An iron man performance!
This is not a political announcement or in fact a political endorsement – so when I mention the name Tony Abbott don’t for a minute think I am taking some political sides.
However I just can’t help but comment on the iron man performance of the Opposition Leader. Last Sunday Tony Abbott completed what is regarded as one of the toughest races in the Southern Hemisphere – the Macquarie Triathlon is not for the faint hearted. It is a qualifying race for the famous Hawaiian Triathlon – such is the prestige of this race.
A 3.5 km swim, 180 km bike ride and then just for the fun of it – a full 42 km marathon. Now that is some day out!
Yet Iron Man Tony finds himself being criticised by Government Ministers including the Federal Health Minister. To be fair the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wished him all the best on twitter – I know because I am a twitter follower of the PM.
Some of the criticism was that he would have to spend at least 10-12 hours per week training and he should be ‘working on policies’. Please what is going on?
It is obvious that Abbott wants to keep fit AND I for one am glad he does. He spends some time each week away from politics getting fit and doing something that obviously refreshes his body and soul – what a terrible crime for a politician? Tony Abbott has a life outside of politics – the shame of it!
It seems to me that the ‘tall poppy syndrome’ is still alive and well. Criticism and negativity is still easier then encouragement and building up someone. Why can’t people in the corridors of power see the positive rather than always attempting to score political points and tear each other apart?
Congratulations Tony for getting fit!
Congratulations for having something you love doing outside of your job!
Congratulations for setting a goal and achieving it against all the odds!
AND for all of us – let’s be mindful of the negative things that come from our mouths and replace them with words that are healing, restorative, encouraging, edifying, gentle, kind, loving and honouring. Reject negative and destructive talk – speak as you would want to be spoken to.
Who knows the positive and encouraging words that you speak may come back to you many times over – wouldn’t that be fantastic?
A Simple Cross!
“If you have lost a child then please know that this next story may upset you!’ Driving and hearing that on the radio certainly got my interest – what would the next story be about – well from the announcement I knew part of what it was going to be about.
Then the story started – it was about a dispute between a couple who lost their daughter 21 years ago and the Local Authority that governed the lawn cemetery where the little child was buried. The couple had for the past 21 years had a cross on the plaque but now the Council has said that no objects were to be placed on any grave plaques due to the fact that maintenance namely mowing could not take place if any objects were on top of the plaques.
I am not commenting on the rights or wrongs of this decision – that will not be my point. For me it was the depth of grief expressed by the mother during the interview on radio. Here I was driving with tears flowing – the mother pouring out her heart over her deceased child as if the child had passed away only yesterday. It was so gut wrenching, raw, emotional and heart felt. I was incredibly moved by this mother’s heart of grief.
My mother passed away in 1988 – an asthma attack lasting only a few minutes yet she died. I have discovered that grief is an unstable emotion. Many people told me that the grief will pass with time – ‘Time heals’, they said and at the time I believed them because I wanted the immense pain of my loss to go away or at least reduce. 22 years later and sometimes I find myself thinking of my mum and without warning deep grief hits me and I am reduced to tears. Grief cares not about time or place – it is inconvenient and messy and has no time frame. To be honest I just don’t like it.
The mother on the radio won my heart and my sympathy – her grief became my grief – her tears seem to overflow and become mine also. I realized that is what grief does it unites all of us – it blends our sympathies together – it helps us carry the weight because we see others carrying the weight of grief also. It spans time and space – it hurts! Yet somehow I’m glad of the emotion of grief – it helps me never forget and gives me sympathy and compassion for the mother on the radio who represents all of us who have lost someone we love!
Happy 150th Birthday Ipswich
I am the great grandson of a Welsh coal miner who migrated to Ipswich at the age of 14 without his parents to start a new life. He did what his father did before him – he mined coal. He had fourteen children, one of which he lost in the bowels of the West Morton coal mines. His life was lived in the city of Ipswich.
It was the same for my grandfather who was a businessman, local councillor, Deputy Mayor, and later in life a Minister of a local church. And my father was an electrician, medical practitioner, and local politician of this city. With that heritage how can I not love this city? How can I not be saturated with the virtues of community? How can I not have running deep within my veins a heartfelt passion for the city of Ipswich to be all that it was destined to be?
I can truly say I am a ‘son of the city’. I am born and breed in Ipswich; I live and work here by choice. There is a deep sense of calling in my life that binds me to this city and will continue to bind me to this city. I have heard the stories from my grandfather and father of the richness and greatness of the city of Ipswich.” Once we were even going to be capital of Queensland”, I can recall them saying.
They spoke of the community spirit of the citizens of Ipswich, their uniqueness, their sense of tolerance, their ethos of hard work and a fair go. They spoke of the great characters of this city, pioneers in areas of business, commerce, industry and sport. I believed them and so I was raised with a vision of the eminence of Ipswich before me.
Yet I’ve also stood in the midst of this city in the desperately hard times. I have seen the woollen mills close, coalmines shut and railway workshops diminish as the heart of manufacturing was torn from this city. I saw families leave this city reluctantly as jobs decreased. I saw families, close to me, lose fathers, sons and brothers when Box Flat mine exploded. I saw how a politician played the race card and divided a tolerant city, despite the fact that within it’s borders 70 nationalities co-existed, speaking 90 languages, a better model of multiculturalism I have not seen. I saw Ipswich at the forefront of every newspaper and television news bulletin but for all the wrong reasons with crime and unemployment the headline. These were the desperate times and yet the tales of greatness told to me by my family caused me to never give up hope.
Sometimes however when I was asked, “Where do you come from?” I was tempted to whisper ‘West of Brisbane’ instead of proudly proclaiming ‘Ipswich’ with a loud and clear voice. And then it happened. There didn’t seem to be a set time for it’s awaking but the city started to blossom. Suddenly, not only its citizens, but others from within our nation and overseas discovered the beauty and hidden potential that was always here.
Now I see the potential of Ipswich flourishing. National and international business and commerce leaders making Ipswich their corporate home. Outstanding education facilities including our world class university campus. Innovative technology industries including an aerospace industry centred on Australia’s largest operational RAAF base at Amberley. A lifestyle so attractive that people are discovering the beauty of our city and its people once again. We are not Brisbane yet we are linked to Brisbane.
The story of Ipswich is not finished by any means – in fact it is only just beginning a new chapter. It is a chapter of hope and of a future and it is a story of the uniqueness and richness of a truly great city and the wonderful people who call Ipswich their home
I am one of many who believe the best for my city is still to come. I am proud to call Ipswich home.
