A Fire Is Easy To Find

You Need Your Help

We had to do the delivery runs for a few days when we had no delivery staff available. This is a very difficult task when you are woken from bed to start doing complex paper deliveries almost immediately.

In places the task is nearly impossible because there are no clear numbers visible at night. Many older houses have numbers obscured and newer ones have no numbers at all. Some of the new numbering systems are crazy with A's and B's, flats and units as well as battleaxe blocks. On many occasions we had to reverse to find houses for deliveries. This added at least another hour to the job because we had to find every address on the list.

We found the numbers on the kerb were often the easiest to find but some are so faded that they are impossible to read. Next best were the reflective numbers that are visible from any angle because they are 3D. A lot of places had both and we grew to really appreciate these.

This experience led us to thinking about delivering to exact locations within a time frame. We thought that the fire brigade could see the smoke in the day time and the flames at night, so it wouldn't pose such a big problem. On the other hand, if you were having a heart attack or need the police urgently, these services could waste valuable time trying to find an exact address. It is in everyone's interest to have their address clearly identifiable both day and night.

Check out your own location and look how easy it is to see the numbers both during the day and in the dark. We think that you could get quite a surprise because you normally would not look at your place.

Maxine and Peter

Ugly Daylight Saving Ends

At Last the End Is Nigh

There is a lot of confusion (as usual) about the start and end dates of daylight saving. Announcements of extensions by the NSW premier caused rumours to abound.

We will end this year on April 6th which is a bit later than normal.

Maybe the plan is to extend it one week each year until we have daylight saving all the time! Probably the state politicians think we won't notice.

As most country folk know, the first and last month of daylight saving are the worst because it is still dark for such a long time. The best trick would be that the urban populace start work an hour earlier if they want to have that extra light at the end of the day. Most working at jobs in the city have the ability to flex their hours and as an advantage, this would spread and ease their rush hours. Problem solved - too easy!

Maxine and Peter

In Suspense

Home Deliveries

We are being kept in the dark about the late deliveries to us of Sydney papers. This is becoming increasingly common in recent times. There are major problems at the Sydney end but we are being treated like mushrooms.

Once we had Sunday paper deliveries around midnight or soon after. Now we have an enormous number of deliveries (fostered by cheap promos) but are receiving papers as late as 5 am. Infighting, power struggles and obstruction within publishing houses are a major part of our problem. Another cause is our downgrading in the pecking order so that other routes are being supplied ahead of us.

Physical production problems and stupid management decisions also aggravate the problem. Who would believe that the entire distribution of The Daily Telegraph could be held back for several hours waiting for the production of a handful of The Australian? Such "wisdom" beggars belief.

At our end customers, staff (delivery and shop) and management get very frustrated. It is most unfair for these large corporations to continue without resolving such confronting problems. We are not kept informed about these problems and are unable to make contingency plans. The day is ruined and the delivery task interferes with the general running of our business. The damage to customer relations at the local level is horrible. There is growing resentment of the publishers actions or lack of resolution by all people at this end of the chain.

Maxine and Peter

Calala Papers

Papers and Magazines at Calala

We were badly burned by the previous owner when he declared himself bankrupt despite him having received cash for sales at the Calala store. We worked hard with the help of the Bottle-O to keep papers and magazines available at this site. Unfortunately the situation has changed again and we no longer have circulation items available there.

For some time we have had some limited items at the country store , but opening hours are later each morning. We do provide 24 hr service through BP Longyard, United Petrol and Coles Shell.

Maxine and Peter

Local Syndicate Rules

Local Syndicates

We run instore syndicates when games reach a jackpot of $10 million or over. This allows us to set up sales on a local level only. Our syndicates assure that shares were bought from us for a local win when we get the numbers right. (Our best win to date has been just over $82,000.00) Normally the system syndicates allow statewide entries so members of a syndicate can be from any location.

Sometimes we have more than one syndicate if sales are high, but we have to be careful setting them up because any made by us must be fully sold. Unsold shares at the close have to be purchased by us. For this reason, all our sales are first come, first served. None are reserved or held or put aside automatically for anyone.

Watch the growth of jackpots in most games and be aware of the special Saturday Lotto huge jackpots on a regular basis. Each week money is put aside for the Saturday jackpots.

Soon we are going to have some game changes in Monday and Wednesday Lotto. To make it fair to players, limits are being placed on multi week entries until you will not be able to purchase forward entries and then the changes will take place.

Maxine and Peter