I have requested a Section 82 intervention by the safety regulator in Western Australia after the organisation failed in their duty of care to staff members. The safety regulator, a state government known as Worksafe is tasked with the role of regulating the health and safety of workers in the state.

When you apply for a Section 82 intervention, this relates to the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 in Western Australia. An Act is an Act of Parliament, that is a law and that is supported by Regulations [2022] that provides details to interpret the Act. This legalisation is further supported by Codes of Practice and Guidance Notes.

So I set a deadline and the response I received was the individual making the bullying claim has provided no evidence of workplace bullying. So I can supply documented evidence from safety committee meetings where I raised the issue. The safety committee meeting minutes are vaguely written, I would argue intentionally so to offer little detail. However, I can show to a regulating authority that the issue was at least discussed.

The organisation has deliberately avoided the issue, I will show via internal emails where I have previously raised the issue and the matter has been dismissed. That is because the A-team of non-performers have been involved. Known internally as the three stooges, they have done everything within their power to bury their misdeeds.

A Section 82 requests the safety regulator to intervene in an unresolved matter to solve a health and safety issue in a workplace. That is what I have informed them what I intend to do, and this is what I will follow through with. The organisation believes I am making threats, not so, I alerted them to my intentions, I gave them an opportunity to respond and they were once again dismissive. Now I have escalated the matter to the regulatory authority to review and make an independent decision.

The 3G network is shut down, there is no chance of ever reviving my Nokia 5110 mobile phone, for me, that is a big misfortune as I would prefer the 5110 over current smartphones. When my then girlfriend returned to Japan, she took my prized 5110 with her. I had loaned it to her to use while she was here and I never saw it again.

For me, I am not glued to my mobile phone and I could do pretty much without a mobile phone. I know the world moves on and the Nokia 5110 is a relic of history, I never had a more robust mobile phone that was easy to carry around. There was a phone you could drop and not worry about breaking the screen, you were more likely to break whatever you dropped the phone on. To my mind, that was the best phone I ever owned and even though the network is no more, I would be happy with a modern version of the Nokia mobile phone.

The S/el chronograph was my first serious watch, I purchased it when I was working in Guam back in the late 1990s. Designed by Eddy Schöpfer, the S/el designation is sports/elegance. The S/el is a 200 hundred metre professional dive watch that could be worn with a dinner suit or wetsuit – it really could.

I pretty much wore it full time for 19 years before I decided a larger mechanical timepiece was going to be my new watch. For a while, I wore my new Aquaracer for a week and then swap back to me S/el for the next week, but that was just a hassle. So, my S/el sat in a safe except for when I was training; I would wear my chronograph during a run to time my cardio time. The aim was to run the same circuit and try to improve my times, my chronograph was a pretty good run timer.

As I was a dive guide and dive instructor, this was my dive watch. I was decompression diving back then pretty regularly and used the chronograph to time decompression stops. This was an excellent dive watch, the chronograph function so so important for him at that time. When the battery ran out, I had the battery removed and placed the watch into retirement. This won’t be permanent retirement; at some time in the future, I will look to power up my old S/el again and this timepiece will get some wrist time again.

I have been a fan of Omega for a long time, I am a diver and I have an engineering trade background. It is no coincidence that I would be drawn to the engineering prowess of an automatic timepiece. Sure, I like of the aesthetics of the Seamaster line, they have a fine heritage, they have a number of lines within the Seamaster range – I feel an affiliation with the brand.

Scuba diving was a relatively new activity when the Seamaster was released, Omega has a history with the British military supplying timepieces to the RAF during World War II. The Seamaster is well suited to the Royal Navy as the timepiece is water resistant, rugged and accurate. The Seamaster was released to coincide with Omega’s 100 year anniversary and is the oldest timepiece in their current collection.

The Seamaster range has evolved with the professional range of timepieces; the Seamaster 300 released in 1957, Diver 300 released in 1994, Aqua Terra released in 2003 and the Planet Ocean was released in 2005 providing a series of price points and variations. There are limited edition series from James Bond, Michael Phelps to Spectre and models have the option of chronograph and GMT variations.

The range also includes the 1969 Bullhead and Proprof 1200 released in 1970, both very distinctive timepieces. I note with interest that the re-release of the Railmaster finds this particular timepiece as part of the Seamaster range. But I really don’t think so, maybe that was the closest family they could identify as the Railmaster is suited to engineers, scientists and technicians. The Seamaster goes back a long way with Omega and is my favourite range based on not only my diving preferences but the aesthetics of this special timepiece.

You have to love Donald, share market meltdowns, bond market declines and the undermining of the US dollar as a reserve currency. The erratic and self-centered President has caused mayhem in financial markets with economists predicting a 60% chance of a recession.

Another stunning backdown after his earlier capitulation on tariffs, with the exception of China, all countries will now pay a 10% tariff on imports. The Trump Administration has now rolled back tariffs on China including electronic components such as semiconductors, smartphones, computers and other electronic goods. The Trump Administration has listened to the concerns of Silicon Valley and as a result we have another high profile backdown by the Trump Administration.

Trump rattled on that world leaders were kissing his arse in a press conference, this was another misleading statement. Bond market leaders have instead kicked Trump’s arse, he is looking pretty stupid in front of MAGA supporters. Yet, they still believe Trump is saving America and saving the world, the greenback is losing its status as the world’s reserve currency. This is clearly a poorly conceived policy, there has not been a proper and comprehensive business plan. Everyone can see Trump and his advisors [notably Peter Navarro] are making it up as they go and have not taken all precautions that a detailed plan should.

The White House meeting in front of the media where Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was paraded in front of White House media and castigated in front of the world was an absolute disgrace. This is not how you treat a visiting national leader, Ukraine is a country under attack and Zelensky is doing a superb job keeping his country in the fight. 

The meeting was a set-up, Zelensky was sitting up surrounded by a supposed allied nation to sign a minerals deal. This was a poor deal for Ukraine, Trump was acting as a colonial power, there was no security arrangement. All Trump was attempting to do was recoup military assistance, nothing more. This is despite the Biden Administration clearly articulating that they are spending less than 2% of military expenditure to pretty much neutralise the Russian military. 

Trump is not a complex person, he views the world as a New York real estate deal, a world of power and influence he inherited from his father. Trump is all about personal relationships, he views Vladimir Putin as a personal friend, he likes to be flattered, to be told he is a smart guy and Putin knows exactly how to play him. We can clearly see Putin is a smarter operator than Trump, the mayhem of Trump is just a distraction to poor policy. 

Trump personally hates Zelensky, his recorded telephone conversation where he used government military influence in an attempt to gain political advantage lead to his first impeachment. Trump attempted to force Zelensky to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, Trump had withheld military aid to Ukraine and wanted Zelensky to dish up dirt on Hunter Biden. This amounts to requesting foreign interference in an election and improper use of office. 

It was a high profile trial, the most senior Catholic clergy was brought before the court on historic sex offense charges. In the trial by media spectacle, he had already been tried, was found guilty and was awaiting sentencing. Did this influence the jury? It is my belief that this precisely occurred, George Pell was found guilty and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment. Pell’s legal team sought to appeal the sentence, this was initially unsuccessful so then applied to the High Court of Australia.

I have no doubt Pell covered up abuse in the Catholic Church in Australia; however, this is not what he was on trial for. The onus is on the prosecution to prove their case, instead of tendering evidence, they put their case forward on emotional grounds and not based on facts. Did George Pell commit sexual offenses? I was not there so I will never know; however, through reconstructions, it was determined to be highly unlikely he could have committed the offenses he was on trial for.

So, there was no way Pell could be guilty of what he was accused of, the jury was swayed on less than credible testimony and media reports. When viewed on appeal, the High Court upheld the appeal arguing a rational jury must entertain doubt with respect to each of the offenses where Pell was found guilty. Therefore, George Pell cannot be held legally responsible for what he was accused of. But now George Pell is dead, his legacy is interesting, He more than likely covered up and protected pedophile priests but was not guilty of what he was convicted of. Pell was certainly divisive in life and in death.

In what must be one of the more extraordinary tariff decisions, Australian protectorates Heard and McDonald Islands have had 10% tariffs slapped on them, but Russian President Vladamir Putin has escaped with no additional tariffs. Ok, Russia already has sanctions applied, the pretext of a negotiated ceasefire really undermines Donald Trump who claimed he could end the war in 24 hours, that hasn’t happened, Trump’s claims fall apart quickly to all but his adoring MAGA fanclub. 

Situated deep in the southern Indian Ocean about halfway between Australia and Madagascar, the Heard and McDonald Islands are closer to Antarctica than Australia and form part of Australia’s external territories. The islands are unpopulated, this is where this tariff decision becomes remarkable, the islands have no economic output, they are neither exporters or importers. 

Not that a free trade agreement with the United States is worth anything anyway, the Trump Administration does not honour ratified and legally agreements. So after a rollercoaster financial week where all our retirement accounts were devalued for no reason, American worker’s 401(k) are tanking too, their exchange traded funds are tanking too. But American workers are less concerned about equity and bond markets, jobs and inflation are all they care about and they are not being fixed either.

It looks like Beijing will not be backing down on tariffs, whilst Trump brinked in front of the world after bond markets and equity markets melted down, Beijing looks solid. Xi Jinping has reassured the Chinese population that they will not be bullied, this is not a legitimate negotiating tactic and I suggest China holds a greater leverage than the US. Only if the EU and most of Asia fall into line against China would the US have greater leverage, the Trump Administration has burned those countries now. 

Trump has come out and said his phones are constantly ringing, countries are calling him to make deals and people are kissing his arse, “Please Mr President, can we make a deal” he claims in the media. Yes, Trump is really that crass and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt comes across as a card carrying MAGA simpleton fully immersed in conspiracy theories. Everyone can see that Karoline Leavitt is a lackey, she is not taken seriously and is in the job as part of a misinformation campaign. 

Whilst Trump bragged to his MAGA supporters that it will be easy to force China into submission by applying tariffs, this claim has been a little more than mildly misleading. China has contacted Australia to join forces against the Trump Administration on tariffs, this is not going to happen. President Xi seems to forget China imposed tariffs on Australia just recently to pull them into line, this strategy failed and Australia found other markets for its exports. Sometimes, what is not said in diplomatic circles is stronger than what is actually said, there is no value for Australia to join China against the US, it is just not going to happen. 

The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Automatic is an iconic timepiece design, although highly underrated design by Jörg Hysek. The Overseas Automatic is a 1970s design stainless steel sports watch that incorporates an integrated bracelet. Vacheron Constantin is the oldest of the holy trinity of watchmakers founded in 1755 along with Audermars Piguet in 1875 and Patek Philippe in 1839. Yet until recently Vacheron Constantin is considered the poor cousin of the holy trinity of watchmaking.

The Overseas Automatic was released in 1977, the reference 222 Overseas Automatic featured a 37 mm tonneau-shaped case with saw blade bezel. The reference 42040 remained at 37 mm and still featured a tonneau-shaped case, integrated bracelet and now integrated the Maltese cross fluted bezel. The reference 42050 had a 35 mm case with the references 42041 and 42051 receiving calibre upgrades.

The steel sports watch style was inspired by Gérald Genta with the Royal Oak in 1972 and the Nautilus in 1976. Vacheron Constantin, the oldest of the holy trinity of watchmakers turned to Jörg Hysek famous for the Breguet Marine, Tiffany & Co Streamerica and TAG Heuer Kirium. Hysek built a reputation based on the Vacheron Constantin 222, but was really instrumental in more than dozens of designs.

For a very long time, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Automatic was the forgotten steel sports watch from the holy trinity of watchmakers. Now just about every major watchmaker has an integrated bracelet stainless steel sports watch. I can’t say I really like the Reference 222, the current models are more my tastes. Whilst the watch collecting community went silly for the Royal Oak, I never understood why. Gérald then repeated his success with the Nautilus ensuring Patek Philippe remained at the top of the watchmakers pedigree. The Overseas Automatic was really the forgotten steel sports watch until the demand from the unattainable Nautilus and Royal Oak pushed prices up. and the Overseas Automatic suddenly became attainable again.