(no subject)
My happy little hometown of Hedland has just been showcased on the ABC on their Four Corners program. My friend, who was watching the program, messaged me to tell me that it made Hedland seem SCARY.
I missed the telecast. Luckily, ABC is quite progressive, so here is a transcript of the show: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2008/s2339402.htm
I think the program did well in capturing the general malaise that hangs over the town like so much iron ore dust. Hedland people love nothing more than moaning about the terrible state of the town, while they roll in their piles of dirty, mining money. I thought it was good of the ABC to identify that even though there is a lot of money going around, it doesn't actually go toward the town to any great extent. And money doesn't buy happiness!
I was very happy growing up in Hedland. It seemed a good town to grow up in. I think what really killed it was the introduction of Fly-In-Fly-Out workers as industry standard. When the workforce is based in the community, they're forced to invest in the community, financially and emotionally. But when the workforce has come from down south, or over east, and lives here two-weeks-on-and-one-week-off, they spend the two weeks existing in their camp/caravan/rental house and then go back on that one-week-off and spend their money elsewhere. Even though the average earning wage is through the roof, it doesn't actually circulate through the community.
Except maybe through the liquor stores.
Edit: Having looked through some preliminary stats today, the liquor stores in the Port/South Hedland area pulled in 14 MILLION DOLLARS in liquor sales some years ago. That's SALES, not PROFIT, but oh my fucking god.
But the fact is that the money doesn't stay there and that has a knock-on effect. ABC does a fairly good job of addressing the plight of local businesses, local workers. I thought that it really spent too much time on the caravan park residents, and not enough time on long-term residents. People just like me. And I really wish it had talked more about the other government agencies. Good work on showing how difficult it is to police the area. But government agencies (like health!) are really, REALLY hurting. The cop interviewed spoke about the alcohol issue (using stats that WE gave him!) so I would have liked to see a holla from the Pilbara Community Drug Service Team.
BHP are still very vocal about the fact that they hire local people and are providing homes for these. But they're silent about the contractors they hire. Contractors can hire whoever they damn well please. And it IS easier to hire someone on a FIFO basis than to convince them to come up to shithole Hedland.
But the town I am nostalgic for isn't a shithole like ABC painted it at all :p
Anyway, I loved this line:
MATTHEW CARNEY: In town they call them the Ditchies but the people who live out here call it Two-mile Camp.
They so should not have gone there. :O
I missed the telecast. Luckily, ABC is quite progressive, so here is a transcript of the show: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2008/s2339402.htm
I think the program did well in capturing the general malaise that hangs over the town like so much iron ore dust. Hedland people love nothing more than moaning about the terrible state of the town, while they roll in their piles of dirty, mining money. I thought it was good of the ABC to identify that even though there is a lot of money going around, it doesn't actually go toward the town to any great extent. And money doesn't buy happiness!
I was very happy growing up in Hedland. It seemed a good town to grow up in. I think what really killed it was the introduction of Fly-In-Fly-Out workers as industry standard. When the workforce is based in the community, they're forced to invest in the community, financially and emotionally. But when the workforce has come from down south, or over east, and lives here two-weeks-on-and-one-week-off, they spend the two weeks existing in their camp/caravan/rental house and then go back on that one-week-off and spend their money elsewhere. Even though the average earning wage is through the roof, it doesn't actually circulate through the community.
Except maybe through the liquor stores.
Edit: Having looked through some preliminary stats today, the liquor stores in the Port/South Hedland area pulled in 14 MILLION DOLLARS in liquor sales some years ago. That's SALES, not PROFIT, but oh my fucking god.
But the fact is that the money doesn't stay there and that has a knock-on effect. ABC does a fairly good job of addressing the plight of local businesses, local workers. I thought that it really spent too much time on the caravan park residents, and not enough time on long-term residents. People just like me. And I really wish it had talked more about the other government agencies. Good work on showing how difficult it is to police the area. But government agencies (like health!) are really, REALLY hurting. The cop interviewed spoke about the alcohol issue (using stats that WE gave him!) so I would have liked to see a holla from the Pilbara Community Drug Service Team.
BHP are still very vocal about the fact that they hire local people and are providing homes for these. But they're silent about the contractors they hire. Contractors can hire whoever they damn well please. And it IS easier to hire someone on a FIFO basis than to convince them to come up to shithole Hedland.
But the town I am nostalgic for isn't a shithole like ABC painted it at all :p
Anyway, I loved this line:
MATTHEW CARNEY: In town they call them the Ditchies but the people who live out here call it Two-mile Camp.
They so should not have gone there. :O