The villa at Pemaron, looking west on a very clear morning this morning. (C) PJ Croft 2016 Taken with my Samsung tablet PC camera.

Pemaron view, sunset.  (C) PJ Croft 2016

Seen one sunset, ya seen ’em all, eh?    (C) PJ Croft 2016

It was a glorious full moon last night, very bright, almost enough to get moonburn in the clear, cool night. We swam late and I never thought I’d be cold in Bali, but I was shivering in the cool air when I got out.

This morning the air was still very clear as shown in the top photo. V pointed out that you can actually see the volcanic mountains of Java to the west. The big one is Gunung Merapi. Even from here, about 90km away, it looks huge.

The white spot to the left (west) of Kalipuro is Gunung Merapi.

The closer mountains, just across the very wide bay, are 30km away. What a view to wake up to each morning. The weather is beautiful, cool in the morning, warming up to about 30C in the middle of the day, but there’s often a cool breeze from the east and it’s quite low humidity. This is the dry season. It’s rained a few times, but not much. I miss the thunder and lightning of the wet season, though.

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We made the short drive to Singaraja yesterday and I took the opportunity to look in a rather scungy computer shop while V was off doing something. What did I find but a card reader that was clearly labelled SD High Speed UHS-II.

This is what I’ve been lacking in order to read the files off the card from the Panasonic FZ1000 camera. I had a good Sandisk one, costing about $36 I think, but it failed mechanically (i.e. the card just falls out, the contacts have lost their grip). I tried to buy a replacement just before this trip, but the price in a Perth shop was $89.95! I recoiled and said I wasn’t going to pay that.

When I got home, I webbed and found it, the same device, for $36.60, the price I paid a bit more than a year ago. I emailed the shop and queried their price. They brought it down to $59.95. Gee, thanks, but no thanks.

So yesterday I wasn’t sure whether this odd brand card reader would be suitable and asked the price. Rp65,000. That’s A$6.50! Kerrrumbs, even if it didn’t work, it wasn’t a big risk. So I bought it and bingo! It works great. Finally I can get all my images and video off the camera. Those sunset ones are some of them.

Indonesia’s a funny place for prices. Some things are amazingly cheap, such as the above, but other things, such as muesli at $7.50 for a 500g bag are very expensive. A loaf of sliced brown bread was $1 yesterday. It’s nice bread, but it tastes so sweet. They add sugar to everything.

They had a sugar free wholemeal loaf but it was frozen whole. You’d have to defrost it to slice it, and it was $3.50. I went for the $1 loaf.

Hardy’s also has a big gourmet food shelf with all you need for canapes and cocktails. Beer is very cheap, but foreign and Australian wines, eg at an average of $40 a bottle for Rosemount that I’d pay no more than $15 for at home, no thanks.

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Then we drove to Lovina and had a look at the beach and jetty. There are two yachts moored offshore, a single master about 15m long and a two master about 30m long. A guy told us that they’ve effectively been abandoned. The single mast is old and decrepit, and the engine has failed in the big one. Apparently the owner has left it there for more than a year. I offered $5 but the guy wanted to haggle  🙂

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We had drinks and dinner in a beach bar, and with a beautiful sunset, it was fabulous. But the strong breeze died almost as soon as the sun went down. It was very noticeable. Then the band started playing and although it was great music, it made conversation almost impossible. Combined with the constant noise from motorbikes, we had to finish up and leave.

Canal Rocks, WA  (C) Veronika 2016

It’s Veronika’s birthday today. I won’t be so bold as to divulge the number, but it’s a comfortable age. Happy birthday, my dear.

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Another sparkling day in paradise. It rained a fair bit yesterday, both early and later in the evening. Let’s hope it holds off tonight. We don’t want the LED candles to go out.

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Breakthrough. There’s a pet monkey named Charlie in a cage here, and we don’t like to see him cooped up. I try to amuse him and this morning he reached out and touched my fingers briefly through the bars. First time. He’s slowly developing trust in me.

We’d like to let him out, but there’s a young dog here which attacks him.

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Hooray. My 250GB portable HDD that was making the clicking noises came good long enough for me to copy all the material off yesterday, so that’s a relief. It’s only material copied from my home PC, so if I’d lost the drive, I still had the files, but at home, not here.

Off Cape Leeuwin, April 2016  (C) Veronika

Phew, only five days in Bali and I feel as if I’ve entered a different world. It’s nothing major, just learning to do things as a couple and finding a few pebbles in my shoe, so to speak. It’s very good, and I wouldn’t go back to my old solitary ways, but it’s a learning curve at this late stage of my life. We’re both strong willed people and a bit set in our ways and we have to learn to compromise and meet in the middle, if possible. I admit I dig my heels in at a couple of things, for good reasons, I feel. It’s a matter of saying so without giving offence. It’s all new territory to me, I admit.

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Now I’m back on the north coast and trying to help my partner make preparations for her big party on Saturday. She wants a bang up show and I worry that she’s taking too much on, so all I can do is be here and try to help, or stay out of the way as much as I can.

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The weather is beautiful. Not hot, about 28C I’d guess, and the humidity is low. Clothes dry easily. It’s quite cool in the mornings, and in a late night swim about 10pm last night, I had to get out after only about 15 minutes, I was so cold. Aaaaah.

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Sanur beach Sunday 7 August. Those black things are kites. This is ISO3200!  (C) PJ Croft 2016

It’s the Bali Kite Festival and we hit the beach on Sunday to see what was on offer. We were a bit late in the day and the kite colours were not too visible, but we saw what looked like monsters from outer space above us. We hope to buy a kite up here and fly our own.

I have video of this, but it takes so long to convert and upload! It’s hardly worth it.

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I see the predictable foul-ups occurred on census night. I wasn’t in the country so I guess I don’t exist. I have no idea what was in the census, but I wish I’d been there as I quite like filling out these surveys, aka talking about myself. 🙂

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We drove from Sanur to Pemaron (near Lovina) up over the mountains. This is quite a drive, especially the last section, a direct route down, rather than using the main road. Phew, some of the hairpin bends are scary, only one car wide. But it was a good ride.

I was especially impressed by the ride of the vehicle, a Toyota Avanza. With nice leather seats, the ride felt supple and comfortable, not harsh, just about right. Impressed.

(C) PJ Croft 2016

Aaaah, back in Bali, back at my favourite hotel in Sanur, the Taksu, with my favourite person. The weather is beautiful, maybe 28C and not humid, with cool breezes. Lovely.

I came up with four largeish cartons (tall beer bottle size) of party things and other odds and ends totalling nearly 20kg for my friend, as well as my 15kg suitcase. I was a bit worried about being queried at both ends, but I had no problems. I was directed to the X-ray scanner at this end, but I was quickly through.

I had a hassle at Perth airport though. I went though the search queue and walked through the body scanner, with my ring off my finger and held up for the guy to see. Not good enough, he directed me back and I had to place the ring on the tray to be X-rayed. Crazy.

So I came out the other end, got scanned for explosives, yeah right, then realised my ring was missing. I immediately said so, loudly, and a guy did a good search, but we never found it. Luckily it was only about $35 worth, but I am annoyed. It matters to me. I’ll have to contact them on my return to see if they found it. I can describe it very clearly and it must be there somewhere. The guy did say and I quote, “Never take your rings off.”

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(C) PJ Croft 2016

This was the first time I’d seen the passport eControl going out, as well as coming back. It certainly saved some time. It’s not surprising they’ve installed it as the queue was long and with A380s these days, it’s only getting worse.

So combined with the fast tracking here at Denpasar, it’s making travel much easier.

However, I left my phone in the seat pocket. I realised it in the baggage hall and spoke to an Air Asia service guy who was standing right there. He used his radio and said they’d already found my phone. But he took my passport to photocopy it and was away more than ten minutes. I was getting edgy,  but since the carousel wasn’t moving, I wasn’t being held up.

Eventually it moved, my boxes came, then my suitcase, then the guy came back with my phone, my passport and a form to sign. All up it took more than 50 minutes from the time we touched down to my emergence into the greeting area.

It was a wonderful greeting anyway. Good to be back.

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Trouble sleeping? Back problems? Let us strap you on. (C) Veronika 2016

Cape Leeuwin area, SW WA  © PJ Croft 2016

Packed and ready to go at 1140am. Thank goodness the ash cloud from Mt Rinjani has disappeared from the radar, literally.

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There’s a lot of talk at the moment about newspapers struggling to survive. Personally, I used to buy The Australian and The West Australian every day, and they were a good read.

But The Australian — what are they doing?! I can’t buy it any more. There is such an anti Labor, anti union, anti renewable energy, climate change denial bias that I just roll my eyes. They never miss an angle to bash unions, or to present crackpot ideas as facts in the climate change debate. I can’t understand why they do this, except that big boss Rupert has his ultra conservative views and journalists have to toe the line. Since journalism jobs are disappearing, I’m sure they want to keep the boss happy so as to keep their jobs.

There is some good journalism in The Australian, but I can’t stomach the rest of the paper.

The West used to be a good newspaper, but since Mr Stokes said he liked the look of the Sunday Times, that trash Sunday paper that’s never been worth wrapping the rubbish in, that’s the way it’s moved. Now we’re getting page 3 girly pics, just like the red tops in London. There are some good journos there and they get a bit of space, but it’s mostly ads and classifieds. I buy it a few times a week, but it’s hardly worth it.

That leaves on-line, internet, and thank goodness for The Guardian Australian edition. I rate it as excellent. Top rate journalism, a good mix of stories, good columnists and opinion writers, great pictures. I’m very, very happy reading it every day.

What’s brought this rant on is that they are struggling to attract enough advertising to survive. They’ve made an appeal today, for donations and regular contributions.

I’m already a subscriber. I pay a yearly subscription, around $100 I think, but today I thought I’d make an extra monthly contribution. Unfortunately, they know who I am (I’m logged in) and they wouldn’t accept any more. That’s good of them.

My other source of news is The Economist, and thinking recently that $11 a week for the paper magazine was a bit too much, I subscribed the the on-line edition. It’s fantastic! I like it better than the paper version. The first quarter is $40, and it’s $93 a quarter after that, averaging $6.77 per week. Plus there are daily email newsletters.

I also have access to past issues and they download to the tablet, so I can read off line. Brilliant. I also find the type is a bit bigger on screen, so it’s easier to read. Turning pages is a tap of the thumb, and the pages stay up rather than falling down. I’m a big fan. Needless to say (or is it needless?) the writing is excellent. They have a sharp, punchy style and it suits me.

So that’s two I subscribe to, and there’s the UK edition of the Guardian, and the US quality papers, the NY Times and the Washington Post if I have any other free time. Not usually.

Why is The Guardian struggling? Because all the advertising, it’s said, is being sucked up by Google and Facebook. Those two are predicted to have 90% of all the world’s advertising by 2020.

I don’t know the answer, nobody does.

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Busselton farm.  © PJ Croft 2016

I would subscribe to other magazines too, such as Australian Personal Computer, PC and Tech Authority and Wheels, but they only have “apps” for iPad. Sorry guys, Windows has 75% of the market, or whatever. I’ll subscribe when you cater for me.

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Gotta go!

Antony? Is that you?   London, Hyde Park.  (C) PJ Croft 2016

I’m watching Doc Martin at the moment, with the war veteran who has a friend called Antony, who happens to be a squirrel.

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I seem to be feeling the cold much more this winter than I have for a long time. I’m sure everyone’s noticing it too. Off to a warmer climate tomorrow, thank goodness.

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It means I’ll be away for the census next Tuesday. We’re supposed to let them know. I’ve phoned the number given on their web site four times so far at various times of day, but the answer’s always the same — “We are experiencing a high volume of calls. Please phone back later.”

I’ve had no letter, no caller, so as far as I’m concerned, I won’t accept any fine. They can take me to court. This census is looking like a debacle at this stage judging by the radio chatter.

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I was disappointed today to get a phone call from SCGH Eye Clinic cancelling my appointment due to a staff member off sick. I’ve been waiting a couple of months for that, as I want to know if my cataract needs an op, and so that I can get measured for new glasses. No point doing that until I know what my vision is going to be like.

So now I have to wait until mid September. And late September is the earliest I can get in to see the gastric band surgeon again, to ask if he can do anything for me.

This waiting is terrible. We have problems, but we have to wait months for appointments. My first consultation with the gastric surgeon was in April and it’ll be nearly October before I can know anything more. Six months! This is pathetic.

Anyway, apparently the CAT scan showed no slippage of the band, but that I have large gallstones, and a kidney stone in my right kidney. That’s reassuring. Not. I believe they can be dissolved these days. No doubt I’ll find out soon. Let’s hope I don’t find out the hard way.

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I’ve also been having trouble with itching on the back of my hands. I asked the doctor about it and he recommended olive oil based soap.

OK, I was in the chemist for other things today and asked if they had anything. Yes they did, and I paid for a cake of Goat’s Milk soap with olive oil without knowing the price.

Not until I got home did I discover that it was $8.99! No way, it’s going back tomorrow. You’d have to be a goat to pay that, and it’d be money down the drain anyway.

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Holy Trump. Let us hope he doesn’t win. (C) PJ Croft 2016

Words that rhyme with Trump:

• Lump                             Sump
• Hump                            Bump
• Frump                           Rump
• Dump                            Jump
• Pump                             Low IQ Idiot

The man’s an air-head. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about in foreign affairs, let alone US affairs. He changes his position within a few minutes. He lies and lies and lies. He insults everyone except the gun totin’ white men who like him. He’s dangerous. It’s hard to imagine a clearer choice between him and Hillary. Let’s hope those lazy US citizens get out to vote.

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Speakin’ of gun totin’, Texas has passed a law allowing concealed weapons to be carried on Texan university campuses, and forcing universities to allow it.

that means anyone in your class could have a gun under his jacket and you have no way of knowing or objecting. Amazing. If I were a lecturer, I think I’d refuse to proceed unless all guns were left outside the door. Fat chance of that. What a crazy country. They have gone insane. I mean it.

Kalbarri 1987  © PJ Croft 2016

Huh. I was just invited to be a Facebook friend to someone I know, so I said yes. He popped up in a chat window soon afterwards, saying, “Hello” (actually “hello”).

I answered and he said “how have you been”. I made a fairly long answer, in a joking tone.

His next words were, “haven’t you heard, how God has been so great to us”.  Huh??

I answered, “How do you mean?”  This was not language the guy I know would use.

He went into a long meander about an agency, a number, and other stuff I didn’t understand.

I replied, “Oh bullshit! Who is this?”

Next thing I know, all “his” words were removed and replaced by a notice, “This post has been removed while we verify the sender’s address.”

So it was some intruder, impersonating someone I know. Huh! Luckily Facebook were on the ball and stepped right in. Good work.

I’m going to have to stop using Facebook. It just wastes too much time.

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Fishing near Exmouth 1987  © PJ Croft 2016

I had my CAT scan with Barium “swallow” yesterday. It’s to see what’s happening around my gastric band, to see if there’s any interference with the vagus nerve. It might explain my dizziness, balance problems, palpitations and so on. This was a first time Barium for me, and I was a little nervous about the drink. I’ve heard horror stories over the years.

Well, I needn’t have worried. I got there about 10 minutes early and had just sat down to wait when they called me in. No waiting.

Nor was there any undressing. I sat for about ten minutes in a booth, then was called in, asked to take my windcheater off but leave my T shirt and sandals on, and to drink two plastic cups of a clear liquid, slightly sweet, same consistency as water. Easy, as I’d had nothing to drink that morning.

Then it was onto the sliding table, arms above head, three times through and it was all done, about 5 mins. No need to pay, no need to check out, just go. Easy!

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Damn ticket parking. It’s a con. I had to go to a ticket parking area at the hospital yesterday (other parking area full!) and because I had no idea how long I’d be, I paid for 2.5hrs, total $5. But I was all done in 20 mins, so I wasted all that money, about $4 worth. (I gave my ticket to a lady who was just about to pay into the machine).

These ticket machines are a con, because most people have to way overestimate how long they’ll be, so the parking people get much more out of us than they should and we waste the unused part. Grrr.

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Racehorse Goanna, Cape Range National Park 1987.  © PJ Croft 2016

One week to go to my next Bali trip. Gee, another opportunity to try to trim my packing down to fit my suitcase. Travelling with CPAP, medications, photo gear and computer gear is not easy. Not much room left for clothes. Lucky I’m going to a warm climate.

Sydney storm, with aircraft. 1987.  © PJ Croft 2016

Brrrr. This is the coldest, wettest winter I can recall for some years, although I’m sure the statistics would prove me wrong. It seems that way, anyway. My farmer friends confirm that the farmers are very happy. This feels like it used to be back in the 70s and 80s, when we got more than “showers”.

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Speaking of showers, my shower has a dripping tap. But it’s these crazy star shaped handles that you need a special tool to remove.

I’ve bought the tool (about $4), but the rings are corroded and the tool just bends. So I followed the recommendation and bought spray to “unfreeze” the ring. I wasted my money – they still won’t budge. I’ve bought circlip pliers but I can’t get a grip with those either. Nor can I unscrew the cone shaped covers – there’s nothing to grip and the wrench just slips.

As well, the handles are sharp, rough and spiky. The guy who designed these must have been a plumber. The cost to get a plumber to replace these tap washers would be more than the price of the new taps. It would probably pay for the plumber’s holiday in Bali.

That all adds up to hacksaw! I’m going to cut the spindles off and bash grooves into the covers to grip onto. I’ve bought complete new taps at a cost of about $45 a pair (I think).

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About ten years ago when flat screen TVs were becoming mainstream, I used to tell anyone who’d listen that a new technique was to modulate the backlighting of the screen depending on the light and dark areas of the picture content.

Unfortunately for my listeners, I was talking rubbish. I thought this was the case, but I realised later I was ahead of the curve:

From a professional TV web site this week: The most important technology baked into the [Sony] Z-series sets is undoubtedly the Backlight Master Drive. At CES, the 85-inch prototype contained 1,000 zones, but the consumer units may have expanded that functionality, down to pixel-level. This means that the LEDs that comprise the backlight are each individually dimmable.  The effectiveness of this backlight array is enhanced by a high precision lighting and dimming algorithm.

I was about ten years ahead of my time. I should have patented it.

These new Sony Z series are touted as competing with LG’s OLED screens, but using LCD. But the smallest Sony is 65 inches at a price of US$6,999 ! The LG 55 inch OLED is presently A$3,995 and coming down. There’s no question which one I’d choose.

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I was at a shopping centre for lunch yesterday. I used to visit there regularly a few years ago. What a disappointment. Missing:

• the Dymocks bookshop
• the food hall where I used to get my Turkish flat bread thingies
• the Harvey Norman store
• the Tandy electronics store
• the Croissant Express cafe that was so good I used to make special trips

And others I’ve forgotten. All that’s left is women’s clothing and accessory shops, one men’s clothing shop, jewellers, gift/trinket shops and the  usual Coles/Woolies/K-Mart. This is the trend these days. They wonder why we buy on-line – we can’t get what we want in the shops any more. I can’t, anyway.

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Similarly, web sites don’t want us to use ad-blocking software. But take a look at The West today – it’s so blanketed by a giant ad that you can hardly work out what’s editorial and what’s ad. The Guardian, my favourite site, jerks up and down as the ads load much more slowly than the editorial, and distract with their moving/animated visuals. I use ad blocking, I’m afraid.

Mangroves, Qld.  © PJ Croft 2016

I’m heading back to Bali in early August and I’m realising I have quite a few preparations to make. Suddenly, things are seeming urgent.

I’ve decided it’s time I bought a new CPAP machine after eight years with my S6 (Series 6) Autoset. It failed in a big way in 2013, needing a new motor after water from the humidifier got into it. The new motor and fitting cost $300! Resmed charge what they feel they can get away with, not the real cost. Example: the elastic head strap with four plastic clips – $65! It’s just cloth covered neoprene rubber, the same material used in thousands of cheap products, nothing special. $65.

The mask: moulded plastic, no different to kitchen implements or any other toys or small appliances – $250! It’s legal robbery, from elderly retired people, usually (that’s when sleep apnea becomes a problem) who can least afford it. Just because it has a medical application, they charge hospital prices. Robbers!

As well, I’ve said this before: the cost of machines in the USA is half what we have to pay! Why? Because the competition is stronger in the US, I assume, whereas Resmed can charge what they like here. The US price for an S10 machine is A$978.51. Price here? A$2,090.

Postscript: I’ve had a closer look at the supplier’s web site, and the rebate on a $2,000 machine is only $720. OUCH!

The Transcend tiny portable machine is available for $899, but it’s fixed pressure. You also have to add the price of the humidifier $300, and a $50 base station, taking the cost to way over $1,000. That might be an option. It can run on a battery or car 12V adapter (substantial extra cost, of course), so for travel in the car it would allow overnight stops on the Nullarbor.

They offer trial periods. Try a machine before you buy. Good idea, yes?  The cost – $350!! Incredible.

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I also have to look for “candle bags” and party supplies. Big party being planned in Bali. Yum. I’d never heard of candle bags before. Now I know. It seems to me that, given the free time, I could make my own for almost no cost. 🙂

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IKEA. I added reinforcement and wheels at the bottom so I can move it around.

Nearly finished a long desired project, assembling a chest of drawers in my bedroom. My walk-in robe is a mess of piled up clothes on small shelving, such that I really don’t know what I’ve got. The clothes on the bottom of the stacks never get used. It’s crazy. I tend to buy new clothes (small stuff! Underwear and cheap T-shirts) without knowing what I’ve got already.

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Another urgent task – I’ve volunteered to take about 225 images of a funeral ceremony at Besakih in Bali in March and turn them into a DVD slide show, and the same images as a printed book using Photobook software. The slide show DVD can be done anywhere, but the book needs to be completed in the next week if it’s to be delivered before I go. Hurry, hurry. I could just pour the images onto the pages in a quickie job, but I need to do a good job. That takes time and meticulous work.

What a boon Photobooks are for me. All my life I had no way to show my pictures except in old type slide shows that no-one liked, with their horrible eye jerking blackouts between slides and focus problems.

But people will look at books, and they can be made quite attractive. It takes me at least a month to make a book, usually longer, as I add text and captions. But wow! The results are worth it. The printing and binding is excellent. No complaints. It’s done in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and posted back to me. All done, from sending the files over the ‘net to delivery, in about six days.

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I’ve been criticised for wearing shorts to restaurants.

I think this guy didn’t like the food at this restaurant 😉

This is Fukushima. See, even in Japan they wear shorts. 🙂

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I’ve been sort of dragged into using Facebook. Oh, what a time waster! It’s amazingly addictive, but I find I’m spending an hour or more at a time, and having to make a conscious decision to stop. But later I have to check back. It’s compulsive.

I’m going to have to draw a line and stop using it. It serves no purpose for me and I have much better things to do on the computer.

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One good thing: for some years I’ve been a reader of the Economist magazine. But it’s a weekly and at $11, it’s quite an expense. Coles supermarkets used to sell it, but they seem to have dropped it. Strangely, my local newsagent doesn’t sell it, but they do sell New Philosopher. I’ve never read that, and I’m sure I’d like it, but there’s a limit.

Anyway, I’ve finally taken out a digital subscription. I’ve always felt that paper magazines are the past and a waste of trees, but I’m finding there are other advantages.

I now read the Economist on my Samsung 11″ tablet and I’m very, very pleased, surprisingly so. It’s better than reading the paper magazine. The text is bigger and I can make it bigger still. The resolution of this screen, at about 250dpi, is so fine that you cannot see the pixels, and photos look magnificent, better than on the printed page. I’m finding the readability is better than the paper version. I can turn the brightness up if I need to, and enlarge the text a little or a lot as needed with a touch of two fingers.

As well, the cost is much lower. It averages $6.77 per issue, versus $11, and it’s available as soon as it’s published. I get it immediately, without having to go to the shops. Also, all the previous issues are right there, so I can go back to things I missed. I’m a fan!

I think I might subscribe to a couple more magazines. I tend to end up with piles of magazines that seem too good to throw into the bin. I try to donate them to my medical centre and anywhere else I can such as the barber’s, but it’s a lot of trouble.

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A new self pic, taken on 6 June in Bali. I like it very much. I’ll have to remove that iced coffee, though. That’s the Samsung tablet on the table. Notice my halo?

That’s Wally on the left, with Lindsay centre and Carl.

We had one of our regular “Wally lunches” today. Wally is an old school friend who has MS and is wheelchair bound. We have lunch in a cafe near his care home so that he can be brought over to have a bit of company.

l-r Ross, Yari, Jan and white haired Mick.

Boy, it was crowded, loud and cold. It was a sunny day, but icy cold and the eating area is outside under a big patio. They have gas heaters but they switched them off around 3pm as the crowd thinned out, so we had to suffer. It’s school holidays and the place was packed with mums and kids. Ugh.

Anyway, here’s the group – this is the OSMO camera, by the way. Right at the end you can see the viewfinder (my phone) shaking at the bottom, yet the pics are steady:

https://vimeo.com/174496924

We’re all the same age, 69 going on 70, we went to the same high school 1960-64. It’s great that we’re all still together 52 years after our final year.

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One of the things we talked about was how country towns are dying in WA. So many of the big ones used to be centres of government offices or the offices and workshops of government instrumentalities – water, electricity, agriculture, railways, but all these government offices have been pulled back to Perth and “rationalised”, i.e. cut to the bone of staff.

That’s reduced the town populations, which reduces shop trade, so shops close down, and the big supermarkets drive the smaller shops out of business, all of them losing staff as a result. These people move out of the town, further reducing the need for shops and services. It snowballs. Our country towns are shrivelling. Northam’s population has fallen dramatically. The boys’ and girls’ hostels have closed down; presumably the kids now board privately. When they finish school, they go to Perth to get jobs because there are no good jobs in the towns any more.

The context was that we talked about a “Round the Houses” motor race in the town last year, and one of our group said there seemed to be no interest from the town people. On a Saturday, with cars racing through the main street, there seemed to be no crowds. It was depressing.