Anniversary

Just to let you all into a secret. Today is a red letter day. Today I have worked for thirty years in the Australian Public Service.

Not that anyone would know or care. At work there was no celebration of the event, no gold watch, no certificate of longevity, not even an afternoon tea or something to celebrate this milestone.

One of the things that you can learn from this experience is one of the home truths about the slogans that you will hear in the work place.

"Staff are our most valuable asset" - translated, obviously refers to our cost and not to how much we are valued, appreciated or even acknowledged.

Of course I could be wrong, the acknowledgement could be in the mail.

Naturally those of us who serve, will continue to be loyal and dedicated and ever anxious to please and to provide a high level, high quality service to the Australian taxpaying public knowing that at least they appreciate our provision of a public service - in spite of the all too frequent critique of the public service in the media.