Not sure where the best place to put this is but here goes.This is an article from The Gladstone Observer Newspaper that made me smile and I thought I would share it.
Quote: "
In my real job I wear a council uniform. In my unreal job, I usually wear my holey pyjamas.
Anyway, each afternoon I like to take my ratepayer-funded clothing for a stroll through the bush, and while Long Suffering Wife's dogs water the trees, I ponder life's big questions, like, 'Will tea be ready when I get home?' and, 'How can I get out of doing the dishes tonight?'
We rarely meet anyone else in the scrub, but I often spy their footprints, paw prints, slither marks, tyre tracks, and unfortunately, the piles of rubbish they leave behind.
So last week, when I spotted a bloke standing next to a trailer-load of junk, I rushed straight over.
Now, having a council worker catch you dumping illegally can sort of ruin your afternoon.
But it can also do your head in when that council worker starts loading rubbish back onto your trailer and cheerfully says, "Good onya mate! It's nice to see someone cleaning up around here for a change!"
Dropping the garbage bag he was holding back into the trailer he mumbled, "Yeah, that's what I'm doing."
I found a couple of tyres in the nearby grass and tossed them on as well, at which point I'm sure he thought, 'Hey! They're not mine!'
But he didn't say anything.
After overloading his trailer with other people's rubbish, I whipped out my phone and asked, "Can I take your photo and send it to the Mayor? She'll be thrilled!"
A true champion, he humbly declined my offer of public recognition.
After making a show of noting his rego, I waved him farewell.
Thanks to my uniform one bloke is now much wiser, Gladstone is slightly cleaner, and I'm a little bit fitter, especially after exercising my inner smart arse."
.... or, "exercising you inner smart arse"
Love the story
I have done similar things before
But then again, what do you expect from "someone like me"?
M-L
Great story! I wonder what would have happened if he had got the photo for the Mayor?
You've 'done similar things before', Araminta? Any chance for some stories?
That's just too funny
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Great story, love the cheekiness of it!
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
Alright Lachlan, you asked for it.
There are some things I do on a regular basis, that means, every fire season. You see, I live next to a State Park and that means during the hot and dry summer holidays we get people camping around Kirth Kiln overnight. Most of them come from the big smoke and have very little knowledge about how fast a fire can start. On dangerous days I get in my 4x4 , put on a kaki shirt, switch on my scanner and head out looking for campers. Last season I spotted a young couple next to their tent, neatly stacking a pile of wood. I stopped next to them, my scanner turned up loud , listening to Vic Fire , talking to then from time to time. They didn’t answer though, of course they couldn’t hear me , but the tourists didn’t know that.
After I said hello to the couple I asked a few questions, like where they were from, how long they would be staying for, that kind of thing. Then I pointed out to them that they weren’t allowed to light any fires, that was news to them. I asked what their plan was should there be a fire, and if they had any water. In response to that ,they pointed to a dam nearby. I wanted to know how they would get the water up to the tent? No problem, they showed me an empty ice-cream container. (Great, maybe we should issue the Brigade with ice-cream containers?)
I left it at that, whished them a nice afternoon and told them I would check up on them later. Got back to my car, (not the Ranger’s car) . As I was driving off, I saw the guy throw a cigarette on the ground, he had been holding it behind his back while I was talking to them. I turned around, armed with a piece of paper , a pen and my trusty scanner, asked them very politely for their names and took the car registration number down.
Just in case should there start a fire in that spot. Driving down the road, I waved good bye to them.
Later that night, as promised I drove past their camp site again, they had packed up and disappeared.
(I don’t think I did anything wrong? I never said I was a Ranger…)
M-L
Great stories from Reflex and Araminta! Well done!
So funny
I love the stories, maybe this would be an idea for a challenge?
Oh, yes, great stories. I see a future for someone in the conservation movement to start up training in such approaches.
reading Reflex's post I couldn't stop from thinking about the Arlo Guthrie song - Alice's Restaurant Massacree and the rubbish pile
Peter
I just googled it!!
Samford Valley Qld.
did you listen to the 18 or the 23 minute version?
Peter
I just read the lyrics.
Samford Valley Qld.