December 07, 2017

Making a better world ? ….. nature and democracy at work in different ways

42 minutes

After a soggy weekend, we reflect upon the vagaries of Nature – first in the local weather and then in the current volcanic grumbles in Bali’s sacred Mt Agung (pictured) and the fine ash stopping tourist air flights, and earlier the devastating fury when Indonesia’s Krakatoa volcano exploded violently in 1883, altering the world’s weather for several years.

We examine the annual celebrations at this time of the International Day of People with Disability (Dec 3), Volunteers’ Day (Dec 5), and Human Rights Day (Dec 10) and hope that our rights to equality of marriage under Australian Law will be validated later this week.

In our local history we recall the Ballarat miners on 3 Dec 1854 at the Eureka Stockade who fought for their democratic rights – an event often regarded as the beginning of democracy in Australia. More recently, the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka tells the story of democratic struggles. The replica goldfields’ village of Sovereign Hill, opened in 1970, as an actual working re-creation and history lesson.

Our final story of nature vs man covers the 1993 repairs made in space to the orbiting Hubble Telescope so that it could examine the heavens in great detail. Since then, earth-based technology has allowed scientists to delve deeper into the past when viewing far-distant galaxies. Closer to home, the uncontrolled bush-fires around Canberra in 2003 resulted in the Mt Stromlo Observatory and Telescope being destroyed, but fortunately it was returned to service within a year.

Listen to these stories and some merriment – presented by Chris, Gordon & Phil.

First broadcast on 5 December 2017

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