CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
In the era of full blown digital-dependence, the city of Canberra is one of the last places on earth where you can get by with just a wallet and keys.
Local car salesman, Avan Arkle (30) can testify that this town still accommodates those who live screen-free.
After accidentally dropping his iPhone while hiking through Red Rock Gorge lookout a few weeks back, Avan was initially worried about his ability to stay connected. While he was able to retrieve his device from the rocks below, the 40 metres drop has smashed the screen beyond usability.
From that point, he simply just walked back to his 2017 Toyota ute, and drove back into town.
While his memory served him well for the best part of the drive, he also found himself taking directions from ‘street signs’ at the intersections he was not that familiar with.
Apart from that, he knows his hometown inside out.
That’s why he hasn’t rushed to get his phone fixed. He knows how to get around – and when he needs to know the time, he looks at the clock.
As someone who works in sales, he’s not relying on any special apps in his day-to-day work. He lives with his girlfriend, and if she’s going somewhere – he’ll see her at either the start or the end of the work day.
He also doesn’t miss the group chats. Because he knows where to find his mates at any given moment.
“There’s one or two places. It’s either Assembly or the Civic. If I’m feeling like a beer after work, I’ll go there. That’s where I find them. That’s also where I find out what everyone has planned for the weekend. I’m not missing anything”
“If it’s a Raiders home game. We go to Canberra stadium. Otherwise, we go to each other’s houses.”
Avan says life actually isn’t that hard without the non-stop over-supply on dull information being beamed into his eyeballs at all times. He’s also far more organised.
“Me and the missus talk about what we are doing for dinner before we go to work. That way, I can go pick up some groceries on the way home if we need it. It also means I visit my parents every Sunday because we aren’t just keeping in touch over text”
However, there are some forms of technology that Avan still relies on.
“I am thinking of hooking back up a landline, though. You know you can still order a pizza over the phone? I forgot about that”
“And if I can’t drive because I’ve had too much to drink, I just literally walk out of the pub and point my finger towards the road”
