[hodson]

Like most on this thread, I have many experiences, scars etc to remind me of the many scrapes that I have endured over the years. All of which have instilled the experience that I think I have today. The thing that frightens me is that I have spent many years accumulating this experience from real accidents and when I try to pass on this wisdom to my apprentices (fitters & machinists) they just look at me with glassed eyes and I believe they think that "I'm just a silly old man telling stories".
I'm also a safety auditor as well as an expert witness for the Coroner and Qld WPH&S. I see many workplaces and speak with many experienced tradesmen and they all seem to have the same problem. It seems when you are 19 you are 10ft tall & bullet proof, when you turn 30 you are a bit wiser but still trying to prove you are tougher than the 19 year olds so still takes risks, when you turn 40 you are really starting to learn but still think you are tougher than 19 year olds so still takes risks (because you can because you are experienced now) and then you turn 50, you suddenly realise that your not 19 anymore and accidents hurt a lot. You decide that it would be a good thing if you tried to pass on this experience to younger workers/apprentices etc. This is when reality hits you and you realise that you are just a silly old man telling war stories.
The moral of this story is that the majority of the young will only ever learn from their own experiences.
So just forget about being silly old men telling stories and go drive your Cobra's like young people try to but only silly old men have the experience to do.

Regards
Colin