DRIVING down past the golf club towards town the other day I thought it was election day.
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There was a new party letting the public know they existed, some standing but most sitting down with new signs about the gas.
I thought, ‘here we go, what a way to let people know what they believe in’.
I put down on paper what the new political party stands for GAS (Grudge Against Society).
That is bad enough, but to have your children holding signs up as well?
Do we live in Iraq or Syria, using our kids to help us out?
Some time back a letter appeared in the Advocate about AGL (Australia’s Greatest Landmark) using kids for adverts.
Is this how our children look at things:
“Grandma, why are all the people sitting on the south side of town?
“Well, my boy. It’s because AGL is getting gas out of the ground, it doesn’t look good. Anyway I’m going down to Woolies to get a few things. Want to come?
“What are you getting, grandma?
“Oh, some tin fruit and other things we need.
“Grandma, are we walking or driving?
“Why do you ask, son?
“Because if we drive, petrol comes out of the ground, car tyres are made of rubber, that’s not good for us. Even the tip doesn’t like taking them. We drive on tar roads; you have air conditioning in your car, that’s got gas in it. And if we walk, again that’s no good, because our shoes have leather on the soles of them. So a poor old cow lost its life at the abattoirs and we are walking on its skin. Also, grandma, the fridge and freezers and lights run on electricity and that’s made by coal out of the ground and gas as well.”
“Son, don’t upset me with this talk, here comes your grandpa.”
Grandpa chimes in:
“What’s going on here?
“Nothing pa, just talking to grandma.
“Well, I’m going down to the paper shop for the paper.
“But grandpa, paper, cardboard and birthday cards are all made out of woodchips and you don’t like any wood chopping.
“Well, I’m going over to the baker shop for bread.
“But grandpa, bread is made from wheat and the farmers spray their crops with herbicide and that’s not good for our health.
“So where do we draw the line with all these things that people are standing for?
“Gee, grandpa! I’m only in second grade at school, wait until I get to high school then I’ll know a lot more. Also grandpa, when I was staying with you and grandma a few weeks back the news was on and they said that the Commonwealth Bank shares went up. Rio-Tinto, BHP and Hancock Mining all helped them achieve this. You yelled, ‘Yippee’. Grandpa I thought you didn’t like mining?”
Back in 1966 I was standing on Hunter St in Newcastle watching the troops marching down the road, about 300 of them.
My old aunt said to me, ‘Oh Earl, just look at my Tommy. Out of all those troops he is the only one in step.’
I am sure we still have those sorts of people in Gloucester and away.
Instead of sitting around all day for days, take your grandkids for a drive to the coast and teach them things that will help them in their schooling, not just one subject only.
Who is to say that one day our grandkids could be directors of any of the companies that I have spoken about?
Earl McLachlan
Waukivory