Bob Hawke was the second. It was in my university days and being politically active, I was invited into the audience for the Nine Network’s Midday Show, where he appeared during the 1987 Election campaign. Of the four or so questions that were asked by the audience, the host, Ray Martin chose me for one of them. You’re on national television and you have the opportunity to put a question to a sitting Prime Minister. That was a lot of fun.

Today is the 30th of June, the last day of the financial year. For the numbers nerds, it’s the 181st day of the year. There are 184 to go.

Here’s some of what has been happening in the lives of people I know, or in the wider orbit of the people I know, in recent months.

I’ve seen it often over the years. The business owner, running around all over the place. Early starts. Late finishes. Work that pops up locally, regionally and interstate.

Recently,  I was in Adelaide for a number of business meetings. It had been 14 years since I’d headed to the City of Churches and it remains one of my favourite cities in Australia.

In an all day meeting with a family business client recently, we met with two separate bankers. My client’s current bankers have dropped the ball and have stopped servicing the client. In spite of there being a reasonable loan balance and the opportunity for the bank to further invest with the client, the bank have not assigned them a manager since before Christmas 2020. It was time to look around for an alternative and two were invited in for a meet and greet.

Something different this week. These are the things I’m confounded by right now:

My unblemished 31 year driving record is no more! My wife was opening the mail on a Monday morning when she calls out to me in the next office, “you’ve got a speeding fine”. Happy Monday!

Last night, the Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg handed down his third budget and this Government’s eighth. In a bold statement, the Treasurer placed an emphasis on using the twin pillars of rising employment and falling welfare dependency to drive the budget bottom line.

The funny thing about mowing the lawn is that you need to do it regularly. Every week in the summer. Fortnightly in the winter. Otherwise, it gets overgrown, quickly. The weeds take hold, leaves and bark from your garden end up on the grass and generally, it starts to look a bit of a mess.