Right then, I'm back

Thank you to those who have made their condolences known to me for the loss of my Grandfather. As you will have noted in the last posting I did have some Medico-Ethical issues to deal with and I think with the family and friends rejoicing in Pops life and what he had meant to us I have had closure.

To have the two Grandsons stand and remember him was great and I think Marshall and I honoured our Pop.

I did however start it off with this joke/story that Pop told me.

Did you hear the one about the old fiddle player?

Back when they still had local country dances, there was an old fella who played a cracking good fiddle who traveled around the districts playing at them all.

One night he turned up to the little country hall in his usual thread bare and much repaired old suit and took up position on stage sitting on an old broken wicker chair.

The dance was toe tapping away to the Jigs and Reels, Two-steps and Waltz's that the old man played, when a young buck strolled up to the stage and said,

'Do you know your balls are hangin' thru the chair?'

Lookin' up without missing a beat the fiddler replies,

'No, but if you hum me a few bars I'll pick it up!'

Pop told me my very first Ribald joke, as he had also told Marshall and many other males who put their hands up when I asked at the funeral.


The last set of four shifts have continued to be largely uneventful but not quiet just normal jobs.

For any in Australia and particularly NSW the last week has been a political storm.

Cabinet Ministers get dumped by State Premier.
The State Premier gets dumped by his own political party.
New State Premier picks a new Cabinet, losses one within two days over something he did months ago when he was a backbench nobody.
Industrial Relations Commission comes back with a ruling on the Major Wage Case for Ambulance Officers in NSW, we have been doubled over and SCREWED HARD!

The New Premier and New Minister for Health really need some good press right at the moment and the Health Department is trying to do what?

Taking penalty rates for extra productivity (not being able to have a lunch break) in the busy city area because of chronic staff shortages.
Increasing daily work hours to cope with work not covered by chronic staff shortages.
Removing specialised medical rescue units to try and band aid over chronic staff shortages.
Offer a pay increase that doesn't even get close to what we would lose from the profession voted for the eighth year in succession as the

MOST TRUSTED PROFESSION IN AUSTRALIA

Not saying what they do is not important, I was one for twenty three years, but do you know that the base wage of a clerk in similar or better than an Ambo's!!!!!

The pay rise in fixed but Industrial action is threatened if they try to strip us of our current entitlements, so very interesting times ahead.




Be careful out there and I'll see you at the Big One.

Taz