2001 School Magazine

7 EB : original works

See NO Evil ...

When walking through the Queen Street Mall at 430 on a Wednesday afternoon, there are certain things that go unnoticed simpl because the ', e alwa s ther Things link the smell of popcorn wafting from the RegentTheatre. and the groups of teenagers sitting on the stalls outside "Doto" Another ermanent addition I th streetscape 15 blind busker GBham Painpling. usually found outside David Jones playing old stylejazz on his saxophone, his faithful do lookin on ironic as I in sound, Ginham "sees"life from a very different angle than you or I Standing close by him, waiting for him to take a break, it 15 interesting to see the reaction he gets from the passers by. Some I nore him. others toss a coin h s many slow down and stare at him, safe in the knowledge that he can't see them A group of 20-something young men slouch ast, and in a fine dis in of I n and stupidity tease and taunt his dog, attempting to make it follow them. They are subdued howeve, by a platinum. platform wearin Barbie look-alike who rushes over and starts crooning to the dog -"Ooh, da little doggy boy, you are so cutesy woolesy, oh, my little schmookims. " As I look on, 511 htl disturbed at some of thes goings on, I realise that this !s yet another normal day in the life of Ginham I get out of bed of a morning, I walk the dog around the block, my guide dog what's called Nick. I come back, brush the do , and then have some breakf t I check my emails on the computer. I bathe my beautiful body. and I place some clothes on 11. Then I come Into the city - that's a normal da To hear him talk, you would never guess that being blind 15 a major obstacle to GEham He admits that he still isn't used to it et - he lost his 51 ht twel from a hereditary degenerative disease called Relinitis PigmentOSa - but he doesn't let it be an obstacle in his chosen wa of life. Aside from buskin , Gr h I heavily involved in the Toastmasters Club, as governor of his district, and he works with young blind people assisting in the expansion of their coin uter skills "!'in busy as a one-armed paper hanger with a seven dayitch:he laughs Although he can't see, Graham seems to be aware of the rather incredulous expression on my face as he talks about his heav schedule A arenti I'm f people who are surprised by his awareness of the!I reactions. He may not be able to see. but because of this he hears more than most eo Ie would ever jina People walk past and say, 'Ah, he's blind. mm yes:and if you weren't blind they wouldn't talk about you like that. if you had one arm or no Ie s, eo Ie wo Id I walk past and say, "He's got no legs:and sort of half whisper and point. now would they? What I'm saying 15 that people who know ou're blind assume o ' d f as well. They come up and yell in your ear "AND How ARE You TODAY?" Another lather trying and unfortunately regular occurrence in Ginham's life is the people who assume that because he's blind, he needs heI ettin around. 1'11 d I that before I spoke to him, I always thought that blind people would feel grateful to be offered help, but Graham quickly shattered this illusion. in fact, he w sh th t theyd jusi leave him alone. " feel like saying 'How the bloody hell do you think I get on when you're not here?!' But ou can't 58 that " Despite litese complaints. he !s quick to add that the reception he receives from the general public 15 fantastic. "Of course:' he sa s in a cons Irator!at underI n ,"Ih are always exceptions, but it all comes down 10 mind over matter Those that mind don't matteL and those that mailer don't mind' His positive altitude to life is amazing, considering all that he's been through in the past. Apart from the midlife loss of his sight. he's survived a broken mar, Ia e d the dealh of his eighteen-year-old son. Typical of many males brought up during his era though, he skirts around these events as thou h the were full in n d I 'I in a very hard-working life "The sun will rise tomorrow morning:' he says, as he apparently always has, 'except that I can't aauall see 11 an more" Wh!Ie he readily admits to being emotionally affected by these various happenings, the only emotion strongly dispia ed dulln our whole convers I' f I can hardly begin to comprehend the strength that lies behind the carefree, good-humoured exterior, and it is very obvious that Ginham lives u to the I h, t image of a stereotypical Australian male. true to the ideals of his up bring!rig He quotes, and firmly believes that. "MOST things happen for the best. Losing my eyesight, that wasn't something that happened for the best, that's where Ih MOST comes in This 15 not a dress rehearsal you know You'll only ever come this way once, so do whatever you do, and be proud of what ou do, and ho efu!I O I have to regret it all" Although he does regret some things in life. which can only reasonably be expected, this sixty-one year old has an important lesson for our enerat!on He h Id many values of old, Including things such as respecting your elders, having nice manners and not having children until you're married Coinin from Graham, belief previously regarded by today's youth as outdated and baseless, start to sound like reasonable and valid statements. He has supportive reasons behind all his b I I. and a lot of experience to draw upon. I am starting to feel considerably inferior to this man, until he comes out with one of the most iris Irationai jin rom I speeches that I have ever heard When asked if there !s anyone who inspires him, he promptly replies no, and before I have a chance to uestion him f Ih , t f his answer with - Nobody !s any better than me, and nobody's worse. I'm just as good as anyone else that's out there. and so are you. Somebod n ht think the re b It , b t baby, when they stop breathing, they're on the same level as Benjamin Frank!in. Ab!aham Lincoln, and all the great peo Ie. Take J F. Kenned - I d I how it happens, but when they stop breathing they're all equal. It doesn't matter how many dollars you've had, or how man dollars ou haven't had, h th you've been a Miss Australia or a prostitute Or even been a criminal in gaol or a Prime Minister When they stop breathin .the '!e all e ual its impossible not to respect this man for the amazing journey he has undertaken throughout his life. Although he can't see where his footste s fall, he def n t I knows the direction he's headed in Funnily enough, when asked about success, he laughs and shakes his head "Success? I make a lot of people happy and I'm happy myself. 15 that success7" 1'11 leave you to make that judgement yourself

Merediih Cordon 12 Woolcock 2000 lite"ry Coinpennon Nonfiction Prose Highly Recommended