Well here it is, Wednesday afternoon and I’m back home in Sydney, having spent the last four days of so visiting Perth, the city where I spent most of 2004. This was my second time back in Perth and, as with my last visit, I’ve had time to reflect on “what might have been”, had I stayed there instead of returning to Sydney.
I have mixed feelings about Perth. I genuinely feel really very happy when I’m there, but it’s often tinged with feelings of disappointment. I guess part of it is because I’m still a country boy at heart and I really like the fresh air and the open spaces, and part of it is because I really really liked the people I worked with while there: genuinely nice people who I really enjoyed catching up with, including Cellobella. But there’s still the lack of cultural diversity and the sense of isolation that still disappoints me. I don’t think, however, I’m alone in these feelimgs.
I don’t know if it’s new or not, but there’s a loop film at the Museum of Western Australia featuring people from Perth talking about the pros and cons of their city. Watching this film helped me more fully understand my own mixed feelings. The school of thought is roughly divided between those who really love Perth and those who feel it has limitations. Those who speak about the limitations generally reflect on the small population and the lack of cultural and artisitic diversity. Those who love it reflect on the space and the cleanliness of the city and the public transport system. There’s got to be a better reason for liking a city than “it’s clean”.
There’s also lots of things about the small town nature of the place which still annoy me. For example the re-discovery that shops in the CBD still close at 5pm on Saturday afternoon, when I popped into town to buy some of life’s essentials and was told, rather roughly “we’re closed”. There was also the bus that never turned up and the poor quality service you too often encounter. In Sydney restaurants the waiters may look down their nose at you, but at least they do a competent job.
All of that aside, I had really good opportunity to catch up with some really nice people over the last few days. I caught up with Mark, who lived in Sydney until last week on Sunday night at a film festival; Eamon and I caught up last night for a drink and dinner in East Perth; Di and I caught up at The Lucky Shag (yes, it’s really called that) which has spectacular views of the Swann River; while Christian and I had a terrific meal in Northbridge ahead of Saturday night at “The Court”, the local (and really only) poofter bar in Perth.
My mixed feelings about Perth are also exemplified in my feelings about “The Court”. Christian is in his late 30s and I’m 40, and we were close to being the oldest there, with everyone else being in their 20s and being “cloyingly” similar in appearance. I remember in particular, there were two young guys with those fauxhawk haircuts. You know the ones that look like Wylie Coyote after an explosion has occured in “Road Runner” cartoons. There was a real honesty about these two young guys as they jumped around, an innocence I really like, a genuine sense of fun. They were the coolest guys there, but unlike Sydney, they didn’t appear to be off their heads on drugs, and they weren’t obsessed with their bodies. However, the crowd also lacked the diversity I like about Sydney. For example, I don’t recall seeing anyone Asian, anyone over 40, and anyone who didn’t fit within the fairly narrow confines of modern young gay men. I know it was a cold night, but…
But while “The Court” hasn’t improved, I noticed the quality and variety of restaurants has really improved. I had dinner on Monday night at the Must Wine Bar and was truly impressed. And then last night I caught up with Eamon (such a nice man!) for dinner. Wanting to make it as easy as possible for him, I said I’d happily meet him anywhere. When he suggested East Perth, I gulped briefly (expecting it to be still fairly sterile and isolated as it was when I lived there in 2004), but agreed nonetheless. We met for a drink at The Royal Hotel, which was fairly busy for a Tuesday night, before heading off to a very good nearby Thai restaurant. I was truly impressed!
So yeah, there are still things about Perth which annoy me, but I also quite like it too. There’s a good chance I’ll be back in Perth soon, as well as Adelaide and Brisbane. I wouldn’t mind a trip to Darwin though…
Following on from my “Retrospective ‘Cool'” blog post I thought I’d share some of the Australian songs I truly love. This my alternative “Hottest 100” list, a collection of tracks that hold genuine meaning and memories for me, presented in no particular order.
Treaty – Yothu Yindi I vividly remember dancing to this song, especially in nightclubs, driven by its iconic dance remix. Beyond the pure joy it brought, “Treaty,” released in 1991 by the Yolngu band Yothu Yindi, remains a powerful and essential statement on Indigenous land rights and reconciliation. It’s a song that moves both your feet and your soul.
Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye (feat. Kimbra) This song isn’t just amazing; the video clip is a masterpiece in itself. It’s simply fantastic. And that line: “You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness…” What a lyric! It captures a raw, undeniable truth.
Pleasure and Pain – The Divinyls “Lover, lover, why do you touch? Please don’t ask me how I’ve been getting off.” These lyrics, delivered with Chrissy Amphlett’s raw and unforgettable vocals, make “Pleasure and Pain” a truly fantastic and classic 1985 rock anthem. It bravely explores the complexities of desire and remains a powerful track.
Love at First Sight – Kylie Minogue Honestly, this is one of Kylie’s most fantastic songs. A vibrant 2002 dance-pop hit from her album Fever, it’s infectious, uplifting, and perfectly encapsulates the pure exhilaration of an instant connection. It just makes you want to move.
I Am Woman – Helen Reddy An iconic 1972 feminist anthem, “I Am Woman” became a powerful rallying cry for women’s liberation, asserting strength and independence. I recall being at a gay and lesbian karaoke night years later, watching younger lesbians attempt to sing it but falter on the words. It was the older gay men who confidently took over, singing every lyric with passion! A truly memorable moment.
Smiley – Ronnie Burns This poignant 1971 anti-war song by Ronnie Burns beautifully reflects on the devastating loss of innocence experienced by young soldiers, particularly poignant during the Vietnam War era. Its message still resonates deeply.
Tenterfield Saddler – Peter Allen Peter Allen’s deeply personal 1972 ballad is a beautiful tribute to his saddler grandfather, weaving rich themes of family, heritage, and the relentless passage of time. As a country boy myself, much of the lyric deeply resonated. And oh, the tragedy within the lines: “It’s easier to drink than go crazy… George had no answers why a son ever has need of a gun…” It brings tears to my eyes every single time.
Polyester Girl – Regurgitator I absolutely adore this song. At a time when much of the music scene felt predictable, “Polyester Girl” burst through with an energy and creativity that was so much more interesting and captivating. It was a refreshing breath of fresh air.
From Little Things Big Things Grow – Paul Kelly and The Messengers (feat. Kev Carmody) If I had to choose just one Paul Kelly song, it would undoubtedly be “From Little Things Big Things Grow,” especially the version with Kev Carmody. This song is incredibly meaningful, and I deeply connect with its powerful sentiment and message of resilience and justice. It’s a significant anthem for social change, recounting the Gurindji people’s struggle for land rights.
Blue Sky Mine – Midnight Oil While “Blue Sky Mine” is a globally renowned 1987 protest song by Midnight Oil, addressing Indigenous land rights and environmental issues, it’s Genevieve Lemon’s version that truly touched me. Her rendition allows the powerful lyrics to stand out much more prominently than with Midnight Oil’s rock band background, making the message even more impactful.
It’s a windy Sunday night in Surry Hills. The last few days have been extremely busy with a theatre show, a party and a wedding. Weddings, parties, anything? And in the midst of all this, suddenly there is the realisation I’m well and truly back in Sydney.
This first became obvious to me on On Thursday night Colin and I went to the Sydney Opera House Playhouse to see latest production by Max Gillies, “The Big Con”. When I left Sydney, Opera Bar was a quiet funky little spot… and so Colin and I had agreed to meet there. How things have changed: on Thursday night Opera Bar was a major yuppie haunt. Any why not… it’s such a “Sydney Spot”.
The last time I’d seen anything of this nature by Gillies was when, in the 1980s, he had his bitingly satirical “Gillies Report” on ABC-Tv which lampooned Bob Hawke. Twenty years later, we have another long-serving political leader and so it’s appropriate that Gillies has returned to this earlier form.
What we both really liked about this show was its uncompromising attitude – bordering on viciousness – to the characters parodied. Although the references to such things as Amanda Vanstone’s weight and Allan Jones alleged sexual preferences were, in some ways obvious, they were carried off with the right aplomb. They weren’t being parodied for paraody’s sake: this was to show these essential human characteristics formed the basis for their public character.
The characterisation was also completely spot on. As Bryce Hallett observed in the Sydney Morning Herald, his portrayal of Vanstone was “as vivid and grotesque as that panto dame of Barry Humphries’s invention, and more wicked given that the source of its inspiration is alive and well”. Highlights include the Vanstone’s character’s consumption of a bucket of KFC and Tony Soprano declaring that in the eyes of America, Australia was “the bitch”. The only weakness was his portrayal of Alexander Downer.
We’d both seen Gillie’s co-star, Eddie Perfect, in Hayden Tee’s late night cabaret at the Stable Theatre. While he was good then, he was great in this. His songwriting skills were more than matched by his performance skills. He was also uncompromising.
What a great show!
For the show, we sat beside Leo Schofield who has been in the news this week, in trouble over his controversial re-working of the National Anthem for New Years Eve. When Colin offered his support to Leo – “don’t worry about what they have to say” – he responded by saying it was just “the anti-Clover brigade”, referring to the Daily Telegraph’s current resentment of the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore. The other celebrity sitting nearby was Bob Ellis, who spent the intermission reading Gore Vidal (yes, seriously!). Oh yes, I’m back in Sydney.
I also went with my friend Sue to see “We Will Rock You”, the Ben Elton musical based on the songs of 1970s rock group, Queen. The show was entertaining, though fairly forgettable. A week later I have no idea about the plotline!
My work Christmas Party was held on Friday night at the Quarryman’s Hotel in Pyrmont. As with previous years it was a particularly boozy affair.
And then today I went to the wedding of a couple I met this year in Perth, Pamela and Geoff. As Geoff and Pam have been together for thirteen years, it was great to go to a wedding where there was no degree of uncertainty about whether or not the relationship will last.
Love is long suffering,
love is kind,
it is not jealous,
love does not boast,
it is not inflated.
It is not discourteous,
it is not selfish,
it is not irritable,
it does not enumerate the evil.
It does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth
It covers all things,
it has faith for all things,
it hopes in all things,
it endures in all things.
I am currently going through my radio archives, searching for interesting bits and pieces to share. My latest “gem” to share is an interview with Senator Flo Bjelke-Petesen.
It suddenly occurred to me that a whole generation of Australians may have no living memory of Lady Flo (she became that when her husband was knighted). She and her husband, Sir Joh, were central and highly polarising figures in Australian politics, dominating the Queensland landscape throughout the 1970s and 80s. This interview from the ABC Radio Riverina Morning Show captures Senator Flo’s unique public persona and offers a fascinating look at the state of the National Party and the famous political couple’s life after office.
🎙️ ABC ARCHIVES: Senator Flo Bjelke-Petersen
JAMES O’BRIEN: What made you come to the area? What was your motivation in coming here?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, Noel Hicks is the member for Riverina. Wagga is going to be part of the electorate of Riverina, and I believe that it’s nice to be able to come with one of my colleagues in the House of Representatives and, and have a day in Riverina or future Riverina with Noel and supporting him because I believe he’s been an excellent member for Riverina and I can’t see any reason why he shouldn’t sort of be the member for Riverina, including this area after this election.
JAMES O’BRIEN: The election or the by election or the removal of the boundaries, the changing of the boundaries, he really has become a focus for what the National Party is these days. Bearing in mind that both the nationals and the liberals are supporting Fight Back, what is the difference now?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, I believe that the National Party has a very important role to play for rural Australia. I believe that all along. And we, you know, take our do our job as we see fit that sort of to assist the the people who are on the land. And this is a very, very rural area. And I believe that it’s a very good area for the National Party to represent. I mean, people who know Noel Hicks know the tremendous job that he’s done when he’s represented places like Broken Hill, Cobar and all those places are way out in the bush. And you’ve got to face it that the Liberal Party is more or less, well, it’s big business. There’s the National Party with the rural people and big business with the liberals. And I think that that’s how I’ve always understood it, particularly in Queensland, where we were for many years. We had a coalition up there, and then we got our numbers and we we had a party, the National Party, on her own. And I think all you need to do to look is to look at Queensland and see the tremendous success that the National Party had in Queensland over so many years. And we grew, we grew, we developed. We had tremendous, um, you know, input from business as well as rural people. And that’s the type of national party that I believe is well worthwhile as part of the coalition.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Do you think the success of the National Party in Queensland can be achieved on a federal level in Australia?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, I believe that that’s something that they should be aiming for. I certainly believe that. Of course, there is a slight difference. I guess that when you’re a majority party in a coalition, it’s a little bit, sometimes harder to to get everything that you feel ought to be done by comparison with the senior party in the coalition. And I think that. But if you have no input, then you’re not able to do anything. And that’s why it’s important, I suppose.
JAMES O’BRIEN: What sort of things do you mean?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, to assist rural people, I mean, I look at the, you know, road, road tax plan. I, I look at, um, you know, the rural industries. I look at the need that there will be eventually to have lower prices for petrol. I mean, I, I’m quite sure it was National Party input into fight back that caused the petrol prices to be included. You know that there’ll be a great reduction in the price of petrol. And I think that as far as people on the land are concerned, I think that they’ll certainly be an input, because I believe that when we get into government, there’s a very great need for things to, for fertiliser to come down in price. I this when we, when Doug Anthony and our party were part of the of the government, in government we played a very important role as far as help to rural people concerned when it comes to taxation problems. And I believe that this is a very good reason why we do need the input of a national party with a strong voice. Of course, to be able to put our case and make sure that these are the things that are looked at. And I mean, as far as business is concerned, of course, I mean, it’s very important that they’re looked after as well. And of course, as I see it as far as this present government is concerned, uh, private enterprise just doesn’t have a chance. And that’s very important part, not only from the National Party, from the Liberal Party point of view, to encourage private enterprise and give them a chance to be able to provide jobs and job opportunities. Would you have ever imagined, James, that in Australia there could be one million unemployed people caused by this labor government? And who who do not give private enterprise any chance to to come up, you know, and provide the jobs and job opportunities. I’m quite sure that Curtin and Chifley would turn in their graves if they knew that a labor government in Australia had taken unemployment to such disastrous levels in our country.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Do you think the role of the nationals in the coalition is as strong as it was when Doug Anthony was leader?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, part of the government, I suppose, when Doug Anthony was there and that’s, you know, saying something, you’re able to play a much better part. I think when you’re part of a, of a government than you are, perhaps when you’re part of a of a of a A opposition, and, uh, I can’t I can’t see any reason why we can’t play an important role. I think once we get there and, uh, we’re part of the government, I believe that we’ll have a part to play. I certainly like to think so.
JAMES O’BRIEN: But of course, the numbers aren’t as big as they were when Doug Anthony was around.
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Probably not either. Well, that’s all the more reason why we need to work and work harder to make sure that we get more numbers. And that’s what the National Party is all about. And it’s not just here in New South Wales, it’s right throughout Australia, and it’s in Queensland too. And we’ve got quite a number of seats that we’re targeting up there to help make up the numbers for the National Party after the election.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Now the libs say they can do the same thing. They can look after the country as well. Would that be true?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, that’s their opinion. I have mine, so we’ll leave it at that.
JAMES O’BRIEN: You don’t think they can look after it as well as the nationals?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, I believe that we’ve been doing that for a mighty long time and all. I like to look at the way, uh, the nationals were able to run Queensland and and we did it very well indeed when we didn’t have anybody in coalition with us when we did it on our own. So I think it’s just a case of, uh, you know, if you got if you’re there with policies that people like, then they’ll vote for you.
JAMES O’BRIEN: What do you think it’s needed? What do you what do you think is what do you think is needed to to to raise the nationals around Australia to the level it was in Queensland?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, I don’t know. I suppose just good solid hard work and, and being able to sort of put their case before people having people like Noel Hicks representing them in the parliament. I mean, those are the sort of people that they need and that they need to speak up and do a good job.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Because many people suggested it was your husband, Sir Joe, that played such an influential role in bringing the the nationals to pre-eminence in Queensland.
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Oh, well, I like to think so. If you could believe what? As I go around Queensland, all the people who tell me when they shake hands with me, they don’t bother to say how I am. They say, How’s Joe? And he’s still got a tremendous following. And I believe he did do a tremendous job in Queensland. There’s no doubts about it. And I believe strong leadership is what is what it’s all about. And that’s what you need.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Have the nationals in Queensland been as strong without him?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, I wouldn’t like to. I wouldn’t like to say so, but I don’t think they have. I mean, as far as I’m concerned. But then I might be a bit biased, wouldn’t I? Anybody listening to this broadcast would say, well, naturally, she’d say that because, I mean, she or I have always said, James, actually, that Joe had the best political nous of anybody I knew. And I think I still agree with that. And I, I’d like to feel that some of his ability rubbed off onto me. I don’t know whether it has or not. I suppose I’ve been fortunate enough that over the years of the eleven years I’ve been three elections, and I’ve been able to head the, you know, the ticket each time. And the last time we got four senators in. So I thought, I thought that wasn’t bad, but I still don’t know. Actually, James, whether it was all my, my efforts or whether the fact that I had the Bjelke-Petersen name might have helped a bit.
JAMES O’BRIEN: What do you think was at the heart of Joe’s nous? What was he able to look at and think? Yes, this is what we should do. How did he do that?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, he used to say, is it right or is it wrong? That was how he dealt with problems. And he did what he thought was right. Now, look, don’t get me wrong. Not everybody in Queensland thought he was the greatest. But enough people did. And when they talked about this fact that Queensland got there by a gerrymander, don’t you? I don’t believe that. Because I believe that when you look now at the rearranged electorates after the last, you know, fiasco that they had three years ago, and then they decided that they’d go for the one vote, one value. And what happened? The the labor weren’t able to have a runaway win after all. They found out that it wasn’t any different. I mean, it was just exactly it was just more or less actually the same. And, um, you know, I just sort of think that that’s the way it went. And that was the end of that.
JAMES O’BRIEN: How does Joh spend his time now?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, he spends a lot of his time down in Tasmania, actually in Tasmania. Yes. it’s a bit of a change from Queensland.
JAMES O’BRIEN: It’d be colder.
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Yes, certainly has been. There’s no doubt about that. But he’s in partnership with Peter Murray then he’s the president of Murray Corp. That’s. They’re into us. What do they call it? Venture capital management. And um, and, uh, you know, trust, trust business like that. And, uh, this is what he’s on about. And they’ve they’re doing a lot of work, but it takes quite a deal of time to get, you know, things financially stable because we ended up after the court case up in Queensland with a tremendous amount of debt. And that’s something that we’re working hard and looking at and trying to get things settled again. It’s not very easy.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Is that what is keeping you in politics, or is there a temptation to go to retirement as well?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: I’m going to retirement in June next year, so there’s nothing much more I can do about that. But, uh, I certainly, you know, believe that, uh, it’s been very sad sort of happening, really, where, uh, you serve your state. He served his electorate for forty one years, and he served the state of Queensland for almost twenty years. And what do you what thanks. Do you get a tremendous debt as a result of it with legal expenses? He had the opportunity at one stage, the labor people and the liberal people said to him, well, look, Joe, we want to alter the the Superannuation Act. You weren’t in it. Why don’t you get in it? And of course, he said, um, one of the labor fella said, well, look, you owe it to Florence and your family to get in it. And I, when he came home and told me that, I said my word. That’s exactly right, Joe. And you never believe it. He said no. He said if it was wrong in the first instance, if they were lining their pockets too much in the first instance, they’re still lining their pockets too much and I can’t do it. Oh, dear. I don’t often disagree with Joe, but I didn’t think he had too much political nous at that particular time.
JAMES O’BRIEN: What? What about his own retirement? I mean, he’s got this business venture going on at the moment. Does he also have lots of free time?
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Oh, well, he doesn’t have as much free time as I’d like him to have, really, but I’m living in hopes that he might have a little bit more time at home the week after next, because I’m having grandchildren come to stay for a week, and I think it’d be rather nice to have him around the place to lend a helping hand.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Doing doing what sort of things around the place, looking after.
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Oh well. Taking the children up. When he goes and feeds his birds, he feeds his birds and and looks after the ones around at home. And then feeds his possums, and and that goes and cuts wood for his daughter and all the rest of it. So it’s just having having him around the place and it’s lovely. And I do believe that when you’re eighty two, almost eighty two, you deserve to have a bit of time to yourself. Although I still believe, James, that you don’t want to retire and do nothing. This is what I’m considering when I get out. Um, Grant Tambling asked me. One of our senatorial colleagues from the Northern Territory asked me what was I going to do when I got out of Parliament. And I said, well, I’m certainly hoping that I’ll find plenty of voluntary work to do. What sort.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Of.
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Things? Oh, well, the meals on wheels. Um, there’s a tourist. Um, we have a tourist tourism section at Kingaroy and, uh, encouraging tourists. And, uh, I saw in the paper just recently that they wanted somebody to do, uh, a half a day a month. And I thought, oh, good. I think tourists might be quite interested to find that Senator Flo’s there or ex-Senator Flo’s there show telling them all about Kingaroy. And, uh, I think that those are some of the things that you can do. And we have a little Lutheran school, and I believe that there will be plenty of voluntary work to do there. I want something that I can keep my brain active with because otherwise, I mean, you rusticate, and I don’t think that’s very good for you.
JAMES O’BRIEN: What about the cookbooks? More of those on the way.
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Well, yes, there are some. Oh, I don’t know about a second one. We’re looking at one. A health cookbook. But anyway, that’s in the future because I haven’t got any time to look at it at the moment, with the election coming up and the need there is to make sure that our parties get into government after this next election. I think I’ve just got to concentrate on that. But I must say, as far as the original cookbook is concerned, the first print you know was sold out. Then they decided they’d have a reprint. I didn’t think they reprinted enough. They reprinted another three thousand. They’ve all gone. Now we’re waiting for the next reprint. So I’m very grateful to the people who have bought the book and seems to have gone over quite well.
JAMES O’BRIEN: I recall the original pumpkin scone recipe having grown up in northern New South Wales and lived in Queensland for quite some time, was on postcards. It was on tea towels.
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Yes, it still is, as a matter of fact. I don’t know about the postcards so much, but I know that the little peanut van in Kingaroy still has them. And certainly she sells tea towels. And I think that this is something that, uh, you know, sort of been very worthwhile. But the cookery book, you know, people are interested in it. And there’s one I don’t know whether you’ve got enough time to listen to this. There’s one quite interesting story in the cookery book about my pumpkin scone diplomacy.
JAMES O’BRIEN: No.
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Oh, you haven’t heard about that? Well, it was in nineteen eighty three election, actually, uh, that’s getting on for ten years ago now, isn’t it? Nine years ago, and they had a strike on the mine outside Ipswich, and three mines actually involved, I think, at the time.
JAMES O’BRIEN: And I recall this.
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Can you remember? Yes. And do you remember how I, uh, they wanted Joe to go down the mine and talk to them? And Joe said, no, if you want to talk to me, come and see me. And then this jolly John Roberts, I think his name was, uh, put out a thing in the paper that said that it wasn’t Joe that was going to go down the mine. Flo was. So I thought, which is the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. So I made a batch of pumpkin scones, wrapped them in a pumpkin scone tea towel, and took them down the mine. And, um, I was, you know, sort of a bit scared about it. I’d never been down a mine before. But anyway, it was easy enough, and I went down there and sat, and the mine is a bit cool at first, but then it warmed up and I gave them the scones and they ate them up. And then they said, well, look, it wasn’t really you we wanted to see. It was the premier. And I said, oh yes, well, that might be so, but I think you should go and meet him, not him. Come down here to you. So I made an arrangement to meet him at the coalface, and and I went back to Joe and I said, Now I’ve done my bit. You do yours. And so he went and met them there. And I always say, and where did they end up? Down the mine, Joe, talking to the miners. Down the mine. And they did solve the problem because I think he arranged, you know, they discussed it in a government level, and they decided that they would offer them another three years work there. And then in the meantime, they sort of gradually got them absorbed in the open cut mines further up Queensland. And I guess all’s well that ends well. And that’s what you call pumpkin scone diplomacy.
JAMES O’BRIEN: Perhaps. In conclusion, then you might go through that recipe, the famous recipe.
FLO BJELKE-PETERSEN: Oh, I certainly will, no doubt about that. It’s a nice one. I’ve been writing it out for so long that there’s no possibility of forgetting it. You need a tablespoonful of butter, a half a cup of sugar, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, which I put in a mixmaster and small a small basin and beat it up. And then you add an egg, and then you add a cup of mashed pumpkin, which is cold, not hot. I had one friend who told me that she ruined the recipe by using hot pumpkin. And then, uh, after that you stop using the mixmaster and fold in by hand two to two and a quarter cups of self-raising flour. And the amount of flour depends on what type of pumpkin you’ve got, whether you’ve got a moist one or one that’s not quite so moist. And then you turn it out onto a floured board, cut them and put them into a very hot oven for. What is it? Two twenty five to two fifty centigrade, or four twenty five to four fifty Fahrenheit, and in fifteen to twenty minutes you should have a batch of lovely hot pumpkin scones. And everybody will love you if you bring them out. And they’re nice and enjoyable. And if you if you think there’s too many just for a small family, put half of them into our foil and put them in the freezer. Heat them up the next day and you’ve still got nice hot pumpkin scones.
I had a meeting at Bondi Icebergs late this afternoon, which was a really nice end to the day. As they look out of their full-length office windows, the guys there have THE BEST VIEWS.
It’s a chilly night in Sydney – cold and wet – and as we arrived, I looked down to notice one lone swimmer. His body was red with cold as he slowly did his laps. Why would you do it? You’d have to be keen.
On the way out, I was lucky enough to capture the moment where the lights were on at the pool, just on dusk. As soon as I took this photograph, they were turned off, in recognition of the venue’s night time identity as a restaurant. Very nice.
I don’t know if it’s my television viewing habits, or if it’s the summer season, but every time I turn on Channel 9 or Gem, there seems to be an episode of “Embarrassing Illnesses” (or one of the associated spin-off programs). Are they strip programming it at the moment?
I can’t recall exactly the first time I saw one of these programs, but I suspect it was late at night and I suspect I was channel surfing looking for something, anything to watch. Click, click, click, click. And then suddenly, there was a rather cute bloke – Dr Christian Jessen – who had just asked an equally cute bloke to drop his pants. “I think I’d better take a look at your penis”, he would have said, I’m sure.
“Hang on, I might stay around on this channel and watch this for a while”, I’m sure I would have thought to myself, only to discover a few seconds later the attractive bloke had some awful condition of the “private parts”. Something not quite right. Maybe something was a little bent? Something was, maybe, a little too large or a little too small? Or perhaps he’d had some unexpected and unwelcome visitors? :)
And then again a few minutes later, there’s someone under surgery, or someone with some awful skin condition on their bum. It’s not what you would call “polite television”. It’s not something you’d expect Mel and Kochie to host, is it?
But it’s actually quite a good show both in its concept and execution. I love the way they’ve taken lots of taboo subjects and have tried to normalize them, to make it okay to talk about stuff that affects many people, but which we don’t talk about. I think it’s fantastic they’ll address medical conditions which obviously cause people deep shame, and which often results in an avoidance of medical assistance. Sure, there’s a slightly voyeuristic quality about the program, but I think it’s great that they show people with these conditions, and show there’s a potential solution.
Every time you see Dr Christian Jessen with this face, you can be sure someone he is going to ask someone to drop their pants.
I don’t quite understand how English people go on the program. I mean, they have the National Health Service which, eventually, means their condition can be dealt with. But I guess there’s a degree of individual exhibitionism going on in the UK as well as the USA. Programs like Jerry Springer would struggle to work in Australia because of the shame factor, but I guess the UK is large enough to sustain a population of people for whom that wouldn’t be an issue. Personally, I would never go on a program like this, and I would never expose my personal, private illnesses on television, and I would never – intentionally – flash my tackle on national television, even if it meant speedy, safe surgery. But some people are happy to do this, and I guess we should all be grateful for that.
The program, of course, concentrates on physical conditions. It would be interesting to see them deal with mental illness, for example, though the treatment would obviously be far more complex and long-term than chopping off a bit of foreskin (which is not a good idea at the best of times in my humble opinion), I guess.
Yes, a good show. But what’s going on right now? Why is it that every time I turn on some late night television there’s someone with some awful scabby condition on their bum? :)
As the opening beats from “Don’t Say No” by Midnight Boy came from the speakers of my television, for just a brief moment, I was transported back to the 80s and to Brisbane’s (in)famous nightclub, The Beat. Back in those days, Joh Bjelke-Peterson was still the Premier of Queensland, and I was a young man about town who would often head out on Sunday nights with friends to dance to tracks like “You Spin Me Round” (by Dead or Alive), “Relax” (by Frankie Goes To Hollywood) and others. Both the music and lyrics of “Don’t Say No” are highly reminiscent of that era.
It was an unexpected welcome opening for the fourth heat of this year’s Melodifestivalen, the competition which chooses Sweden’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. It was a heat I was anticipating very much due to the Australian connection. Days before Australia went on to announce Guy Sebastian (yawn) would represent Australia at this year’s contest, we already had an Australian connection. The band JTR were born in Sweden, but lived in Australia for about a decade, before returning to Sweden a few months ago. They have an Australian step-father, I understand, and while living here, competed in the X-Factor television show. I thought their song and performance were both quite good, and so was pleased they made it through to the final in a couple of weeks time. Oh yeah, and they lived in Logan City, a place where I associate with “losing my virginity”. :) Another story.
The other “Australian connection” (albeit a slim one, he recently holidayed here) was Måns Zelmerlöw. I’ve been a fan of his for a few years. He sings well, he performs well, and he’s pretty easy on the eye (check out this image on his Instagram account and you’ll see what I mean). The song wasn’t all that memorable, but he performed it well, and the presentation was a little more interesting than the usual stand on stage and perform routine, interacting with animations on the screen.
Aside from those three, there was nothing particularly exciting about the remaining entries. “It’s like it’s still 2009”, my friend Graeme said the other week, remarking the formula has become a little stale with the same song-writers every year, and an apparent cookie-cutter approach to selecting the singers and the songs. After the nightmare of last year’s co-presenters, things have improved this year, with Robin and Sanna being good choices. But what was with the comedy appearance by the contest’s producer, Christer Björkman? My feeling is that he has done a terrific job over the past decade with the contest, but maybe it’s time for him to move on, allowing for a regeneration of the contest.
Having now seen all four heats, I’ve decided my firm favourite is Jon Henrik Fjällgren, the reindeer herder from a Sami community up north. Andra Chansen (second chance) is this week, and then a week later, Sweden will choose its entry for Eurovision. It’s a shame we didn’t go through a similar selection process for Austraia.
