BEE Commentary

Sandy Doherty-Bigara
28 August 2008

I am an oppo-racist meaning that I love all races. I really have no problem with each of our wonderful groups, I still hang on to Madiba’s promise of a rainbow nation but at the moment there are just too many clouds and the rainbow is vanishing... Read on and let me know if you agree.

Hearing stories like the Olympiad that was only open to black learners makes me realise that there is STILL way too much emphasis on colour in our society – now I am going to play devils advocate here and mention this fact: Has anyone watched BABEL? It really opened my eyes, the US is exactly the same as our country, the only difference is that in our country the tables have turned… and White, Coloured, Indian, Asian, Europian and Imports are on the short end of the stick while the black majority is taking stride to fill all available positions with ill-equipped correctly coloured people.

My husband is a white man, well educated, talented and 32 years old. We recently enquired of the Australian Government if our CV’s would be enough to guarantee us a Skilled Visa to their country. When they read my husband’s CV they sent an email telling him that we qualified on his merit alone and that he had an impressive CV and would be a valuable asset to their country…do you know, my husband couldn’t understand it, it took him a day or two to realise that he is actually worth employing. You see, as whites, we are slowly being conditioned to think “Ooh, that’s a nice job, I’d love to do that. Should I send in my CV? No use, it won’t be considered.” Our line of thought is then validated by the small print which reads *only BEE applicants may apply.
Is it right? No. People should be employed according to their qualifications and experience, age and suitability.

When will we speak up? When the minority groups are so squashed and despondent? When all of “our” qualified people are littered around the world using their skills to enrich other countries? Or will we only speak up when things are so bad that the minorities don’t even study any more and enter into low class existence?

There are many black people that I know personally who really deserve their employment, they have worked hard at their studies, they are focussed and determined – I have a problem when people are ill equipped and yet are employed instead of better qualified men and women of the wrong colour.

I get so angry when I see adverts offering investment opportunities, they are really exciting and guarantee an income at the end of the stipulated period, only to be told in bold writing across the page or screen, “only BEE applicants may apply” what did I do wrong that I cannot make investments? Or apply for jobs? Or consider myself worthy of employ? Something is very wrong here. Very wrong.

I have drawn a cartoon this morning to depict my view on BEE please check it out, you are free to copy it.

Sands xx

Chicken pox, chicken pox where are you?...

I arrived at work feeling very ill, and after playing the piano in front of 1000 people and consuming loads of coke to get me through I left for home.

I spent the entire day in bed and ended up calling off sick on Thursday, I thought I was getting flu but in actual fact I was sick with Varcella – Chicken Pox.

Now normally I would have just been brave and dealt with it but I am four months pregnant and it hit me like a tonne of bricks.
I was told in one moment that my unborn babies life was at risk and that there may be deformities, pneumonia etc etc. and I’ve had to just get to grips with this and deal with the ravaging of this horrible virus while going through week 17 pregnancy symptoms as well!

As I sit here now I feel a little better, my skin is healing and I am booked off work for ages. I’m only going back September 7th. I fell ill on the August 14th so it’s a long ride.

But I have faith that all will come right.

Good monkey, good monkey…

It was a Monday, 13 August 2008, I left work and went to Crompton hospital to give blood for preggy tests… I drove home in a rush, I had to pick up my pooch Oscar and take him to have stitches removed and then I had to rush off to Glenwood to fetch my husband from work. Now, at the best of times I feel shaky after blood tests and so as I arrived home I stepped from the car and noticed that there were an unusual amount of monkeys running around. As I walked nearer to our entrance (we’re the third and end house) I started to shout at the Juvies that were jumping around in front of me – I really hoped that there were no more of them near our place (my one phobia is : monkeys)
AS I turned the corner I realised with horror that there were about 20 of these monkeys right outsode my door! The alpha male was sitting on my step eating a piece of corn, the huge females were sitting next to him and they all just eyed me out.

I had no choice but to get into my house so I adopted the quieter approach (I was sure that my previous yelling would not hold much sway with Big John and his Bi-yatches.
It think it went something like this…
“Gooooood monkeys, gooooood monkeys” and a step closer,
“aaaaaaaalright gooooood monkeys” and I slowly move the open rubbish bin away from the front door.
“Oookaaay monkeys” and I open the gate – praying that they don’t crowd into my home and wreck the place.

I got inside and burst into tears. It had taken so long to get into my home that I now couldn’t take the dog for his stitches and I would be late fetching my husband!!

I stood inside crying until I got so mad I just freaked out – I got my whistle, my dog, my hand bag and my keys and burst through the back door like Jackie Chan blowing the whistle and freaking out. I kicked everything that I could see to the side, the rubbish bin, the packets, vegetables, cans, bottles, you name it - it got kicked. Our back yard looked like a trash dump!

I ended up being on time fetching my husband…a little shaken but ok.

A Poem - By Francis Doherty-Bigara - For Sandy

May our love last forever.
May our friendship always be true.

May our feet tread the green fields,
And our lips sip the clear springs.

May our hearts always be for each other,
As we walk along life’s way.

Until hand in hand we reach the end,
And we have seen the best of our days.

All my love always,
Francis

A Poem - by Francis Doherty-Bigara - Lesson One

To my Child

A flower has petals and a tree has branches
Who you are is not the clothing you wear
But the beauty people must see

The paint on a canvass tells a thousand words
And the story of your life is written in the pictures of your past

Do good, be holy, live life, be free
Cry when you must
Laugh when you can
Rise, fall, try, fail, succeed
Live life, be free.

A moon needs the night sky
As the sunrise needs the horizon

Your soul needs Jesus as water quenches dry land
Each day has its blessings
As every action has its consequence

For everything that has a beginning will eventually have an end
Lions don’t try to fly and birds don’t roar

Mountains aren’t plains and plains aren’t seas
It will suffice that you be all you can be

Love, Dad

Saturday with Mom and Tee

Sandy Doherty-Bigara


Today, i drove to the pav and met up with my mom and sister, we walked around for ages and then bought a pair of stunning cargoes for me (the tum is getting bigger all the time!!)
We ended up having a burger, tramezini and some ice-cream - oh yes, and three mango juices (the straw stands up in them) it was nice.

Then I stole Tee, and we headed home, mow we're watching Peter Sellers "the Party" and I'm typing this :)

Sands xx

My August Week

Sandy Doherty-Bigara
Friday, 3 Aug,
Exerpt taken from my pregnancy chats:

Ok, ok…it’s time for my weekly “what happened in my life this week” splurb…
Mmm, let’s see, apart from a few horrendous monkey problems life’s been quiet. Oh wait, I’m dreaming… this is what happened;

Monday: went to work way to early, got home really late found that my maltese and fox terrier had escaped the kitchen and left lovely doggy scented brown parcels all over the house for me to find. How kind of them. They also had played hide-and-go-seek with most of my socks. I tidied up, got over the disgust and then made really yummy cottage pie.

Tuesday: worked way to hard again and then went to the Pavilion Shopping mall to buy some more maternity stuff because these days I wear a sign – ‘Sandy’s belly is expanding at present, we apologise for any inconvenience during these necessary alterations’
I ended up walking about 6 kilometers – eating a huge plate of chips with my man, hunting high and low for toilets (they are also being altered at present) and then ended up buying stunning fabric so that I can sew three new preggy skirts and transform my fave denims and tracksuits into preggy wear. Ended up at home late, at too much and went to bed.

Wednesday: Up at the bleeding crack of dawn. Led a singing practice with over 400 children, fought the glares of killer vervet monkeys all the way back to my room (about 1 km) taught hectically loud drama lessons, did all of the audio for a show rehearsal, oh yes!!!!! I got crapped on by a sacred ibis!! These birds are HUGE – bigger than most medium sized dogs. They crap about 500g /half a kg of scrambled earthworm crap at a time… this one was sitting directly above me in the 200year old tree above the open amphitheatre… well, it crapped good and proper. On top of the CD player – the shit flew sideways landing all over my face, shirt and down both black trouser legs, it sprayed all over a small child nearby and even got into the player and under the CD inside it - jamming everything up. Well… drama stations,..I just screamed “POOH! all over me!!” the teachers and kids burst out laughing, the jews all screamed MAZELTOFF! And I was handed about 100000 tissues and tried to mop up. The funniest moment was when the director asked into the microphone, “There is pooh on the CD, so just pretend that there’s music playing” ya, it was gross. Disgusting stuff.
Ended up at home and sewed a really nice skirt – managed to do my denims and tracksuit too. Sigh. Everything fits now!

Thursday: No crap today. Came home early to find that a troup of vervet monkeys had ripped my weeks worth of rubbish out of the bags and thrown everything all over the floor outside my house. I wore heavy dutied gloves and while gagging, swearing and generally wishing death to all monkeys I cleaned up most of it. Sis. Then we went to my friend Kims house for coffee and cake at 7:30pm!! Got home late and talked for ages with my man.
Oh ya, washed my little black maltese Oscar at about 10:30 – he’s going in to get his goolies chopped off tomorrow morning… poor baby.

Friday: woke up early, dropped my bundle of crap, Oscar off at the vet. Came home, and now I’m typing this. We were supposed to travel into a African township tomorrow morning to take blankets to the needy people there but my husband I can’t make it because of his Saturday job ;( so instead we are dropping our blankets off at a friends house (where the spider adventure went down)
Ok gotta go.


Sands xx