In praise of WA Premier Mark McGowan

YOU couldn’t have banked on this, Mark.

Three-and-a-half weeks ago, on that impossibly Perth day when half the city (and your cabinet) turned out to pay tribute to a hard rock band, who could have seen it?

They closed Canning Highway off, and the same day, across the river in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, James Kwan became the first Australian to die from it.

Cruise ship responsible for quarter of WA COVID-19 cases

It was already here.

Now, driving around, Perth is starting to resemble a science fiction film at the edges, dystopian signage everywhere you turn.

The marquee of the cinema down the road just says: “Back soon. Stay safe.”

All those ‘2020 vision’ headlines seem a long time ago now.

And I’m one of the lucky ones, able to work from home, a wife who can marshall a five-year-old and a toddler and keep the screaming to a minimum while I try not to snap.

“Dad’s working,” she says to them. “Dad’s busy.”

Dad’s sorry, sorry you ever had to see him this scared.

I don’t know how you do it Mark, fronting up every day with Roger and Andy to meet the cameras, spit out the bad news then retreat for more.

Yet every day when I read your posts on Facebook, there’s comfort there, a feeling like you’ve got this thing under control, even when control’s been lost.

A feeling that it’s breaking your heart as much as ours.

Roger and Andy need to take a bow too – reassuring presences as we enter new, dark places.

Before the last election, Christian Porter fired a memorable shot at you.

“If our state is to boldly go places we haven’t gone before, I can absolutely assure you I don’t want a junior, sweaty Navy lawyer at the helm,” he said.

Well, we’ve gone somewhere we’ve never gone before.

So far I’ve seen nothing that would make me swap the navy lawyer for anyone.

Keep the head, Mark. Keep showing up.

Listen to the medicos.

Try to get some sleep.

One day, when this thing is through, they’ll name highways after you.

Get in touch:

greig.johnston@communitynews.com.au