It was the perfect day for catchups with Damien, Colin and Andrew. Brunch with Andrew at Newtown (and then a wander around the shops), mid-afternoon drinks with Colin at Opera Bar, and then a BBQ with Damien. Does life get any better?
In comparison with a number of the places I’ve visited over the last few months, I’ve been reminded today that, generally speaking, Sydney is a very chilled out, clean place, inhabited by lots of nice people. Remarkable, isn’t it?
Travelled through the Hawkesbury earlier today. Such a beautiful area. This photograph was captured with a mobile phone camera, held up against a dirty train window. So you can only begin to imagine what it might be like with a proper camera outside, enjoying the winter sunshine.
They say it takes a few days of being on holiday before you actually feel like you’re on holiday. Today was my first day of leave and relaxation feels a long way off.
I woke early this morning, had some breakfast, and went back to bed until about 10:30. Then, despite my promise to myself not to do this, I dealt with some emails. I sent a few more throughout the day, mostly to let people know I was out of the office and would respond when I returned later in the week. I’m working only one day at the moment, Thursday or Friday.
However, my headspace is definitely not in holiday mode yet.
I tried to shift gears by visiting the State Library of New South Wales. I grabbed a sandwich for lunch, browsed the bookstore, and then explored a couple of exhibitions upstairs.
The Press Photography exhibition is one I try to see every year. This year, the images from Ukraine were particularly striking. The photographers captured the grim reality of the war with a professionalism that was both impressive and unsettling. It made me reflect on the complexities of documenting suffering. There was also a strong showing from Australian photographers, with highlights including stunning shots of the Outback and captivating images of Australian swimmers.
I also stumbled upon an unexpected exhibition about the Dunera Boys, a group of Jewish refugees interned in Australia during World War II. The exhibition was surprisingly large, featuring photographs, videos, and artwork created by the internees. It was a moving and informative experience. I remember reporting on the Dunera Boys back in the early 90s when I was working in Wagga Wagga. Hay, where one of the internment camps was located, was part of my listening area for ABC Riverina. I had the opportunity to meet and interview some of them, and I can’t help but wonder how many are still alive today.
Even though I’m trying to disconnect from work, I couldn’t resist sending an email to the team at ABC Riverina about the exhibition. Old habits die hard, I suppose.
This afternoon, I came home, put up some Christmas lights, and finally allowed myself to relax. I plan to watch some television, listen to music, and truly embrace the holiday spirit. I hope.
Tomorrow, I’m meeting my friend John for lunch and I have a physiotherapy appointment. Later in the week, I’m getting together with some former colleagues from the Regional and Local team at the ABC. We were disbanded in July of last year, but we’ve remained close. It will be good to catch up and celebrate the end of the year.
I’ve been thinking about why it’s been so hard for me to relax on this first day of my holiday. Perhaps it’s because it feels like a return to normality after the past eighteen months of recovering from illness and a life-changing amputation. I’m finally starting to feel like myself again, but I’ve probably been pushing myself too hard at work. That’s why I insisted on taking some time off this year. Last year, I simply didn’t have the energy to even consider working over the summer. I took the time off and truly enjoyed it. This year, I have more energy, but I also feel the pull to be productive.
I’m taking four weeks off but will be working one day a week on average. My department at the ABC has been going through some changes, and we’re dealing with some staff illnesses. I felt compelled to offer my support.
Perhaps this explains why I’m finding it difficult to switch off. I hope it won’t be long before I can fully embrace the break and recharge. I’m mindful of the life changing experiences I’ve had, and my earlier resolutions not to work so hard. Friends and I have often discussed our feelings of “imposter syndrome”, that we perhaps overcompensate because we can’t quite believe we’ve made it to where we have in our careers. Maybe I need to think more deeply about this, or maybe I just need to go for a swim?
Having spent a few years in the early 1990s, living in Wagga Wagga, I was well aware of the story of Captain Moonlite, the bushranger, and the hold-up at nearby Wantabadgery Station in 1879. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Moonlite
What I wasn’t aware of until the mid 1990s, was the suggestion he had been involved in a same-sex relationship with James Nesbitt, a member of his gang. Though there’s some debate about the nature of the relationship, and whether or not it was a same-sex relationship in the modern context of the term, or whether it was a “close friendship” in a more historical content, it’s an interesting story, nonetheless. In particular, his desire to be buried alongside Nesbitt, who was killed in the hold-up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Nesbitt_(bushranger)
…to be buried beside my beloved James Nesbitt, the man with whom I was united by every tie which could bind human friendship, we were one in hopes, in heart and soul and this unity lasted until he died in my arms.
In the mid 1990s, a group of women from the area, sought to make that wish happen, and were successful in having his body exhumed from Rookwood, and being transferred to Gundagai. And even though they couldn’t be sure exactly where the bodies should be placed, they achieved the intent of that wish.
As part of Queer Contemporary during the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, my friend Kate (who also lived near Wagga Wagga for many years) and I went on a tour of the current National Art School (though previously the Darlinghurst Court and Gaol), where Moonlite was sentenced and hanged.
The tour was led by an artist (and former student of the school), Todd Fuller, https://www.toddfuller.com.au/ who had also created a beautiful short-film animation telling the story of Moonlite and Nesbitt. It was awesome to watch it projected onto the sandstone walls of the former prison.
On the night before the annual Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, it was a wonderful thing to do, to re-live a bit of history, in an historically significant place.
I spent the day visiting two of my favourite annual art exhibitions in Sydney “Sydney Life” and “The Blake Prize“. “Sydney Life” is a photographic competition and exhibition held each year in Hyde Park. “The Blake Prize” is a spiritual/religious themed art competition and exhibition held each year at the National Art School. They’re exhibitions I enjoy because they both challenge and entertain.
The Blake Prize, in particular, is a favourite. It began as an art prize for “religious art” in a fairly strictly Christian sense (I think) but has developed over the years to become a more general exploration of spirituality in art. Just about every year I’ve been, there have been a couple of works which I’ve found truly moving.
My favourite this year is a an untitled bust by Tim Silver, though I think it’s the beautiful craftwork involved more than the concept which fascinated me most. Sadly it’s not for sale. Also for the craft, there’s also a wonderful piece where a skeleton has been covered in plasticine and located in the cosmos, with lots of plasticine balls representing planets. And there’s a terrific work by Adam Cullen who has focussed his attention this year on Mary Mackillop.
As for Sydney Life? There’s a lot of terrific works this year, though I wasn’t as impressed as I’ve been in previous years.
The most delightful work is – head and shoulders above the rest – the photograph of the pig at the Royal Easter Show. It’s a great moment in time, it’s well composed, and it has a great sense of fun about it. There’s also a wonderful photograph of a storm front coming over the harbour which is visually spectacular.
My favourite, though, was the image of two Sydney taxi drivers enjoying a meal in the back of a cab at night. I really like it, because it offers an insight into a really significant part of Sydney life (taxi drivers), but also because it’s so beautifully shot, with Henson-like night-time darkness. It’s a warm, lovely shot.
I’ve just watched this year’s “Eurovision Song Contest”, and in some respects it reminds me of ABBA’s win in 1974. Not that there’s any musical similarity between “Waterloo” and the heavy-rock number from Finland that took out this year’s award. Rather it was the spirit of experimentation with the norms of Eurovision that links the two, and which was a characteristic of this year’s contest. After years of mostly similar sounding songs, that kinda Middle Eastern dance rhythm summed up by “Kiss Kiss”, this year marked a significant departure, though there were still a few songs in that vein.
For the last seven or eight years I’ve hosted a regular Eurovision Party (with the exceptions being my years in Darwin and Perth), and I missed out again this year, due to the absence of five regular guests (two in London and three in Melbourne) out of the normal ten or so guests. Although I looked around the net for a fun place to go out, I decided to stay at home and dance around the house in a white t-shirt and tighty-whities (ala Tom Cruise in “Risky Business”).
This year’s contest also featured a couple of minor stars. One-hit-wonders, Las Ketchup (who had a hit a couple of years ago with “The Ketchup Song) were there to represent Spain with a fairly forgettable number. And Andreas from Swedish band, Alcazar, was part of a group representing Switzerland with a 1970s-style Eurovision sing-a-long number. He wasn’t the only one to swap borders, though, with a suprising number of African-Americans representing Israel.
The spunk factor was limited, this year, to the bloke from Russia. Although the song, “Never Let You Go”, was quite good, he wasn’t really my type. A little too skinny, he kinda reminded me of one of those rejects from “Big Brother”. Oh and the English backing singers for the Turkish entrant – who I’m not entirely convinced was born a woman – were easy on the eye too. And the song was pretty good, reminiscent of Donna Summer in some ways.
But did I have a favourite? Not really. However, I thought Bosnia-Herzegovina was quite good, with great music and a stirring lyric. I liked Romania’s entry which had a late 90s dance party feel about it. And I quite enjoyed Croatia for their Irish-Greek mash-up, though I did feel a little sorry for the lead singer who had that eyes in the carlights look about her. And in a traditional Eurovison kind of way, I liked Brian Kennedy representing Ireland.
But what I liked most about this year was the degree of experimentation. For example, Germany’s decision to go with a very catch country song, Latvia’s decision to go with a Housemartin’s style a’capella number, the UK’s white rapper, Lithuana’s “football chant” called – don’t fall over backwards – “We are the winners of Eurovision” and of course Finland’s very wise decision to go with a heavy rock number. Either this means, musically the contest is evolving, or finally that Europe has gotten the joke. That’s the only reason I can think of to explain Finland’s win: people thought “Oh fuck it, it’s all crap, so let’s just vote for the ones who’ve taken the biggest risk”. The only problem will be that for the next two years every country will be putting up a rock number.
And the prize for “Best Voting” goes to the Dutch bloke who flirted outrageously with the male host, and observed, quite rightly, the hosts looked like “Will & Grace”.
I’m looking forward to Finland hosting it next year, as I have fond memories of visiting Helsinki and it will be great to see those beautiful streets and waterways. But as for this year? Ok, so Greece has done it with the Olympics, and now with Eurovision, and I see that Demis Roussos is coming to Australia for his fortieth anniversary tour, but let’s wish them all the worst of luck for this week’s friendly match in Melbourne against the Socceroos in the run up to the World Cup.
About a year ago when I was working in Darwin, I visited the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and discovered the works of Kaylene Whiskey. In the time since, she’s become a firm favourite of mine, and some of her works have been recently shown at Sydney’s Museum Of Contemporary Art. Because her art touches on the popular culture icons of many Indigenous women of a similar age to her own, I love the “truth” in her works.
This year, working in Darwin, I’ve been able to attend the actual announcement of the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards
As well as the art, there were some terrific dance and musical performances by, amongst others, Djuki Mala (formerly Chooky Dancers) of “Singing In The Rain”; Electric Fields performing “Pukulpa” and Mojo Juju (who has an amazing voice and stage presence).
A really memorable night.
Among the artists, it was great to see Kaylene Whiskey win an award, and the acceptance speeches by the daughter of Nyaparu (William) Gardiner, and by Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu (in sign language) were really wonderful.
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Sydney IS a great city and full of fabulous folk!….and the weather couldn’t be better could it ?
James , an interesting backdrop to the Bridal Party…is it like the fabric facade that shrouds most of Venice , while they repair the buildings….or are they trying to capture the city of yesteryear…. ??
Welcome home James. I have a bit of reading (of your blog) to catch up.
MMR – No it’s actually a mural on a wall. I think it’s what that part of the street used to look like prior to expressways and stuff. Kinda cool, I think.
Denys – thanks for the welcome. Yes, I’ve been rather verbose for the last few months.