It’s a tragic moniker to have, but Australia is the melanoma capital of the entire world. Probably not too surprising, given the place in the world it is, I suppose. Lots of poems and songs highlight our climate and glorious sun and warmth (unless you’re in the mountains, Tasmania or Melbourne, of course!) ‘I love a sunburnt country’ – ‘the wide brown land for me’ – Anyone can tell you it’s a prisoner island hidden in the summer for a million years’. Yep, we get a lot of sun, and it’s well entrenched in our culture to head down to the beach for those summer days (most of the population live within an hour of the coast), but that comes with the associated risks of sunburn.
Of course, getting the kids to wear sunscreen is half the battle! As for those rash tops kids all seem to be wearing lately… I reckon there’s such a thing as TOO protective… I’ve seen kids wear them swimming at indoor pools. The kids need SOME sun on their bodies. An Australian childhood isn’t complete without a nice basting in sunshine. Hats, sunscreen, shirts when you’re not in the water. All good. But let the kids get wet in just their bathers, eh?
Anyway, reminders here to check the news posts below for any further news, the blog link in the menu above for a little bit of extra reading concerning teaching and School Spirit itself, and pass on anything you think is worthy to your friends. The webcomic is holding its own with it’s readership at the moment, but we’re trying to build that readership further. Help out if you can.
Cheers, and see you Tuesday!
