I have this sinking feeling that it’s going to be a Temu Christmas.
Rather than the gift that keeps on giving, it’s the free gifts that never stop.
Temu is an online variety store where you can buy multiples of everything when you don't even need one.
These matters are further complicated by the lack of off-site provision of alternate programs for students who are disengaged from schools beyond year 10. The consequence of this policy is that those students return to mainstream schooling for years 11 and 12 without the support they have previously experienced and required. And this is made even more complicated by the extension of every district and high school to year 12.
But perhaps that’s a very old way of thinking, ingrained thought patterns that harken back to a different era, yet they still drive our decision-making out of respect to our forebears. Many of us (not me) are the children of baby boomers. We are Generation X (1965-1980), and our parents, if you’re still lucky enough to have them both, are Baby Boomers I (1946-1954), Baby Boomers II (1955-1964).
To be frank, I never thought I would read the term “whinging” in a Budget speech. It was an interesting turn of phrase when delivering a budget with austerity measures in place to reduce debt.
“Overcoming challenges and adversity with persistence and tenacity is part of the Tasmanian character. Let’s never lose that character. Let’s not become stuck in the malaise of whinging,” he told the House of Assembly.
But that’s cricket, and that’s backyard cricket. It is a sport where a cheap bat and a range of tennis balls pulled out of shape by electrical tape bring generations of players together. And after all these years and vast changes to the way we live, cricket still has the power to draw people from their homes and camping sites to join in and create the “sounds of summer”.
As the New Year kicks into gear and we return to work at various dates throughout January, our thoughts move to our next holiday, Australia Day, where the debate will no doubt rage on at ferocious levels.
The supermarket chains have already started the ball rolling with their off-again, on-again rollercoaster of decision-making regarding the sale of Australian flags and merchandise with the Union Jack emblazoned
There is a story about retired Riverside High School Assistant Principal and Exeter Primary School Principal, Mr Rod Howell that you may not know. A version of events that, until now, he has never shared publicly.
