More than water can pollute your life
I HAD the privilege of a great childhood – growing up on a broad acre mixed farm on Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, the eldest of four siblings with a great family life.
My ambitious plans for life at that age were – finish high school, get a job, get married, have children and life happily ever after.
Most of that was fulfilled at quite a young age.
In my thirties I buried my head in many personal development books, which was the “thing to do” to ensure I had a balance in life. I can’t remember how many I read reinforcing success both professionally and personally, but there were plenty.
Mind you there was good information in some of them. But it is very easy to be overwhelmed by the pressure of society trying to be everything to everyone 24/7.
Women especially can feel more vulnerable as we try to be the perfect wife, perfect mother, have the perfectly clean house, be the perfect employee and hold down a high-profile position while balancing every other aspect in one’s life – and look absolutely amazingly calm and cool at all times.
What a relief when I finally let go of those unrealistic idealistic thoughts and pressures.
I must be a slow learner because it took a few years longer than it should have. However I now have the balance most of the time that suits me.
Is it perfect? Of course not, nothing is – but I’m pretty comfortable with it.
Challenges and opportunities that have been presented to me over the years (and there have sure been plenty of them) have contributed to me getting a balance in life.
One of the biggest challenges was dealing with the devastation of the 1998 flood to our business, which totally negated our financial position. It was an extremely difficult time BUT the balance of that is – how fortunate we did not lose our lives.
A few short years later I was seriously injured in a vehicle accident. While the injuries were nasty to say the least, the balance is that I survived very well and am very grateful for that.
“Getting a Balance” in my role as Mayor of Katherine Town Council with the elected members is very important in ensuring that the outcomes from council serve the wider community.
Katherine Town Council works cooperatively with the Big Rivers Region Economic Development Committee in strategic forward planning for not only Katherine but the wider region. Our decisions reflect the growing needs in the agriculture, horticulture, defence, tourism and mining industries and are made after broad community consultation.
The long-term strategic plan ensures that each of the industries we represent is sup- ported appropriately in areas of development. A major development for the region will be the Transport/Business Hub off Victoria Highway, which is being researched for the future and one I look forward to seeing.
Katherine is located on a crossroads and is the service centre for approximately 400,000sq km.
There are three council offices located in Katherine – Katherine Town Council, Roper Gulf Regional Council and Victoria Daly Regional Council.
The needs of the residents in the regional councils are considerably different in some areas to Katherine but decisions we make also need to be balanced for all who visit our town to utilise our services.
Unfortunately the word “balance” doesn’t fit into everyone’s vocabulary.
Most recently Katherine has been in the news for the legacy contamination of bore water by PFAS and PFOA from RAAF Base Tindal.
It is most unfortunate to say the least that members of our rural community especially have this legacy to deal with on their properties. Katherine Town Council is working with Defence (as the lead agency), the NT Department of Health (who have the expert health advice), PAWA and the Environmental Protection Agency in every way possible to assist our community.
We have been assured by PAWA that the town water in Katherine is perfectly safe to drink. While there are some who will still argue that point, I am assured to the positive.
I encourage everyone to get a balanced view of what we are dealing with in Katherine and work towards solutions.
It is unfortunate that we have this legacy contamination to deal with and it won’t be resolved by burning energy on recrimination. Social media is a great way of communicating information, but it can also disseminate inaccurate information – which I have sure been reading in relation to PFAS and PFOA.
Interestingly some negative and inaccurate comments have come from people who have not made themselves aware of the advice and information available. Inaccurate information can lead to unnecessary stress levels.
A concern that has been expressed strongly in our community is the desire to have blood tests to check for PFAS.
I strongly urge the Federal Government to immediately provide blood testing for those people whose bore water has tested above the national standard to at least give those people the base data to manage their health into the future. That request is not unreasonable and would demonstrate that the Federal Government is listening to our concerns and caring. I have received many positive reports of the work that RAAF Base Tindal is
“It is unfortunate that we have this legacy contamination to deal with and it won’t be resolved by burning energy on recrimination”
doing to assist affected residents, which is appreciated, such as delivery of bottled water, the installation of rainwater tanks – and use of the swimming pool at Tindal while Katherine Town Council is ensuring the town pool is safe for swimming. It must be remembered that the contamination is not the fault of the personnel at Tindal, who are very good members of our community. It is a legacy that we will continue dealing with cooperatively with Defence, PAWA, NT Health and the Environmental Protection Authority.
In conclusion – a “Balance in Life” for me includes, but is not limited to, time with my family and friends, working for and representing my community, gardening, my dog, pho- tography, travel. It’s not possible to have all at once, but I endeavour to balance my time as much as possible.
And a word of advice to anyone trying to get a balance between home and outside activities and feeling guilty about housework – I’ve never heard of anyone dying of the dusting not getting done. Live and enjoy every day doing what you love with the people you love.