Countin' flowers
on the wall
That don't bother
me at all
Playin' solitaire
till dawn with a deck of fifty-one
Smokin' cigarettes
and watchin' Captain Kangaroo
Now don't tell me
I've nothin' to do
On the second of June just past, I celebrated reaching threescore and ten. And to misquote the throw-away line from Woody Allen's 1988 movie
Another Woman, "The one good thing about becoming 70 is you don't have to do it
again." For at this age, my doctorate in Risk and Reward management is
secure. To just have survived a biblical lifetime, conclusively demonstrates I
have a wealth of experience handling these two larrikins.
The day after reaching this milestone the management of the
Save the Children Op Shops told me I could no longer volunteer at their Morley
shop. I was banned entry as a worker to the store at which I had been a shift
supervisor four days a week for the last two years. Management said it was for
my own safety.
Due to the fact that people over the age of 70 were liable
to have a complicated reaction to the COVID 19 virus, Save the Children had
decided to cull their volunteers aged 70 and over. It was an edict proclaimed
by the organization's 'Head Office' without any consultation with those it
affected. And because of a loophole in The Age Discrimination Act of 2004, The Australian
Human Rights Commission is unable to prosecute this blatant example of age
discrimination. (Voluntary work and domestic duties in private households are
not covered under the law.)
Based on this rationale, Save the Children would, no doubt, like to see people over 70
banned from crossing the road. Should they be in an altercation with a motor
vehicle, their resultant injuries could possibly be greater than those experienced by a
person from a younger age group? Save the Children conveniently ignore the fact
that 70-year old's have a great deal more experience in reading traffic flows
than younger people and consequently have a reduced potential for such an
altercation.
Likewise, this banned cohort has the smarts to ensure their
own safety during a pandemic. It is the height of conceit that some wet behind
the ears 40-year old has the effrontery to dictate the behaviour of those who
taught them all that they know.
To say I am disappointed in Save the Children is an
understatement of massive proportions. They have cast themselves in the role of
the nemesis in the 1966 Grammy award-winning song 'Flowers on the Wall,' the
chorus of which opens this blog post. The full song can be seen below.
PS. Save the Children have deemed it is OK for those aged 70
and over to enter their Op Shops as customers.