Copy of May 2011 - Lazyfish Technology

May 2011 Kangaroo Valley Voice www.kangaroovalley.nsw.au Page 25
Who would I ask to dinner
(Continued from page 15)
Who I would ask for dinner
Rosemary Stanton
As someone who tries to convince people to
take action on health, I’d invite some
inspirational people who have kept struggling
until their commonsense ideas were accepted
by the powers of the day.
They include:
Captain James Lind
This Scottish naval surgeon conducted one of
the first careful experiments to see how he
could prevent scurvy.
Among the remedies commonly believed to be
effective, he trialled seawater; cider vinegar; an
elixir of vitriol; a mixture of garlic, mustard
seed, balsam and gum myrrh; and citrus fruits.
Only the fruit worked.
Lind wrote a treatise on the topic in 1753 and
after 40 years of persuasion on his part, the
government of the day finally accepted it.
Captain Cook stuck his neck out and followed
Lind’s advice and kept his sailors free from
scurvy.
Dr John Snow
A true pioneer, Snow was the eldest of nine
children and studied to become a surgeon.
He was one of the first doctors to use ether and
chloroform as an anaesthetic and personally
gave chloroform to Queen Victoria.
Snow was also sceptical of the idea that
cholera was caused by ‘bad air’.
He identified the source of cholera as a public
water pump and when the authorities didn’t
believe him, he persuaded the local council to
remove the handle from the pump.
The epidemic stopped.
Kamal Kar
An Indian man who currently works on the
Community-led Total Sanitation (CTLS) project
which has improved sanitation in 43 countries by
focusing on the behavioural change needed for
practical and sustainable improvements.
Mr Kar has raised awareness of sanitation
problems at a local community level by
enthusing people to develop local and simple
solutions so they develop feelings of ownership
and sustainability.
I’d sit Kar next to Snow.
Professor Ian Lowe
Ian is currently head of the Australian
Conservation Foundation and Professor of
Science, Technology and Society.
He is also a leading climate change scientist and
produced the first national report on the state of
Australia's environment.
Ian is wise, quietly spoken, and always
respectful, but solid as a rock in his commitment
to change.
I suspect he and Lind would get on well.
The menu
The food would be simple and something that I
could prepare ahead of time, so as not to miss the
scintillating conversation.
I’d serve some finger foods with drinks instead
of a first course – cherry tomatoes stuffed with
pesto, a smoky baba ghanoush and an avocado
dip with colourful vegetables.
For the main course: Moroccan chicken tagine
with chickpeas; green beans with almonds;
roasted rosemary potatoes and a salad picked
from the garden.
Dessert would be peeled and sliced oranges
marinated in Cointreau with caramelised
orange peel.
Editor’s note.
My thanks to our two columnists for their
interesting and thoughtful submissions with
respect to both the choice of guests and the
menu for the dinner.
We are now keen to see the range of options
and choices that our readers can devise.
Entries by e-mail to
thevoice@kangaroovalley.nsw.au or by
post to Kangaroo Valley Voice C/- Post
Office, Kangaroo Valley. NSW 2577
Entries will be received
up until June 15, 2011
Multiple entries are encouraged
to cater for those who wish to have
more than one dinner party.