I was sitting in the pathology clinic waiting room this morning and an elderly lady came in, she hadn't been sitting there for more than than two minutes before she started talking to me lol As we've had a lot of rain, naturally this was her icebreaker. She moved from weather to homelessness..... She went on to say that she felt sorry for people who were homeless, especially in this weather. She said that she realised that some people did choose to live that way, but some didn't.
She told me about when she was a little girl and her mother needed an operation, the surgery had to be done in Sydney, but her family lived in Canberra on a farm. She said that they all caught the train (she was one of six children) from Canberra to Sydney (interstate) and when they arrived, the house where they were supposed to stay, decided that they didn't want to have the children there.
The lady said that once her mother had been admitted to the hospital, her father searched and searched for somewhere for him and his six children to stay. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to find anywhere that could accommodate the seven of them. The lady said that they spent two freezing nights huddled together, on Coogee beach trying to stay warm - something she said she would never forget. She continued to say that back when she was growing up, there was no such thing as hostels or emergency accommodation, Centrelink hadn't been invented, and if you needed charity it was often provided by family - who were most likely struggling themselves.
She said - The Lucky Country, that's what they call us. Well we are now, but we never used to be. Today if you're unemployed - Centrelink will pay you, if you're a single mother - Centrelink will pay you, if you need housing - Centrelink and the Dept of Housing will house you, if you need rent money - Centrelink will pay you, if you need anything extra - there are charities everywhere that will help you. She said that she couldn't understand when she heard so many people complaining, about how little the Government gave them. That this generation really has no comprehension, what it's like to actually have to look after and support themselves.
Then my ticket number was called..... In the past I've worked in a lot of retirement villages and nursing homes (I've also worked at Centrelink)..... As you can imagine, I've heard a lot of stories. Today I've been thinking a lot about what this lady told me, as well as other similar stories that I've heard over the years. This lady is right, she hit the nail on the head, we live in an 'entitled' era. I've heard the same complaints that many Australians have heard... This is probably the most common one - "How does Centrelink expect me to live off this?"
Guess what? Unless you're actually employed by The Government and work for Centrelink, your fortnightly payment isn't to live off and make a career out of! That's why it is called 'assistance' and not income, you're actually supposed to be seeking some kind of employment in the meantime. I'm aware that there are people out there who, genuinely need these assistance payments as life has thrown them a curve ball. I am also aware that Australians who work, pay millions of dollars in tax each year to support those, who see Centrelink as a meal ticket and exploit every cent available! These are the ones who have this sense of entitlement, lets put them in a time machine and send them back to the 1930's!
There's a lot of that over here too, the 'it's sooo hard to live' complaint - said while smoking a cigarette, watching paid-for Sky TV and drinking a can of beer.......
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's probably everywhere... Life is hard and it is expensive, and I understand exactly what you're saying. When I worked at Centrelink so many people would come in 'broke' and reeking of booze or smokes....
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