Under 14 league champions
Kathleen’s team won the Under 14 league championship in the Goldfields Soccer Association.
Pictured are, front: Joshua Balderson, Brennen Nicholls, Brian Kagoro, Alex Moore, Hayden Clarke, Owain Dunn, Ted Dobrotin. Back: Jaudin Diprose, Hannah Cumming, Lauren Searle, Annscher Fouche, Jordan Hargrave, Danica Kotz-Anderson, Kathleen Gorey, coach Billy Cumming.
Horse flu shambles
The handling of the equine influenza scare in Australia leaves a lot to be desired. The confirmation of cases in Queensland and New South Wales was disturbing and warranted an immediate lockdown in those states.
As horses and people in the racing industry frequently cross state borders it would have been appropriate to place authorities in other states on high alert.
I thought the standstill in Western Australia could have been delayed until Monday and enforced no longer than 48 hours. There were only 17 horses in the state from NSW and Queensland and their whereabouts were known. Unless one of those showed flu symptoms I thought they could have let the weekend’s racing go ahead.
Why it took so long to then get test results is something of a mystery. It’s also a mystery why horses from the same stables weren’t allowed to perform track work in isolation.
There are claims that some trainers broke the ban to work their horses. If that’s true they will have a considerable (unfair) advantage this weekend.
If the horse flu continues to be an issue in particular states then all movement of horses from those states should be prohibited. Western Australia should be safe though if it bans entry to animals from any state where the flu is active.
The consequences of cancelling race meetings such as the Kalgoorlie Cup over the next few weeks are just too frightening to contemplate. See this report in the Kalgoorlie Miner for the sense of relief which followed the lifting of the ban this week.
Drugs in the AFL
The graph shows that this web site averages about 200 visits per day. However, the post headlined AFL drugs scandal has bolstered the daily visitor count to 4000.
This shows the extraordinary public interest in the issue of drugs in sport. It also supports Channel Seven’s argument, I believe, that the Victorian Supreme Court should lift or at least modify its ban on media coverage of the latest revelation.
I can’t support suppressing the club’s name and certainly can’t see how that could possibly be in the public interest.
Rather than comment on a blog post (you can if you like), I invite readers to enter discussion. I’ve set up a forum topic here. Posts will be held for moderation for legal reasons.
Kalgoorlie Miner online
It’s been a long time coming, but I am pleased to give readers here advance notice that news from the Kalgoorlie Miner is now being published online.
The web address is www.kalminer.com.au.
The site is still under development and is still being populated with content. An official announcement will be made soon. A number of improvements will follow in the months ahead.
Wikipedia edits
I just made some minor edits to the Wikipedia entry for the Kalgoorlie Miner. I added contact details and gave some extra information about availability. Later I will add some historical data.
I’m happy to disclose that I made these changes, just in case anyone suggests I’m biased or revisionist like the Fairfax wiki editors.
The ability to contribute unchecked does raise a legitimate question about the integrity of user-compiled reference material. But while that capability exists, and is known to exist, I see no reason for complaint.
As the disclaimer says, Wikipedia makes no guarantee of validity.
AFL drugs scandal
There is still a lot of hot air and mud flying in relation to the latest AFL drugs scandal. Private medical files were apparently obtained from a clinic which reveal that players from a Melbourne-based club were being treated for drug abuse.
Channel Seven named the team and the players. A subsequent court injunction prevented anyone else from following this up.
While I respect the fact that people’s personal medical records should be private, this episode highlights the inadequacy of the AFL’s three strikes policy. Elite athletes should face only one strike before they are named and shamed.
The AFL enforces the one-strike policy for betting, even if the amount is only $10, and drugs are a much more serious offence. I therefore find the league’s response to the scandal disappointing:
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said he was upset by the report. “I find it distressing and disturbing that any person’s private medical records could be purchased and published,” he said.
Andy should wake up to the fact that what’s “distressing and disturbing” is the cover up of drug abuse by AFL players. The AFL has arguably the weakest regime in high-level world sport when it comes to outing drug addicts and cheats.
Family history wiki
I had the idea that a wiki might be the best option for my family history web site. Using a wiki, any authorised person can make additions and changes to the content.
I experimented with some self-hosted solutions, but they ranged in size and features from tiny to bloated with not much in between.
There are quite a few free hosted options but most of them have ads. Enter www.wikidot.com. I tried a few things and it’s great.
I now have my family history content hosted there for free at http://gorey.wikidot.com/. Go here for an alphabetical index of articles. If anyone would like to edit the articles or add new ones they can contact me.
Stephen King in Kalgoorlie
American thriller writer Stephen King visited Kalgoorlie today. The Kalgoorlie Miner caught up with him for a chat. The photograph is by Mary Mills and the story by Alicia Bridges: Read more
Early summer in Kalgoorlie
Daytime temperatures are nudging 30 degrees in Kalgoorlie now (late August). It never hit 30 before October in Victoria and generally not until November.
I can’t recall it being this warm in Kalgoorlie so early last year, so it appears to be shaping for a hot summer.
We never had a sub-zero temperature in winter this year either, which is also unusual. June and July were pretty mild, I thought.
Letters to the editor
I had an interesting email from a communications consultant wanting feedback on letters to the editor. He wrote:
I’m currently engaged on research into the effectiveness of “letters to the editor” published in national and local newspapers in Australia. I am particularly interested in the readership of letters to the editor, the extent to which letters raise awareness, whether they are a source of copy or leads for reporters and journalists, and whether elected officials and senior government bureaucrats take notice of and respond to matters raised in “letters to the editor”.
My response: Read more
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