Opening up at Queensland’s annual Royal show known as ‘Ekka’ to its friends where the dedicated work of a much loved and committed public servant has been farewelled by his workmates with nothing but the best wishes for a much earned retirement.
Announcing the PS star’s sad but well-earned move into retirement, the Queensland Corrective Service gave their colleague a most impressive and heart-felt wish for the future.
According to the QCS, ‘Thommo’ was their most famous drug detection dog, who ‘bow-wowed’ out of official duty at the Ekka which was “one of his all-time favourite places”.
“The 10-year-old Labrador received a ‘golden paw shake’ on his retirement from one of his biggest fans, the Minister for Corrective Services,” the Service declared lovingly.
Well done, Thommo. You might have received the most elaborate retirement farewell of any public servant anywhere in Australia this year!
Who said it was a dog’s life?
New word on way out
To a Royal Commission now dealing with the carefully issued concern of Defence and Veteran suicides which has delivered an interim report of its findings, proposing 13 urgent recommendations.
Announcing the need to act immediately, the Chair of the Commission declared the degree of the issue a ‘national tragedy’.
“We acknowledge every serving and ex-serving member who has died by suicide – each life lived and each life left behind,” the Commissioner stated.
“We also recognise those serving or former ADF members who have experienced suicidality.”
Pardon PS-sssst! for not being au fait in Royal Commission terminology but ‘suicidality’ is a new one, even for an innovative word-loving PS-sssst! which has spent a lifetime collecting new words to confuse people with.
On this occasion, we found every dictionary we could find to be on our side with no reference of the word ‘suicidality’ or anything even relatable.
Of course English is an ever growing language so the Royal Commission may well be ahead of the pack, taking advantage of its own ‘creatility’ to add meaningful words to the lexicon as part of the job.
Good luck if it is!
And greater luck to our Defence workmates the Commission has been ordered to work for.
Restore in need of restoring
Still in Defence with a pat on the pencils now for an example of excellence in the acronym creativity demonstrated by the Departments of Veterans’ Affairs and Defence in their dealing with the seriously important problem of beating the curse of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which does so much harm among so many military members.
Announcing that a new treatment therapy was being tested to treat PTSD, the Departments recognised the value of an easy-to-remember title for the trial that would necessarily have a less-than simple name.
And they were right.
The title chosen for the trial was the mouthful ‘Rapid Exposure Supporting Trauma Recovery’, reflecting the fact that it reduced from 10 weeks to two weeks the all-important PTSD therapy treatment to get better.
Over to the acronym accomplishers who reduced the title to the impressive but slightly illegitimate ‘RESTORE’.
Oh for the awkward ‘O’ to be authentic and the ‘RE’ to have a final ‘E’ to hang onto.
In recognition of the importance of RESTORE’s life-saving work, PS-sssst! will refrain from pointing its pathetic pedantry pertness of its inaccuracy.
Neighbourly giveway
Prize time at PS News now with the redoubtable Rama offering free DVDs for the sharp readers amongst us, this time copies of the psychological movie thriller The Good Neighbour starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and directed by Stephan Rick.
To join Rama’s Army of winners all we had to do was tell her the name of the film The Good Neighbour was a remake of, the answer to which was the 2011 German film Unter Nachbarn, also directed by Stephan Rick.
The wise ones amongst us whose correct entries managed to escape the Barrel of Booty first came from Jan B of South Australia’s RevenueSA, Heath J from the Commonwealth’s Services Australia and Christine C from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice.
Congratulations to all the winners and a Ramatic thanks to all who took part in the game. The DVDs will be on their way to their new owners shortly.
For another chance to be a winner in Rama’s run of good luck all we need to do is send in our answers to one or both of her weekly reviews of the Book So You Want to Live Younger Longer? at this PS News link and/or her other review of Book The Quiz Masters at this link.
The very best of luck to everyone who takes up Rama’s challenge and tries their luck.
Time out of time!
And finally, what is it about Australian crowds standing to pay homage to deceased important people or significant events when a minute’s silence is held but they can’t stand still for 60 seconds?
A recent sporting moment of reverence for a deceased rugby league hero lasted just 23 seconds before the ‘minute’ was up.
PS-sssst! wonders what that says about the crowd’s true following of the hero’s heroism.
Till next week…..
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