My social life goes through fits and starts. There are some weekends when I have absolutely nothing to do. I sit in the house, twiddle my thumbs, and regret the inactivity. Other weekends I go from event to event.
Friday night was more of the latter than the former, as there were three functions I’d planned to go to. There was the general christmas party in the television studio, another christmas party, and a farewell party for a colleague and friend who was leaving. I made it to two of the three parties which I thought was a fine effort.
As as few of us travelled between parties we came to a conclusion: music can either make or break a party.
Last year’s Christmas Party was fun, but not as much as fun as this year’s simply because the music was so incredibly good this year. Last year, the dance floor was empty for much of the evening. This year it was busy from very early in the evening.
“You know what the music reminds me of?” a colleague said to me at one point. I looked her straight in the eyes and said “The Exchange Hotel mid 90s” and she burst into agreed laughter. Minutes later, as MC Hammer came on with “You Can’t Touch This” I was taken back to the weekly disco at The Vines at The Berri Hotel in South Australia.
It’s amazing how music can take you back to a particular place and time, isn’t it?
I think I developed a slight crush on one of the DJs as he appeared to channel for a while my entire musical collection from the mid 80s to the mid 00s.
It has been over a year since the catastrophic flood devastated Lismore, my hometown in Northern NSW. However, the recovery of both people’s lives and infrastructure is still slow and ongoing. The emotional impact of the flood still runs deep, which I have observed in my own family and the lives of many others. These emotions were further highlighted in a photographic exhibition titled “Through the Heart… A Flood of Fears and Tears,” which recently opened at the NSW Parliament.
Local photographer Jacklyn Wagner captured the devastation caused by the worst recorded flood in the area’s history. She knocked on the doors of approximately 100 people who had little choice but to move back home, despite having no doors to knock on, walls, power, or water. The exhibition showcased the stories of these individuals, portraying the emotional and physical impact of the flood on their lives.
I had the opportunity to report for ABC Radio from the exhibition opening, where the photos were a poignant reminder of the devastating effects of what happened. The exhibition title, “Through the Heart… A Flood of Fears and Tears,” perfectly encapsulated the emotions captured in the photographs.
The slow recovery process in Lismore is evident from the photographs, but the resilience and courage of the people affected is also evident. The exhibition provided a platform to acknowledge the challenges faced by the community, yet it also highlighted their determination to move forward.
“Through the Heart… A Flood of Fears and Tears” exhibition is a powerful reminder of the devastating effects of the flood on the people of Lismore. It is also a testament to the resilience and determination of the community to recover and rebuild.
ABC Radio story about the exhibition.The official launch of the exhibition. The voices you heard were Jacklyn Wagner, Mark and Vicki Youngberry, John de Looze and Harper Dalton (all from South Lismore). After Sydney, the exhibition goes into storage, awaiting the re-opening of a suitable venue for a show in Lismore.
The official launch of the exhibition. Nieces, Willow, Shyloh and KarranNephews, Ryan (father) and Xavier, along with Tash, with their makeshift walls, made from road signs.Jack in the weeks after the catastrophic flood.Jack and Sam rescued from Elliott Road. The text says “Pop, we’re in trouble”, whereas he actually said, “Pop, we’re fucked”.
For me, it was kinda interesting/weird to be there in both a personal and professional sense. I was there as an active member of the community, and in support of my family. But also there as a reporter. I hope I got the balance right.
My friend John and I went to see a terrific film tonight, “The Lives Of Others” about the role of the secret police in East Germany. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been quite fascinated about Germany. The Kaiser. Hitler. The division into East and West. The fall of the wall (on my birthday) in 1989. All of these historical moments have always held a fascination for me, such that I’ve sometimes wondered if I have some German ancestry.
As a teenager, I was lucky enough to visit Germany. This was, of course, back in the days of East and West Germany, several years before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Even now I remember vividly catching the train from Frankfurt to Berlin, travelling mostly overnight through East Germany. Then, as daylight dawned I remember being asked for my passport (which I struggled to find), and then seeing a school with the words “The Sun Always Shine in East Germany” (in German of course) near the train track. I also remember observing from the nearby Tiergarten the guards goose-stepping around the Brandenburg Gate. As we waved to them, I remember a moment of humanity as one of the guards very subtley waved back, reminding us they were people too.
This film, too, reminds you at the heart of the East German regime there were people with real emotions. At the heart of the film is the character of Wiesler, a spy and seemingly idealistic supporter of the East German government. Assigned to spy on the a playwright, Georg Dreyman, he undergoes a transformation, recognising the humanity of Georg and himself.
As I watched the film unfold, and observing in particular the spying that went on, it occured to me this was perhaps the kind of state Nazi Germany could have become, with paranoia and distrust at the heart of everything that occured on a political level.
All around us at the screening I heard people speaking in German and holding back the tears. A reminder that, although this is now “history”, it’s recent enough for people to remember, and to have known people who would have lived under the East German regime.
It’s not all about politics, though, with a strong and moving plotline, reminding the audience of the strength of humanity.
I had a fantastic night attending the Grand Final of the ABC’s band competition, Exhumed.
Unlike the Sydney final, I liked the music as well as the atmosphere. The Sydney final was all a bit “rock and roll” for my own personal musical tastes. At the National final, I really enjoyed the different musical styles much more, from country music to reggae.
I was really pleased Jahsifik won, as I thought they were musically really interesting, put on a good show, and the whole band had a really great vibe about them.
Here are some photographs I snapped…
Rooty Hill RSL
Exhumed Grand FInal
Bought a Santa Snowdome for a friend who collects them.
The road to get to Merlin’s Lookout near Hill End, NSW is a windy, dirt road. There were moments driving up when we wondered if it was actually worth it. But when we reached the top, and we were the only ones there able to take in the very awesome 360 view, we realised it definitely worth it. And besides it was only about 2km from the township.
The view from Merlin’s Lookout, near Hill End, NSW
Our only major excursion for the day was the drive from Mudgee to Hill End. We had also planned to visit Sofala, but missed the turn.
We were engrossed in listening to some episodes of the “Conversations” radio show. In particular, we listened to an episode about a woman I’ve known and worked with over a number of years. The story was about herself, her children and her late husband, Russell. I have always had a soft spot for Russell, as he employed me at the ABC in Wagga Wagga many years ago. Like me, he was born and raised in Northern NSW; he also had an interesting upbringing story; and he went to school on the outskirts of Lismore, where I grew up.
As I worked with him I got to know him, and in particular loved his wonderful dry sense of humour, and his sometimes blunt honesty. Sadly, Russell died from cancer a number of years ago, and the story was about her experience of grief.
She’s recently made a podcast about that experience for the BBC. I’d highly recommend it to you, though a warning: in the midst of some of the laughter, there are moments of tears. Click on the link for the trailer, and you’ll be in tears within seconds. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08t2w2w
Anyway, I digress, we missed the turn to Sofala. But the experience of visiting Hill End made up for it.
Hill End was, remarkably, once the largest inland town in NSW, thanks to the discovery of gold. Years later, Hill End became a popular place for many well-known Australian artists to visit, ncluding Russell Drysdale, Donald Friend, Margaret Olley, Brett Whiteley and John Olsen. The artist connection lives on with a number of physical references to works painted there on display throughout the town.
Jeffrey Smart painting of Hill End in a real life context.
These days, there’s not much to Hill End, with lots of empty buildings and a museum. Oh, and a pub where we had a very enjoyable lunch.
Inside the front bar of the Hill End Pub
The backyard of the pub was full of family groups, thanks to the school holidays. I guess it’s a great place for families to learn a bit about history, and do some outdoorsy stuff. One of the things we noticed in the backyard of the pub was that mobile phone reception was very poor. We laughed at the teenage girl who was walking around trying to get mobile reception. In the end she had to actually sit down and talk to her parents.
After lunch we wandered around the town, and enjoyed visiting the historic buildings (which have National Parks protection) and the museum which is well worth a visit,
Hill End, NSWHill End, NSWInside the Hill End Heritage CentreImage from the Hill End Heritage Centre
It was a terrific day drive from Mudgee. If you’re ever visiting the Central West of NSW, I’d highly recommend Hill End.
For the first time in a few years, I had an Ogalo burger for dinner tonight. I had actually forgotten how incredibly tasty they are, even if they are DRENCHED in fat. I’d just been to see a cabaret show in Kings Cross – no, not that type of cabaret – and so I was looking for something fast and small for dinner. As I wandered past some of the countless outlets on Oxford Street with their food on display, Ogalo looked the best of a bad bunch, by far.
The other thing I noticed on Oxford Street tonight was the impact of the new anti-smoking laws. Even though I’ve been to a pub twice since the news laws commenced, I hadn’t really noticed the impact until tonight. On the street outside The Columbian, there was just a lone girl smoking, rugged up for winter as if she was on the ski-fields. The scene outside The Midnight Shift seemed to more closely resemble a modern-day public service office block, with the smokers being confined to a group of middle-aged men in bad shoes.
Ogalo Burger
A friend and I had just been to see Robert Bertram in cabaret at Bar Me. Robert is the latest discovery of Les Solomon who, over the years, has supported the careers of David Campbell, Tim Draxl and Hayden Tee. We had seen Robert perform about six months ago at Statement Bar, part of the graduating class of the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts and were pretty impressed.
We were both a little disappointed with tonight’s show since the other week the Sydney Morning Herald declared him “the new Hugh Jackman”. Yes, he can sing, he can dance (of sorts), he can write songs and he can tell stories, but he still has some way to go in regards to sincerity. He’s still a “performer”, if you know what I mean, never really “connecting” with the audience. But that said, six months ago, he was a musical theatre student in Perth, and he is now performing in his own cabaret show in Sydney, which is a great achievement in itself. Good luck to him and what I’m sure will be an amazing career.
It was an early show, which was good, with a six o’clock start, which meant I arrived home in time to see Daniella on the eviction couch on “Big Brother” and to do some washing (and yes, ironing, Tom) in preparation for the next few weeks which are likely to be fairly busy.
New Ties
As my boss retired the other day, I’m going to be “acting” in that role for a little while, which will be both very interesting and very exciting. To acknowledge this, I went out and bought two new ties. I think the blue is quite fetching, though a little bit “finance sector corporate”, whereas the black (with a red stripe) is a little more “creative and challenging”, with the choice of the two reflecting the need to be all of those things.
As well as that, the next few days are going to be reasonably social. On Tuesday night, I’m going for dinner at Snakebean, followed by seeing the very groovy new singer Eran James at the incredibly fashionable Will & Toby’s. Finally, I’m going to get to see Company at Theatre Royal on Wednesday night, and then on Thursday night, I’ll probably head along to “Fruits In Suits”.
I’ve got nothing planned for next weekend? Any offers? Andrew, shall I come over and fix your television antenna? Oooh, I just realised how suggestive that sounds!
