A tradie challenge will feature in the half-time entertainment at the Knights match against the Roosters on Saturday.
This seems kind of fitting because dealing with tradies can be quite a challenge. Mind you, it must be quite a challenge for tradies to deal with customers.
We once employed a roofer to replace some tiles. He accidentally left a tile off overnight. We discovered the missing tile purely by chance. Luckily it didn't rain that night!
We've had good tradies, too, who did a good job for a fair price.
We also recall a stressed-out plumber telling us that something like 10 per cent of people don't pay their bills.
Anyhow, a photographer who used to shoot Newcastle Knights games once told us that it seemed like the crowd was filled with "angry tradies". Maybe they were angry because they hadn't been paid. Or, perhaps, the Knights were on a losing streak.
The Knights must know their market pretty well because, as we said, Saturday's match will feature the "McDonald Jones Homes Tradie Challenge" at half-time.
Five Knights fans will get a shot at competing in a relay with wheelbarrows and inflatable tools. Almost $12,000 in prizes will be on offer.
The miners get their own hi-vis round. We reckon the tradies should also get their own round. That'd make them less angry, surely. Oh, and pay your bills, scrooges.
Fresh Faces
Wonder if there's any potential Greta Thunberg-type youngsters in Newcastle ready to take the political world by storm?
Perhaps there was one or two involved in the so-called Newcastle Youth Mock Council. Yep that's mock, not rock.
The group, which met at City Hall on Friday in the council chambers, featured students from local high schools.
The group participated in a mock council meeting, which descended into childishness, factional clashes, misinformation and discrimination. Ah no, sorry, that was a real council meeting a few days earlier.
Will you just look at those fresh, innocent faces. We should really tell those youngsters the truth. Yes, you can make a difference through politics, but it is a grubby business.
Grub Grub
Speaking of grubby things, we wrote on Friday about a CSIRO roadmap for the emerging edible insect industry. We dubbed this buzzing business "grub grub".
Glen Fredericks, of Adamstown Heights, said he's long been a big fan of an insect by-product - "good old fashioned honey".
"But when you think of it, it's actually bee vomit, right?" Glen said.
"Growing up, I had a book on earthworms. As well as the usual sciencey stuff, there was an unexpected chapter on cooking. They suggested you put the worms in a bowl of flour first before frying. That way they poop out all the dirt."
Oh, Glen kindly suggested substituting almond flour for a gluten-free option.
