On the 30th of March 2021, I had my first COVID vaccine. It was the Astra Zeneca. My next one is scheduled for the 23rd of June. I was actually incredibly excited. As someone who works in health, it felt like a turning point in the pandemic here in Australia. Since then there have been … Continue reading Just Get On With It
Current Affairs
Feeling Just a Tad Cynical
We're about to vote in a by-election. Our sitting local member resigned (thankfully) over a rather sordid issue. For many years, our electorate was a very safe seat for one party. During the last state electoral cycle, it became much more marginal - a two percent margin after a 9.5% swing against the sitting member. … Continue reading Feeling Just a Tad Cynical
The Challenges of 2021
Every second word last year seemed to be 'unprecedented.' When 2020 ended, there were many memes, comments, and hopes that 2021 would be better, and that the issues of the pandemic would be over. I remember at the time, thinking that those hopes would be proved to be futile, because the simple change of date … Continue reading The Challenges of 2021
Catastrophe
At the end of 2019, much of eastern Australia had been in drought for three years. Then a huge portion of it burned down. It was a fire season of epic proportions, with huge swathes of land completely burnt out. Smoke blanketed huge portions of NSW and Victoria, and some days, all you saw or … Continue reading Catastrophe
Culture Comes From The Top
It's been a tumultuous few weeks (again) in Australian politics. After a young woman named Brittany Higgins saw Grace Tame, a survivor of sexual abuse, standing beside the PM, accepting her Australian of the Year Award, she decided to come forward and pursue allegations of sexual assault that she alleges occurred in Parliament House, when … Continue reading Culture Comes From The Top
Entitled, Much?
Yesterday we heard on the news, that the NRL (National Rugby League) boss wants to petition the Australian Government to prioritise footballers ahead of some other Australians for the COVID-19 vaccine. On the Australian Government Health website, there is a public list of how the government is prioritising people ahead of the roll out, which … Continue reading Entitled, Much?
A Little Bit More On The Tennis – or Suck It Up Princess
My last blog post was about the hypocrisy of sport and politics. I talked about the Australian Open Tennis Tournament in particular. So, an update. As the players and their support people have flown into Australia on chartered flights, several flights have had people test positive for COVID-19. Now, just to recap. The #AusOpen is … Continue reading A Little Bit More On The Tennis – or Suck It Up Princess
Politicians, Sport, and Hypocrisy
I have always enjoyed playing sport. I swam, (competitively into my teens), played netball, hockey, basketball, volleyball, underwater hockey (yes, it's a thing), and water polo. My husband played rugby union, AFL, and did athletics. Our kids swam, and played a variety of team sports. But since COVID-19 came to town, there has been one … Continue reading Politicians, Sport, and Hypocrisy
Not So Gobsmacked
Not so long ago, we Australians were in a state of almost constant embarrassment. You see, we had a series of leadership spills right at the top of our political system. That meant we had a series of Prime Ministers (PMs) over successive years. For those of you wondering what I'm talking about, here's a … Continue reading Not So Gobsmacked
Well, That Month Seems to Have Vanished in a Hurry
When I last blogged, it was the end of November. Now it's the end of December. Not only am I in a different Australian state, but Christmas has come and gone, and the New Year is on its way. I left NSW when the WA border opened. A large chunk of my extended and immediate … Continue reading Well, That Month Seems to Have Vanished in a Hurry