There is something brilliant about being Australian. It is the ability to believe in yourself and your team no matter how dire the circumstances, the never-say-die attitude, and the ability to unite and showcase prowess across the world. It is the quintessential chip on the shoulder to prove doubters wrong, which is even more keenly felt in Tasmania.
Read MoreWhen the news broke on August 31 1997 that Princess Diana had died, Mrs. W then Miss B and I were standing in my parents' house glued to an old Phillips television furniture piece that still required a regular visit from the repairman.
It was utterly devastating. My father wept openly. And when he did the same while watching her funeral on the same television, it was as intriguing as it was sad.
He continued, until his death, to hold Queen Elizabeth partially responsible. It was complicated.
Read MoreI can't live without trust. I know others who can and their discipline, usually because they have been burned one too many times, intrigues me.
In response, I have decided to keep a bit of myself to me.
Oversharing is the bane of modern-day existence.
I'll let you know how it goes...
Read MoreThey are accused of 'loading up' on alcohol before the game. This makes sense because mid-strength beer served at the MCG on a cold autumn evening is more likely to cause long lines at the toilets rather than fights.
But, if football codes don't act quickly and bring behaviour under control, I know where it ends.
Segregated crowds have been part of association football for decades, particularly across Europe.
Read MoreThe backyard spin bowling bonanza always begins with a pause to psych out the young charge and build tension, then it's four or five strides at walking pace, two quicker steps and a leap into the delivery stride attempting to rip the perfect leg spinner that drifts into the right hander's legs and then spins viciously away off a dry spot where pesky paspalum was recently poisoned with glyphosate.
Read MoreDairy cows are interesting but not worthy of a photo unless your number plate gives away your hometown and you are visiting from "The Education State", "Sunshine State", or "The Nation's Capital".
The cows, determined to "Explore the possibilities", are just as relaxed as Tasmanians in general.
But when interstate tourists take family selfies with Holstein Friesian heifers in the background you know that some things are getting back to quirky normal.
Read MoreYears ago, I traded the board games Monopoly and Battleships to my older brother for games of cricket.
They are yet to be returned.
Both games were gifted by Santa Claus, bright and shiny and full of promise with crisp cash notes distributed and naval destroyers placed in waters that would, hopefully, be undetectable to radar, sonar, and the latest ‘guessing’ technology.
Read MoreFifteen years ago, the saying, ‘boys will be boys’ frightened me – it still does. The saying was employed in a way that was not about climbing trees, or ruling the neighborhood on your BMX; rather, it was a justification for hard-drinking and womanising and belting the living suitcases out of each other when fuelled by alcohol. It was at the pub, or on a sporting field where tightly enclosed groups of blokes developed aggressiveness far beyond ‘white-line fever’.
When I spoke up about this, arguing against the timeworn justification, I was often met, ironically, with anger and sighs of frustration as my view was considered destructive to the confidence of males and the reason why we were having so many problems with discipline in our schools and communities…
Read MoreTim Paine would be the first to tell you he did wrong, sending lewd texts to a former Cricket Tasmania colleague. It was dumb and inappropriate and cruel and eventually, career-limiting.
But this is not just about Tim and Bonnie Paine - they are the high-profile casualties. There is also a victim who felt sexually harassed and if we have learnt anything in recent times, not believing or blaming the victim is wrong, damaging, and permanent.
There is also another victim, Cricket Tasmania, which allegedly lost money, with the former employee currently facing criminal charges. This is a separate matter, but, for completeness, must be mentioned.
Read MoreMany years ago, I could not wait for summer. The anticipation of longer days and sunlit evenings, which meant permission to hang at the Basin pool acting cool, was almost too much to bear.
But it was not just the Cataract Gorge nor the burning sun on pale skin of Northern Irish heritage that generated excitement, rather, it was the sound and smell of cricket.
The stale pong of a kit bag neatly put away at the end of the previous season with sweat remaining in the fabric from hands and legs seeping into protective wear.
Read MorePerhaps the positive of our recent experiences is that we recognise the value of community and the importance of the places we regularly meet.
Young people who learn to harness their communities to support each other develop empathy.
Understanding the struggles of others develops strong and caring adults and it reminds us to count our blessings.
Being brave teaches us to remember.
Remembering teaches us to respect.
Lest we forget.
Read MoreThe three deaths in this year’s race were a tragedy with families left devastated following the loss of loved ones who were engaging in their passion for motorsport.
Shane Navin, Leigh Mundy, and Dennis Neagle were passionate road racers, and the thoughts of all Tasmanians remain with their family and friends.
Sadly, we have become somewhat accustomed to deaths on our roads with many people impacted because Tasmania is a uniquely tightknit community, and we are often well known to each other.
It seems that not a week goes by where there is not a crash involving someone we know or fatalities that we hope we don’t know even though our collective hearts pour out for the grief, sorrow, and ongoing sadness of fellow community members.
Read More"Corkscrew, hello boys, close the door," Roy taught us. "Party date, tool bag, flat bag," HG announced.
And then there were "Russians with landing problems" - for every Russian entered in the program with connotations of space exploration and the Cold War the inspiration for the humour.
"Battered sav, crazy date, spinning off the flute, twinkle in the sparkling position." I laugh as I type. "Goose - we haven't seen one of those ...," they concluded.
Read MoreSome thoughts are better left as thoughts.
Some thoughts that form into opinions can be considered gratuitous when another perspective ought to be discussed, but the provocation does more harm than good.Alas social media may not be the best place to persuade.
"Faster, Higher, Stronger" has been the Olympic motto since 1896.
Read MoreSitting in a chair designed to fold adorned by winter sun with the warming glow keeping me company, I was beset with an unfamiliar realisation that I had nothing to do.
Absolutely nothing.
Nowhere to be. Nothing requiring my focus. No tasks to complete. No immediate responsibility for staff.
My family were content and healthy, and my mobile phone was out of reach.
There were caravans arranged in methodical fashion, creating shelter and privacy - not that it was needed.
Read MoreAt times, there is a story for every occasion. I just must remember not to tell the same one twice. At other times there is nothing.
Writing fulfils me, but I do not profess to be any good.
Writing makes me happy as much as it tends to frustrate.
Selfishly, I did not set out for people to read my column.
"Think I've nailed it this week," I proclaim to Mrs W.
"You say that every week," she laments.
And that's why readers owe me nothing.
Here's to the next 150.
Read MoreWinter has arrived.
Like an unwelcome knock on an old door my mood dials to tense.
I have come to dislike winter. A chill in my bones that no fleece can thaw. My legs, my toes, my joints, my nose - reacting anxiously to the enveloping dark and the gradual decrease in temperature.
Cold. Colder. Coldest.
Read MoreIn Tasmania, our public schools will not reach 100 per cent of the SRS under the bilateral agreement signed by state and federal Liberal governments until 2027.
Every independent and Catholic school across Tasmania is already at that standard.
More than 70 per cent of Tasmanian students attend public schools, yet these schools attract 10 per cent less funding than their private counterparts.
Can you even begin to imagine if private hospitals received 10 per cent more funding year on year than the public system?
Read MoreI felt ashamed.
It was The Examiner's Twitter handle that informed me a car had been stolen. And not just any car. The Northern Suburbs Community Centre car used to assist people to learn how to drive had been pinched - again.
Obviously, feeling ashamed for the behaviour of my fellow humans did not return the car, nor did it solve the problems we collectively face as a society.
And although there must be consequences because criminal behaviour deserves to be punished, gaol time or youth detention will not stop people stealing cars.
Read MoreFlanagan explained his rationale when he told a recent audience at Launceston's Star Théâtre, as part of the Tamar Valley Writers Festival via livestream from the Sydney Writers’ Festival, that it was to protect the book from legal suppression from the salmon industry.
And sadly, we will now walk a well-trodden path with Tasmania divided by another industry, and it will not be long before we are at war again.
Flanagan expanded that the hydro and forestry wars were due to a power imbalance in the Tasmanian community, and a desire to search for space - a culture inspired by First Nations people.
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