Australian of the Year

2020hindsight · 28 January 2008

Prospector said:
20/20 I am watching Terri and Bindi as I type (no cricket in SA) and honestly, Bindi is way over the top..

well that's a subjective call on something that I can't see

let's just agree to disagree lol.

PS Just for the record, here are some photos of Terri - apropos of nothing in particular, but she is a real doll - as well as a great person imo. And I don't have any problem with Bindi. Any kid who could give that speech she gave at her Dad's memorial - sheesh !

dalek · 29 January 2008

The whole idea of "best" awards, be it film, music album, or any endeavour is a stupid one compounded by even more stupidity with the use of grading, old, young and overall winner ?? Is that like 1st 2nd 3rd ??
It is a nice sentiment to acknowledge extraodinary examples of what it means to be an Australian on Australia Day but in practice (and quite rightly) nobody seems to end up happy with the selections.
If we must, it would be arguably better to have a group of Australians of the year, perhaps 21 representing the 21m population. At least they would better represent the diversity that is OZ for a start.

2020hindsight · 29 January 2008

dalek - good points
just a bit of fun with your second point ...
hit parade you reckon ? lol
you could keep it going all year maybe
"this week just coming into the charts at #95 is the upcoming philanthropist Eddy Macguire" etc etc

wayneL · 29 January 2008

dalek said:
The whole idea of "best" awards, be it film, music album, or any endeavour is a stupid one compounded by even more stupidity with the use of grading, old, young and overall winner ?? Is that like 1st 2nd 3rd ??
It is a nice sentiment to acknowledge extraodinary examples of what it means to be an Australian on Australia Day but in practice (and quite rightly) nobody seems to end up happy with the selections.
If we must, it would be arguably better to have a group of Australians of the year, perhaps 21 representing the 21m population. At least they would better represent the diversity that is OZ for a start.

Actually, I quite agree.

All the best this, most beautiful that, is all rubbish. It's all in the eye/mind of the beholder.

2020hindsight · 29 January 2008

wayneL said:
It's all in the eye/mind of the beholder.

or in the case of aussie-of-the-year selection panel - in the mind of the beer holder.

Prospector · 29 January 2008

2020hindsight said:
PS Just for the record, here are some photos of Terri - apropos of nothing in particular, but she is a real doll - as well as a great person imo. And I don't have any problem with Bindi. Any kid who could give that speech she gave at her Dad's memorial - sheesh !

Obviously people grieve differently, but it was actually her speech at her Father's Funeral that has concerned me the most. It was like she was doing 'show and tell' on a Monday morning. Kids are amazingly resilient, but, well, it was a performance. Her father had just died, suddenly, shockingly, and here she was, giving this speech at his funeral. Obviously just me, but I would have thought it a more normal part of the grief process for her to be in shock, distressed, crying, and well, grieving! I do wonder if it will revisit her later if she ever stops to think about it all.

Terri is very attractive I agree, but I am not quite sure what that has to do with anything here

Stormin_Norman · 29 January 2008

Julia said:
Australian of the Year is Lee Kernaghan (apologies if the spelling is incorrect).

What does everything think of this choice?

I was taken aback that a country music warbler could be awarded this honour.
To be fair, although I didn't know this, apparently he has also done some charity work.

He's probably a very nice bloke, but I would have thought he hardly qualified for Australian of the Year.

oz + young oz were a joke. senior oz is a champion

The Senior Australian of the Year 2008 is David Bussau AM from NSW. Thirty years ago David went to Bali to help rebuild rural areas devastated by an earthquake and found that traditional development solutions still left poor families trapped in poverty. He realised poor people wanted work because with jobs they could start to solve many of their other problems. His solution was to offer small business loans - a hand up instead of a hand out. David established the non-profit Maranatha Trust to fulfil his dream of helping the poor help themselves. In 1979 he joined forces with a like-minded counterpart in the USA to form Opportunity International. Today, Opportunity International has 1.25 million loans to people in 23 countries. Averaging $220 per loan and a total of $500 million, the organisation creates a job every 30 seconds of the day.

i have been supporting his micro finance organisation/charity/development fund ( http://www.opportunity.org.au/home.asp ) through my business activities - donating 2% of profit to allowing others around the world access to the capitalist system/markets.

i can not encourage others enough to do the same. 2% isn't much in the western world, but can make a massive difference to the women in an african village.

dalek · 29 January 2008

2020hindsight said:
dalek - good points
just a bit of fun with your second point ...
hit parade you reckon ? lol
you could keep it going all year maybe
"this week just coming into the charts at #95 is the upcoming philanthropist Eddy Macguire" etc etc

Hey !! this could work... but nominees could not include self promoters, so there goes the media industry, bad luck Bert and Eddie.

There should also be a special exclusion for Zoo keepers.

Prospector · 29 January 2008

Stormin_Norman said:
i can not encourage others enough to do the same. 2% isn't much in the western world, but can make a massive difference to the women in an african village.

Awesome stuff Stormin_Norman, kudos to you - and isn't that exactly what nominating an appropriate Australian of the year can achieve. Why in heck he was 'only' selected for the Senior's award totally escapes me! Quite discriminatory I think!

2020hindsight · 29 January 2008

Prospector said:
Obviously people grieve differently, but it was actually her speech at her Father's Funeral that has concerned me the most. It was like she was doing 'show and tell' on a Monday morning. Kids are amazingly resilient, but, well, it was a performance. Her father had just died, suddenly, shockingly, and here she was, giving this speech at his funeral. Obviously just me, but I would have thought it a more normal part of the grief process for her to be in shock, distressed, crying, and well, grieving! I do wonder if it will revisit her later if she ever stops to think about it all.

ahhh prospector, prospector, prospector
don't judge her harshly for that for goodness sake

PS While we are at it - suppose you have to apologise to her in 10 years time - I wonder if that post will revisit you

Prospector · 29 January 2008

2020hindsight said:
ahhh prospector, prospector, prospector
don't judge her harshly for that for goodness sake

PS While we are at it - suppose you have to apologise to her in 10 years time - I wonder if that post will revisit you

20/20, you too judged her on that performance - you just took the positive spin on how good a performance it was, I review it more in terms of a child's reaction to the death of her father. Not exactly sure what the apology is all about!

The family chose to do a highly publicised, and televised funeral/memorial service. Bindi didnt have to say anything, she really didnt even have to be there. She didnt owe anyone to be there, but she chose to be in the public eye. It wasnt like the Paparazzi snuck around and caught her unawares! So on that basis alone, people have been provided with the opportunity to judge - some loved it, like you, I didnt!

If you dont want to be judged, then dont put yourself in the public arena!

bunyip · 30 January 2008

Flying Fish said:
Typical of austrlian society nowdays, we nominate a singer THis aociety is well and truelly stuffed, mindless dimwits.

If all you know about Lee Kernaghan is that he's a singer, then I suggest you put in a little more research before dismissing someone whose done a very admirable service to this country by raising a substantial amount of money for needy people.
That's not to say he was the person most deserving of the award....he wouldn't have got my vote. But to see him as just a singer is not doing justice to the character and dedication of the man.

As for your comment...."This society is well and truly stuffed, mindless dimwits."

If that's how you feel then maybe you should go and live somewhere else. Try Pakistan or Iraq or Afghanistan or Zimbabwe. Or maybe Kenya would suit you. Then you could learn first hand the true meaning of 'mindless dimwits' and 'stuffed society'.
Sure, our society is not without problems and not without mindless dimwits either.
But it's a bit rich to go making a blanket statement as you did that appears to write off our society and the people in it.

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