This is a Test
It’s been an amazing, and in some ways scary, couple of weeks. A pandemic has been declared; the stock market’s crashed; the oil price has tanked; borders are closed; sporting and community events halted; even Anzac Day effectively cancelled for the first time since the Second World War.
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Sparking Imagination…
This week I was invited to help out at the “Pit to Port” event for school students, run by Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA). There were about 60 Gladstone students from the local High schools learning about supply chain logistics with help from local industry representatives.
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“Restore More”: Innovation & Commitment in Our Community
Last weekend my wife and I along with some good friends attended an awareness and fundraising gala for the “Restore More” organization, held at the Gladstone Entertainment Centre. “Restore More” helps educate sufferers of breast cancer about diagnosis and treatment options.
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Back to the Future
My first part time job as a teenager in Gladstone was a milk delivery run. This meant starting work at 3am in the morning, heading to the old PCD milk factory to load up with milk and dairy products and heading off to deliver around the suburbs of Gladstone.
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Goodwill to all…
The bushfires which have engulfed large parts of the country have made for a tragic start to the decade for many Australian communities, but as we have seen so often in the tough times, the best qualities of Australians have been on display.
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The Year That Was
As happens this time of year, the various TV channels are bringing out their “Year that Was” specials: who had a baby; who died; who got married; who got divorced; who went to war with whom; who got elected; who fell from grace…and on and on.
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One for the Holidays… An Attitude of Gratitude
I was recently in touch with my American friends who were in the midst of celebrating Thanksgiving. In my humble opinion, Thanksgiving is one of the world’s best holidays. It reportedly dates back to November 1621, when the newly arrived Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians gathered at Plymouth Massachusetts to celebrate in gratitude for the harvest.
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This Too Shall Pass…
In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed the heartbreaking plight of so many Aussies as they struggle to come to terms with their losses in the bushfires. Many of those affected have toughed out a living on the land, grappling with droughts and fires and flood for years. Now, some have lost everything.
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The Art of Industry
In the last “Fuel for Thought” I reflected on the amazing artistic talent that is a vibrant part of our community. I’ve since been thinking about the art and craft of our own team here at QER and the range of skills that never ceases to amaze me. Like maintaining the Storey Bridge, keeping our plant in good condition is an on-going labour of love.
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The Art of Community
Last column I talked about how Gladstone is a key player in producing the commodities which are the building blocks of our quality of life in the developed world. And one of the benefits our comfortable civilization gives us is the time and opportunity to express ourselves through the arts.
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