WELCOME TO MY BLOG #2
Keepsake, 2026
IT’S OFFICIAL, WE HAVE JUST ENTERED THE LAST FRONTIER OF IDIOCY.
The following is a true story.
I have many vivid memories of the years between in 1966 -70 attending Saint Patricks Primary School at East Gosford. The world often would reveal itself as a place of immense wonderment and unlimited potential for discovery and progress. I can still remember a day in July 1969, crowded and squeezed on top of each other watching the first moon landing, on a snowy black and white TV. I remember exotic things like seeing images of the Woodstock music festival, of going to Sydney and boarding the USS America, an aircraft carrier and being amazed at the immensity of its scale. I think it was at that moment that I began to comprehend the potential for human endeavour, ingenuity and creativity.
For better and worse.
Saint Patricks Catholic Primary School was also a hellhole, full of bitter, sadistic nuns and fucked up catholic lay teachers, but I won’t go into that.
This story is really about now, 2025. Although it has its roots in 1969. On the western side of the school was the only playground that wasn’t concrete or asphalt. It was about the size of 3 tennis courts. It had a fair slope dropping down from north to south. Ringed by big gum trees, this area was a popular playground and as a result of all the activity on it, there was little to no grass cover, just hard dusty compacted earth and exposed roots from the trees. If it was today, children would not be allowed to play on it as there were too many exposed roots from the big gum trees to trip over and impale yourself on as well as potential danger from falling branches, but back then it was a hive of activity and games. Bullrush, forcing backs, tip and run, hide and seek to name a few.
My most vivid recollection however, was a new game that 2 boys from my class formulated. The only thing worse than having a bad memory might be having a good memory as I still remember these boys’ names – Troy and Kirwan. Troy and Kirwan were biggish and heavy set for 9-year-olds with Troy having a slight edge in mass. Kirwan however was more mobile.
The game they formulated in 1969 has now had a resurgence in 2026. It’s a simple game, let me describe it to you. On the Saint Patricks playground the two players would stand facing each other at a distance of about 10-15 metres. The player coming from the Northern end had a distinct advantage as he was going to travel downslope, so after each run they would change ends. So can you now picture what this game is about? At the given signal from a willing third party the protagonists would start running with as much speed and intensity as they could muster and smash into each other. Just like a head on collision between 2 cars of equal size.
Remembering back to this day, it is impossible to describe the absolute strangeness in witnessing this. The crowd were dumfounded and even more dumbfounded when they did it a second time. When the boys collided they simply bounced off each other as would 2 tennis balls.
I cannot remember how many times they did it. At least twice and I don’t remember whether it was the intervention of a teacher or by mutual consent that the contest was ended. I can’t remember ever seeing it again. I assumed that it was the kind of game that was only to be played once every billion years in our galaxy. But no, I was mistaken because this game has now had a resurgence and, I hear that it is garnering great interest and popularity.
In these days of Influenza’s/Influencers, tik tok, X and other streams of mediocrity and mass distraction, I can understand the logic of its resurgence.
I may be one of the few witnesses to the beginning of this game some 55 years ago, a game formulated by 2 cloudy, dim-witted 9-year children is a salutary lesson as to how far this world has come since my days of wonderment back in 1969.
I grew up in this country believing that one of the primary roles of government was to enact laws that protect society, in some cases from itself.
This no longer seems the case. The last time I can remember our government moving to protect individuals and society at large was when the Howard government banned the sale of semiautomatic firearms to the public. I have no doubt that this action has saved hundreds, maybe thousands of lives. Howard showed true leadership by doing this, one of the few good things he did (in my opinion). You can’t legislate against stupidity, but you can legislate against the promotion of it over media platforms.
Having taught at primary schools, secondary schools, TAFE and University's over the past 40 years I have seen a lot of stupid. So “Wouldn’t it be nice” (Thanks Brian Wilson) if we are one day, blessed with a leader that had the moral and ethical backbone to actually be a leader and do things like:
Banning all gambling advertising
Narrowing the gap between our wealthiest and the poorest citizens.
Hold to account the far right, Zionist, propagandist Television channel News 24
(formerly Sky After Dark).
Taking a stand against endemic corruption I politics, the building industry and financial services.
Prosecuting Religious Institutions that protect their Paedophiles.
And much, much more.
A leader that did this kind of thing would be a breath of fresh air in this age of idiots and charlatans, despots and Billionaire Influenza’s.
Kindness and Regards
The author
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