DINKUM! FAIR DINKUM! FAIR

Dennis Booth's

Fair Dinkum! Are we the lucky country or not?

In the 1960’s acclaimed author Donald Horne described Australia as the lucky country, but he did it very much tongue in cheek rather suggesting were we in fact the/a lucky country.

Well since those days, the term has been used a fair bit, particularly by politicians and media journalists.

However, I cannot help but see that we are indeed a lucky country and never more so than in the last twelve months.

Now that may seem strange considering that we have had a drought many have said is the worst this country has seen, we have seen terrible bushfires ravage our country and leave untold misery as a result, and now we have the Corona Virus halting life as we once knew it.

So how can we say we are a lucky country?

Well, suddenly rain began to come when least expected and that has been followed up by some wonderful sustaining rain to fill dams, create sub-soil moisture so that crops can be sown.

Even the once dead Darling River is flowing again!

And the rain has put an end to possible continuing bushfires.

Yet there is still so much misery so again, why are we a lucky country? Because we have men and women who have a spirit within them that makes us so proud of who we are.

I am talking about the SES, Rural Fire Brigades…all of those who went day through night to help keep bushfires under control and who did so with some losing their own homes, and so many putting themselves in

I am talking about the convoy truckies who day through night and drove countless kilometres to take hay bales to farmers really struggling.

I am talking about the unsung, unseen heroes who went out of their way to drive to properties doing it tough with supplies of food and needed

Tatura Primary School promotes leadership development in all its young people. Our 2023 badge presentation ceremony was attended by many proud parents and family members. We look forward to the positive contribution our leaders will make as School Captains, House Captains, Envirokids and Junior School Council members.

- Susanne Gill, Principal

And now we have the virus and we are seeing Australians learn to turn their business into helping others.

And now we are seeing health professionals and those who work daily in our hospitals putting themselves at risk because it is their job and the same can be said for those at airports, particularly those processing incoming passengers from overseas.

We are seeing what friendship, mateship and dedication is all about on

Yes, we are a lucky country in the true sense.

Finally let’s all still remember those who have gone in the drought, the bushfires and this virus.

Surely remembering makes us want to ensure they are not forgotten by doing what we can to keep Australia the lucky country.

Geoff Gerrish TREE STUMP REMOVALS

March 1 – World Compliment Day. The idea behind this day is to make it the most positive day of the year and was created to spread happiness and increase productivity. It mentions using small gifts to show your appreciation to family, friends, and co-workers. It also suggests complimenting everybody you meet, which I feel is counter-productive because you know the compliment is meaningless. It’s a bit like shop assistants telling you to have a nice day. They’re just empty words.

March 2 – International Old Stuff Day. People often see old things as something to be replaced by newer, shinier things but many old items gain value as they age. Antiques are at least 100 years old, while vintage items are at least 30 years old. Even more valuable is the wisdom and knowledge we can get from old people if you just take the time to step away from your Ipad and talk to them. It is said that wisdom was replaced by knowledge and knowledge has now been replaced by information. On this day, take a moment to listen to the old folks around you but whatever you do, don’t ask about their medical conditions.

March 3 – Dress in Blue Day. Caught early enough, colon cancer can be successfully treated. Dress in Blue Day is to raise awareness of the potentially fatal threat of colon cancer and hopefully encourage people to be screened for it, thereby reducing the number of fatalities. If you (no point looking around, I’m talking to you) haven’t been screened recently then stop reading this and go and make an appointment with your doctor. It could save your life.

March 4 – World Grammar Day. Thank heavens! A worthwhile day at last. So where to start? Perhaps with the sports commentators who have never heard of adverbs and choose to use adjectives in their place or texting teens who have completely mutilated the English language in a bid to send messages more quickly and cheaply. (Please note the use of adverbs in that sentence which is something you’ll rarely experience while listening to the football or cricket.)

March 5 – World Namesake Day. Do you know who you were named after? There is a long tradition of naming people after other people, most often our parents or grandparents, or perhaps famous people for whom your parents held in high regard. Unfortunately, many celebrities, who seem to come from the shallow end of the gene pool, struggle with this simple tradition and end up calling their children Pheart (sound that one out), Meta 4 or Y. Indeed, we do ask why? The longest name in the world belongs to American, Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdo rff Sr. Try fitting that on your driver’s licence.

March 7 – Alexander Graham Bell Day. On March 7, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent for ‘transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically.’ Three days later, Bell uttered the famous words, "Mr Watson, come here, I want to see you," into a transmitter. His assistant, Thomas Watson, who was in the next room, heard the words clearly and thus, the first telephone was created. Almost immediately after, Watson received a call asking him if he wanted to install solar panels on his roof.

March 8 – International Women’s Day. This day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievement of women. Unfortunately, in many countries, cultures and religions, women are still treated as second-class citizens, or worse, as chattels belonging to men. We’ve come a long way but there is still a long way to go, just look at Afghanistan and Iran.

March 10 – Mario Day. This day was chosen because Mar10 looks like Mario. Since his first appearance in the 1981 Nintendo game, Donkey Kong as Jumpman, Mario has featured in over 200 video games, several television shows, and comics. If you’ve never played a Mario game, then you need to put it on your bucket list.

March 14 – Pi Day. No, it’s not a typo so don’t get excited and go rushing off to the bakery. Pi (π) is the most recognizable mathematical constant in the world and is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter.

Its value is approximately equal to 3.14159265. It is an irrational number, which means it cannot be expressed as a ratio of whole numbers, and its decimal representation never ends or repeats. How exciting is that?

March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general with parades, drinking, dancing, drinking, special foods, drinking and a whole lot of green. Did I mention drinking?

March 20 – International Day of Happiness. Really? We need a day to remind us to be happy? Happiness should be so common that we should have a National Day of Unhappiness just to remind us that it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Remember that happiness is an attitude, and the choice is yours. Step one on the path to happiness is easy, just avoid negative people.

March 21 – World Poetry Day. Poetry reaffirms our common humanity by revealing to us that individuals, everywhere in the world, share the same questions and feelings and are also capable of writing verse that is completely incomprehensible to the average man or woman in the street. If you have a poem, send it in to the Bulletin and if it is not too long and we can understand most of it, we may publish it. No promises though, and to the fellow who keeps sending in multiple pages of his poetic communications with the spirit world, the answer’s still the same.

March 22 – World Water Day. As with so many things in Australia, we take the availability of reliable, fresh water and effective sanitation for granted. Water is also vital for creating jobs and supporting economic, social, and human development. One of the major issues facing us in the future will be providing sufficient water for our growing population. Perhaps it’s time to bite the bullet and build another dam, especially after all this rain.

March 26 – Spinach Day. Green spinach is full of nutrition, including iron, vitamin A and calcium, and is renowned for being a healthy a part of a well-balanced diet, but do we eat enough? I’ll answer that on behalf of 98% of the population, no. So how about learning from Popeye and including more spinach in your diet. Your body will thank you.

March 29 – Smoke and Mirrors Day. This is all about deception, illusion, and magic tricks. There are plenty of easy card tricks you can learn to amaze your friends and children. Smoking while you do this is not an option.

March 30 – Doctor’s Day. It’s easy to forget just how important, valuable, and necessary good doctors are, that is, until you get ill or sustain an injury. Doctor’s Day puts hard working doctors in the spotlight and encourages us to be considerate of the long hours they work, their compassion, and the effort they put into practicing medicine.

- John Kriesfeld