The Australian Bite
Archery, fencing & quotas for company boards
17 March 2011
Listen and download: MP3
This week on the Australian Bite, fun and hard work in the bush. We meet the Mallee Sunset Field Archers, who not only like to shoot arrows, but also throw knives and axes! And we head up to northen New South Wales, where young volunteers have been fixing fences damaged in January’s floods. We also look at the ongoing debate about whether a quota system should be imposed to get more women on Australian company boards.
Time for quotas on company boards?
At the top corporate level in Australia, women continue to be grossly under-represented. They occupy about 10 per cent of board roles in the top 200 companies, and the situation is not improving in a hurry. So it’s perhaps not surprising that the question now being asked is whether now the time for quotas? Alex Mann from the ABC’s youth network Triple J finds out that the idea of introducing female quotas is gaining traction across the political spectrum.
Bows, arrows and axes make good sport in the bush
Every Sunday at 9am at the archery range on Werrimull road near Red Cliffs, Glen Hennaman, Jan Watkins and Grant Hawthorn meet along with many others from the Mallee Sunset Field Archers to shoot arrows and throw knives and axes. Although this hobby may sound violent, the archers practise on predominantly on hay or rubber targets and the focus is on precision and skill rather than an end kill. The Mallee archers shoot at colour vinyl photos on hay bales, three dimensional rubber targets and they are now working on setting up a moving fake boar target at the range. Reporter Jenni Henderson went to check it out.
More on this story at the ABC Mildura-Swan Hill website
Fixing fences after the floods
One of the biggest challenges facing farmers after the recent floods in Queensland and northern New South Wales has been the repair and replacement of fences. It’s a time consuming and labour intensive job, so a helping hand is welcome. A dozen young students from the not-for profit Backtrack organisation have volunteered their muscle power to help out graziers in the Mingoola area, near Tenterfield in north-west New South Wales. Reporter Julia Holman joined them and their mentor Bernie Shakeshaft, a youth worker with the Backtrack youth program, in a paddock as they toiled away in the hot sun.
More on this story at the ABC New England North West website
Backtracks is a program which targets young people from low income families, and those who are struggling with alcohol issues or poor socio-economic circumstances and gives them the skills to help them find full time employment.
Music: (not in podcast)
Sister act Stonefield hail from a cattle farm in the Victorian hills and play some great rock sounds inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin and Frank Zappa. Amy, the eldest at 20, is on drums and lead vocals. Hannah’s on guitar, Sarah plays keys and backing vocals and 12 year old Holly is on bass.
Artist: Stonefield
Track: In the Clover
Album: In the Clover EP (2010)
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