Managing director of Ebono Institute and major sponsor of The Generator, Geoff Ebbs, is running against Kevin Rudd in the seat of Griffith at the next Federal election. By the expression on their faces in this candid shot it looks like a pretty dull campaign. Read on
Her first bullying was being born female -Her brothers went to uni – a doctor – & ? – no Uni – just work for her as she was a girl.
On parents death oldest brother got main property when parents died. Older brother bully ran family company – diverted funds to collection of cars etc in wife’s name – diddled her & younger brother.
Boss bully – Her husband engineer worked for demanding boss – one job all day in roof – he was not allowed water break & to cool down – when he came home fainted & she took him to hospital – he was treated & sent home – still ill she put him to bed when she woke in the morning he was dead beside her – he had heat exhaustion as long distance runners get – the red corpuscles clot blood. Left with 4 kids to raise
Court bully – had a long expensive battle for compensation
Son motor bike to get to Tafe – accident in gravel – wearing no leathers – nerve in his damaged shrank while in intensive care – left with arm useless – more court problems -he completed Tafe – celebrating it with mates – got off bus to walk 2k home with 2 blokes who kicked him to death
With great courage she then raised another wonderful son & 2 very capable daughters – she always helped church functions for less fortunate – sadly she died of cancer fighting to the end.
Kristina Olsson with her book at a signing recently
I read Boy, Lost … cried for a while … rang my mother … wrote to an almost adopted brother who spent his life in institutions because I had taken his place … then cried a little more.
Boy, Lost is a powerful story of loss, separation, unwarranted punishment and the ongoing ramifications of these horrors.
Almost as soon as Westender published a short notice that Kristina Olsson’s latest book is shortlisted for the Stella Prize, the accolades began to flow. <Letters, p9> Many people have been similarly affected by this true-novel.
The story of Kristina’s mother, her brutal separation from her first child and the ongoing implications of that for the mother, the son and Kristina’s family is tragic, powerful and moving.
Writers are lucky, though. We have the chance to examine, structure and externalise our emotional processes. I’m even luckier, I was invited to interview Kristina and explore her story to share with you.
Boy, Lost is not just a personal account it is the story of Kristina’s family. I asked her about the challenges that presented.
“I approached it as a journalist, with the habitual distancing that we use so we can get up in the morning without weeping, so I could deal with the material. After a year, I realised that it was just not working and I had to claim the story, I had to find myself in it, I had to recognise the impact that my mother’s suffering had on me, my siblings and my parenting. Once I claimed the story as my own it flowed.”
“The two questions that haunted me as I researched this book were, ‘Why did no-one help my mother?’ and ‘Why did no-one help Peter?’ Motherhood and childhood are treated as euphemisms, the women are always second-class citizens and take the guilt on themselves.”
She noted that in the fifties the men returning from the war had no expression for the immorality and brutality they had experienced. It was not part of the official narrative and so many women bore the brunt of those men’s shame.
“But no-one spoke about it.”
I asked her about her observation that the pain of separation crosses generations. If she and her siblings could be affected by events that happened before they were born, might there not be a dark core in Australian culture that carries forward old wounds and if so, what can we do.
“Absolutely. Women have been emotionally and physically diminished and punished and left feeling unwarranted guilt and shame. We have to empower women and power has to be taken.
“The programs of the nineties that centred on women being able to speak, to recognise their circumstances and name the problem, were all about that. That is something missing from the current climate of government.”
She noted this is especially important in regional Australia where life is harsh, weapons handy in many homes and isolation the norm.
She said that the danger is that the problem becomes invisible when there is the top of the power structure does not have the right attitude.
“The view that it is all about the bottom-line goes hand in hand with the idea that ‘might is right’. The bottom line should be the health of all citizens.”
I discussed the challenges engaging men in dealing with domestic violence. On one hand I am driven to ‘do something’ on the other, centuries of men ‘doing things’ has achieved little. Even worse, I am aware of my own controlling, power mongering behaviour and the negative impacts that has had in my family.
A little boy lost
William Blake – 1789
The Priest sat by and heard the child;
In trembling zeal he seized his hair,
He led him by his little coat,
And all admired the priestly care.
The weeping child could not be heard,
The weeping parents wept in vain:
They stripped him to his little shirt,
And bound him in an iron chain,
And burned him in a holy place.
Where many had been burned before;
The weeping parents wept in vain.
Are such thing done on Albion’s shore?
“One concern that I had is that [my mother’s first husband,] Michael is not stereotyped as the villain. That’s one reason I go out of my way to explore his culture, not to excuse but to explain his behaviour.
“The greatest challenge is that we are all capable of cruelty.”
Unaware of her own mother’s story, Kristina almost duplicated it: marrying young, following her new husband north, finding herself pregnant in a remote area without a support network. With her own story a dark secret, her mother could not help.
The impact of the publication of Boy, Lost on Kristina’s family has primarily been felt by her brother, Peter, the subject of the book and his full sister, Sharon, who is a well-known mental-health professional.
“It was his story, I never would have written it if he had not asked. It has been liberating for him, he has been able to see himself as a ‘good’ man and participate fully in the family and society, partly as a result.”
Kristina noted that her other siblings are far more sanguine and her mother’s generation almost silent.
“That generation has seen so much and takes everything in their stride. I think for them it is just another story. On one hand they are glad to see the truth told, on the other, they have to relive the pain.”
As we move into an era where the government has an expressed agenda to bury the dark secrets of the past it is up to the rest of us to keep these stories alive. Little wonder that Kristina Olsson has struck such a cord with so many.
Live Below The Line is a non-profit charity organisation which aims to raise awareness of the poverty that millions of people live with every day. Participants from across the globe undertake the challenge of eating off a budget of $2 per day, for five days. During this time they raise not only money, but an understanding of the reality struggles previously unknown to themselves and their communities.
Interview #1:
UQ student Hannah Fuller has witnessed worldwide poverty first hand, working with outreach programs in Australia as well as travelling through Borneo. Having a strong sense of justice throughout her life, hearing about Live Below The Line pushed Hannah into taking direct action in her day-to-day life.
“The hardest part,” she explains, “was attempting to eat nutritional food whilst remaining within the limitation of a $10/week budget. It’s easy to meet the guidelines just by eating carbohydrates, but far more difficult to do so and maintain a healthy diet.”
Nutritional concerns are a common theme when speaking to Live Below The Line participants, which begs the question, how can we strive for a healthy, disease-free world when so many of us live under such harsh conditions?
Hannah stresses the importance of being conscious of our decisions at all times, and aware of how our personal footprint can impact upon those experiencing poverty both throughout the world and on our own doorsteps.
“I know that sometimes we feel so small, like the world’s issues are too big for individuals to change whatsoever. But it’s not true. Through campaigns like Live Below The Line, we can have a direct impact on those less fortunate than ourselves and help to end the poverty cycle.”
Interview #2:
Economics student Calum Hendry is so passionate about making a difference, he accepted a job with the Oaktree Foundation, who run Live Below The Line. He stresses the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded people throughout the week in order to keep inspiration and energy levels to a maximum. What means so much to Calum about this fundraiser is the empathy channel it opens;
“I understand that LBL is by no means a true representation of what it’s like to live below the poverty line. However, the idea that I would be able to feel more of a connection at any level towards people who are suffering below that line meant a lot to me.”
Calum’s role within the foundation is to co-ordinate the challenge amongst the UQ colleges. This year, they raised over $23,000.
Living off rice, stewed apples, bean soup and lentils for a week may not sound super appealing to the typical privileged Brisbanite, but five days out of our lives may change the course of an impoverished person’s forever.
“It’s not too late to get involved,” enthuses Calum, “You can donate to the campaign or individuals on the website, or even take the challenge yourself in June.”
Conclusion:
It seems to be Brisbane’s youth that are championing this cause, and good for them! No longer do we see apathetic teenagers unwilling to put themselves out there or try new things – conversely, they’re the game changers when it comes to truly making a difference in the world they intend to grow old in.
Live Below The Line (www.livebelowtheline.com.au) is an astonishing opportunity for Australians to check their privilege and gather a deeper understanding of what living under the poverty line truly means.
About Daisy
When I have a daughter, I am going to teach her how to scream at the top of her lungs; she will know the power of her voice from the time she can form a sentence, but she will never scream without reason. I will teach my daughter that we do not kick and scream and yell unless we want someone to run – either towards us or away from. Yelling is a sign of danger, and we use it fucking wisely, my princess.
Shift workers and tired drivers will have a better chance at arriving home safely thanks to a new safety kit.
Safety products distributor, Dawn Page, said “Statistics show that shift workers and long distance drivers are at a high risk in being involved in a drowsy driving accident.”
“I was on a personal mission to find something that would help reduce this risk and I came across the Drowsy Driver Reviver Kit,” said Mrs Page.
“I then got in touch with Janey Dwyer, a sleep expert who deals with a lot of the mines in North Queensland,” she said.
Dawn Page is the owner of Work Stuff, a supplier of safety equipment, based in Kingaroy.
Janey Dwyer is a Sleep and Fatigue Consultant at the Bowen Basin Sleep Health Centre in Moranbah. She developed the kit to help drivers recognize drowsy symptoms.
Ms Dwyer said “I am passionate about reducing fatigue and getting people home safely.”
“You have to be smart enough to recognize the critical symptoms of drowsy driving and strong enough to over ride that powerful urge to continue driving while feeling drowsy,” said Ms Dwyer.
“The kit has all of the tools needed to pull over for a roadside nap. Power napping reduces the risk of a micro-sleep and helps road users arrive at their destination safely,”
Work Stuff are the nominated distributors of the Drowsy Driver Reviver Kit.
Mrs Page said “We are proud to be Janey’s supplier. I am looking forward to meeting with business owners who have shift workers and helping them make the time that employee’s spend in a vehicle safer.
“It is too easy to say it will never happen to you because it can and the chances are that inevitably it will, if you continue to drive drowsy,” said Mrs Page.
For more information about the kits, phone Dawn Page on (07) 4162 8432.
You know I’m the creative guy, I’m the only one in the room without a tie
Local family company Berwicks, shouted local business owners and managers breakfast on March 27, to catch up on the latest trends in social media. Speaker, Simon Dell is an implant from the UK and runs a full service marketing agency known as Two Cents.
He emphasised the importance of content as the tool for engaging your customers and deepening the relationship.
“It is not just about communication, it is also about building trust, he said.
He believes that content is the key to a successful marketing strategy in this always on age.
“If you don’t have a content expert in your team, then outsource it to a company that does.”
He also pointed out the role of friends and strangers in providing recommendations for business.
“People trust social media because they are getting information from their friends. If your customers don’t trust you, social media is not going to work for you.”
CEO Kayleen Leitch said that she loves being able to give back to the community.
“We have recently begun working closely with Micah Project and are delignted to have them present their 500 Homes 500 Lives program to our customers and business partners,” she said.
Berwicks also offers a free efficiency analysis to local businesses, walking business owners through the costings associated with document handling and processing.
“This is our core expertise, and if we can share it around, it deepens our relationship with our neighbours,” Kayleen said.
Berwicks is an eighty three year old Brisbane company, still in the hands of the family who founded it. The office, warehouse and workshop at 355 Montague Rd has been a fixture at that address for over a decade when it moved from South Brisbane.
Find out more about Berwicks and their Free Office Efficiency Analysis on their website.
Fish oil is an important nutritional supplement when carefully selected
Nutritionist and researcher, Rachel Arthur says that fish oils may be more use in treating mental health current individual clinical research trials suggest, especially if you do your homework.
In a recent piece, published on her web-site, she queries the findings of many literature reviews, including the highly regarded 2012Cochrane review into the use of fish oils in bipolar disorder, that inevitably find the use of fish oil is ineffective. The Cochrane Review based their negative conclusion on the results of one study (Frangou et al 2006), while more than 23 others failed to meet their inclusion criteria (Montgomery & Richardson 2008). She writes that the more correct conclusion is that “based on this terrible mish-mosh of evidence, no firm conclusions can be reached”.
One of the biggest problems in fish oil research is the use of different doses, different ratios of the key ingredients (EPA and DHA) and different administration forms. The big take home message should actually be: Fish oils ain’t fish oils!
Check out some of the better written and more insightful reviews – especially this one by Sublette (2011) which found that in successful treatment of depression fish oil supplements must have >60% EPA compared with DHA and read her theories on this.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3534764/
So according to Rachel we need to get reading and get clearer about which specific omega 3 fatty acid or blend (and in what ratios) works for which mental health problem – it’s definitely not a case of one-size-fits-all – do your homework and pick your products well and most importantly let’s not throw the fish out with all that fishy research!
