Goodness Me. Keep Trying

IN A DO-GOODER FRAME OF MIND, Noseweek’s intrepid correspondent [Please God, not another one! – Ed.] last year ventured out of Sydney’s eastern suburbs to see if she could be of any use at the Asylum Seekers Centre in the somewhat less salubrious Newtown.

- Anne Susskind

Helping with communications, or teaching English, perhaps. As it turned out, there were over 2,000 volunteers on the centre’s wait-list. Since then, she has applied twice and twice been knocked back for volunteer roles.

The latest email is seeking coaches to help prepare asylum seekers for job interviews: a day a week, half with the interview subject, and half researching the company and the specifics of the job being sought. But the centre warns: “Please Note: Due to our limited capacity in staffing and overwhelming number of applications received, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.” Do not call, questions and inquiries should be emailed.

One of Australia’s best-loved TV presenters – South African import Anton Enus – has gone public about his bowel cancer to raise awareness of the country’s second-highest cause of cancer deaths after lung cancer. Enus is definitely on the side of the angels. Described in the Sydney Morning Herald as “utterly handsome and extremely svelt”, Enus says he has the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program to thank for detection of his illness. Available to all Australians from the age of 50, it includes a home test kit that arrives free in the mail.