THE SILENT REVIEW_Vol 1_Issue 1

ISSUE ONE | VOLUME ONE | MAY 2018
THE
SILENT REVIEW
THE UNION WITH A FLIGHT PATH
THE FAAA MEMBERS MAGAZINE
© 2018
MAY 2018 1

FEATURED ARTICLES INSIDE THIS ISSUE
3
32
LETTER FROM THE
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
SECRETARY
In depth article from our
favourite Can Man, Eric Hong
16
36
FAREWELL MY WINGS
QUICK EATS AROUND
THE NETWORK
26
LOU’S BREW
38
MARDI GRAS CELEBRATE
40 YEARS
These and loads more articles,
information and special offers ahead.
The cover photo is thanks to Laurence Dryer
from Sydney. You can follow Laurence on
Instagram and Flickr or find him at
www.laurencedryerphotograph.com
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS’ ASSOCIATION
OF AUSTRALIA INTERNATIONAL DIVISION
20 Ewan Street Mascot NSW 2020 | Email: info@faaa.net
The Silent Review
has been produced for the
entertainment and information of
the FAAA membership. All opinions
and points of view are those of the
contributors and authors alike and
remain their own property. © No
reproduction of any material found
within The Silent Review is
permitted without permission
from the Association.
Telephone: +61 2 8337 1111 | Fax +61 2 8337 1122 Toll free 1800 267 952 | www.faaa.net
2 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

LETTER
FROM THE SECRETARY
By Teri O’Toole
“We understand that the strength of a union will not be found in its
buildings and assets or how much it has in the bank. But its true
wealth is in the solidarity of its members and the trust that they have
in the leadership of the institution”
The old adage of every journey starts with a first
step couldn’t be more true than the personal
journey I have been on as the Secretary of the
FAAA for the last 2 years.
There have been too many highlights to list here
but the stand out for me is the energy and the
engagement you all have for the FAAA.
Our motivation comes from a desire for our
members to feel included in something bigger than
themselves and we understand that the strength of
a union will not be found in its buildings and assets
or how much it has in the bank. But its true wealth
is in the solidarity of its members and the trust that
they have in the leadership of the institution.
We remind ourselves daily of why we are here
and when Lew Jackson a retired CSM and former
FAAA elected official, popped in for a visit a few
weeks back and wanted to thank us for EBA10
I was confused at first until he said he now didn’t
have to drive his wife Penny to the airport anymore
thanks to new boundaries and transport provisions,
it reminded me that the benefits we achieve don’t
stop at just our members.
I now get to welcome you to the first edition of
The Silent Review (thanks Gonzo for the name).
The FAAA magazine written by crew and for crew.
Our vision is that the magazine will grow and
expand into whatever you, the members want it to
be. It will be driven by your ideas, your views and
your experiences.
We wanted to celebrate all things Cabin Crew in
this publication, because we have one of the most
unique jobs in the world and we should all be
proud to call ourselves cabin crew.
As always to the elected officials, Staff and info reps
who work so hard for members, I want to again say
thank you, and a special thank you to our QCCA
elected official Matthew Allsop who has brought his
own unique brand of sparkle to this magazine
as Editor.
So find somewhere to relax and start THE SILENT
REVIEW!!!
In Unity,
Cheers
Teri
MAY 2018 3

INDUSTRIAL
NEWS
By Steven Reed - Industrial Officer
One of the enduring challenges for Industrial Organisations like the FAAA is one
of relevance. Over the last two years, the FAAA has undergone what can be best
described as a renaissance in terms of its relevance to an ever changing member
demographic and geographic spread.
The use of social media has elevated the membership
knowledge about their EBA and major issues as well
as day to day matters to new heights. Whilst there may
have been a level of reticence on the part of the FAAA
in the past, to have members so involved in the minutiae
of day to day FAAA activities; the new leadership and
direction has actually provided a level of transparency
and re- ‐engagement with our membership.
Whilst as an organization the elected officials and
staff have always had a busy schedule of issues; the
transparency of social media and the visibility to all has
led to greater levels of appreciation by the membership
of the amount of work done by a small boutique union.
No other union in Australia and quite possibly the
world, services its members like the FAAA does. Our
24 hour emergency contact, Social Media platforms like
reporting applications, and Facebook provide an almost
seamless accountability and support to our members.
Our Facebook page is like a 24 hours a day town hall
meeting where everyone gets a say, and gets to listened
to others and at the same time often assist each other.
The Elected officials and staff are incredibly gratified to
see these platforms providing respectful and harmonious
discussion where everyone’s views are valued.
FAAA membership is at an all time high and is a
testament to the relevance of the FAAA to members.
The bosses in the airlines know the level of FAAA
membership too and that gives the FAAA and its
member’s additional respect and means that the FAAA
speaks with far greater authority.
Our target is always 100% membership because we
want everyone to get the benefit of being part of
something greater than themselves alone.
The FAAA and the union movement has a long history
of achievements for crew and I would just like to
mention a few things that we take for granted.
• Equality for women for promotion and being allowed
to have children and get married and stay employed.
If not for brave men and women standing up, women
had to retire at 35 or when they got married and
heaven forbid a child out of wedlock!
• Superannuation years before most in Australia got it by
law under a Labor government.
• Maternity Leave and Paternity leave and now simple
Parental Leave
• Long Service Leave
• Access to Part- time for everyone
• Workers Compensation.
Whilst many look at employment conditions and think
they are just 'there', every single condition has been
achieved by employees and their unions standing up
and negotiating or fighting through industrial action to
achieve them.
Don't be complacent and believe they will always be
there. They can be taken away much easier than they
were achieved. Your solidarity and membership is the
only thing that helps us maintain and improve.
4 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

FAAA
WHERE DID WE
COME FROM
By Greg Broome – QAL Councillor
Flight Attendants have been around for a long time in various capacities and known
by different names over many years. As airlines have come and gone in Australia
one thing has been constant and that is the voice of a well organised union that has
its members’ best interest at heart.
In the case of Qantas, The Flight Stewards Association and
The Flight Hostesses Association came out of the growth
in aviation after World War 2, but it took a while to get
some traction.
Airline Cabin Crew were very poorly paid and worked
under ordinary conditions in Australia until 1974 when
a claim for a dedicated award for International Flight
Stewards was handed down by the Arbitration Commission.
This created a platform for growth of wages and conditions
we still work off today.
As Enterprise Bargaining Agreements came to industrial
relations in 1991 to determine wages and conditions the
now ‘Australian International Cabin Crew Association’
(AICCA) was at the forefront of adapting to this new IR
world. In fact the association was very adept at these type
of negotiations and made good headway in improving
international aircrew wages and conditions.
The AICCA became the FAAA International Division in
the 1990s joining with our domestic colleagues to forge
common ground for all Cabin Crew in Australia regardless
of employer. It was this joint approach that assisted
our colleagues at Ansett recover the majority of their
entitlements (over time) after the regretful closure of that
iconic carrier.
A major change in rostering, being the implementation of
the seniority based bidding system in 1988 saw dramatic
changes to the way Qantas crew were allocated work
and hours flown. The AICCA objected to a number of
what they perceived to be inadequacies in this primarily
North American bid system and fought strongly against
its implementation. It was supported by the international
branch of the domestic division (numbering about 400
crew as opposed to the AICCA membership of around
1300) but an Arbitration Commission decision forced
the change.
Various EBAs over the years have seen changes that
have benefited both members and employers (the
premise behind Enterprise Bargaining) but not all have
gone smoothly.
When trans pacific flying was being introduced there were
no bunks, transport or minimum rest. Your predecessors
had to stop work, march on the arbitration commission
to demand a hearing on the new type of flying. Those
conditions were won through that action.
When crew meal allowances were to be cut by 33%
again crew stopped work until they were reinstated and in
EBA 6 when Qantas refused to honour an agreement from
EBA 5, again crew stopped work to have that rectified.
Not all Industrial negotiations go smoothly but we are
fortunate in our industry that on the majority of occasions
disputes can be settled without too much disruption
but it should be noted that when needed members of the
cabin crew unions have stood up for their rights with a
positive result.
We all work under what are known as enterprise
agreements, i.e. agreements made with the employer of
those crew, therefore being part of a union that works for
all Australian Cabin Crew is critical to all our futures.
The lesson here is that the wages and conditions we work
under are not, and never will be, handed out by benevolent
employers but won through hard work and negotiation by
those who have gone before us and those who represent us
now backed by a strong membership base.
MAY 2018 5

LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT
By Rebecca Maclean – QCCA councillor
Making the decision to prepare for a leadership role is not to be taken lightly.
It can be time consuming, stressful and challenging and that’s just the application
process! We all know that our OBM’s put in plenty of effort and often that effort goes
well beyond what’s in the actual job description. So it’s important that you are armed
with knowledge prior to applying.
From past experience the process has
been highly competitive, none more
so than now. We’ve heard many and
varied reasons for choosing to pursue
an on board management role like
needing a new challenge, natural
career progression and even financial
benefit. The recent influx of new crew
has also prompted some of our existing
members to begin that next step where
they believe they can have a direct
and positive influence on our work
environment. All are relevant and good
reasons to begin a new and exciting
career journey.
At the FAAA we’ve heard the
“crewmour” that QAL crew aren’t
applying for leadership roles because
they are a higher cost base. This is
simply not true. Work group and cost
has nothing to do with promotion and
we want to put this to bed permanently.
We don’t want any of our members
to miss out on opportunity because of
galley gossip. We want to assist you to
feel ready to embark on this challenge,
feel empowered by what’s required
by way of preparation, knowledge of
the role, the interview and application
process. Qantas has sole discretion
of whom it promotes and the FAAA
has no influence (nor should it) of the
applications and there is no appeals
process. However, we as always keep
an eye on fair process. By way of
example, in the rounds of OBM
upgrades prior to 2018, there was a very
high success rate for QAL candidates.
In fact, more QAL were awarded the
CSM role than QCCA (13 QAL and 12
QCCA) and for the CSS category out of
229 initial applications (201 QCCA and
38 QAL) QAL statistically had a higher
success rate than QCCA (26% QAL
and 17% QCCA).
So, what if you have applied before
and were unsuccessful? What can you
do differently this time around? What
if you are new to the process and have
absolutely no idea where to start? How
can you be prepared and what can
you do to ensure you are in the top 10
applications? Well, the FAAA listened
to our members and we are here to
support you.
Lets not shy away from the fact that
some of what you will need to do will
be in your own time and potentially
take more than a few months of
preparation. There are plenty of crew
out there putting in extra effort to
achieve a successful promotion.
They are trying to differentiate
themselves from other candidates.
This is typically not unlike applying
for positions in other organisations, a
lot of preparation is done out of work
to achieve success and a lot of the
experience and knowledge you learn
can be used to assist outside the world
of flying in the future. In the past many
of our members have gone on to do
some pretty exciting stuff by beginning
this leadership process. If you prepare
early, the work you put in will have less
impact on your day to day life. There is
really no point in running around madly
trying to get all your ducks in a row at
the last minute. You will get far more
benefit by being relaxed, organized and
professional.
Last year the FAAA ran 3 days of
Leadership Forums. More than a 100
members attended in person and
another 40 dialled in via zoom
conferencing. We have committed to
running more workshops this year and
we’ve already begun discussions with
the company on their requirements and
specifically what they are looking for
in an applicant so that we can tailor the
workshop content to be relevant and
include sessions on what the interview
process will look like.
6 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

In the meantime, here are some things
you can do to have a fighting chance for
success given the competitive nature of
the application.
Firstly, and most importantly, you need
to ensure that you and your SPM are
on the same page about your interest
in pursuing future OBM upgrades.
Develop a relationship with them!
These managers are the ones who will
have to endorse your application.
It’s all well and good to show you are a
“role model” flight attendant but so are
so many others! You want your SPM to
think of you for any opportunities that
arise to further your development. Show
them your interested, keen and want to
make a difference.
Visit The Terminal, there’s plenty of
easy to access material and resources
to assist you in your career progression.
Click on My Employment for the
following:-
• Cabin Crew Career Paths gives you
information on each OBM role
including the Qantas group beliefs,
brand values and our service promise.
• The Career Navigation Toolkit
assists you to have confidence to
successfully market yourself in
the recruitment process
• Career Planning assists you in
identifying your skills, talents, values
and needs when it comes to career
progression.
• Other valuable reading material on
leadership essentials and workbooks
are available for you to read and
complete at your leisure.
There are plenty of other ways to get
involved, promote change and show
some leadership. Have you recently
filled out a CCSIR or share critical?
I often hear crew onboard who have
fantastic ideas about how to improve
on service delivery, safety or even cut
down on wastage.
Don’t be afraid to email relevant
departments with your ideas! Cc in your
manger in the correspondence, this is a
great way to improve your relationship
and potentially help the business, it’s
a win win! If you’re not sure whom to
email with your idea, ask your manager!
There are plenty of QF initiatives out
there also that could be something you
are already passionate about; safety
in your workplace, cabin crew fatigue,
recycling, learning and development
etc etc. Keep an eye out for
opportunities via QF communications
and put your hat in the ring. It could
open up all sorts of other avenues
and any ground duties are paid a daily
skills allowance :)
Ask you manager about some online
courses that you can do that help with
leadership. Qantas has lots of quick,
easy and free courses that are available
to assist in improving your leadership
qualities.
Secondly, look to your OBM’s for
development. Our CSM and CSS’s are a
wealth of knowledge and are a captive
resource! Ask them about where to
begin and perhaps if they would be
willing to take on a mentor role.
Some of our CSM’s have individuals
or groups of crew that they regularly
meet with over coffee to discuss
development. If you initially can’t find
an OBM to mentor you, get a group
of like-minded crew together to have
coffee and discuss what you are all
doing to develop your career path. This
is a fantastic way to share information,
career progression and also support
each other through the process. Many
of these groups get together long
after the application process is over
to continue to motivate and support
each other.
Cabin crew have so much experience
and valuable knowledge. If you have
ever felt like you could contribute to
a leadership role, take the opportunity
to plan your development and give
yourself the best chance to succeed
and aim to be in that top 10! The key
is in the planning!
Stay tuned for our next development
workshops coming to you soon. Where
and when is TBA. Don’t worry we
will give you plenty of notice so you
can bid for the day off. We also hope
we can again offer the Zoom Video
conferencing for remote access.
Good luck!
MAY 2018 7

8 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

orld Wide
rotection
mple to Join
MEMBER BENEFITS
Protect your
Protect income your
income
MEMBER BENEFITS
MEMBER BENEFITS
Protect your
income
Benefit Period Options
52 weeks or 104 weeks
MEMBER BENEFITS
Age Limits
WageCover MEMBER Accident BENEFITS covers and Sickness you - 18 years MEMBER to 65 years BENEFITS
Accident Only - 65 years to 70 years
where WageCover Work Cover covers won’t you WageCover covers you
where Work Waiting Cover Period won’t Options where Work Cover won’t
7 days, 14 days, 21 days, 28 days
Pre- Existing Conditions
24 24 Hour Sickness & Accident & Accident Income Protection Please refer to policy wording for full details.
No medical required to join, however, previous or existing injuries or conditions
Income Salary Benefit Protection
24 Hour Sickness & are Accident not covered. 24 Income Hour Any Protection
Sickness pre-existing & injury Accident or
This
sickness
is available
Income prior Protection to each new
on our
Period
website wagecover.
85% Income Protection up to a maximum of $3,000 per week based on basic pay
Salary plus equalisation Benefit and includes all of other Insurance allowances Salary is and excluded.
com.au or contact us.
payments Benefit that make up
a Flight Attendants Protection gross up income.
85% Income Protection
to a maximum of $3,000 85% per Income week based Protection on basic up to pay a maximum of $3,000 per week based on basic pay
plus equalisation and includes all Sporting up to
other allowances Injuries a maximum of
Benefit Period Options
plus and equalisation payments and that includes make up all other allowances During and payments Working that make up Hours
$3,000 a 52 Flight weeks Attendants per or 104 weeks
gross income. based Outside on working basic a Flight pay Attendants hours plus amateaur gross income. sporting injuries are covered after 30 days
World Wide
Protect your
Protection
Benefit Age Limits Period Options
Benefit Period Options
Up greatest to a asset maximum benefit equalisation and includes (all football other codes allowances
are excluded from cover
Top
except
up
for AusTag and Touch Football).
52 weeks or 104 weeks
52 weeks or 104 weeks
World Wide
World Protect Wide your
Accident Protect and your Sickness - 18 years to 65 years
and
Age Accident
payments
Limits Only - 65 years
that
to 70 years
make up a Flight Attendants
The benefit provides a top-up to Workers
Protection
Protection greatest of $3000 asset per week greatest asset Motor Cycling Age Limits
gross Accident Waiting income.
Compensation weekly benefits that brings an
and Period Sickness Options - 18 years to 65 years Accident and Sickness - 18 years to 65 years
Covered only when riding on a sealed road. No cover for probationary, learner or
Accident 7 days, 14 Only days, - 65 21 days, years 28 to days 70 years
Accident Only - 65 years to 70 years injured worker back up to 85% of income to a
Benefit Period Options
Waiting Period Options unlicensed motorcycle
Waiting Period Options rider.
Pre- Existing Conditions
maximum of $3,000 based on basic pay plus
52 7 No weeks days, medical 14 days, required or 21 days, 104 to 28 join, days weeks
however, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, 28 days
Please previous refer or existing to injuries policy or conditions wording for full details.
Pre- are not Existing covered. Conditions Any pre-existing injury or sickness Pre- prior Existing to each new Conditions Period equalisation and includes all other allowances and
Age
No of Insurance Limits
medical required is excluded. This is available on our website wagecover.com.au or contact us.
to join, however, previous or existing No medical injuries required or conditions to join, however, previous or payments existing injuries or that conditions make up a Flight Attendants gross
Accident are Sporting not covered. Injuries and Any pre-existing Sickness injury - or 18 sickness years are prior not to to covered. each 65 new Any Period years pre-existing injury or sickness prior to each new Period
of Outside Insurance working is excluded. hours amateaur sporting injuries are of Insurance covered after is excluded. 30 days
income, averaged over the 52 week period prior
Accident
Sporting (all football Injuries codes Only are excluded - 65 years from cover to except 70 for Sporting AusTag years
Covers up to 85% of
Up to a maximum benefit
and Injuries Touch Football).
During Working Hours to any claim while s/he is off work due to a work
your Income
of $3000 per week
Waiting Outside Motor Cycling working Period hours amateaur Options
sporting injuries are Outside covered working after 30 hours days amateaur sporting injuries are covered after 30 days
Covers up to 85% of
Covers Up to a up maximum to 85% of benefit
Up to (all a football maximum codes benefit are excluded from cover except for (all AusTag football and codes Touch are Football). excluded from cover except related for AusTag and injury.
Covered only when riding on a sealed road. No cover for probationary, learner or
Touch Football).
7 days,
your Income
your of $3000 Income per week
of Motor unlicensed 14
$3000 Cycling per motorcycle days,
week rider. 21 days, Top up 28 days
Motor Cycling
Covered Please refer only when to policy riding wording a sealed for
The
full road.
benefit
details. No cover Covered
provides
for probationary, only when
a top-up
learner riding on or
to
a sealed
Workers
road. No
Compensation Benefit Period
cover for probationary,
weekly Options
learner or
benefits that brings
Pre- Existing Conditions
unlicensed This is available motorcycle on our rider. website an wagecover.com.au injured worker unlicensed contact back motorcycle us. up rider. to 85% of income 52 to weeks a maximum or 104 of $3,000 weeks based (payable on basic pay after the 52
No Please medical refer to policy required wording for
plus
to full join, details.
equalisation
however, Please refer
and
to policy
includes
previous wording
all
for
other
full details.
allowances weeks excess and payments period that expires. make up Giving a total of 104
This available on our website wagecover.com.au This is or available contact us. on our website wagecover.com.au or contact us.
Easy Premium or existing During Working injuries Hours or a conditions Flight Attendants are gross not covered. income, averaged or over 156 the weeks 52 cover period from prior to Workers any claim Comp, EBA
payment options Any Top pre-existing up injury
During The benefit provides Working a top-up Hours while or s/he sickness
to Workers Compensation During is off work prior
weekly Working due to to each a
benefits that brings Hours work related benefit injury. and WageCover).
new
Top an injured Period
up worker of back Insurance up to 85% of income is to excluded.
a maximum Top up of $3,000 based on basic pay
The plus benefit equalisation provides and a includes top-up to all Workers other
Benefit
allowances
Period
Compensation The and benefit weekly payments
Options
Age Limits
provides benefits that make a that top-up brings
to Workers Compensation weekly benefits that brings
Simple to Join
Easy Premium
Sporting
an a Flight injured Attendants Injuries
worker back gross up income, to 85% of averaged 52 income weeks to over a maximum the or an 52 104 injured week of weeks $3,000 period worker prior based back (payable to up on any to basic 85% claim after pay of income the to 52 Accident a maximum weeks of excess $3,000 and based period Sickness on basic expires. pay - 18 Giving years a total
65 years
payment options
Outside plus while equalisation s/he
working off and includes due to
hours
a work all other related allowances injury.
of 104 amateaur or 156 plus and weeks equalisation payments sporting cover that and make includes from up injuries Workers all other allowances Comp, and EBA payments benefit that make and up WageCover).
Simple to Join
Simple Easy to Premium Join
a Benefit Flight Easy Attendants Premium
Accident Only - 65 years to 70 years
Period Options gross income, averaged over the a 52 Flight week Attendants period prior gross to any income, claim averaged over the 52 week period prior to any claim
payment options
are while 52 payment covered
weeks s/he or is options 104 off work after
weeks due (payable to 30 a work days
after related the 52 injury. (all
weeks while football
excess s/he period is off expires. work codes due Giving to a are
a work total related injury.
Age Limits
Waiting Period
excluded Benefit of 104 or Period 156 from weeks Options cover cover from Workers except Comp, EBA for Benefit benefit AusTag and Period WageCover). Options and Touch
52 Age weeks Limits or 104 weeks (payable after
Accident
the 52 weeks
and
52 excess weeks
Sickness
period or 104 expires. weeks
- 18
Giving (payable
years
a total after
to 65
the 52
years 52 weeks due to workers Compensation payments
weeks excess period expires. Giving a total
Football).
of Accident 104 or 156 and weeks Sickness cover - 18 from years Workers to Accident 65 years Comp, EBA Only benefit of 104 - or 65 and 156 WageCover). years weeks cover to 70 from years Workers Comp, EBA as benefit per and legislation WageCover). and EBA benefits.
Age Accident Limits Only - 65 years to 70 years
Age Limits
WAGECOVER.COM.AU
Motor Cycling
WAGECOVER.COM.AU
Accident Waiting and Period Sickness - 18 years to Waiting 65 years Period Accident and Sickness - 18 years to 65 years
Covered Accident 52 weeks Only only
due - to 65 workers years when to Compensation 70 years riding on
52 weeks payments due
Accident a sealed
as per to legislation workers
Only - 65 road.
and years
Compensation EBA to benefits. 70 years
payments as per legislation and EBA benefits.
WAGECOVER.COM.AU WAGECOVER.COM.AU No Waiting cover Period for probationary, learner Waiting Period or unlicensed
52 weeks due to workers Compensation payments as 52 per weeks legislation due to workers and EBA Compensation benefits. payments as per legislation and EBA benefits.
motorcycle rider.
rs up to 85% of
ur Income
Protect your
greatest asset
APPLICATION FORM FOR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
APPLICATION FORM FOR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
1
1
Choose
Choose
Cover
Cover
Option
Option
Cover Cover
Option 11
52 Weeks
52 Weeks
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Accident IMPORTANT Only cover NOTE:
applies Accident for ages Only cover
65-70 applies years. for ages
65-70 years.
Weekly Benefit
Weekly Benefit
Options
Options
Ages 16 - 70
Ages 16 - 70
$ 1000
$ 1000
$ 1250
$ 1250
$ 1500
$ 1500
$ 1750
$ 1750
$ 2000
$ 2000
$ 2250
$ 2250
$ 2500
$ 2500
$ 2750
$ 2750
$ 3000
$ 3000
Waiting Period
Waiting Period
7 days 14 days
21 days
28 days
7 days 14 days
21 days
28 days
Weekly Payments
Weekly Payments
$13.20
$13.20
$15.00
$15.00
$17.00
$17.00
$18.50
$18.50
$20.00
$20.00
$21.50
$21.50
$23.00
$23.00
$25.00
$25.00
$28.00
$28.00
$12.80
$12.80
$14.50
$14.50
$16.50
$16.50
$18.00
$18.00
$19.00
$19.00
$21.00
$21.00
$22.50
$22.50
$24.50
$24.50
$27.50
$27.50
$12.00
$12.00
$14.00
$14.00
$16.00
$16.00
$17.50
$17.50
$18.50
$18.50
$19.50
$19.50
$22.00
$22.00
$24.00
$24.00
$27.00
$27.00
$11.20
$11.20
$13.50
$13.50
$15.50
$15.50
$17.00
$17.00
$18.25
$18.25
$19.00
$19.00
$21.50
$21.50
$23.50
$23.50
$26.50
$26.50
Cover
Cover
Option
Option
2
2
104 Weeks
104 Weeks
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Accident IMPORTANT Only cover NOTE:
applies Accident for ages Only cover
65-70 applies years. for ages
65-70 years.
Weekly Benefit
Options Weekly Benefit
Options
Ages 16 - 70
Ages 16 - 70
$ 1000
$ 1000
$ 1250
$ 1250
$ 1500
$ 1500
$ 1750
$ 1750
$ 2000
$ 2000
$ 2250
$ 2250
$ 2500
$ 2500
$ 2750
$ 2750
$ 3000
$ 3000
Waiting Period
Waiting Period
7 days
7 days
Weekly Payments
Weekly Payments
$16.50
$16.50
$18.75
$18.75
$21.25
$21.25
$23.13
$23.13
$25.00
$25.00
$26.88
$26.88
$28.75
$28.75
$31.25
$31.25
$35.00
$35.00
14 days
14 days
$16.00
$16.00
$18.13
$18.13
$20.63
$20.63
$22.50
$22.50
$23.75
$23.75
$26.25
$26.25
$28.13
$28.13
$30.63
$30.63
$34.38
$34.38
21 days
21 days
$15.00
$15.00
$17.50
$17.50
$20.00
$20.00
$21.88
$21.88
$23.13
$23.13
$24.38
$24.38
$27.50
$27.50
$30.00
$30.00
$33.75
$33.75
28 days
28 days
$14.00
$14.00
$16.88
$16.88
$19.38
$19.38
$21.25
$21.25
$22.81
$22.81
$23.75
$23.75
$26.88
$26.88
$29.38
$29.38
$33.13
$33.13
Should you require cover at a rate that is not listed above, please contact WageCover to discuss your cover options. Should you have cover in place
elsewhere Should you at a require cheaper cover rate, at WageCover a rate that will is not guarantee listed above, to beat please this rate contact by 10%. WageCover wagecover.com.au
to discuss your cover options. Should you have cover in place
elsewhere at a cheaper rate, WageCover will guarantee to beat this rate by 10%. wagecover.com.au
Date of Issue Jan 2017
24 Hour Sickness & Accident
Income Protection Plan for
Flight Attendants
Product Overview | Member Benefits | Application Form
Underwritten by certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s
MAY 2018 9

OUR CREW FAMILY
BOOKENDS
By Matthew Allsop - QCCA Councillor
I have been fortunate enough to meet both the most senior and most junior Flight
Attendant at International, and I took the opportunity to ask them both the same
questions and see how their answers may differ:
Marnie Sluice
Where were you working prior
to applying to work as a Flight
Attendant?
I was working as a sales and
merchandise purchaser at a men’s wear
shop called Fred Hesse in Melbourne.
How long was your initial training
and where was it held?
Initial training was in Melbourne at
Essendon Airport. Ground training was
approx 4 weeks and in-fight training was
(I think) 2 weeks. We were able to put in
a base preference; mine at the time was
Sydney, but I was sent to Brisbane.
Where was your first flight to and
what aircraft type was it on?
My first in-flight training day was on
a F27; 5 day trip to Townsville and
Mt. Isa, via all stops up the coast and
out west. I did not realise that our life
included socializing resulting in me only
packing a pair of bathers, change of
knickers and bra and one frock!!
Is there a crew member who
stands out in your mind who stood
out from your early days?
That question is too hard to answer as
there was/is an amazing community
regardless of which decade you flew.
Have your expectations of the job
been met or exceeded?
Best way to answer this question is
purely I have always wanted to be an
International Air Hostess going back
to my first interview with Qantas in
1972; now I am an International Flight
Attendant; my bucket list was to be
a BFA, which I was lucky in being
selected in May 2017.
Is there one thing that you have learned
as a Flight Attendant that you have
retained throughout your career?
Patience and understanding human
nature and the power of persuasion.
Do you have a favourite destination?
Santiago!
Is there something about the role
you do not think the general public
realise or are aware that we do?
Yes; the continual training and safety
examination process; friends often say
‘why do you need to be always doing
tests, exams and studying when you
do the job everyday’!
10 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

Josh Alexander
Where were you working prior
to applying to work as a Flight
Attendant?
Prior to working with Qantas I was
a Queensland Police Officer where
I performed General Duties at the
Coolangatta Police Station. Becoming
a flight attendant with Qantas is
something that I have thought about for
a long time. I am a strong believer that
If you are not happy with your situation
then change it. I wasn’t happy with
my current role and wanted a positive
change. I couldn’t be happier with my
decision. I’m a single father and reside
on the Southern Gold Coast with my
two beautiful children. Charlie 15 and
Oscar 5. I also have two Hungarian
Viszla dogs and we spend most our
spare time at the beach or local
waterfalls.
How long was initial training and
where was it held?
I completed ground school on the 27th
of September 2017 in Sydney with class
51. It took 7 weeks to complete, this
included EP’s and Service training.
Where was your first flight to and
what aircraft type was it on?
My first flight was on a A330 to Hong
Kong with CSM was Robert SINGH and
CSS Jaay HAYWARD-SWEEDMAN.
Both these gentleman went out of their
way to ensure that my first trio was
enjoyable and memorable. I have been
fortunate enough to again fly with both
Rob and Jaay since this initial trip and
again they have been leaders that have
ensured all crew had an enjoyable trip.
Is there a crew member who
stands out in your mind from your
early days flying?
A crew member that stands out would
be Daniel PINDUR (sorry CSS but
worth the mention) On a trip back
from Johannesburg, we lost two crew
members including the CSM prior to
customers boarding, had two serious
medicals and were required to re-fuel in
Melbourne. Through Daniels leadership
and hard work the entire crew pulled
together making it my most memorable
and enjoyable trip to date.
All crew that I have worked with
have been nothing but helpful and
encouraging.
Have your expectations of the job
been met or exceeded?
My expectations for the job have
excelled all expectations. This has been
by far the best job I have ever had. This
is the first time in my working life that on
days off I have been looking forward to
going back to work. I am truly grateful
for being awarded this opportunity. I still
pinch myself when I am walking around
cities that I only dreamt of visiting prior
to join Qantas. The only negative that
I have found with this position is I have
meet so many great crew on trips then
don’t get to fly with them again.
Do you have a favourite destination?
My favourite destination to date would
be Haneda in Japan. I spent a wonderful
day with Eli ELSTON who showed
me some of his favourite sights. The
following day I walked around the city
taking in all that I could.
Is there something about the role
you do not think the general public
realise or are aware that we do?
Prior to becoming a flight attendant I
wasn’t aware that crew had rest facilities
on board and got to have a sleep during
the flight.
See you in the air!
MAY 2018 11

COMPENSATION LAWYERS
1800 455 725 NO WIN - NO FEE *
lhd.com.au
PLEASE CONSIDER US FOR ALL YOUR COMPENSATION LEGAL NEEDS INCLUDING:
WORKERS COMPENSATION | MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT | SLIP AND FALL
MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE | SUPERANNUATION | CONTESTING WILLS
OTHER SERVICES:
WILLS & ESTATES | CONVEYANCING | EMPLOYMENT LAW | FAMILY LAW
SYDNEY | MELBOURNE | BRISBANE | PERTH | HOBART
*EXCLUDES DEFENDANT COSTS
12 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

WH&S
By David Horsfall - President
The impact to crew workload through short crewing is something the FAAA and Work
Health Safety Committee takes very seriously. We find ourselves constantly facing
situations where our flights are operating with less than the required crew complements.
Inaccurate resource planning from the
Company giving less than desirable
reserve line holders and high sick leave
are the two major contributors. When
operations have used all available
resources and a flight is to operate
short, the On Call Manager must notify
the FAAA, as a courtesy prior to the
flight departing that short crewing
will occur.
The On Board Management team are
empowered to and should make service
adjustments due to short crewing.
The reporting of any adjustments
is done via “red” Cabin Affected >
Issue Details> Area> Category > Issue
“Operating with reduced crew” >
No. people affected > Comments>
For record keeping.
Some examples of amendments in
the past were; no duty free sales,
removal of “Welcome Drink” or no
bar service in premium cabins. Since
duty free is no longer loaded, the major
amendment option has been removed.
We've found also that, as the supper
flights are already streamlined, service
amendments are near impossible.
When making decisions on what should
be amended, crew should take into
the account the workload in each cabin
and what elements can be removed
or amended.
The most obvious for the Premium
cabins inflight is to offer an incorporated
bar service during meal lay up in lieu
of the bar cart / aperitif service offering
and the use of a “replenishment
cart” in Business Class that is currently
procedure on the 747 / A330. This
initiative gives you a workstation right
near you in the cabin and significantly
reduces the amount of trips to the
galley to stow service items.
For the Main Cabin, carrying out
“meet and greet” should not be to the
detriment of the workload to the rest of
the crew in Economy Class. Once all
crew carry out the distribution of water
bottles, there is still sufficient time to
complete this. Sharing the delivery of
arrival cards while the galley operator is
setting up will speed up this element
of service.
If you are short in the Main Cabin for
meal delivery, consider delaying this
until Premium Economy has finished
their service. You may find offering
them assistance to deliver the meal trays
will speed this up. Once you have
your full team, commence the service
as normal.
For the Main Cabin, all full / double
meal carts MUST be operated by
two crew regardless of it’s weight,
what’s in it and what service it is.
The issue lies with the hard ware of
the cabin; economy class seats do not
fully enclose passengers like Premium,
Business or First does. Legs, arms,
shoulder and, quite often, heads are
always in our way. There are still some
aircraft with IFE boxes forcing body
parts into aisles. All of this was assessed
and deemed to create risks and hazards
to crew. I for one am not willing to
put your safety at risk.
Again in Economy class, crew may
prefer to remove the dedicated hot
beverage service and offer on collection
leaving hot chocolate in the galley on
a request basis. For supper services,
we have approached to company to
offer more guidance to crew on what
elements can be amended or removed.
Once the cabin is clear, crew are then
able to assist in other cabins.
It’s important to ensure the EBA is
followed in regards to rest breaks –
20 minutes must be undertaken within
the first six hours of duty (this is from
sign on). This would mean the second
of the two breaks to commence at
5 hrs 59 mins from sign on.
MAY 2018 13

MISS APPS MIRANDA
By Miranda Diack – Vice President
TECH TIPS AND TRICKS
Password Security
Passwords can be tricky things.
Hard to remember.
Most passwords now require 8
characters including a capital letter,
number and special character.
Sometimes it’s easier to remember
something silly. Choose a crazy
sentence like: Margaret Thatcher is
a sexy British politician!
You still need a number though.
Some letters look a lot like numbers
e.g. S looks like a 5 or B looks like
an 8.
Margaret Thatcher is a sexy 8ritish
politician!
Obviously that is too long, so use
the initials: you will still remember
the silly sentence. MTias8p!
There you go a password that’s
easy for you to remember that no
one will ever be able to guess.
Some passwords, especially work
passwords need to be updated
every 90 days. Set a reminder in
the calendar on your phone. You
can set this reminder to repeat so
you won’t forget.
Tech tip:
Set the reminder for every 80 days
so it hasn’t already expired when
you get your reminder!
Depending on the level of security
of your IT: passwords can be
used again after a certain number
of changes.
6 changes are pretty standard.
Once you have chosen a memorable
password: you can alter it simply by
changing the number you use.
By the time you have gone from
Password1! Through to Password6!
You can recycle your passwords.
Make sure your password is
memorable to you, but not to
anyone else.
Tech Tip:
The most over used password
is... “password” so we don’t
recommend it!
By the end of the year: virtually
all work passwords will be
synchronised, so you will only have
to remember 1 or 2 passwords
maximum.
FA & BFA CCSIR & Fatigue
Reporting
Many crew have commented that
they want to report issues via CCSIR
but they don’t have time to access
the OBM iPad, or they remember
items they want to report later at a
time that suits them.
There is a directly accessible
reporting tool online that is available
to everyone.
The link below can be saved as a
bookmark on your computer or
personal device.
This link also takes you to the page
for fatigue reporting.
Once you enter your Qaccess
password it will take you directly to
the page in one simple click. Fast
and easy and much less fatiguing.
https://global.intelex.com/login/
Qantas/Application/Home
14 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

The FAAA
health plan
No matter where you
are in Australia, we’re
there too.
Talk to one of our health plan consultants for a personal
consultation or to arrange a workplace visit for you and your team.
$100 WISH gift card to spend on petrol or groceries.
It’s our way of saying thanks for coming on board!*
A 30-day money back guarantee**
An immediate waiver of all 2 and 3-month waiting periods
More rt health members
recommend us to their friends
and family than members of any
major health fund.
*IPSOS, ‘Health care and insurance in Australia’, 2017 **30-day money back guarantee only applies if no claims have been made.
Railway & Transport Health Fund Limited (ACN 087 648 744) (“rt health”). 0318/3280
1300 56 46 46
join@rthealth.com.au | rthealth.com.au/faaa
MAY 2018 15

FAREWELL MY WINGS
By Teri O’Toole - Secretary
Do you remember the moment when you were told you had the job as
a Qantas International Flight Attendant? Do you remember what your
first thoughts were and how excited you felt? For some of us this is a
distant memory we don’t think about, often this memory is clouded by
the day to day juggling act between home and work.
For the first edition of ‘The Silent Review’ I had the absolute pleasure of
interviewing one of our longest serving members, BFA Ron Callaghan,
who has decided to hang up his wings after being a flight attendant
for 47 years with Qantas. He has seen many changes to the job and
the airline over this time and he hasn’t just seen the changing face of
Qantas, he has been a part of it.
Ron started his career with Qantas in April 1970 and retired in
September 2017.
How old where you when you
started and what was your
background?
22 years old and I had previously
worked for 1 year with B.O.A.C in
London and then 2 years at the Princess
Hotel Bermuda.
What aircrafts have you worked
on and has EPs changed much?
DC4, Boeing 707, 747, 767, A330
I know that the EP manual for the DC4
was only 2 pages and the 707 were 6
pages. A big change from what we do
for EP’s today. I do remember my first
EP training included life raft training on
Botany Bay, and it was very rough and
all the crew got seasick.
What can you tell us about flying
on the DC4 and 707 aircrafts?
DC4 had 4 crew and 54 passengers,
707 had 5 male crew and 1 female
crew member and 20 first class and
120 economy passengers. The DC4
was from Sydney to Norfolk Island and
it was an 11:40 hr day. 2 services’ each
way. The 707 flew worldwide as Qantas
first jet aircraft.
On the 707 prior to take off we did
our emergency demo and then we
would hand out individually the
emergency procedure instructions to
each passenger and prior to landing we
would go around with a little basket of
sweets so passengers could suck so they
could clear their ears on descent.
There were no meal or bar carts on
the 707 and everything was delivered
by hand.
What were the destinations and
patterns like?
The maximum trip was 23 days.
We slipped in: Kula Lumpar, Singapore,
Bangkok, Port Moresby, Manila, Tokyo,
Hong Kong, Mauritius, Johannesburg,
Athens, Rome, Paris, Frankfurt,
Amsterdam, London, Manchester,
San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu,
New York, Vancouver, Tahiti, Fiji,
Mexico City, Bermuda, Zimbabwe,
Karachi, Belgrade, Tehran, Bahrain,
Auckland, Christchurch
We also transited to Istanbul, Cairo,
Vienna, Calcutta, New Delhi,
Damascus, and Ceylon.
What was your favourite
destination and why?
My favourite was Paris and Frankfurt
and we had approximately 4 day slips.
I loved the history and the architecture
of Paris and the culture.
Did you ever get based outside
Australia, and where did you fly?
We had basing’s in London, Mauritius,
Tahiti, Bermuda and Mexico City. I had
a London basing in 1978 for over a year.
I flew the London Bombay route every
Monday back Thursday. The company
paid a monthly allowance towards
your living expenses (rent etc.) on top
of our pay.
Who was the most interesting and
famous person you have carried?
HRH Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
and Prince Charles on another flight.
This was an amazing experience
carrying the monarch as it was in a
refitted 747 with 2 beds and a dining
table with seating for 4 and a dressing
room all in the first class cabin. There
were only two seats in First class
for them.
How many uniforms have
you worn and which was your
favourite?
7 uniforms, my favourite was the
original uniform that looks similar to the
tech crew with a hat and all white. The
tech and cabin wore the same uniform.
When we came to sign on we would
collect 4 white serving jackets from the
16 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

Qantas laundry that was in the same
building as our sign on. We would then
exchange in London and then drop the
return flight ones off when back into
Sydney at sign off.
Grooming standards and
conditions in the early days?
We all carried suits to wear to the hotel
restaurants. On the aircraft the female
crew all had to wear wigs. The same
style so they all looked alike. Men
couldn’t wear short sleeves only long
sleeve shirts. There were different rules
about how long you could stay in the
job, the female crew had to retire at
35 or if they got married and the males
had to retire at 55.
Is it true we had a separate
uniform for Honolulu flights?
Only the female crew members wore
a Mu-Mu in bright floral, however
on the Fiji flights the male crew all got
to wear a Hawaiian style shirt.
Best crew party?
Every flight ended with a crew party in
someone room. We spent slips together.
There were pool parties, and always
toga parties in Bahrain where the crew
would use sheets and shower curtains
as togas.
What will you miss the most?
I will miss my colleagues and crew,
interacting with passengers, some
destinations and just working on
different aircraft. I love aeroplanes and
will miss working on them.
What won’t you miss?
Getting up at 4am or midnight to go to
work, and reserve line.
The biggest changes to the job
over the year?
The job was becoming more impersonal
due to the larger load of passenger,
when you were on the smaller aircraft
it felt like you were able to chat and get
to know the passengers and over the
years this changed due to just logistics.
We obviously have fewer destinations
now than when I started and the larger
aircrafts have changed the way we
do things as crew.
Any parting wisdom for our
new crew who are starting their
careers with Qantas.
Embrace this amazing job and enjoy
its rewards. Stay cheerful and happy,
and remember … a little smile goes
a long way!!!!
Your favourite story from a trip.
In Athens we would go to this small
family owned restaurant near the beach
and the crew would all be there until
after closing and the family would hand
the crew the keys and tell us to lock up.
We would come back the next day and
they would count all the empty wine
bottles to calculate what we had to pay.
MAY 2018 17

SUPERANNUATION
WITH BRUCE
By Bruce Roberts - Vice President
Member elected Qantas Superannuation board director and FAAA Vice President
Bruce Roberts on Superannuation.
Following the successful election of
the FAAA team last year, we sought
to try and get involved in as many areas
of representation within the business
as we could so we could reach into as
many areas as possible to represent our
members and colleagues. This included
WHS, Procedures, Planning, and even
the Qantas Superannuation Fund.
Many of our crew are members of
Qantas Super. The fund, which was set
up to provide for retirement for Qantas
Staff in 1939, now has over 32000
members and manages approximately
$7.5 billion of member funds.
The fund is run by its’ executive office
overseen by our board of directors.
The board consists of five company
appointed directors and five member
elected directors. This means any
employee member of the fund can be
elected onto the board. We currently
have a pilot, flight attendant, two
engineers and the group treasurer as
member directors, which brings a
really good mix of skills and employee
representation.
Many of our members may be surprised
to learn that Unions have been very
influential on the development of the
Australian Superannuation Industry.
In the early 80’s, trade unions
negotiated with the government, under
Keating, and employers to implement a
system of Superannuation, which would
introduce compulsory contributions
from employers into retirement accounts.
This arrangement was made in lieu
of a 3% wage increase for workers.
Initially, employer contributions were
set at 3%. Since then, compulsory
contributions have risen to a super
guarantee of 9.5% and are planned
to increase to 12% by 2025.
The Qantas Superannuation Fund is
more complex than many funds as
there are so many different divisions.
This is largely due to the way that
corporate funds were set up over time
with many early divisions being defined
benefit, rather than accumulation
funds, which the vast majority of
Australians are in. Defined benefit
accounts are linked to salary and have
a different employer contribution
structure, insurance, and conditions.
There are fact sheets that explain
each different division on the Qantas
Super website and a call centre
devoted to Qantas members – most
answers to Superannuation questions
can be answered by the team there -
1300362967
All board directors sit on several
committees within the board, each
of which covers a business area.
For example, insurance, investments,
audit and risk. Any major changes in
any of the funds management must be
considered by the relevant committee
before going to the full board for
approval. It’s a huge amount of work
and eats up a whole lot of time, with
the member at the focus of everything
the fund does. With a return of just
under 10% for the growth option
for members last year, it’s rewarding to
see that effort benefiting the return and
adding to member’s retirement benefits.
This year, there looks to be a lot of new
benefits for our members. The FAAA
will continue to send on the Qantas
Insights newsletters, which highlights
some of the issues raised by members
as well as improvements and changes
to superannuation. Please keep your
questions coming and watch out for the
next edition coming soon!
18 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

QCCT FUNDRAISER
By Smaro Skordas – QAL Councillor
For some time, the FAAA has long supported various charities whose volunteers are
primarily made up of Cabin Crew. Our focus in this edition is the fundraising faces of
Qantas Cabin Crew Team (QCCT) – Melbourne.
Many of us know CSM Shanthi
Newcombe and her long and
committed involvement with QCCT.
Shanthi has been involved with the
QCCT since 1993 and in 2008 the
QCCT became involved with the
Anugraha Children’s Home and Don
Bosco Shelter For Boys in Mumbai.
The Anugraha Children’s Home
provides underprivileged children an
environmental structure and to grow in
a safe, loving and happy atmosphere.
The home endeavours to provide a
place where children can get individual
prescriptive learning and encouraging
continuous progress towards realistic
goals and objectives.
The Don Bosco Shelter for Boys is
comprised of young boys of the
streets. There they are educated and
empowered to be independent and
self-reliant.
Fundraising efforts such as T20 Big Bash
Cricket Match at Lancefield Cricket
Club, Bollywood nights, Indian cuisine,
Indian dancing have been a great
success and have enabled and increased
number of working projects to go ahead
over the years.
These have included, painting the
school rooms of Anugrah home for
Children, gardening and water park
excursions for the children. Fund raising
has also gone towards a Solar Project,
which has seen installation of Solar
Lights and Panels for the school.
MAY 2018 19

Given Qantas does not currently fly to
India, QCCT - India project team face
a number of challenges. The dedicated
QCCT fly to Mumbai only twice a year,
May and November to the Anugraha
Children’s Home. The costs of travelling
to Mumbai are borne personally by
each of the QCCT members involved
in attending these projects.
Fundraising is crucial to ensure
continuity of these projects.
In January this year Barbara Robertson,
(above) Melbourne BFA, joined as
Fundraising Coordinator for the Qantas
Cabin Crew Team.
Barbara has been a flight Attendant for
30 years. She started in Domestic
in 1988, and transferred to Long Haul
in 2014.
Barbara has a lot of fundraising
experience behind her and aims to bring
that experience for the benefit of QCCT.
As well as fundraising for schools and
sporting clubs, Barbara has raised a
significantly large amount of funds for
the THINK PINK Foundation.
Her aim is to highlight the importance
of the various QCCT projects through
number fundraising efforts within the
Melbourne base.
Traditionally QCCT events have been
Sydney focussed due to the bulk of
the projects being managed by Sydney
based members.
Barb is looking at creative ways to
reach the wider Melbourne based
membership to highlight the amazing
work that QCCT is doing in Australia
and in its overseas projects.
Barb is in the concept stage of
organising a charity walk across three
states later in the year. In addition
various other events will be held
throughout the year. Barb aims to
promote QCCT not only among Long
Haul Crew, but also amongst the wider
workforce that make up the Qantas
team in Melbourne. Be on the lookout
for more information coming soon.
20 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

“ I have lived a life amongst the clouds
I shall simply stay here now and watch over you forever”
Remembering our friends
Stuart Black
Joined Qantas in
November 1989
Passed away February 2018
Aged 52
Mark Gair
Joined Qantas in June 1995
Passed away March 2018
Aged 44
Bernie Smith
Joined Qantas in June 2000
Passed away March 2018
Aged 45
The loss of a friend or colleague
is challenging in so many ways,
if you need someone to talk to or
additional support during difficult
times please reach out to any of the
following organisations:
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
T 1300 687 327 (within Australia)
or +613 8620 5300 (outside Australia)
Beyond Blue T 1300 224 636 or you
can live chat from 3pm – midnight
daily @ www.beyondblue.org.au
Lifeline T 13 11 14 or live chat online
@ www.lifeline.org.au
MAY 2018 21

WHAT WE DO WHEN WE LAND
By Karen Meredith – Thomas MEL FA
My name is Karen Meredith-Thomas. I started flying in April 1989 moving from
regional airlines, Qantas SYD Short haul and now MEL Long Haul. Many of you
may also know me as an EP instructor in Mel.
Living in country Victoria in the
beautiful Macedon Ranges for
some time I have become aware of
the extremely volatile conditions
experienced here each summer.
I was at home for the very sad and
destructive Black Saturday fires on
February 7th 2009 and it was this day
that made me realise how much we
rely on the local rural fire brigades,
and emergency services predominantly
made up of volunteers. However, due
to other commitments I wasn’t able
to volunteer with our local brigade till
quite a few years later.
I joined Newham CFA (Country Fire
Authority)), and had to complete a
minimum skills component and wildfire
training over 6 weeks with 2 full days
of practical assessments to become an
active firefighter.
I am now a training officer for the
brigade although readily admit I still
have so much to learn, and constantly
look to our senior members who
have years of skill and experience to
guide me.
We, as most country fire brigades
are made up of purely volunteers, so
attendance to call outs is often hit and
miss as to who is available. However,
the key to volunteering is to be there
when you can, it’s greatly appreciated
regardless of how much or how little
time you are able to give.
Summer is our busiest time and
generally we all carry pagers especially
when close to home, and if the siren
goes off....we get to the station as
quickly as possible. Sometimes Vicfire
put a ‘stop’ on the incident or just that
brigade so we turn back to the station.
Whoever turns out and it’s usually only
3 or 4 members then its dress quickly
in our “yellows” PPE and jump onto
a tanker...
Response could be code 1 lights
and sirens or code 3 obey all traffic
conditions, no lights or sirens.
We have 3 vehicles,
Tanker 1 (T1) - an older vehicle 5 seater
Tanker 2 (T2) - newer 5 seater
Both vehicles carry 2000 Litres of water.
And a 4WD slip-on so called because
a 400 litre water tank unit is loaded
onto a Ute.
On Extreme hot days when there is a
TFB, (total fire ban) we man the station
with as many active members as
possible ....a bit like an airport reserve.
That way there are firefighters and
drivers ready to act if an emergency
unfolds. And enough firefighters to go
out on strike teams if so required,
of which there are long haul and short
haul strike teams. If a situation arises
across the state or interstate then any
and all assistance may be called upon
22 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

so you could be away 1 or more days
depending on the situation.
Luckily if I end up on a call out, Qantas
has a policy which covers volunteer
emergency responders mainly due
to the fact that we have so many
employees who volunteer their time
with other rural fire brigades or the SES,
In the area that I live I know of at least
5 other QF staff who are members of
other brigades, so at no stage do I feel
unable to participate.
Obviously it’s imperative to be
comfortable and familiar with the
operation of all equipment so regular
training is essential. We train most
Sunday mornings however as we are
volunteers members attend when
they are able, to maintain skills and
familiarity with equipment , pump
operation, draughting water from
dams, waterholes and tanks to refill
the tankers ,hose bowling which is
essentially rolling out the fire hoses
quickly and efficiently on a fire ground.
(never an easy task they are heavy
and cumbersome, and I’m just a wee
thing...!)
At all times SOPs and WH&S
procedures need to be adhered to, it
is essential to be safe and ensure the
safety of others at all times.
Similar to Qantas Aircrew we
have some mandatory pre season
requirements.
We are very lucky to have Hanging
Rock just up the road, enabling us to
provide support when there are events
being held at the Rock, for example
Hanging Rock annual classic car rally,
twice yearly horse races and market
days and rock concerts, and the annual
“Run the Rock” marathon which attracts
huge numbers...of which we supply
vehicles in case of fires and support
marshalling duties...the local SES and
Hesket Brigades provide support as well.
Concerts being an all time favourite,
with very high member attendance as
you can imagine!!! We have seen stars
like Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart,
Eagles, Lenard Cohen, Midnight Oil and
the impromptu performance for Fox FM
by Ed Sheeran a personal favourite.
I always wanted to volunteer my time
in some way, and thought it would be
assisting animals at a shelter or wildlife
sanctuary or similar...never thinking
it would be as a firefighter, having
said that, my time with the CFA has
been and continues to be extremely
rewarding. We work as a team and train
as a team and our only objective is to
protect life and assets, following SOPs is
a must to ensure our own safety and the
safety of others.
I would highly recommend a similar
volunteer path for anyone who has time
to give to their community.
There are so many areas within the
community that are desperately in need
of volunteers.
Without volunteers the fire brigades,
SES, St John First Aid, Scouts, wildlife
rescue services and many more would
not function and there would be a huge
gap in the ability to assist in accidents
and emergencies requiring either or
both fire brigades and State emergency
services.
So, if you have some spare time, find a
worthy cause and volunteer ....it will be
both rewarding and fulfilling, trust me.
Cheers,
Karen Meredith-Thomas
MAY 2018 23

YOO HOO
WHERE ARE THE CREW?
24 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

WHERE WE HAVE BEEN, WHERE WE ARE GOING
& WHERE ARE YOU?
Send your pics to matthew@faaa.net
MAY 2018 25

LOU’S BREW
By Lou Nesci – Assistant Secretary
As a child I only ever associated coffee as a conduit, a
ritual that brought people together. Italy is commonly
regarded as the centre of the coffee universe and it
just so happens that both my parents originate from
this small but influential part of the world. So here I’ll
begin to tell of the significance that coffee has played
in my life.
I have no doubt there would be many
cabin crew who have experienced a
similar childhood, so my story may
present a somewhat familiar picture.
Hopefully many wonderful memories
will be reignited. As far as I can
remember, the early 1970s was a
period that brought many immigrants
from far & wide for a better life. ‘’New
Australians" struggled to assimilate with
the Australian culture. Italians stuck by
their own, as did the Greeks and other
foreigners. This was the case for various
reasons; a sense of cultural belonging
& familiarity, the feeling of security,
connection through language and so on.
Meeting and drinking coffee regularly
was a means of connecting and staying
in touch with people & latest events.
Similar I guess to the way we use social
media today; meeting at the local café
bar in 1970s was a way of connecting,
sharing and discussing topic.
This was my observation, hanging from
the sleeve of my father who arrived in
Australia as a tailor fresh from Milan
Italy. Dad was often dragged away from
his workshop by a friend passing by
and taken for a quick espresso at the
local coffee shop by the Central Market
in Adelaide. Naturally there would be
other nationalities at the coffee bar and
in a similar way as Nino Culotta did
in the movie “They’re a Weird Mob”,
many lifelong friendships were born,
opportunities gained and stories shared.
This led to an assimilation & illustrates
the importance coffee has had in the
evolution of the Australian community.
Let’s not forget a vital physical effect
that caffeine imparts: an essential pick
me up that cabin crew & tech crew
definitely rely upon. It aids in resetting
the body clock, keeping us awake when
lack of sleep & jet lag sets in & just
satisfying that daily craving shared with
a pastry or sweet.
Back in the 1970s, espresso was made at
home using a “cafeteria” or commonly
known in English as a Moka Pot. This
espresso maker is a stovetop or electric
coffee-maker that produces coffee by
passing boiling water pressurised by
steam through ground coffee.
The bottom chamber (A) contains water.
When heated, steam pressure pushes
the water through a basket containing
ground coffee (B) into the collecting
chamber (C).
Many households still use this device
and some cabin crew even carry the
electric version of this.
26 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

My first ever experience of coffee as a
child was via the form of zabaglione.
Zabaglione was a quick breakfast
created by beating an egg yolk and
one teaspoon of sugar until it turned
creamy. The essential addition was a
splash of espresso from the cafeteria.
Sometimes a dash of marsala was
included...something that mums these
days wouldn’t dream of doing! I literally
sprinted to school afterward and much
to my teachers chagrin, was very
“energised” for much of the morning.
Back then it was extremely rare that
I saw anyone drinking milk with their
espresso but coffee with milk was
introduced to me in the form of the
next style of breakfast that became
a favourite. Warm milk with a shot
of espresso in a cup/small bowl that
allowed for biscuit dunking.
Each issue I will share some of my
favourite coffee spots. After hearing the
great news about our renewed contract
at The Swissotel Singapore, here are a
couple of great places for coffee and
food, in particular bakery items for
those heading up there.
Tiong Bahru Bakery @ Raffles City
(basement) #B1-11 Raffles City Shopping
Centre. This is within the same
complex of our crew hotel. http://www.
tiongbahrubakery.com/
Quite often I head to my favourite place
“Brunetti” for breakfast and can’t resist
the “cornetto con nutella”. Brunetti
Singapore 163 Tanglin Rd, (basement)
#01-35, Tanglin Mall, Singapore 247933.
Next time I will touch on the progress of
coffee and how it has evolved into the
modern day beast & business we know
it as today.
MAY 2018 27

CREATIVE CREW
As this EMAG is one for members by members, we thought a great way to showcase
how diverse and varied the creative outlets that some of our cabin crew family have.
The first person
interviewed in this article
is SEBASTIAN DIAZ,
is a Sydney base Flight
Attendant with 19 years
service, the last 4 on
the A380.
When asked about his photography,
which is his creative outlet and how
he got started his reply is as follows:
Well I grew up surfing, but after being
hit by a car 20 years ago I found surfing
took its toll on my back. Then I picked
up a camera and jumped in the water
to shoot waves and mates surfing,
I soon found I got as much enjoyment
shooting pictures as I did from surfing.
So I started surfing less and shooting
more, with the advent of Instagram
I got hooked.
I would say I shoot every morning
without fail when I am home, I am up
before sunrise and on the beach at
least 30 minutes before sunrise taking
pictures both from the land and water.
Four hours will easily pass by, and these
days my camera is always close to hand.
I have found my passion for photography
has led me to search for bigger and
more unique waves, nothing is better
than shooting inside the barrel of a wave
or capturing a surfer or someone body
surfing. I will often jump in my car and
28 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

drive several hours to find that wave
that stands out from the rest. I have
even jumped in a plane in Hawaii and
California chasing a big swell during
the hurricane season. Simply put, the
bigger the better.
Through my Instagram account
#Surfographer I am slowly building a
loyal following of friends and ocean
lovers from around the world. People
often approach me wanting to buy
prints or ask me to shoot their products,
it is humbling knowing someone out
their enjoys the results of my early
morning starts.
I absolutely love seeing my images
blown up and put in people’s homes,
when I receive a message from the
other side of the world thanking me for
posting an image, it just makes my day.
JACQUI WATSON
is a Melbourne based
BFA on the A380/787
with 20 years experience
at Qantas.
What is your creative outlet and
how did you become interested
in it?
Our work environment is filled with
very little fresh air and I believe we
work in a fairly toxic chemical laden
environment, so I began to take more
notice of the exposure to common
chemicals we get at home. I wanted to
start making better, safer and cleaner
choices concerning body care and
household cleaning products, essentially
easing unnecessary burden on the body.
I had a little bit of knowledge on the
huge amounts of chemicals found
in face & body care and especially
cleaning products that all get washed
away, polluting our waterways,
frightening to say the least.
I embrace the quote “This planet needs
us to care, remember there is no Planet
B” and caring about the ingredients
I was using in my house and flushing
into our waterways and also what I was
using on my skin led to me researching,
making and testing my own products.
No animal testing of course, 100%
tested on myself, friends and family.
For my own products, where I
can I swap, commercial chemicalladen
products for natural, healthier
alternatives.
Another reason I made the switch is
that getting to a certain age I found my
skin was drying out more than usual.
The hydrating lotions & creams I make
are full of super moisturising natural
ingredients and oils like Frankincense
that are particularly healing for skin.
I have really noticed a difference in the
appearance of my skin since starting
my own regime with my own products.
The other great thing about DIY is,
after the initial outlay, it’s much much
more economical making your own,
PLUS you know exactly what’s in it and
everything smells amazing!
How long have you been doing
this and how many hours a week
would you spend on it?
I only discovered about 6 months ago,
there was such a thing as therapeutic
grade essential oils as opposed to the
sickly sweet fragranced oils from the
Fleetwood Mac boho hippy shops in
the hills of my youth!
There is a multitude of aromatherapeutic
(think I made this word
up!?) uses, so I started collecting them
and for a while the only thing I knew to
do with them was inhale them (yum!)
– eventually I found better uses for
them. Some of the processes involved
in making face and body creams, body
butters, lip balms, deodorants etc, get
quite scientific, I feel like I need my
white lab coat at times. You have to
heat to exact temperatures and mix at
the correct times or else it backfires and
you have a sloppy mess!
Some things are super quick & easy –
I do a great foaming hand wash with
bacteria fighting tea tree & clove along
with grease cutting wild orange. I have
an amazing window/glass/stainless
MAY 2018 29

steel cleaner with lemongrass EO (also
great as a degreaser) which smells
divine and works better than anything
I’ve ever used, no streaks or residue!
“Magnesium Oil” is something that has
been around for a while and is now
gaining in popularity. Having made
it and used it - I can see why, but it’s
not cheap! It’s not actually an oil at all
but magnesium flakes suspended in
water – bit of a sticky feel and it tingles
when you first use it which means you
are lacking in magnesium, but that it’s
working. I add Lavender and Lemon EO
to mine. Mum had back surgery over
Christmas and whilst she was healing
well enough, she was also in a lot of
pain. I made up a batch of Magnesium
Oil and also a less concentrated, easier
to apply Whipped Magnesium Butter –
she swears by it!
My roller ball products – little amber
glass bottles with stainless steel rollers
filled with combinations of oils topped
with Fractionated Coconut Oil, the
fractionated oil is always in a liquid
state and these little roller bottles are
great for travelling. I do one to help
me sleep, one that makes it easier to
breathe when coming out of the bunks
if all congested and one that helps keep
the immune system fighting off all those
bugs floating around the plane. There
are blends to help with focus when
it’s time for EPs, to boost energy, calm
you down (I use this when I get stuck
in stinky Melbourne traffic) the list
goes on.
Challenges to over come or
difficulties sourcing products?
The biggest challenge for me so far
has been trying not to get too overwhelmed
– and to focus on changing
one thing at a time. There is so much
that we can replace when it comes
to toxic chemicals.
My products are made in Australia
using only natural ingredients that
are safe for the environment and safe
for you. Of course all the ingredients
are listed along with how to use and
precautions if any, plus the batch number
and a use by date.
I now want to start making Pure-fumes
as well! Even perfumes has ingredients
can actually play havoc with hormones.
It has been tricky finding bottles and
containers as dark glass is best to prolong
the life and integrity of the oils plus oils
destroy & leach out of most plastics.
Most suppliers I have found do BULK
orders so the price is better but you end
up with slabs and slabs of little brown
glass bottles! I found a great Australian
company with all Australian made
foamier bottles for a brilliant price, but
the price of shipping from QLD to
MEL quadrupled the price – a great
Brisbane based friend delivered them to
LA when where we both crossed over,
why use UPS when we have CrewPS!
Anyhoo - Slowly slowly.
I would love to share what I make,
eventually selling at local Markets,
exclusive locations like friend’s salons/
beauty therapists and maybe on line.
This opens up a whole other can of
worms with legal requirements like
liability insurance etc – still looking
into that side of things – as I said before,
one step at a time. Watch this space.
For now, I think I’ve decided on the
name of my little venture, which is:
MADE - Make A Difference Essentials
On each label I have the words ...
“Every action, no matter how small, can
make a difference” or “One small step
is all it takes to get you closer to where
you want to be”.
30 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

C4C –
CREW FOR CREW
By Kris Filipetto – C4C co ordinator
The C4C program’s goal has always been, and will continue to be, about YOU –
the members. C4C is ultimately about how you can continue to see value in your
FAAA membership, through the extra benefits provided and many initiatives put
forward. From ‘FA friendly’ Calendars to easy to read Guidebooks, and our FAAA
app at your fingertips.
Here at the FAAA we strive to provide
more and its’ success is due to your
help, participation and involvement.
Last year saw many members assisting
with our projects; packing envelopes,
trialling our app, contributing to this
EMAG, providing videos and transport
calculators – the list goes on. What has
been so encouraging to us however,
is that our members truly understand
the community spirit we intend to
promote, to keep us united. The many
members who are simply dropping
in to our office to say HI, have a cuppa
or get help with an enquiry has been
quite inspiring to us and the work
we do. We are more than happy to
welcome you and meet you in person
any day.
C4C is a constant work in progress.
We listen to you and move forward
with new projects from what you tell us
you most need. We want your help to
make sure that the program is giving as
much back as you need!
Our C4C program is hitting 2018 with
a bang!
Our focus for the first half of this
year will be a member awareness
campaign focusing on the benefits
of Environmental protection and
Recycling! Raising our awareness
and promoting the correct recycling
techniques will ultimately assist us –
both on board our aircrafts with existing
and planned meal services, and even in
your own backyard. With the FAAA’s
support, we are keen to create working
groups focused on this initiative.
Moving on with C4C Community this
year, we will also focus on supporting
any charities in the wider community,
that you volunteer your time for. As a
group so many of us donate time and
energy to help others and many worthy
causes - let us help you.
We plan to continue and expand our
successful initiative implemented in
2017, the INFO REP program. Its success
has been due to the many dedicated,
supportive and committed volunteer
members who assisted in getting this off
the ground.
If you have any ideas, or want to join
us in these exciting and meaningful
projects then we want to hear from you!
Please email c4c@faaa.net and we will
get the wheels in motion!
MAY 2018 31

ESL ‘ENGLISH AS A
SECOND LANGUAGE’
By Eric Hong - QAL Councillor
China as a rising world economic power, with 1.2 million mainland Chinese
visited Australia last year and was expected to triple to 3.3 million a year in 2026
by tourism Australia. Indeed learning Chinese offers many benefits to personal
and professional growth not least gaining a better understanding of one of the
richest cultures in the world.
Standard Chinese ( 普 通 话 , 國 話 , 華 话 )
is a standardised form of spoken Chinese based
on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin. It is the official
language of China and Taiwan, as well as one of the
four official languages of Singapore.
Chinese Mandarin may seem like a difficult language
for native-English speakers to learned but once you
master your tones by “Pinyin” you will simply master
the pronunciation and ultimately the language.
Vowels
a as the vowel in “star” without the r
o as the vowel in “law”
e as the vowel in “stir”
i as the vowel in “bit”
u as the vowel in “food”
ü as “Y” in the yellow followed by the “u”
ai as the vowel in “bike’
ei as the vowel in “lake”
ui as combination of “u” and “i” same as”we”
ao as the vowel in “loud”
ou as the vowel in “flow”
iu combination of i and u the same as were “yew”
ie combination of i.e as the vowel in “Sierra”
ue combination of u and e as in “buena”
er combination of r and r as the vowel “early”
an as the vowel in “anchor”
en as the vowel in “earn” without the “r” sound
in as the word in “inn”
un as the word “one”
ün as “y” in yellow followed by word “one”
ang as the word “long”
eng as the vowel in “lung”
ing as the vowel in “England”
ong as u followed by the ng
Consonants b p m f d t n l g k h j q x zh ch sh r z c s w y
Although Pinyin uses letters and pronunciation of all
of these consonant are similar to those in English
except for:
Q is pronounce with sound like “Ch” ( ch, sh, zh are all
similar sounds in pinyin) Ch eese
X is pronounce like ’Ssh” Sh eet
J is pronounce just as “x” and “q” sound J eep
C is pronounce like “ts” Ts unami
Zh is pronounce like “J” J ack
Ü like “oo”=( you ), ue sounds u+eh=( yue ), uan sounds
u+en=( yuan ), un sounds u+n=( Yun )
32 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

Tones
One of the first concepts you need to learn when
tackling Mandarin Chinese, are the tones. Mandarin
Chinese has four main tones and a neutral tone.
Chinese words tend to be shorter than English so one
word can have several different meanings depending
on the tone used.
Tone 1 high and flat, it’s normally longer in duration
compared to other tones. It is represented by a straight
horizontal line above the letter in pinyin –
Mother ( mã ) 妈
Tone 2 rises moderately similar to English rise in pitch
with a question. The second tone is represented by
a rising diagonal line above the letter in pinyin –
Hemp ( má ) 麻
Tone 3 falls then rises again. When pronounced clearly,
it’s tonal "dipping" is very distinctive. The third tone
represented by a curved "dipping" line above the letter
in pinyin – Horse ( má ) 马
Tone 4 tones starts out high but falls sharply to the
bottom of the tonal range. It’s normally shorter in
duration compared to other tones and represented by
a dropping diagonal line above the letter in pinyin -
Scold ( mà ) 骂
Tone 5 is a neutral tone light or de-emphasised.
The neutral tone is pronounced quickly and lightly
without regard to pitch - Question particle ( ma ) 吗
There are 3 three main tone change rules that every
leaner needs to know. These rules are not normally
reflected in the tone marks of pinyin: you just have to
know them.
1. When the word ( Nǐ hǎo ) 你 好 followed by 2 third
tones in a row, the first one becomes a 2nd tone
( Ní hǎo )
2. When the word ( Bù duì ) 不 对 followed by a 4 fourth
tone, Bù changes to the 2nd tone ( Bú duì )
3. When the word ( Yī gè ) 一 个 followed by any other
tone, Yī changes to the 4th tone ( Yí gè )
Along with knowing how to say hello in Chinese, learning
some useful knowledge of the language and culture will
be of great benefit when dealing with our passengers
and make all the difference to your travel.
Hello/G’day Nǐ hǎo 好 你
How are you? Nǐ hǎo ma? 你 好 吗 ?
Good Hǎo 好
Very good Hěn hǎo 很 好
Not good(bad) Bù hǎo 不 好
Thank you Xièxiè 谢 谢
You’re welcome Bùyòng xiè 不 用 谢
Sorry Duìbùqǐ 对 不 起
It’s alright Méiguānxì 没 关 系
Please wait Qǐng shāo hòu 请 稍 候
Please excuse me Jièguò yīxià 借 过 一 下
I understand Wǒ míngbái 我 明 白
I don’t understand Wǒ bù míngbái 我 不 明 白
Yes Shì 是
Not Bù Shì 不 是
Don’t have Méiyǒu 没 有
Have Yǒu 有
Good Morning Zǎoshang hǎo 早 上 好
Good Night Wǎn'ān 晚 安
I Wǒ 我
You Ni 你
He/She Tā 他 / 她
This Zhège 这 个
That Nàge 那 个
Yesterday Zuótiān 昨 天
Today Jīntiān 今 天
Tomorrow Míngtiān 明 天
I Know Wǒ zhī dào le 我 知 道 了
Can you help me?
Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma? 你 能 帮 我 吗 ?
I can’t speak Chinese
Wǒ bù huì shuō zhōngwén 我 不 会 说 中 文
Can someone translate in English?
Yǒurén kěyǐ fānyì yīngwén ma? 有 人 可 以 翻 译 英 文 吗
Will you able to help me?
Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ ma? 你 可 以 帮 我 吗 ?
Where is the toilet?
Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎ? 洗 手 间 在 哪 ?
Please tell me how to get to ~
Qǐng gàosù wǒ rúhé qù~ 请 告 诉 我 如 何 去 ~
MAY 2018 33

Can you give me more discount?
Nǐ néng gěi wǒ gèng duō zhékòu ma?
你 能 给 我 更 多 折 扣 吗 ?
May I have a receipt?
Nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ fāpiào ma? 你 可 以 给 我 发 票 吗 ?
May I have my change please?
Nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ Zhǎo lin qián ma? 你 可 以 给 我 找 零 钱 吗 ?
Do you have an English menu?
Nǐ yǒu yīngwén càidān ma? 你 有 英 文 菜 单 吗 ?
Beef Niúròu 牛 肉
Chicken Jīròu 鸡 肉
Pork Zhūròu 猪 肉
Fish Yú 鱼
Vegetarian Sùshí 素 食
Peking Duck Běijīng kǎoyā 北 京 烤 鸭
Vegetable Shūcài 蔬 菜
Noodles Miàntiáo 面 条
Dumpling jiǎozi 饺 子
Fried Rice Chǎofàn 炒 饭
Boiled rice mǐfàn 米 饭
Jasmine Tea Mòlìhuā chá 茉 莉 花 茶
Hot /Warm water Rè / Wēn yǐnshuǐ 热 饮 水
Coffee Kāfēi 咖 啡
Red/White Wine Hóng/Bái jiǔ 红 / 白 酒
Beer Píjiǔ 啤 酒
Coke Kělè 可 乐
Orange Juice Chéngzhī 橙 汁
Pay cash Xiànjīn zhīfù 现 金 支 付
I want this Wǒ xiǎng yào zhège 我 想 要 这 个
I want that
Wǒ xiǎng yào nàgè 我 想 要 那 个
Big dà 大
Small xiǎo 小
Shopping 购 物
May I try it on?
Wǒ kěyǐ shì shì ma 我 可 以 试 试 这 个 吗 ?
Do you have bigger size?
Nǐ yǒu Gèng dà de chǐcùn ma? 你 有 更 大 的 尺 寸 吗 ?
Do you have smaller size?
Nǐ Gèng xiǎo de chǐcùn 你 有 更 小 . 的 尺 寸 吗 ?
Do you have any other colours?
Nǐ yǒu qítā yánsè ma? 你 有 其 他 颜 色 吗 ?
How much Duōshǎo qián 多 少 钱
Where is the nearest train station?
Zuìjìn de huǒchē zhàn zài nǎ? 最 近 的 车 站 在 哪 里 ?
How long does it take to get here?
Duōjiǔ cáinéng dàodá zhèlǐ? 多 久 才 能 到 达 这 里 ?
Can you take a photo for me?
Nǐ kěyǐ wéi wǒ pāizhào ma? 你 可 以 为 我 拍 照 吗 ?
Total of – people
Zǒnggòng yǒu ~ gèrén 总 共 有 ~ 个 人
Total of ~ Passengers
ZǒngGòng yǒu ~ míng chéngkè 总 共 有 ~ 名 乘 客
Help (emergency) Jiùmìng 救 命
Please help me to call the police
Qǐng bāng wǒ bàojǐng 请 帮 我 报 警
Apple Juice Píngguǒ zhī 苹 果 汁
One Yī 一
Two Èr 二 Three Sā 三 Four Sì 四
Tomato Juice Fānqié zhī 番 茄 汁
Cutlery cānjù 餐 具
Chopsticks Kuàizi 筷 子
Five Wǔ 五 Six Liù 六 Seven Qī 七 ,
Eight Bā 八 Nine Jiǔ 九 Ten Shí 十
Hundred Bǎi 百
Supermarket Chāojí shìchǎng 超 级 市 场
Restaurant Cāntīng 餐 厅
One hundred
Thousand
(YīBǎi) 一 百
Qiān 干
Toilet Cèsuǒ 厕 所
The Bill/Check JiéZhàng 结 账
One thousand (YīQiān) 一 千
Ten thousand Wàn 萬
How much Duōshǎo qián 多 少 钱
Ten thousand
(YīWàn) 一 萬
34 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

Culture
Learning what to expect and its’
language in China can help mitigate
some of the stress until you get used
to the speed of daily life. There are
things to keep in mind of the culture
differences to prevent embarrassing
situation and also avoid getting into
trouble or offending someone.
Don’t expect everyone whom you
encounter to speak English well. Saying
the same thing again only louder
makes you look like a newbie traveller
and won’t help them understand any
better. When dealing with Government
officials if tense situations arises, raising
your voice or getting angry will help
with nothing but creating a losing face
situation for all.
When interacting with Taxi drivers do
note that taxi drivers will rarely turned
down a fare, whether they understand
where you are going or not, so ensure
that the driver knows your destination
before you get inside.
Personal space is a luxury in china so
don’t be offended if someone stands
just a little too close when speaking
to you or people are calmly pressed
against you on crowded public
transport. With such an enormous
population, the Chinese do not share
the same concept of personal buffer
space that westerner monitor. It’s not
uncommon that you will not receive an
“excuse me ‘when someone bumps into
you or squeezes past while knocking
you out of the way.
Orderly queues, especially of more
than a few people are generally
disregarded in China. As a foreigner
people will blatantly step in front of
you, cut lines or push past you to the
counter as if you are not even there.
Again, remember that overpopulation
plays a big part in this behaviour and
do your best to keep cool while holding
your place in line. Don’t be afraid to
be shuffled around defensively to keep
people from stepping in front of you.
Chinese do not usually accept a gift,
invitation or favour when it is first
presented. Politely refusing two or three
times is thought to reflect modesty
and humility. Accepting something in
haste makes a person look aggressive
and greedy as does opening it in front
of the giver. Always present your gifts
with both hands and when wrapping be
aware that the Chinese ascribe much
importance to colour. Red is lucky, pink
and yellow represents happiness and
prosperity, white grey and black are
funeral colour.
Spitting in public and clearing the
sinus recesses with sounds are
common throughout China as
choking pollution in big cities and
excessive smoking are so high
even though the Government is
trying to stop this habit with very
slow effects.
Learning a new language and
culture when travelling
can be challenging especially in
China. It is a challenging country
that requires a lot of patience and
under-standing but at the end you
are rewarded with an encounter
with amazing places, interesting
history and it’s intriguing culture.
MAY 2018 35

QUICK RESTAURANT REVIEWS
By our Members
As crew we get to travel about this great world of ours and experience many different
cultures & cuisines, here is a quick couple of recommendations from crew on where
to grab a bite around the network.
Outpost Kitchen
1792 Monrovia Avenue
Costa Mesa, Los Angeles
About 8 minutes drive from the Hilton
Costa Mesa Hotel. Owned by an
Australian who truly understands the
importance of fresh food and amazing
coffee, all food is locally sourced
and super fresh. A very funky, fresh
menu with all the staple favourites
like smashed avocado but can highly
recommend the Red Rock Eggs with
Chorizo.
Set in a funky warehouse style space
the service can be hit or miss but it is
well worth the drive for great coffee and
fresh food.
Komala Vilis
76-78 Serangoon Road, Singapore
Komala Vilas is a Crew Institution; some
of the crew have been heading there
for more than 30 years! A little lesser
known than Maggie’s or Fatty’s but no
less worthy of a visit, especially as half
the fun is getting there. The original
restaurant is still operating from 7am
and is nestled in the heart of little India.
For those less inclined to walk, it’s a
short UBER ride from the crew hotel.
Personally, I like to work up my appetite
with a stroll to Mustafa Centre first and
have a late brekky/early lunch, so I have
the rest of the day to catch up with
friends, shopping or a massage.
The restaurant opened in 1947 and
boasts to be oldest Vegetarian restaurant
in Singapore with one dining room
on street level and another upstairs.
Delicious traditional dishes from both
Northern and Southern India are
on the menu and many served on a
banana leaf. A favourite of mine is the
Masala Dosai, a traditional pancake
of fermented batter with a potato and
onion filling served with samba and
chutney followed by sweet lassi, a super
delicious sweet sugar yogurt drink.
This is enough food to keep you going
all day and take home some for a before
call snack! All this for the total amount
of $7.20!!
Ton Zen
Narita
My favourite restaurant in NRT is a little
nondescript brown building with red
writing directly opposite the entrance
to the big Aeon shopping centre, just
where you get off the pink bus.
Ton Zen specialises in crumbed pork
cutlets or tonkatsu. They also have
seafood like prawns or scallops.
The menus all come with pictures;
there is also an English menu
available. The staff are warm and
friendly and most have basic English
for the questions they will ask about
your choices.
The lunch sets come with a choice
of white or red rice and a pork broth
or clam based soup and there is a
selection of delicious sauces on the
table to use freely. Some choices even
have a groovy little mortar & pestle
to grind up your sesame seeds.
Tea is complimentary and you can
add a drink for a little extra depending
on your preference. There are a
number of options for under ¥1000.
Ton Zen is open from late morning
till late night and is the perfect place
for a filling meal.
Top tip: It’s a long walk back on a full
stomach, so the express bus is ¥230
*Japan still allows smoking in many
restaurants so be sure and request nonsmoking
if that’s your preference*
With thanks to Sharlene, Bec and
Miranda for these insights, do you have
a favourite place to eat? Send a quick
review to matthew@faaa.net for our
next publication.
36 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

GODFREY PEMBROKE
Financial Advice Specialists
Neale Murphy and the Team at Godfrey Pembroke North Parramatta have been assisting clients with their
retirement planning and financial planning needs since 1991. The team does this through identifying your
needs and goals, assessing your financial position and recommending and implementing a financial plan that
allows your retirement income needs to be met.
Once your personalised plan is in place, the team will continue to work closely with you to ensure that your
retirement plans are on track.
We have been assisting members of the FAAA for the past 25 years with their financial goals.
Contact us today to start or review your future financial planning needs.
MAY 2018 37

MARDI GRAS 2018
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS
By Michael Lee James Qantas Mardi Gras Parade Director • Pictures courtesy of Brent Winstone
Well, the glitter has settled and the sequins are packed away for another year, as
Qantas celebrates another successful year of sponsorship and spectacular entry into
the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
This year was a special year for the
LGBTQI community as it celebrates 40
years since the first march took place
in 1978 on June 24th, the 78ers made
their way along Oxford St towards Kings
Cross they were chanting things like
“stop police attacks on Gays, women
and Blacks” and “out of the bars and
into the streets”, with the hope that
people would come and dance in the
streets, the night ended with many of
the marchers being beaten and thrown
in Jail. 40 years later Mardi Gras is one
of the biggest night time parades in the
world and is a huge tourist attraction for
Sydney, we should thank the 78ers for
being so brave and never giving up the
fight for Equality.
In 1997 a group of Qantas
employees entered the
parade in a Gayviation
747 Jumbo themed
float, complete with a
High Heel wearing Roo
on the tail, this went
on to win Best Of
Parade at the Mardi
Gras awards that year,
this year we wanted to
recognise our fellow
crew from 1997 with a
dedication to them on
our float, you can see
this in the photos with
the Roo in Heals.
I love the atmosphere in Sydney
during Mardi Gras — it really comes
alive! There are so many events
during the two-week festival, but
directing and marching in the parade
is always the highlight for me. Seeing
our employees march alongside our
iconic #RainbowRoo float to celebrate
diversity is an extraordinary thing.
We also had the pleasure of being
involved in a special moment at Taylor
Square where our float was joined by
10 Cher impersonators and 40 spunky
sailors who danced to a mega mix of
Cher songs, and then of course the
Queen herself Cher joined us for a
special photo opportunity with the main
man Alan Joyce, who has been the
driving force for Diversity and equality
at Qantas and was a major contributor
to the YES campaign last year.
The only question that is left for me to
answer is “how on earth am I going
to top this next year”, anyone have
Madonna or Lady Ga Ga’s number?
So I guess I can add
to my resume,
“Cher back-up dancer”?
Illuminate Network
Qantas is proud supporter of our LGBTI
employees and has a long history of
supporting equality. We care about our
employees within the organisation and
the communities we work and live in.
The Illuminate network is an employeelead
network for LGBTI employees and
their allies which aims too;
• Develop a workplace that is free
from bullying, harassment and
discrimination for all our employees.
• Exist as a central repository of
information, support, contacts,
advocacy and networking for sexual
and gender diversity.
• Be a resource for our employees to
see what the Qantas Group is doing
in the LGBTIQ&A space.
• Help facilitate communication
between LGBTIQ&A employees and
allies across both Qantas and Jetstar.
• The network is structured
around four key strategic
pillars and aims to create
representation for each
pillar both nationally and
locally.
If you would like to join
the network please email
illuminate@qantas.com.au
to be added to the
distribution list. Monthly
newsletters will keep
you up to date on
upcoming events and
how you can get involved. You can
also find the network on Yammer here.
(https://www.yammer.com/qantas.
com.au/#/threads/inGroup?type=in_
group&feedId=9741737)
For more information on the parade
visit http://www.mardigras.org.au/
events/parade
38 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

MAY 2018 39

What’s the deal
with Travelzoo?
Travelzoo ® is an independent travel deals
publisher with 28 million members
worldwide and 25 offices globally.
Our team of Deal Experts negotiates and
publishes only the strongest holiday, cruise,
hotel, restaurant, spa and entertainment
deals from the best companies.
It’s FREE to join up and membership includes:
The Top 20 ® - the 20 very best travel deals in
Australia delivered directly to your inbox
every Wednesday.
Local experiences & gift vouchers - the very
best offers on local attractions, activities and
restaurants all over the world.
Email notifications - set alerts for a specific
city of country to keep up-to-date on the
local offers available.
The Travelzoo ® app - making it easy to find
and take advantage of great deals all
around the world.
Sign-Up
travelzoo.com
Each offer will be researched against the market
for its strength and is subject to editorial approval.
Restrictions will apply based on inventory guidelines.
40 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

FINDING YOUR FEET, YOUR
BAGS, YOUR FLIGHT
By Smaro Skordas & Matthew Allsop
Commuting or alt paxing to or from another base can be daunting for those trying it
out for the first time and unfamiliar with the process.
SYDNEY
Sydney in particular can be a challenge
for those from other bases. Here are a
few easy steps to remember to make the
process a breeze.
When commuting to sign on in Sydney
for the first time, it is important to give
yourself plenty of time to get from
Sydney Domestic Terminal to SIT (Sydney
International Terminal).
Upon arriving into Sydney Domestic
Terminal, if there are no bags to be
collected from the baggage carousel,
then just head to Gate 15 and get on the
complimentary Shuttle Bus that takes
connecting passengers over to SIT. Don't
forget to wear your ID at all times when
moving between terminals. The transfer
bus leaves approximately every 10 to
20 minutes depending on the time of day,
and takes about 10 minutes to get over
to SIT.
Once the Shuttle Bus arrives at SIT,
take the escalator upstairs where you
turn left to go through to Passport
Control. It is now a fast and easy process
to go through the automatic passport
readers, and then once having passed
through security, it is a short walk through
Duty Free where you would continue
to walk straight towards the American
Express Lounge.
The glass doors to Sign-On are opposite
the American Express Lounge near gate
25. Use the computers to sign on, which
are located as soon as you enter. Take the
escalator downstairs to the crew lounge
and briefing rooms.
Where baggage needs to be collected
after arriving into Sydney, after landing
head downstairs to the baggage
carousels. Once baggage has been
collected then take the escalator back
upstairs and check in baggage at the
check in counters toward the right
hand side of the terminal. Remember
to have some crew baggage tags on
hand, because the Domestic check-in
counters don't have any crew baggage
tags. Once bags have been checked
in and security has been cleared, then
head to Gate 15 and follow the same
process as above.
Commuting back to ones home base
from Sydney is relatively easier. Upon
arriving into Sydney, clear and exit
Customs, turn right and head toward
Domestic transfer where bags can
be checked in and the Shuttle Bus
takes passengers over to the Domestic
Terminal. Bear in mind that check in
cut-off is 45 minutes prior to ETD of
your flight.
MELBOURNE
Commuting in and out of Melbourne is
relatively easier.
When commuting and signing on in
Melbourne, if there is no baggage to
be collected, then upon arriving in to
Melbourne take the elevator on the back
wall next to baggage carousel Number
1 and head up to the second floor. The
crew lounge and briefing rooms are
through the doors directly opposite the
elevator on the second floor.
If baggage needs to be checked in, then
once it has been collected head up to
Departures on the first floor.
Next to the Customer Service Desk
is the Crew Baggage Check In. Once
again take elevator up to second floor to
sign on after checking in bags.
Commuting back home out of
Melbourne is as simple as turning left
after exiting Customs and taking the
escalator up to Domestic check in.
Check-in cut-off is 30 mins prior to ETD
of your flight.
Two handy numbers to have on hand
are the Team Assist numbers for any
issues that may arise while commuting.
For Sydney contact Sydney Team
Assist on 02 96911261. The number for
Melbourne Team Assist is 03 83364606
and Brisbane 07 38673699. These
phone numbers can also be found
on the FAAA app under the Handy
Contacts tab.
BRISBANE
Brisbane airport has two separate
terminal several kilometres apart, an
Orange Terminal Shuttle operates 24
hours a day between the two, a trip of
approximately 10 minutes that departs
and arrives every 15 minutes during
peak times, a concise timetable is
located at each shuttle bus stop.
Arriving domestically and making your
way to the International Terminal is a
breeze, after collecting your checked
in baggage (if you have any) make your
way to the Terminal Shuttle bus stop
directly outside the check in area at
the Qantas domestic terminal, the bus
has ample luggage space. The shuttle
bus will deliver you to level 2 at the
international terminal, to check a bag in
MAY 2018 41

go directly to level 4 (departures) Qantas
uses counter 9 (the far right hand side
of the building, when facing it)
Make you way to level 3 for the crew
room and sign on; the crew room is on
the left hand side of the building (when
facing it) the opposite end to the Qantas
counters upstairs. Upon arrival to level
3 cross the mezzanine bridge and walk
passed the Emirates office following the
hallway around to the left. The Brisbane
crew room is a shared office for both
crew and airport staff combined.
When it is time to go home, and you
have arrived in Brisbane International,
as you leave Immigration and Customs
head to the right hand corner of the
arrivals level (level 2) behind the Spoon
café, the domestic transfer desk is
located here for both Qantas and Virgin,
they will take care of checked luggage
and then send you on your way to the
shuttle bus to the domestic terminal.
Ensure you allow a minimum of one
hour before you domestic flight ETD,
if you have no luggage, walk straight
outside on Level 2 (Arrivals) and board
the Orange Shuttle bus to Domestic.
Happy commuting and travels
around the bases.
42 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

CANS. CLS
Director
CANS. CLS
02 8054 8110
info@bellapellecc.com.au
bella_pelle_cosmetic_clinic
www.bellapellecc.com.au
Level 8, Suite 805 / 155 King St. Sydney
2 8054 8110
nfo@bellapellecc.com.au
ella_pelle_cosmetic_clinic
ww.bellapellecc.com.au
evel 8, Suite 805 / 155 King St. Sydney
Castlereagh St
Castlereagh St
King St
King St
Elizabeth St
Elizabeth St
Mention you work within Qantas, get your 2nd
week FREE. And 10% off any membership!!*
MAY 2018 43

EDITORS MESSAGE
Matthew Allsop - Editor at Large
What can I say, you made it all the way to the back page !
A heartfelt thanks and congratulations from me,
I hope you enjoyed reading The Silent Review and
you have an idea of how the magazine can grow
and continue to add to your FAAA membership.
To all the crew that I reached out to with an idea
for an article, wow, you are in print now, and
for that I say congratulations and thank you.
Your mission now is to send through any story
ideas, photo’s and suggestions for future articles,
the magazine’s mission is to be by crew for crew.
If you have a creative outlet you want to share with
your crew family, maybe you volunteer and want
to shine a spotlight on that, have a favourite eating
spot in one of our slip ports or just have some
great pictures of things to do and see when up
line, well I want to hear from you !
We truly hope we have provided some new
information, as well as entertained you whilst you
travelled through the pages of The Silent Review.
We see the E Magazine as yet another way we can
communicate with the membership and keep our
promise to always be engaged and take the FAAA
in new directions it has never been before.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Matthew
matthew@faaa.net
44 ISSUE ONE VOLUME ONE

MAY 2018 45