BILL Shorten’s performance as a union boss might be under the microscope right now but conditions wouldn’t have been as good as they are today without unions, as his supporters will attest.
Shearers did it pretty hard in the old days, as author Evan McHugh makes clear in a new book of that name, Shearers. And up among the tough bosses was the Bellarine’s pioneering darling Anne Drysdale.
Her shearer’s cook, Vere Armstrong, worked while heavily pregnant right up to her labour and delivery.
“The fact that the cook in question worked up to the day before she gave birth to her seventh child highlights the lack of reasonable conditions of employment at the time, particularly for a woman in the final stages of her pregnancy,” he writes.
CERTAIN City Hall rep overseeing a citizenship ceremony in recent days was proud to welcome some new Aussies to the clan.
Reports to this desk say reps from the electoral commission made sure the newbies were invested with sufficient paperwork and advice on the expectation they register to vote now they’re true blue.
To which our unnamed city hall rep purportedly advised them also: “And don’t forget to vote for me!”
Nothing like a bit of hustings hassle in a welcome to country.
GOD IS a greenie.
He must be if the latest email missive from Bellarine Landcare Group is to be believed.
“God afternoon all…” the communiqué began, before expanding on this year’s tree planting event to mark national tree day on the Bellarine on 26 July.
No surprise really – after all he made the green stuff in the first place, didn’t he?
THIS week’s prize for media timing goes to the Cats for yesterday’s Tom Hawkins re-signing announcement.
It arrived on media outlet emails about 9am, just as news editors were mulling over Fairfax’s Caro Wilson yarn about the Cats financial fortunes suffering a million-dollar turnaround this year – due to a membership tumble and AFL equalisation demands.
Nice try…
It’s well known our erstwhile mayor Darryn Lyons will do almost anything to make a photo op crackle.
And he’s been know to throw himself into the political deep end on a number of occasions, satorial elegance and all.
But he may have met his match in the enthusiastically boisterous swim coach Laurie Lawrence.
The pair happily got their feet wet at Waurn Ponds Leisurelink to highlight Lawrence’s World Wide Swim School, an online swimming resource for parents, teachers and swim schools.
At least this time Darryn only jumped into the shallow end.
