First up is the keynote speaker, Professor Maureen Fordham, from IRDR Centre for Gender Research. Maureen is a legend in disaster management research. She was responsible for setting up the Gender and Disaster Network, which was founded in 1998, and as she said, its 20th anniversary is no cause for celebration, as she had hoped […]
Read more "Diversity in disaster contemporary directions: Opening."Normally I come to the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch the football (although my last visit was not a happy one). But today I’m here for the Diversity in Disaster conference. This conference has been a while in the making, in some respects, probably decades. And what a conference. Tackling all the challenging issues of […]
Read more "Diversity in disaster conference. Day 1. Leaps and bounds"My kids come home from school with a Charter of Rights and Responsibilities that we have to sign, and they have to sign and their teacher has to sign. It guides their interactions and standards of behaviour. I initially thought, wow, this is over the top. But then I realised it was really out setting […]
Read more "Get up, stand up"So, said my lecturer in the first lecture of my one and only economics subject. Hang on, I thought Isn’t economics about numbers and all ordinaries and budgets. And economists don’t look like happy people to me. He went on to explain about supply and demand, make choices, trade-offs, and allocating resources for the best […]
Read more "Economics=happiness"I wasn’t sure if I was going to be writing these words. I wasn’t sure if this blog had a future, as at the end of last year i didn’t have the energy to think let alone write. And I wasn’t sure if I had anything useful to say anymore. As you’d all know, last […]
Read more "It’s been a while"So said the forecaster on Thursday about the impending superstorm that would hit Melbourne and Victoria over the weekend. Living, like Shrek, in the swamp of Elwood, this fills me with a bit of nervousness. And although our house is just out of the 1in 100 flood line, and we have yet to be flooded […]
Read more "Ten out of ten"If I had a dollar for every time I was asked this, I would be rich. Actually I wouldn’t be rich, because the answer is disappointing. “It depends” usually is the answer. Or “ we can’t say” To which the riposte comes “But surely someone knows” and we shake our heads, sadly and say. It’s […]
Read more "How long is recovery?"Well, 20 years ago, I walked into the Red Cross office on City Road Southbank, as the brand new Deputy Coordinator, Emergency Registration. You walked up the stairs, then up a hill and down a hill along a long corridor.(the building was that old and decrepit). I was to look after the State Inquiry Centre […]
Read more "20"But thank to everyone for their amazing response to my post from Thursday. I felt extraordinarily privileged to receive such heart felt support and encouragement. There’s a way to go, but I am feeling OK. 🙂 Thank You.
Read more "What can I say?"Today is RU OK? Day, a great initiative formed to get people to check in on each other. Me? I’m not OK. Haven’t been for about 18months or so, but I am now recognising it, calling it out and doing something about it. The work that we do, goes without saying, is stressful. “You work […]
Read more "RU OK? Me, I’m not*"
Sastrugi 