Alcohol is flooding our health system

Here’s a lovely article that I read with interest, then dismay: Drunk callouts swamp ambos. Did you know that Western Australia’s stretched ambulance crews are treating ten drunks a day?! I find this and other figures sobering. What a pity other people don’t! Lie of the land In WA, more than seven teenagers a week…

Midnight son

Kids. They grow up so fast! Like to know how fast? A 24-year-old drives his kid brother to a girl’s twelfth birthday. The party’s in the well-heeled Melbourne suburb of Brighton. When the man returns to collect his brother several hours later, he sees pre-teens (i.e. children) staggering round the front yard, vomiting profusely on…

Why each parent should have 20 kids

As teen parties get bigger, riskier and more elaborate, host parents are finding there’s extra help at hand: other parents and responsible (i.e. mature, sober) adults. This is good news, as parents planning teen events need all the help they can get. They also need to realise some really important points. Key among these is…

It’s NO ‘accident’!

In my view, an accident is something you have no control over. If, for instance: you’re driving a car; a large spider drops on you from behind the sun visor and you crash into a tree, that’s an accident. If, on the other hand: you’re rushing and driving at speed; you tailgate the car in…

100 is enough!

As our communities struggle to cope with the rise of teen parties, we now have a popularity contest: 100 guests (or more) is the new way to be cool and hip! Yes, teen parties are getting bigger. I’m now regularly speaking to parents planning 150+ guest events for kids as young as 14! Yesterday I…

Death rattle

What’s up, Western Australia?! From what we’ve read these last few months, you really are dying to have fun. Since the start of March, 40 of your teen parties have hit the media for appalling reasons. In case you’ve been lying drunk in a ditch or king-hit by a bottle, here’s a fool’s guide to…

Crash tackle

Moon madness Last Saturday night kept me and my staff very busy. I’m not sure what the moon was doing, but every party we handled had issues. Problems that would’ve turned very ugly had security not been present Ironically, the alcohol-free events were the most difficult. This was because gatecrashers targeted both. You wouldn’t believe…

The west ain’t the best!

Perth has been having so many major problems with teen parties that I have to say my piece. Since the start of March, I’ve counted more than 30 teen events that have hit the media for all the wrong reasons. The most serious incident was last week when gatecrashers attacked, stabbed and hospitalised four young…

Underage underwear

Learning curve Each teen event brings new adventures. Last weekend we had many lively youth celebrations. The first was a formal event for 280 16-year-olds, followed by several ‘after parties’ not far from the venue. Chatting to young guests is one way my security team and I build rapport. We make kids understand that we’re…

Teen parties & sexual assault

The link between teen parties and sexual assault is real and alarming. Here’s the latest horrific story. How many more times must this happen before we wake up from this nightmare?! I was recently involved in a situation that resulted in a young birthday boy being charged with sexual assault at a party. Prior to…