Coming soon to a park near you?

There were 10 arrests on Australia Day. But…
Three were for an unrelated punch up. Two were for drink driving. Three domestic violence matters. One shoplifter. And one assault.
Shoalhaven Local Area Commander Superintendent Wayne Starling went on the front foot this year and asked Council to extend alcohol bans to council parks and reserves.
The result was that Australia day was a huge success. Families could enjoy themselves.
It brought back memories of the time when the Nowra Show was made alcohol free.
Offensive behaviour charges dropped from double digits to zero or near.
It brought back memories as well of last year’s Australia Day where many areas had violent behavior, and assaults were commonplace.
It’s in Council’s hands now to see whether the alcohol free ban will continue, at least for those days when large crowds are expected.

She's happy, local teachers are not saying.

Principals at Bomaderry High are wary of the school reports which report on schools.

Information about the school itself is desirable but parents should not go just to the new website, they say, but have a chat with the school itself.

Bomaderry High School deputy principal Jo Parsons and relieving deputy principal Mark Graham agree with this.

Full story here.

Good headline, that.  Right up there with “Hitler’s boyfriends” or “Bush fire danger.”

The good news is that there hasn’t been a funnel web death in nearly thirty years and the total number of recorded deaths is thirteen!

The bad news is that there are no real pictures of them. They are black or dark brown all over so there is very little differentiation in a photograph. Look for shininess.  Funnel web spiders tend to be glossy dark.

The other bit of bad news is that the males go courting in the warm months so that is when you will see one. That is what makes this story topical. Warm weather.

Its nest is the real giveaway. A neat hole in the ground where it is moisty. The neat hole has little silken tripwires around it which, when a cocky or something touches one, the spider is out like an exocet missile to have a word.

What to do if you see one? Kill it. The advantage is that you won’t have to read the next paragraph.

If it bites, kill it now for ident later. Press thumb against the wound. Immobilise the limb with splints. (No, there is no way to immobilise delicate body parts without losing a ‘family’ rating.” Get to hospital, quick smart.  Pressing the bite is like a kind of tournique, stopping the venom moving.

AS if the $250 a day meal allowance and all the other perks were not enough, the notion has now been put out once again that Councillors on the Shoalhaven City Council should get paid as if they worked full time – and they are not asking for parity with the dole.

It seems they want wages in the vicinity of $8O,OOO a year, and more for Mayors.

Shaken but not stirred. Continue reading →