Last month the niche world of wooden boats made a fleeting apperance in the mainstream media with almost an hour of conversation on ABC Radio Sydney’s nightlife program. And what’s affirming for us is that the participants are all regular contributors to this humble journal.

And bear in mind that in 1987 the ABC famously cost eight cents a day. Adjusted for inflation and population growth, the ABC today costs each Australian just half that amount. Since the mid-1980s the real funding has decreased by 28% or $336 million. This is 34% lower than the average of 18 comparable international public broadcasters.