Quantock is desperately serious and yet disarmingly quirky

Rod Quantock.

Rod Quantock is desperately serious about the complications and implications arising from climate change, but through his quirky behaviour softens the conversation through humour and humanizes this strangely inhuman-like thing.

Quantock, a thinker, advisor to the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute and nationally-known comedian, was in Shepparton yesterday (September 10) for the launch the “Slap Energy” forum planned for Friday, September 26.

Watched by about 30 people and several news outlet representatives, Quantock and the Member for Shepparton, Jeanette Powell, discussed climate change, with the latter launching the September 26 event.

Quantock had earlier in the day been to Shepparton’s McGuire College to talk with some 30 students about the unfolding dilemmas humanity is facing.

Looked at analytically, the information given by Quantock was alarming, but when seasoned with the comedian’s idiosyncratic zest, it is simply entertaining

and yet, thought provoking.

Students at both sessions were taken on a Quantock-like history lesson right from the big-bang to now with the important eras being explained by Quantock and illustrated by volunteers who were “the big bang”, “time”, “now”, “earth” and a “dinosaur”.

In discussing the reality that the world has too many people, Quantock pointed out that when he was born, the world has just 2.5 billion people and now it was home to more than seven billion.

One student obviously unable to comprehend or understand how such a change could happen in one man’s lifetime, assumed the fellow standing before them and telling the story must have been much older than he looked and asked: “How old are you?”

Solutions and immediate action were not part of Quantock’s presentation, accept that he did encourage the students to engage with the AustralianYouth Climate Coalition (AYCC).