ask-an-aussie

[ask-an-aussie]

[ask-an-aussie]

in Australia an ambulance can cost a bit if you aren't on a pension or low income health care card or have private medical insurance (which we do ourselves, it's not something that comes with jobs) I have insurance and that covers me for all ambulances, I called one a few years ago and I only live 15 minutes max from the hospital but the fee was over $500

[ask-an-aussie]

Similar thing happening in Australia with some pollies trying to slowly get rid of medicare. Like they haven't upped the payment they give drs for bulk billing so most doctors can't afford to just bulk bill anymore so it costs people more money to see a GP and those that need to see GPs tend to need to see them often due to chronic issues.

[ask-an-aussie]

For those who didn't know, Archie Roach died this year. I haven't been on this blog much, and I apologise - I burnt myself out this year and am finally starting to recover.

But first I have to post about Archie Roach. I'm not big into music or anything but this guy was, and still is, a big deal.

If you know any of his songs it will be that one.

Archibalie was an Australian singer, songwriter and Aboriginal activist. Also known as "Uncle Archie", Roach was a Gunditjmara and Bundjalung elder who campaigned for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The song "took the children away" is about the stolen generation- when white people decided it would be best if aboriginal children where taken from their families to be raised the white way.

His songs are amazing and always give me goosebumps. All Aussies should know of him, and at least this one song of his, if not others. Archie himself was a stolen child and you can hear his real life experience in the song.

Paul Kelly, musician: "I first heard about Archie through my guitar player, Steve Connolly, who’d seen him on a TV show called Blackout and said, “You gotta hear this guy.” We wanted to do something special for our Hamer Hall show in 1990 so we tracked down Archie [to support]. He finished [his set] with Took the Children Away. There was this stunned silence; he thought he’d bombed. Then this wave of applause grew and grew; I’d never heard anything like it."

Adam Briggs, musician: "It wasn’t until I was older that I grasped the importance and weight of his songs. Took the Children Away is a pivotal song for Australia. That line – “This story’s right, this story’s true, I would not tell lies to you” – sums up his whole career and why he resonates with everybody. I reckon if you don’t like Archie Roach, there’s something wrong with you."

[ask-an-aussie]

[ask-an-aussie]

The kinds of things I do in my free time (I'm a wildlife rescuer and carer)

We've had hectic rain here and all sorts of interesting rescues because of it (wildlife are taking shelter around people as everywhere else is flooded)

This Swamp Wallaby got stuck in a swimming pool that hasn't fully been built yet.

Rescues have to adapt to the situation, we did have a plan with both nets but when we realised how deep the water was and that he was so exhausted his head kept dipping under the water we just went for it.

[ask-an-aussie]

You know you're Australian when a spider casually runns across your windscreen while you are driving and you're like "awww it's a baby huntsman!"

***not really a baby but they are usually much larger so yeau

[ask-an-aussie]

Kookaburra sits on the old street light

Jesus Christ why is it so bright

Laugh kookaburra

Laugh kookaburra

Climate change is here

[ask-an-aussie]

It's fall in America and people posting videos on tiktok and insta - with either them or their dogs jumping into piles of leaves.

JEALOUS

In Australia we don't really have deciduous trees, tress that just dump their leaves in one go.

Also, an Aussie sees a pile of leaves and thinks, there gonna be lots of creepy crawlies in there - venomous ants, various spiders, possibly a snake, could even be a bandicoot or a brush turkey in that pile. That pile is a no-go

[ask-an-aussie]

[ask-an-aussie]

Just found out only Australians do the nut bush dance?!

The rest of the world doesn't? What do you learn in school? What do you do at parties?

Like anywhere in Australia you start playing the nut bush and people will start dancing. It's popular AF and so much fun!

Most recently I did it at a staff members farewell party.

Aussie followers feel free to share your nutbush experiences

[ask-an-aussie]

Bunnings had to up the price of their sausage sizzle and it made all the news!

*** I'm not late to the party, just forgot to post it on the day as I was busy***

So Bunnings is a major hardware store - you can find all your DIY needs, gardening, kitchen, plumbing, lighting, pet stuff - like everything. But also on weekends you can buy a sausage sizzle and each day it will be run by a different community group to help them raise funds - can be a sporting group, an animal rescue group, a girl guides, any charity.

So it's a real aussie thing to go to Bunnings on a saturday or sunday to get your sausage sizzle (as well as whatever you need at bunnings, or even stuff you didn't need but you went for the snag and then found a bargain)

Most Aussies are pretty chill over the price increase as most other places sausage sizzles haven't been $2.50 for at least 7 years (some places now it's $4+) And we realise that these community groups are doing it to raise funds not (just) feed us

Side note - if you ever need to trap an Aussie we do find it hard to walk past a sausage sizzle, if we can smell one we will find it

TL:DR: Sausage sizzle price is up at Bunnings to help community groups raise much needed $$$ and people aren't as outraged about it as all the news places make it seem

[ask-an-aussie]

Also, putting this out there for my fellow aussies, the more people you number the more your vote counts. Different voting slips have different rules but usually there is a choice in how many you can number - for example on one slip you can put in number order the groups above the line or put in numbers for EVERYONE below the line. The more you put in your preferences the more your vote will count. For example:

If you only put 1 vote down for 1 person out of 6, then everyone is equal second. If you number all 6 in your preference order then your vote will count the most.

Sometimes I don't even know who I really like the most, but I definitely know who I want in power the least so I start from there and count backwards. (it's not always about who you want in power, it's about who you don't want!)

[ask-an-aussie]

A 15min talk about Flyign Foxes aka Fruit Bats.

Short, sharp, informative and actually very funny too!

[ask-an-aussie]

kookaburra refusing to budge

[ask-an-aussie]

The flooding in Australia right now