Ita Buttrose has always been someone I admire and once I met her in the flesh. It was a disaster. I literally could not form words as I was so starstruck. Ita looked at me and sternly said, “Oh for God’s sake, spit it out as we have not got all day!” I went on to have a wonderful conversation with my hero journalist and groundbreaking career woman who never seems to run out of puff and clearly does not suffer fools or tongue-tied fans! This week, Ita was addressing a large crowd and talking about her new role as the chair of the ABC.
I sat looking at Ita as if she was the Queen herself. A look I do not have for many role models these days. I mean, sure I would have the same look for Hugh Jackman, Ray Martin and Rebecca Gibney, but my list starts to dwindle after that when it comes to trustworthy celebrities. I would of course trust Chris Hemsworth and his hammer to do some jobs around the house, but that is a fantasy I will not go into right now.
Back to pure thoughts and Ita. The 77-year-old made a really valid point in noting we are in an era of not trusting anyone. But we do still trust the ABC and the media stalwart promised to protect this in her role as the boss. When you think about it, Ita is right. Our politicians do not seem overly trustworthy with a merry-go-round of prime ministers all serving their own egos and agendas.
The Catholic church has never been less trusted after George Pell’s disgraceful actions against children. And social media? Well, who is trusting those images of perfect mums who are living perfect lives with their perfect children and perfect parties with perfect guests and perfect balloon arrangements and perfect flower walls? I have more a feeling of unease than ever these days when I look at the stream of images on my Instagram feed. It is a niggle inside my belly and I have learnt if I am feeling not so great mentally, I will not spend much time on social media.
Do we trust reality TV shows, or do we all suspect they are totally scripted or just full of a cast of hopefuls wanting to become famous and increase their Instagram followers? And the banks. Well. Not exactly the most ethical institutions. Christopher Skase seems squeaky clean in comparison to many of our banks. But Ita got a standing ovation when she spoke about protecting the reputation and role of the ABC. And I reckon we can all trust Ita. After all, let’s just bask in the glory of Cold Chisel’s anthem shall we:
“Every night when I get home I settle down to prime time limbo
When all the boys are gathered around shouting, Ita’s on TV
And though the roaches are thick on the ground
Somebody goes to close my window
Keep the noise of the city down
Get a dose of integrity.”
God bless you Ita!
