Road rage, tolerance and ANZAC Day

Tamyka Bell

I'm giving a speech on ANZAC Day to a group of RSL members, primary
school kids and the general public. Usually with school kids it gives us
an opportunity to work in a "How you can keep the ANZAC Spirit alive"
spiel with doing good things for other people, be tolerant, etc. I
thought I might try to wind in a little comment about being nice to
cyclists. Anyone here got a really nice way with words?

--

______________________________________

Tamyka Bell, PhD Student
School of Human Movement Studies
The University Of Queensland
w: +61-7-33656105
m: +61-4-00782972
e: t.bell@uq.edu.au
______________________________________

flyingdutch

The obesity/kids fitness angle is a good touchpoint at the mo.

Environmental angle is good with them too! My daughter in grade 5
recently had to name the most environmentally active person she knew.
She named me!!!! Cos i ride my bike and dont own a car (scuse me while I
swell with fatherly pride...)

you could spiral into a politcal mire(?) and say that cyclists help
avoid wars cos we dont 'fuel' (scuse the pun!) the thirst for Oil!

Or just be straightforward with something like...

"Cos its damn good FUN "

As for ANZAC day, us victorians will be WORKING on Monday$@!@#!#$!@!!!!!



--

cfsmtb

flyingdutch wrote:
> As for ANZAC day, us victorians will be WORKING on Monday$@!@#!#$!@!!!!!




Ok, Dutchie, this was written by one of your fellow BoroondaraBUG
comrades back in 1998.

It was to be published in Australian Cyclist (ie: letter to the editor)
and originally appeared as part of a CM corking leaflet, I'm pretty sure
Phil wouldn't mind at all the words being put to a good use.

http://www.criticalmass.org.au/melbourne/war.html

May, unfortunately, have to update the cyclist fatalities.


2 March 1998

Dear Readers;

On 25 April Australians and New Zealanders commemorate our One Day of
the Year. Eighty three years ago this month approximately 17 000
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) troops landed on the
Gallipolli Peninsula in Turkey. Eight months later the survivors were
evacuated, leaving over 8 400 of their mates dead.

We remember all those who have suffered and died for Australia, whether
heroically on foreign battlefields or less gloriously at home. This
century nearly twice as many Australians have died in road crashes (159
000) than in all wars combined (89 000).

The worst year was 1970, when nearly 4 000 people died on Australian
roads. That's more than twice the total number of Australian
military personnel killed in action since the end of World War Two.
(A total of just over 1 600 Australians died in Malaya, Korea,
Malaysia and Vietnam.)

Since 1970 nearly 1 300 cyclists have been killed on Australian roads.

Lest we forget.



--

flyingdutch

cfsmtb wrote:
> Ok, Dutchie, this was written by one of your fellow BoroondaraBUG
> comrades back in 1998.
> It was to be published in Australian Cyclist (ie: letter to the editor)
> and originally appeared as part of a CM corking leaflet, I'm pretty sure
> Phil wouldn't mind at all the words being put to a good use.
> http://www.criticalmass.org.au/melbourne/war.html
> May, unfortunately, have to update the cyclist fatalities.
> 2 March 1998
> Dear Readers;
> On 25 April Australians and New Zealanders commemorate our One Day of
> the Year. Eighty three years ago this month approximately 17 000
> Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) troops landed on the
> Gallipolli Peninsula in Turkey. Eight months later the survivors were
> evacuated, leaving over 8 400 of their mates dead.
> We remember all those who have suffered and died for Australia, whether
> heroically on foreign battlefields or less gloriously at home. This
> century nearly twice as many Australians have died in road crashes (159
> 000) than in all wars combined (89 000).
> The worst year was 1970, when nearly 4 000 people died on Australian
> roads. That's more than twice the total number of Australian
> military personnel killed in action since the end of World War Two.
> (A total of just over 1 600 Australians died in Malaya, Korea,
> Malaysia and Vietnam.)
> Since 1970 nearly 1 300 cyclists have been killed on Australian roads.
> Lest we forget.



Wow. poignant stuff!

not to mention all the wounded-in-action and poor health fatalities due
to pollution, but that's another diatribe...

where you plucking all this stuff from cfs?



--

cfsmtb

flyingdutch wrote:
> Wow. poignant stuff!
> not to mention all the wounded-in-action and poor health fatalities due
> to pollution, but that's another diatribe...
> where you plucking all this stuff from cfs?



From memory - and the link supplied in my post. Ask Phil.



--

cfsmtb

flyingdutch wrote:
> shall mention it at next BUG meeting
> PS did ewe mention some BUG-participation recently? if so, what kind of
> numbers do you get




At present YarraBUG is re-creating itself & is more of a email list, we
are slowly building up to having membership, social rides and events.
Numbers at present are 40+

There are plans also for a "proper" website in the coming months.

For more, see below;


Yarra Bicycle Users Group
------------------------------------------------------
Abbotsford, Alphington, Burnley, Carlton North, Clifton Hill, Cremorne,
Collingwood, Fairfield, Fitzroy, Fitzroy North, Princes Hill, Richmond
------------------------------------------------------
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yarrabug

YarraBUG meets 7.30pm,on the first Tuesday of the month,at Ninos
Restaurant, 359 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy



--

flyingdutch

cfsmtb wrote:
> From memory - and the link supplied in my post. Ask Phil.



shall mention it at next BUG meeting

PS did ewe mention some BUG-participation recently? if so, what kind of
numbers do you get



--

L'acrobat

"Tamyka Bell" <tbell@hms.uq.edu.au> wrote in message
news:4088676E.1D6FA534@hms.uq.edu.au...
> I'm giving a speech on ANZAC Day to a group of RSL members, primary
> school kids and the general public. Usually with school kids it gives us
> an opportunity to work in a "How you can keep the ANZAC Spirit alive"
> spiel with doing good things for other people, be tolerant, etc. I
> thought I might try to wind in a little comment about being nice to
> cyclists. Anyone here got a really nice way with words?
>

Obviously I spotted this a bit late to be of any use this year, but I would
advise against trying to appropriate ANZAC day for your (any) cause.

Usually you just manage to alienate a lot of people.

ANZAC day is not about cycling, road rage or tolerance, it is not "all
things for all people".

It's about remembering veterans and appreciating both them and currently
serving troops and the sacrifices they make/have made.

Tamyka Bell

L'acrobat wrote:

>
> Obviously I spotted this a bit late to be of any use this year, but I would
> advise against trying to appropriate ANZAC day for your (any) cause.
>
> Usually you just manage to alienate a lot of people.
>
> ANZAC day is not about cycling, road rage or tolerance, it is not "all
> things for all people".
>
> It's about remembering veterans and appreciating both them and currently
> serving troops and the sacrifices they make/have made.

I appreciate your input. However my audience was largely parents and
children who, unlike us currently serving ADF members don't really get
it at all. ANZAC day is not about veterans dying, it's a celebration of
the spirit, the courage of those that held the cliffs for eight months
through horrendous conditions, and of the national identity that
Australia gained because of it, etc etc. At least, that's what made the
ex-servicemen and -women and a whole lot of members of the public cry at
the service I spoke at. I don't think my talking of tolerance alienated
anyone.

As any further discussion would be mega OT just email me directly, but I
think we got each others point anyway.

T

Mvviegh

"Tamyka Bell" <tbell@hms.uq.edu.au> wrote in message
news:408D9FE9.1FD03D9A@hms.uq.edu.au...
> L'acrobat wrote:
>
At least, that's what made the
> ex-servicemen and -women and a whole lot of members of the public cry at
> the service I spoke at.
> T


LOL..was your speech really that boring?