I think busses are the answer.

Travelling on my local bus service a few days back, I struck up an intriguing conversation with a fine young lady of about eighty years.

As we bumped our way across the potholed road to the local regional centre, I found I’d unearthed and rediscovered a hope in the future for society, as she excitedly relayed her life journey, with its wealth of memories attached to a time in the past, when community connection was rewarded with a self pride and a store for fond memories in old age.

Those precious memories surprisingly were not centred on family, as one might think in a situation like hers, but primarily on her community service through many years of involvement in two key community organisations which are still around today; the CMF and the CWA.

“ ….businesses are working tirelessly behind closed doors to address the service gap that you, me, the customer, have become accustomed to.”

Are they? If it's behind closed doors, how do you know what they are doing? The lack of service ‘in front’ of the closed doors indicates that they are doing nothing. And, if service was “in our biology”, you wouldn't be complaining.

The things that used to be natural in Australia are gone; and given the behaviour of our “leaders”, they are not coming back.

Yup! And reinforced by mindless individualism. [Being born in the cabin you built with your own two hands.]

Success is never ever the product of one's own endeavour, but many minds, hands and or bent backs.

We lost our way when Aspiration, i.e., greed is good, replaced cooperative effort. Cooperative effort built this country defended and sustained its population.

Created an unprecedented post war, debt free creditor economy that conservative thinkers dismantled ever since, and created in its stead, an economy with record foreign investment and record, mind numbing debt.

Doing what you've always done and expecting a different result is madness.

Clearly, the lunatics have taken over and are running the asylum.

Bring back conscription and school based, army cadets. Or, alternatively, make learning mandarin compulsory.

Ying tong, ying tong, piddle lye po, piddle lye po.
Alan B.