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HAIRY WEEK: Benji Marshall playing Super Rugby for the Blues.

Thursday, April 24

BENJI Marshall arrives back at Sydney airport, having blown full-time on his brief dalliance with the game they allegedly play in heaven.

Personally, I smell a rat.

I simply can’t accept that Benji was not good enough to make the grade in the 15-man code.

Let’s face it, you hardly need to be an elite athlete to play rugby, as Matt Dunning proved during his 45 Tests for the Wallabies.

Take my Seven Days substitute of the past two weeks, James Gardiner, as a case in point. Jiggy bears an uncanny resemblance to Winnie the Pooh yet played his fair share of first grade in the Newcastle and Hunter competition, including featuring in a premiership-winning squad with his beloved Wanderers. I remember once asking one of his teammates what were Jig’s attributes, and he replied: ‘‘He’s a good scrummager.’’

Enough said.

Benji, presumably, is not much of a scrummager. But he certainly ticks every other box that should have made him a rah-rah superstar – he can kick penalty goals, field goals, boot it over the sideline on the full and looks good in a tweed jacket with chinos.

Yet here he is, back in Sydney, apparently ready to start filling out forms at Centrelink.

Somehow I can’t buy this speculation that he wants to join Cronulla. The Sharks are stoney motherless and ASADA haven’t even started rubbing blokes out yet. My suspicions are further raised when Sydney Swans loose cannon Buddy Franklin crashes his Jeep into four parked cars.

Strikes me as a blatant publicity stunt to sabotage the imminent announcement that Benji has signed for the GWS Giants.

Friday, April 25

ST George Illawarra are reduced to the role of cannon fodder in their annual Anzac Day battle with the Chooks, who come out all guns blazing in a 34-14 blitzkrieg.

In Brisbane, South Sydney’s Greg Inglis leaves seven Brisbane defenders in his wake in a devastating surge to the try line that starts deep in his own end of the field.

Commentators and fans are soon debating other memorable individual tries of modern times. A few stick in my mind – Brett Mullins racing the full length of the field against the Knights in 1994, a remarkable 65-metre effort from Danny Wicks against the Roosters in 2008, and an iconic Eric Grothe special in a 1983 semi-final.

I was sitting on the SCG hill, cheering for the Bulldogs, when the man they call ‘‘Guru’’ ploughed through six defenders to score.

It is listed on Youtube as ‘‘the greatest try ever scored’’ and for 31 years I have held a similar opinion. Now GI gives me cause to reconsider.

WATCH THE GURU’STRYHERE:

Saturday, April 26

I’M listening to Triple M’s commentary in the car and Joey Johns, Girds and company reveal that the word ‘‘Manu’’ is Tongan for ‘‘animal’’ or ‘‘beast’’.

Hence, Manu ‘‘the Beast’’ Vatuvei.

It also seems appropriate in their discussions about another fearsome figure, Penrith’s Sika Manu, and the new Parramatta forward, Manu Ma’u, who has an equally wild look in his eye.

On the subject of large, dangerous creatures, they call Tony Williams the ‘‘T-Rex’’ but too often he seems more like a brontosaurus, lumbering around and apparently intent on avoiding confrontation.

Williams is one of the most maligned players in the NRL, but one split second of Canterbury’s 16-12 win against the Knights at ANZ Stadium is a reminder of how much damage a T-Rex can wreak when in the mood.

With scores locked 4-all, Williams receives the ball, looks up, and for once does not pass it, instead making a beeline for the smallest defender in front of him, Jarrod Mullen.

It is hardly a fair fight. T-Rex, with a 30-kilo weight advantage, powers straight through Mullo’s attempted tackle.

He then kindly donates a ‘‘meat pie’’ to the only beast in the NRL jungle bigger than a dinosaur, Sam ‘‘Dogzilla’’ Kasiano.

Sunday, April 27

I READ with interest in the news pages of a Sunday paper about a bloke who has paid $8000 to have a ‘‘facial hair transplant’’ because he believes his beard is ‘‘too patchy’’.

This gets me to thinking about the return of whiskers as a rugby league fashion statement.

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the game was blessed with some outstanding beards.

Crusher Cleal, Graeme O’Grady, Ray Price, George Peponis, Geoff Robinson and Kerry Hemsley, for starters.

Sadly, during the ’90s and early 2000s it seemed the razor gang ruled supreme. A bloke like Kirk Reynoldson was considered a crazy character simply because he adopted the bushranger look.

Then a few years back Manly’s David Williams became a household name simply by transforming into the ‘‘Wolfman’’.

Nowadays it seems there are more players in the NRL sporting facial fuzz than ever. If you don’t have a beard and a sleeve tattoo, you need to play a different game.

Monday, April 28

ARL chairman John Grant wears a beard but that is apparently his lone connection to the game he once played.

That is the only logical conclusion to be drawn after a news bulletin highlights Grant’s performance in announcing the Aussie team for the trans-Tasman Test.

He declares Paul Gallen plays for the ‘‘Cronulla-Sutherland Hawks’’ and Daly Cherry Evans for the ‘‘Manly-Warringah Seagulls’’.

One of your best, John.

The foot-in-mouth faux pas draws unflattering comparisons with last year’s blooper from NRL chief executive Dave Smith, who didn’t know a Benji Barba from a Ben Marshall at the season launch.

But at least Smithy is just a Welsh banker (that’s not rhyming slang, by the way) who had never been to a footy game in his life before he replaced David Gallop, not a former Test player.

Tuesday, April 29

CHAIRMAN Grant sheepishly admits he has ‘‘no idea’’ how the Hawks and Seagulls popped into his head to make a goose of him.

“It’s ridiculous,’’ he says. ‘‘There’s no explanation other than to acknowledge a total error.

“I feel very uncomfortable about it in terms of Manly and Cronulla. It’s just an error that I’m sorry I made. It’s not where I want to be as a person.”

Meanwhile, on the subject of ‘‘total errors’’, the Knights stand down young prop Zane Tetevano indefinitely after police charge him with allegedly punching a taxi’s windscreen.

Knights officials announce in a statement that ‘‘the club will review Tetevano’s position internally’’.

Sounds painful.

Wednesday, April 30

SEVEN Days has received a truckload of abusive, hand-written letters over the years from a reader I call the ‘‘Maitland Maniac’’, but today’s takes the cake.

Apparently livid that yours truly (unsuccessfully) tipped the Knights to beat the Bulldogs last weekend, the Maniac mails me a redbelly with the instructions: ‘‘Here’s $20 those f—ing [expletives] the Newcastle Knights DON’T make the finals this year.’’

He proceeds to refer to your columnist with a barrage of adjectives that do not bear repeating in the pages of a family newspaper.

There are a few fundamental problems with The Maniac’s $20 wager.

First, I’m not expecting the Knights to make the finals this year. And even if I was, I’d have to say the Maniac’s odds are a tad stingy.

The bookies are offering $3.25 for Newcastle to make the top eight, and $1.30 for them to miss out. The Maniac seems to reckon an even-money bet is fair and square.

So without wanting to disappoint my old mate, I’ll be giving Maniac TAB a wide berth.

I’d put the $20 in an envelope and return it but, as usual, the letter is unsigned and includes no address.

I guess that means I’ll have to donate it to a worthy cause – such as Dan Murphy’s, for instance – and just hope that ICAC don’t find out.

Mick CrawleyTHE Knights are stuck at the wrong end of the NRL ladder with two wins from eight games but the club’s two lower-grade teams are flying high at the top of the table.

Unbeaten after eight rounds with seven wins and a draw, Newcastle’s under 20s (15 points) are three clear of their nearest National Youth Cup rivals Parramatta and St George Illawarra (both 12), and already defeated 2013 runners-up Canberra twice and premiers Penrith once.

Sports betting agency TAB南京夜网.au installed the Knights as $4.50 favourites to win the NYC premiership, ahead of the Eels ($7), Dragons and Roosters (both $8) and Panthers ($9).

In his third season at the club, coach Mick Crawley has a star-studded line-up to work with and three of his players – fullback Jake Mamo, centre Sione Mata’utia and halfback Jaelen Feeney – will show their skills in the interstate under 20s game at Penrith on Saturday.

Mamo, who filled in for injured winger Akuila Uate in Newcastle’s past two NRL games, and Mata’utia were named in the NSW backline, while Feeney will steer the Queensland ship.

Knights halves coach Kevin Walters will be in charge of the young Maroons.

A South Newcastle junior, and the youngest of four brothers who still play (Pat and Chanel) or used to play (Peter) for the Knights, 17-year-old Mata’utia is chasing a winning hat-trick in NSW colours.

He was a member of the NSW under 16s side who defeated Queensland before the State of Origin series-opener at Etihad Stadium in 2012 then scored two tries in the Blues’ 56-6 mauling of the Maroons in the under 18s curtain-raiser before Origin II at Suncorp last year.

The Knights signed 19-year-old Feeney from the Bulldogs at the end of last season.

Coach Rick Stone’s NSW Cup team surged to the top of the table on points difference with a 44-12 rout of the Dogs at Belmore on Saturday.

Newcastle are in a three-way tie with Wentworthville Magpies and Wests Tigers on 12 points but have a superior for-and-against points differential of plus 69.

The Knights have lost just twice this season, to Canberra’s feeder team Mounties and will try to consolidate their share of the lead when they take on Wentworthville in a top-of-the-table tussle at Ringrose Park at 3pm on Sunday.

Paying $6, the Knights are third pick for the NSW Cup title with TAB南京夜网.au, behind equal favourites Cronulla and Penrith (both $4.50).

It will be a busy weekend for Stone, who will coach Fiji in the Pacific Test against Samoa at Sportingbet Stadium on Saturday before backing up with the Knights on Sunday.

■ Knights forwards Korbin Sims (Fiji) and David Fa’alogo (Samoa) will get the chance to bang heads in the Pacific Test at Penrith.

Coming off the bench and playing 33 minutes each, Sims (17 runs for 146 metres) and Fa’alogo (16 runs for 150m), were two of Newcastle’s more effective forwards in their 16-12 loss to Canterbury at ANZ Stadium last Saturday.

Speaking before the Bulldogs match, Sims said he would have liked to have appeared in more than the 12 games he played in his debut season last year, but with hindsight appreciated the way coach Wayne Bennett used him sparingly.

‘‘It made me more hungry coming into this season,’’ Sims said. ‘‘I think I’m starting to show that with my impact off the bench.’’

Friends and former Knights teammates Kevin Naiqama (Fiji) and Peter Mata’utia (Samoa) will also square off in the Pacific Test, which will determine which team join Australia, New Zealand and England in the Four Nations at the end of the season.

■ Harold Matthews (under 16s) minor premiers Newcastle will play Canterbury at St Marys at 2.30pm on Saturday for the right to play either Souths or Penrith in the grand final.

The Knights had a week off after they beat Canberra 38-24 in a qualifying final and the Dogs qualified when they beat Balmain 20-16 at St Marys on Saturday.

Newcastle bowed out of the SG Ball (under 18s) finals when beaten 36-28 by Penrith in an elimination semi-final at St Marys last Saturday.

■ The Carlson Club fund-raiser for Alex McKinnon, scheduled for Newcastle Jockey Club tomorrow week, was pushed back until late next month. Some of the club’s major sponsors could not attend the original date.

GOOD CAUSE: Cessnock’s Al Lantry and Kurri’s Justin Peterkin hold up the fundraising jersey. THE Kurri Kurri Bulldogs and Cessnock Goannas are intrinsically linked to the coal industry. Many of their fans, sponsors and players rely heavily on the black rock and the money it generates.

So when Austar’s Paxton mine collapsed on April 15 and killed Jamie Mitchell, 49, and Phillip Grant, 35, it cut to the core of both clubs.

On Saturday the Bulldogs and Goannas will set aside their intense rivalry to launch a combined jersey to raise money to support the Mitchell and Grant families.

Two half-Kurri, half-Cessnock jerseys have been created. One will be signed by first-grade players from both sides and auctioned after Saturday’s game at Kurri.

The other, signed by coalfields sons and Knights legends Mark Hughes, Andrew and Matthew Johns and St George great Eddie Lumsden, will be raffled.

The deaths of Mitchell and Grant have been particularly emotional for Kurri prop Justin Peterkin.

The man they call ‘‘Bump’’ worked in the same crew as Mitchell and Grant.

‘‘It is quite close to home,’’ Peterkin said.

‘‘I’d swapped shifts to play football on the Thursday night against Maitland, so I was actually on night shift and I was on the surface when the calls were coming in.’’

Three-quarters of the Kurri and Cessnock first-grade squads on Saturday work in the mining industry.

Cessnock president David Woodbury also works at Austar and has been personally affected by the tragedy.

‘‘When you’re on different crews you don’t have a lot to do with them, but I’ve known Jamie for over 20 years,’’ Woodbury said. ‘‘He played junior footy at Cessnock and was a keen supporter and would come and have a beer and follow the players.’’

The usually spiteful rivalry between the clubs has been replaced by a spirit of co-operation this week.

‘‘David Woodbury from Cessnock has been excellent in the support he’s thrown behind it,’’ Peterkin said.

‘‘Obviously I know [Cessnock coach Steve Kidd] Kiddie personally and he’s been right behind it as well.’’

Woodbury said he hoped to continue the fund-raising effort when Cessnock Sportsground host the second derby on June 28.

NEWCASTLE BMX rider Rachel Jones will take a nothing-to-lose attitude into her campaign today for the last position on the Australian team for the world titles.

Jones will debut in the elite open division of the Australian championships when they begin at Shepparton in Victoria today after two days of practice.

The 18-year-old needs a standout performance at nationals to have a chance of gaining the fourth and final place on the Australian team for the world titles in July in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

If she gets on the podium, Jones will likely head to Berlin in June for a World Cup event to satisfy world titles selection criteria and hope she gets the nod.

Despite facing a make-or-break test at Shepparton, Jones said she was not feeling under pressure.

‘‘I’ll need to do quite well but this is my first year in the elite women’s division and I’ve really got nothing to lose this week,’’ Jones said. ‘‘I’m just going to go all out, give it everything and, if I get a result, well then great. The experience I get will always be a win.’’

She is in her first year against the likes of world champion Caroline Buchanan, but the 2013 national junior champion has recorded second and fifth placings in national series rounds in Queensland and Western Australia.

‘‘I know my capabilities,’’ she said. ‘‘I may not have the experience of the other girls, but I now have the ability and I’ll be aiming to get on the podium.’’

Her results are reward for the sacrifices the Lake Macquarie BMX Club rider has made over the past two months since moving away from her family and friends to train full-time on the Gold Coast at the Australian Institute of Sport.

‘‘It’s a big move and it’s not easy, but I needed to do it to do what I want in the sport,’’ she said.

After this weekend, Jones is aiming to gain more international experience as she builds towards her ultimate goal, an Olympic Games berth.

ABILITY: Rachel Jones on the track during the junior world championships in Auckland last year. Picture: Getty Images

FENTON Coull remembers people suggesting he would be bored when he was appointed general manager of the Newcastle and Hunter Rugby Union.

Coull spent 16 years at Tennis Australia where, among a host of roles, he was Davis Cup team manager in the golden era of Pat Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt and the Woodies.

‘‘They thought going from a national/international role that I would be bored,’’ Coull said. ‘‘It has been anything but boring.

‘‘It doesn’t matter what level of sport you are at, everyone wants the best, everyone wants answers and everyone wants improvement.’’

Coull blew full-time yesterday after almost six years at the NHRU.

During his tenure the union improved its financial position, hosted the region’s first Test match, moved into new headquarters at the redeveloped No.2 Sportsground and won five straight country championship titles.

‘‘When you look back, there have been a number of achievements, but you always want more,’’ Coull said.

‘‘I am fairly pleased with the financial shape the union is in. Sponsorship is way up.’’

‘‘It was good to have the first full Test in Newcastle and then the British Lions.

‘‘We only missed out on a high-level game one year.

‘‘Moving into No.2 Sportsground, I was a small part of that project.

‘‘I guess one of the aims I had was to try and get the NHRU closer to the clubs.

‘‘It is a very difficult task. The governing body is always looked at suspiciously.

‘‘I might have ticked some of the boxes with some of the clubs, but I feel I haven’t ticked that box completely.’’

Coull admitted the bitter battle between Easts and the NHRU, which resulted in the club being axed from premier rugby then reinstated after mediation ordered by the Supreme Court, was the biggest and most testing issue.

‘‘It was my first day on the job,’’ he said.

‘‘I went to the board meeting that night and premier rugby went from 11 teams to 10. I didn’t realise the magnitude of the decision at the time.

‘‘I thought we will just get on with it, but there were a few hurdles.’’

The increased vitriol and animosity between clubs recently has also caused Coull concern, but overall he has enjoyed the role.

‘‘I have been fortunate to work with and meet the great majority of local rugby people, who are supportive of and hard working for our local game,’’ he said.

After helping new general manager Shelley Youman ease into the role this week, Coull is looking forward to playing more lawn bowls and travelling with wife Judy.

‘‘I nearly went to a Davis Cup tie this year,’’ Coull said.

‘‘I want to go back and be a spectator.’’

On the rise: Former Sydney FC skipper Mark Rudan has been earning his stripes coaching Sydney United. Photo: Brendan EspositoThe likes of Graham Arnold, Holger Osieck and Mark Rudan are among those shortlisted for the job of Sydney FC coach.

The club says it is well advanced in its search for Frank Farina’s replacement.

Sydney FC are yet to formally contact any of those on their wishlist but it is understood that Osieck, a former Socceroos coach, has emerged as a candidate alongside former Mariners coach Arnold and Rudan, the inaugural Sydney captain.

Osieck is understood to still be living in Sydney following his dismissal from his position as Australia coach in October and is fondly viewed of by some of those involved in FC’s hiring process.

Arnold remains one of the main candidates and will begin formal negotiations with the Sky Blues once he returns from holiday.

Meanwhile, fan favourite Rudan has been confirmed as one of the coaches on the shortlist.

The club has fast-tracked the services of incoming director Han Berger to advise the board throughout the process of finding a new coach. It is understood the club wants to hire a new coach on a multi-year deal as part of establishing a long-term football philosophy that will help its yet-to-be built youth academy.

Agents have been bombarded with CVs from applicants for the top job at Moore Park, among them coaches from Italy and Portugal.

Sydney FC chief executive Tony Pignata confirmed the club will open talks with some of those on their shortlist in the coming weeks but said the board has not set a deadline for making an appointment.

“We are well under way in the recruitment process of a new head coach and we have shortlisted a number of candidates, both from overseas and here in Australia,” Pignata said.

“We are commencing discussions with some of the shortlisted candidates. No strict timeline has been set for finalising this process but it is well advanced and is the club’s No.1 priority.”

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

Tom Staniforth has been named captain of the Australian under 20s. Photo: Jeffrey ChanBigger, stronger and faster – Canberra teenager Tom Staniforth has stacked on almost 10 kilograms in the past year to chase his Super Rugby dream and he’s about to be rewarded with his first professional contract.

Staniforth, 19, continued his remarkable rise through the ranks when he captained the Australian under-20s team to a 34-5 win against Samoa on Wednesday.

The towering lock is also on the verge of signing a two-year deal with the ACT Brumbies , less than a month after he made his Super Rugby debut.

The Brumbies and Staniforth are in the final stages of negotiations to add the former Canberra Boys Grammar student to their roster for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Staniforth proved he could handle Super Rugby when he was thrust into a brutal initiation against the Queensland Reds earlier this month, after the Brumbies put him on a supplementary contract as injury cover.

The shy second-rower has been training with the Brumbies part-time for the past two years after graduating from the Australian schoolboy ranks.

In that period he’s added nine kilograms and two centimetres to his frame as he strives to reach his Super Rugby goal.

Now at 113 kilograms and 198 centimetres, Staniforth’s physical transformation is clear in his profile pictures from the past two years and he credits “mum’s cooking” for his ability to bulk up.

“They [the Brumbies] told me I needed to put on weight but mum’s cooking is probably the major factor in my weight gain,” Staniforth said.

“The mixed grill is the favourite – steak, sausages, rissoles, a bit of gravy and mash only.

“I think I’m still growing, I like to think I’ve got a bit left in me and I think 115 kilograms is about the ideal weight but if I put on too much more I’ll be a walker.

“I’m not really sure what’s happening with Super Rugby, if I look too far ahead I get bogged down so I’m not looking at that.”

Staniforth is the leading candidate to lead the Australian under-20s team to the world championships in June.

He has impressed his Brumbies teammates, earning high praise from skipper Ben Mowen and Wallabies star David Pocock.

Staniforth says his only focus is on securing selection in the under-20s team and helping Royals in their Canberra John I Dent Cup campaign.

But Brumbies and Wallabies prop Ben Alexander said Staniforth had unlimited potential.

“It all comes down to his attitude, the kid trains his absolute backside off,” Alexander said.

“He’s willing to learn, we give him some stick but that’s because we love him and he fits right in.

“The Brumbies pride themselves on work ethic and he’s got that in bucket loads. He’s starting to get some pay for all that hard work, hopefully it gives him even more confidence he can mix it with the best. The sky’s the limit for him.”

Former Brumbies coach and World Cup-winning mentor Jake White added Staniforth to the ACT training squad last year.

“He’s [Staniforth] another success story of how the club has moved on and on and on,” White said.

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

Tony Abbott having morning tea at the ACT Carers ACT Headquarters in Canberra in 2012. Photo: Alex EllinghausenBusiness people have been offered the chance to hear from Prime Minister Tony Abbott over bacon and eggs and sip tea with senior staff – but doing so will cost a cool $11,000 per person.

The offer comes as the NSW branch of the party has been left reeling by the resignation of Barry O’Farrell as premier after he failed to declare a $3000 bottle of wine given to him by lobbyist Nick di Girolamo.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption has heard a slew of allegations levelled at state-based Liberal MPs including former minister Chris Hartcher, prompting new Premier Mike Baird to promise he would throw the book at wrongdoers and flag a move towards public funding of elections in the state.

The offer to ”business observers” includes a breakfast with the Prime Minister, the chance to mingle with ministers, receive briefings on the state of the Senate and have afternoon tea with chiefs of staff.

A ticket to a policy luncheon – which sells separately for $250 – is also part of the $11,000 package, which falls just short of the $12,000 limit at which donations must be declared to the Australian Electoral Commission.

The offer comes directly from Liberal Party federal director Brian Loughnane and is billed as an exclusive chance to rub shoulders with some of the party’s most senior people.

The package is offered as part of the 57th annual Liberal federal council meeting, on June 27.

In an email to potential attendees, Mr Loughnane writes: ”Senior Ministers and party officials will take part in the briefing, which will also include a breakfast on Friday morning addressed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.”

Labor attracted criticism while in government for running business observer programs.

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This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

On a day Basketball Australia said its chief executive was leaving, and the AFL confirmed the date of Andrew Demetriou’s departure, Melbourne Tigers coach Chris Anstey had this hope for his sport.

“Hey Andrew Demitriou [sic], any coincidence that AFL announces Gillan [sic] the day BA CEO opens up? We’ll teach you the sport, you teach us to run it,” Anstey tweeted.

That’s unlikely to happen for several reasons, not the least being Demetriou has a no-compete clause for a year.

Former NSW premier Kristina Keneally on Wednesday quit as boss of BA so she can spend more time with her teenage children. She became chairwoman of Basketball Australia in 2011 and was made CEO in August, 2012.

Keneally had been given a leave of absence from January 1 to June 30 for a reason not made public.

”I would have loved to have continued in the role, but the reality is that the demands of the job – particularly the travel demands – are not compatible with my changed family circumstances,” she said. “It is with much sadness that I resign, but at a personal level, this is the right decision.”

As BA begins a search for a new chief, NBL Players Association chief Jacob Holmes has taken aim at the league’s player value points system. Clubs must adhere to a maximum number of 70 points, released this week, and a salary cap.

“We have a system that is not allowing us to retain players in our league. It’s also affecting players’ lives,” Holmes said.

“The players are worried about the impact it’s having on the viability of the league. The NBLPA has expressed alarm over the latest points rankings, which sees four of the eight teams over the points limit, meaning the careers and livelihoods of players have been placed in jeopardy.”

The four teams now having to juggle their roster are defending champion Perth, runner-up Adelaide, New Zealand and the Tigers.

“The NBLPA has hardened its resolve to bring an end to the system which unjustly interferes with players’ careers and undermines the interests of key stakeholders at a time when the NBL is administering bold expansion plans and a marketing restructuring of the league,” Holmes said.

The Tigers, meanwhile, have given playmaker Nate Tomlinson a two-year contract extension and forward Lucas Walker a one-year deal.

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

TODAY, May 1, is recognised as the International Day of the Worker, more commonly known as May Day.

The origins of May Day are found in the brutal assault by Chicago police in 1886 against workers who were demonstrating for the eight-hour day.

On that day, an estimated 54 people died while protesting for better work conditions that we take for granted.

Of course, here in the Hunter, we also have a long history of labour activism, fighting for improved conditions, decent jobs and a safe workplace.

And right now, the Hunter region faces a jobs crisis on a scale which we haven’t seen since the closure of BHP almost a decade ago.

Currently, there are 4000 jobs under threat in the shipbuilding and rail manufacturing sectors in our region.

And unlike the BHP closure, this is a crisis entirely of the NSW and federal governments’ making.

In shipbuilding, 1000 workers face an uncertain future because Tony Abbott stubbornly refuses to bring naval contracts forward to avoid the dreaded ‘‘valley of death’’. In NSW, the government has announced a $6billion commitment to build new trains, buses and ferries, but will not commit to building them at our world-class facilities in the Hunter. This jeopardises 3000 jobs.

Earlier this week, new Minister for the Hunter, Gladys Berejiklian, visited our region. Despite the crisis that the region faces, the minister had no announcements to make about train contracts in the Hunter. I assume that this is what we can continue to expect from a Minister for the Hunter from Sydney.

The real problem for the NSW government is that, electorally, the Hunter matters. And even if the prospect of 4000 job losses is not enough to get them moving, the prospect of losing the four marginal seats in the region at the election in March 2015 might just do the trick.

It’s why AMWU members and supporters have launched a campaign to change the government’s mind in the lead-up to the NSW election.

Because we know that every lost job and every factory closure is a family and community tragedy.

We try to measure the effect of every closure in terms of direct jobs lost, tax revenue foregone, and skills lost.

It’s the things we can’t measure that seem, to me, more powerful. We can’t measure the lost opportunities for young school leavers to get apprenticeships, engineering cadetships or a steady job and the confidence that would give their worried families.

We don’t have figures on the families who are dislocated as they leave their communities hunting for jobs, or the families that break down under the pressure of uncertain income and the indignity of unemployment.

It’s for this reason, 128 years after the Chicago tragedy, AMWU members will walk off the job at midday today and rally in the centre of Newcastle. They won’t face the kind of assault that Chicago workers did on that fateful day in 1886, nor will they be fighting for the same conditions. But the values that underpinned the struggle of 1886, the values of fairness, equality, and prosperity for all, will also form the bedrock of our campaign for an economy everyone can be a part of.

Tim Ayres is NSW secretary ofthe Australian ManufacturingWorkers Union