From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 21 June

Our work is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on earth. It defines us as people and serves as a ballast in our lives. It provides us with stability and purpose.

THE Desiderata, the origins of which are dubious, cautions us: Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Whilst one might bridle at the adjective, humble, it is sound advice. It is hard to imagine life without work.

Technology, coupled with a shift in the accepted family structure and a serious casualisation of the workforce, has altered, irrevocably, the way in which we work, and our capacity to obtain permanent employment. In times past it was a simple process: one consulted the Saturday employment section of major newspapers, lodged an application, and waited for an interview confirmation letter. Even the Australian Broadcasting Commission – as it was – advertised for cadet announcers and journalists. With a suitable resume, everyone was accorded equal opportunity. Employment contracts were a thing of the future. You signed on for a fixed salary, determined by the relevant union; worked 48 weeks for four weeks annual holiday, plus sick leave and gazetted public holidays. Promotion came with service and productivity. Overtime was paid, always, and without issue. Employees were paid double time and half for Saturday, and tripe time and a half for Sunday. As a student, I worked every Sunday at the Palace Hotel in St. George’s Terrace, Perth. The remuneration from one day’s work (7.30am to 4pm) provided enough spondoolicks for the working week. The dining room at the Palace Hotel was particularly grand. The kitchen had an enormous wood-fired Aga, and my services included lunch: a roast with all the trimmings, and sensational homemade plum pudding with cream, custard and ice cream. The permanent casual employment advertisements catered for those willing to work a second job, invariably Friday and Saturday nights in restaurants, hotels, and function centres.

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thinking. My work has taken me from a goldfield’s washhouse to London’s West End. I am blessed in life. I have walked and talked with some of the great achievers in the world. I have been fortunate to work at the top of the tree, invariably with the best; and it continues.

A recent report on opportunities for, and consumer reaction to, disability workers caused me to stop and contemplate with sadness. I was embarrassed to learn how an awarding winning pool installer, confined to a wheelchair, is forced to deal with prejudice, and sometimes client cancellation of work orders, as a consequence of his disability.

A young, talented and gifted IT programmer is overlooked because of his cerebral palsy. It is unimaginable, in this day and age of mass communication, there are those who, in ignorance, equate spasticity with intellectual disability.

Rejection of any kind creates an emotional anomaly which requires serious application. It is a malaise from which actors never become immune. For those with a disability it is magnified, many fold. As a civilised society, we have a long road to travel when it comes to granting equality. We have still to learn not to judge a book by its cover; to take a moment to walk in someone else’s shoes, however challenging; to realise, the one thing over which we have absolute control is our attitude; to see the effect it has on those around us, for each life is linked to all life, and our words carry with them chain reactions, like a stone which is thrown into a pond. If our thinking is in order, our words will flow directly from the heart. If we truly want to change our world, my friends, and the world of those around us, then we must, all, change our thinking.

Roland can be heard on RADIO 3BA, every Monday morning, at 10.45. You can also contact him via [email protected].