Congratulations in order this week for Australia’s wide army of security guards who celebrated their annual day last Saturday (24 July) by drawing attention to the invaluable work they do in keeping our community safe.
International Security Officer’s Day is marked the world over with at least one group in Queensland marking the Day with a most appropriate morning tea.
“Security is not just checking identification, it is outstanding customer service, communication, courage, integrity, professionalism and leadership,” the invited Assistant Commissioner of Queensland’s Security and Counter-Terrorism Command explained.
And while PS-sssst! congratulates every security officer on the annual day of their congratulation, it is the logic behind the date of the day that has captured our interest.
Since the officers are on duty doing their fine work around the clock – i.e 24/7 – what better date to recognise them than 24/7 itself.
Hence it’s on 24 July each year.
We think that’s clever!
Colourful commentary
Fascinating commentary from the Federal Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet this week discussing the background to Australia’s sporting colours green and gold, which these days – since 1984 – are also our national colours.
Aaah, the memories of a public service career!
As a PS member in the 1970s and half the 80’s PS News’s editor – the constantly redoubtable F Cassidy – had the task of overseeing the adoption of Green and Gold to become our national colours by replacing the official colours of the time which in those days were Blue and Gold.
Interestingly to a fault is the fact that at its creation as a nation in 1901 – as was the wont of the day – Australia was required to adopt an official coat of arms and have it accepted by the College of Arms in England with the nation’s ‘identifying’ colours – Blue and Gold at that time – appearing at the very top.
Needless to say, changing the national colours from Federation’s Blue and Gold to the more modern Green and Gold in the 1970s and 80s was a complicated and long-winded process with many a hoop to squeeze through until the change was approved.
From a quick glance at PM&C’s information page on the Coat of Arms at this PS News link, it appears that the change has yet to be completed!
It’s only been about 120 years!
Self-raising flower
Regular PS-sssst! readers will appreciate the lengths PS-sssst! goes to to find the weird and wonderful and this week we haven’t gone any further than our regular reliant reporter Philomena S of Victoria’s Department of Health & Human Services.
Always available to offer wise or other advice, Philomena has shared a shrewd, sagacious and sapient saying, advising and advocating astute advice sure to assist our interest and integrity.
“Never buy flowers from a monk” the uber-wise Philomena warns, fresh from her garden.
“Only you can prevent florist friars”.
Very flunny, Philomena.
We’ll remember this!
Hard reading?
To our weekly unveiling of PS News’s weekly giveaway of books and/or DVD’s now with the weekly courtesy of PS News’s unbeatable book and DVD reviewer, Rama Gaind, whose weekly freebies this week will see two lucky readers add the book about Australia’s national character The Rock by journalist Aaron Smith, to their cherished collection.
To roll The Rock into our book collection, all we had to do was answer Rama’s quiz question and name the year in which the newspaper Mr Smith worked on – The Torres News – folded up and went out of business.
Like many excellent newspapers (except PS News!) the year it failed was 2019, the year correctly identified by this week’s winners Brad M from the Western Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety and Heath J from Services Australia in Tasmania.
Congratulations to Brad and Heath – and to Rama’s wide world of popularity which stretches from WA to Tassie! – and thanks to everyone in between who gave it a go. The books will be on their way to their new owners very soon.
For another chance to be among Rama’s winners, all we need to do is enter her weekly giveaways in either her latest offering of this DVD The Flood at this PS News link and/or her other offering in this DVD Edge Of The World at this link.
Good luck to all who play – it’s free and someone or two or three or more have the chance to join Rama’s winner(s).
Stats and damn stats
And finally, another opportunity for self-aggrandizement by PS News this week with the latest subscribership numbers coming in at yet another aggrandizing level, skipping past the 171,000 signed on readers and still growing.
Mentioned in dispatches this month are the ACT, NSW, Queensland and South Australian Public Services for hitting new heights of subscribership and Victoria and Western Australia’s Public Services for entering new thousands, Victoria into the 22,000s for the first time and WA overcoming the 17,000 milestone.
Well done almost everyone. A hearty thanks to each and every one of you!
And as we‘ve said over many years, if you keep reading, we’ll keep writing!
Till next week…..
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