Chapter 156 : cable car

Dear Grandkids,  

You ask me if I am in favour of a cable car. Well I will answer it like this:

I want you to live in a healthy and happy community with a stable environment and working in a job that gives you satisfaction. This is most likely to be Tasmania.

In the future there will be jobs in the primary sector. Jobs in agriculture, aquaculture, fishing or mining. There will also be jobs adding value or selling these primary products.  Such as jobs in vineyards, poppies or medicinal marijuana. It is unlikely you will finish up working in this area because there is nobody in our family who works in those areas.

There will be jobs in the manufacturing sector. They are decreasing at the moment but wind power may change the rules of the ball game. It is unlikely you will finish up working in manufacturing but it is possible.  Maybe your partner will. 

I know you expect a job using your superpowers but it is more likely you will finish up working in the service sector. It is likely you will finish up working in the health or education sectors or as general government workers.

It is also possible you may finish up working in the tourism sector.

Your job may be involved in where the tourists stay.  You may work at a large hotel or at an air B&B.  Either full time or part time job while studying.

You may find yourself feeding the tourists. Working at a café, restaurant or hotel. Either full time or part time while studying.

You may find yourself helping entertain the tourists. You may be involved in giving the tourists something to look at. You may be involved with a museum; involved with a cruise looking at our natural wonders; creating drawings, paintings, sculptures, or giving them something to listen to.

You may be involved with the tourists who would prefer to be more active.  You might find yourself leading or guiding bushwalkers, scuba divers, paragliders, surfers, fishers or cyclists. Most of these activities will be in natural areas or nature based activities.

The majority of these tourists will come here for experiences based on nature or natural beauty. These activities will not be completely natural or in unadulterated wilderness. 

Any activity you may be involved with will come with some environmental cost. It is up to us to manage the activity and mitigate the environmental cost and aim for a sustainable environment.

If you find yourself in tourism we don’t want tourism with an environmental cost. We want sustainable tourism resulting in Facebook posts.

I have seen the way you look after your backyard. You have to look after the environment of Tasmania the same way. The environment of Tasmania consists of more than your backyard.  You will need more than a doggie bag and popper scooper.  It consist of all the land, water and the air you can see. Your environment includes all the urban built up areas and the rural areas (settled or wilderness). The biggest threats to the environment are introduced plants and animals, loss of habitat, pollution and climate change. We want a healthy, stable, environment. We don’t want the environment to be unstable, gaining or losing species.

If you are involved with tourism it will probably be a more important part of the Tasmanian economy than at present.  Maybe with more tourists from Asia. Everybody in our economy depends on everybody else.  Nobody on our island is an island. If you work in the tourism sector you will depend on all the other sectors. And if you work in on a farm; at the RHH; work at EZ you will need people in the tourism sector.

If you are in tourism make sure everybody wins. That includes you.  If you work in tourism then I hope you have an enjoyable and satisfying job. I hope you help give the tourists a good experience. I hope you help give the tourists pleasurable activities that stimulate, challenge and rejuvenate tourists. 

Dear Grandkids maybe one day in the future you will re-read this.  You can then compare the prognostications with reality and if a cable car exists we can go for a ride in it.

Regards Grandpa Alan