Emu War

Say my name, say my name

*Shout out Destiny’s Child with throwback tune of the week!*

Welcome back to 5 Minute Refresh, the Friday refresh for awesome humans on the clock!

Short on time? Skip the warmup, and jump straight to the question at the end.

The Warmup

The following is 100% legit (pinky promise).

In 1932, the Australian government declared war on… emus.

Do not adjust your TV sets, this is real.

Following World War 1, ex-soldiers turned farmers in WA were getting smashed by a mob of emus trampling their wheat crops.

More than a mob, actually…

…an army of 20,000!

Yes, you may think of emu’s as god’s mistake.

Like, why give ‘em wings if they can’t fly?

Why paste a few feathers on the humble Ostrich, then give them a pair of dead shark eyes only a mother could love?

Sadly, I don’t have the answers to these holy questions.

But I do know three things:

• ‍Emus leave Ussain Bolt in the dust - Emus are fast AF, topping out at 50kms per hour‍
• An emu’s head kick is the envy of Holly Holm– Holly might have put Rhonda Rousey’s lights out, but an emu’s kick can (and will) break skulls‍
• They are ANGRY - these mohawked marauders wake from a rage blackout with blood in their feathers and skin in their toes.

Add these things together?

These fairly hideous giraffe-necked bird punks really embody ‘f*ck around and find out’ energy.

And do just this, the Australian Army did.

Once the Australian Government declared ‘war’ on these emus, Major Meredith of the Royal Australian Artillery's 7th Heavy Artillery led a squad of our military’s finest into feathery conflict…

…armed with machine guns and 10,000 rounds of ammo.

Did the emus turn emo, veto, and retire to listen to some Brian Eno?

Gee, no.

Sun Tzu would be proud – these emus were badass psychological warfare generals.

They mixed up their evasion and attacks, popping out of nowhere and launching at high speeds…

…scattering in small groups, then regrouping to throw flying scissor kicks…

…outrunning the soldier’s trucks…

…and leading their enemies into emu mob traps.

Where they pecked the soldiers to death.

(OK, I made that last bit up, but the rest is true).

They were too fast, too many, and too… feathered?

After a humiliating string of failed bird ambushes, the government finally gave up.

Final score?

Emus: 1

Australian Army: 0

The funky looking birds had literally won a war.

Why are we talking about this?

Well, it’s a dope story.

But also, it might make you reflect…

…where in my life am I fighting a war I can’t win?

Or, more simply: where am I expending time, emotional energy or resources on an issue I have little control over?

Once you’ve nailed it, consider:

What would a different approach look like?

AKA – if I left the emus alone, what positive thing could Ido with the energy I save?

Holler at me!

(Oh, and watch out for emus hiding behind trees….)

The 5 Minute Refresh

If you're new, here's the drill – this is your 5 Minute masterclass in YOU.

Set a timer on your phone or computer. This week, you have EXACTLY 5 minutes to answer the following questions.

Smash out your response, hit send (if you want), then have a marvellous weekend. I'll write back to you in the next few days 😊

Question:

Where in my life am I expending time, emotional energy or resources on an issue I have little control over

What would a different approach look like?

‍

Have a lovely weekend everyone - and don't forget to celebrate your wins!

Nick

PS: If you find Five Minute Refresh useful, please feel free to forward onto your colleagues, friends or family members – I’ll reply to anyone, once per week 🙂