A difference of cultures in crisis

Helping a community in crisis

Hope Lives Here Video from the Courier Mail, featuring another former Aussie Expat, Jodie.

On the surface, Australia and America seem to be very similar. It’s only when you really spend some time in each place, you start to see some of the differences. Eventually, you get used to them. Neither culture is right or wrong, they’re just different.

This week, watching the flood footage coming through from Australia, I am reminded of some of those differences, and some of the similarites.

People always tell me, “Texas is just like Australia, right?” and I ask, “What part?” However, when it comes to the spirit of the people, Texans really are like Australians. Much more so than other parts of the US. Maybe that’s why I like it so much here.

When Hurricane Katrina and then Rita wiped New Orleans off the map, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t rebuild. Why even now, most parts are still uninhabitable. Mississippi and Alabama were equally devastated by the hurricanes. In many areas, even more so. They were however primarily middle class towns and people there, much like the people in Australia, and got on with it and rebuilt. Meanwhile, Texas offered as much assistance to it’s neighbours in Louisiana as possible. Texas took in thousands of “refugees”; many of whom have never left. The abandoned mall near my house was turned into a shelter. (It’s now the Rackspace building) Many businesses along that street closed down because of all the theft after the “refugees” arrived. When your local Target closes because of that reason, it’s pretty dramatic.

Years later, they still do documentaries on New Orleans. How it’s still a mess. How the Govt failed them, etc. I still get people begging me for money, saying they are “Katrina Victims”. Of course, nobody does any documentaries showing the people in Alabama and Mississippi and how they’ve managed just fine.

Then I see the footage from Floods in Australia. I see neighbours, friends, strangers, people from all walks of life, lending each other a hand. They’re out cleaning up the mess, the next day. They’re helping people they don’t know. They’re cleaning the dirt and mud before it turns to toxic mold. They’re getting the stuff out on the streets, and I’m sure the govt will do a great job cleaning up those streets.

If only we could teach our cousins in Louisiana about Mateship. Because that’s what it really is. That’s what most Aussie Expats miss the most. (Besides Vegemite and Bundy Rum) It’s the ability to turn to turn to a mate and have them lend you a hand, without you having to ask.

Australia and America were founded differently. America was pioneered on a loner spirit. People rushed out and grabbed land. They had to make do by themselves. Aussie’s on the other hand worked together to get through the hard times. That legacy has carried on through the generations. While Americans like those at the top, those that single themselves out and make something of themselves, Aussie’s still have tall poppy syndrome and will take the “Little Aussie Battler” over the big entrepreneur anyday. Both have their plusses and minuses. If you’re looking to really make something of yourself, you’re probably better off in the US. If you’re in a flood, you’re better off in Oz…

Now many States in the US are not like Louisiana. New Orleans has a very large poor population. Many people live on welfare. They live in Section 8 housing. (Like Housing Commission)They use food stamps. They have entitlement problems. They live generation to generation on welfare and don’t look for a way out. When the Hurricane happened, they didn’t bother to get out. They expected someone else to move them. Many people blame George W. Bush for Katrina. Actually, legally he couldn’t do anything until the Governor of Louisiana asked for help. The Govenor didn’t. Eventually, GWB stepped in and superseeced that ruling and helped out. That whole thing was a mess. Then, when people did get evacuated, there was many horror stories of how people were acting. A group of Australian tourists had to be escorted out under the care of the National Guard because of threats of sexual assault against them in the dome. Red Cross workers were treated badly. “Refugees” thought they were in a hotel, and the Red Cross workers were their maids. Looters were everywhere. When people got their $2000 cards to get food and clothing, there were reports of people using them to buy Louis Vuitton handbags or getting lap dances at strip clubs… When people were provided trailers to live in, they sued the Govt because the trailers were “toxic”.

Everything about Katrina victims showed the absolute worst of American society. The victim mentality, the entitlement issues, the bad management.

Hopefully, with the Floods in Australia, we will continue to see the Best of people in Australia. The banding together to help each other out. The mateship. The cleanup. The massive amounts of donations. The way people just get along with it and make it better instead of sitting around waiting for someone else to do it for them.

It’s in those moments that I’m so proud to be an Australian. I wish I could be over there with my gumboots on, broom in hand, helping you clean up.

I hope that next time something big happens over here, I’ll be able to spread a little of the Aussie spirit around, and make it better, the way we would in Oz.

If you can’t be there to help out a mate with the floods in Queensland, NSW and now Victoria, help out with a cash donation instead.

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

January 11, 2011

Donate to the Flood Relief Appeal

How to help those affected by the flooding in Australia

Donate Online

With the flooding still to reach it’s peak in Brisbane and now more flooding forecast for NSW, many people are wondering how they can help out those who need it.

Australians are a generous lot. There are stories of people helping strangers, others taking in animals, people just being good people. When someone needs help, an Aussie will always be there to lend a hand. Whether it’s their mate, their neighbour or a stranger in a land far, far away.

Australians have raised billions of dollars over the years for people devasted by natural or man made disasters in other countries. Whether they are sending firemen to help in the California wildfires, sending people to help in the aftermath of a tsunami, or sending food and money to places like Africa or Haiti. Australians will always step up and lend a hand.

Now, in Australia’s time of need, will other countries help? Unfortunately, Australia, being “the lucky country” is at the top of the food chain. Those at the top help those less fortunate. Will those other countries return the favour and help Australians now that they’re down on their luck?

Those within Australia raised over $30 million dollars during the televised relief appeal. That’s a huge amount, but it’s not going to be anywhere near enough. The US said it offered its sympathies and offered to help. I wonder if they actually will? The US military is well trained in natural disasters and could probably spare some helicopters and troops to help with the search and rescue effort. Some MRE’s would probably help too.

The British have asked Aussie’s to back them up for a couple hundred years. Here’s hoping since the Queen is still on our money, she’ll offer some cash to Australia.

I’m sure there’s some countries in Europe we’ve helped at some point. Now is the time to return the favour. Asia, same goes for you.

Now is the time to pay it forward. Please give something to help out your fellow man. We can’t all afford to donate thousands of dollars. But if everyone donated even $1, imagine how much money could be raised. Please don’t not donate because you think your small contribution won’t make a difference. It will. Every dollar counts.

You can donate online at http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

January 11, 2011January 11, 2011

Queensland Floods

Devastating flooding in QLD

Watching the flooding from afar, I wish there was more I could do.

I was born and raised in Sydney, but when I was 18, I moved to Brisbane. It’s the city that I really started to become my own person in. I was no longer an actress. It’s where I worked real jobs and went back to school. It’s where I met my husband, Matt. We both love Brisbane. I loved the laid back lifestyle. Matt loved it because it reminded him of his hometown here in Texas. We both agree that if we ever moved back to Australia, we’d want to live in Brisbane.

So now that we’re watching the devastating floods in Queensland which today are hitting Brisbane, we both feel a little bit of helplessness and wish there was more we could do to help. We know that people there are taking it all in their stride. Aussie’s are such a resilient bunch. We know they’re going to be helping each other out and making sure their mates are ok. But when you’re so far away from family and friends and all you can see is little snippets of the carnage, it’s very saddening. All I can do is get on FaceBook and check on my friends. Today however, most of Brisbane is without power, a lot of the mobile phone towers are not working, so I feel cut off. The American news is only showing the crazy snow storms that are hitting the South, which is also a big deal, as well as the tragic shooting in Arizona and its aftermath. The Aussie news says 13 people are now dead in the floods, and over 9000 homes will be flooded in Brisbane today. Water coming downstream, as well as king tides are going to create flooding worse that the 1974 flood. I see shots of the Brisbane river that look like they’re taken from Kangaroo Point, where Matt and I first lived together, and I can’t believe how high it’s getting. I can’t imagine what it’s going to look like in a few more hours.

I’m currently relying on watching little videos on the net. Unfortunately, some sites like to geoblock their videos. Thankfully, the ABC is not geoblocking right now, so all the Aussie Expats across the world can see what’s going on back home. news.com.au has been a great source. ninemsn.com.au never geoblocks and is also very helpful. If you’re another expat trying to see what’s going on, these are the sites I’ve found most helpful.

Raising funds for those affected by QLD flooding.

Unfortunately, unlike third world countries like Haiti who get billions of dollars raised for the relief effort from all over the world, it’s unlikely those affected by flooding in Queensland will be offered the same. Australians have been extremely generous. They’ve already raised $30 million dollars just through the Flood Relief Appeal on televison. However, I’m sure it’s not going to be enough. If you’re wondering how to help out, but don’t want to get scammed, here’s how to help.

If you’re in Australia, call 1800 219 028

Donations can be made in person at:
• Commonwealth Bank
• NAB
• Westpac
• ANZ
• BOQ
• Suncorp
• St.George Bank
• Bank SA (Bank of South Australia)
• Australian Central Credit Union
• Savings & Loans Credit Union
• Coles supermarket

If you’re overseas like me and want to help,

Donate by internet banking:

The account details for donations are:
Account Name: Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
BSB: 064 013
Account number: 1000 6800
SWIFT code for international donations: CTBAAU2S

Once your transaction is complete, you should record the receipt number for your transaction. If you do not receive a receipt number, contact your financial institution.

If you would like a receipt for tax purposes, please forward a request, with proof of donation to:

Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002

Donate by mail

You can post a cheque donation – please do not send cash.

Cheques should be made payable to:
The Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
ABN: 69 689 161 916

Cheques should be posted to:
Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002

January 2, 2011January 2, 2011

2010 year in review lists – I made a few…

The year in review.

Even though “the scandal” broke in March and there has been a media blackout since, I still managed to make quite a few lists at the end of the year.

Here’s a few of them:

Where the story broke; We made number 4 on the most read articles on the Woman’s Day site.

Since we were the highest rating story of the year, I kinda expected the ACA one… Cool video of the top moments of theyear. LOVE the dogman!

Channel nine also had a video with the Top TV moments of 2010.

We made Scandal of the Year in the Sydney Confidential Awards.

Even the New Zealanders put me on their list!

Who Magazine put me in their “Newsmakers” section for the December 2010 issue, Best and Worst of 2010.

Even Google trends shows the Hey Dad Scandal made the number 5 spot.

Of course, while nobody wants to make end of year lists for Scandals, it was great to see the nation talking about Child Abuse, and I was very honored to become an Ambassador for Bravehearts.

Of course, someone had to include us on a not so nice list… The Wankley’s. Honestly, I think Tracey Grimshaw is a lovely woman. The entire staff at Channel 9 was very professional, and I’m very grateful that they handled the case the way they did. Because so many people came forward to ACA, who were put in touch with the police, the police have been conducting their investigation for many, many months now. It meant it wasn’t just a he said/she said and the detectives didn’t have to go track down hundreds of people from 20 years ago. They had a slew of people coming to them instead. It amuses me the way the people who say I shouldn’t have spoken to ACA because it’s just about dodgy builders and supermarket prices can’t be pleased when ACA actually does hard hitting stories. Oh well. Boo hoo for them.

Now, I just sit back and wait while the police finish their investigation…. Hopefully, next time I make a list, it will be for something happy.

October 19, 2010

Added some old/new videos

Thanks to Hayley for finding all these 0ld clips and sending them to me.

I’ve added some clips from Sons and Daughters and Home and Away.

The Sons and Daughters stuff is just funny. I can’t believe that show went on for so long. Also, who thought it would be cute to make a tiny person with a big head wear their hair in a high ponytail with a plait? I look like ET in some of those shots!

People used to tell me I looked like Shannon Doherty. (We actually share a birthday) I certainly do in the Home and Away stuff. They’ve got me playing a lying, manipulative bitch who likes to stir up shit. (Kinda like what people on message boards have been saying about me for the last few months) That was fun though. I had known Kate Ritchie since we were both tiny people at the Channel 7 Christmas parties. Isla Fisher was super sweet to work with. I finally got to meet Dieter Brummer, who all the girls in High School had wanted me to take to my formal. Melissa George was there too, although we didn’t really talk much. I’m so happy for Isla and Melissa that they’ve done so well for themselves over here in the US. It’s always great to see other Aussie’s rise to the top. It’s a pity I don’t live anywhere near LA, or we could catch up over a beer sometime.

Anyway, hope you get a kick out of the old stuff. I laughed watching it.

October 15, 2010October 15, 2010

Camping in Autumn

The Ranch in Stockdale, Texas

It’s finally cooling off here in Texas. Today I actually needed a sweater when I got up. I love this time of year. It’s cool enough to go outdoors and actually do stuff. Most people like Spring, because of the same reason, but I have such wicked allergies in Springtime in Texas, that all I want to do is leave, so I guess Autumn is my favourite season here.

Matt’s parents bought a ranch in Stockdale, Texas when he was a kid as an investment for his college fund. He didn’t use it, so they still have the ranch. It’s just over 100 acres, about 40 minutes away from our house. I love it out there because it’s all red dirt and reminds me of the Australian outback. The only difference is all the cactus and oil wells.

We’ve spent the last couple of months cleaning up the ranch so we can actually go camping out there. It’s primitive camping. No water or electricity. However, Matt had them run a meter a couple of weeks ago, so we’ve now got electricity. We also rigged up a water tank. Matt had one of his old jet ski trailers laying around, so he put a 120 gallon water tank on it to take with us. We went to the RV store, got a small pump, attached a shower hose, and now we’ve got an outdoor shower!

Last weekend was the first time we actually went and camped down there. We had a 24ft enclosed trailer with AC which we put all our stuff in; food, chairs, the 4 wheeler and then we took tents to sleep in. Matt invited the folks from the Jeep Club to come on down too. A few people turned up the second day we were down there.

The first night I set up the tent, Matt assured me we didn’t need the fly. It was going to be cool, and we weren’t expecting rain. The tent had just mesh on top, so you could lay there and look at the stars. Towards the morning, he kept poking me because he thought I was farting. (I do that in my sleep) But, it wasn’t me. It was the condensation and the dew on the inside of the tent plopping on the tent floor. The second night he let me put up the fly. The first night he was also worried because we rent the ranch out to a guy with cattle, and thoughout the night we kept hearing the cows mooing getting louder and louder. At one point, Matt got up and moved the jeep closer to the tent so it was blocking the path between the tress, the trailer and us. When I got up in the morning to go find a tree, I was surrounded by cows getting closer as the were curious while I popped a squat. Better than rattlesnakes I guess….

Maya loves going down to the ranch with us. She gets so excited when she sees us packing to go anywhere, and anytime while down there we go 4 wheeling, she runs up to the jeep wanting to go with. You’d think she’d hate it because she gets bounced all over the place, but she loves it. She also loves the ranch because we let her run free. Everywhere else we keep her on a leash and she loves all the news smells out there. At night we keep her close though since we’re worried about her getting taking by a coyote. Hawks are always a danger during the day, so if we see any circling, we keep her in sight. The first few times we took her down there I was worried about her running off, but now she just seems to follow us around and really doesn’t wander off too far. It’s funny watching her try to get into the tent during the day. She likes to sleep in comfy places, so we have a bed for her in the trailer too, but she prefers the air mattress… She’s such a little snob. At night I bring her bed into the tent, but then daddy lets her crawl in under the covers with us. He likes her keeping his feet warm as much as she likes to be close to us.

So the whole weekend turned out pretty nice. It was Columbus Day weekend, and Matt had taken Friday off, so we got in 3 days down there. We though about spending Sunday night too, but we both had to be to work early, so we came home Sunday afternoon to get everything cleaned up. Now that it’s all set up, I think we’ll be spending a lot more time down there. We’ve already organised a big trip for Matt’s birthday weekend in December. By then, most of the insects should be gone, it will be nice and cool out and watching the stars by the fire will be awesome. Living in the city, we don’t see many stars, but out at the ranch, you can see the entire milky way and so many shooting stars and meteors. One of the other jeepers brought his kids down just to see the stars. It was pretty awesome.

So, now I’m looking forward to the next couple months. We’re heading on a train trip with Matt’s parents up north of Austin next weekend. The Hill Country in Fall in supposed to be beautiful. Then, back down to the ranch.

The best thing about heading out to the wilderness is getting back to nature. No TV, no internet, no noisy neighbours and seeing a million stars. It also makes you appreciate the little things in life when you get back home again. Like indoor plumbing.

September 27, 2010

Congratulations Julie and Adam!

Julie McGregor got married!

Most of you know her as “Betty” and some of you may remember the infamous Hey Dad..! episode where Betty was supposed to marry long time fiancé Stan.

In real life however, this past weekend, Julie McGregor married long time beau, Adam. I wish I could have made the trip back home for the wedding, but I didn’t want to sour a happy occasion by having it get turned into an excuse for paparazzi to bring up the recent events….

Simone flew up from Melbourne and she messaged me and told me it was a beautiful day. I’m looking forward to seeing the pics online. I think there’s going to be a spread in Woman’s Day, so I’ll have to order a copy of the mag online.

So Congratulations to Julie and Adam. I hope you two are as happy as Matt and I am. I can’t wait to see you guys as Mr and Mrs when I come home next.

September 3, 2010September 2, 2010

Stand up for victims of child abuse

National Child Protection Week

A study has just been released in Australia that says that just one third of Australians would call police if a child told them they were being sexually abused.

The results, released on Wednesday, showed that 48 per cent of people would not take action in clear-cut examples of child abuse for fear they might be wrong, while 42 per cent said they did not think it was their business. But most of the 22,000 people surveyed by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) believed child abuse was a serious issue.

Since March, when I went public with my own history of abuse, there has been literally thousand of blogs, forums and tweets discussing my case. So many people couldn’t believe that it had been allowed to happen. People are outraged. People all claim that they would have done something. However, if you were really put in that spot, would you have? This study shows, maybe not.

People have judged me for going public. A lot of people are upset by the “Trial by Media”. However, I wouldn’t have done it any differently if I had to do it over again. By going public, it has forced people to talk about it. It’s forced people to think about what they would do if confronted by the same situation. It made witnesses come forward and talk to the police about it. People who otherwise may have been too scared to speak, in case they heard the infamous, “You’ll never work in this country again” line. Unfortunately, TV in Australia is a tiny community. People are terrified of speaking out of school. It’s very easy to be blacklisted and never work again. I have no doubt that if this was not public that many people would still be denying knowledge of the situation because they’d be scared to talk about it.

I really hope that by speaking out, that parents are thinking very hard about whether to put their kids into acting or modeling. I hope that if they are in the biz, they’re watching their kids like hawks.

I hope that people will get the courage to speak up if they see abuse. If a kid tells you something is not right, go investigate it for yourself if you don’t believe them. Then go to the police. Then get your kid some help. Call Bravehearts or any other child advocacy group.

Don’t let happen to your kids what happened to me. Don’t be the 2/3rds of Australia that would just look the other way. Even if it’s not your kid. It’s your job to protect them. They came to you, they asked for your help. Do the right thing and get them the help they need.

Go to the Bravehearts website to learn more about Breaking the Silence on Child Sexual Assault.

September 2, 2010

White Balloon Day

White Balloon Day Events

It’s only a few days now till White Balloon Day. Do you have anything planned?

I really wanted to be able to come home to attend some events, but the police asked me to hold off till next year, since they’re still investigating. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get out there and have some fun while raising money for a fantastic cause.

There are events all over Australia. Check out the Event Page on the White Balloon Day website to find something near you. If you can’t find one, you can organize your own event.

There are other ways to Get Involved. Buy a White Balloon, wear white, or just listen to a child who has something to tell you…

There are also Highway Thunder events, and if you’re into something a little more glitzy, there’s a big event for Bravehearts on the 10th, which I really wish I could make it to; The Shine the Light Gala at the Sydney Opera House Marquee.

So go ahead, get involved and make Australia the safest place to raise a child.

September 1, 2010September 1, 2010

Madman taking hostages at Discovery Channel

James Lee still holed up at Discovery

James Lee is holed up inside the Discovery building at Silver Spring Maryland. I am watching the live streaming on CNN. It’s crazy, cause this is the same building where I attended the Travel Channel Academy 2 years ago.

Travel Channel no longer runs that Travel Channel Academy, so thankfully there aren’t a bunch of students in there, but it sucks to be one of the employees who are currently taken hostage.

Apparently, James Lee has already been arrested for his protests. He’s got some strong views on Discovery, and how they’re not doing enough to help save the planet.

I hope he’s talking about channels like TLC, who have shows like Jon and Kate plus 8, or those perpetual breeders, the Duggars. They’ve also just announced 2 more massive population overload shows about multiples and polygamists. Instead of protesting publicly, I simply make a silent protest by not watching these shows.

Discovery has some great programming on it’s other channels though. I do wish that shark week would be nicer to sharks and stop portraying them as man hunters. They could do more to create awareness for shark conservation. However, Planet Green has great stuff, and Animal Planet is all about animal conservation. Think of all the great work Steve Irwin did on Animal Planet. Phillipe Cousteau is on Planet Green, helping to raise awareness on Ocean Conservation.

James Lee is complaining that Discovery is not doing enough to actually save the planet and that “The Discovery Channel is actually not about saving the planet, they are just another ‘green’ corporation whose real interests lies in money, products, junk and trash”. Well duh James, Discovery is a corporation. The whole point of owning a TV network is to make money. They’re not a non profit company who’s sole mission is to save the planet. Why would an individual think that a TV network should be responsible for saving the planet? If you don’t like it, change the channel.

I really hope those tanks strapped to his back aren’t explosives. The guy is obviously severely misguided. I do find it interesting that the CNN commentator keeps going on and on about the fact that Lee doesn’t want kids. Like that’s what makes him crazy. Matt and I don’t want kids. That doesn’t make us nut jobs who would take people hostages. There are lots of other people out there who don’t want kids either. Try focusing on something else.

The Travel Channel office is still in this building. I met some really great people there a couple of years ago. I hope they all make it out ok.