Page 6 - Tropic Magazine Issue 10

EDITOR’S

LETTER

Gavin King

I’m driving east on Mulgrave Rd eerily quiet January afternoon that you
towards the Cairns CBD, kids in the back, couldn’t let a car merge well ahead in
summer heat blasting off the bitumen. front of you? Was there an extended
I check the side mirror and flick the right Boxing Day sale on cartons of Winnie
indicator on so I can turn into Severin St Blues at the tobacconist? Running late to
and park at the Tropic office. Looking your appointment for a lobotomy, maybe?
over my shoulder to see if it’s safe to
merge, I see there’s plenty of room to slip
across ahead of a white Camry Sedan
travelling along at a steady pace a little I dig deep into an already
further back. I’m ready to drift over.
Ready, that is, until the Camry driver depleted reservoir of
reverts to his inner Neanderthal and hits internalised calm and
the accelerator in a bid to block my diplomacy
attempt to merge. Caveman Joe speeds
up to the extent I have to swerve back
into the middle lane to avoid
side-swiping him.
The buffoon behind the wheel, now doing If I’ve got one wish for Cairns in 2018,
about 70 km/h, is sanguine as he races apart from prosperity, good health and
past without so much as a glance in my safety for all, it’s that we take time to be a
direction. There’s a cigarette dangling little kinder and more forgiving to each
from his mouth and the tinted windows other. Let’s learn to merge,
are wound up as it’s hot outside and the metaphorically speaking.
air-con’s on. I guess he’s not the type to
waste all that perfectly noxious
second-hand smoke, because, you know,
recycling.
Mindful of the innocent children in the
back seat, I dig deep into an already
depleted reservoir of internalised calm
and diplomacy (it's the school holidays, Gavin King
after all) and stop myself blasting the
horn and hurling the worst kinds of P.S. A 12-month subscription to Tropic
profanity and bile in his direction. Of Magazine is just $56, equivalent to a few
course, abusing him wouldn’t make a lick cocktails or a week’s worth of takeaway coffees.
of difference anyway because he’s driving Stay in the loop, support our 100% local focus
in a hermetically sealed, smoke-filled car and get the good stuff delivered in print the
but that’s beside the point. Seriously, old-fashioned way to your letterbox. Visit the
mate, what is so incredibly urgent on this magazine tab on tropicnow.com.au for details.