15 minute read
Legal
Mental Health ACTION THE ONLY WAY THROUGH FEAR Unnatural has become normal
MINDSET | MARCUS WHEAN
FEAR is a primary emotion. It is psychological and physiological. We know all too well when in a state of fear.
Almost everything we do is in some way based in and/or around fear. This is very much normal and is the case because our brains are wired that way – to inhibit us out of safety, to look out for danger, to protect us from threats.
Fear is a necessary emotion for survival. When we were living in amongst the wilderness and wildness of nature it makes sense to have a brain that is wired more for fear and to be on the lookout always for danger.
Our ancient ancestors worked with their fears, had to conquer them and ‘do’ anyway regardless of fears. Why, because if they didn’t, they wouldn’t eat or find shelter.
Fast forward to modern times, our technological advances over the millennia and last hundred or so years have been exponential.
We have more comforts of living but in the name of seeking more comfortable lives we have not actually gotten any fear-less. Our brains have not evolved at the pace of technology.
Nowadays, it could be argued, that because our lives are more safe, we are actually more afraid. Our fears are not now of wild beasts or other tribes attacking.
Now, our fears are “does he/she really like me”?; “what do people think of me”?; “what if I don’t, or do…”?; “that person didn’t like my post, they don’t like me”?; “what if…what if….what if….”?
What is happening now is our brains are ‘fear-sensitive’, there’s more anxiety and stress prevalent. Our technologies and busy lives have created a pervasive stress and anxiety not too shy of being a pandemic. What is unnatural has become normal.
We experience anxiety, fear etc and all the above in our minds as thought and in our bodies as heart racing, sweating, nausea, insomnia, headaches, memory loss, trembling just to name a few.
So often our psychology around fear are thoughts of uncertainties and all the ‘what ifs’. These are often irrational thoughts based in some rationale i.e. even every lie has truth in it.
In my experience rethinking and rationalising the perceived threats can help but fundamentally the truth is often we can’t solve a problem with the same thing that created it.
People often know their fears and anxieties are irrational. So, changing them is often hard at best and people get even more frustrated or even depressed knowing they are certain the fears with thoughts and can’t change them with rethinking alone.
Dissolve fear with action
The way through fears, how to resolve and ideally dissolve them is via action. Action always neutralises fears because it is the direct confrontation with and observation of and experience that provides ultimately contradictory evidence in real-time terms; moreover, the physiological reaction is neutralised through experience not thought.
The active part we play when confronting fears is based in psychological theory called operant conditioning. That means our direct involvement behaviourally with a stimulus and essentially ‘what we do’ that reinforces a new response.
So too, if we keep avoiding threats and fears we stay anxious and afraid. If we confront and ‘do’ differently re our approach to fears and threats we condition a new response, we could call this courage, bravery, confidence or otherwise it’s a good feeling when we confront the world, our fears etc in real time the direct experience itself because ‘realised’ when it’s thinking alone it’s merely theoretical.
In short, always take action to dissolve your fears, always! Rethinking can help but only so much.
We must find courage to act and face our fears and experience directly, that we need not be afraid because being afraid helps us with surviving but inhibits us thriving and truly living freely and happily the way we all want and deserve to.
Marcus Whelan is a Registered Psychologist and Mental Fitness Coachwith 10+ years’ experience in private practice. He holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in psychology and education. Visit: www.marcuswhelanpsychology. com.au
YOUR WEBSITE’S TERMS AND CONDITIONS Privacy and legal obligations are very important in terms of protecting a business owner’s interests
KATHERINE HAWES
FOR one, it ensures that you place a disclaimer on the limit and coverage of your liability in case something goes wrong.
Second, it allows you to fully dictate what you are as a company and what you do. Finally, it is the first legal defense that you have in terms of lawsuits.
With the recent GDPR developments, a lot of business owners are now asking this one question: What should my website’s terms and conditions say so I can stay protected for a long time?
The answer is not in just one thing. Your terms and conditions should reflect much more than just what is dictated. It should be flexible and ever changing. It should always adapt to the governing law and whatever law has jurisdiction over the business.
For full protection, it must include and say the following items: Who is covered by the Terms and
Conditions of Use? Your websites
Terms should provide who is covered by it. In Australian law, this would include the users, customers, and the subscribers of the website. a. It should cover your customers because it offers protection of the business in case of liability and in
case problems should arise. b.It should also cover your visitors, users, and subscribers to protect you from any person who would try to copy the content of your website. Plagiarism is a very serious matter. Your terms and conditions should show a governing law. A governing law is the general law that would cover the business and in case there is a problem with the product or service you offer. Generally, the governing law is the place of registration of the business. It is advisable to only apply other laws, including international law, when the business has already grown to scale. You should also provide whatever is required by law. For Australian businesses, the Australian Consumer Law should provides that the following items must be in the terms and conditions: a. A statement that you comply and follow the Australian Consumer
Law; b.A statement on how the company is going to detail with product defects and when it would need to do a refund, some repair, or when replacement becomes necessary; c. A statement explaining information about your guarantee; and d.The details of your warranty. Other details that are necessary to be placed on your terms and conditions are the following: For those who are selling a product, it is important to provide details of the products, the expected delivery times, the terms of payment, and the kinds of payment that the company would accept. a. A cancellation policy should also be
provided. b. If the company offers a subscription, the terms and conditions of such subscription should be included here. The privacy of your clients is also important as well as other legalities should be in this document, they are the following: a. Limitation of your liability as a company. b.Notification that you are using data collection policies compliant with the requirements of your country and compliant with the requirements of international law when it comes to data privacy. c. A warning on plagiarism and liability for copying. d.All other Terms that are required of you.
Now that you know the items that should be include in your company’s Terms and Conditions, it is important to always be updated with all of the latest requirements of your government and governing law.
Your Terms and Conditions should be the most flexible part of your website just so you can protect yourself with any kind of liability.
Katherine Hawes is principal at www.digitalagelawyers.com
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ISSUE 10 | JANUARY 2022 TRUSTED LOCAL NEWS WWW.GREATERBLACKTOWNNEWS.COM.AUBlacktowN SHADOW PANDEMIC Little lives matter in Blacktown: 3 $100K FOR CHARITIES Signature group’s Christmas gift: 19 8 TO WIN $25,000 Westpoint kicks off 2022 with shopper competition: 4
From top left clockwise: Grange Avenue, Loftus St and Glengarrie Rd - all projects for possible development under the AIF program. HIGH growth greenfield precincts in Blacktown will benefit from a share of $139M being handed out by the State Govt this year. The cash is up for grabs for eight Western Sydney councils as applications have opened for round two of the Accelerated Infrastructure Funding (AIF). More page 4. Cash boost for local precincts
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Blacktown Snapshot
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population 18.81 billion regional economy 4.6% average economic growth 24,990 registered businesses
1IT doesn’t take much to convince Blacktown’s residents that the area has some of the most diverse weather conditions in Australia at times. It might be sweltering summer heat or freezing winter mornings that we dislike the most, but it is the region’s storms that wreak the most havoc. And the gurus at NRMA Insurance Data agree with us. They just released details of the record wild weather claims for Spring and it turns out Blacktown topped the list in Greater Sydney and was second in NSW behind Coffs Harbour. Blacktown LGA made 9% of the claims and Penrith 5.4%. More: 17. LUNAR NEW YEAR SATURDAY 5 FEBRUARY 5 PM – 9 PM Nurragingy Reserve, Knox Road, Doonside For more information visit blacktown.nsw.gov.au Free event- bookings essential STORM CITY Weather Tracker reveals Blacktown data 1143,259 local jobs Blacktown Council wants to help residents live longer, happier, healthier lives, which is why we launched our More Active More Often campaign during Local Government Week. The campaign will see two projects in each of Council’s five wards that will upgrade existing facilities or build new ones to help locals be more active more often while enjoying the outdoors after lockdown. Riverstone Park’s 4 netball courts, Little Athletics facilities, and public toilets will be upgraded, a new multipurpose court space, skate park, and path network will be built, and 30 new trees planted. William Lawson Park, Prospect will get a new amenities building and better pathways that will make the park more accessible for everyone. There will also be new tree plantings, an athletics track and facilities, basketball and netball courts, and an upgraded playspace. Whalan Reserve will receive an undercover synthetic turf cricket training facility to ensure the growing number of quality Blacktown cricketers can train whenever they need to, while Shalvey families will be consulted about the design for a new playspace at Tanderra Park Find out more about what’s planned for your area: blacktown.nsw.gov.au/BMAMO
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Blacktown Rules! A football factory that helped produce five World Cup Socceroos
BLACKTOWN City FC continues to be one of the National Premier League powerhouse clubs following the news that five Socceroos squad members including Mathew Ryan, Aaron Mooy, Mitchell Duke, Milos Degenek and Keanu Baccus have all been gearing up to take part in the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar.
All five came through the Junior ranks of Blacktown City, which has long been regarded as one of Australia’s top developmental clubs. In the historic win over Tunisia, Ryan, Mooy and Mitch Duke were instrumental in the victory.
Along with the five players mentioned, you can also add in Socceroos goalkeeper coach John Crawley and the influence on the Socceroos from a Blacktown City perspective is enormous. Crawley, is an ex-Demons junior, who also captained and coached the team at senior level.
“I do not believe there would be another semi-professional club in the world at this very moment that helped contribute 20% of a national team make-up” said Blacktown City Executive Chairman, Bob Turner.
Huge credit for this success goes to current 1st grade head coach, Mark Crittenden, who has overseen many of these up-and-coming youngsters during his tenure at the club.
“Mark has set the culture of Blacktown City as one that not only wins but is committed to the development of young players”, said Turner.
“He has a disciplined and old school approach that has stamped Blacktown City’s authority as one of Australia’s premier football production lines,” Turner added.
Mark Crittenden, first became involved with Blacktown City nearly 20 years ago when his son joined their under-11s team, which he coached.
He slowly worked his way up the hierarchy, serving as senior boss for the past decade and, for the past three, the club’s head of football as well.
In the case of Matt Ryan, Socceroo Captain and the 75-cap goalkeeper who plays for Danish side FC Copenhagen, he genuinely wouldn’t be where he is today without Blacktown City and in particular Coach Crittenden.
Something about him that I liked
“He was on the verge of being let go,” said Crittenden. “We won the under-14s competition, and I was then given the under-15s the year after. The club was considering whether to retain him, basically due to the fact he was probably quite small for a keeper in those days. I’ve always been someone that goes with his gut feel, and there’s something about him that I really liked. I remember just saying, ‘Look, I want to give him another go”, Crittenden added. The rest is history.
Set to celebrate 70 years of football existence in 2023, there is much to be excited about at Blacktown City who hope to see more success stories continue from its Seven Hills precinct.
To celebrate their 70-year milestone, Blacktown City has designed a new logo for the coming season. The team is now in full training with the defence of their 2022 NSW Championship foremost in the mind of Coach Crittenden.
In other big news for the club, leading goal scorer, Travis Major, will be taking on an additional role with the club to become their full time Operations Manager.
Scoring his 100th goal for the club in this year’s Championship game, Major will combine both playing and administration in 2023.
The club took over full operational control of its home stadium (recently renamed Blacktown City Sports Stadium) late last year and the task ahead for Major is to maximise full use of the facility.
Blacktown City FC will continue to build on its reputation and service to the community it represents.
Recently, team sponsor Next Door organised a training session for the Blacktown City Youth men at North Curl Curl Surf Club. It was a great opportunity for the boys from the west to venture surfside!
