It is a thirst for motor sport that dictates the attire of die-hard fans. Polyester blend fashion wear celebrating names like Mostert, De Pasquale, Davison, Whincup, and ‘Frosty’ Winterbottom are resplendent in bold print, often accompanied by flags waving in the breeze from cars parked on the hill with punters excited to watch exploits at the famous tight corner known as Brambles Hairpin.
Read MoreDisagreement can be positive, while conflict rarely leads to the outcomes the argument desires to solve.
A rip pushes the waves into conflict as the water rushes from the sand back out to sea, desperate to escape.
Across Australia with hot summers and warmer autumns that conflict can be dangerous, but it can also be of assistance as surfers harness the current to catch just one more wave.
But if you ever hear the call and find yourself guided by the moonlight of the night, make sure you sashay your way to bioluminescence.
Read MoreThere appears little room left in the Australian political landscape for big picture thinking. And with recent and historical events and disclosures uncovering a cretinous and perverted culture that we often surmised existed in the corridors of power, big picture moments of transformation will be left to artists - not the so-called thinkers who gather in Canberra to shout at each other.
By example, transitioning from a Constitutional Monarchy to a Constitutional Republic will occur in my lifetime. However, it appears that the current political class do not have the conviction, nor the following to bring this much needed reform to fruition, at least anytime soon.
Read MorePerhaps this is the strategy employed by the sitting state government - call an election during a holiday period where most will be disengaged, favouring sitting candidates with name recognition.Tasmania is one of the greatest places in the world with the most stunning environments imaginable - it has taken a long time for many of us 'lifers' to accept and understand. There are gum trees, sheoaks and widow makers that capture our attention more than politics.
Read MoreLearn to "love the mud" is an answer if the estuary was not the economic lifeblood of the city.
For amenity and to support development, businesses, and recreation providers who we have encouraged to invest, the state and federal governments must reinstate a dredging program as a community service.
Frankly, learn to love the mud is akin to saying learn to love the cold should the City of Launceston council decide to stop heating the regional aquatic centre because it is too expensive.
Read MoreWhen a young person went missing in Launceston last week, emergency services and the community hastily mobilised to search. There were relatives and friends and acquaintances and those unknown to the family joining the party.
None of us would feel surprised because this is what we do. When someone is in trouble or the chips are down, we come together and help.
Read MoreThere is something very special about our young people.
Living on an island where close knit communities remain the norm, more commonly asserted as everyone knows each other, they share a bond that makes them proudly Tasmanian and fiercely loyal.
They are strong-minded and resolute and clear about democracy and injustice. Gone are the days where compliance is the most admirable quality. Questioning, expressing views, and thinking differently about challenges and issues are admired and highly sought after by employers.
Read MoreWe are a busy family often rushing from here to there and back again. Nonetheless, I strive to keep things in perspective no matter how challenging the situation.
Alas, it does not always work.
Read MoreApproaching our 20th wedding anniversary I want to tell you about my first love - test cricket.
A passion so difficult to describe that it raises the ire of those devoid of similar desire.
Watching or listening to every ball of a test match is blissfully right, full of expectation and contentment. It's a muse that demands attention.
My greedy love affair has rarely been in question. A fleeting fancy with one day cricket and modified formats like Twenty20 momentarily grabbed my attention, but both were unable to secure my affection.
Read MoreWhat is it with some Australian political leaders appearing more concerned with the world’s most powerful leader being banned from the social media platform Twitter rather than to call him out for inciting violence?
Further, why is it so difficult to condemn the President of the United States for the role he played in encouraging his American ‘patriots’ who he ‘loves’ to act deliberately and unlawfully?
Read MoreThe door should not have been left slightly open; it was an accident; a forgotten formality after tasks were completed. It did not really matter but created an accidental air of excitement and expectation. I should not have been looking but it was impossible to avoid the quickest glance en route to the bathroom again...
Struggling to sleep with excitement and with anxious feelings preventing shut-eye, I was desperate to see the presents yet petrified that I may come face to face with Santa Claus.
He was such an unknown and there was a clear and present threat that gifts could be rescinded should I disturb him at his work.
Read MoreMy parents were of the generation who met at dances. Introductions and engagements and marriages had their foundations on the dancefloor.
At country dances in the local hall there was no opportunity to slide into people's direct messages or swipe right, this was full noise courting with the brave and shy equally catered for as a likely young lad or lass could swoop and swoon.
Read MoreSuper is complex, but important and most would agree essential to support the life of which we have become accustomed.
Superannuation funds invest the savings on our behalf, growing the pool in good times whilst suffering any downtown in the market when economic times are not so good.
It was the Australian Council of Trade Unions working with the federal Labor government who delivered the super reforms with the legacy of their decision making continuing to support workers and their families for generations.
Initially, superannuation was also employed to compensate for wage growth with the Hawke government reaching an agreement with the ACTU known as the "accord".
Read MoreIt will not be long before we are comparing the price of diesel or unleaded fuel against the price of a kW of charge.
When watching the Bathurst 1000 motor race recently, Master 11 and I contemplated how long it will take before the great race only involves electric vehicles.
That may seem a ridiculous or to some even a sacrilegious proposition.
However, with Holden no longer producing cars in Australia and the Chevrolet Camaro likely to fill the void to dual with the Ford Mustang, these world leading companies will not be left behind in the world of electric.
Read MoreA celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can be traced back to the 1920's and 30's when the Australian Aborigines Progressive Association and the Australian Aborigines League began raising awareness and promoting rights.
Gradually, the notion of celebration has grown with Torres Strait Islanders added to the NADOC acronym in 1991 to recognise their contribution as original owners.
Like reconciliation, acceptance of NAIDOC Week has been a slow process
Read MoreThis is nothing at all against Redback (South Australian) primary producers, but it is their Shiraz we crave, not their spuds.
The campaign slogans roll as quickly as melted butter off freshly boiled pink eyes: Save our Spuds; As Tassie as Spuds; Support our Spud Farmers; For Spuds' Sake; Potatoes before Politics; Proud as Potatoes; Give Stink eyes over Pink Eyes.
Read MoreGeoffrey Dyer is dead.
He painted Richard Flanagan and won the Archibald Prize in 2003.
I am reading Flanagan's new novel.
Artists and writers inspire me: their craft, their dedication, their toil, and their need.
They are like old friends.
I had a glass of something with Dyer and a glass of something else with Flanagan in a bar on Salamanca.
Read MoreWe then had the Prime Minister and Minister Peter Dutton, both former Immigration Ministers, calling for compassion and humanity after a daughter was denied entry to Queensland to attend her father's funeral due to, ironically, tough border controls as a result of COVID-19.
Their plea for common sense was warranted, but not without a level of hypocrisy.
There has been no better example of a debate that requires compassion than that of asylum seekers and refugees across the world.
Read MoreTwenty-twenty is akin to wartime where we ask leaders to bring us together, to help them fight the good fight. From bushfires at the start of the year to a health pandemic and subsequent global recession, it is difficult to recall a time where references to British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill and Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin, have been more prevalent. But it makes sense.
In a crisis we need a familiar face to reassure us that everything will be ok. To look us in the eye and, with compassion, tell us what we don’t want to hear.
Read MoreIt must be more than 30 years since I was a customer on Launceston's Cataract Gorge Scenic Chairlift. In fact, we simply referred to the attraction as the Basin chairlift in the late 1980s.
On that occasion my brother and I witnessed a young reveller, who would perhaps now feature on the Facebook page Chit Chat Launceston, attempting to impress his girlfriend by leaping form the chair into the tree rhododendrons close to the arrival point on the Trevallyn side.
The consequence of this stunt was violently swinging chairs for those who followed with a quick exit required to regain composure once the platform was clear.
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