Cave saga a stark reminder

THE world is transfixed on the incredible case of the 12 boys who became trapped in a cave in Thailand.

From the discovery of the youngsters, deep inside a complicated cave system, to the mammoth and perilous rescue effort, which includes a team of specialists sent by the Australian Government, to the death of a former Thai Navy Seal to the vision of the first small boys emerging to safety — you can’t even imagine how those boys and their families are clinging on during this emotional rollercoaster.

The reason this story has us so emotionally invested is two- fold.

Firstly, it’s every parent’s worst nightmare to send their kids off to camp and for them to go missing. The helplessness those parents must feel as they’re forced to sit idly by and hope the rescuers can free their children must be a special type of torture.

But secondly, it reminds all of us of our mortality and of the limits to our capabilities as humans.

Sometimes with technology as advanced as it is and our ability to at the touch of a button find a YouTube video to show us how to fix almost anything instantly, it’s hard to fathom we don’t have the ability to just get these kids out straight away.

What is clear is that they are held in people’s thoughts and prayers across the globe and we can only hope to wake up to more positive news in the morning. Communication would help TELSTRA’S lack of willingness to share further information on its plans to shed 8000 jobs across the country by 2020 puts local employees in a difficult spot.

Federal Member for Herbert Cathy O’Toole did well in bringing senior executives of the beleaguered Telco company to Townsville but it’s unfortunate we’re no further forward in knowing how it will affect our locals.

With union officials saying up to 400 positions could be lost in Townsville, it’s hard to believe, given the company has put a figure on job losses, that there is no detailed plan around those figures yet.