Gretel Killeen brought a show, ‘This is Who I Am’, to Boorowa just on a year ago. On looking at where the funds raised could be injected into the Boorowa community, the concept of ‘A Day for the Blokes’ was born.

‘Stinker’ Clarke has been pushing the day and has attracted a lot of attention in his home area of Port Stephens. Actually, the main raffle prize is a Port Stephens Water Wonderland Holiday Package.

Word has been spread wide with Roger Cooper having been interviewed by Scott Levi on ABC Big Fish Radio and Janene Hurley interviewed on ABC Riverina and 2BS Bathurst.

Residents of Port Stephens, probably due to ‘Stinker’ Clarke’s promotion, have been asking, “Why haven’t we got something like that?”

‘Stinker’ has got right behind this because he sees it as a way for coastal communities to support people on the land, especially when times are tough, and bring the blokes together.

All in all, a wonderful concept and an evening not to be missed. Give Janene Hurley a ring on 6385 1330 and she just might be able to squeeze you in.

                    WITS

On this day, July 26, 1945, the allies called for the unconditional surrender of the Imperial Japanese armed forces - the alternative being prompt and utter destruction. The allies didn’t want to face a bloody invasion of the Japanese mainland.

The Japanese ignored this ultimatum and on August 6 an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima killing up to 146000 people and wreaking immediate devastation. Three days later, Nagasaki felt the same fate with up to 80000 lives lost.

Six days later, August 15, Japan announced its surrender to the allies and with the September 2 signing of the instrument of surrender, World War II effectively ended. This is the only time such an insidious weapon has been used in warfare.

Nuclear warfare could bring about the end of the world as is vividly detailed in Nevil Shute’s ‘On the Beach’. This 1957 novel details the experiences of people in Melbourne awaiting the arrival of deadly radiation spreading toward them from a Northern Hemisphere nuclear war. Chilling reading.

As we said last week, “Give peace a chance”. It assuredly beats results of a nuclear confrontation.

                    WITS

With Australia’s burgeoning population and infrastructure struggling to cope, wouldn’t it be advisable to halt, or severely restrict immigration now and maybe there could be a chance to get the construction of necessary infrastructure ahead of population growth.

The unions are pushing a Bill Shorten led government to ease restrictions on entry into Australia. The Rudd Labor government relaxed border security and what a disaster that turned out to be.

Unions running our country does not appeal to me at all. Unions seem to have almost all the say in establishing Labor policy. They seem to control who leads the Labor Party.

I have long knocked politicians and am critical of our form of government. Governments should listen to the people and enact policies reflecting the best interests of our country as a whole. The unions have too much power, have become far too political, and, if I’m correct, were formed to support the workers … not run the country.