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It will be up in Canberra for the next few days, and especially from tomorrow morning, when Kevin Rudd arrives back in Brisbane in the early hours of the morning, no doubt a sleepy press gallery will be waiting at the terminal for him.  The heat was on here also –  tried to do some work out in the garden again today, but I decided it was simply too hot – if I was a labourer, I would have been sacked after the first hour!!! The next 3 days are going to see the temperature up into the middle 30s!!  But hopefully, this might be the last heatwave spell this summer – Autumn ‘officially’ with us next week, although March can get pretty hot in Melbourne!

One of my normal gripes is about Australia selling out it’s assets and businesses to overseas investors, or our companies going offshore because the labour and other costs are cheaper in Asian and countries. In many ways, that’s easy to understand with any kind of business. I was reading an article today about a farmer here in Victoria, who despite not been a fan of foreign investment, has still sold his property to international buyers. By doing so, he ensured his sale took place at a premium price, which understandably is what he wanted. The farmer concerned claimed he would have preferred to have sold to a local family operation, but he believes that tighter lending restrictions by banks, and the provision of little assistance to young farmers made that kind of sale difficult. He felt that closer scrutiny of farm sales to foreign buyers would be an important assistance to the future of agriculture in Australia. Many of these kind of sales are going to Chinese interests in particular, and foreign investors are looking more and more to Australia during the world period of tough trading conditions in the search for property, mining and other business interests. It is the sale of our land and agricultural resources that I particularly find disturbing. Speaking to a reporter in this week’s Weekly Times, the farmer concerned said that “We are working in a world market, we have to accept this sort of thing is happening, but the Australian Government should keep a close eye on it. There needs to be a limit on it, its bad enough now that our food industry is not getting support or encouragement to grow and provide support for our own home grown food”.

I don’t know off hand what the current situation is but a couple of years ago in Federal politics, Labor  was demanding that  the Coalition back foreign investment in the farm sector after it said he would be prepared to limit foreign purchases.   Speaking on the 30 July, 2010, the then Agriculture Minister Tony Burke said the Coalition must embrace the longstanding bipartisan support for foreign investment, insisting it drove jobs growth and warning that the Opposition Leader’s position would smash business confidence and damage trade links. The demand came after Tony Abbott declared he wanted to monitor foreign ownership of farm land and was prepared to take the appropriate action if the scale of investment threatened the national interest.  “We must be in charge of what happens in our own country, and obviously if we are going to be genuinely sovereign in our own country we’ve got to know what’s going on,” Mr Abbott said while campaigning in Adelaide.  My view is that I agree with Tony Abbott, without completely restricting it. At the time [in 2010], while Mr Abbott insisted he was not an opponent of foreign investment, Labor sources said the opposition was dog-whistling to appeal to xenophobic voters. And the  Australian Greens leader Bob Brown backed the creation of a register of foreign ownership and called on the Nationals to protect their rural constituents. Mr Abbott’s concern was based on the fact that the Foreign Investment Review Board  [FIRB] examines investment by foreigners in commercial and residential property but not small-scale rural purchases.  Earlier, Mr Abbott said the Coalition did not want to create a formal register of foreign-owned farmland because state titles offices already held ownership details relating to all property. But he said foreign ownership should be monitored more closely.  “It is important that the public understand that this country is run by the Australian government in Australia’s national interests,” Mr Abbott said. “We do want to sell the food, rather than sell the farm.” But he said Australia would always need foreign investment, just as Australian foreign investment in other countries was “a good thing” and part of a healthy, vigorous world economy.

Mr Burke said the FIRB had the power to examine any acquisition by a foreign company or government, regardless of the value. The minister said Australia’s agricultural export markets had developed over more than a century in a partnership between Australian farmers and international companies, allowing Australian producers to maximise the prices they could demand for their products.  “Federal Labor calls on the Coalition to immediately return to the longstanding bipartisan position in support of foreign investment to drive economic growth and job opportunities in rural and regional communities right across Australia,” he said.  Obviously, in the current political climate, this topic is probably not getting much attention in Parliament, in 2012!

Meanwhile, on the football scene, my team [Carlton Football Club] begins it’s pre-season competition matches this weekend.  The Blues’ 34-man squad for Sunday’s Round 1 NAB Cup matches against Port Adelaide and Adelaide at AAMI Stadium [in Adelaide] is a mix of experience and youth, with the three players recruited in the 2011 National Draft, Josh Bootsma, Dylan Buckley and Sam Rowe, preparing to wear the Carlton guernsey for the first time. While there will be some new faces for the Blues missing from the squad are seven players who represented Carlton in the Blues last game, the semi-final against West Coast. Chris Judd, Michael Jamison, Andrew Walker, Mitch Robinson, Rob Warnock and Nick Duigan will all commence their preparations for the 2012 season in the following rounds of the NAB Cup, together with Jarrad Waite who is returning from injury and is expected to play in round two or three of the NAB Cup. “The NAB Cup is about preparing the team and individuals for the 2012 season and we will be looking to ensure every player has the best possible preparation, whether that be two or three games, in the lead up to round one,” said GM Football Operations Andrew McKay.  “While supporters naturally focus on the first year players we are looking forward to seeing the development of our second and third year players who have had more than one pre-season and are striving to make their way into the team. “With hot weather forecast in Adelaide on Sunday we will use all 34 players over the two games and I am sure there will be plenty of rotations during both games. Everyone will have their opportunity during the day.”  Although there will no coverage of the games here in Victoria that I have access to, I’m looking forward to see how this ‘new’ team performs for it’s supporters.

Good to see that the team is quite popular up in Queensland –  support for the Carlton Football Club has always been very strong Australia wide and the sale of tickets to the round 3 NAB Cup in Maroochydore has proven how popular the Blues are in Queensland with the match a sell-out.  Carlton will play Brisbane at the Maroochydore Sports Complex on Saturday March 10 in the NAB Cup third round match and tickets sold out within two weeks of being on sale…………………………………………………………………………

Now finally, as a man of Scottish heritage, I was interested in this little historical note – ‘King David II of Scotland died on this date in 1731 at Edinburgh Castle, and was buried at Holyrood Abbey. He had an eventful reign – as well as spending eleven years as a prisoner of the English after invading England in 1736, David II was the last male of the House of Bruce and died childless. He was succeeded by his nephew, Robert II’  I have all those details on my ‘chart’ of Scottish kings, etc, think it’s about time I revisited that little exercise, and updated a few details!

Meanwhile, ‘the saviour’ of the ALP is winging his way home >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

 

 

 

The morning after, and needless to say, all of today’s newspapers, TV news shows, radio talkbacks – all about two people, and the upcoming leadership ballot, that the PM is apparently going to call for next Monday. Is all this assuming that Kevin Rudd will actually contest the ballot for leader?  We might leave that topic for the time being, it’s not going to go away!!

Bill’s up bright and breezy [trying to feel that way anyway] for another session at the gymnasium this morning. Kind of beginning to look forward to the hour, though not so keen on those post stretching exercises, find them harder work than what has gone before, oddly enough!  Anyway, we ‘survived’ another day, and just after I came out of the gym, switched on the car radio, as our esteemed PM formally announced to the nation that she had called for a leadership ballot, for 10 am next Monday morning.  Well, I thought that news justified some sort of celebration –  went and had a haircut, then shouted myself an iced coffee!!

In the meantime, while it would seem that the PM has the numbers over Kevin Rudd at present, and has the advantage of been able to campaign for the next 20 hours while he is in a plane returning to Australia from the USA, Gillard has indicated, that should she lose the ballot [and the role of Prime Minister] next Monday, she will return to the back bench with a firm commitment that she will undertake no further claims for leadership of the ALP [difficult on past records, to see her keeping that commitment, however…..], and she hopes that Kevin Rudd will give the same commitment should he lose the vote on Monday. It seems that the over-riding factor [apart from the perceived personalities of each of them, and their success or otherwise of their respective periods as Prime Minister] is the question of  which of Gillard or Rudd is best perceived to be able to defeat Tony Abbott in the next Federal Election [in 17 months  at the most] – general opinion seems to be Rudd.

I shall return >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The following paragraphs,  I put on Face Book today, not with any aim of stirring up controversy amongst my Labor voting friends [which most of my Australian ‘friends’ seem to be], but simply because, upon reading the whole article, whilst sitting over a coffee at Sunbury Square this afternoon, I liked what I was reading, and as a semi- rural/regional born Australian, regardless of which side of politics I was sitting on, felt that I could be reasonable comfortable living under the person suggested,  as an alternative Prime Minister, to the current and previous occupants!  This was how I put my little piece!!

Introductory bit:  Most of us are becoming a little tired of the ongoing ‘leadership saga’ between Ms Gillard and Mr Rudd, regardless of whether it is for real, or as much media driven as anything else, and I’m sure Labor supporters must be feeling a touch frustrated and distressed. I can see an alternative to them both, who would seem to offer a more secure future if Labor wants to stay in power. The points that follow come from an article in today’s Weekly Times – yes, there’s a bit of regional bias evident in the choice, but even I would be happy to live in an Australia with this man as a ‘Labor’ PM!!! I wonder what Labor supporters think?

Follow – up – selected sentences from article in the Opinion pages of today’s ‘Weekly Times’  rural newspaper, headed – ‘Best man for the land’ –  He is like, trusted and understands regional Australia –   ‘There is another alternative – and he’d be great for regional Australia. This man has been Primary Industries Minister, Trade Minister and Education and Employment Minister – in fact he’s been a senior minister under four PMs. He’s been opposition leader and is now looking statesman-like while Rudd and Gillard carry on like schoolchildren fighting over a lolly. In fact, if you lined up the politicians on both sides, this man is probably the individual country Australia would most like to have in charge. He doesn’t pontificate with ridiculous language like Rudd did and, unlike Gillard, he’s never stabbed anyone in the back. He’s a safe pair of hands. He’s liked, known and trusted by voters and carries none of the baggage of Rudd or Gillard. And he understands regional Australia and its economies better than any leadership option on either side of politics – he also has degrees in economics and law. Because he does the hard work; he’s across the policy detail, even of topics which arguably aren’t his main game. Who actually heads out to the regions to sell the Government’s unpopular climate change action in the areas that are most hostile? He doesn’t duck for cover; he was known for engaging with farmers when he was Primary Industries Minister. He rightly says the current leadership “nonsense” is sucking the oxygen from Labor’s messages. Few can manage a stint as leader and keep their friends, but he did. Australia needs a respected, hardworking PM who isn’t ego-driven and is above petty Labor Party spats and vendettas. And regional Australia needs a PM who is aware the world doesn’t end at the city limits……………..’ He ‘deserves’ another chance, in my non-Labor view – Simon Crean!!

I did get a response or two!!  There was of course the usual ‘cynical’ response that one comes to expect as a certainty from one or two friends in particular such as: ‘Written, spoken and authorised by Simon Crean for the ALP, Canberra’, but I was hoping to receive something of a more serious response, to a question which is at present in many ways, tearing the politics of our government apart. In actual fact, the article to which all this refers to was written by respected Weekly Times national affairs reporter, Leslie White.

The drama intensifies. From the other side of the world, whilst on a trip as Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd has acted before ‘someone’ axed him – he announced at a Press Conference in the USA a few hours ago, of his intention to resign as Foreign Minister, and move to the ‘back bench’.  Tony Abbott was quick to ‘put in the boot’ with this statement  –

 

For the second day in a row, I managed to get some work done out in the back garden. That was after wasting an hour and a bit at the doctor’s surgery – gave up at 12.30 for an 11.30 appointment, when it seemed as though I might be there for a further hour!! Made an early morning appointment for next week decided that my needs could wait!!  Earlier, I’d committed myself to the framed painting that had been for sale in the Ballarat Art Gallery a couple of weeks ago.  Discovered that it was still available, and the price had actually ‘dropped’ by almost $60  –  glad I didn’t buy it on the spur of the moment, when I first saw it! This time I did  –  purchased it over the phone, with plans to collect it next week.

Quite an interesting, almost sad in some ways, wildlife documentary on the ABC tonight – called ‘The Wild Ones: Kangaroo Mob’ –  environmental scientists or ecologists, over the course of one drought-stricken year, follow a mob of kangaroos as they struggle to co-exist with humans in the urban environment of the streets of Australia’s capital city, Canberra.  In a brief synopsis of the program which was the second in a series of Wild Ones natural history documentaries,  ‘we meet the mob of ‘street smart’ kangaroos moving into Australia’s capital city and the ecologists following their every move. Over the course of one drought-stricken year we follow mob leader Black Spot and kangaroo mum Madge with her two young joeys – mischievous Sonny and tiny pouch-bound Alice.  Learning to be an urban ‘roo is tough for little Sonny, who must negotiate busy roads, and avoid cars and dogs in order to find food. When the city announces a kangaroo cull, his life is in serious danger.  Thanks to the latest scientific technology we uncover surprising new animal behaviour whilst delving into the controversial issues that arise when sharing your backyard with a large wild creature  Kangaroo Mob is a warm and entertaining look at what happens when human development encroaches on wildlife habitat and two very different species are forced to co-exist’.

Regarded by many as an Australian icon, these animals can be quite dangerous from the point of view a physical confrontation between a kangaroo and a human, likely to arise in a situation of feeling trapped, or protective towards it’s young when felt threatened, or of course, as a cause of car accidents, either by a vehicle hitting a kangaroo, or more serious, accidents caused by vehicles trying to take divertive action to avoid such a collision. There are quite a few kangaroos and/or wallabies in the Sunbury area, and sadly, between here and the airport, most days one will see a dead kangaroo on the side of the road which has obviously not being street-wise. In the documentary, of the 100 kangaroos that were tagged and studied for the research, 25% of them died as a result of being struck by vehicles on the urban roads that they were forced to frequent. Meanwhile here in Sunbury, in the previous that I lived in, which was within easy walking distance of the town’s central business district, I stepped out my back door one Saturday afternoon, to find a kangaroo ‘mowing’ my lawn for me. It didn’t stay around long, bounded over the back fence into another town property, where it moved even quicker from, when it discovered a dog awaiting its arrival  –  over another back fence, into a neighbour’s backyard, and presumably from there, onto the road, and into the parkland and adjacent walking track area. That would have been a frightening experience for anyone who happened to be walking in that area at the time to be suddenly confronted by a wild and terrified animal trying to get away from humanity  – personally, I would have been happy for it to have stayed around for a while, as my lawn at that stage was in need of a good trimming.

Susie returned from Bendigo this evening, and then, after I’d cooked her a meal, was off again – apparently, Adam’s house mate, Bec, had given Susie a couple of tickets for a show. Don’t who she was going with, but I must say I was a little uncomfortable about her driving to Watergardens, leaving the car there, and catching a train into the city. More concerned about the return trip, which I expected would be after midnight, assuming that she would be on her own by that stage!

Anyway, as planned the other day, I decided to watch a late night SBS movie tonight, began just after 11pm.  A 2008 Czech Republic movie called Tobruk  – told the story during World War II, of a battalion of Czech soldiers, fighting on the side of the Allies, who become involved in the siege of Tobruk, and in so doing, confront horror and hardship in the Libyan desert.  Rated AV15+v  [not quite sure why, worse storylines seem to be on during normal viewing hours, but it was your usual slow moving European film, with odd moments of extreme violence, etc, and scenes which I guess were fairly typical of a soldier’s life during the in-between times, lots of sitting around, waiting for something to happen.  It was based around the story of Jiri and Jan, two Czech soldiers as members of that battalion.  That finished just before 1 am – I would not get to sleep until Susie came home, about 30/40 minutes later I think!!

 

 

Susie went off to Bendigo again this morning, but only for a brief visit – back tonight or tomorrow apparently. While she was on the road, I was at the gymnasium, going through my Monday morning ‘torture’. Back home for a quiet afternoon, preparing a radio program, and also spending a bit of time out in the garden. I must say that those gardening gloves I was given for Christmas, were a useful gift – makes for far easier handling of blackberry plants and other like species.

I noticed today, that the refugee advocacy group ChilOut was promoting the fact that in 2004, they took a group of formerly detained children, and some passionate young Australian born youth, to meet with MPs in Canberra. ChilOut subsequently took credit for the fact that by 2005 there were no more children locked in immigration detention. Today, with numbers of children in detention rising, and no apparent change to the practice of detaining them, the organisation has restarted the program and hopes to get the voices of young people heard again,\. I wish them well.

On the sporting front today, I notice that Australia’s former cricket captain, Ricky Ponting, has been dropped from the current ODI series between Australia, India & Sri Lanka.  A pity to hear that, because while he has not scored many runs in the limited over games, since the Test series was completed, his form in the Test matches was superb, and I’m at least pleased that he has not been dropped [yet] from all forms of cricket. In fact, following on from today’s decision, Ponting himself decided that he would like to continue playing Test cricket, while acknowledging that his ODI matches were over. I certainly hope he is retained in the Test team for the upcoming tour to the West Indies, as his Test form, despite the 37 years of age, justifies fully his inclusion in that team.  Just for the record, Ricky Ponting’s cricket statistics in One Day International matches, read as follows, and not a bad little table!!

• Innings: 365
• Runs scored:  13,704
• Highest score: 164
• ODI Average: 42.04

A little annoyed to get to the radio station tonight, and find the printer had not yet been re-inked!!  I use that to print out my program record of shows performed [the printer at home not working for me for some reason], but  the 3NRG machine has been inactive for 2 weeks now  – does no-one use it except me??  Anyway, that’s just a minor hiccup – my Monday program followed at 9pm. As usual, a mixed genre of music which I’d enjoyed putting together, and hopefully, what listeners I had, gained some pleasure out of my Monday variety smorgasbord! I do know there are people who cannot pick up the station’s reception, who would like to listen!  Nevertheless, despite the fact that it is generally a normal situation for shows like mine not to normally receive phone calls, I think I admit to a little touch of disappointment every Monday, when no phone calls come through!

Meantime, I think one or two of the ABC ‘current affair’ type programs, such as Q & A might have been quite  interesting to watch tonight  – Monday night used to be my favourite and main TV night, but I realised I would have to sacrifice that when I took on this time slot on a Monday night. Anyway, all aspects of the media are currently giving a great run [far overdone, and most people are sick of it by now] to the Labor Party saga over who should be Prime Minister – Julia Gillard, or the man she ‘replaced’ two years ago, Kevin Rudd. Daily, we have headlines such as ‘Too Late For Gillard to Save Herself’, or, ‘Labor rifts widen as PM ducks the leadership crisis’, or, ‘Gillard has no plan to stand down and her intention is to force Rudd to declare a challenge’, or, ‘Rudd’s psychological warfare will not end until he achieves his objective to destroy and replace Gillard’, or, ‘Crean urges Gillard to act on disloyalty’, or, ‘Changing leaders not the answer’, or, ‘Party must resolve brawl’, or ‘PM knows this farce cannot continue’ and so it goes on. My query is, if she really does believe this whole whole saga should not continue, why does she not end it all now, and take the first step  – call a Labor leadership ballot, and decide once and for all, who the Party wants to lead the country, her or Rudd?  The problem is, a close result will not really solve the problem, and should the PM come out on top, she should immediately relegate Kevin Rudd to the back benches where his influence will be less felt.  That would be a pity, as I feel he is a capable person to have as our Foreign Minister, but if faced with the kind of disruption we have had for the past 18 months is likely to continue, Ms Gillard should have little alternative.  Anyway, at the present time, most of the country, on the basis of the saturated media attention, is probably wondering who our Prime Minister will be by the end of next week!!

Today, I finished reading the story of Tobruk, quite a mammoth task, although it almost came over as a novel by the time I got to the end. Interesting the way the author has taken this significant aspect of Australia’s military history from all sides of the various combatants, especially the personal stories of some of the central characters from the Australian and German forces.  From military records, personal correspondence, and so on, we are able to follow almost the individual lives of senior officers/leaders and/or the basic servicemen, and the effects of their involvement in the war, not just on themselves, but on their families and friends as well.

I don’t know who Michael McKernan is, but in 2006, he wrote a good review of Peter Fitzsimons’ story, and it follows, here, under the heading ‘The horrors of war told in short, sharp jabs’.  As McKernan  intimates in this review about Australians in general,  I was not terribly familiar with the broad history of Australia’s involvement in the North African components of World War II, nor did I have a great deal of knowledge about the fight for Tobruk, though of course, that knowledge would have been improved had I bothered to actually read something about the campaign.

‘Some years ago the Australian War Memorial republished the first volume of Gavin Long’s official history of Australia in World War II, To Benghazi. Looking in a good bookshop, I found it, not in Australian history, but in the travel section alongside all the Lonely Planets. My point? The North African campaign is not well-known in today’s Australia. Nor is history in general widely understood.

I think Peter FitzSimons accepts what lies behind both this story. He is in the business of telling the story of Australia, in this case the dramatic and remarkable campaign in the desert at Tobruk in 1941. But he doubts his readers can handle the long narratives that historians have foisted on them since Herodotus.

I know of no other writer like FitzSimons with the ability to tell the reader about battle. Make no mistake, that is a very hard thing to do. FitzSimons sifts and winnows his material, keeping his eye alert for a key character, and he tells the story of battle with intensity, clarity and magnificent drama. In this book, we do not reach the siege of Tobruk until page 264 and that is too long a wait, in my view. But then the book lifts off. The writer allows us to understand the objectives of the commanders, the achievements and difficulties of the men they command and, underpinning it always, the emotions of them all.

There are heroes. It is remarkable how FitzSimons is able to tell of battles that engage hundreds of thousands of men on both sides through the eyes of a handful of individuals and still make us believe we know the whole battle.

One of those individuals is Jack Edmondson, the first Australian awarded the Victoria Cross in WWII – posthumously. We know him in life and in war and we know the impact of his enlistment, service and death. Jack was an only son, closely bonded to his mother and FitzSimons shows us the cost of war through her sacrifice. It is gripping stuff.

FitzSimons writes that he wants his book, like his previous effort Kokoda, to which it is a companion, to have a “novel-like feel”. He is like a man who has heard a very good story and sidles up to you in a bar to let you hear it, too. And if he notices that your attention is starting to wander he’ll grab your arm with force to keep you concentrating’.

Well written, and I must agree that, like ‘Kokoda’ which I read around 12 months ago, this story did read as a form of novel, rather than a long-winded history book  –  don’t get me wrong, I like reading history, but yes, they generally can be long winded, and not a book you are likely to dive into every spare minute, and sit through the early hours of the morning engrossed therein!!  Meanwhile, I notice on the TV guide for next week that there is a late night movie on SBS – Tuesday night, a Czech film about a company of Czech soldiers who were involved in the battle for Tobruk. It sounds a fairly gruesome movie, but after reading the book written essentially from an Australian point of view, it might be interesting to see a ‘story’ from another side about that ‘battle’.

Another aspect of World War II was featured today – it was the 70^th ‘anniversary’ of the Japanese bombing of Darwin, on the 19 February, 1942. There was a special ceremony up in Darwin this morning, televised on the ABC, which I decided to watch.  The bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 was both the first and the largest single attack mounted by a foreign power against Australia. On this day, 242 Japanese aircraft attacked ships in Darwin’s harbour and the town’s two airfields in an attempt to prevent the Allies from using them as bases to contest the invasions of Timor and Java. The town was only lightly defended, and the Japanese inflicted heavy losses upon the Allied forces at little cost to themselves. The urban areas of Darwin also suffered some damage from the raids, and there were a number of civilian casualties.  This event is often called the “Pearl Harbor of Australia”. Although it was a less significant military target, a greater number of bombs were dropped on Darwin than were used in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Australian government covered-up the bombing raids on Darwin believing its publication would represent a psychological blow to the Australian population. The raids were the first and largest of almost 100 air raids against Australia during 1942–43.  During her speech as part of this morning’s ceremony, Prime Minister Julia Gillard [who has quite a few things on her mind at present]  told an audience of more than 5000 that Darwin had endured much in both the 64 Japanese attacks on the town in 1942 and 1943 and again after being devastated by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. “The strength and resilience of Territorians has been remarkable,” she said. The Prime Minister also acknowledged the lack of national recognition of the Japanese raids of February 19, 1942, saying the gazetting of the day would help all Australians understand what had happened in Darwin. “The bombing of Darwin was a terrible day in a terrible war,” she said. “Now the whole country will know it too.” The crowd that gathered at Darwin’s cenotaph earlier heard Governor-General Quentin Bryce describe the day of the bombing as one of “immense significance” and one of the most important dates in Australia’s history”. “Since 1788 Australia had been a child of Britain, dependent on Mother Empire for protection,” Ms Bryce said. The crowd that gathered at Darwin’s cenotaph earlier heard Governor-General Quentin Bryce describe the day of the bombing as one of “immense significance” and one of the most important dates in Australia’s history”.  “Since 1788 Australia had been a child of Britain, dependent on Mother Empire for protection,” Ms Bryce said. “Suddenly, on that fateful day, we were forced to grow up. Australia was under attack and Britain couldn’t help us.” Ms Bryce said February 19, 1942, was also a day on which Australia realised its security rested on the cementing of an alliance with the United States and one that began the realisation that Australia needed to dramatically increase its population. Such realisation led to a new immigration policy that transformed Australia’s society and economy.

Well, with all those thoughts of a war-like nature occupying my mind at times today, it was a sharp contrast to begin my day with a few hours of classical music, generally of a rather relaxing and ‘peaceful’ style. Perhaps the one exception was my main piece of music this morning – Carl Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana, composed in 1936. I guess it could only partially be described as ‘peaceful’ music, especially this morning’s version which was a Suite, especially arranged for a concert [brass] band, essentially  – performed by a group of musicians known as The Peabody Conservatory Wind Ensemble. An interesting history. The original score was subtitled ‘Profane songs for singers and vocal chorus with instruments and magical pictures’. The band arrangement however, was completely instrumental, with the vocal music having being fully incorporated into the band itself. Now Orff apparently derived the inspiration and texts for his score from the anthology of songs and poems written in medieval Latin,  German and French by goliards, vagrant scholars, vagabond poets, and wandering monks of seven hundred years. It contained approximately 200 poems and songs, both sacred and secular, with the manuscript ranging in style and content from earthly simplicity to sophisticated symbolism, from religious contemplation to unabashed worldliness. The music notes from later reviewers describe the texts as frank avowals of the earthly pleasures, such as eating, drinking, gambling, love-making, the beauty of life, and glorious springtime, etc, far-ranging indeed.  The opening and closing movements, all quite short, are probably the more familiar to listeners – the throbbing rhythms and battering-ram tunes, but the music also includes elements of chaste tenderness and heartfelt simplicity. In the absence of the vocal content, these latter elements come over as a beautiful contrast to the ‘heavier’ areas of the composition.

A coolish dull and overcast  morning, and with a gym appointment at 9am, I was a little shocked to not wake until an hour before – usually like to be around and up for a couple of hours before I head there! Feeling very tired, was almost tempted to  forgo this morning’s session, knowing it would be a hard one, however, we got there, and despite a weary start on the bike, and a bit of apprehension as to how successful I would be this morning, in getting through all the activities, we survived, under the guidance of Linda, who was the instructor who initially introduced me to the program five weeks ago, and had suddenly decided to bring on this ‘new’ format of exercises we started last Thursday.

Shortly after 10am, after a visit to the newsagent, and a brief chat with Hazel McKay from the church whom I ran into in the street, it was off to my Saturday morning treat at the Blues Plus Café –  I’d mentioned to Helen Hall [another lady from the church], that she could always find me there after 10am of a Saturday morning if  ever she was in town at that time. Haven’t seen her yet, and again today, I had my drink [plus a slice of raison bread this morning] with my own company.  Back home, where I had a brief chat with the elderly neighbour who was busy trying to clear up the mess left on his part of the nature strip, by the workmen who have been laying the pipes in the roadway over the past few weeks [expansion of electricity connections apparently]  – I still have my segment of the nature strip to attend to [next week, I hope].

An exciting Saturday afternoon!   I’m sure I would have preferred to have been at Clarke Oval watching Adam play cricket, however  –  everyone over at Goonawarra either working or unavailable, as was Susie working.  Shirley’s aunt from Brisbane, who has been staying with Win [her sister, Shirley’ mother] in the Granny Flat for the past few weeks, returned to Brisbane this afternoon. Someone needed to drive her to the airport, and it seemed that someone was me – not much notice mind you, were lucky I had no other commitments this afternoon! Anyway, no problems, we attended to that, picked up the two ladies [one 90+, the other in her 80s I think] and drove them down to the airport. Thankfully, because they both had walking difficulties, I was able to park reasonably close to the departure area for Val’s plane – more than an hour before departure time, which was good as it turned out. SA bit of a mix up in her booking arrangements – supposed to have being someone organised to assist onto the plane, and off at the other end, and James had in fact confirmed all that this morning. But no, at the check-in counter, no record of any of that!  Anyway, all that was eventually organised, although Val was concerned that it would actually happen, right up until departure time [which was 30 minutes later than the scheduled time – most of ‘Virgin Blue’s’ flights seemed to be delayed for one reason of another today.  As it was, I made the ladies walk a little further than I would have preferred [was worried myself all of the time that one of them would collapse on me!], and when we finally did get to that elusive departure lounge for her flight, we then had a one hour wait before she was allowed to get onto the aircraft – with assistance as originally requested! Val had wanted me to wait with her until that point, and that was fair enough, as her sister of course also wanted to wait with her until she left.  It was just an extra hour or so at the airport that I’d not counted upon, and any plans I might have had to drop in for a look at Adam’s cricket match, disappeared.

Of course, as is usual with these things, when one’s traveller does leave, it happens very quickly, and almost before Win had a chance to properly say farewell to her younger sister, Val was gone, down the causeway, on the arm of a flight attendant,  into her plane.   Meanwhile, Shirley’s mother and myself began the long walk back down through the airport terminals, etc, and across to the carpark.  We could have stopped for a drink or something along the way, but I think Win was keen to get home after the long wait.

One thing I did miss this afternoon, was another race by the fabulous racehorse, Black Caviar –  at Flemington, going for its 19^th win from 19 races.  Most of the previous 18 wins had been relatively easy. But this time, she was up against another champion and rival, in Hay List.  With 400 metres to go, Hay List was matching Black Caviar, stride for stride – usually at this point, Black Caviar would be beginning to streak away from all comers. At 300 metres, disbelief began to spread around the Flemington crowd  –  ‘their’ horse might be about to lose!  The ‘chips were down’ but the courage of the horse was put to the test, and Black Caviar hung on to win by a length and a half. A near record run for the 1000 metres, was a test of that courage, and just how hard the horse had to fight to keep Hay List out [a brilliant horse in any other company].  I didn’t see or hear that race, but we got back to the car in time to hear the post race comments.   I didn’t have to explain to Mrs S what was happening – she was familiar with the Black Caviar story.  Jockey, Luke Nolan, praised Black Caviar’s courage, marvelled at her ability and acknowledged how privileged he was to be associated with the mare.  According to the trainer, Black Caviar is unlikely to run again in Australia before heading overseas, whether that be in Dubai, or at Ascot.

It’s like a dismal Winter morning outside today – not cold, but gloomy, heavy clouds overhead, and in nthe house, quite dark for 9am of a morning. Mind you, I kind of like the freshness that this cooler morning gives to the environment, and to the gardens and trees outside. Though after yesterday’s rather energetic afternoon, walking around the city, this scribe is feeling a little weary this morning, perfect excuse to sit down with a book [not that an excuse is usually required to do that!], just the light is a bit of a problem, don’t generally like having to put an ‘artificial’ light on during the day, even though after a  lifetime of working in offices, etc, the overhead lights blared all day. Perhaps that is why I prefer natural light so much now. What a pity the eyes are not as good as  they used to be!  And meanwhile, thinking those roadwork shd moved on a little, there seems to be a terrible racket out in the street this morning – just around the corner, every piece of machinery possible, seems to be going full bore [or ‘roar’]!!

A check-up appointment with the podiatrist  today, another of those regular things, us diabetics need to keep a watch on – is this to  my lot in life over the next few years, constantly checking up on things!!  Still be troubled by the forced change in aspirin type, and that ‘temporary’ filling work the other day, to relieve the pain until the next stage of the planned dental treatment doesn’t seem to be working the way it was suggested. These minor type of ailments annoy me, and leave one feeling more debilitated than I can be bothered with at present. Grrrrrrrrr!!  With the latter, I don’t want to add to the already high quoted cost by an extra visit, so do I wait until the next appointment and just put up with the inconvenient occasional pain lapses, or enquire!!?  Do not want to depend on painkillers for a relatively minor ailment for those four weeks!

Anyway, putting all those grumbles aside, I’m currently about two thirds of the way through Peter Fitzsimon’s book about ‘Tobruk’ and a couple of paragraphs I’d like to share with my readers through here.  In many ways, these brief examples clearly illustrate the futility and senselessness of wars

• Yet amidst all the killings, there was equally the bare beginning of a faintly fraternal relationship between the two armies, even if their primary intent remained fratricide. On ….another night the Australians clearly recognised the wonderful melody of the Christmas carol ‘Silent Night’, which the Germans sang in their own language [which was, in fact, the language it had been written in]. Not to be outdone, a Sergeant Major of B Company stepped up and sang the carol in his own manner – a magnificent baritone that rolled over no-man’s-land and left no soldier untouched – as the Germans listened with what seemed like a reverential silence. Certainly, this shortly earned the good Sergeant Major a stern rebuke from on high, to stop ‘fraternising’ with the enemy, but no one cared. It had been a wonderful break in an otherwise bleak existence [p 401].
• And there would be at least a few more……For sometimes a weird kind of thing would happen at around ten o’clock at night, when the Australians’ ‘tucker truck’ would arrive to deliver the long-awaited evening meal. After the truck was parked a safe distance away, the tuckerboxes would be carefully carried forwards and delivered to the front-line positions. No one was quite certain who started it, …but the thing was just before dinner was served, you’d quickly bang your ‘Dixie’ dish with your metal mug above your head in a split second to indicate you were about to eat. If the timing was right, you’d hear the ding-ding coming back from the Germans, to indicate they were about to have their evening meal too, and both sides would knock off the war for half an hour or so to have their din-dins…………………And then, at least slightly refreshed, and with something in their bellies, they’d get back into the business of killing each other  [pp 401-402]
• Now bearing the weight of one of his own, the closest of the Australians nodded his head and – after jutting one leg out to keep the stretcher flat – touched two fingers to his helmet as a kind of personal, but not military, salute to the Germans, and was followed in this by his mate. Rolf and his Kamerad, bearing their own dead weight, returned the rough wave. A sort of understanding was emerging – yes, they were enemies on the battlefield, but when the battle was over they were first and foremost humans, acting in a hopefully humane way to each other. Now, with a last unspoken cherrio, both groups returned to their own lines. For the next two hours, not a single shot was fired, ensuring that both sides had the time necessary to get their wounded away, and bury their dead… [p. 418]
• With a Sergeant by the name of Wally Tuit and stretcher-bearer Keith Pope, [the pastor, Father Tom Gard] grabbed a truck from behind the Blue Line and slowly drove it forwards, and  with a very nervous Wally sitting on the bonnet waving a Red Cross flagm they nudged their way into no-man’s- land. Every moment Wally thought might be his last, acutely conscious that at that instant there were probably 200 rifles and machine guns pointed right at him and it would only take one shot and he was done for…..but the louder sound of the [wounded] Australian soldiers crying out for help now that they were closer kept them going. Steady, mate, steady, keep ‘er going, slowly…..There! From the German lines suddenly appeared an officer, walking towards them in a strangely circuitous route, albeit with his hand up in the international signal for ‘Stop’, as he shouted something that sounded like ‘Halt, Minen!’  The Australians did halt, and then Father Gard walked forwards, offered the officer a cigarette and, in extremely broken English from the latter, the two began to talk, as for a brief blissful moment it felt, and it was so, that on this part of the planet the war had stopped. And indeed. The reason the officer had come out really had been to give the Australians an important warning. Their truck was heading straight for a minefield and if they had not stopped immediately they would have been blown apart. He soon organised for one of his men to emerge from his shelter and guide the truck through so they could pick up the Australian dead and wounded, while he busied himself organising for a German ambulance to come from behind Hill 209, to also pick up the German dead and wounded. In short order a small posse of soldiers from each side had emerged, tentatively at first, and then with a little more enthusiasm, and the men were mixing and mingling, exchanging cigarettes and conversing the best they could, even as the gathering of the fallen continued. In this process, Germans helped Australians, and Australians helped Germans, each with the other’s wounded, as well as the gathering of the dead. It was an extraordinary thing to be standing side by side with a man you’d done your utmost to kill just a few hours before, with no ill will, And then you could even be helping onto a stretcher a man you had yourself shot, as his best mate thanked you for your trouble – but that was the way it was for both sides [p. 446]
• As later described by one of the Australian soldiers: ‘It was as though two armoured combatants had paused to raise their visors and for one moment had glimpsed human faces behind the steel’. [p.447]

Sadly, in times of war, such as this one, moments like that were but just fleeting glimpses of humanity in the total context. Sadly also, I doubt very much, that such moments ‘ever’ occurred when Australians faced the Japanese enemy across the ‘battlefields’ north of Australia during World War 2 – the psyche of the Japanese soldier and the German soldier were but worlds apart.

 

Today was the birthday of the older of my two sisters – have to admit despite all good intentions, that it would be the evening before I remembered to ring her, and then found I couldn’t get through on either of her phones, obviously too busy taking thousands of best wishes!! Oh well, I left a message anyway, so she would at least know that Bill did remember.

A rather ‘tough’ session at the gymnasium this morning – a new program had been drawn up for me, with a few exercises I’d not undertaken before. Afterwards, no time for treats in the town – straight back home to shower, change etc, before catching a train into the city.  I was surprised by [though not surprised] that Susan came back from Bendigo this morning, wasn’t due until tomorrow, but can’t always rely on when her plans are likely to eventuate. It was a case of ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ as I was on my way soon after she returned. Caught the 11.45am train to Melbourne [after being forced to park three blocks from the station due to Sunbury’s restrictive parking provisions – not generally a concern, unless the weather turns nasty [which it did, though I didn’t know that at the time!].  Train to Southern Cross, and then a second train over to Flinders Street, from where it was a casual 15 minute walk down to Victoria’s National [Art] Gallery/  I’m finding the new MYKI ticketing system quite efficient and cheap to work with, especially with the assistance of my Senior’s Card. I believe that within the year, the MYKI system is going to completely replace the existing Metcard transport system.  Though I don’t think that all problems associated with the new procedure have yet been solved, eg, how visitors and occasional users of the public transport network are going to be catered for!!

It was about 1.30 pm, when I met Heather from Ballarat in front of the National Gallery and it’s spectacular ‘water wall’. Heather was staying in the city for a couple of days while she visited her son who was ill in one of the hospitals – we had agreed to spend the afternoon together exploring the National Gallery. Our particular joint interests were the Australian exhibitions, but we had forgotten that the National Gallery of Victoria was now divided between two buildings – the NGV International, where we now were, in St Kilda Road, and the Ian Potter Centre for Australian art, back in Federation Square, near the Flinders Street train station.  Anyway, after a brief stop for a coffee in the NGV café, after realising that we would have to go up to the other NGV gallery to find the Australian works, our main aim in this venue was to have  it a look at the special Buddhist display. Some of the descriptions that follow are a combination of my own comments and/or promotional material relating to the exhibitions in question.  One advantage of visiting the NGV on a school day was that it was not too crowded, plenty of comfort and ease in wandering around the galleries to look at the exhibits. Very much that way in Ballarat last week.  Overall, the NGV’s permanent collection of art spans thousands of years, dating back to the art of ancient civilisations right up to contemporary art and reflects a wide range of different disciplines, periods, styles and inspirations. Because of the separation of the two galleries, this venue in St Kilda Road now has the space to run a number of special exhibitions in conjunction with the permanent displays. A brief comment on a few of those special displays in this precinct follows.  I noticed that there were a number of art areas that Heather didn’t have a great deal of interest for, so our viewing of those areas was rather scant! Nevertheless, we seemed to enjoy each other’s company, and both quite relaxed in conversations about pretty well anything, lots of mutual interest topics.

The exhibition of 80 Buddhist and Hindu works of art drawn from the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria explored the development of Buddhist imagery across Asia. From early Buddhist works created in India in the 2nd – 4th centuries AD to a contemporary Zen Buddhist ink and brush painting in the Chinese tradition, In the steps of the Buddha illustrates different styles of art associated with the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist schools. The exhibition presented a wide range of Buddhist works of art including sculptures of the Buddha, bodhisattvas and Buddhist deities in bronze, wood, clay and lacquer, ritual items, pilgrimage souvenirs, paintings, masks and manuscript covers and includes works from Gandhara, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Japan, China, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. I wasn’t sure that this exhibition would enthral me particularly, but in actual fact it was quite interesting, particularly the widespread geographical nature of the artefacts and other displays, etc, as I’d not really realised that Buddhism had been so widespread, particularly in it’s earlier periods of development.  I also realised that much of this artwork was included in the book that James had given me for Christmas, on the world history of art, from ancient times –  the history of art in all it’s various forms.  I think Heather had a better knowledge of Buddhism than I did, because although like myself, brought up in a ‘strict’ Methodist family, the over strictness of her father when he was young, had seemingly turned her away from our church, with which she had not associated herself for decades. I suppose most of my siblings have gone down the same path.

Moving on, we found the New Art of the Pacific gallery aimed to introduce viewers to the cultural diversity, vitality and spirit resonance of Oceanic art and to some of its universe of forms, both old and new. A feature of the current display is that many of the originally highly mobile objects, some ingeniously made from a profusion of organic materials, are on open display where they can resonate as images in space, rather than being isolated in glass cases. Context and cultural meaning are also vital principles that we honour in the Pacific gallery. Heather felt this was an aggressive, angry display, and I guess in view of the multiplicity of war like weaponry, etc, in the various life size displays of sculpture, etc,, made that a fair enough observation on her part. We didn’t spend much time on that display, although, as with a number of areas, had I been alone, I probably would have done so. No doubt I shall return at a later date. This was in fact, my first visit to the NGV for many years.

The special photographic display presented the act of photographing people involving a process of observation, scrutiny and looking. At times photographers remain detached and anonymous. Other times they are complicit, directing their subjects and encouraging specific actions and poses. Sometimes the gaze is returned, and sometimes it is denied. The power of the gaze can create complex relationships between the subject, the photographer and the audience. So, from people observed in a crowd, to surveillance photographs from war zones, and images that ‘split’ our gaze, the exhibition presents the work of a range of photographers who have explored ideas of looking.  We didn’t explore this one in much detail either!  I imagined that young Rosie in Ballarat, with her photography background, would have found this a fascinating display at the NGV.

One of the major exhibitions at the NGV at present is ‘The Mad Square: Modernity in German Art 1910-1937’  –    a major international loan exhibition focussing on German Modernism. The exhibition highlights the great aesthetic innovations that were made by artists throughout Germany in painting, sculpture, graphic art, photography, film and the decorative arts during the years from 1910 to 1937.
The exhibition features more than 200 representative works from museums around the world by leading artists of the period  and the works reveal the fascinating and complex ways in which artists responded to the forces of modernity and their passionate engagement with contemporary society, culture and politics. This important and insightful exhibition emphasises the legacy of innovation left by the Weimar Republic on art and culture over the decades. The range of artworks included in The Mad Square makes this the most comprehensive exhibition of European Modernism art ever to be shown in Australia. Well, after giving that exhibition a great promotion, we didn’t really have much of a look at it – a brief perusal, found it not really appealing to either of us!!  Some of the first pieces I saw, did not do much to inspire, though again, I probably would have given it more attention, on my own. Of course this was the period in Germany which was seeing the rise of Hitler and Nazism, and perhaps part of my reluctance to get too excited about the exhibition may have been the assumption that aspect of German life then would have highly influenced the nation’s art as well!

After a bit of a delay in the NGV shop [where I didn’t buy anything, though tempted to do so], we exited that building, and slowly made our way back up St Kilda Road, across the Yarra River, towards the city and Federation Square, and more precisely to the Ian Potter Centre for Australian Art.  The pedestrian traffic, on this warm and humid mid-week afternoon was fairly light, as were the ‘crowds’ in Federation Square itself. Usually, day or night, this area is a real beehive of human activity, so from the point of view of personal comfort, it was a pleasant time to be here. Of course the degree of humidity in the air, should have been a warning of adverse weather on the horizon. Neither of us had brought an umbrella, even though a change was predicted, and as we walked into the protective cover of the Ian Potter Centre, there was no thought or apparent indication of rain.

It was here that Heather in particular wanted me to have a look at the Joseph Brown exhibition. He had been a friend of her father in years past, through his [her father] association as an antique furniture and art dealer and retailer in Ballarat, and the family had apparently spent many hours in his company.

The Joseph Brown Collection is on permanent display at the Centre, and what a magnificent display it indeed was.   In May 2004 Dr Joseph Brown AO OBE donated the major part of his incomparable collection of Australian art to the National Gallery of Victoria — the most generous single gift of works of art ever made to a public gallery in Australia. More than 150 works are on display at the Centre. The collection comprises varied Australian art from different periods, including portraits painted by many well-known artists. The display gives a history of Australian art. It includes engravings from the first days of the colony and early European looking landscapes of Australia, and Heidelberg era paintings from the late 19th century, and post-impressionist works of the early 20th century. The Melbourne ‘Angry Penguins’ school of the 1940s is represented, as are colour field and abstract painting. Many modern and post-modern Australian painters of the later 20th century are also on display. A few works by Australian Aboriginal artists are also included.  Brown himself, was born in Poland in 1918 and migrated to Australia in 1933 at the age of fifteen, settling in Melbourne. He trained initially as an artist but after returning from war service in 1945 became increasingly involved in the fashion industry. Later he became a leading art dealer and consultant, promoting a wide range of Australian artists, both historical and contemporary. He reclaimed the work of forgotten artists, introduced and mentored many new artists, and was a great advocate for portraiture as an art form. Simultaneously he built up an outstanding private collection of Australian art.  When Brown offered his collection to the National Gallery of Victoria the Gallery selected more than 150 works, including paintings, sculptures and works on paper from colonial times to the present day. Dr Brown’s extraordinary act of benefaction followed his gifts of over 450 works of art to Australian public galleries, including the National Gallery of Victoria, over the past forty years. The collection is a tribute to the great generosity of Dr Brown and his exquisite taste in Australian art through many different eras.  As one writer said, the Joseph Brown Collection at NGV Australia will forever tell the story of the immigrant who became an artist and soldier, a scholar and connoisseur, a successful businessman and an art dealer, a mentor to artists and an art patron; a man who made a huge and enduring difference to the culture of this country.

Certainly, it was a collection well worth spending a bit of time on, which we did. It got me thinking – what was I going to do about my ‘book’ collection, naturally of a far different standard and value than the quality of what was here, but to myself, an important collection which I didn’t want to see end up at a car-boot sale somewhere, purchased for  few dollars, and then discarded after being read!  Anyway, that was another matter, and meanwhile, Heather was able to relate some interesting little tales about her family’s connection with this extraordinary art donor.

In another section of the Ian Potter Centre, we found the Australian Collection of NGV Australia which was of particular interest to myself. The collection includes works by artists such as Russell Drysdale, John Brack, Burn, Arthur Streeton, Frederick McCubbin and Sidney Nolan. Interestingly, we both actually felt that this particular collection of Australian art appeared not to be as extensive as it’s equivalent on display at the Ballarat Art Gallery, where there really is an excellent display of local and widespread Australian paintings, etc. Maybe there was some bias in feeling that way. I must get up to the Bendigo Art Gallery which also has an extremely good reputation.

The art of Indigenous Australia comes from the world’s longest continuing art tradition. Located in country of the Kulin nation, the NGV’s Indigenous Galleries, in the Ian Potter Centre, acknowledge the power, primacy and cultural diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and represent some of its major historical and contemporary moments.  I don’t think Heather was terribly interested in this area, as we ‘skipped’ through it rather quickly!!  Aboriginal ‘art’ is a special art-form of it’s own, and generally requires some considerable explanation and understanding of it’s purpose and meaning.  I think that only with that kind of understanding, can it be really appreciated. Unlike a similar display in Ballarat, we didn’t really have the time this afternoon, to examine those explanations, where available.

One display here which particularly interested Heather, not surprisingly, was the Linda Jackson Bush Couture display  – a 40 year display of a distinctly Australian approach to fashion design. Working as an artist outside of the conventional fashion market place, she devised unique forms of clothing that evolved beyond the sphere of seasonal trends; defying the limits of Western fashion by drawing on an eclectic mix of influences from India, Africa, Asia and Australia. Drawn from the NGV collection and the artist’s own archive, the exhibition featured seminal works created by Jackson from the mid 1970s to the 1990s, including a number of unique and rare early pieces which embodied the dynamic period during which she defined her own style. I’m sure that people with a special interest in such a style of ‘art-form’ would find this a fascinating display. I was content to wander through briefly, admire [to some extent] and more on.

Move on in fact to another great ‘gallery shop’, where despite the presence of a number of tempting and generally pricey books, we kept moving without exchanging any money! Nearby was a magnificent shop of beautiful glassware –  spectacularly designed vases, just one example [I do like vases], but priced up in the thousands of dollars range – hard not to have the thought come into one’s mind of picking up one of those pieces, and then dropping it!  Horrible thought! I think this was described as the Home-wares shop in the Centre – Anyway, we were obviously not going to make any purchases there either!

It was at this point that we suddenly realised, at 4.15 pm, how dark it suddenly seemed to have become, and looking out towards Flinders Street we quickly understood why – there was a torrential downpour in progress, and half of the people out in the street, were like us, minus umbrellas. Well at this stage, we had no rush to get anywhere, so decided it was time to sit and relax over a drink – iced coffee for Bill, and  pot of tea for Heather – actually that’s not what he had. Heather insisted this was her shout, and she was drinking a glass of wine, apparently much nicer than the glass of house wine she had drunk last night at the Victoria Hotel where she was staying! Actually, that was a very pleasant 45 minutes or so, as we dawdled over our respective drinks – occasionally, it would look as though the rain had stopped, people out in the street were rushing past without their umbrellas up, until I realised they were simply the unfortunates who didn’t have an umbrella with them, to put up!!  We tried to work out which would be our best means of ‘escape’ to get back towards Little Collins Street, where Heather’s hotel was – on the other side of Flinders Street, just east a bit of St Paul’s Cathedral, there was quite a steep laneway, going somewhere!~ However looking at the water pouring down the walls of the old buildings on either side of that laneway, I decided it looked a little slippery on the stonework, and rather steep  – inclines of that nature seem to be worrying me at present, and for Heather, who had a troublesome knee, which was going to require surgical treatment within the next couple of months, it would be a poor option. So we waited a little longer!

I think it was around 5.30, when although a little early for a meal, we decided to do just that, have an early evening ‘tea’. It was still raining when we exited from the protection of the Centre, though only light rain, just enough to dampen one’s hair, but not much else, for a brief period.  Wandered down to Swanston Street – considered going into Young & Jackson’s pub, but looked a bit crowded, so walked on up to Flinders Lane and began to explore the off-lanes from there, where there were a multitude of little eating places, most of them quite popular, especially those that had a bit of overhead cover from the rain, which was starting to get heavier by the minute.  Can’t remember the name of the café that we had little hesitation in getting into and finding a spare table for two, out of the rain!  While Heather ate a combination of a couple of entrees, I ate a dish of Calamari salad –  the calamari just a touch more rubbery than I prefer it, but not enough to spoil enjoyment. The salad consisted simply of lettuce, but with the aid of a lemon, it was tasty enough.  No alcohol, just ‘tap’ water for Bill and a pot of tea for Heather. And another 45 minutes or so to learn about the other’s life and families over the past 50 years.

Afterwards, walking away from the laneway, Heather made sure we walked past a discount book store, advertising most books at just $5. We spent a bit of time in there [surprise, surprise], and I would eventually walk out, with at least one purchase – a Wordsworth Bio library edition, of the life of the English author, Thomas Hardy, of whose novels, I have a number, in paperback form, as was this book. There were in fact a number of authors from that period that I could have chosen –  back another time for the others, maybe! Meanwhile, something to begin reading on the train trip back to Sunbury

Heather and I parted company near her hotel, where she had another night, before visiting her son in hospital again tomorrow prior to returning to Ballarat.  Farewell greetings, before I continued my walk in the rain [still only lightly falling now] up to the Bourke Street tram, and back down to the Southern Cross train station.  It had been a rather full and pleasant day for two people who at our advanced ages seemed comfortable with each other’s company. Meanwhile, the 7.15 train to Bendigo was reasonably crowded as usual, but the trip was comfortable and uneventful for me. Back in Sunbury, it seemed to have been raining for some time, and still was – hence, a bit of a damp walk back to my car, which thankfully was where I had left it! I was pleased to be home in time to watch tonight’s episode of The Straits, on the ABC.

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Ahh yes, I finally had my garden bag[s] picked up and emptied today – the new one by my new supplier, who also was kind enough to empty the bag from the people who seem to have gone out of business, and forgotten all their customers!  Mind you, I wasn’t expecting them until Friday, instead banging on the front door at 8am!! Anyway, getting rid of all that garden refuse encouraged me to get out and clean up that area, and run my ‘damaged’ mower over the front lawn areas, before the day got too hot!

Adam’s horse ran over at Melton Harness races again today – I had enough notice to go over this time, but, didn’t, although this time, I did get the opportunity to actually hear the race  ‘Dimensions’ actually started as favourite in the race, and as the little comment in the form guide noted  “has been placed in three of twelve starts and should have been in the money when badly shut in in a similar race here last week. He ran second to Mister One Two in a strong Maryborough affair four starts back”.  Well, Dimensions certainly started off like a winner, but someone forgot to warn the horse and driver about a ‘dark horse’ named ‘Mario Fenech’ which streaked away from the rest of the field in the end.  Adam’s horse came in 3^rd place, and just for a change, I actually got some of my little bet back on him – spent the grand sum of $10 [$5 each way], and my place part of the bet earned me $8.68.  Obviously would have been much closer, had he won [of course].  Getting closer.  I did suggest this morning, when I went on air by telephone with my Wednesday local sports report, that it might be worth putting a place bet on Dimensions – hopefully somebody took note!

I was watching Question time in the House of Representatives this afternoon, and while I continue to disapprove of the manner in which Tony Abbott goes about his role as Opposition leader, our Prime Minister is starting to look a little vulnerable. That rather controversial journalist, Andrew Bolt, had quite a telling article in one of today’s newspaper, titled ‘ Does your leader lie?, with one sentence in particular, highlighting the gist of his comments – ‘Julia Gillard deceives, and, I suspect, lies. And what’s killing her is that she does it so badly’.

A short editorial in the same paper [Melbourne’s ‘Herald-Sun’] put it as follows under the heading ‘Julia gets grumpy’…………………  ‘JULIA Gillard wants to talk about the economy rather than the blood feud with Tony Abbott.   For blood feud read carbon tax and the Opposition Leader’s “pledge in blood” to remove it if he wins government. But Mr Abbott has more than a sniff of blood and continues to confront a defensive and grumpy Prime Minister whose public credibility can surely sink no lower. The opinion polls, which Ms Gillard says go up and down, are down, down, down for Labor. The PM trails Mr Abbott on who is best to manage the economy, which might show her new financial focus is poll driven. Mr Abbott is right to pursue the Prime Minister, whose failure to answer a repeated question on Four Corners on the ABC on Monday night will only confirm what many people think; that she knew more about the plot to topple Kevin Rudd than she has admitted. Added to her other prevarications and reversals, her leadership must be seen as close to terminal’.

I won’t go any further on that, but I did hear one comment made on the TV tonight, that according to one Labor insider, one more mistake by the PM, and she will in serious risk of being replaced. Kevin Rudd doesn’t have the numbers at the moment,  but if Julia’s leadership concerns get any worse, that may well change.

First general meeting of the year this evening of the Sunbury Family History Society [of which, this year, I seem to be the Vice President]. Quite a good turn-up of regulars and new faces, including Joyce Wheeler from St Andrews good to see her there.  One of my ‘fellow’ original members of the group, from back in the middle 1980s, Marilyn Bray, was our guest speaker tonight, and while I often find these ‘member’ talks somewhat tiring and mundane, such was not the case tonight – she and husband Norm, as well as spending years chasing their own family histories, have also build up an amazing record of cemeteries around Australia, and that was the topic she was covering tonight.

Meanwhile, today I received the Wednesday Update 15 February 2012 from the Carlton Football Club

Dear Bill,  Welcome to 2012.   It may not be the start of the real season but Friday marks the start of on-field action for the Carlton Football Club. Friday February 17 at 9:30am will see the first intra-club match for Carlton for 2012. Indeed it will be the only intra-club match prior to Carlton’s NAB Cup campaign which commences in Adelaide on Sunday February 26.  [Meanwhile], the Kyabram Post Office was full to the brim on Wednesday as Blues supporters lined up for their chance to get a glimpse of some of the Carlton’s stars in town for the 2012 Community Camp. Captain Chris Judd, Kade Simpson and Jarrad Waite spent more than one hour signing autographs and posing for photos with their adoring fans. In Kyabram and district for the AFL’s Australia Post Community Camp, Jarrad Waite said all players thoroughly enjoyed the two day camp. “It’s always nice to get out of Melbourne and spend some time meeting the fans who don’t often get the opportunity to see us play,” he said. “Country kids especially don’t often get the same exposure to AFL that the city kids do, so we really enjoy getting into the schools and meeting with them, teaching them some footy skills and importantly about exercise and being healthy. “While we love the football clinics it is more about meeting with the community and hopefully our visit has a real positive impact on the Kyabram area.”………………Now Kyabram is up in central Victoria, in fact it is where the 3^rd of my three siblings was born, back in the early 1950s. For a short while, we lived on a small property, a few miles out of Kyabram, at a place called Wyuna. Now I don’t think we were there for long, because I note that I only spent one term at the end of 1953 at the nearby Tongala Consolidated School,  which was apparently 11 ½ miles from home, according to the contents of an old Pupil’s Record book I have retained.   I also notice that I only attended a  total of 155 school days, out of a possible 186 days  –  on today’s standards, not a very good record, but perhaps transport was more of a difficulty for Mum and/or Dad at that time – well not Mum, as she was at home with my first two siblings.  At that stage, Dad was a teacher himself, but at the end of that year, or thereabouts, the family moved back down to Ballarat, where I had been born 7 years earlier.  From there, I attended, briefly again, the Pleasant Street Primary School, up near Lake Wendouree at the beginning of 1954, and then, presumably because we moved house again, spent the rest of my primary years at Macarthur Street, where my late Grandfather had been the Headmaster during a part of the war years prior to his death in 1943. More about that at another time!