I remember watching, “Til Death Do Us Part” as a child. Although I was politically aware from a young age, I don’t think it was the politics that I watched it for. I think it was the domestic situation. But in this production, “the Silly Old Moo” is dead. She died many years ago it seems. And there’s no reference to his daughter and son in law. So this time around Alf is living by himself; living with memories. A sad, lonely character and one that you are inclined to pity rather than revile for his reaction, often racist opinions.
When I mentioned to a few people at work that I was going to see the show there were three reactions. One was “why would you see that stupid old blooke”, another was “who?” and finally, amongst the older staff, a reaction of “oh how terrific, but is he still alive”. I, on the other hand, was pretty excited, having seen him perform at The Ensemble Theatre a couple of years ago in a play with Max Gillies I’ve forgotten now, but which included a second-half question and answer session in which Mitchell talked about his life and career. Gosh it was funny… and biting.
And that’s what I was looking forward to most about this… the biting humour inherent in the contraditions of Alf Garnett himself. In The Australian, John McCallum observed that Alf Garnett was created in the 1960s by writer Johnny Speight for one of the best English sitcoms, Till Death Us Do Part. He always operated in the danger zone between comedy and offensiveness. And he always had a sad quality, of a man complicit in his own oppression – a working-class reactionary angrily defensive of the British class system that keeps him in poverty.
Thirty years on, I thought the sadness of Alf Garnett was greater, but the affection I felt for the character was greater. I guess it has to do with my own maturity. Alf Garnett is like that uncle that everyone seems to have who makes racist and sexist comments and who you challenged when you were young but now, in midlife yourself, you no longer bother. It’s not because your opinions have changed, it’s because you understand more about why they are like they are. Life’s great lessons may, as I’ve discussed recently with a friend, be acceptance and patience. Or perhaps I’m becoming complacent?
The second half of the night was a series of anecdotes and jokes about his work and life. Regrettably, and unlike last time, the audience had little to say. Even my friend, Colin, who is never short on these occasions, failed to respond to the invitation to talk with Warren Mitchell, when I thought he might. Colin told me straight afterwards he degretted the lost opportunity.
It was during the second half that I realised that Mitchell was now an old man. Unlike when I saw him two or three years earlier, he sometimes struggled to move around the show, which he explained was due to a stroke in the second half of last year.
Despite the physical impact of the stroke, his mental reactions are still very sharp. I’m really glad I went to this performance… it was great fun… and it was terrific to see such an amazingly talented performer.
In the next couple of years, I’ll likely be taking a step back from full-time work and embracing semi-retirement.
As I transition, I’ve started the fascinating and sometimes daunting process of sifting through the ABC Radio archives—particularly the early work that has now been digitised to rediscover moments of my on-air career.
On top of that, I’ve got a treasure trove of content sitting on hundreds of cassette tapes and DATs in boxes at home.
The exciting part is how effortless it is now to dive into that analogue archive: finding a specific clip, generating a transcript, and pulling out the best bits is simple, opening up a world of old material.
I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing the Australian swimming legend Dawn Fraser on a number of occasions. Today, I’m sharing one such interview from the time leading up to the announcement that Sydney would host the 2000 Olympics.
Dawn Fraser explained her upcoming move from Sydney’s Balmain to the Riverina town of Barellan was primarily driven by the people and her health, specifically to avoid the city’s pollution and allergens that aggravate her asthma, which had recently led to emergency hospital visits.
She said she would continue with paid guest speaking under her Sydney agent and was looking at semi-retirement, having bought a three hundred-acre property where she planned to put on stock, leveraging the help and advice of her new neighbours, and supporting her daughter who had just been accepted as a swimming coach in nearby Narrandera.
She was optimistic about Sydney’s bid for the 2000 Olympics, citing its superior technical and security packages. She also addressed the persistent myth about the Tokyo Olympic flag incident, denying the popular version of the story.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Well, it’s only a matter of weeks now until we find out whether or not Sydney will host the year two thousand Olympics. But the region is about to gain its own contact with the games. Former Olympian and parliamentarian Dawn Fraser is packing her bags later this year, leaving Sydney from Balmain to Barellan, east of Griffith, the hometown also of that other great sporting achiever, Evonne Goolagong. She’s in Barellan at the moment and is my guest this morning. Dawn Fraser, thank you very much for your time this morning and welcome to the program and welcome to the region.
DAWN FRASER: Well, thank you, James, and I’m very happy to be here, I must admit.
JAMES O’BRIEN: What do you think of the two thousand Olympic bid? Do you think we’re going to be successful?
DAWN FRASER: I think that we’re very successful. In fact, I think the other cities now are getting very aware of Sydney’s bid. And their technical bid is the best that the IOC, which is International Olympic Committee have ever seen. And I think that’s probably what will win the Sydney bid.
JAMES O’BRIEN: But that’s that’s the technical things. And of course you’ve been to just about every Olympic Games since then. Is it always the the technical things which wins or does politics also play a role in this.
DAWN FRASER: Oh, politics always play a role in the Olympic Games, of course. But I think technical and security that our security right throughout the world is the best in, in Australia. And also, you know, our technical is probably, as I said before, the best that the IOC have ever seen.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Since you began at the games back in the early sixties. What sort of changes have there been to the games?
DAWN FRASER: Well, for instance, uh, the hosting country now, uh, prepares and looks after quite a lot of third world countries. In fact, uh, you know, in, in nineteen eighty, we looked after Zimbabwe. We took the whole team. Australia, I’m saying took the whole team to Moscow. And then we looked after them as far as medical, uh, physiotherapists, coaches and trainers. Uh, since then and last year in Barcelona, we had three South African countries that we looked after.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Terrific. Now, in terms of actually moving to the area, what has prompted this move from Balmain to Barellan?
DAWN FRASER: Well, first of all, let me say it’s been the people. And secondly, may I say it’s been my health. Um, and also, you know, the fact that it starts with a B, I think coming.
JAMES O’BRIEN: From.
DAWN FRASER: Them.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Yes. I’ve been noticing in the paper the last year that you’ve been making quite a few visits to the area and especially being involved with the swimming club.
DAWN FRASER: Yes. Well, I’ve, I’ve actually been coming down to Barellan now for the last seven years with the, with the Barellan Swimming Club, and last year they made me a life member. Um, so, you know, the kids are from around the area and surrounding areas have improved greatly over the last seven years. And of course, you know, we’ve been a bit of a very competitive club now. And I think my daughter has just been accepted as the swimming coach at Narrandera. So there’s going to be a lot of competition around the area. And I think that’s going to be very good for this particular region.
JAMES O’BRIEN: But you mentioned, for example, your health and there is that the issue of the asthma. We’ve just had some figures come out the other week showing that this area has a high rate of asthma. So I’m just wondering why you’re moving to this area if you’ve got to avoid asthma.
DAWN FRASER: Well, it’s very interesting because the things that I’m allergic to only happen in the city. For instance, I’m allergic to, uh, to yeast and, uh, and and pollution, air conditioning. Well, you don’t need that very much out here in the country. And, uh, and we haven’t got the pollution out here that that’s in the city. The pollution around Sydney has been so great in the last, and it’s been increasing in the last two years. But, uh, any sort of virus that I get just increases my asthma. So I think, and I feel that I’ve got to do something about it. I enjoy living, and I don’t want to sort of, uh, be overtaken by the particular sickness. So I think it’s better if I do that.
JAMES O’BRIEN: So you’ve had some substantial problems the last couple of years. Have you in Sydney?
DAWN FRASER: Yes, I certainly have. I mean, uh, you know, over the last three and a half years, I’ve had two emergency sort of dashes to the local hospital. And, uh, and that’s been sort of, uh, a bit frightening. And it’s made me sit up and be aware of the situation that I’m in.
JAMES O’BRIEN: I’m just wondering, though, what you all do. I mean, are you looking at a career in politics? Would you would you like to be the member for Murrumbidgee or or are you looking at a hotel or what will you do in Barellan?
DAWN FRASER: Well, I still I still will be, um, under control of my agent in Sydney, and I still will do guest speaking positions, which I will be. I get paid for doing those things. And then, you know, I am looking at a semi-retirement sort of thing. And with the three hundred acres that, um, that I’m looking at at the moment here in Barellan, well, I’ve put some stock on that. And then, uh, you know, I think that semi-retirement is going to be good. My daughter’s going, as I said, going to be working at Narrandera. And if she goes very well out there, which I think she will, it’s about time she started looking after mum.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Now you’re putting some stock on the land. I mean, do you have a background in farming at all?
DAWN FRASER: No, I don’t, but I have a lot of very good friends here in Barellan that help me. And you know, I’ve been learning a lot over the last two or three years since I’ve been here, and I do know a little bit about it. And I have spent a lot of time on, on, on land. You know, when I went to Adelaide to live, I had forty five acres at a place called prospect.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Oh, yes.
DAWN FRASER: And I had some cattle and sheep, and I looked after the, the land by sowing it and putting pulling trees down and putting trees up and with a tractor and stuff like that. So I’m not afraid of the hard work that I know is in store for me. And while I’m healthy and things like that which I am when I come out here, I can’t see any hassles. And, you know, as I said, the people of Barellan have been very good to us and we’ve fitted in and I think we’ve been accepted into the community, which is a big plus and it’s just a matter of, um, of asking the right people for the advice and going off and doing it yourself. If you make mistakes, you then go back and ask advice again.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Now I’ve been meaning. I’ve been wanting to actually chat with you ever since. Late last year when I interviewed a fellow on the morning program about their memories of the Olympic Games, and this fellow said that it wasn’t you who climbed up the flagpole and stole that flag in Tokyo. It was in fact, him.
DAWN FRASER: Well, if that guy was named Desmond and he came from, um, from Western Australia, which I don’t think he was, it wasn’t him at all, because.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Was it a fellow called Peter Hawkins?
DAWN FRASER: No, it was not.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Who was it?
DAWN FRASER: Uh, well, actually, it was Des Piper from Western Australia, and he was in the Australian hockey team. So I don’t know the guy that, in fact, I. Someone sent me the, uh, the paper clipping of the Wagga Wagga news.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Oh, yes.
DAWN FRASER: I wrote back to the editor and just said, you know, that this isn’t the true story, and please tell the person that he stopped using my name.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Oh, dear.
DAWN FRASER: Because it wasn’t correct. Yeah. But I mean, you know, everyone sort of has dinners on those sort of stories. And they say that they know they know those people. In fact, the the flag wasn’t taking anywhere near anyone else. There was only three of us. And those three people know who they were.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Okay, Dawn, thank you very much. And welcome to the area. Thank you.
DAWN FRASER: James, thanks very much.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Dawn Fraser, who’s moving to the area from Balmain to Barellan. My guest this morning on the morning show and you’re listening to ABC Radio Riverina, James O’Brien with you until eleven.
“I found myself catching a dose of Jack’s Disease”, I told Pat when she asked the other day how repairs to the family home were going. We laughed because there has been a long-term joke in my family about how much Jack swears when he does “do it yourself”.
He turned 82 this week, and the older he gets the worse the swearing has become. Mostly it’s due to his declining eyesight and failing memory. As we’ve been working together on repairs to the family home this week, I’ve found myself becoming his “eyes” and “memory bank” for the things he could previously do himself.
This week I have also become consciously aware of my own do-it-yourself shortcomings. Although I’m pretty good with electricals, installations, antennas and IT, I’m hopeless with an electric drill. My attempts to do anything carpentry-based have been a complete failure. Hence, the swearing.
According to a commenter on Twitter, the brand of drill was likely more of a problem than my lack of carpentry skills. “To start with, you’ve got an Ozito. The absolute worst tools of all time!”, he joked.
Although we’re not there yet, every day marks a day closer to Pat, Jack and Sam returning home. We’ve concluded the priority is to make the house liveable, and maybe get to some of the finer points of home furnishings later on. Get the kitchen ready, get the bathrooms ready, and after that, you’re pretty much okay.
But it hasn’t been only a week of do-it-yourself.
Saturday morning coffee queue at Benchtop Coffee in Lismore
There’s also been a bit of socialising, including catching up with my long-term friend, Paul. This morning, we spent a few hours at the markets at Lismore’s “Quad”, an area in the centre of town near the Art Gallery. He’s better known around Lismore these days than I am, as he’s a local dairy farmer and cheese maker. But even so, we ran into the younger brother (and his wife) of a good friend of ours, and it turns out Paul also knows a man who was once married to a friend of mine from my days in Wagga.
Awesome waffles (with the rainbow flag waving) at the markets in Lismore.
With so few shops open, and so little activity going on in the Lismore CBD the markets delivered a great moment of joy.
The other thing which gives me great joy has been seeing all of the “hearts” on buildings throughout the city. The “heart” has been in the logo for Lismore for a number of years, but has really been adopted strongly since the flood, both for businesses and homes,
Loving Lismore at Mary Gilhooley’s hotel which has, in part, re-opened.Loving Lismore : local hairdressers “The Boys”Loving Lismore : empty workwear shop.Loving Lismore : fittingly, the only piece of art remaining in a local gallery.
There’s trouble brewing for Clover Moore over a series of trees in Bourke Street, Surry Hills. As I wandered off to meet my friend Colin for brunch this morning, I noticed a small group of people standing underneath a tree on Bourke Street, opposite Cafe Nikki.
“She only likes photo opportunities when it’s good news”, one member of the group told me, indicating their attempts to meet with the Lord Mayor had been unsuccesful. “Maybe you could go to the local state member”, I thought to myself. And yes, I’m being ironic, as Clover Moore is also the local member of state parliament.
According to the bloke I spoke to, a planned Bourke Street cycle-way is likely to mean a number of car spaces and up to 12 or 13 trees might have to be sacrificed. According to the council response so far, it’s only in extreme cases they would have to go. I don’t know if he’s right or not, and maybe it’s just another one of those NIMBY community groups, but I know I do love those trees on Bourke Street and would hate to see them go.
When I first moved to Surry Hills in 1995, Bourke Street was still a very busy street. In those days, it was two-way traffic all the way to Kings Cross. And then when the Eastern Distributor was introduced, and traffic conditions were changed (to make us all use the distributor), Bourke Street became a one-way street.
In the years since, this particular part of Bourke Street has become a little oasis in many respects. With the opening of a number of nearby restaurants like Bistrode and Il Baretto – though we sadly lost the Bourke Street Pantry when Matt and Catherine went overseas – and with the trees, and the reduced traffic levels, it’s become a favourite part of the suburb for me.
There was a moment earlier today when I was quite literally the only person (aside from the bus-driver) on a bus in Sydney. It was in stark contrast to Sydney Airport generally, and my flight to Ballina specifically, which was packed to the rafters.
Empty 372 Bus in Sydney
I had a bugger of a job trying to get to the airport earlier today, as cabs were obviously in high demand. I figured today was the day when a lot of people have officially gone on holidays. The centre of Sydney is starting to thin out, and places like the North Coast (where I am right now) have started to fill up.
I used to always travel to Lismore, by the way, not Ballina, but Ballina has long since replaced Lismore as the regional airport, thanks to the increased level of competition amongst the airlines. And besides, with the Alstonville by-pass, it’s now a pretty quick drive between Lismore and Ballina.
For a lot of people coming home for Christmas can be a bit of a task. The family fights, the anxiety etc. And for a while I only came home every couple of years. But for the last few years I’ve enjoyed coming home each year, and have found a way to make it work for me, by doing my job from the local office for a couple of days each year, thereby maximising my time with family, and minimising the travel time. And if I start to have a few grumbles with the family, I can always pop out to work for a while :)
My young nephew was very excited to see me when I arrived at the airport. No doubt, we’ll be playing Wii or something like that within a day or two. And this year, he has a new “toy”, as his mum and step-dad have bought a pool/spa for the backyard of their new home.
We’re having Christmas Lunch at their place this year. It’s the first time we’ve done that, as this year, they’ve been madly renovating and redecorating. The pool/spa is their new purchase, and today they proudly showed it off.
No doubt it will figure prominently in Christmas Day celebrations. I’m not too sure about the sight of the extended family in swimwear relaxing in the spa, but I guess that’s one of the compromises you have to endure at this time of the year :):)
However, I’ve also spent a fair bit of the day and night listening to the new CD by Peter Jöback, “East Side Stories”. Wow. What an amazing CD. Peter sings wish such an incredible passion.
I’ve heard him sing in English and Swedish, and I saw him perform live last year in Stockholm with Eva Dahlgren, but this is the best thing I’ve ever heard him do.
A few years ago he did a CD of cover versions, called “Story Book”, but they were mostly jazz and show tune “standards”.
This latest one is a collection of more contemporary songs.
The song which moves me most on the CD is “Our Mutual Friend”, by the English band, “Divine Comedy”. And although it’s a nice enough song when they perform it, in the hands of Peter, it’s sublime!
The song ends dramatically with…
I woke up the next day, All alone but for a headache, I stumbled out, to find the bathroom, But all I found was him, Wrapped around another lover, No longer then, Is he our mutual friend.
There was a moment of pure joy last night, as I found myself singing along to Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers” alongside my dear friend Michaela and a crowd of two hundred enthusiastic participants at a collective singing event.
We were gathered at the “Great Club” in Marrickville, formerly a Greek restaurant, now transformed into a hub for community gatherings. The occasion? An evening with The “Wellcome Choir,” promising a transformative journey through music and voice.
This wasn’t Michaela’s first rodeo; she’s attended a couple of these events before, where scores of people come together in harmony. Perhaps you’ve heard of Pub Choir, renowned for filling iconic venues like The Enmore Theatre.
The “Great Club” was packed to the brim, though not without its quirks—namely, the absence of food. We learned from the bartender that they usually have food trucks on standby, but luck wasn’t on our side. Our dinner consisted of sharing a packet of chicken chips, but luckily, a nearby Chinese restaurant saved the day for our post-event meal, leaving me with delicious leftovers for today.
The event spanned 90 to 120 minutes, beginning with the group divided into three vocal sections: tops, bottoms, and those of us in the middle holding the melody. Being one of the few men in attendance, my voice naturally gravitated towards the lower register. Admittedly, I’m not exactly a singing virtuoso, but in that moment, it didn’t matter; the evening was about collective experience rather than individual skill.
We rehearsed the song line by line until we had it down pat, then took a well-deserved break before returning to perform the song three times, including a live stream on Facebook. The woman leading the choir, Bec Jenson was fantastic. As well as having a good voice, she seemed to love playing with the crowd, making for an enjoyable evening.
It was an unforgettable event, filled with camaraderie and shared passion for music.
As for the song itself, “Flowers,” it held a special place in my heart. During my lengthy stay in the hospital last year, its lyrics brought me solace and joy. Despite its theme of heartbreak, the essence of self-love and empowerment resonated deeply.
I can buy myself flowers Write my name in the sand Talk to myself for hours Say things you don’t understand I can take myself dancing And I can hold my own hand Yeah, I can love me better than you can
Flowrs by Miley Cyrus
And there it was, the line that struck a chord with me the most: “I can take myself dancing…”
