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Community newspaper Issue 17, June 2011
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Issue 17
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www.aroundpointcook.comIssue 17, June 2011
ALL MIXED UP - YR 2 STUDENTS AT THE BOARDWALK SCHOOL
During term 1 this year, the Year 2 classes at the College took part in a trial of a new unit of science called “All Mixed Up.” The chemistry unit, part of the series ‘Primary Connections’ is being published by the Aus-tralian Academy of Science, Canberra.
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The Around Point Cook Community Newspaper is distributed in Point Cook.
continued page 3
Basically the unit had the students mixing up many materials. These ranged from dry mixtures to wet mixtures. For example spirit pens were examined for the ingredients of their fluids, and all of the work comprised interesting and enjoyable experiments, including the making of chocolate crackles – from a scientific perspective of course!
Scientific language and techniques were employed in the unit, and a report was made to the organisers at the end of last term on how the unit might appeal or not find favour with students or teachers when published.
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EDITORS NOTE
PUDDLING WITH THE PUBLISHER
I am happy to have a large amount of contributions this month. Everything seems to be progressing nicely with the extra page.
Have had some good feedback recently in relation to the paper and the service we provide the community. I just want to remind everyone that we put a soft copy of the paper online at www.aroundpointcook.com which is available at the start of the month.
If you have an event on that people in Point Cook would enjoy feel free to let us know and we may include it in the community section.
Have a great month!
Daniel
Volunteer Editor
Recently I had an hour to spare between appointments at the Town Centre and wandered into the wonderland of the brand new Dan Murphy store.
What a pleasant surprise! – have you seen it yet?
A magnificent space, cleverly designed and full of, I’m sure, millions of dollars of the greatest range of quality wines.
Although the cheapest were a clean skin white and red at $2.99 a bottle they still bore a label which is great for a clean skin – more importantly they had a guarantee which said they had selected only good wine and if you didn’t like it bring back any unopened bottles for a full refund – how confident they must be.
The store is huge, the marketing is great, and the display almost endless – after an hour, I still hadn’t seen it all and this is not in the City, its here in the Town Centre, right in the restaurant strip.
I do suggest if you intend to buy a wine for dinner give yourself a little time before dinner as the range is phenomenal – it’s a geographical experience as the range is world wide and enormous.
A selection of Grange at hundreds of dollars a bottle, outstanding chateaus from France at interesting prices, genuine champagnes from the Champagne area as well as a great number of our own ‘Sparkling’ wines we are no longer allowed to label ‘Champagne’ any more although we still seem to call them that in conversation.
I was reminded of Ken Tun who operates the nearby Cocochine and Cyclo de Saigon restaurants when he speaks of the ‘ambience’ he sets out to create in his restaurants – it’s as though he has spoken to the architects and interior designers who created the Dan Murphy store which I found to be a pleasure to behold as I hope you do.
Can I suggest you mark it down for a visit and enjoy the tasting experience while you are there – they made me most welcome and I came away with a ‘case’ of the $2.99 ‘Chardonnay’ to try on my friends whom I will never tell they cost me $2.99!
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Many teachers and students participated or in part or the whole of the unit, and we thank them for doing that. Ms Heather Kompa and her Class 2B received a certificate of appreciation for the work, as Ms Kompa was the teacher who submitted the final report. However praise also needs to go to
those families who contributed with ‘homework’ and the teachers and students who took part at both campuses.
It was a very good science activity and received a very favourable report from our College!
from front page
TO ADVERTISE IN AROUND POINT COOKOR AROUND ALTONA
COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS Contact the sales team
Will (Sales Manager) M: 0449 834 359
Louise (Sales Manager) M: 0403 191 084
AR Property Investments
AR Property Investments have recently opened new offices in the Pt. Cook Town Centre. Partners Andrew Rinder and Rob Walker, the A and R in AR Property, have come together to establish a full service business providing education and answers to people who want to find out how to invest in property and build wealth through a sound property portfolio. Whether you’re looking to reach your financial goals, or just paying too much tax, we can help you.
Andrew and Rob, as both licensed estate agents and builders, want to share their extensive experience in this area with others through free seminars and one-on-one education appointments.Not only do we offer education and guidance, we manage the whole project for our clients right through to finding a tenant for their completed properties. Rob says, “By establishing AR Property Investments here in Pt. Cook we aim to solve the Property Investment puzzle for people who may be time poor or just don’t know how to go about getting started in property investing.
We are located in a prime position here in Pt. Cook to see first-hand the boom occurring in the West.”
Please call 9395-7355 for more information or visit our website at www.arpi.com.au.
Our next free seminar is on Sunday, June 26th at 2pm in our office located at Suite 705, Level One, C8 Main St, Pt. Cook town Centre, VIC 3030.
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www.rmys.com.au/AWKR
The Women’s Keelboat Regatta first began in 1991 as the only sailing regatta on Port Phillip Bay which is a women only event. The Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, St. Klida runs the event every Queens Birthday weekend. Past Commodore of the RMYS, Gai Clough was the instigator of the regatta after sailing in a women’s event in New Zealand, 1990. The regatta was renamed the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta in 2008 when other women’s crews from interstate joined their Victorian counterparts in competition. Later this year the crew on “Nouannie” who won the 2010 AWKR, will become the first Australian women’s crew to compete in a 310 nm offshore race in Sweden. These women sail out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown.
Women Only Sailing celebrates 21 years
I became involved with the women’s sailing group at the ‘Royals’ in 2004 even though I was sailing with a crew on a boat from the Hobsons Bay Yacht Club. Boat owners were reluctant to lend their boats to women skippers and crew for a three day regatta in June. Weather conditions have varied over the years. Last year’s regatta (2010) was sailed in light winds; three races were sailed on the Day 1-Saturday in winds from 8 to 15 knots from W-SW. Flat seas and light winds from SW at 6/10 kts on day 2 with even less wind on day 3.
My first two regattas are the most memorable. From 2005: “Had a great weekend sailing in the women’s keelboat regatta on “Good Company” H511 with seven women on board. Conditions were tough but we did it again –three wins (YV handicap adjusted) in races 4, 5 & 6. Race 5 on Sunday was sailed in 25 kt Northerly wind gusting over 40 kts. We weren’t good enough to win overall but still got a trophy for third place with the same crew as 2004 when we won the big trophy.
Another weekend fix of adrenaline BUT the biggest scare happened on Sunday going downwind. An accidental gybe in a 30 kt gust with skipper Michelle attached to the boom...to end up sprawled backwards over the starboard guardrail onto the poled out headsheet. Anna the relief helm at the time, has marks on her lower back from the traveler whipping along the track behind her. We rescued our skipper, dropped the pole and rounded the lee mark. That was race 5. This scare made everything else that happened that day ‘pale’ by comparison. During an earlier downwind run we had a wineglass spinnaker set, then a broach followed by a spinnaker drogue and later in the day, equipment failure when the mainsheet block lifted off it’s base.”
The 2011 Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta will be held from Saturday 11th June to Monday 13th June at St.Kilda. Race officials schedule six races for the regatta but often run three
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races on one day if the predicted weather for the following day is unsuitable. Results are calculated from best five scores on handicap set for each boat in a mixed fleet. At least twenty boats are expected to enter into the regatta, with 4-5 crews from the two Williamstown clubs.
Sailor Ann
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The State Government has conceded that new schools are needed in the West by partially funding $2 million of the $10 million required for the new Point Cook South-East P-9. Why then are we left with so little funding for schools in this years budget? $208 million invested in school capital projects across Victoria is the lowest in 8 years. This token funding of the first $2 million of the $10 million needed for Point Cook South-East P-9 is only the tip of the iceberg that the West need invested in education facilities, especially around Wyndham. Truganina has been left out entirely in this budget. The promised P-12 upgrading of Altona College has also been shelved. The Minister for Education, in his response to questions asked by Ms Hennessy, in Parliament, on whether the Government would commit to funding two new schools, indicated that they were putting their election commitments first.
New schools are needed in the West
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This response was unacceptable, lacking in morals and commitment. However with your help, we were able to apply some pressure to fund more schools locally, in Parliament, through my office and in the media. This was our first - albeit small – victory.This campaign will continue as long as the Baillieu State Government fail to fund adequate local educational facilities in this rapidly expanding community.If you would like to join the More Schools for the West campaign please call the office of Jill Hennessy MP on (03) 9395 0221 to have a petition sent out, or follow the Facebook page, More Schools for the West.I have taken the plunge into the world of social media creating both a Facebook and Twitter page:www.facebook.com/JillHennessyMP@JillHennessyMP on Twitter. If you need help with finding these pages or any other assistance, my office is more than happy to assist in any way they can. Please call: (03) 9395 0221
Jill Hennessy MP, Member for Altona
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Hi all, Welcome to the latest instalment of “What’s Happening at the mens Shed”. Well, holidays are most certainly over, and the action has well and truly resumed! The Shed is again bustling with activity and laughter (mostly at my expense). One of the joys of being one of the younger persons in the building, I suppose.
We have finally received our funds to set up engineering facilities, and the space has become available within the building. So here we go with the next expansion! So many groups have shown interest in this project, from the boys in Car Torque and restoration, the sculpture group and engineering to a large number of social members. I am very excited at the prospect of “welding men together”. We also have a community partnership formed with an agency that assists those young people falling through the gaps at school, and the engineering shop provides the ideal opportunity to transfer skills and life experience from older to younger men. So onward and upward, I say! One of the obvious benefit of this workshop will be that anyone out there in Hobsons Bay that need welding or fabrication done at very inexpensive rates, can have it done here. We have such an amazing range of very talented, “old school” tradesmen.
Now, on a more confronting and sobering note, I have just returned from doing a presentation at an aged care facility in the local area. I realise more and more, every time I do one of these, just how important the work we do at The Hobsons Bay Mens Shed, is. I know the facilities and agencies do the best they can for their clients, but I can also see such a need for elderly and care dependant men, to be in men specific environments at regular intervals, just to keep the cogs turning and the hands busy. Its hard to be unaffected when I witness first hand the sadness that goes with ageing, reduced mobility and higher dependence, for some men. The thing that brought me to Earth with a thud today, was an old man bursting into tears because he was so restricted, and to use his words” they always keep forgetting about me”. I believe that this is what it has come to for many. That after all the years of contribution, love, trials and tribulations, highs and lows, all that remains is a fruitless wait for the end. Emotional, true. Not pretty to witness, true. Happening every day in our communities, also true. So we do what we can. The Hobsons Bay Mens Shed has the principles in place to create programs for these people, even with resources at a minimum, to make a small difference to as many are availed the opportunity.
What’s happening @ Mens Shed
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So here lies the challenge. At what point do we as individuals, and collectively as communities, put some effort into these people suffering in near silence? At what point do we have enough respect for ourselves and each other to spend a couple of hours a week with some medium to high care elderly, or at the very least help financially support those of us who do? I am not saying that no one cares, or that many people don’t make incredible sacrifices with their time and money for others. What I am saying is, that there are still elderly people suffering from this level of depression and sadness, that could only be described as depression of the soul.
Ok, enough harping from me! If you have an interest in making a bit of a difference and would like to help out with any programs we have running, please get involved. Become a member of The Shed or make a donation, anything, that will make the lives of others a little easier. Please don’t hesitate to call me at the Hobsons Bay Mens Shed on 93982383.
Until next time, may your days be fruitful and joyous.
Yours in serviceDaniel KuiperCoordinator. Hobsons Bay Mens Shed280 Queen St, Altona 3018
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COMMUNITY BOARD
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Swimming trainingWant more from your swimming?
Ready to go to the next level?
Why not try the Wyndham City Sharks Swimming Club - come down and give it a go!
First session free, from 6 years and up. Recreation, squads, club and competition
swimming. Sessions available each week day.
Call Vince on 9683 4576 for more information.
Need to be assessed
- give Paul a call on 0411 161 147.
‘Los Peques!’ Fun Spanish for Preschoolers!
Learn Spanish the fun way with LCF Fun Languages through games, stories and songs.
A professionally designed program especially for 2-5 year olds!
Tuesday 9:30 – 10:20 for 2 – 3 year olds
10:30 – 11:30 for 3 – 5 year olds
at Point Cook Community Learning Centre (1 -21 Cheetham St, Point Cook).
For information about term 3 enrolment for this and other local programs please
call Katie on 0410 980 506 or email [email protected].
GARAGE SALE INFO
If you have a garage sale next month, you could send Will an email to [email protected] and he’ll place your info in the next edition of Around Point Cook. The service is free.$15 will ensure your copy is in BOLD text to make it stand out
COMMUNITY BOARD
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THE HON JULIA GILLARD MP Prime Minister
Member for Lalor
On 1 January this year, the Australian Government introduced Australia’s first national Paid Parental Leave scheme. Families in Lalor have since joined thousands of others across the country in benefiting from this historic initiative. I’m please to say that around 167 new parents in Lalor are receiving payments. A further 254 new and expecting parents have applied for the Paid Parental Leave scheme and are awaiting the birth of their child or the start of their payment. The Government’s Paid Parental Leave scheme provides eligible working parents with Parental Leave Pay for up to 18 weeks at the national minimum wage—which is currently $570 a week before tax. For many women, this is the first time that they have had access to Paid Parental Leave, particularly if they have been self-employed or engaged in part-time casual, seasonal or contract work.
By giving parents the financial security to spend time with their new baby in the critical early months of their development, the initiative gives babies the best possible start in life.
The scheme also helps women stay connected to the workforce, and helps employers attract and retain valuable and skilled staff.
Families who don’t qualify for Paid Parental Leave still have the option of the Baby Bonus and other family payments if eligible.
Parents can find out more by visiting the Family Assistance Office at http://www.familyassist.gov.au/ or calling 13 61 50. Employers can find out more by visiting Centrelink at http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/home/index.htm or contacting the Centrelink Business Hotline on 13 11 58.
Families in Lalor benefit from Paid Parental Leave
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PROMOTING THE SERVICES AT POINT COOK TOWN CENTRE
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BLUE DEVIL (ERYNGIUM OVINUM)
An angular, seriously prickly plant species, the Blue Devil is eye-catching when in full flower. It is a fast growing, stiffly erect perennial herb with ribbed stems and finely divided, very prickly, basal leaves. From August to February, rigid, sharply pointed metallic blue to purplish bracts are intermingled with the blue petals of the flowers.
Many years ago, my husband and I owned an investment block in Altona Meadows where Blue Devil plants flowered every year. I noticed the colour of the bracts varied from plant to plant, with the really deep metallic blue ones making the most obvious statement. Then, after the roads were sealed and houses started to be built on the estate, our local Council ordered land owners to slash their blocks every year to reduce fire hazard. Now I can understand and appreciate the Council’s directive, but I always felt sad when we had to cut down those attractive grassland plants.
Blue Devil plants require moist but well drained positions in the garden but, because of their spiky nature, I recommended you place them well away from pedestrian traffic. They are excellent rockery or container plants.
The plant in my sketch was purchased from the Newport Lakes Native Nursery in Lakes Drive (formerly Margaret Street), Newport, telephone 9391-0044. This nursery stocks local indigenous
plants, including some interesting wetland species. The knowledgeable staff can help you choose plants suitable for the conditions in your own indigenous garden.
The Basaltica WaterWise Garden is located on the premises of CRT Transport Group at Gate 3, 21-43 Barnes Road, Altona North. Appointments for a guided tour of the garden and the Helene Wild Botanic Art Gallery can be made by telephoning the Habitat Trust on 9290-1705 during office hours.
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LAUGH OUT LOUD
ATD - At the Doctor’s
BFF - Best Friend’s Funeral
BTW - Bring the Wheelchair
BYOT - Bring Your Own Teeth
CBM - Covered by Medicare
CUATSC - See You at the Senior Center
DWI - Driving While Incontinent
FWBB - Friend with Beta Blockers
FWIW - Forgot Where I Was
FYI - Found Your Insulin
GGPBL - Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low
GHA - Got Heartburn Again
HGBM - Had Good Bowel Movement
IMHO - Is My Hearing-Aid On?
LMDO - Laughing My Dentures Out
LOL - Living on Lipitor
LWO - Lawrence Welk’s On
OMMR - On My Massage Recliner
OMSG - Oh My! Sorry, Gas
ROFL...CGU - Rolling on the Floor Laughing... Can’t get Up!
TTYL - Talk to You Louder
WAITT - Who Am I Talking To?
WTFA - Wet the Furniture Again
WTP - Where’s the Prunes
WWNO - Walker Wheels Need Oil
When NASA first started sending
up astronauts, they quickly
discovered that ballpoint pens
would not work in zero gravity.
To combat the problem, NASA
scientists spent a decade and
$12 billion to develop a pen that
writes in zero gravity, upside dow
n,
underwater, on almost any surface
including glass and at temperatures
ranging from below freezing to
300°C.
The Russians used a pencil.
The kids have all their little texting codes ... like BFF, WTF, etc.
So here are some codes for seniors:
The most expensive pen
in the world
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The Gift of DreamsPart 1
Dreams are a mechanism via which other aspects of our mind communicates with us. If we pay close attention they can aid us in clearing issues that hold us back from living a happier, healthier and fuller life. By analysing our dreams we can gain an understanding of the fears and thoughts that created them allowing us to correct, release and learn. Working with dreams can free us from the mind locks of our past programming and transform us. They truly are an amazing gift. Learning to work with them can create rapid personal growth and transformation.
Dreams are like a newspaper report of our conscious and subconscious thoughts, emotions, interactions and deeds that we accomplished and experienced during the day. Quite often we can be doing one thing on a conscious level and another thing entirely on a subconscious level. Dreams are
a key that link these together and provide a more holistic understanding of our thoughts, feelings and actions. The great philosopher Socrates once said that we must know thyself to be wise, an unexamined life is not worth living. Working with our dreams is a great way to get to know thyself for much truth is revealed in dreams.
Before you can begin your exploration into self and work with your dreams you must first remember and record them. Here are just a few quick tips to start the recall/record process.
Set the intention
Many people say they can’t remember their dreams and thereby train their mind to remove them from their conscious memory upon waking.
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Set the intention to recall your dreams for personal growth and self-understanding. Show your subconscious mind that you are serious by placing a notebook and pen by your bedside. Also add a light source, like a lamp or small torch. Positively affirm your desired outcome by repeating 10 times before sleep; “I do remember my dreams”. Honour your commitment and do what you promised yourself by writing down your dream when it comes to you even if you only remember a few details. By doing this you will begin to remember more and more of your dreams each morning.
At first you might wake up during the night as your mind prompts you to write down dreams but it will even out after a short while and you will remember them closer to your regular waking time. The more effort that you put into recording your nightly sojourns the more the mind will support you by making them easier to recall. You will begin to remember more detail and your dreams will seem more vivid as you open up your internal senses.
Until next month… happy dreaming.
I AM Julie-Anne
Julie-Anne is a life coach, spiritual teacher and dream alchemist now based in Point Cook.
She welcomes feedback and interaction on her blog/website and Facebook Fan Page
www.facebook.com/JulieAnneMichaelDreams.
More information about Julie-Anne and her services can be found on her website
http://www.dreamsuncovered.com
or by contact Julie-Anne via email: [email protected]
or calling her directly on 0424 270 410
during office hours.
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I met a girl called Mary on a busecently I went on a bus trip with a Seniors group and was allocated a seat on the bus next to a lovely lady. As I sat down she smiled at me and introduced herself as
Mary. I responded and told her my name was Jim.
I thought to myself – this is a good start, and warmed to Mary immediately. As we chatted away I found her to be intelligent and very sensible. Very early in our discussion Mary told me she had been married three times and had no wish to be married again. This I found to be most interesting as I hadn’t had the opportunity of meeting a lovely lady who had the pleasure or otherwise of three husbands.
I expressed my interest and asked if she minded talking about her experiences. I told her I was writing a book at the moment and was always looking for a theme for another. I assured her no real names would be mentioned and hopefully I
could turn whatever I learned into a novel which I was sure only she could find herself mentioned. She smiled again and continued to talk about her experiences. This is her story
Bruce was my first husband she said. I was 17 and we had been going out for a year when he popped the question. I was unhappy at home and was looking for a place to move to. Bruce was always pleasant to be with so I thought – OK – I’ll give it a try.
We were married about a month later and had a typical joint family wedding. My parents hired a local hall near the church and all went to plan. It was really lovely. We then moved into a room at his family home and our troubles began.
From our first night together I started to find out a lot of things about Bruce that I hadn’t seen before. He was a mad gambler, a thing he had kept from me, and he would regularly come home from work having lost his wages.
R
Luckily I was still working and we had started to save for a home. Then he took to drinking after work and I told him unless he changed, this was the end.
This upset his family and things became very uncomfortable for me. I stood it for a few months and then told him unless he changed his ways I was off. This really upset him and for a few weeks he really made an effort, cut back on his drinking and managed somehow, not to gamble and I thought thank goodness that’s over.
However he came home a few weeks later, reeking of the pub and full of joy about his good win, totally expecting me to be pleased with him. Next day I packed my things and moved back home. Bruce came to see me and demanded I move back with him immediately. I told him I would not until he proved to me he had stopped drinking and gambling. He went away quite angry with me. I waited for him to come and tell me but he didn’t come back. A year later I applied for and received an uncontested divorce.
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During the separation I met John who was able to console me. He was a non drinker which I appreciated after my association with Bruce. He was courteous, considerate and charming. He was also single and had a very nice house. We got along very well and after about a year we married and I moved to his home.
The marriage was most enjoyable as we were able to travel and enjoy each other’s company. We spent five wonderful years together after which John had a stroke and passed away. As John had no other living relatives our home and his investments passed to me. These enabled me to live quite comfortably.
After a few months I felt lonely and invited my friend Jill who was also single to visit with me and she stayed for just on six months. This enabled both of us to go to functions without feeling we were alone. As the time passed I became used to being without John although I really missed his attention and good nature.
continued page 24
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continued from page 23
I lived alone for a year and found it not to be what I wanted so I joined several social clubs where I eventually met Andre. What a charmer, a Frenchman with a delightful accent. We dated for a while, enjoyed being with each other, and eventually went away for a so called wild weekend. Unfortunately Andre got quite drunk and as my episode with Bruce had soured me on alcohol, I packed my bags and went home. Andre called me a few times to apologise but I refused to speak to him and eventually he stopped calling.
I was determined to meet somebody I could share my life with and continued to join local groups in order to meet what I thought might be
eligible men. I stood for committee positions and was successful.
I attended several dinner functions and each time enjoyed the company of committee man Robert on these occasions. Eventually Robert asked me to dinner and a play which I found to be very enjoyable. We dated for several months while we sussed each other out.
Eventually I invited Robert to stay over for breakfast and it turned out to be a wonderful experience.
Robert had been previously married and had a grown up family who befriended me and welcomed me into their fold. After a year of living
together Robert suggested I should become an honest woman and I agreed.
He insisted on signing a pre nuptial agreement as he didn’t want his family to believe they might be entitled to my assets. He said I could do what I liked about my will but he didn’t want them to make any assumptions.
We lived very happily for some years and suddenly, without any warning Robert died. I was devastated and retired from going out or visiting for some time. It was enough that Robert’s family came to visit and for me to visit with them.
I met a girl called Mary on a bus
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I met a girl called Mary on a busAfter about a year I felt the need for company and returned to some of the groups I had previously enjoyed to find that some of the old friends had moved on.
Luckily I found it easy to take part in their activities again and soon became very active.
I attended a two day conference as a delegate and – you guessed it – I met another lovely man who seemed to be really wonderful and attentive but I wasn’t interested in any relationship. We are good friends and even have an occasional dinner date. Maybe I’ll feel lonely again but at the moment I’m considering getting a cat and a dog.
I thought Mary’s story was great and I look forward to one day turning her short story in to a novel.
Submitted by a local writer who did not wish to be named
Page 26
WATER (part two)
Following World War 2, emulating our American cousins, we started installing back yard swimming pools. These are not only a water consuming luxury, but also a hazard for small children. They have been the scene of many family tragedies. I think that, during the long drought, their popularity has waned, at least as far as new constructions are concerned.
I am all in favour of personal hygiene, such as frequently washing one’s hands and a shampoo once or twice a week, but a couple of showers a day is surely an indulgence, unless one’s work gets one very dirty. I am told that our natural body oils , which we wash away when we shower, protect us from infection and disease. Are we averse to smelling like human beings, and want to smell like petunias all the time?
When I first came to live in Melbourne 35 years ago, I don’t think I saw a single house fitted with a tank to catch rain water. Even much later, when
some wise home owners wanted to install them, council bureaucrats said “No !” on the grounds that they would spoil the look of the street ! At least that nonsense is a thing of the past.
For quite a number of years now, Melbourne has had severe water restrictions. In the dying stages of the previous Labor government, these were eased to Stage 2a; I must say against vociferous opposition by the Coalition parties.. Melbourne’s water storage presently stands at a tick over 50 per cent capacity; so further relaxatioin, let alone lifting, may not occur any time soon under our new Conservative government.
We often hear politicians, when they are in Opposition, seeking populist support by advocating the building of dams. Well, putting aside consideration of the ecolological impact, that may be part of the solution to water sustainability, as well as flood mitigation and the generation of hydro-electricity.
Issue 17
continued from issue 16
Only recently our Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was saying that “Dam the rivers” was the panacea for preventing future disastrous floods in Queensland and elsewhere , with the added benefits of water for irrigation and hydro . He went so far as to accuse many of his fellow Australians of having what he called “damphobia”. I am not a hydrologist, but I have seen a fair bit of this country. We don’t have the high mountains and deep gorges that America has, let alone enough places that are geologically suitable for building large concrete dam walls and for anchoring them securely. The Great Dividing Range is just a long line of hills compared to The Rocky Mountains, for example. Earth rock dams could be built in many places to hold back the waters of flood prone rivers, but I doubt they could cope adequately with the floods eastern Australia has experienced recently. And what we are likely to have are large shallow lakes which would lose massive volumes of water through evaporation. We could buil nothing here like the Glen Canyon Dam (Lake Powell), or the Hoover Dam (Lake Mead).
There is, however, one idea which I think deserves consideration. In 1938 John Bradfield, the engineer who designed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, devised a scheme which I understand involved , among other things, tunnelling through the Great Dividing Range in North Queensland and diverting inland, water from eastern flowing rivers. That water, together with the Burdekin
River, which I have seen in flood, would, according to him, make Lake Eyre into a permanent inland sea, and turn the north into a garden paradise. It could become the food bowl for Australia and much of the world. There were those who believed that, on completion of the Snowy Mountains Project, the expertise developed there could have been used for the Bradfield scheme. I recall that the then Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, when his party was in opposition, was very much against the Snowy Mountains Project. It follows that Bradfield’s idea had no chance of getting off the ground. Conservative parties in this country seem to have a penchant for opposing major infrastructure and nation building projects. Their opposition to the National Broadband Network is an example. Is that what conservative politics is about?
In conclusion, it has taken us nearly a quarter of a millenium to start to learn how to live with what we have got, but we are slowly getting there. I am an optimist, so I am confident that we, as a nation, will succeed in answering the water management challenge we have before us. We have always won through in the past both in peace and in war, because we are made of the right stuff.
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Jack Nystrom Altona Meadows, Victoria,
Australia Day, 26 January, 2011.
Page 28
FUN
FACTS The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day
due to falling space dust.
* * *
There are three golf balls sitting on the moon.
* * *
The population of the Earth has more than doubled since 1950.
* * *
The adult human brain is about 2% of the total body weight.
* * *
It would take more than 150 years to drive a car to the sun.
* * *
The eyes of the chameleon can move independently. Therefore, it can see in
two different directions at the same time.
* * *
The word “Checkmate” in chess comes from the Persian phrase “Shah Mat,” which
means “the king is dead.”
* * *
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar
melted in his pocket.
* * *
In most advertisements, including newspapers, the time displayed on watch is 10:10.
Issue 17
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RANDOM
QUOTESSon, when you participate in sporting events,
its not whether you win or loose, its how drunk you get.
~ Homer Simpson
* * *
If it’s the Psychic Network why do they need a phone number?
~ Robin Williams
* * *
I once wanted to become an atheist but I gave up. They have no holidays
~ Henny Youngman
* * *
Anytime four New Yorkers get into a cab together without arguing, a bank robbery
has just taken place. ~ Henny Youngman
* * *
I would imagine that if you could understand morse code, a tap dancer
would drive you crazy. ~ Mitch Hedberg
* * *
He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader. ~ Aristotle
* * *
The road to success is always under construction.
~ Lily Tomlin
* * *
I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.
~ Oscar Wilde
Issue 17
Page 30 Issue 17
PET SECTIONWhy should I
desex my pet?
IT’S BETTER FOR YOUR PETS HEALTH
Females: Speying (removing both the ovaries and the uterus) of an animal prevents some diseases like ovarian and uterine cancers and uterine infections. It also reduces the risk of breast cancer dramatically: If dogs are speyed before their first heat the risk of breast cancer occurring is almost zero. If you wait until the first heat the risk is around 7%. Wait until after the second heat and this risk is 25% meaning that around one quarter of dogs in this category will get breast cancer in their life time.
Males: Castration, or removal of the testicles, prevents diseases like testicular cancer and dramatically reduces the likely hood of prostate cancer and prostatitis.
TO PREVENT UNWANTED PREGNANCIES
With thousands of unwanted puppies and over 38,000 unwanted cats and kittens euthanized by the RSPCA alone in 2009 why add to the problem!
A FINANCIALLY SOUND DECISION
Many health problems, including difficulties giving birth, can be expensive to treat. In comparison desexing is a relatively cheap procedure.
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PET SECTION PET SECTIONBEHAVIOUR
Sexually mature animals can display a variety of undesirable behaviours. For example in male cats desexing before puberty reduces urine marking, roaming and fighting by over 90%
When to desex???
At Direct Vet Services we prefer to perform desexing procedures (castration in males, spey in females) from 12 weeks of age.
Young dogs recover faster from surgery when compared with older animals. A smaller incision can often be made in younger animals as they have not yet matured.
Overall this means less post operative discomfort for your pet.
How:
· Make an appointment for the procedure, contact Direct Vet Services on 93691822.
· Your pet must be fasted for surgery; this means no food after 8pm the night before. It is fine for your animal to have access to water.
· Present your animal for admission between 9 and 10 am.
· Your pet will usually go home that evening.
Holidays with Dogs
One of my passions, apart from literature and creative writing, is animals, more specifically – dogs.
The first dog I encountered was my father’s bulldog Prince. Prince (officially Medea Prince John) came into my life when I was five. He was not a pretty dog and he slobbered a lot. He had the best temperament. He spent most of his time outside. I can only recall him coming into the house once, and he walked under the coffee table with my mother’s good afternoon tea set on it. He wasn’t invited in again.
The next three dogs we owned were Toby a vicious Basset Hound, Banjo a Kampong dog, who came with the married quarter we lived in at Butterworth, and Mitzi a second- hand daschund who once ate four chickens.
Of these four, Toby was the only one we took on a holiday. He came with us to the Gold Coast when he was a ten-week old puppy. My mother hid him in a blanket when we stayed at a motel. The owners of the flat we stayed at, at Broadbeach were probably blissfully unaware that a widdling, chewing but very handsome puppy was staying in their rental. Toby charmed all the golden bikinied meter maids. Unfortunately his charm did not extend beyond his puppyhood.
After I married I acquired two dogs, Wombat and Firthy, when I was living in Wagga in 1985. My family is in Canberra and my husband’s in Sydney. We took the puppies everywhere with us. They chewed the wiring of my stepfather’s trailer and destroyed the carefully erected cardboard structure my father-in-law had painstakingly made for them to sleep in.
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They also ate their kennel at Wagga. I loved them to bits and refused to be parted from them. They liked the water and enjoyed swimming in my in-laws swimming pool. They also had a great time floating on an inflatable dingy in the pool. That was until they chewed a hole in it.
Wombat lost her brother Firthy when she was eighteen months old. She then acquired a puppy for Xmas a year later. Peskie Possum was a daschund silkie who resembled a cross between a bat and a rat. Wombat was a great mother figure to her, and another dog, we acquired a year later.
I found Buster when I was shopping during my lunch break in Canberra.
Taking three dogs on holiday is a bit difficult. We did manage it at Sale. We drove to a place called Wombat Valley Cabins and spent the weekend ‘holidaying’ with the three amigos. The full story of Wombat and her furry siblings is told in my novella Fur on the Inside, which was published in 2009.
We have great plans for Padme, our five year old Labrador. We thought of buying a caravan to take her on holidays with us but that seemed a bit excessive. She is presently staying with us in Sydney at my in-laws house, whilst they are on a Rhine Cruise. We are planning a trip to Adelaide in October/November for a week, to stay at accommodation that allows you to have dogs inside. Padme is not an outside dog and is a small Labrador.
Next year it could be Byron Bay and the Gold Coast.
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DONNIE THE DINGO
Donnie was a strange phenomenon,
Of a dog species called the dingo,
Much celebrated in story and song:
He was no ordinary dingo by jingo,
You see, according to Nature’s law,
A dingo must be a carnivore,
An animal which likes to eat meat;
So a sheep should be a real treat.
To most dingoes, hunting’s a thrill:
Their base instinct is to kill;
Any sheep they may come across,
They will soon show them who’s boss.
But Donnie wasn’t of that mind;
He had a heart that was kind.
He was something not seen before,
A dingo that was a herbivore.
His best pal was Jock, a collie,
A type of sheepdog quite jolly.
Now it may seem like a load of bollocks,
But Donnie would help Jock with the flocks.
At night they would sit together,
In any and all kinds of weather.
As for the sheep, they’d be okay,
As the other dingoes would keep away.
You see, although he was a bit of a nonny,
All the other dingoes loved their Donnie.
As long as he happened to be there,
They’d go looking for prey elsewhere.
by Jack Nystrom
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Calling on Point Cook Schools and Parents to share photos, art, stories, writing for this page.Email your contributions to [email protected] or post to the PO Box 1145 Altona Meadows 3028
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RATHER THAN THROW THIS PAPER OUT WHY NOT RECYCLE TO A FRIEND FOR READING
Issue 17
Recipe for Play-Doh1/2 cup salt1 cup flour
1 Tblsp cream of Tartar1 Tblsp oil
1 cup boiling waterfood colour to desired colour
Method:
Place all dry ingredients in a bowl & mix with hot water. Makes great play-doh which lasts for ages in plastic bags.
Please redistribute rather than discard.Page 36 Issue 17
