Monday Muses ~ Craig's Table

One never knows what journey a book will take you one.

As unlikely as it seems Chris Hadfield and I (along with countless millions of others) have the July 20 1969 Moon Landing in common. I sat in front of the black and white Astor TV in the lounge room my brother's arm around my shoulder as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon. On the other side of the world Chris Hadfield sat with his family also watching the same images. A few months later I stood by my parents as we buried my brother after a workplace incident, whilst on the other side of the world Chris Hadfield started a long journey from childhood to astronaut.

It is odd to think that two very different people could look at the moon and see two different things. Chris looked at the moon and dreamed of going to space I looked at the moon and knew it was the last big connection I had with my brother.

Reading An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth in many ways gave me back a lot of very happy memories. I also went on to watch this TED Talk What I learned from going blind in space and also watched to A Space Oddity.

But what has any of this got to do with Craig's Table? Page 207

The first explorers who crossed the ocean in sailing ships didn't blithely set off without considering the practicalities and logistics. Before they ever left land, they tried to figure out which kind of timber would hold up best and what kinds of food would keep on a long voyage. They tried to reduce the risks and improve the chance of success by thinking through every aspect of the expedition, beforehand.

To understand where Craig's Table came from you have to understand the research, the hours spent trawling through libraries, hours spent at first on dial-up Internet and then continuing to meet new people and thankfully via SKYPE talk to industry people.

Then came the heart breaking component of writing random thoughts, tying it all together with more random thoughts and conversations that were some times years apart All the while reading and watching and taking concepts from the strangest of places such as the movies Coach Carter Blind Side Too Big To Fail. Understanding that each concept for what I was writing had to be based in reality as well as knowing that changing an industry was truly overwhelming if I allowed myself to focus on it for too long. Scrap books of notes, clearing a wall and writing massive numbers of sticky notes, shifting the sticky notes, re-reading notes, re-visiting conversations, turning windows and glass doors into white boards- everything to get my thoughts and concepts written up and into sight so as I could see what I was thinking and what was keeping me awake at night.

Setting out on this journey was about finding the better way not just for injured workers and their families but also for employers remained the centre of every thought every concept.

I asked Richard Grellman for a copy Inquiry into Workers Compensation System in NSW I gained a copy of Aftermath The Social and Economic Consequence of Workplace Injury and Illness from New Zealand.

Last week at the Darkside of Rehab one of the presenters spoke about the need to remove the silos within workers compensation. Richard Grellman wrote about the need to remove the silos within workers compensation 20 years back. I sat on two stakeholder committees within South Australia WorkCover to help to dismantle the silos.

Somewhere in all of it came the words from the Marksman "Rosemary if you don't like it, change it" Somewhere in all of it came testing everything I had read, every concept, every thought bubble, every hope every wish every dream. Somewhere in all of it came one of the many conversation I had had with my brother about going to university, somewhere in all of it was the acceptance of every challenge and the promise to make the world my brother and I grew in a better place for others who need a voice.

Chris Hadfield took to space on the 20th July '69- his life was built on his determination to walk amongst the stars.

I hit the floor on the 30th May '94, my life was sent to find a safe space for all injured workers.

As I said, it is an odd journey when we open a book and walk the memories of the writer. The best way to describe my mind is this quote "My mind is a dangerous place to be alone without supervision" Out of all of it came Craig's Table.

Whats coming

Please take the opportunity to add Social Sensemaking by Rob Sams to your library

Stacy Copas is starring in the lead role #TheCastingGame please if you are in Sydney, buy a ticket and join me celebrating Stacy's film debut.

The South Australian Community Achievement Awards nominations are now open. Nominations close at the end of August.

The 2017 Dwight Johnson Memorial Golf Classic will be held Friday, July 14, 2017 at Enumclaw Golf Course in Washington.

National Workers' Compensation and Occupational Medicine Conference July 18-20, 2017 Hyannis, Cape Cod.

SISA annual Closing the Loop conference at the beautiful Adelaide Oval.

September brings the Informa Return to Work Conference at the Melbourne Convention Centre

 WorkCompCentral Comp Laude Awards and Gala in San Diego October 30 and November 1st 2017 (I am still planning on attending)

National Compensation and Disability Conference Mandalay Bay Las Vegas December 6-8th 2017

It is late, I have 3 new books to start reading and 4 books to finish reading but first a cup of tea before I go though I want to wish my friend an colleague Ines a wonderful birthday. And also to my friend Julie a safe holiday.

Yours in service

Rosemary

Social equity for injured workers