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Archive for the ‘Ramblings’ Category

Folks, please wake up. Stop doing this nonsense. Driving is not to be taken for granted.  Needless carnage. I see this here in Australia and now my good buddy Sean Brown @ProtruckR in Canada shares these real photographs direct from the scene there.  If there’s anything I can say or do to stop this, I’ll do it.  I am aware the issue is not that simple.  As a professional driver, endorsed & licensed by the Confederation of Australian Motorsport and having operated transport businesses for years, I’m aware of the hazards of driving at speed. It’s what we do – in the appropriate arena.  This incident occurred on a public road, on a public holiday.  Heard of that before?

What is even more horrific is that the truck involved was travelling at no more than 30km/h – on an incline (uphill) in the slow lane – and the passenger vehicle, in this case a Volks Wagon Jetta (an ordinarily very safe vehicle) was likely travelling in excess of 150km/h.  Do the math yourselves.

The following images are not for the faint of heart, but they are real and really did just today occur. The firefighter leaning in the rear window of the sedan is supporting the neck of the passenger as paramedics secure them.

Sean spoke on the telephone with me tonight of the screaming that could be heard as he approached the accident as the first on scene.  The fate of those involved is as yet unknown, but needless to say those that survive this will bear scars that cannot be seen, and worse still cannot be undone.

- Greg

In my last post I talked about how the global financial meltdown has affected my own, usually-prosperous small business. There are still things I am doing without that would normally have not seen an eyelid twitch at the checkout. Even as recently as this weekend gone my best friend and I were perusing the refurbished Marina Mirage shopping precinct at Main Beach here on the Gold Coast with the utmost restraint. Ordinarily a safe bet would’ve been on us both parting with some moula in exchange for some wearable memories of our visit. This time the smart money was in my wallet – at home (except one plastic card that happened to be in my pocket just in case).

Aside from the effects of an economic downturn on our own, immediate circumstances, spare a thought for the many not-for-profit organisations that rely on our ordinary generosity and goodwill. Whether their cause is for animals, people or the planet, these various charity and community organisations are by and large at the complete mercy of the economic climate of the day. As a person who rarely says “No” to the nice lady from the Children’s Mater Hospital (Hi Christine, hope the family’s well) each month as their new raffle prize home is offered over the phone, or the almost countless others (PCYC, RSPCA and the list continues) I am now that person who cuts the call short.

Saying “No”, like anything, is a whole lot easier when you don’t have a choice.

There’s no need to listen to the spiel about the beautiful home or nice cars on offer as the outcome is the same: I can’t help this time. Before I’m taken to task on the concept that buying tickets in a raffle is not exactly a donation, I should point out that in over fifteen years of doing this I have won not a brass razoo. I know I’m not really going to be spending my summer cruising the Gold Coast in a new black Mustang Fastback (unless I buy one) so the only help I’ll be to the Surf Life Savers right now is to swim between the flags. So I politely thank the various callers for their patience and wish them a nice evening, suggesting they call back next month to see how I’m traveling.  Whether that’s optimism or confidence time will tell.

Now the world doesn’t stop just because Greg Anderson can’t spare some change, I know that. I also know that I’m not the only person in this situation and the ramifications for those organisations relying on the rest of us are huge. When a lot of people make a small contribution or effort the results can be immense. The opposite is equally true when they don’t.

Saying “No” for now.

-Greg