General News
15 April, 2026
A Mum's World: Living on fumes
When all three of my daughters were growing up at home, my biggest day of school and extra-curricular activities involved 65 kilometres of running around town to drop-off and pick-up, and I was being as economical as possible as I fuelled their development.
Last weekend I popped down to the suburb of Boronia in Melbourne to watch my eldest daughter in a play. Starting with a full tank of fuel, I U-turned for the cheapest diesel at Great Western on the way home and spent $177.17 for the pleasure.
Best not to dwell on that.
I had considered taking public transport, but the theatre was in a quirky area that was new to me, so it was complicated.
I do apologise to all of Australia for expending litres of that precious diesel on one performance of ‘Cosi’ where my darling girl was only on stage for about ten minutes – but my children are of paramount importance to me and the play was fabulously clever, funny and sad.
That trip fuelled my heart.
It would be good if I could tell you that I will stay put for a while now, but I have a Regional Day in Wycheproof this week – catching up with a couple of chaplains from Swan Hill.
Our manager offered us the option of a Zoom session instead, but I can’t connect through a screen, so it’s another road trip for me.
Speaking to other school chaplains face-to-face will help me learn, grow, survive and revive for Term 2, 2026 – fuelling my passion.
Not done yet with draining the nation’s diesel supply, I need to see my Supervisor in Ballarat at the end of this week.
Seeing a Clinical Family Therapist & Psychotherapist a couple of times a year fuels my professionalism in supporting the students I work with.
I’ve read every book on her shelf, and I’ve even remembered some of their contents.
My meetings with my supervisor have literally changed my life and the lives of my family members and co-workers.
It’s difficult to go as deep through a screen – I tried.
I promise that when school goes back it will be just work, supermarket, home – no extravagant diesel expenditure.
I love the train trip to Melbourne to catch up with my daughters anyway because I don’t have to concentrate – it’s an enforced snooze, and I’m familiar with the system from my time studying and working in the city.
Thank goodness the rest of the family are on unleaded, although being the designated driver on a night out just got a whole lot more expensive.
I have little understanding of how our farmers are mentally dealing with their doubled input costs and supply issues.
I keep pushing to the back of my mind the knowledge that it took nearly $1000 to fill the tank of our combine harvester last summer.
I know new equipment is being cancelled, difficult choices are being made, different crops will be sown.
Industry does need fuel to fuel our nation.