Dear freediver,

We guided our children - until they learned to do it for themselves...
That's what parents are supposed to do.

And Gibo, I grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney - where there wasn't that much on offer in those days - as far as entertainment was concerned. Yet we never complained of boredom or expected to be entertained...

Different culture, different times, I suppose.

canberra has an atmospheric problem, which drives residents crazy in various ways. it's caused by the effluvium drifting out of parliament when in session, like mustard gas, but more insidious.

the cure is simple. put a new parliament house alone out in the sticks, with a high speed rail link to a pier in wollongong. canberra will become a pleasant innocuous city of artists, and parliamentarians can be kept on a live sheep ship when not 'working'.

Canberra,Australia's sleese capital.
When you first arrive down Northbourne Avenue,the drug industry advisers clean your windscreen.
Then the drunks in the centre of Civic start ranting Hitlers praises and the beggers swarm around you.
Having had a car stolen within days .
Dont sing the prasises of canberra.their start

I don't know what it is with Canberra but it has been going this way for a long time, before 1995. There are people I know who did well in University and decided to move there for fast promotions and higher incomes.

They got snug quickly, and rather smug to me as I didn't get the lucky breaks living where I wanted to live. So for years, they didn't bother to call me, they were living the high life. A few years later, they visited and when they arrived, what a shock!

They were covered in blemishes, their hair was unkempt and they were high and wired. I could barely have a comprehensive concersation with them. Then the powders kept snorting and snorting, the beer gurgling down like there was no tomorrow. Next day, back to work, running the country. When I visited, "the high life", most of the Government employees I met were doing the same thing. The trick was to look coherent at work. Now they pitty themselves because they are addicted, their money just goes into drugs, and they are trapped in Canberra. I live modestly, but I live where I want to live and end up balancing my budget.

Look at the statistics and find a high absentee rate in Canberra. The sickies are really detox days. They must have big suppliers in the big end of town, as from what I see, there are more drugs there than Kings Cross. I live in Kings Cross, so I should know. I don't do drugs but I know when people are off their dials and slipping down the highway to hell.

The one and only time I went to Canberra I had been driving all all night. I found what resembled a mall, and because we were there 'so' early we had to wait for awhile before there was signs of life. OBVIOUSLY this wasn't the main mall (center of the city thing) because there were no homeless, or drunks (friday morn), or tourists venturing out of backpackers hostels and such. Brisbane CBD has all those people 24/7. We waited patiently, and finally at about 0730!! a chick appeared dressed in a cafe uniform of sorts. I asked her where we could go for a feed as this appeared to be a suburban mall and where was the main city mall...

"This is it" she replied. Sure enough, at about 0800, immaculately dressed drones in immaculately cultured haircuts poured into the mall looking like an advert for armani. They sipped their 'boutique' coffee and nibbled on raison toast. When they were finished they all disappeared into the buildings like ants avoiding rain. Fascinating.

saintfletcher
I wonder if thats the reason Defence is so third world?
Theres almost no respect for a growing China and they buy such big items like ships and planes all the time and leave the Defence gun cupboard empty of guns for a citizens home guard defence force.
I wonder if snorting could be a major problem in prime Defence planning and purchase areas?
Chinas going to gobble this country right up one day because of third world attitudes.
Better to let the gun clubbers do a citizens army.