Muster, LD Riding and COVID-19

kwaka

Premier Member
#1
Allow me to applaud the decision to cancel this years Muster due to the pandemic caused by the coronavirus.

I know how hard the Admin Team and support staff work to herd us up for our annual Muster and how much we all look forward to the fellowship but disappointment aside, these here are crazy times and quite rightly, our health and well being is always paramount. Tough call but the right one.

So my question to you all now is, how has this so-called COVID-19 affected your LD plans and your day-to-day plans in general?
Me?

Here in the Hill and Far West we have no cases reported that I know off so far so its work as ususal however, I've no plans to travel unless essential to do so.

FWIW
I'm told store bought hand sanitizers contain only 20% alcohol but to be effective against most "bugs" the content needs to be between 60~90%

From last nights Peter Goes Evenings on local ABC radio (1hr 2:55min mark) and Shannon Lush on how to make a homemade sanitizer:
1 cup alcohol metho or isopropanol (Shannon mentions Vodka as well but does that contain enough alcohol?)
2 teaspoons glycerin
1 teaspoon Tea Tree oil

Liz and I plan to make this up tonight.

Good luck and stay safe out there everyone!
 

cougar

Active Member
#3
Apart from a very dissapointed and moody 16yo daugher who's 3 sports have been taken away its pretty much normal here

Parents are a worry but not concerned about getting it myself as I'm young enough and pig headed enough to get through easy enough

Apparently washing hands with soap & water is better than using sanitiser anyway so no stress there

What I'm most disappointed by is people's reactionsin general. Hoarding, whinging and all the associated BS that has come about in the last month really annoys me

I really feel for casual, hospitality and other affected workers so am actually spending more than I usually would on take away coffees, gping out for dinner etc to do my little bit to help them keep afloat

With Narracoorte cancelled I'm starting to look at some other options for a long ride, maybe over Easter....
 

Grey Gentry

Premier Member
#4
Went out for an afternoon ride around our district today with friends. Didn't die or crash. While having a beer after, was informed by the ABC via social media the MIldura has it's first case of coronavirus. With Marls not riding, we'll need to discuss the weekends plans. Maybe base our accommodation for a weekend away, as we have friends in Mt Gambier.
 

Bill53

Premier Member
#9
3 rides planned that would take me across the Canada /US border are now on hold and probably cancelled until the non-essential travel ban is rescinded. The plea that getting the rest of my Great Lakes certs is essential to my mental health isn't likely to cut it with the border agents.

Was hoping to retire soon but my retirent savings took a 20 % hit in the last 2 weeks, will have to wait some for that to recover !
 

Dicky Knee

Well-Known Member
#10
Also, I was going to put a plan together to do a "Certificate" ride over Easter, because work has told me "you're not required", which is giving me a nice old break. BUT, I daren't risk it with the restrictions in place, and hospitals/medical services focusing on other more important issues, the last thing they need is a banged up motorcyclist to treat. Best to stay safe for now.
 

kwaka

Premier Member
#12
Oh, and we haven't been able to make the sanitizer. Why?
You got it, can't get the ingredients!

Locally, all the deep freezer white goods have been bought up and the butchers have run out of meat, plus, there's no frozen food anywhere to be seen!
The isopropanol (IPA) that we normally buy for use in our business costs anywhere between $35~55 for 5L, our supplier has none. No 1L, not even the 200L drums, none at all, all gone! I looked on eBay, found the very same 5L made by the very same manufacturer is going anywhere from $200 to $1000. The mind boggles!
Bloody absolutely appalling behaviour by some so-called Australians. I tell ya, the hoarders and those looking to profiteer/scalp are nothing short of grubs and petty crims...

Work wise, my business is considered an essential service providing emergency technical sustainment and restoration support to critical infrastucture. GTK I'm special. ;) So it's business as usual here but Easter plans to head to Adelaide to see the tin lids and their kids is a non starter.

Just heard that Mildura has one case of COVID as of yesterday. Here we are still free of this nasty little bug. Only a matter of time though me thinks...
 

Daisy

Premier Member
#13
I had a litre of ipa. Just before the brown stuff hit the spinny thing I combined it with some methyl salycilate to create rubber reconditioner. So a certain green motorcycle now has carby boots soft as the baby's proverbial.
I sorta wish I'd bought the 5 litre instead.
 

Skidoo

Premier Member
#14
All we can do is follow the experts advice, distance ourselves and ride it through.
its a shame media has contributed to the fear mongering and ‘un-Australian‘ behaviour in relation to food, medicines and heavan for it, the crappa paper.
And our Super, ouch, things will improve but it will take time, hopefully we all will have it.
Stay safe guys, it is going to be painful but let’s take it one day at a time and we will work through this together.
 

Gatey

Premier Member
IBA Member
#15
Im not sure what places you guys shop at but bloody bugga me I've not seen one person bolting for the cage with a mountain of bog wrap.
This pixy guvmt new weeks before we did and turned those bogwraps into masks.

As for un Austarilain hoarders. Well the wife and I shop once a month. we have done that for 3 decades. living in the outside country or shit holes a hundred k from Moree...even here in Armidale we still do the monthly shop or did.
Yes we have a stock of tucka. We have always had a stock of tucka. Thats how we roll. Hoarders we are not.
Temper your voices guys as it might be someone you know who will share a meal in this time ahead
 

Skidoo

Premier Member
#16
Im not sure what places you guys shop at but bloody bugga me I've not seen one person bolting for the cage with a mountain of bog wrap.
This pixy guvmt new weeks before we did and turned those bogwraps into masks.

As for un Austarilain hoarders. Well the wife and I shop once a month. we have done that for 3 decades. living in the outside country or shit holes a hundred k from Moree...even here in Armidale we still do the monthly shop or did.
Yes we have a stock of tucka. We have always had a stock of tucka. Thats how we roll. Hoarders we are not.
Temper your voices guys as it might be someone you know who will share a meal in this time ahead
So true mate, buying a fortnight’s food or rations (as we do) or a monthly shop is IMHO not hoarding. Each to their own but it’s a little disappointing when when you attempt to do a fortnightly shop and you cannot get a few essentials and a fortnightly shop is not possible due to the limitations of two cans of beans or combination tinned veggies per person per shop as their is just not enough on the shelves. Maybe it’s not hoarding, our food is drying up with the drought we just had :eek:
 

kwaka

Premier Member
#17
@Thin skin Gatey, well aware of this and I am not talking about the fortnightly or monthly shop, as you well know many of the people out here in the remote Far West do just that!
My comments aimed directly at the irrational actions of the sheeple not the common sense folk you and I know.

Due to the dumb ar$e actions of the sheeple I observed at Coles an elderly lady trying to buy bum paper and wet wipes. The cashier told her that she could buy one or the other but not both.
The elderly lady said, "...but I really need the wet wipes too!" The youngster behind the counter either didn't understand that the wet wipes were for "accidents" or was playing Gestapo by following orders, told the elderly lady she was not allowed to buy both.
Behind the elderly lady in the queue, a young mum with five terrors in toe reached out and said, "I haven't got these in my shop so she'd buy the wipes." Did so, gave the wipes to the elderly lady and then refused to accept payment.
Felt the big warm fuzzies coz there is still good out there!

My point is that in the lead up, this situation would not have occurred if the sheeple had acted with a modicum of common sense. The depth of greed and selfishness boggles the mind plus, unlike you or me and the people we know, I seriously doubt these grubs would freely share their ill gotten hoard.

@Daisy, nice to know the boots are soft and cuddly ;)
 

kwaka

Premier Member
#18
@Karl, my point exactly. "Normal" shoppers are shafted and impacted adversely thanks to the moronic sheeple.
Drought has impacted on food prices but there is plenty of food out there so the panic is irrational. If the hoarding mentality continues indefinitely and places strains on the supply lines, rest assured the Govt with implement war time like rationing and we'll all need to line up for endless hours for the basics as we'll need to use the ration book. o_O
 

cougar

Active Member
#19
@kwaka Had a similar situation last week at Coles

Lady beside us had a 'normal' size shop for maybe a week, probably less. She had a pack of pasta so was refused a packet of cous cous - the machines have been programmed so that they cant be overriden by staff as well. My wife reached over, scanned the cous cous with our items and job sorted, of course didn't accept payment

For the sake of $5 or less its nothing big but sad that its got to this point so quickly and to what gain?