JonDLundyn Parker 2 #9
February 13th 2007 02:42
Chapter 9
There are an estimated six million volunteers in Australia. All unpaid and working to help others in some way or another. Surf lifesavers, bush fire fighters, state emergency services, elderly person visitors, meals on wheels delivery people, church fete organisers, parents and citizens groups in schools and the list goes on. Some people belong to four or five volunteer groups at a time. They may be guides in a tourist park or historical home or regenerating the landscape with volunteer shrub and tree planting. Six million people, almost half the adult population of the country, offering about six to ten free hours a week to the community. This is a large and mostly unsung and untapped resource of quiet achieving heroes. Many save lives on a day to day basis as in a physical sense to prevent people drowning on a beach or talking to a possible suicide victim on the phone.
There is a heirarchy and that is loosely responsible to some overall committee that may or may not get some amount of funding from the state or federal government. Mostly the volunteers use their own equipment, fuel and time. Like Des Rawlings and his crew and skippers who run ANSWERS. All their vessels are privately owned and maintained. All their time is given freely though many of the crews have full time jobs that they must hold down as well. Some employers welcome the volunteers status of their employees and some just put up with it. But most employees know they are skating on thin ice if they spend too much time away from work, fighting fires or saving lives at sea. It costs each volunteer and estimated two and a half thousand dollars a year to do their free unpaid work. Add to that people who offer fire fighting trucks and vessels that are privately owned and maintained and it is a big industry that the government has the use of for free and gratus!
Volunteers don’t do the work because they want to be heroes. They want to help where help is needed. They see a niche where they can fit in and they fill the void. They don’t expect to be paid and their only reward is seeing a smile on someone’s face or a tree they planted finally flower.
This huge part of the population was soon going to be flexing its individual and quite unco-ordinated muscle against one of the most evil forces on the planet.
The Prime Minister of Australia was in conference with his security advisers, the head of ASIO, The head of the national emergency response force and the Minister for Defence. His plush offices were scattered with coffee cups and tea pots as his secretary was excluded from this meeting. Everyone’s eyes were on his as he re read the latest terrorist demands.
“What do we know about this man and how do we know he is behind it?” he asked throwing a steely look at the ASIO head.
“We don’t know a lot. He is our man. He was seen in Irianjaya lately and has moved from there around the time that the threats came. He is a good covert operator and that is why we don’t know much. We have some information from other Asian security forces but only on his movements.”
“Weapons?” Asked the prime minister, not looking at anyone particularly and not getting a response.
“Well, what does he have? How can he make these threats and how is he doing what he claims he is? Our whole country almost on its knees in less than a month.” His eyes moved around the room resting on each of his advisers and the ministers.
“We can only suspect” replied the ASIO man. “The fires are being lit by remote control via mobile phones. These could be anywhere, the chemicals went missing about a week ago, a whole semitrailer load. As for the oil tanker, that seems to be guarded by about twenty men who are heavily armed and we suspect they have missiles, probably some advanced SAMS. Heat seekers we suspect. This tanker will be set for serious detonation. Not just for a random holing. They intend to loose all of the load on the reef. The sonar system existence was still being denied by the US military but I believe sir that the president has been in touch?”
The Prime Minister waved his hand in a dismissal and nodded. “Yes he says that it is one of theirs stolen from Hawaii. They manage to get a fix on it every so often then lose it just as quickly. Definitely on our soil, or in our air space ”
“The money?” Queried the minister for finance. “They want payments made in different accounts at different times. A sort of step by step arrangement”
The prime minister whirled around very quickly for a man of his vintage and glared at the minister. “Don’t ever use the word ‘arrangement’ with scum like this. We are going to crush this guys nuts in a vice so tight the virgins of his paradise will spit at him in contempt!”
The rest of the meeting was a subdued affair. The prime minister signed authorities for the army to take on a role in fire fighting in more remote areas and to provide transport and logistical help like food, drinks, under canvas accommodation in rural and city fringe areas throughout the country. He also agreed to have special forces looking for the contaminants that would threaten the water catchments. The navy seals were to gear up and move into the Great Barrier Reef area and they would have back up from the SAS that were not in Pakistan or Iraq. The Royal Australian Air Force was flying patrols over the country trying to work out a pattern on the fire starters. It was also providing relief pilots and servicing of helicopters being used for the air water bombing of fires.
Next he had a briefing with media editors. He had to tell them something more concrete. They had more or less played his game. Some had done some wild speculating, not too far off the mark it seemed. The voluntary black out could not last any more. The public were screaming for news and now that he had a handle on everything he could face the public and tell them what was happening in his own words. His press secretary had arranged some exclusive interviews with journalists that he owed big favours and a country wide television, radio broadcast that had a lot of the world news clamouring for places in the event as well. This was after all really big world news. He sat for a few minutes with his make up people. He knew that despite the best security, some of the editors would have spy cameras attached and he wanted to look good.
There are an estimated six million volunteers in Australia. All unpaid and working to help others in some way or another. Surf lifesavers, bush fire fighters, state emergency services, elderly person visitors, meals on wheels delivery people, church fete organisers, parents and citizens groups in schools and the list goes on. Some people belong to four or five volunteer groups at a time. They may be guides in a tourist park or historical home or regenerating the landscape with volunteer shrub and tree planting. Six million people, almost half the adult population of the country, offering about six to ten free hours a week to the community. This is a large and mostly unsung and untapped resource of quiet achieving heroes. Many save lives on a day to day basis as in a physical sense to prevent people drowning on a beach or talking to a possible suicide victim on the phone.
There is a heirarchy and that is loosely responsible to some overall committee that may or may not get some amount of funding from the state or federal government. Mostly the volunteers use their own equipment, fuel and time. Like Des Rawlings and his crew and skippers who run ANSWERS. All their vessels are privately owned and maintained. All their time is given freely though many of the crews have full time jobs that they must hold down as well. Some employers welcome the volunteers status of their employees and some just put up with it. But most employees know they are skating on thin ice if they spend too much time away from work, fighting fires or saving lives at sea. It costs each volunteer and estimated two and a half thousand dollars a year to do their free unpaid work. Add to that people who offer fire fighting trucks and vessels that are privately owned and maintained and it is a big industry that the government has the use of for free and gratus!
Volunteers don’t do the work because they want to be heroes. They want to help where help is needed. They see a niche where they can fit in and they fill the void. They don’t expect to be paid and their only reward is seeing a smile on someone’s face or a tree they planted finally flower.
This huge part of the population was soon going to be flexing its individual and quite unco-ordinated muscle against one of the most evil forces on the planet.
The Prime Minister of Australia was in conference with his security advisers, the head of ASIO, The head of the national emergency response force and the Minister for Defence. His plush offices were scattered with coffee cups and tea pots as his secretary was excluded from this meeting. Everyone’s eyes were on his as he re read the latest terrorist demands.
“What do we know about this man and how do we know he is behind it?” he asked throwing a steely look at the ASIO head.
“We don’t know a lot. He is our man. He was seen in Irianjaya lately and has moved from there around the time that the threats came. He is a good covert operator and that is why we don’t know much. We have some information from other Asian security forces but only on his movements.”
“Weapons?” Asked the prime minister, not looking at anyone particularly and not getting a response.
“Well, what does he have? How can he make these threats and how is he doing what he claims he is? Our whole country almost on its knees in less than a month.” His eyes moved around the room resting on each of his advisers and the ministers.
“We can only suspect” replied the ASIO man. “The fires are being lit by remote control via mobile phones. These could be anywhere, the chemicals went missing about a week ago, a whole semitrailer load. As for the oil tanker, that seems to be guarded by about twenty men who are heavily armed and we suspect they have missiles, probably some advanced SAMS. Heat seekers we suspect. This tanker will be set for serious detonation. Not just for a random holing. They intend to loose all of the load on the reef. The sonar system existence was still being denied by the US military but I believe sir that the president has been in touch?”
The Prime Minister waved his hand in a dismissal and nodded. “Yes he says that it is one of theirs stolen from Hawaii. They manage to get a fix on it every so often then lose it just as quickly. Definitely on our soil, or in our air space ”
“The money?” Queried the minister for finance. “They want payments made in different accounts at different times. A sort of step by step arrangement”
The prime minister whirled around very quickly for a man of his vintage and glared at the minister. “Don’t ever use the word ‘arrangement’ with scum like this. We are going to crush this guys nuts in a vice so tight the virgins of his paradise will spit at him in contempt!”
The rest of the meeting was a subdued affair. The prime minister signed authorities for the army to take on a role in fire fighting in more remote areas and to provide transport and logistical help like food, drinks, under canvas accommodation in rural and city fringe areas throughout the country. He also agreed to have special forces looking for the contaminants that would threaten the water catchments. The navy seals were to gear up and move into the Great Barrier Reef area and they would have back up from the SAS that were not in Pakistan or Iraq. The Royal Australian Air Force was flying patrols over the country trying to work out a pattern on the fire starters. It was also providing relief pilots and servicing of helicopters being used for the air water bombing of fires.
Next he had a briefing with media editors. He had to tell them something more concrete. They had more or less played his game. Some had done some wild speculating, not too far off the mark it seemed. The voluntary black out could not last any more. The public were screaming for news and now that he had a handle on everything he could face the public and tell them what was happening in his own words. His press secretary had arranged some exclusive interviews with journalists that he owed big favours and a country wide television, radio broadcast that had a lot of the world news clamouring for places in the event as well. This was after all really big world news. He sat for a few minutes with his make up people. He knew that despite the best security, some of the editors would have spy cameras attached and he wanted to look good.
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