HUGE MEDIA COVERAGE OF PINE GAP PROTEST. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
Four arrests propelled national coverage of the anti Pine Gap
demonstrations - much smaller than expected - to the top of many
television news bulletins on Saturday night.
The arrests took place in a violent melee between protesters and NT
police near the gates of the base.
Police later described paint-filled balloons as an "offensive weapon"
and charged a 23-year-old woman with possessing it.
The clashes overshadowed the breadth of the protest.
Although attracting 300 people and not the predicted 500, it was
largely peaceful and attended by a wide range of interests including
Alice Springs community groups, Quakers from Perth, Uniting Church
clergy from Adelaide, activists from throughout Australia, unionists
and the national Medical Association for Prevention of War.
The association, represented by several local and interstate doctors,
says it presented to Pine Gap officials a petition signed by several
hundred medical professionals from across Australia.
The petition called for the United States government to relinquish
their lease on the facility in the name of public health to which war
is the greatest threat.
Australian Greens Senator Kerry Nettle (NSW) echoed the concerns of
most speakers at the protest.
She said on Sunday she had just come from the debate in Federal
Parliament about AustraliaÕs involvement in a possible war
against Iraq.
She described the debate as "quite farcical" given that "Australia has
already committed a significant involvement to an invasion of Iraq" by
hosting Pine Gap.
Said Sen Nettle: "That involvement is not something that Australian
parliamentarians are currently aware of.
"We have the committee that is responsible for ensuring that this
facility operates in a way that fits with Australia's national interest
[but the committee is] not able to access the agreement with regard to
this facility."
She said members of the US Congress have "more access to understanding
what goes on in this facility than Australian parliamentarians do".
Briefings on Pine Gap, and its involvement in any war on Iraq, "are
only provided for the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister and for the
Shadow Ministry".
"This facility has been used in 1991 to provide information on targets"
in the Gulf War and later in the ongoing sanctions on Iraq, "sanctions
that have led to the death of around half a million Iraqi children"
deprived of basic needs.
"The Greens in Parliament have continued to provide unequivocal
opposition to Australian involvement in an invasion of Iraq, whether it
is UN sanctioned or not.
"We need to give to the Iraqi people their dignity and their autonomy
so that they can determine who should be the future leaders of their
country."
Sen Nettle said this "spy base" is looking after US economic and
domestic political interests in the Middle East region, China and Asia,
and "quite clearly not [looking] after the interests of Australia."
Security precautions were extraordinary when compared to previous
protests.
There were several hundred NT police and Australian Protective Service
officers on duty, a large group of them forming a phalanx three to four
deep at the gate of the facility.
Protesters were made to leave their vehicles at a roadblock 1.8 km from
the gates and had to walk, on Sunday, in 33.4 degree heat, more than
four degrees above average.
Media were initially told they could drive all the way to the protest
site but police later reneged on that undertaking and crews had to
carry their gear for nearly a kilometre.
The main protest group, from interstate, was permitted to camp on Crown
Land near the turn-off of Hatt Road, which leads to the base, from the
Stuart Highway.
Activities at the camp Ð for much of the time Ð resembled more
a bush party than a plot to threaten world security: a band was
playing, and there was lots of singing, dancing and street theatre type
acts between attempts Ð largely foiled by police Ð to block
"space base" traffic on the road.
The business part of the "action", however, appears to have been
conducted professionally.
For example, the debrief on Saturday night was attended by about 100
people standing or sitting around a campfire, eating their dinner
prepared by a canteen. The meeting was chaired by a man who gave the
floor, in turn, to people raising their hands.
Speakers who had the floor were not being interrupted by others.
Several people, who had telephoned friends or relatives interstate
reported that lead items on commercial TV had been the protest that
afternoon, with a heavy emphasis on the violent clash with the police.
One man reported that the four people arrested had been bailed, and he
gave their names.
Two female legal advisers explained the bail conditions and the
charges, including failure to give a name, resisting arrest and
hindering police.
One of the advisers said people giving false names should be aware that
new fingerprinting procedures in the NT allowed for instant
computerised matches with interstate records.
Several speakers complained that NT laws did not compel police to
display name badges nor numbers on their uniforms. (Protective Service
officers Ð working for a Federal organisation Ð had numbers
handwritten on masking tape stuck to their blue uniforms.)
One man from WA reported that a friend had entered the base compound,
carrying camping gear, and was apparently planning to stay there over
night.
The activists had been subjected to hysterical coverage by the US
controlled Centralian Advocate newspaper for weeks.
It reported that some demonstrators would be coming for a luxury tour
Ð although they were travelling by bus and sleeping in tents.
Later the paper reported protesters would "storm" the base when a
spokesman said some participants would be attempting to enter the
compound.
The misreporting reached a climax when on Tuesday last week the
Advocate reported: "Taxpayers will foot the bill to accommodate up to
500 interstate protesters expected at Pine Gap this weekend.
"The protesters will have a special campground and facilities erected
near Pine Gap by the NT Department of Parks and Wildlife.
"It is believed the campground with toilets will be prepared near the
Stuart Highway junction."
The information was entirely wrong: all facilities were being paid for
by the protesters.
In Friday's edition the newspaper retracted the report, but claimed it
had been given the information by a person working for Parks and
Wildlife Minister Kon Vatskalis.
The Alice Springs News checked with media adviser at the time to Mr
Vatskalis, Dennis Driver.
He said: "Maybe they have misconstrued something I have said."
However, the Advocate report also says: "The cost of the temporary
facilities was unknown at the time of publication."
Mr Driver says the Advocate did not ask him about the costs Ð a
question that would have readily cleared up any misunderstanding.
The protest organisers, who have had an office in Alice Springs for
about two months, say they had not been approached by the Advocate.
The paper's misreporting triggered an outburst from MacDonnell MLA John
Elferink, parts of which were picked up by at least one national news
medium.
Mr Elferink said he was "astonished that the Government was building
facilities for protesters".
"It is even more astounding that they are using Parks and Wildlife
personnel and taxpayers' funds to do this.
"It seems that the Minister is pulling another Kon job on Territory
taxpayers and letting his sympathies show.
"I was in the Todd Mall on Sunday and I met some of these people who
have travelled up from other parts to take part in this protest.
"I was particularly struck by one man who was wearing a cowboy hat, a
sequined top and a hot pink mini-skirt.
"Clearly this person is not the sort of person that we want to
accommodate at taxpayers' cost and make them feel welcome so he may
demonstrate his intellectual and moral superiority to us poor dumb folk
in Alice Springs."
The man in question, it seems, was Supreme Commander Starpower (his
legal name for four years), nicknamed Captain Starlight.
He was one of the four people arrested on Saturday when he questioned
police about why they were apprehending the first two protesters taken
into custody, and after taunting police with a "camp" act at the gates.
He was thrown to the ground and a police officer pushed his face into
the dirt.
Mr Starpower says: "I asked what they [his friends] were being arrested
for and they [police] couldn't tell.
"I asked what I was being charged for and they couldn't tell me.
"That's why I was arrested. I'm a highly visible performance artist.
"They pick out members of the crowd they don't like, and later on, when
you're taken to the police station, that's when they make up lots of
charges."
He says his charges included resisting arrest, hindering police and
assaulting police.
Before being released on bail Mr Starpower says he was forced to
provide a DNA sample, as were his three fellow prisoners.
He says he finds it "disturbing" that NT law provides for compulsory
DNA testing for any alleged offence that, if proven, carries a maximum
penalty of at six months imprisonment or more.
As it turned out, the police withdrew the assault charge, Mr Starpower
pleaded guilty to the other two and was fined $400 in the Magistrate's
Court on Monday.
However, his DNA samples will remain on record.
Says Mr Starpower: "I'm not a murderer, I'm not a rapist, I am a
political activist.
"The only things I've ever been charged for are [political] actions.
"It concerns me that now the DNA of activists can be forcibly taken."
On a brighter note, CATIA's Craig Catchlove says he's been told at a
recent seminar that the protest gained 500 bed nights for town.
"Let me say, tongue in cheek, perhaps we should be bidding for a few
more controversial establishments for our region. It could become a
niche tourism market."
INDUSTRY AGAINST PROPOSAL TO PRIVATISE TOURIST COMMISSION MARKETING ARM. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.
A Tourist Commission proposal to privatize or "outsource" its
wholesale operation, Territory Discoveries (TD), is strongly opposed by
the tourism industry of Central Australia.
CATIA manager Craig Catchlove says a survey of all members had revealed
"overwhelming support" for TD to remain as a government business
organization.
TD was set up in 1999 to sell services from all Territory tourism
operators.
The draft of the Northern Territory Tourism Strategic Plan 2002-2007
says TD sells "particularly product of small to medium operators not
included in other domestic wholesale programs who have little or no
distribution through the national retail travel agent network".
TD, the "government business division" of the NTTC, is currently
offering 1500 products to some 2000 retailers around Australia from
more than 180 Territory businesses.
It is feared that many of them will suffer if a private operator takes
over, with maximizing profits as the focus, rather than broadening and
developing the industry.
There is also apprehension in the industry that a change to the TD
system Ð now starting to work after the usual establishment period
of several years Ð will confuse buyers and set back progress.
Mr Catchlove says in the wake of the Kennedy Report in 1992 the
commission went to outsource wholesaling.
"The move was not successful because there was no expansion of product,
minimum extra marketing, and we were just one of a raft of operations
promoted, including many interstate ones.
"The TD concept and process grew out of the failure of that earlier
attempt at privatization."The draft released recently to the industry
says: "Whether this option incorporates an incentive program, increased
cooperative marketing activity, subsidy or simply allowing market
forces to prevail, has yet to be determined.
"To examine the value and potential of this option, the NTG is in the
process of contacting private sector wholesalers with existing domestic
NT programs to seek their interest."
There is a push towards promoting the NT as a single destination Ð
rather than the Top End and The Centre separately Ð something Mr
Catchlove says is likely to benefit the Top End because The Centre is
currently the stronger destination.
Apart from that, the 12-page document, about one year in the making,
contains very little.
It makes the astonishing admission that the NT, with its tourist
commission now a quarter of a century old Ð still "does not have a
fully integrated marketing strategy".
"It is proposed tourism operators, RTAs and NTTC become more closely
aligned in their domestic and international marketing activities."
The regional tourism associations in Alice, Tennant Creek, Katherine
and Darwin, receive around half their funding from the commission.
It is not clear whether the following paragraphs in the draft signal
that the NTTC wants to tie its grants to the RTAs to specific purposes.
Mr Catchlove says he would have no problem with that.
The draft says it is "anticipated that the NTTC's relationship with the
RTA will change under a destination development approach as the impact
of destination selection will dictate NTTC funded operational
imperatives."
"It is envisaged a portion of RTA funding would be assigned for
destination development and would be allocated based on the priority
destinations.
"It is believed the destination development approach would provide RTAs
with more clearly defined expectations."
The report says the Northern Territory Holiday Centre, a telephone
reservation centre recently returned wholly to Alice Springs, "will
continue largely unchanged" if TD operations continue in government
hands.
But it is proposed that the holiday centre may not provide booking
facilities if the TC role were undertaken by the private sector.
Something most people would regard as a fundamental for state tourist
commissions, the NTTC review draft appears to be heralding as a brand
new undertaking: "It is proposed tourism operators, RTAs and NTTC
become more closely aligned in their domestic and international
marketing activities.
"This could be achieved by the NTTC more clearly articulating the
domestic segments and international markets seen as priorities and
guiding the approach to targeting these.
"It is proposed the NTTC's marketing budget for domestic and
international marketing activity be allocated in accordance with size
of market, measured by holiday visitor nights, as well as taking into
account the cost of activity and growth potential of each market."
The draft says NSW / ACT and VIC / TAS represent 36 per cent and 26 per
cent respectively of all interstate holiday / pleasure visitors.
QLD and SA closely follow with 18 per cent and 11 per cent.
"It is proposed that the NTTC's domestic marketing emphasis will
continue to be focussed in the interstate markets on the eastern and
southern seaboards. "Interstate visitation accounts for 33 per cent of
all holiday / pleasure visitors to the NT, 47 per cent of expenditure
and 48 per cent of visitor nights.
"Of all interstate holiday / pleasure visitors, 45 per cent travel to
the NT by air, 44 per cent self drive, five per cent travel by coach
and approximately four per cent travel by rail into Alice Springs on
The Ghan.
"It is recommended that the self-drive market, including fly / drive
and rail / drive continue to be a priority focus to increase domestic
travel to and within the NT.
"International visitation accounts for 49 per cent of all holiday /
pleasure visitors to the NT, 48 per cent of expenditure by holiday /
pleasure visitors and 40 per cent of holiday / pleasure visitor nights.
"The three traditional international or Ôcore' markets of UK /
Ireland / Scandinavia, North America and Germany represent 29 per cent,
13 per cent and 13 per cent respectively of all international holiday /
pleasure visitors and 58 per cent collectively of all expenditure by
international holiday / pleasure visitors in the NT.
"When the other European and Japan growth markets are added, they
account for 87 per cent of all international holiday / pleasure visitor
expenditure."
VISITORS TO PARKS LOVE MOST THE 'SHEER SCALE'. Report by KIERAN FINNANE.
The Desert Park acts as a kind of visitors' centre for the region's
conservation parks and reserves but it doesn't take away visitors'
desire for the real thing.Regional parks manager, Andrew Bridges, says
visitors appreciate most the sheer scale of the landscape when they're
out in the wild, the distance they can drive without seeing human
habitation, the openness Ð things that can't be replicated.However,
they often express disappointment that they don't see a lot of
wildlife, and the Desert Park gives them that opportunity.
In the wild, interpretive signs indicate areas where it is possible to
see particular animals, but the chances of a sighting are pretty slim.
The best experience of Central Australia then, says Mr Bridges, is to
see both the Desert Park and a number of the other parks and reserves.
The existence of the Desert Park has boosted the overall conservation
resource.
For instance, research and breeding programs at the Desert Park feed
into what wildlife rangers do on the ground to manage the habitats of
threatened animal species.
The botany unit at the Desert Park also propagates appropriate plant
species for rangers' landscape rehabilitation work.
Says Mr Bridges: "Ten to 15 years ago, if we wanted to plant River Red
Gums nobody particularly worried about where the seed came from, it
might have come from the Barmah Forest in Victoria or wherever.
"These days we say we need that local provenance material. We're trying
to look after not just the species, but the genetic integrity of the
Central Australian flora.
"It's a lot more professional this way, and a wiser use of resources."
Visitation to Ormiston Gorge in the West MacDonnells Park is on a par
with visitation to the Desert Park, at around 90,000 to 100,000
annually, while visitation to Watarrka (Kings Canyon) has grown to over
270,000 a year.
Generally the parks have at least an 80 per cent satisfaction rate,
while some of them have over 90 per cent, again on a par with the
Desert Park.
Several parks and reserves provide basic visitor facilities; there's
good on-site interpretation in most areas for self-guided walks; and in
the cooler months, from April to October, there's a program of
ranger-guided activities.
"Generally rangers on patrol are there for people to ask questions,"
says Mr Bridges."We get a fairly good response from the public in terms
of that Ôfriendly ranger' concept.
"They see rangers and get to speak to rangers in the Territory more
often than in a lot of other states Ð that's the advice we get
through the surveys."Are there enough resources, human and financial,
to cater for what visitors want? The primary role of parks is to look
after the natural environment, says Mr Bridges.
"We do the best we can with what we've got and from a national
perspective we do pretty well.
"Talking to rangers in other states, they believe they don't have the
level of resourcing that we do and that's generally borne out by
visitor comments."The budget allocation for staffing and operating
parks in the southern region this year is around $4.2m. (The Desert
Park got $4.32m.)On top of that recurrent funding is a maintenance
budget that looks after infrastructure (this year, $1.42m), a minor
works budget and an interpretation budget.
There are around 40 full-time rangers in the region, with 15 in the
West Macs and seven at Watarrka. (There are 44 full-time staff at the
Desert Park, only six of whom are in maintenance and managerial
positions.)With cleaning and maintenance activities out-sourced
wherever possible, rangers, who these days generally have a tertiary
qualification, are more able to concentrate on land management tasks
and professional visitor contact.
"While our staffing numbers haven't changed over the last few years,
the amount of time that we can devote to land management tasks has gone
up," says Mr Bridges.
Ecological subdivision? COLUMN by GLENN MARSHALL.
Will there soon be an ecological subdivision south of the Gap?An
interesting subdivision has been proposed south of the Gap by local
developer Ron Sterry.
He recently submitted a planning approval application to the
Development Consent Authority for at least 260 urban sized lots on a
180-hectare parcel of freehold land that sits between the MacDonnell
Range Caravan Park and the main Heavitree Range (on the other side of
the range from the Convention Centre).
It is interesting for two reasons, one because it would be the first
urban subdivision south of the Gap (this currently isn't allowed by the
Alice Springs Land Use Structure Plan) and two because the developer is
attempting to incorporate a host of ecologically sustainable
development principles into it. The working title of the subdivision is
"Southside Ð life on the other side", which will hopefully be
replaced by a name better reflecting the local cultural and social
history of the town, such as Ilparpa, Larapinta or Old Racecourse (how
about a name competition?).The sneakily urban Southside is seeking
approval as a rural subdivision on a technicality because the proposed
small blocks (mostly around 1,200 square metres) are clustered together
in the southern part of the land and are matched by hilly open space in
the north of the land. Therefore the average area claimed for each
block is around 4,000 square metres and hence could be classified as
rural.
The developer has some merit in arguing that current rural blocks are
often severely degraded by the activities of their occupants (e.g.
horses) and that cluster blocks with well-managed open areas are more
ecologically sustainable. It is an interesting test-case that warrants
community debate and re-clarification of the Land Use Structure Plan
before a fair decision can be made by the Development Consent
Authority.
There seems to be time to do this, as the current Southside application
has so little detail about critical aspects including stormwater
management, building envelopes, water/power/wastewater infrastructure
and roads that it is difficult to see how approval can be given until
far more detail is provided by the developer's team.It is very
encouraging that many ecological sustainability concepts are proposed
for the subdivision, reflecting Ron Sterry's long-term desire to
achieve this outcome for his land. It remains to be seen whether the
concepts are technically or economically feasible for Southside. If
they are and the subdivision is approved, then it may create a
benchmark that future subdivisions must match and may instigate
improvements in current housing stocks. Indeed, if Alice Springs is to
become a Desert Knowledge town, then ecologically-focused subdivisions
must become mandatory.Ecologically, the block is in very good condition
and would ideally be part of a greater MacDonnell Range National Park.
If the developer decides it is not economically feasible to develop the
land, then the NT government should purchase it for the Park estate. It
has several vegetation communities that are in relatively good
condition, although the weeds buffel grass and rosy dock are present
and need active management, as do some eroding vehicle tracks.
Ron Sterry's intention is to preserve the northern valley between the
main range and the southern foothills as a nature reserve, jointly
managed by a proscribed body corporate of residents and the Parks &
Wildlife Commission. It is an interesting model that, if successful,
would be an innovative example of private nature conservation in the
NT.Stormwater management will be critical as most of the house blocks
are located on significant slopes with big potential for erosion (most
of the land is classified as "severe" erosion risk by government and
would not be zoned for development nowadays).
From the plans, it seems stormwater will be channeled down 100 metre
wide drainage corridors between three main housing clusters. The
development application briefly outlines the potential to capture
stormwater on these slopes and on flat ground below, but no details are
given to validate its feasibility.
Apparently there is the possibility of soaking stormwater into an
existing aquifer at the base of the block then pumping it out for later
use in the subdivision. Whilst this is a potentially interesting idea,
there is no mention of it in the development application and no
evidence to suggest it is technically or economically feasible.
Certainly, Ilparpa offers a clear example of how not to manage
stormwater, with its huge roadside drains that quickly speed water from
the subdivision, creating substantial erosion and allowing no time for
valuable water to soak into the ground.Minimizing water use and
maximizing wastewater reuse will be a critical indicator of the
credentials of the subdivision. Current plans are poorly explained and
there is limited indication of expected water volumes required for the
subdivision. How much extra burden will it place on the town's
non-renewable water supply? Rainwater tanks and stormwater harvesting
are mentioned as alternative water sources but little detail is
provided.
In other new Australian subdivisions, clever incorporation of these
features have substantially reduced the consumption of potable water.
The only wastewater system mentioned in Southside's development
application is connection to the town's sewerage system. This would be
a terrible waste of a precious resource and would put extra pressure on
the already-overflowing sewage ponds.
The developer is apparently considering systems that treat and reuse
all wastewater onsite. In subdivisions elsewhere, dual reticulation
piping is laid opportunistically in newly-dug service trenches,
returning treated wastewater to people's gardens. This could
potentially halve the potable water use per block at Southside compared
to other houses in Alice Springs that currently average 550 litres per
day indoors and 700 litres of potable water outdoors. If optimized,
this could create an outstanding example of low water consumption in an
arid zone subdivision.The developer has indicated that houses will have
to meet minimum requirements for energy and water efficiency, although
this is not mentioned in the application. The energy star rating scheme
for houses in NSW, Victoria and the ACT provides a ready-made tool for
adoption by Southside.
The NT government is yet to announce whether it will adopt new energy
efficiency regulations on January 1, 2003 as proposed by the Australian
Building Codes Board. Southside may be a terrific opportunity to trial
a building, energy and water advisory service for new houses, funded by
the NT government as part of their policy platform to improve the
energy efficiency of NT houses.What sort of energy will be supplied?
Again there are scant details in the DCA submission, but apparently it
is planned to put all power lines underground. It would be great if
each house had to install a solar hot water system and energy efficient
appliances, as this would substantially reduce total energy consumption
whilst not affecting the lifestyle of householders.
The use of energy efficient solar street lights and grid-connected
photovoltaic panels on roofs would indicate a commitment to renewable
energy and could perhaps be financially assisted by the NT government
through low-interest "green loans" as is starting to happen in other
states.
If the subdivision is approved in principle, the NT government should
assist the developer to maximize the arid zone features that it could
incorporate, as it will be a role model for Alice Springs and other
inland Australian towns.
A man of few words. COLUMN by STEVE FISHER.
Someone lent me a book the other day called Don't come the raw
prawn. It's a dictionary of Australian words and phrases. I don't know
who the mysterious benefactor was. They just left the book in a place
where they knew I would find it. This may have been some enticement to
write 500 words about what a dork might be or what is the difference
between daggy and dags (don't ask).
Better not to take the bait, I reckon. So I'll spare you the amateur
linguistics. But one thing is certain. There are some pretty useful
words and phrases out there. And the best ones are those that we don't
even notice that we use. Forget "strewth" and "fuller than a seaside
dunny on Boxing Day". They always seem a bit too contrived and
mock-Aussie to me. The ones I prefer are those everyday tics in the
language that are economical and meaningful.
One time, I was at a conference in which the dominant language was
Spanish. Most of the participants were Spanish-speaking. Whenever a
non-Spanish speaker got up to present, most of the participants turned
to each other and shrugged theatrically, meaning "I can't understand a
single word, can you?".
Anyway, one of the main presenters kept using one of these tics of
speech. It was the word "digamos", roughly translated as "like we say".
This appeared in every other line that he spoke. But when I mentioned
it to some of the audience during the tea break, nobody had even
noticed. It was like the Spanish equivalent of "you know" or "I mean"
as a break in a sentence. Most of us use these curiosities of language
all the time and we don't even think about what we are saying.There are
some similar examples to be found in the Australian language. Take two
common questions that we hear all the time: "how yer going?" and "how'd
yer go?". These are so efficient and useful that I reckon they should
be translated into all the world's languages. I am serious when I say
that UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation, should send ambassadors around the world to spread the
use of these phrases.
You might wonder why. Well, I used to reply to "how yer going?"
thinking that it was a genuine enquiry after the health and well-being
of myself and my family. But after about 30 occasions (okay, so I'm a
bit slow) of starting to provide an answer to someone who had either
walked away or glazed over, I realised that "how yer going?" actually
means "hello". Took me a while, but I got there in the end.
On the other hand, "how'd yer go?" is a very sincere request for
information. When someone asks the question, they expect to hear about
the health and well-being of your family. Or they want an equivalent
and substantial reply. Like whether your team won the footy or whether
you managed to find the right brand of blackhead removal tape at Amcal.
The response "fine, thanks" or "they only had parcel tape" doesn't
quite pass muster.
This subject fascinates me. After all, my social life isn't up to much.
So I have been testing the limits of these two questions. I walked into
a room of people who didn't notice that I was there. And I said "how'd
yer go?" in a clear and confident way with that little hint of warmth
that people always seem to introduce. Or at least they do in the Alice.
And would you believe it, someone turned around and gave me an account
of a sporting event that they had been to on that day. I didn't know
they had been at this match, but I learned all about it and they liked
me a little more for bothering to ask. So it's a great device for
getting to know people. Which is what Australians do better than most
other people.
And then another time, I asked someone how they were going ("how yer
going?" I said) and waited for an answer. None arrived. They looked
uncomfortable. I always look uncomfortable. The conversation stuttered
forward. It was as though there was a nasty smell and we were wondering
where it had come from.
What these two phrases have in common is economy. Compare them with a
recent report on bloodsports in England that described a pack of hounds
tearing a fox limb-from-limb as an act that "compromises the fox's
welfare". Why use a convoluted sentence when a nutshell will do? Why
skirt the issue when you can get to the point? Why bother to find out
how someone is when you can see that they are fine? Why ask a detailed
question when three words will do the job and get you the right answer?
"How'd yer go" and "how yer going". Making language warm and economical
again.
afishoutofwater@bigpond.com
Dining with Tim. COLUMN by ANN CLOKE.
It's important to take the time to do the research Ð check the
facts, dot the i's and cross the t's, especially when a particular
piece could end up in print.
A week or so ago we joined Tim Fischer for dinner. We sat waiting for
the guest of honour, whom the media has dubbed amongst other things,
"Two Minute Tim" and "Tim the Hat".
He's also a consultant to Deloitte ÉHe's good, I have to admit.
He walked in and greeted everyone by name as he shook hands: "Good
evening Bill, David, Ann, Bronte, Tania, Eugene, Sharon, Kevin, Jenny
É"Somewhere between entrŽe and the main course he confided that
he always likes to know whom he's meeting prior to the engagement.
He memorises the names and if he hasn't grasped them almost
immediately, it's highly unlikely he'll recall them. Very clever, I
thought É doing his homework.
There was a lot of discussion around the table. Topics ranged from
global happenings to local news, Pine Gap protests, the forthcoming
Masters' Games and the railway line.
Tim Fischer also has the title of Special Envoy for the Adelaide Ð
Darwin Railway. It's part of his brief to lift community awareness and
to promote the project Ð not necessarily to those Palmerston
residents who will now have gardens abutting the line, they know all
about it!Tim's very positive about the Rail to Asia link and the
proposed new railway, the Australian Inland Rail Expressway, a train
which will run from Melbourne to Goondiwindi and through to Gladstone.
The long term prospect is for this track to go from Gladstone through
to Longreach, into Mount Isa and link up, finally, with the Northern
Territory's south north railway line.
This is of special interest to me because Dad worked with the New
Zealand Railways for 40 plus years and is a real train buff. He and Mum
have travelled around Aotearoa, and into the Alice by rail, many times.
They love our wide open spaces and they're looking forward to arriving
in Alice via an alternative route. Many travellers enjoy the ease and
comfort of train travel and, for those who have time on their side,
it's a great way to traverse our enormous country.
Tim has co-authored, with Peter Lees, a book, Tim Fischer's Outback
Heroes and Communities that Count. It targets and tells the stories of
some heroes in some communities including Longreach, Warburton, Wiluna,
Nundle, Narromine, Port Fairy, Kalgoorlie, Merriwa, and Moree.
I was saddened to note that Alice Springs, officially the Capital of
the Outback, doesn't feature in any of the chapters. Centralians are
achievers and survivors Ð there are amazing stories of resilience
and innovation here. Alice is becoming metropolitan, but we've managed
to retain a touch of the Outback appeal and some incredible characters
(to say nothing of Ted Egan's Bloody Good Drinkers!) choose to live
here.Extra groundwork might have identified modern day Alice heroes
worthy of mention alongside the other Outback Heroes heralded in Tim's
book.
David and I know quite a few heroes Ð they're the people who,
daily, make a positive difference to someone else's life.
Some actually reside around the Alice: it would take years of research
and many volumes to tell their stories.
SARAH'S WAY BACK. Report by KIERAN FINNANE.
"Depression is commonly likened to a deep dark pit, a tunnel or a
desert. Mine is a dead end.
"You can climb your way out of a pit, you can find your way through a
tunnel, and even a desert blossoms with life in the heat of the day.
"With a dead end you reach stagnation point. You are going nowhere and
there is nowhere to go anyway because it's a dead end. How do you find
your way out of that?
"My life's like that too, it's coming to an end."
Sarah Chunys was 17, going on 18 when she wrote this.
She had just finished Year 12 at Centralian College, she had always
done well at school and sport, but inside life seemed "really dark".
Although she had been experiencing bouts of depression for many years,
she says major depression had set in following the prescription of
hormonal treatment (the Pill) for polysistic ovarian syndrome.
"It was the wrong type of hormone," she says, "it stuffed my brain
chemistry.
"It brought on a depressive psychosis.
"I was crying all the time. I thought I deserved to die and that people
wanted me to die.
"I would wonder why other people wanted to save me because that was
impossible."
Sarah continued to take that Pill for four months and during this time
was admitted twice to the mental health unit in Alice Springs.
"Nobody acknowledged that it was the hormonal treatment, but I knew
because I was the one going through it, I knew how it was making me
feel."
During this time Sarah often hurt herself and twice she attempted to
take her own life.
One year later, she is starting to feel better. Anti-depressants are
helping to stabilise her, she has the support of a case-worker and her
family, and she is trying to get back to a "normal" life, which
includes doing some training to get a job.
"I still feel as though I'm living in the world of the mentally ill,
that there's this barrier and then there are people on the other side,
but that feeling isn't as strong now as it was when I was really sick."
She is determined to get depression Ð especially as it effects
young people Ð talked about openly and has organised a forum for
tomorrow night, which she has called "Spaces of Light".
She says she wrote a lot about light and darkness in the diaries she
kept while she was hospitalised.
"Outside everything was light and perfect but internally it was really
dark. As I got better, the light grew bigger and bigger. I want this
forum to be positive, to let the light in."At the forum she wants to
openly discuss her experiences, including her suicidal thoughts, and to
read from her diaries.
"Depression in young people is often ignored.
"A lot of people used to say to me that I was depressed because of
teenage problems. They would say things like, ÔBe happy!' That's
so shallow.
"There's pressure not to talk about suicide because of a myth that if
you talk about it, it will give someone the idea of doing it.
"When I was suicidal I felt so alone because suicide is such a taboo
subject. I think the best thing is to bring it out into the open.
"Hopefully it will encourage kids who are depressed to get help."
After Sarah's talk there will be a chance to ask questions of a panel
of psychologists and mental health workers, followed by a free barbecue
and the chance to mingle.
The forum will take place in the Centralian College Theatrette tomorrow
(Thurs), 5.15-7.15pm.
RUGBY UNION: A DAY IN HEAVEN. Report by PAUL FITZSIMONS.
Rugby has evolved from a game played Ð be it on the field or
from the sidelines Ð to an all-embracing experience.
This was the case on Saturday night when two close games were played,
not necessarily at the highest standard but having all at the paddock
engrossed in the action.Dingoes and Eagles took to the field in the
sunset game. For the Cubs there was a distinct lack of depth with many
players called in by their employer to keep the peace with the true
believers south of the Gap.
In the Eagles' camp a veteran from the Misfits days, Andrew Jackson,
took to the field and even so their bench was shallow.The game was not
as flash as the grand final the Eagles had played out last season, but
in the scrappy conditions the Eagles were able to score first, and
control play until late in proceedings when the Cubs made a late rush.
The Eagles benefited from Malcolm Hill opening the equation and then
Jackson, Lincoln Peckham and Dave Kerin crossing for tries. Much of the
play was set up by the Strachan brothers, Peter and Steve, who worked
hard in the rucks and mauls, and the fine kicking of Levi Caleso who
scored three out of four kicks.For the Dingoes Brian Castine opened the
account with Cameron Bronson, and Ray Walters following up. Paul Veitch
was there with his kicking boot and without doubt was the Cubs' most
valuable player.
In the game under lights Federal Devils took on the Kiwis.
As in the early game there was a shortage of starters. Full of
enthusiasm it was the NT Development Officer Jackson who donned a
Devils' jumper to make up the numbers.
Federal boss, Chris Irons, also donned the boots and took to the field.
On field Federal were able to take control early with the first try,
leading 7-0, then 7-5 and finally 14-5.
Jimmy Niland starred for the Devils with two tries and three successful
kicks by way of two conversions and a penalty. Daniel Presley also
crossed the line. For the rebuilding Kiwis, Matt Wilson carried plenty
on his shoulders and kept the Warriors competitive.
CELLAR DWELLERS DOWN TOP DOGS. Report by PAUL FITZSIMONS.
Federal took all before them in their one day cricket encounter
against reigning premiers West to take early points at Albrecht Oval on
Sunday.
And in the Saturday game RSL Works, who have retained most of their
team from last year's final, were able to account for a Rovers outfit
who have come back from the brink to field a competitive side.In the
RSL game against Rovers, the Razzle were invited to bat and scored six
for 187, a seemingly fair target on a wicket that was playing well.
Stalwart Graham Schmidt with young Tom Scollay set the Works on the
path with 54 and 32 respectively.
In the Rovers' camp the veteran Glen Holberton showed his experience by
snaring two for 36. Recruit Adrian McAdam, better known for his prowess
in delivering a fast ball, preferred to test his arm with spin, and was
capable of bewildering his opposition and finishing with two for 37.In
the chase, Rovers made every post a winner to be at five for 139 early
but in the late afternoon the spin attack of RSL took control.
The Blues tumbled to be bowled out for 175 late in the thirty-sixth
over.The Federal skipper Allan Rowe couldn't believe what he was
hearing when Jeremy Bigg invited Federal to bat.
Federal did well to compile 201 for the loss of nine wickets.
Young Ryan Thomson took the initiative early by taking the three top
order wickets, and consolidated his claim for a position at the NTIS
next year.Jarrod Wapper with 25 was then able to re-establish the state
of play when he and former opener Matt Allan made 25 and 61
respectively.
Allen in particular proved his standing as a developing batsman with a
fine range of shots.
It was Bigg's guile that put Westies back in with a chance when he
snared both wickets caught and bowled and as a result of having Curtis
Marriott found LBW, entered the thirty-ninth over on a hat trick.
With 201 on the board in blustery conditions, West were set a real
chase.
The openers fell without setting up the innings thanks to the strike
power of Shane Deans, and after a sparkling 32 from Brian Manning the
pressure was on the West skipper Bigg to make an impression.
Unfortunately he snicked one through to the keeper off a Jamie Buchultz
delivery when on 19.
This opened the gate for Federal and the ever-reliable Wapper took the
ball. In no time Wapper had wickets and was sitting on a hat trick
himself.
A top run out by Brendan Martin dismissed Shane Vaughan in the lower
order and the game swung firmly into the Feds' favour.
In the thirty-sixth over the premiers were bowled out for 163.One day
cricket continues on Saturday and Sunday of this weekend with Rovers
facing the Federal side and RSL scheduled to play West. In the West
camp Ken Vowles is due to put on the pads and so give extra venom to
their top order and spin attack.
LETTER: Time for CAFL to grasp grog nettle.
Sir,- I refer to a report in your paper (Sept 25) that said, among
other things, it was decision time for the Central Australia Football
League.
The article put the case that the CAFL has some serious problems to
address over the summer months, the main emphasis being on the survival
of the Sunday Town Competition. For me, the overriding issue to
consider is the sale of alcohol by the CAFL.The Sunday competition is
very much a struggling appendage of the splendid Communities fixture
held on Saturdays. Without the Communities competition the CAFL would
be an also-ran.
I have said previously in your paper that the CAFL is too readily
prepared to prostitute the health and well-being of people, as well as
that of the sport, by selling alcohol on game days.
The CAFL claim they require the revenue from grog in order to run their
organisationThe CAFL has a wonderful opportunity to establish a viable
alternative to raising funds. Upon successful submission, funds are
available through the Canberra based Alcohol Education &
Rehabilitation Foundation Ltd (email address: grants@aerf.com.au).
One of the foundationÕs opening statements is, "The Foundation
will particularly focus on support for projects which assist vulnerable
population groups such as Indigenous Australians and Youth".
Under these guidelines there is absolutely no excuse for the CAFL in
not seeking funding through this channel.
It is my understanding that the local Drug & Alcohol Services
Association have, in recent times, received around $1m from AE&RF
Ltd. to assist with their programs. I believe the figure required by
the CAFL to compensate for the loss of grog sales would be about
$130,000.
I attend the Communities football each Saturday and thoroughly enjoy
it.
The downside is the social dysfunction I witness amongst the spectators
because of alcohol consumption. Many women I know from different
communities that I talk to there wish there were no grog sales.
The Saturday competition has significant tourist potential. I cite the
Tiwi Islands Grand Final Day on Bathhurst Island. It now has a cult
following (no grog sales until half-time) that attracts many people,
apart from a multitude of politicians, from various parts of Australia.
It also receives national television coverage (delayed by a week) on
the ABC. This year the Communities Grand Final notched a gig on
National ABC television news.The exciting Lightning Carnival that kicks
off the CAFL Communities Competition each year could easily achieve
similar status as the Tiwi Grand Final.Come on CAFL. The ball is
bouncing your way. Here is a great chance to grasp it and run so as to
score in having a significant impact on a social problem that everyone
is acutely aware of. Not only that, because you have a terrific product
in the Communities Competition, with the right presentation, which
means excluding grog sales, you can help substantially in producing
positive gains all round for Central Australians. Time on.
Graham Buckley
Alice Springs
Return to Alice Springs
News Webpage.