Cars have always been a hobby of mine. One of my first memories is standing on the bench seat of my father’s grey Chrysler Valiant R Series as it headed towards Dee Why Beach. My guess is that I was around three at the time and back then, I’d ask him what the other cars on the road were. An encyclopaedic knowledge of the automotive world was forming even before I could speak properly and, by and large, continues to this day.

After heading out for dinner together for the first time in months, Trish and I piled into the car to head home. As we’re chatting away, Shirley Bassey’s classic “Goldfinger” roars into life on the stereo. Her distinctive voice is only topped by that delightful brassy sound – the trumpets and trombones belting away in the musical equivalent of an exclamation mark.

I received an email from AMP, the life insurance behemoth, recently suggesting that I check my details as my premiums had changed. I’ve learned in the past that when a life insurer sends correspondence, make sure you follow it up straight away.

“Are you looking forward to opening back up?” I asked the cafe owner as he took my regular order, skim latte, extra hot.

“Sort of” he replied, with a hint of exasperation in his voice. “If we can just manage to get staff.”

Initially surprised at his response, my follow up question was “What about those that worked for you before lockdown?”

“Some will be back. A couple of others have chosen not to” was his response, with a slight look of despair on his face.

Here in my home state of New South Wales, we’re as close as can be to the State Government’s 70% double dose vaccination target (and at 88% single dose!). Fingers crossed that we jump the chasm this week which means by next Monday 11th October, a raft of new freedoms will become available to individuals that themselves are double vaccinated. That will be at least two weeks earlier than originally envisaged and perhaps, in itself, a study on how to motivate people with a carrot (70% = freedoms) vs. a stick (cases = lockdowns).

Training is not and should never be an afterthought. Yet experience and observation tells me it must be.

I’m reading “Shorter” by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang at the moment. Essentially, the key message is about how businesses that are working less are revolutionising how they get things done, creating better lifestyles for their employees and owners and, in most cases, maintaining or increasing profits.

Here in Sydney, it’s looking like we might exit hibernation around the 18th of October, 2021. This is premised on the hope that 70% of the adult population in New South Wales will be double vaccinated by that day. If that indeed ends up being the day, it will be one week shy of four months that Greater Sydney will have been in lockdown. That’s a long winter and half of spring been and gone in that time.

I’ve been thinking! We, as a nation and as a people, need to have a re-think about the future of Australia. COVID 19 is proving the great disruptor. As we start to consider what life may be like on the other side, now is the time to ask ourselves, where are we heading and what do we want to look like? Here’s some of my thoughts:

It was 10 weeks since I’d injured my back. It was two weeks since there’d been any pain. The road to recovery was well and truly underway. I was back, baby!