Too serious to roll dice

IN yesterday’s Mercury Editorial we called for courageous leadership as the world braces itself for the impact of coronavirus. When it comes to the pure guts it takes to make bolshie decisions, few Tasmanians blaze the trail quite as spectacularly as Mona creator David Walsh and the people who work for him, such as Dark Mofo creative director Leigh Carmichael.

Together the pair have stared down more than their fair share of controversies.

Whether it’s upsetting the church with a display of upside-down crosses, riling up animal rights protesters with Hermann Nitsch’s three-hour butcher show or that time they buried a man under Macquarie St — they have continued to push the boundaries.

Yesterday the pair made arguably the boldest decision to date when, in David Walsh’s words, they “killed” Dark Mofo for the year.

The decision was made in response to concerns about COVID-19.

Mr Walsh acknowledged that the cancellation of the festival would further cripple an already wounded tourism market but the potential financial losses to him were too large to risk. The worst-case scenario was losing up to $8 million.

That sort of outcome would have ramifications for Mr Walsh and for Mona.

In typical style, he wrote a frank and humble statement justifying his decision.

MR WALSH MAY HAVE BEEN PROTECTING HIS CASH AND HIS FESTIVAL BUT IN DOING SO HE SENDS A STRONG MESSAGE TO TASMANIANS

“I’d rather be a rich coward than a poor hero,” he says. “COVID-19 might jeopardise my income if we run Dark Mofo. It is already jeopardising my income elsewhere.

“I bet on horseracing, and horseracing is being cancelled in COVID-19-affected countries. Soon, that might be all of them.”

He doesn’t pretend to be some sort of selfless saviour and he fully acknowledges the distinct possibility that June could arrive with the coronavirus risk passed and the whole cancellation could have been an over-reaction.

But the alternative of ploughing forward with his fingers crossed and his lucky socks on could have led to the end of Hobart’s much-loved winter festival.

You don’t make a fortune out of gambling if you aren’t a master of the odds.

Mr Walsh may have been protecting his cash and his festival but in doing so he sends a strong message to Tasmanians.

While the toilet roll panic-buy stories have us all shaking our heads, it’s equally important we don’t allow complacency or “let’s put this virus into perspective” memes to take hold.

Already social media posts are trying to blame the media for promoting hysteria about the virus.

Yes for many, contracting COVID-19 may only lead to a sniffle or a few days off work but for many — and we’re talking about our vulnerable loved ones here — it could lead to an early demise.

Most experts says it’s not a case of if but when the virus hits Australia and if we don’t control the spread our health services simply will be unable to cope with the demand.

It’s a scenario too serious to risk on the roll of a dice.

Responsibility for all editorial comment is taken by the Editor, Jenna Cairney, Level 1, 2 Salamanca Square, Hobart, TAS, 7000