Fuming in blazing heat due to airport’s smoking zone

I HAVE just arrived back into Australia from Guangzhou in China at 8.20am.

What struck me was, while at the airport in Guangzhou I happened to have a chat with a UK tourist who was returning to the UK from a holiday in Australia.

She said she absolutely loved the place, though she could not believe the amount of rules, which I found a bit rich coming from a Briton.

When pressed she said she spent New Year’s Eve in Sydney and wished she had stayed in Brisbane or Gold Coast, as after midnight she could not get into any bars or nightclubs due to a “lock out” rule which baffled her and ruined her night.

I admitted to her she would have been equally disappointed in Queensland, as similar rules applied. Even worse, we had ID checks and if she was not carrying her passport she may not have got in even at 10pm.

What’s more, if she had, she would have found rules against buying “shooters”, rules against buying more than one drink after a certain time and a plethora of other “nanny state” decrees.

We agreed “Australia Rules”; it has the “most rules” in the world.

This brings me to landing in Brisbane, the international gateway to our fair state, and again, the plethora of rules that abound, especially for us decrepit smokers (actually most of the plane, as the Chinese have not yet been taxed out of their smoking habits).

There is an absolutely bizarre situation at the new pick up passenger area which looks temporary (one can only hope) but probably isn’t.

How can we impose our draconian distaste for tobacco users on visiting nationals at the gateway for most to Australia?

I am all for people that indulge in this filthy habit respecting the rights of those that don’t. But seriously, the pick-up area is under the elevated rail.

It feels somewhat like a scene out of a Chicago gangster movie, but it is well shaded with signage in abundance stating “No Smoking” area, “No Standing” area (the latter is pretty obvious).

There must have been 20 similar signs – no this, no that, and, then – lo and behold – in the distance, an area bathed in the baking hot sun with no shade was a sign saying “Smoking Area” in a climatically hostile position.

No wonder I and half the Chinese passengers from my flight stayed in the shade and smoked in an illegal spot standing on the gravel under a column with a “high voltage earth” sign on it.

Even the kerbside controller had to agree it was absurd and we departed on good terms.

I implore Australians to turn back the clock on some of these issues. Use common sense and think for ourselves rather than be like sheep and stop blaming everyone else every time some misfortune befalls them.

Perhaps better still, we should ban the do-gooders that want us all to follow in their footsteps to a healthy, structured, boring life.