widespread sense that things are getting worse. Australia’s oldest dictionary of Australian English has chosen “enshittification” – a slang term referring to the deterioration of products and services online – as the word of 2024.26 Nov 2024

It means Australia is stuffed and irreparably damaged.

Macquarie Dictionary 

Words of the year – 2024

Brain-rot

Oxford Dictionary

Colesworths   

supermarket duopoly

Merriam Webster Dictionary

Polarization. – 

ends of the political spectrum with none in the middle

Cambridge Dictionary

Manifest 

manifest themselves

Macquarie Dictionary

Katherine’s weekly newspaper, “The Katherine Times”, has defied the odds by continuing to publish each week. This paper has endured where many papers in regional towns around the NT and Australia have folded.

The Katherine Times, which sells for only $1.90 a copy is refreshingly local and a credit to the local management and reporters.

Below are pages from a recent issue that commemorated the Karjerine Regional Hospital celebrating 90 years of service to the community.

India’s Jasprit Bumrah who has taken 63 test wickets at an average of 15 runs per wicket during 2024 – the most ever in the history of test cricket.

251,000 attendees in the first three days of the five-day test in Melbourne.

Local Government

• There is a possibility and a quite strong probability that ratepayers will see elected councillors representing their wards only once every four years – when they are campaigning for re-election.

• There is a possibility and a very likely probability that Councilnbudgets will prioritise Central Business Districts over the needs of suburban ratepayers.

• There is a possibility and an almost 100% probability that councillors will not use the Snap, Send and Solve applications on their mobile phones. That will be left to ratepayers.

IF A LEADER SEND STAFF FOR SPEECH DEVELOPMENT

Following my last share, I strongly suggest employers and managers consider organising speechcraft  (speech and speaking development) go-go programs for employees. 

These programs are available, and information can be sourced from online inquiries.

While some costs may be associated with such programs, employees will be appreciative. 

Their development of speaking and listening skills will enhance the organisation because of the improved way they present to those making contact with the company.

First impressions are lasting impressions. How customers and potential clients are greeted can add value to (your) organisation. In that context, everyone is a winner.

DON’T DISCOUNT IMPRESSIONS SPEECHES MAKE

Those who are in leadership positions in organisations would do well to reflect on benefits that accrue when employees are careful, accurate speakers, careful listeners and accurate, empathetic evaluators of the efforts of others.

To this end, encouraging them to join organisations promoting these skills would be wise.

How employees present to the public and those with whom business is done can build goodwill and appreciation for the organisation they represent.

Those in organisational leadership positions often overlook this area of need. That should not be the case. 

IMPROMPTU SPEAKING

There is NOTHING better to support and assist in developing reactional speech response than learning to ‘think on your feet’ with spontaneous and rapid responses to a question, topic or general discussion.

This is an exercise that teachers can develop with students. It is an approach that can be used in workplaces or among group members to create fast response times to topics.

Responding to or speaking on a topic for up to two minutes without having time to prepare stimulates thought processes in often untried ways.  Having someone evaluate the impromptu presentation can help.  

People, when trying this approach, are nervous at first, but confidence grows. An impromptu speech is sharply stimulating cerebral processes.

Academia

• There is a possibility and a quite strong probability that sceptics will maintain that academics and PhD researchers are ‘microcosmic specialists’ – people who know a lot about nothing.

• There is a possibility and a very strong probability that academics in their ivory towers lose sight of the real world.

• There is a possibility and a proven probability that the academic world will deny what has REALLY transpired historically, to advance theories that are high on emotion, but totally lacking in truth and reality.  

MORE ON THE ‘UM’ FACTOR

Ah’s’, ‘um’s’, ‘er’s’, ‘aw’s’, and other speech fillers diminish oral skill.  Consider the following as extending this tendency.

* ‘Okay’ at the start or end of sentences.

* ‘guys’ as a word of address to a mixed audience.

* ‘gonna’ rather than ‘going to’.

* Don’t overdo ‘so’, particularly as a never-ending joining word. 

* ‘could, could’ (double clutching)

* ‘I was, I was’  (double clutching)

* ‘Wh, when’  and similar double vocal movements.

* ‘and, um’; ‘um and so’; ‘you know’ ad infinitum.

* ‘um and or” ‘um it’s it’s …’.

* ‘aaaand’; ‘o   n   e’  (word stretching).

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WHEN SPEAKING, NOTE THERE ARE MORE TO ‘UMS’ THAN ‘UMS‘

Interspersing speech with ‘um’s,’ ‘ah’s’, ‘er’s’, and ‘or’s’ is distracting and off-putting to listeners. These hesitations, space fillers and time grabbers can delight listeners. 

Indeed, some might divert their attention completely from presenters, listening for and noting each speech imperfection on some mental (or physical) tally sheet.  

Variations to the ‘um’ count include the following:

• Beginning each sentence with ‘look’.
• Interspersing ‘you know’ through the verbal speech text.
• ‘Double clutching – ‘um, um’.
• Using ‘and’ ad nauseam as a sentence stretcher and space filler.

The list goes on. ‘Listen’ when listening, and you will hear what I mean.

YOU CAN NOT ‘HOODWINK’ AUDIENCES

Some speakers and presenters may feel they can present with minimal preparation and a ‘winging it’ attitude, and that will not be noticed. 

How wrong they are! Empty rhetoric and hollow speech is fairly quickly recognised. Less-thank-polite audiences will let presenters know about content paucity while they are speaking.

In more academic and possibly refined circles, the audible response may not come.  However, audience members will make mental notes about the speech, and the presenter may be presenting to that particular group for the last time. 

Careful preparation is ever so necessary. Neglect is dangerous

COMMENT ON LOCAL NEWS

Poor and worsening state of urban roads

It is not only in Alice that we have work done that lasts but a short period before defects become apparent. Darwin has so many crazed roads, complete with patches over potholes to the extent of some roads looking like patchwork quilts. The serious and ever-deteriorating subsurface condition of most suburban roads creates bitumenised corrugations, making rides ever more bumpy and uncomfortable. As a regular road user, I am alarmed at the rapidly occurring deterioration.

Quality aged care after all

How wonderful and how different it is to read a story about aged care, about satisfied staff and happy, contented residents in a centre that has been remarkable for so long.  This story, for a 78 year old man, makes me wonder if there is a possibility of quality aged care – if needed – for people like me.

Health Facilities upgrqde at Ali Curung

It is uplifting and invigorating to learn about the programmed upgrade of health facilities—including recognition of care for the aged—in remote communities. With facilities provision, I imagine there will be opportunities for locals to be trained in health and aged care occupations. I hope the facilities being provided will be free from any structural decline that is not about fair wear and tear.

Thank you  City of Darwin Council workers

Our hardworking City of Darwin Council workers deserve a happy, relaxed, and work-worry-free Christmas and festive season. Thank you one and all for the great job you do maintaining and progressing life and living in our city and suburbs.

Driving a danger in Darwin

My wife and I go for regular drives around our city and suburbs. This helps with our awareness of what is happening in the place we have called home since 1987. We are driving on increasingly busy roads, where speed is rising. Giving way at roundabouts and sidestreets is not a given, and people rush onto roads, necessitating sudden braking. Road structure is also increasingly breaking down, with potholes abounding and sub-subsidence causing uneven, bumpy rides.  A bad drive is not a relaxing experience, particularly for the driver.

KPMG on a winner with Michael Gunner

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KPMG will not be disappointed in their appointment of Mr Gunner. His capacity for work, background knowledge, and the in-depth experiences he has gained politically and post-politically will gel to make his contribution one of merit. As I am sure will be proved, he has a lot to offer.

Anthony Albanese comes to Darwin.

I feel both humbled and proud that our PM should grace our city with his presence on this occasion of special remembrance.

More on Anthony Albanese

I am glad that our Prime Minister saw fit to come to the NT, to share this day of remembrance and sombre reflection with us all. His empathy and care are fine qualities.

The ADF needs a rebuild and realignment

The ADF has to get its priorities right. Australia, its near neighbours, and more remote areas of need must be prioritised in this matter. Above all, the ADF needs to upgrade its military assets and recruit the thousands of personnel needed to restore our services to the active and influential forces they once were.

The Bradshaw Farm is on the market

This wonderful property is steeped in history and will be an excellent purchase for someone or a group that appreciates the depth and breadth of its history and contribution to the NT.

OFFER TO IMPROVE OTHERS (Presentation skills)

A genuine collegiate support for presenters can be the clear and unbiased feedback offered to them by a colleague or professional friend. Offering to evaluate might be a tactic; similarly, the presenter may ask a colleague to assess their presentation.

Oral feedback is valuable and is aided if supported by written comments. These might be critical points, with both methods aiming to offer the presenter a chance to improve delivery. 

Part of this should be recognising strengths (offered as commendations) and commenting on arenas needing development (offered as recommendations).

Reflection is supported by evaluation.

SELF STUDY AND IMPROVE  (‘Traits’)

I am a member of Toastmasters. Many years ago, a fellow club member offered to video several of us presenting speeches for evaluation.  Part of the evaluation was a study of the video he took as we gave.

I thought I’d made a fair fist of my speech. When the video of my presentation was played back, I discovered (along with everyone else) several ‘anomalies’:

• I overly shuffled, and the movement was out of sync with and detracted from my presentation.
• I scratched my posterior on two occasions.
• I once picked at my nose.
• Several times, my eye movements were out of context and did not support my trying to reach the audience through eye contact.

Without the video revelation, I would have been unaware of these unconscious actions.

Nowadays, videoing on mobile if using an iPad simplifies the whole process. My suggestion is that readers consider having someone video presentation for the sake of weakness awareness as a precursor to improvement

STUDY OTHERS AND IMPROVE (Gesture)

Those presenting on or for television should not undervalue gestures. Movement of arms, hands, head, neck and other body parts can help by emphasising what speakers, be they presenters, questioners or respondents, are saying.

Without gesture, those appearing on our screens can appear to be almost un-alive and inanimate.  Too much motion, be it pacing, flapping of the arms, or overusing the forearms, hands and fingers in making points, can be distracting.

We can all learn from what we see. We also know what to do by becoming aware of what not to do and by visiting the ‘don’ts’ in others.

STUDY OTHERS   AND IMPROVE (Eyes)

When watching television, presenters and guests consider how their eyes and eye movements play in focusing on their messages.

Looks can be manipulated and controlled to show happiness, joy, concern, grief, decisiveness, hesitation and  in-between moods.

Consider that when talking with others, be that on a one-to-one basis through to significant audiences, our eyes help tell the story. 

Watchers and audience members remember eyes. They are organs of message reinforcement. 

Keep them attentive and make them live, supporting you as a communicator.

Note: The following few snippets are offered from listening to presenters on the radio or viewing them on television. There are parallels to be observed and appreciated in a live audience context.

STUDY OTHERS AND IMPROVE (Voice)

When watching television or listening to the radio, listen intently to what is said and how the presenter appears on the screen.

Consider their speech from the viewpoints of pitch, rhythm, tone and intonation.

Does the voice catch on and engage you, or is the style a turn-off?  How vocal qualities engage (or disengage) listeners is ever so important.

Think about what you are hearing and make mental notes about the example this presenter or speaker is offering. 

Studying others can help reflect upon the need for personal awareness and self-improvement.

HIGH AND MIGHTY

There are far too many presenters who are quietly regarded as ‘know-alls’ – and not in a particularly complimentary manner.  

They may well be very knowledgeable in their fields.  However, if they present to their audience in a ‘high and mighty’ style, the respect that might be theirs for a more wholesome and humble presentation will be lost.

How a presenter relates to their audience is of absolute and paramount importance.

KNOW YOUR SUBJECT

As a presenter, particularly if you have been given preparation time, know your subject. If you don’t know your subject, it will become clear to the audience that your knowledge is stretched.

Restlessness, fidgetiness, looking uncomfortable, visible sweating and other visible manifestations will become giveaways. 

Eye blinking and throat clearing might become part of the reaction, all too visible to the listening group.

‘Subject stretch’ will bring out uncharacteristic ‘ahs’, ‘ums’, ‘you knows’ and so on in an altogether uncharacteristic manner.

There is a lot to be said for being prepared.

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Dear Bloggers one and all

I would like to wish everyone in our blogging world and your families and friends all the very best for Christmas and the New Year.

If not an adherent to this period in spiritual terms, then allow me to offer every good wish for the festive season.

We are coming toward mid-day in Australia’s Northern Territory.

Every new day begins around Samoa – at Millenial Island. Samoa is in the mid-afternoon period of December 25. 

Around 100 kilometres away, the time at Pago Pago in American Samoa is 2.08 pm on Thursday 24 December.

It is interesting to contemplate Samoa on the downhill run on Christmas Day, while its American neighbour is a good nine hours away from celebrating the start of Christmas Day.

I sometimes wonder if it would be possible to straddle the International Date Line, with one foot in today and the other in yesterday; or one foot in today, the other in tomorrow?

Fast forward a week and contemplate the positioning on one foot in 2024 – New Year’s Eve, and the other in 2025 – New Year’s Day.

Permutations are such interesting concepts with which to play.

All the best to everyone for the reflective time of 2024 and the anticipation we may have in contemplating 2025.

Regards

Henry Gray

December 25 2024

We four are just sitting 

Why do you think?

We want food to eat

Not just water to drink.

We’re not greedy but hungry

Our energy’s gone

Feed us please Henry

Lest our lives be done.

YEEHAH cooed the pigeons

He’s replenished the stock

There’s plenty for all

Come hither bird flock.

Twenty years ago, Coolalinga was a small town on the outskirts of Darwin and Palmerston. How time changes placres. It is not a throiving metropolis but it is a town of hundreds of people with flats, tenements and houses being built aroubd a shopping centere three or four times the commeentcial and retail size of 20 years ago.

I like shopping at Coolalings. But give it another 20 years, and the place will be crawling woith people as is the case with our shopping precincts in Darwin.

Below are more shops in the centre, a small component of what is there.

shopping

From watching the news, reading the paper, listening to commentary, studying the actions and responses of state and federal governments, reflecting on police reaction and taking account of all that has happened since October 7 2023, I can only conclude that the Australian official  position is pro-Palestine and anti-Israel.

The downsides of the festive season

• There is a possibility but an almost zero probability that people will spend within their means in this period leading into Christmas.

• It is possible and 100% probable that people will gift cats and dogs to others this Christmas.

• There is a possibility, and unfortunately, a strong probability, that disunity and acrimony will prevail in some households when the post-Christmas reality of penury and debt sink in

Reflecting on downsides in 2009

How can people be so vile, almost malevolent as to treat our environment in this manner.

And it has been there for a considerable time.

What are we coming to as people in this place to both dump then ignore this despoiled garbage.

Happiness

A quality

I no longer feel.

My soul

Is burdened

With sadness 

Circumstances

Have cut into my life

With callous indifference

What is happening?

Is happening

Inexorably burning 

Permanent scarring 

Into my psyche.