Society in need of a few home truths

AS kids, my mother — a woman short in stature but in strong command over her brood — would warn us when we misbehaved:

“If you don’t stop fighting, I’ll bang your heads together.”

Of course she didn’t mean it, but nor did you need to be a rocket scientist to figure out she was nearing the end of her tether.

In fact, any further misbehaviour would be met with the ominous sound of a rattling cutlery drawer and her hand diving for the wooden spoon.

Yet despite all the times she produced that wooden spoon and shook it wildly in our direction, I can’t remember ever being struck with it — though I probably came close a couple of times.

Those were the days when there were no houses south of the train line in Carr Street, near where we lived, just cow paddocks.

The 4pm steam train to Queenscliff would regularly chuff its way past the bottom of our street each day, where a couple of brothers would place pennies on the rail lines and race to collect the flattened objects as trophies after the train had passed.

HOSPITALS WHERE REAL HEROES WALK AMONG US

MY sister spent many hours in Geelong hospital emergency.

They were so busy that when she first arrived she had to sit in a chair for nearly two hours.

The staff who work there are nothing short of heroes.

She was treated with respect and care even though it was frantically busy.

I wish every single parliamentarian could sit, as my sister did, and observe how understaffed this department is and to observe that the people who work there are amazing.

From the reception staff through to the nurses, doctors, cleaners and catering staff, their workload is extraordinary.

My hope is you all get to read this letter and come to know how much my family appreciate the work you do.

Name supplied, Ivanhoe

ISLANDS HOPE FOR FUTURE OF CORAL REEFS

REGARDING coral reef revival (Opinion, 8/4), there is evidence that diligence in removing the crown of thorns starfish leads to new life for dying reefs.

Australian Alan Gill has a beach resort in the Solomon Islands where the majority of the coral had died. However, after waging war on the crown of thorns starfish for five years and destroying 4000 of them, the coral began regrowing.

And where one of my sister’s dolls met a cracking end after one of the boys wanted to see how it would fare under the wheels of a steaming locomotive.

Needless to say that experiment ended in tears, not all belonging to my little sister.

Those were the days when you could buy a brown paper bag full of broken biscuits for a few pennies from the corner grocer, when a loaf of freshly baked bread seldom made its way home without at least a couple of bites out of the end.

At home, the gas oven with its door open added extra warmth in winter to our crowded threebedroom Housing Commission home, the outside of which was periodically painted chunder yellow, burnt orange or sludge green by the ministry’s maintenance blokes.

The dunny was on the end of the veranda next to the “wash house” where a gas-fired boiler was used to extract the daily grime from our clothes.

The milk was delivered in bottles from a horse-drawn cart and the “Rawleigh’s man” knocked on the door every Saturday to check on our needs, one of my

Alan has also been replanting coral, which is now thriving.

So this is good news indeed, and brings a wave of hope for all coral reefs.

Melva Stott, Anglesea

SEPARATING THE COVID FACTS FROM FALLACIES

UNMITIGATED disaster of the vaccine rollout! How many lives have or will be lost with this slower than planned rollout?

Isn’t the PM explaining why it is slow? Have not the bans in Europe slowed the supply? At least the PM can explain the delays. mother’s favourites being a liniment touted as being “good for man and beast” — a sure sign we were in good hands.

While she cooked a mean apple sponge and a mouth-watering Sunday roast, unfortunately that was where my mother’s culinary talents ended, focusing more on getting the basics into us than fluffing around with mouthwatering desserts, much to our disappointment.

Still we never went hungry, always had a roof over our heads and knew we were loved.

Our mother was the driving force in our family and toiled endlessly in the care of us all, in particular a younger brother born with severe cerebral palsy whom she tended lovingly until he passed away at home just short of his 15th birthday.

She was also full of oldfashioned remedies, some of which actually worked, while the remainder Dad referred to as “witch’s brew”.

He was probably right.

Both parents came from ordinary working class families and drummed into us that all

BOTH PARENTS CAME FROM ORDINARY WORKING CLASS FAMILIES AND DRUMMED INTO US THAT ALL PEOPLE WERE CREATED EQUAL AND

YOU TREATED OTHERS AS YOU WISHED TO BE TREATED YOURSELF.”

How were they “gold standards” that we were promised in Labor Victoria? Premier Daniel Andrews and his $50m media department spewed out so much positivity about their abilities and achievements. These proved to be the same facts akin to the WA Premier post his election victory, and congratulations to him on his resounding win over the Liberals.

However, like columnist Ross Mueller, the WA Premier made statements that are unsupported by truth and facts.

The WA Premier proclaimed Labor states had performed far people were created equal and you treated others as you wished to be treated yourself.

So when I look back I wonder what they would have made of today’s crazy, hypersensitive, permanently enraged and offended world.

Reckon my mother would have treated the world like naughty children.

Turned the light off, closed the door and told us to go to sleep and wake up when we were all in a better frame of mind.

Too sensible by far, eh?

better than Liberal states during the COVID crisis.

Using COVID deaths per partyheld states and territories, the factual scorecard is Liberal deaths 71, Labor deaths 838. I would ask the WA Premier what his golden standard criteria is to decide the best-performed party during the COVID outbreak and “waves”?

Ross Mueller needs to consider the fact that in Victoria Labor lied and could not provide any answers to an investigation that it made false claims about its ability to find answers. Is Mueller also suffering from loss of memory or is it the same old bias? (GA, 8/4).

Mueller does not have economic or financial qualifications, as many financial reports are positive about the economy’s recovery. Fact: the December quarter in Australia saw the second strongest quarterly growth recorded over the past 45 years. That has continued in 2021.

Certainly pensioners, job seekers, small business and individual wage earners are all under-rewarded and have not recovered to the same level as the overall economy.

To date, the slower vaccine rollout does not concern me. It may only become an issue when the Victorian government again fails in its quarantine hotels.

Mueller’s biased rubbish is not only boring but has little factual basis.

FANTASTIC that there will be a pop-up youth space in Inverleigh (GA, 8/4). I sincerely hope somebody takes responsibility to ensure the video games are not the usual inappropriate, disturbing, sexist and violent games marketed at young people.

Michelle, Lara

ANOTHER financial disaster by the Andrews government, the Victorian booze buses.

Taxpayer

THERE’S one thing wrong with Ernie Elliott’s reworded Geelong Cats footy song (GA, 8/4) … there is no final bell. Kanga King, Anglesea

WHAT a sad life Eve Fisher (GA, 7/4) must have when the highlight of her day is watching Married At First Sight. Tom & Gerry

DENNIS Fitzgerald (GA, 5/4), Earth’s climate has been changing since the Big Bang.

Realist

THE Andrews government proposes to spend $14bn over the next 20 years

WHAT a beautiful article in Saturday Addy (3/4) about the special parties for children. I cried as I read it as it reminds me of my granddaughter. In Year 8 this year, been to one party. Nobody came to hers as it is too close to Christmas. But invited people could go to other parties around same time. Good on you, Louise. May only good things come your way. Keep up the great innovation.

Susan, Grovedale upgrading infrastructure in Melbourne to save commuters 20 minutes on a journey.

The accountant

WELL, Christine Couzens, nice to read your story (GA, 6/4) … but what about the land stolen from white people by your government through land acquisition to build monuments for re-election? Victorians who have purchased and occupied land for over 100 years run off their land by you and your state government.

Rights for all

RE, “Surf Coast grog shock” (GA, 5/4). As a proud member of Alcoholics

Anonymous for 20 years (who saved my life), I suggest you print the number for Lifeline, or AA Victoria (9429 1833 or aavictoria.org.au) with articles such as this. You may well save a life.

Chris, Geelong West

THAT TV advertisement for Ladbrokes is a shocker! It’s a terrible embarrassment and should be banned. Disgusting!

WHEN it come to COVID vaccination, can the government have stuffed it up any worse? I think not.

Jo, Geelong

MICHAEL Gamble’s letter (GA, 4/3) was the best contribution he has submitted for a long period.

Colin, Highton

TAKEAWAY coffee sales must be down now we’re not wearing masks.

Gez, G town

IS Phil Gould the most biased commentator in rugby league football? I switch the volume off when he is commentating.

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