Anika Wells MP on 4KQ
TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
4KQ
Friday 24 April 2020
SUBJECTS: A Ute-ful of Tim Tams for Teachers
LAUREL, HOST: Well I heard about this yesterday. Federal Member for Lilley, Anika Wells, is doing something really, really sweet for her local community around the Virginia/Nundah area today. We’ve got her on the phone – good morning Anika!
ANIKA WELLS MP, MEMBER FOR LILLEY: Good morning Laurel and Mark, how are you?
LAUREL: Very well thank you. Now you’re doing something really, really nice, tell us about it.
ANIKA: Well, what I’m doing is driving the most festive Ute in Brisbane around the electorate today to thank our teachers and our school staff for all of the hardship that they’ve faced with the changeovers in term 2. What I’ve done is teamed up with Arnotts, who is one of the biggest employers on the northside to deliver them a Ute full of Tim Tams.
LAUREL: Ooooooh!
MARK, HOST: Oh that is so good!
LAUREL: Oh how amazing!
ANIKA: We have 44 schools in the electorate, so it is a proper Ute full of Tim Tams, individually wrapped of course because we’re all observing our safety and social distancing requirements.
LAUREL: Oh look, they are working so unbelievably hard, our teachers and staff.
ANIKA: They are, and I think it’s been really difficult for them. Obviously there’s been a big national discussion around schools and whether they should be opened or whether they should be closed. Some of the teachers have said they don’t like the implication that they don’t want to be there for their kids. They’re just as dedicated to our kids as we are, really. Most of them were there well after the school bell on the last day and were back there hours before on the first day. And of course there is our school cleaners and our teacher aides, and all kind of support staff that go in to keep things ticking over, so today everyone gets a Tim Tam!
MARK: That’s fantastic.
LAUREL: Oh, how lovely. You’ll probably find though there’ll be the Head of the teachers that say “oh you do know we have 4,555 teachers working here, can we have a Tim Tam each?”
MARK: “Bring more! A lot more!”
LAUREL: “Really? You have that many?”
ANIKA: Yeah they’ll say “well you did miss Mavis, she’s on leave on the moment…”
MARK: “More Tim Tams!”
ANIKA: “…so we will need you back Tuesday, does 9am work?”
MARK: I think this is just such a lovely thing to do, and it’s a nice, just a little simple thank you to our teachers. I really think it’s lovely.
ANIKA: That’s very kind. It’s the least I can do. People across their neighbourhoods probably know of all sorts of kindness going on at the moment. It’s a really difficult time for everybody, but as MP’s on of our privileges is we can be a conduit for kindness, and coordinate these kinds of things, so I’m really looking forward to today, it’s going to be great. And now we can see how many school staff you’ve got in your listenership because they’ve got the exclusive this morning that it’s coming.
LAURA: Ha ha! Well look, just thinking if you do have any left over…
MARK: Any at all! We are kind of like teachers!
LAURA: Just continue down Sandgate Road and head towards Milton because we’ll be happy to take them off your hands.
MARK: We teach people a lot of things.
LAURA: Yes!
ANIKA: Beep beep!
LAURA: Ha ha! Good on you Anika! That’s a lovely thing.
ANIKA: Oh not at all, thank you for letting me thank the teachers across the airwaves. I’m sorry if you’re not in Lilley, we love you as well. Consider moving to the northside.
MARK: Ha ha! She’s getting more people in her area, hey?
LAURA: Okay I’ve got the headmaster of Bulimba State School on the phone. Where are they?
MARK: They’re moving to the northside! Ha ha!
ENDS
