I was sitting in the bar at Habits Bar and Dining on the Esplanade at Cotton Tree.

My 13-year-old son Max has started refereeing football games and it was a football get-together lunch.

I thought I should show him a little bit of parental support because I’m very proud of him for doing it.

But Max and his mates quickly grew bored among adults and went to the park to boot the football around.

I was okay with it because I could clearly see them playing from where I was drinking my Cascade Lite.

Then it happened. The worst moment of my life as a parent. I saw Max give the ball a boot high in the air.

It came down, hit a man in a wheelchair and knocked him on to the grass.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I can’t tell you the shock and horror that went through my system as a crowd gathered to help the man back into his chair.

But to Max and his friend’s credit, they went straight back to playing their game as soon as the victim was re–seated.

Going, going … gone

My wife Kym reminded me the other day that I seem to do a lot for everyone else’s school and not very much for our kid’s.

So, with that in mind, I agreed to host the Sportsman’s Dinner and auction.

I got through the first part of the night okay and wandered outside while the auction was on rather than return to my table in front of the auctioneer.

When I came back inside I heard the auctioneer calling: “800, we are looking for 800 dollars. Do we have a bid?” I scanned the room looking for Kym.

Our eyes met and she waved to me. At that moment I saw the spotter point to her and the auctioneer saying: “We have 800 over here”.

Kym covered her mouth with her hands and looked at me the same way she did when we went to see Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Luckily, for her, someone else put a bid in and got to take home a light blue Western Australian football jersey fully signed by the Bunbury First Fifteen.

Teenagers are trying

It’s a fact. I have proof. Teenagers are nothing more than hunters and gatherers.

What’s the Latin term for them? “Home-us stay-us bludge-on-us”, I think.

Because 18-year-old Joshua didn’t service his car, it won’t start. So he borrowed Stella’s learner car that I bought from the side of the road and promptly smashed it in the rain, rendering it undriveable.

I came home the other day and asked Kym: “Where’s my scooter?”

“Oh,” She said, “Joshua found the keys and has used it to go the bank.” Now I’m not a religious man but Jesus Christ, he’s getting on my nerves.

Bye bye, Beattie

Don’t tell me the man criticising John Howard for going to election, knowing he isn’t going to serve his full term, has done just that.

Tell me, did you vote for Anna Bligh when you voted for Peter Beattie? I don’t think so.

And so it comes to pass that we get a premier we did not vote for the next three years.

I can’t tell you how sick of politicians I am.

But I must admit I do feel a little sorry for Pete.

It’s going to be pretty rough for him with a fully staffed office, free travel and a massive pension ... don’t you think?

Special visit

We were lucky enough to have five children from the Gympie Special School come down for a tour of our station.

As always, it was a humbling, yet uplifting, experience.

No more so than when radio enthusiast Nicholas was asked if he’d like to operate the panel for a moment.

He stood behind the flashing lights and was shown which button to push to make the music go to air.

He wasn’t nervous, in fact the look on his face told the story……this was his moment!

As the computer counted down the seconds before the music was to start, his eyes turned to his teacher as if to say: “Can you believe I’m doing this?”

It really was a special moment for a very special boy.