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Canberra Today 16°/19° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Keep calm and carry on, says Dr Kerryn

The feared face of coronavirus finally formally arrived in the ACT, Canberrans seem to love tongue kissing and a fine old tree topples into history. It’s “Seven Days” with IAN MEIKLE. 

AS Fortress America slammed its doors on those irritating Europeans and President Trump vowed to make America well again, the ACT lost its coronavirus innocence to a 30-something man, who turned himself into the Weston Creek Walk-in Centre. 

Ian Meikle.

None of this fazed ACT chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman who reassuringly said, sure, there would be a heightened level of anxiety around the place but there was no risk to the general community from this case, but didn’t say why. 

The ACT is poised and ready, and keep washing your hands was the message but the Canberra Liberals, fearing the infection risks of malingering in waiting rooms, called for drive-through testing facilities and heartlessly, I thought, want to recall rusty, dusty, retired GPs and nurses to the front line, which given their age puts them at greater risk. But I’m not a doctor. 

MEANWHILE, more terrifying than the doctor’s waiting room, new research reveals that Canberrans are the second most likely people (behind Tasmanians!) to practise PDA.

I had to ask around the office what a PDA is – public display of affection ie “pashing”.

The research, conducted by a travel insurance company, reveals that we’re also up for more intimate displays of affection (IDA?) than any other state, with more than 20 per cent of respondents saying they don’t mind kissing with tongues in public. The Virus Police will be on to that one!

Historic Manuka tree “The Lawns”, Manuka Shopping Centre in October 1953. Photo: ACT Heritage Library
The fallen London Plane in Manuka. Photo: Patrick Pentony

I WAS sorry to see the sad photo of the gnarled, old London Plane tree that toppled in the rain in Manuka. Planted on The Lawns, more than 65 years ago (possibly more, but that’s as far back as we could get) it and three others had historical significance based on their association with Lindsay Pryor, who was the superintendent of Parks and Gardens from 1944-1958. The group was declared protected in 2012.

The tree at The Lawns, Manuka, in October 1953. Photo: ACT Heritage

The pollarding, which is a pruning system involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree, was directed by Pryor who viewed the technique on a trip to Japan in 1946.

According to the ACT Tree Register, while the tree species is common in Canberra, pollarded examples such as these are rare.

Deakin’s rising footpath.

AND back to that perilously raised footpath in Denison Street, Deakin (“Seven Days”, March 5). Reader Antonino Iannella says: “I raised the issue with a Fix My Street request over two years ago, which I am sure I could prove”. So that puts the repair wait at, oh, two years and two weeks and counting. 

Cartoon: Paul Dorin

PAUL Dorin is the “CityNews” cartoonist. His day job is as a station commander for Fire Rescue NSW and this summer he and his team saw a lot of service with the bushfires. I asked him the other day if he was okay. This is his poignant response:  

Paul Dorin.

“I am a little confused with humanity at the moment. During the bushfires l saw the most amazing kindness of people towards others. I experienced it personally while on deployment fighting the bushfires. 

“l had members of the public come up to me while on duty who had travelled for hours wanting to drop off packets of bottled water to fire stations for the firefighters and food for those directly affected by the fires. 

“I remember being in South Nowra extinguishing fire hotspots on the side of the road, after the Princes Highway had reopened, and a passer-by noticed us dragging hoses and putting out fires and drove into the service station about 500 metres up the road, purchased cold water and snacks and drove back to hand them out to me and my crew. 

“It was emotionally moving the generosity and kindness of people, and now, noticing as we all have people scrambling and fighting over toilet paper, grabbing what they can and once in their hands not prepared to share any. 

“It is such a contrast from the generosity of people only a month ago to what we are experiencing now.”

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Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Ian Meikle

Ian Meikle

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