One thieving chancer blithely ran the risk of upsetting a martial arts master, a radio station gets a rating boost and the depressing news that the average Australian will spend 16.6 years on their mobile phone. Enough already, it’s “Seven Days” with IAN MEIKLE.

MASTER Tom Adam is a 6th dan black belt in hapkido, a Korean form of grinding self-defence that relies on joint locks, grappling, throwing techniques, kicks, punches and other striking attacks.

Clearly, Tom is someone you don’t mess with, but one Canberra miscreant was testing the master’s patience recently. 

First, some more about Tom. Unsurprisingly, he’s the principal of the Canberra Martial Arts and Fitness studio in Phillip, which he founded 10 years ago. He’s been teaching hapkido for 15 years. 

He is eloquent and articulate and told me during an interview on 2CC’s “CityNews Sunday Roast” program that his business had a hard time through the covid year, but there were others worse off that he stood up for as the Phillip Business Community president. He is emerging as someone, politically, you don’t mess with, either. 

But back to the dope who was chancing his arm. Tom’s daughter’s iPhone 11 was stolen in Civic, outside the merry-go-round, on the afternoon of April 8.

Tom remotely switched it to something called “lost mode” and put a message on his daughter’s phone asking the person who had it to call him. 

With breathtaking stupidity, the plonker who had the phone called Tom from his own number and said: “Who the fxxk is this?” 

“The guy who owns the phone,” said Tom and the man hung up. 

Tom cheerfully posted the man’s number on Facebook, which inspired scores of other people to call the clown and tell him to hand the phone back. Nothing doing.  

Using the Find-My-Phone app, the mobile was traced to a home in Gungahlin and six-dan Tom went a’calling, but the guy answering the door claimed not to have it. 

Undaunted, Tom sent a message to the stolen phone asking for it to be left in a public place where he could trace and recover it, and a few days ago Tom got a call from two young girls who’d found the mobile in Civic. 

The thief was too dumb to wipe the numbers he’d called from the phone and Tom’s been through them, tracked the man’s identity and told the police. You don’t mess with Master Tom. 

HITS and memories radio station 2CA is on something of a ratings roll. The first survey results are out and it’s posting the best numbers anyone at the station can remember. Their collective memories can get back only 27 years, but that’s a millennium in the radio game.

The station, a favourite of former Red Hill resident Paul Keating, got an overall 2.7 per cent jump, with individual announcers Jason Costa up in mornings 3.1 per cent, which at 10.9 per cent gets him ahead of FM rivals Hit 104.7 – a rare treat for people on the AM band. Drive announcer Cathy Dinn was also up by 2.4 per cent.

But the interesting rise is in the breakfast slot with Paul Holmes, who jumped 2.5 per cent. Interesting because the station is going to parlay the momentum of his 7 per cent market share into a new, “real local radio” format, with a new face – Jen Seyderhelm – joining the breakfast show.

Here I declare an interest having worked with Jen on 2CC. She is sharp, bright and so much fun to share a microphone with. 

More pertinently, program director Pete Davidson says: “It’s a no-brainer to pair up Holmsey and Jen for breakfast. This isn’t the same tired, old FM breakfast radio formula. It’s real local radio with real local personalities.”

Jen’s no stranger to broadcasting and is a podcast host, producer, educator and has had a hand in the creation of local, national and international podcasts.

DEPRESSING news in the revelation that the average Australian will spend 16.6 years of their life on their mobile phone (that’s 33 per cent of their waking hours). According to a survey of 1000 people by reviews.org, we spend 5.5 hours per day on average messing with the phone. Gen Zers spend the most time on their phone (7.3 hours a day), Millennials (6.7 hours), Gen X (6 hours) and Baby Boomers (2.9 hours).

A CALL out to the gentlemen of the Goodwin Homes Monash Men’s Shed who invited me over for a yarn. I’d never been in a men’s shed before and it was full of fraternal warmth. These blokes are happy to help with charity projects and make stuff for fund-raising stalls. Jim Crane, at neredahandjim@gmail.com, would be the man to contact.  

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard on the “CityNews Sunday Roast” news and interview program, 2CC, 9am-noon.