CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Returned serviceman, Dale Templeton (56) has not slept longer than 3 hours for nearly a decade.
Suffering from long list of chronically painful workplace injuries sustained in both the Defence Force and the physically taxing labouring jobs he bounced between in the years after his honourable discharge, Dale knows perfectly well that his quality of life is not a political priority.
While living in the semi-rural slums that men like him are forced into when they slip between the gaps, his local hospital and GPs are far too under-resourced to provide the services he needs for the physical and mental ailments that he faces after a lifetime of selfless civil duty.
Dale has stopped attending the ANZAC parades out of spite, refusing to give the politicians their photo opportunity alongside his medals.
His hip, back, shoulder and mind are constantly in pain – and the Department Of Veteran Affairs seem to be too busy chasing him up for documents that prove his existence.
That’s why he drinks. Every day, in his asbestos-riddled council flat with no hot water. The Homebrand paracetamol doesn’t do much, but still, he chews them like smarties out of desperation – and washes it down with bottom shelf plonk.
As far as he can see, there are absolutely no resources set aside for his issues, despite the promises that there’s help out there. Even the walking frame he uses to get around was stolen from the emergency waiting room after his last 6 hours in observation for chest pain.
Living on the cruel fringe of society, Dale watches each political election go by with a numbness. The promises don’t mean anything anymore, because nothing changes.
There’s never once been a politician that sees him, and spoken directly to his issues – that only they can fix.
That was until last week. When he heard his political saviour on the radio.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton, the man that the newspapers say should be our next Prime Minister, gave Dale a ray of hope when he said that all Australians should boycott Woolworths because they are no longer selling plastic Chinese-made Australia Day merchandise as part of an Americanized facade of deeply inauthentic patriotism that celebrates the least exciting public holiday in the nation’s calendar.
“Finally” says Dale.
“Here I was thinking all of our politicians are incompetent. But it’s refreshing to see a man focusing on the real issues that actually affect Australians”
