Wightman

After a hectic 18 months of debate about building heights in Hobart, it’s time to draw breath before locking ourselves into new height constraints that we are likely to regret in the months and years to come. Let’s be clear. No one, least of all me, is arguing that Hobart should turn into some of sort of “Shanghai by the Derwent” with skyscrapers hundreds of metres tall. But neither do we want to impose a building height limit than turns our city into a monoculture of buildings, stopping the current renaissance of our inner-city in its tracks. This is because the effect of unrealistic building caps – particularly at the low heights proposed by the Hobart City Council’s Planning Committee at their meeting on Monday night – will be to restrict available floor area, thus forcing developers to eschew design aesthetics in favour of maximising what little space they have left available. Unfortunately, what has developed over recent months in Hobart is a form of bias where developers ...

I am a cricket fanatic who could listen to or watch every single delivery of a Test Match. A person who still feels surprised when people fail to understand or accept my passion. In fact, my devotion so great, I have visited the dental surgery every year since 1986 because of a fielding mishap, ensuring a comfortable retirement for our local legend dentist once he has rectified my current saga… With children and one television in the house, I rely on the ABC App, the Cricket Australia Live App, or the slightly off-station wireless (91.5FM for authenticity), to keep me entertained and informed. The large TV, purchased in my mind for sport, is more likely to be showing The Next Step, Red Bull TV or endless YouTube re-runs of street trials cyclist Danny MacAskill to inspire, rather than Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healey, Tim Paine or Nathan “Areas Garry” Lyon. Kids these days. My cricket career was shortened by ‘mental disintegration’ during the 1990’s, when it was an incredibly tough ...

A Federal Election will be held by May 2019. By then, many constituents will be experiencing fatigue after a Tasmanian State Election in March 2018, followed by Legislative Council voting for the Divisions of Hobart and Prosser, and then it was local government’s turn during October and November. But even if our current mood is apathetic, we must recharge as a community and view the upcoming Federal Election as an opportunity for Tasmania. On the face of it, we have a government desperate to retain power, and an opposition hungry for the treasury benches. The winner could be our state. In the lead-up, population and infrastructure will be centre stage in political debates and community conversations. The eastern seaboard, particularly New South Wales, is where a discussion regarding immigration will be prominent, with capping or reducing a perceived community winner. However, in a cautionary tale, as the recent Victorian State Election emphatically highlighted, running a ...

One airport, one runway operating and high winds reaching 70 kilometres per hour cancelled my flight from Sydney on Friday afternoon. Collectively, travellers appeared calm and understanding, many having viewed the aborted landing of QF12 from Los Angeles. The cold front also delivered a dust storm on Thursday that left the Harbour Bridge impressively visible for an Instagram moment one minute and in darkness the next. Sydney is in all but name, the nation’s capital. It’s business suits, designer labels and far less hipsters than Melbourne. It’s banking and finance and politics and busy lunchtimes tracking down sushi rolls. It’s iPhones and earbuds and social media. An organised big city with endless infrastructure and construction projects underway, trying to support a consistently increasing population. I enjoy spending time in Sydney; captivated by modern architecture’s link with buildings of the past, sensitively highlighting difference rather than trying to cover i...

A negative column or a positive column, I am often left contemplating. Negativity drains me, so positivity is default; it requires more planning and redrafting but remains the authentic option. However, I do understand negative discourse will generate more publicity, more newspaper sales, and more acknowledgment on social media platforms. And there are countless leadership examples and stories that prove my point. Yet, it’s not my way. Negativity flows off the tongue, with the stroke of a pen or when using a keyboard to become a warrior. It can be totally nonconstructive, yet from a political point of view, remains disproportionally damaging and pivotal to election success. Consequently, leadership at a political level in our country appears, at present, to be underpinned by negativity. The irony that I feel this way is not lost on me. However, rather than a contest of ideas, we are often left searching for the least bad option. From a revolving door of Prime Ministers...

For the kids. A family sat on the rocks, bitterly cold, yet far from miserable. Smiles lit up their faces, loving an adventure far away from a cricket oval or soccer pitch where most adventures took place. A crusty loaf of bread was all they had to eat; like shipwrecked sailors who collided with the shore of a dangerous coastline but survived to tell the tale. On that day - they didn’t have very much - but they had everything. The trip was not well planned. The dad worked in a factory which made having a rest far more important than recreation on Sundays, when making money from extra work wasn’t available. Their car – an orange XY Ford Falcon wagon waited patiently at the Triabunna Wharf. It was beautifully washed and polished, yet far from luxurious like a Ford Mustang. The mum was concerned about sea sickness on the 30-minute crossing, reminding her of their first voyage from England to Fremantle, Western Australia. But there was no time to visit the shop for tabl...

Education is in the news again with matters disputed requiring urgent resolution. Obviously, we don’t have a moment to waste and leadership is required to ensure that school improvement remains the most vital challenge we address in Tasmania. Further, school catchment zones are also on the agenda adding flavour to robust discussions at a local level. In our school’s case, the new map looks peculiar - drawn to include a significant expanse of reserve and recreational bushland. It covers an area that we know well; deeply valued by the community and renowned for making memories – but housing macropods, not students! For many years, parents lived in the same family home and, as a result, children attended the closest public school, often walking or catching the bus each day. Times change. We are no longer just supportive users of education, we are consumers, whether it be private or public. Consumerism has driven an expectation of choice. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple...

An impending announcement mesmerises the expecting audience, filled to the brim with nervous anticipation. “It has arrived,” I proclaim enthusiastically. “Go on dad – open it! Go on dad – open it!” offers Master, unwittingly mimicking the computer mouse’s required action. The email attachment is double-clicked with a combination of trepidation and excitement. Hollers and hoopla erupt – the dog retires to the corner - we have won the lotto! “We are so lucky,” exclaims Miss with wisdom beyond years, and a thirst for carefully planned adventure. The lotto win remains the best $16 per night we’ve ever spent. The Wightmans are tent camping aficionados. On a field trip with a cohort of students in the North East, we were caught in a torrential downpour. The kids’ tents, purchased on special, from a large national retailer were quickly flooded, with visions of floating sleeping mats etched in my memory. The trip was abandoned, lobbing at a nearby teachers’ residence t...

“When men step up and work differently ... it says you can be a serious player at work and an engaged dad. "That role modelling, that sharing of yourself, your personal experience, your personal challenges are so important and it's what I call courageous leadership,” said Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Liz Broderick, in the Sydney Morning Herald. Broderick was inferring that men should leave work loudly. “How are the Ninjas travelling?” mainland colleagues enquire, aware the mighty warriors are my children’s soccer team. They regularly check on progress, and I willingly elaborate with pride and focus. At 4.30pm on a Thursday, I volunteer as a coach during the season; a privilege understood and supported by my employer. Although, at times, the home office calls me back after training. I am fortunate. To be honest, until recently, I never achieved work-life balance. It wasn’t a problem early in my career as education was our passion and our hobby as much as ou...

As I approached my fortieth year, I became fascinated with the samurai and their unwritten rules of conduct, the Bushido Code.  Alas, I haven’t been to Japan nor met a Samurai, nor have qualities worthy of warrior status. Even still, I regularly reflect on the Bushido virtue of courage, particularly in the face of fear. I am exemplary at feeling scared and struggle to stir a desire to overcome. In fact, when the opportunity arises to face fear something stops me. “Next time,” I offer in a consoling manner. “You don’t have time today,” I reassure. And I’m not the only one in our family who fears. Katie is petrified of spiders. And I mean arachnophobia. There was the showdown at Conara Junction where, hobbled by recent hip surgery, I valiantly attempted to evict a spider loitering in the air vent. It was dead… And the romantic, pelican encounter at Binalong Bay. At the time we were courting, and I naively supposed that Katie had stopped to view magnificent bi...

It was Monday night that I struggled to sleep. Mind racing; random thoughts delivering a muddled theme without even a trace of reality. The more I tried, the more I failed, and even a fascination with Hemingway’s use of punctuation, particularly commas, was futile in delivering a pause that would facilitate slumber. On reflection, I was worried. Banksy, perhaps also known as Robin Gunningham, the gorilla artist, was keeping me awake. The renowned enigma and artistic phenomenon, Banksy, cloaked in camouflage to protect his identity, both fascinates and scares in equal measure. He has amassed a fortune from graffiti art; stencilling simple yet captivating images, often politically or culturally inspired. Banksy’s most recent artwork involved the partial shredding of 2006 painting, Girl with Balloon, after it sold for A$1,924,269 at Southeby’s Contemporary Art Auction in London. A remote-controlled cutting device fitted to the base of the frame leaping to life once the ...

He strides onto stage, Akubra Stylemaster positioned precisely, exuding a calmness that makes nervous anticipation fall over the gathering, patiently, waiting. We are in the presence of presence. It is a trait rarely witnessed; the ability to fill a room without saying a word. He has it, in abundance. A Tasmanian travelling to Darwin feels like you’ve arrived in a different country. All-consuming warmth, rich red soils and a relaxed way of life that makes us look uptight. Learning from others, whether interstate or travelling overseas, is important to me. Listening to conversations, asking questions and endeavouring to understand makes me better. The 2018 Property Congress is fortunate to hear from academic, activist, lawyer and founder of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership, Mr Noel Pearson. A magnificent orator who delivers a challenging message, with pauses, which elicit stillness, building space for thought. Like me, he’s a Paul Keating devotee. Pea...

Grand Final day has always been a ritual. As youngsters with British parents, encouraged to support a VFL team to fit in, we chose by colour. Blue is my favourite, so Carlton FC it became – so close to my working-class roots… My brother chose a combination of colours – red, blue and yellow, ensuring the now defunct VFL/AFL team, Fitzroy Lions FC, was adored through brief moments of success, and long seasons of failure. He now passionately supports Richmond Tigers FC. Much to his chagrin, I will always consider him Brisbane Bears, sorry Lions… My mates and I have watched every grand final for as long we can remember. Combining good times with the consumption of enough small meat pies, sausage rolls and cocktail saveloys to ensure an intolerance to MSG. The beer of choice was once Carlton Cold, which I’m sure will make an anniversary comeback as boutique. We often devoured the Footy Marathon, the Under 19’s, the Reserves and the Seniors, briefly pausing for a break during the...

I wish I was an explorer. Although not particularly adventurous, nor skilled at survival, I’m reasonably practical, maybe useful at best. Heights, being late and feeling lost, scare me. All the attributes for adventure, one might ridiculously surmise. Antarctica would be my destination, laying claim to an undiscovered Ice Shelf. No one would ever call anything important, Brian, so perhaps Cold Rock… The continent has captivated me since childhood. It was ABC’s Behind the News that sparked my interest with our weekly task of preparing a report and accompanying illustrations (traced, in my case), an enjoyable task. Questioning why you would go to Antarctica was a topic of conversation and debate – after all its snow and ice, and solitude and hard work, and potentially death. Because you can, and some must – came the response. Multi-award-winning, Sophie Scott Goes South, is the most read story in our house. The author, Alison Lester, was the Antarctic Arts Fellow 2004/0...