Drugs, and the government that is trying to stop us from hurting ourselves

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Drugs are bad. 

It's a mantra mocked no better than that famous old episode of South Park where a school teacher tries to discourage young students from drugs with catch phrases rather than logic. 

Each day we're reminded of the scourge of drugs that exists all around us. Police all over WA celebrate and brag on Twitter when they catch an evil weed smoker, and Politicians seek to win votes by promising to be tougher on anyone who supplies the evil drugs to those of us so desperate and willing to consume them. 

For the record, I don't smoke weed. I don't like getting drunk. And I've never touched anything harder than that either. I love my life, and I enjoy having full control of my mental faculties. But I understand not everyone thinks the same as I. I have friends who love to get drunk. Some who enjoy pot. And others who won't even touch caffeine because it's a mind altering drug apparently. 

I love a good cigar. And I enjoy a beer from time to time. The choice to consume the drugs alcohol and nicotine is mine. I am fully aware of the scourge that alcohol is on our society. I know that smoking causes cancer. And yet I consume these any way. 

I could argue that they help me relax. I could tell you how they provide a social platform that helps me connect with friends that I love. But I really think that's missing the point. I shouldn't have to eloquently articulate why I like to do something. I own my body. I'll do with it what I choose. If I'm not hurting you it's really none of your business. 

Lately I have grown increasingly annoyed by an ever encroaching government that is trying to stop even even my simple pleasures from happening. 

A popular cigar shop in Perth, Devlins, recently sent an email to its customers repenting for including an image of a cigar in a previous email campaign. They informed us that they're no longer allowed to even show us a picture of the cigar we want to purchase under Australian law. 

Never mind the fact that with a few clicks of a mouse I can view images of cigars from other websites around the world, order them, and have them delivered to my home. Australia's government thinks we're all so stupid they have to protect us as much as possible from even seeing a picture of a cigar. Instead they're simply encouraging us to spend our money overseas. Which I do. 

And as I sit and think about how ridiculous these overstepping bureaucrats are, I try and spare a thought for those who enjoy something currently illegal. 

I know millionaires who smoke weed. People who own businesses, create jobs, pay copious amounts of tax, care for their families, love Jesus... but if the Police caught them and their pipe, Twitter would be lit up with what idiots they are and how wonderful the cops are for stopping this scourge. 

So why do we have these laws again? Because the government knows better than the people it ostensibly is set up to serve?

Is it really the government's job to stop us from hurting ourselves?

An Esperance woman was recently mocked far and wide by the Police and the media for complaining to the Police about how hard it had become to get cannabis in her town. To me it seemed she tried her best to explain her pain and how it was the way she relaxed. She was instead mocked, and the Police declared what they were doing was working, and encouraged the public to continue to assist them in dobbing in dealers. 

The Esperance Police said they are "clearly making a difference", despite the woman claiming she is forced to use meth instead. 

You might not care that the government treats weed smokers like criminals.

You might not care that laws now exist that make it nigh impossible for cigar retailers in Australia to compete with online imports. 

You might look down your nose at anyone who takes a substance that you don't as "scum". But the world is not binary; the truth is not black and white.

And when the bureaucrats with nothing better to do and a need to justify their existence come after your particular vice, be it alcohol, cheeseburgers, or Coca Cola, you'll understand how it feels to be told you're a criminal because you like to enjoy life with a substance someone else decides is bad for you. 

A Current Affair ruled to have breached code of practice regarding Access Ministries

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority has found that TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd, General Television Corporation Pty Ltd, and NBN Limited (Nine licensees) breached the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice 2010 (the Code).

The ACMA’s investigation concerned a report on A Current Affair broadcast on 11 June 2014. The report was about Access Ministries, an inter-denominational Christian organisation, and its delivery of Special Religious Instruction (SRI) in Victorian public primary schools. 

The investigation found the licensees breached the accuracy provision of the Code in relation to two of the five accuracy complaints, by conveying to the viewer that Access Ministries was:

  • misleading parents about the nature of the religious instruction it provided
  • dishonest and secretive in its use of ‘hidden codes’ to convert children.

There was no material in the broadcast clarifying that instruction in religious beliefs is permitted in the delivery of SRI. 

The ACMA found no breaches under the Code with respect to the other accuracy complaints and complaints about religious vilification, creating public panic and negative portrayal of the organisation on the basis of gratuitous emphasis on religion.

Nine, on behalf of the licensees, has indicated it will ensure relevant staff are aware of the results of the investigation and will provide further training in reference to these findings.

A copy of the investigation report is available on the ACMA's wesbite version of this media release.

For more information please see the Backgrounder below or contact: Blake Murdoch, on (02) 9334 7817, 0434 567 391 or media@acma.gov.au.

Media release 42/2015 - 9 September

Backgrounder

Relevant code provision

Clause 4.3.1 of the Code provides that, in broadcasting news and current affairs programs, ‘licensees must broadcast factual material accurately and represent viewpoints fairly, having regard to the circumstances at the time of preparing and broadcasting the program’. Sub clause 4.3.1.1 also provides that ‘an assessment of whether the factual material is accurate is to be determined in the context of the segment in its entirety’.

In general, the mere failure to state certain facts will not automatically render a broadcast inaccurate and the ACMA considers such matters carefully, on a case by case basis.

In this case, the licensees had no obligation to present in detail, or even in a balanced way, how religion is taught in the Victorian education system. However, if the broadcast had included a direct discussion of the role of SRI in the Victorian education system, and clearly conveyed that instruction in religious beliefs is permitted in the delivery of SRI, the identified problems with the broadcast might well have been avoided.

The regulatory framework: broadcasting content regulation

Under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (BSA), Australian radio and television licensees have primary responsibility for ensuring that the material they broadcast reflects community standards. Many aspects of program content are governed by codes of practice developed by industry groups representing the various Australian broadcasting sectors. The ACMA registers codes (other than those of the national broadcasters, the ABC and SBS) once it is satisfied that broadcasters have undertaken public consultation and the codes contain appropriate community safeguards.

ACMA investigations

The ACMA may investigate in the public interest:

  • following a complaint about compliance with the BSA or licence conditions;
  • following a complaint about compliance with code obligations, where the complainant has complained to the licensee and is dissatisfied with its response; or
  • on its 'own motion' into compliance with the BSA, licence conditions or code obligations.

Additional information about, and copies of, the ACMA’s published broadcasting investigations reports are available here.

Responding to breaches

Where there has been a breach of a code of practice, the ACMA may:

  • agree to accept measures offered by the broadcaster to improve compliance (these measures can include educating staff or changing procedures to improve compliance with the rule(s))
  • agree to accept an enforceable undertaking offered by the broadcaster for the purpose of securing future compliance with the rule(s)
  • impose an additional licence condition.

The ACMA cannot ‘fine’ or ‘prosecute’ a broadcaster for breaching a code, or direct it to do any particular thing (such as broadcast a report of the ACMA’s findings).

Mayoral election

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We have four worthy candidates in the coming election for Mayor but I believe by far the best man for the job already has it - Ian Carpenter.

Before I state my reasons, for those who don't know, I am a Councillor, elected in 2013.

Being Mayor is a demanding full-time role and we are fortunate to have a full time Mayor who has the experience to deal with the vast number of complexities that go hand in hand with Federal, State and local legislation and regulations. 

We have a population headed for 50,000 and for all our problems, and we all know there are problems, the City of Geraldton-Greenough is a dynamic regional centre and with continued good management, will remain so.

Ian is devoted to Geraldton and works very hard for this city. He is not running for personal glory or any ambition beyond what is good for our community. The many people who know Ian understand this aspect of his character regardless of what else they think of him.

He has a great knowledge, which for myself and other new Councillors is a resource we are grateful for, and over the years has built and nourished important contacts in Perth and Canberra - in other words with people and agencies that control funding. The value of that is considerable.

He is also, in my view, an excellent leader. He listens but is strong willed and once a decision is made, even if he does not agree with it, like a true leader he supports the majority.

In addition, he and CEO Ken Diehm form a very efficient team. This is crucial. The roles of staff and Council are very different and both must perform their duties without undue interference from the other.

Of course there are checks and balances, but a well run Council is one where Councillors, acting in part on advice from senior staff, make decisions, and senior staff, with guidance from the CEO, implement them.

Ian has been Mayor since 2007, a long time, but change for change's sake is never good policy. For all our problems - underperforming Federal and State economies and related funding cutbacks, social issues, a flatlining real estate market and difficult business environment, we're actually not doing as badly as some think.

The CEO has initiated a realistic and achievable Long Term Financial Plan, the Foreshore redevelopment is reaping benefits and Geraldton-Greenough has not been forgotten by big business which is of course cautious in the current economic climate but still interested in investing in Geraldton.

One final point. I have heard comments that Ian is too old. 

He is too old to play on a half-back flank in the GNFL but Mayors aren't expected to do that - they are expected to lead and work for a Community as Ian does. His brain is ticking along just fine and he's no fuddy duddy. In truth he embraces the future - our future.

On election day, I get one vote like everyone else over 18. As noted above, all the candidates are worthy but I strongly contend Ian Carpenter is the best of them.

Thank you.
V Tanti

Council Non Transparency with Tender Results

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I wonder why Council have a non-disclosure policy with respect to the release of tender information. 

Try this 

Council award Georgiou Pty Ltd the Abraham Street Bridge tender at $8,172,298.06 plus GST = $8,989,527.87. 

I wrote the CEO requesting a list of tenderers and the tendered amount to be informed that I couldn’t have the information – Confidential.  State Government and other organisations including other regional councils make tender information available as a matter of openness and transparency (some Councils actually record the information in their minutes of the subsequent meeting). 

So I went through the Freedom of Information (F.O.I.) process.  Took a month but I was finally supplied with the following information.

So the tender that was awarded by the CEO was $1.5M dearer than the lowest tendered amount – any wonder it’s a Council policy to not be open and transparent. 

2 issues stand out 

  1. The Council tendering and contract awarding process is a shambles and needs overhauling. 
  2. All tender results should be open and transparent so that ratepayers (who pay the bills) can see how their dollars are being spent. 

Ratepayers – your opportunity to have your say is coming up.

Council nominations close 10 September 2015 and the elections are on 17 October 2015.

I suggest you scrutinise Councillor and Mayoral candidates thoroughly.

Max Correy

Mid West Cat Shelter Cat of the Week

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Our Cat of the Week is available for $100 to the right home. Meet Sweetie!

Sweetie really is a sweetie! She’s very shy but once she learns she can trust you, she’s a very lovely girl.

The adoption fee for our cats is $150 and kittens is $200, (with the exception of Cat of the Week) which includes microchip, sterilization, immunization, vet check, worm and flea treated. That is a huge saving on the vet work alone!

Mid West Cat Shelter Inc is a registered charity whose main objective is to rescue and re-home, lost abandoned and homeless cats and re-home them to responsible pet owners.

We promote sterilization and containment, for the wellbeing of your cat, your neighborhood and the environment.

If you would like to adopt any of our other cats or kittens, visit our website www.midwestcatshelter.com our Facebook page www.facebook.com/midwestcatshelter or phone 0487 193 244 to speak to a coordinator.

Wandina Primary School receives $8 million to complete expansion by 2017

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Wandina Primary School principal Di Miller with Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney and State Education Minister at the announcement of the extra $8 million to complete Wandina Primary School by 2017.

Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney said this morning that the State Government has honoured a 2008 election commitment by allocating an extra $8 million to complete Wandina Primary School by 2017.

“I appreciate the work done by the staff, board, P and C, and community to make this such a successful new school,” Mr Blayney said.

“An arts building and library will be among a number of improvements at Wandina.

The facilities will be state-of-the-art and provide everything students need for a 21st century education."

Mr Blayney said the school opened at the beginning of 2014 and now has more than 280 students from Kindergarten to Year 4d.

“With Geraldton’s rapid expansion in the southern suburbs the school will continue to grow and I know the people of Geraldton will welcome this news today,"Mr Blayney said.

"Confidence in our public schools has never been higher, and for the past five years we've seen an enrolment drift back to public schools."

Applications for Community Grants Program Round 17 now open

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The Women's Health Resource Centre’s Cervical Screening Service, STAY’s Learner Driver Program, the Mullewa Ag Show 2015 and the Mullewa Women's Indigenous Group were just some of the great community organisations that received funding through the City of Greater Geraldton’s previous round of Community Grants.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars is injected into the community as part of the City’s program and the City has announced that round 17 applications for the Community Grants Program are now open.

The aim of the City’s Grants Program is to provide assistance to local community groups and organisations that make positive contributions to the quality of life within the Greater Geraldton region.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor, Ian Carpenter, said in the previous round funding of $175,000 was provided to 20 organisations for projects valued at $894,975.

“There are so many great community organisations out there that provide services which have significant impacts on the lives of people in the Mid West,” he said.

“Not many people would be aware that the City contributes hundreds and thousands of dollars directly to the community through this grants process and the value it brings to the community is not to be underestimated.”

Applicants can apply for one of five categories in the Community Grants program, which includes:

  • Cultural Grant – Opportunities for Creativity
  • Economy Grant – Opportunities for Prosperity
  • Environmental Grant – Opportunities for Sustainability
  • Governance Grant – Leading the Opportunities
  • Social Grant – Opportunities for Lifestyle

To apply for Round 17, go to the City’s website http://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/live/my-community/community-grants.aspx and download the Community Grants Application kit.

You can also find changes to the Community Funding Policy on the CGG website.

Each application will be assessed against the selection criteria outlined in the application kit. The Council endeavours to ensure access and equity in its grants program and an even distribution throughout the municipality.

Submissions close at 5pm on Thursday, 15 October 2015.

Pound movements – We’re moving!

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The City’s Animal Management Facility (Pound) on Pass Street will be relocating to a temporary facility in Davies Road Utakarra, behind the Greenough Oval.

The relocation will take place in the next two weeks. A new facility has been budgeted for and is programmed to start construction in 2016.

Residents missing an animal are encouraged to check the City’s website first to see whether their pet has been impounded. If you identify your pet you can contact the City’s Rangers on 9956 6600 to advise them and they will then be able to direct you where to go.

Animals can be collected from the Animal Management Facility daily between 1pm and 2pm. Charges apply, clarify costs with Rangers when you speak with them.

What other things can I do when I have lost my dog or cat?

  • Look around your neighbourhood and visit places your dog/cat would regularly visit such as the park. Also pay a visit to your local shopping centres and school as they may remember those places from walking with your children to school
  • Phone your vet to see if someone has picked up your pet and taken it to them
  • Place something on social media about your lost pet and keep checking in case someone has found it and is trying to locate the owner
  • Make sure your pet is microchipped and registered so that the owner can be located. Remember all dogs and cats must be microchipped and registered by the 31st October 2015 under the new State Laws

What to do when you’ve found a stray or lost pet?

  • All residents must report stray pets to the Cities Rangers as they receive phone calls from people looking for their pets. This can also assist with the animal being returned to the rightful owner.
  • Check collar (if wearing one) for name and contact
  • Phone veterinary clinics, the owner may have contacted the vet and they may be able to help find the owner
  • Check the various Facebook pages such as Everything Animal Geraldton Pet Page and Lost and Found Pets – Geraldton to name a few.
  • Check local shopping centre notice boards.
  • Don’t put lost pet signs on poles, fences or buildings as this is an offence.

For more information about the move visit the City’s website http://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/ or to view impounded pet’s onlinehttp://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/pound/ Contact Rangers on (08) 9956 6600.

Camp Quality fundraising dinner

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Graedyn and his team are riding from Geraldton to Perth to raise funds for Camp Quality. 
We would love Geraldton to show him some support by attending the Camp Quality fundraising dinner. 

Details:
Thurs 24th September at Zeewijk Restaurant Durack. 
6pm
$60 for 3 course meal and drink on arrival. 
Dress: formal.
Raffles and prizes. 
Music by Ash Friesen. 

For tickets please call or text Aleisha Parsons on 0427635776. 
The event is proudly sponsored by Epic Painting and Decorating.

Health Services Boards part of WA health system reforms

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The WA State Government has announced significant reforms to the governance of the WA health system calling for the establishment of Health Service boards as separate statutory entities.

From 1 July 2016 Health Services Boards will be legally responsible for the oversight of hospital and health service delivery in local communities and will replace the outdated Hospital and Health Services Act 1927.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor, Ian Carpenter, said that the creation of Health Service Boards will give local people an opportunity to use their knowledge and experience to the management of health services in the City region.

“One of the key benefits of introducing Health Service Boards will be the wealth of local experience and expertise Chairs and Board Members will bring to the management of health services in our community,” said Mayor Carpenter.

“Its local people with knowledge of local issues, concerns and conditions that will ensure health services in our City region meet the needs of our community.”

The State Government has issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) seeking individuals with diverse skills and experience to serve as Chairs and Board Members on interim health service boards in an advisory capacity to 30 June 2016. During this time board members will participate in a formal induction program and work closely with Chief Executives and other key stakeholders in a range of planning and implementation activities.

The transition from interim to statutory boards of governance in mid-2016 is subject to Government endorsements as well as progress with the passage of new legislation to replace the Act. 

The EOI and further information can be found at www.health.wa.gov.au

Regarding the Safety and Risk of Genetically Modified crops

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“Labeling the GMO approach “scientific” betrays a very poor—indeed warped—understanding of probabilistic payoffs and risk management. A lack of observations of explicit harm does not show absence of hidden risks.”
— The Precautionary Principle (with Application to the Genetic Modification of Organisms)

GM crops have been grown in WA for several years. Proponents for the use of GM crops will tell you they're safe, but there is a loud and growing voice against the use of the crops claiming the safety of the environment and humans is far from assured. 

A paper recently published by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a high profile commentator on risk, and other high profile co-authors, argues that the issue regarding GM crops calls for a thorough understanding of the risk of ruin, and the Precautionary Principle.

The co-authors include a number of well-known researchers such as Raphael Douady at the Institute of Mathematics and Theoretical Physics in Paris and Yaneer Bar-Yam at the New England Complex Systems Institute in Cambridge.  

The paper shows why GM crops need to be approached using the Precautionary Principle. 

Here's a quote from one of the paper's authors Nassim Nicolas Taleb,: "GMOs have a peculiar illustrative role because they multiply, have systemic not just idiosyncratic risks, and opacity about the interactions is compounded under the curse of dimensionality."

The argument regarding the use of GM's is not regarding what we know, but what we don't know, and what the potential for harm is. 

The paper is called "The Precautionary Principle (with Application to the Genetic Modification of Organisms)."

From the first paragraph:

"The precautionary principle (PP) states that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing severe harm to the public domain (affecting general health or the environment globally), the action should not be taken in the absence of scientific near-certainty about its safety. Under these conditions, the burden of proof about absence of harm falls on those proposing an action, not those opposing it. PP is intended to deal with uncertainty and risk in cases where the absence of evidence and the incompleteness of scientific knowledge carries profound implications and in the presence of risks of "black swans", unforeseen and unforeseeable events of extreme consequence."

PP is a widely understood approach for those familiar with risk analysis. Your insurance company probably has that special "no floods" cover because they know that if there's a widespread flood, they go bankrupt if everyone is covered. They understand they cannot afford the risk of ruin. 

But politicians don't necessarily understand PP, and how it compares to regular risk management. This is the reason for the paper. 

Essentially, the paper argues that the burden of proof regarding the safety of GMOs falls on the proponents to demonstrate their safety, not others to demonstrate their danger; and also that the potential side effects of GMO's is systemic rather than localised, meaning we really can't predict the possible harm GM crops could cause. 

While the paper is very heavy on mathematics, it's well worth a read whatever side of the GM debate you find yourself on. Click here to read. 

Risk of ruin

Those who are pro GM often accuse those who oppose it as being against progress. They say, rightly, that everything involves some degree of risk, and while GM involves a level of risk, the reward is greater than the potential risk. 

That logic seems fine at first. 

There's a risk in driving to the shops. You might die in a car accident. But that's a small possibility, and you will have food if you go. So it's worth the risk. 

But GMO's fall under a special type of risk; that is the risk of RUIN. 

Society can recover from a car accident. Your death will not stop our society from functioning. By definition, society cannot recover from ruin. 

Why do GMO's pose the risk of ruin?

There's several points argued in the paper that demonstrate why GMOs should be treated under the PP as they pose the risk of ruin. Here's one:

"Ecologically, in addition to intentional cultivation, GMOs have the propensity to spread uncontrollably, and thus their risks cannot be localized. The cross-breeding of wild-type plants with genetically modified ones prevents their disentangling, leading to irreversible system-wide effects with unknown downsides. The ecological implications of releasing modified organisms into the wild are not tested empirically before release."

Aren't GMO's natural?

"One argument in favor of GMOs is that they are no more "unnatural" than the selective farming our ancestors have been doing for generations. In fact, the ideas developed in this paper show that this is not the case. Selective breeding over human history is a process in which change still happens in a bottom-up way, and can be expected to result in a thin-tailed distribution. If there is a mistake, some harmful variation, it will not spread throughout the whole system but end up dying out due to local experience over time. Human experience over generations has chosen the biological organisms that are relatively safe for consumption. There are many that are not, including parts of and varieties of the crops we do cultivate [12]. Introducing rapid changes in organisms is inconsistent with this process. There is a limited rate at which variations can be introduced and selection will be effective [13]. There is no comparison between tinkering with the selective breeding of genetic components of organisms that have previously undergone extensive histories of selection and the top-down engineering of taking a gene from a fish and putting it into a tomato. Saying that such a product is natural misses the process of natural selection by which things become “natural." While there are claims that all organisms include transgenic materials, those genetic transfers that are currently present were subject to selection over long times and survived. The success rate is tiny. Unlike GMOs, in nature there is no immediate replication of mutated organisms to become a large fraction of the organisms of a species. Indeed, any one genetic variation is unlikely to become part of the long term genetic pool of the population. Instead, just like any other genetic variation or mutation, transgenic transfers are subject to competition and selection over many generations before becoming a significant part of the population. A new genetic transfer engineered today is not the same as one that has survived this process of selection."

So the argument for why we should hold off on using GM crops is not so much to do with proof of danger as it is largely to do with the fact that we cannot know all the risks involved at this point in time, and rolling the dice with our entire ecosystem is downright foolish. 

Leisure pool to re-open

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The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise that the Aquarena’s leisure pool will re-open on Monday, 14 September.

Summer hours will commence on Monday, 21 September for the following hours:

  • Monday – Friday 5:30am – 8pm
  • Saturday  8am – 6pm
  • Sunday  9am – 6pm

The outdoor pool will also re-open on Monday, 21 September. For more information contact the Aquarena on 9956 6906.

Waterpark will re-open this Spring

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As we hit Spring and can start to expect some warmer weather, the City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise the public that the Geraldton Foreshore Waterpark will be re-open to the public on Saturday, 26 September.

The waterpark has been closed during the winter months but will open for Spring seven days a week from 9am – 6pm.

Some maintenance works on the popular park will happen before the park re-opens and throughout the next financial year. This includes new cannons on the waterpark spray features, a resurface and reseal of the spray crete flooring and drainage upgrades.

For more information contact the City on 9956 6600.

Snakes are out already; Check these pics out

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Well that's one way to keep salespeople away!  

Robert just wanted to let everyone know that the snakes are out and about already, after he found this friendly fellow at his front door. 

This was in Mahomets. 

Armed Robbery – Marine Terrace Geraldton

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On Thursday 3 September 2015 at approximately 9.50am, a Minelab metal detector worth $10,000 was stolen from a store on Marine Terrace in Geraldton.

Staff members approached the man who had stolen the metal detector after he had left the store. A knife was produced and a threat was made towards the staff members.

The man left the scene in a red Holden Commodore sedan.

If you have any information about this offence make a report online or call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, where all calls are strictly confidential, and rewards are offered. 

Sadly, this is what we do if our neighbours are in trouble

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Once upon a time there was a normal family. They were called the Jobs family. There was a mum, a dad, a little boy, and a little girl. 

They lived in a beautiful street with many different homes. Some were large, some were small. Some were elegant and some were simple. 

The Jobs family lived in a simple home. It had stood for many years, and was a great asset to the street. 

One night, the Jobs family home burnt down. It was no fault of the Jobs family. There was some shoddy wiring which started an electrical fire. The family all survived the fire, but all their possessions were destroyed. They had no beds, no clothes, just a few coins in their pockets and the pyjamas they were wearing. 

With nowhere to go, they headed to their neighbour's home to ask for help. Perhaps their kind neighbours would put them up for a few nights and help them a little. 

They headed to one of the largest homes in the street. This large house was home to the Abbott family. They were a very fat family, because they had way more food than they could ever eat. The house was so large that it was often difficult to find someone in it. And importantly, the family was a Christian family. They claimed they loved people just like Jesus, and thus they had a rule that if anyone ever came inside their home and asked for help, they would do everything they could to help them. 

Their reputation for kindness was well known. So the Jobs family went and knocked on their door. 

But things had changed recently at the Abbott family residence. The Jobs family didn't know this, but the head of the household had convinced many people in the family that anyone who comes to the door asking for help is dangerous, or wants to take all their food. Despite all being morbidly obese, some of the Abbott household members started fearing the imaginary scenarios that Mr Abbott had told them about. So they put together an armed force to stand outside the home to arrest anyone who approached the door. 

Inside the home, there was still a plaque on the wall that said "We will help anyone who comes inside and asks for help." This made all the residence of the home feel nice. They were able to tell themselves they were lovely and kind. Sometimes they would open a window and throw a few dollars out of it. That really made them feel special. 

The Jobs family were arrested before they even got to the front door. The children and the parents were all taken away to a factory warehouse on the other side of town, where residents of the Abbott home could not see them. One of the young children who lived in the Abbott residence asked why the poor family with no home couldn't come inside.

Mr Abbott started to make fun of the little boy who asked the honest question. He reminded everyone in the home that he was a Christian, and wanted to protect the family. But some people within the family started to question the need to be so harsh on the Jobs family. Everyone in the Abbott residence knew of the tragic fire. It had been all over the news. But the people who were worried about the Jobs family were told to keep the noise down because the footy was on.  

Meanwhile, the Jobs family were taken to one of the most horrible places they had ever imagined. During their stay, one of their children was sexually abused. They were imprisoned and treated like criminals, and they had no idea if they were ever going to be able to leave. They cried every day. Some of the people that ran the warehouse were horrified at the conditions. They went and told Mr Abbott how bad it was. But instead of fixing the problems, Mr Abbott decided to make a new house rule. If anyone spoke about anything that happened at the warehouse, even of sexual abuse, they would be locked under the stairs for two years. 

The Abbott family continued getting fatter and fatter, and celebrating what wonderful Christians they all were.

And no one really knows what happened to the Jobs family.

Geraldton To Get WA’s First Drive-Thru Pharmacy

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Pharmacy 149 is moving to a new location, and will be opening on Monday September 7th. 

Opening in conjunction with the new Geraldton City Health Medical Centre, not only will Pharmacy 194 be WA’s first drive-thru pharmacy, but also Geraldton’s first compounding pharmacy. 

What is a compounding pharmacy? 

Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing personalized medications for patients. Compounded medications are made based on a practitioner’s prescription in which individual ingredients are mixed together in the exact strength and dosage form required by the patient. This method allows the compounding pharmacist to work with the patient and the prescriber to customize a medication to meet the patient’s specific needs. 

The new Pharmacy 194 will be a bigger store with a larger range of products. 

Come down and see us this Monday September 7th at our new building, 194 Durlacher Street.

Let’s Get Involved – Rigters Group Nears Fundraising Target

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The Rigters Group is widely considered as one of the cornerstones of our local community, and are known for their charitable activities.

As part of Chevron’s City to Surf for Activ, they have already raised their way into record books by being the biggest team ever to take part in the Geraldton leg of the event.

Let’s help them to reach their $10,000 target!

For each ‘like’ this post receives on Facebook, the Rigters Group will donate $1, it’s that easy! Click here to visit the post and like it.

Post #ThanksRigters to either of the pages below for a $5 donation!