Meeting the Prime Minister

[aggienaut]

   The "St Patrick's Day Fires" are pretty much out now (there's still burning peat-bog but that stuff can go on for weeks, months, or I've heard even years), having burned 14,600 hectares (36,000 acres), and 24 houses. Fortunately no human fatalities (apparently a number of livestock got caught up in it).

   Yesterday (Sunday) there was a big hoohah in the public hall in Cobden so the politicians could address the survivors and thank the volunteers.

   They had some big maps of the burned areas pinned to the wall and I found myself over there with other firefighters finding where we were on the map and sharing "war stories" about how it was in our area.



   And I met the Prime Minister of Australia.

   Also, Australian secret service agents dress super casual but can be identified because they wear fanny-packs and no one else does in this day and age.

Comments

[amethyst-witch.livejournal.com]

Wow! Great photo with the PM. If I met our PM I wouldn't be smiling lol.

LoL @ the fanny-pack giveaway :D

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

I'm told Malcolm Turnbull is a coal loving right wing ogre of some kind but I don't follow Australian politics. My friend I was there with wouldn't shake his hand though. But hey I just thought how cool is it to get to shake the hand of the head of state whomever it is (though to be fair I'm really not sure I would shake Trump's hand)

[drcuriosity]

I'd shake his hand out of politeness, but I'd consider washing it straight after.

Not following Australian politics is probably the saner course of action, TBH.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Lol!

[furzicle.livejournal.com]

Hey, I hear you on the shaking Trump's hand thing. :/

[wantedonvoyage.livejournal.com]

Wow, congratulations! Well-deserved.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks (:

[nattalie-m.livejournal.com]

Congrats! :)

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks (:

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

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[iddewes]

My friend Bjorn always wears fanny packs! I wonder if people thought he was secret service when he visited Australia.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha.

[pundigrion.livejournal.com]

Note to self: If I want to mess with Aussies, I should take a fanny pack...and maybe black socks and bluetooth headset for good measure.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Haha and of course they had the securit earpieces. Didn't note their socks though

[fluttershy.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on keeping a smile while meeting Turnbull! That must have been quite the challenge!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Ahaha the secret is that i don't follow Australian politics. My Australian friend wouldn't shake his hand though and left the room to avoid him.

[wpadmirer.livejournal.com]

Fanny packs? That's hysterical!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Haha yeah I am wondering what they keep in there??

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Wow.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

(:

[yesididit2.livejournal.com]

giggles at the fanny packs. I was told brits English has fanny as meaning a girls privates, where US English it means butt. which way do the aussies swing?

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Haha this is true. So they call the accessory "bum bags" here.

[drcuriosity]

I've found that many Americans assume "bum bags" are the brown paper variety you put bottles of alcohol in, unless you give them more context :-)

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha sounds about right!

[cazzicles.livejournal.com]

"Fanny" in Australia most DEFINITELY means the British English version! And don't even get me started on how hysterical the theme song for The Nanny is when you keep that in mind ;)

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Lol!

It's really surprising that whoever named the "fanny pack" didn't do enough research of their chosen name to realize it would sound quite alarming in much of the English speaking world

[blueyonderdream.livejournal.com]

Nice picture with Malcolm! 😊

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Its funny there's two an in the first one HIS eyes are closed, which is what usually happens to me

[richaarde.livejournal.com]

It’s a great pic.

Even if Turnbull is right wing, Trump still managed to get on his bad side, so I guess he still has some shred of decency.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha true

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Haha I like the userpic you used here

[richaarde.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the logic behind it doesn’t quite add up but it is good for a giggle.

[cazzicles.livejournal.com]

Regardless of how you feel about him, that's quite an honour, and truly fitting for all the wonderful work you all did!

Personally, whilst I am very, very left leaning, I don't hate Malcolm Turnbull, personally, nearly as much as I perhaps should. If you know anything about his predecessor, Tony Abbott, you'd understand why ;)

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks (:

[shygirl123.livejournal.com]

You met the prime minister of Australia, that is wonderful. You both look good in the pic.