EPICs

Although the senior grades had their grand finals, the footy season doesn't officially end until the junior grades have theirs. Last Sunday I officiated at one of these events which was held at the Royal Military College in Duntroon, an area of eastern Canberra. It was a near perfect day for footy as the temperature rose with the sun. Although frost lay on the ground at the beginning, it quickly disappeared leaving a great playing surface. For the young children, having goal umpires was a particular thrill as usually they have only one field umpire and not a full complement. I guess it gives them a greater sense of professionalism. I had a great time even though some of the spectators tried to distract me. All-in-all, not a bad game.

Monday marked the return of harness racing to Canberra and I took the opportunity to head down to Exhibition Park In Canberra (EPIC) where the races were held. I had a backstage pass, so to speak, because on of my DnD buddies, Alice, works at the racing office doing insurance and other things. I visited her and we chatted about this and that. I also took a peek at the races as they were running. On TV harness racing doesn't look to be that fast but up close it really is very quick. After the each race, you could see the sweat steaming off the horses. At on particularly scary moment, about 50 meters from the end of a race, one of the horses got tripped up causing itself and its rider, as well as 2 or 3 other horses and riders, to fall to the ground. Personnel immediately rushed to render assistance and there were some tense moments as the horse didn't move as its gear was removed. We feared the worst but breathed a sigh of relief as the horse got up and didn't seem particularly distressed with only a small cut on one of its shoulders. The horse's jockey also suffered a small cut but thankfully no one and nothing was seriously hurt. None of the other horses and jockeys were injured. Horse racing can be a dangerous sport.

Speaking of horses, it just so happens that I have been working for ACTTAB for a year now. Although my 1st rostered working shift was not until October 2008, my first training sessions were in September and I believe my first pay period began from September 3rd, 2008. All this means is that I could change over to permanent part-time if I wanted to but this presents such difficulties that I think I'll just stick with casual employment. The pay is better and the hours are more flexible. I'm making great money and I'm glad that I've been allowed to stick with this for a year. Speaking of money, I also received some back pay from ACTTAB after they approved my promotion in payscales and, per the EBA, we've received another pay increase. I'm now making just over $27/hr which I think is fantastic given the amount of work I actually do. I'm sticking with this job for as long as I can and I will fight hand, tooth and nail to keep it. It's far better than anything I would be doing in the legal field.