GordonMoyes.com

Nine years after the First Fleet landed in Port Jackson, in early 1797, the first windmill in New South Wales was completed on what became known as Windmill Hill. It was used to grind grain into flour and was one of the colony’s first steps towards self sufficiency. The mill tower was built of stone, and the machinery and grindstone were imported from England.

Over the past year or so, welcome rain has fallen across Sydney and some country areas, giving many people the misguided idea that the drought is over. As most NSW farmers know all too well, nothing could be further from the truth. The drought grinds relentlessly onwards, with the Riverina copping it especially hard.

My colleague in the Legislative Council, The Hon. Robyn Parker, said in her Adjournment Speech: I use this opportunity in the House to add my support to World Vision’s Don’t Trade Lives campaign, which focuses on human trafficking. It is estimated that human trafficking enslaves more than 27 million people around the world, mostly in developing countries, in forced labour, bonded labour, forced child labour and sexual servitude.

The highly controversial Bill promoted by the Minister for Planning, The Hon. Frank Sartor, The Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment Bill 2008, Building Professionals Amendment Bill 2008, and Strata Management Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 passed Parliament after a noisy and aggressive debate which involved over one hundred amendments and finished at 2.00am on Wednesday 18 June.

I have been accused of many things, but I have never been accused of having excessive humility. Yet Jesus told us to have the humility of a child. I wonder why Jesus made the promise that the greatest among us would be those who become as little children? Humble greatness is required in adults. We are to repent, turn, to become as little children.

So what really makes someone between the ages of 13 and 24 happy? It’s not what most parents or even MTV might think. According to an extensive survey, spending time with family makes the young cohort happiest. Next was spending time with friends and then a significant other.

57 years ago, 110 boys, all in grey suits, short pants, ties and caps, started in year 7 (form 1) at the Box Hill Boys High School, Victoria. I was one of them. The school had 850 boys in 1951 and recently I joined with over 300 of them at a dinner in the Box Hill Town Hall.

We have been successful in allowing CDP members to present their views on issues concerning their attitudes to Muslim immigrants. As we expected a majority of members agree with our current immigrant policy, but it was surprising that 95% of respondents wanted a moratorium against Muslim immigrants extended indefinitely. In other words our members do not want any immigrants to our country who are Muslims. No thinking person can understand how a nation could hold a selective immigration policy based on religious discrimination.

A person becomes what he thinks about. Have you ever evaluated what you think of yourself and the world in which you live? Paul gives us an outline of positive thinking in Philippians 4:8-9.

The elections have not changed anything in Zimbabwe. The old leader has been defeated but he will not accept that the people do not want him. Mr Mugabe believes that after twenty eight years he is indispensable. As a Catholic he says that God wants him to stay. The people don’t want him for they have defeated his party in the Parliamentary elections. He is not improving his country one bit while clinging to power. He does not accept the will of the people and will demand a fresh election.