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Showing posts from February, 2017

Translation

For those who travel across the sea in ships –Immigration then and now

Migrant construction workers in the 50s - Dad was working as a tradie for two years as part of his contract to come to Australia. He's second from right, smoking a pipe I have just been reading the e-book recently launched by the Heritage Council of Port Phillip , about those who arrived in ships at Melbourne’s Station Pier in the post war immigration era.   It’s been a fascinating read not the least because it is a part of my own story.* While the stories are a mixed bag – some celebratory and some sad, the enduring thread is the bravery of those who dared to make that journey, that leap of faith, to leave their families and homelands and seek a new life in a country far away, one which was often   stranger than they could ever have   imagined. Many now question how it was that such large numbers of people could have been peacefully integrated over the ensuing decades, when we have such difficulty now. Listening to the vehement arguments about immigration...

Recycling 2017 - Some new recycling opportunities you may not have heard of either

Time to recycle the phone (s) Feeling rather chuffed today as I have recycled our assorted mobile phones. In this case it isn’t just doing the planet good either. During February, each phone also buys a meal for someone in need from OzHarvest. Oz Harvest is in the business of recycling too, collecting surplus food from supermarkets and restaurants and redistributing it to the homeless and hungry. Much more could be said on this topic - food waste is in the news, but I will save that for another day.   The Mobile Muster is a voluntary industry funded and government approved program to make sure that their products do not end up as landfill. The valuable parts such as metals and mercury are extracted and the plastics are shredded to make new products. Your phone, chargers, batteries and accessories can all be dropped off at your nearest drop point or brought to Australia Post who will mail them for free, or you can download the Reply Paid Label yourself and send it t...