The Australian Roadworker is an endangered species. Once prolific throughout the countryside its numbers have dwindled rapidly in recent years.
The roadworker, distinctive in its orange coat, has become a rare sight on our highways and byways.
For the past three months I’ve been delayed at roadworks near Yackandandah during my weekly drive to Wodonga. Often I wait 5-10 minutes before being allowed access to the single lane.
As I drive through the scarred landscape it’s unusual to see more than one or two roadworkers in their natural habitat. Not surprisingly the roadworks have barely progressed at all.
Today, I observed a solitary roadworker, looking forlorn without its mates, standing idly by the roadside.
Idleness is a common trait among the roadworker, but it’s rare to see one standing alone. Generally they do so in pairs. Frequently they are also leaning on something or drinking tea.
In the old days I used to see gangs of roadworkers standing idly in large groups. Occasionally they were motivated to exercise a burst of energy, which generally involved digging holes or patting down stones and hot bitumen.
Today you are more likely to hear a roadworker than see one. So what happened?
A combination of evolution, government intrusion and habitat decline has wreaked havoc on this fascinating creature.
Machines have superseded them in many places. Governments have downsized their roadworker welfare programs and economic factors have reduced the roadworks upon which the roadworker depends.
It’s interesting though that the female roadworker has become a greater percentage of the roadworker population. This raises hope, or fear in some quarters, that a controlled breeding program could see the roadworker return to half its former glory.
Concern remains that the male roadworker, although apparently interested in reproduction, may not be virile enough, or attractive enough to the female roadworker, for this purpose.
It’s an interesting fact that the male roadworker, mostly sedentary except during tea breaks and smoko, regards fellow males as “mates”. The female roadworker is addressed directly as “luv” or referred to as “sheila” in the third person.
It’s clearly in the national interest that we revive this colorful species, protect its habitat and create an environment in which the roadworker once again becomes a common sight from our vehicles.
