“These will bring passion and romance into your life”, the bloke behind the counter said to me as I handed over my planned purchase. “That was the general idea”, I told him and we smiled at each other.
It was towards the end of an “Historical and Cultural Tour” of Chinatown, co-inciding with Chinese New Year Celebrations in Sydney.
I love a good walking tour, and when I saw this one advertised a few weeks ago, I signed up immediately. Interestingly, I recognised two couples from some previous history walks I’ve undertaken in Sydney.
Of those attending, I was probably about mid-range in the age department, and possibly knew a little bit more about Chinatown than many of the others attending judging by some of the questions asked. More than general interest in cultural activities and history, I also spend a fair bit of time in Chinatown due to its proximity to where I live and work. I eat at least one meal each week in Chinatown.
But even so, there are lots of things I didn’t know about, and lots of things I’ve passed without paying too much attention to them.
I’ve never really looked at the big archways at either end of Chinatown before. I’ve never noticed the wording about how it’s about “Chinese and Australian Friendship”. I’ve also never really closely looked at some of the ornamentation on the archways and on neighbouring buildings. “They’re more of the style of Northern China” our tour guide, an older Chinese man told us, noting the incline of the rooftops allowed rain and snow to fall to the gutters easily.
Our guide was a man in his 70s, I’d guess, who had lots of great anecdotal stories of Chinatown in the past. For example, he spoke about going to an opium den at a very young age with his father. And he had a great knowledge of some of the different families and family businesses of Chinatown, and who did what to whom and so on.
But as we walked around and looked at various buildings, I felt a certain sadness: it sounded like the Chinatown of today is not as interesting as it used to be. Our guide mentioned Chinatown is getting a bit of a make-over in the next three or four years, and that’s probably a good thing, because as I walked around, I also noticed the place could do with a good lick of paint.
Aside from the architecture and the history, it was also interesting to do a few things I wouldn’t normally do: such as visit the Chinese Ginseng Centre of Herbs, and go into the depths of the kitchen of The Emperor’s Garden Chinese Restaurant, one of my favourite places for a plate of roast pork.
And it was great to look a little more closely at things I’d normally pass quickly by, such as the Golden Tree (a great meeting place in Chinatown) and the offices of the Chinese Nationalist Party, the KMT.
The tour lasted two and a half hours. And at the end of it all, Colin and I went out for some yum cha at Hingara, which I now know is a restaurant which has been in Dixon Street (an incorrect spelling apparently, it should be Dickson) for over forty years (though now with different owners).
We chatted about a few things including the gorgeous looking peaches selling in Paddy’s Markets at the moment. Although it’s mostly thought Paddy’s is an Irish reference, by the way, there’s an alternative reading that it related to people from the rice paddys, we were told today. So at the end of yum cha, we popped in there, where I bought some peaches and apricots.
Thirty-ish years ago, I was a young ABC Radio presenter, fresh from my move to Wagga Wagga. My first big national story revolved around the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir being asked to change its name to compete in the national choral championships, held in Wagga Wagga. It was a significant story at the time. Recently, I’ve updated the piece I recorded back then, incorporating new material, and after securing the rights to use some additional material. With Mardi Gras approaching, I wanted to share this radio package, reflecting on the events of the time and how much has changed since.
TRANSCRIPT
ABC Radio Archives: From Westside Story, somewhere by the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir. The issue was whether Wagga might be that place because earlier this year, the championships’ organizers asked the choir to consider changing its name to the Eastern Suburbs G&L Choir.
James O’Brien: It was 30 years ago on The World Today on ABC Radio. I remember I had just arrived in Wagga a few months earlier, presenting the morning show, and it was my first big national story.
Stephen Schaeffer (from the documentary “Something To Sing About”): It’s obviously an important one. It’s the one just before we hit Wagga, okay? I understand there’s been some flurry of excitement in the press about our imminent arrival in Wagga. ABC Radio Riverina rang me at nine o’clock in the morning on Monday in my office, and before I’d even had my cup of coffee, I was talking live on ABC Radio. Is the choir’s participation political?
With permission, taken from the documentary, “Something To Sing About”
James O’Brien: That’s Stephen Schaefer, musical director of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir at the time, and he was talking about being on the radio show with me.
Meredith Knight: And then the job of actually applying to go to Wagga was my responsibility to put in the application form.
James O’Brien: This is Meredith Knight. She was secretary of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir at the time.
Meredith Knight (Choir Secretary): And I remember clearly to the day that I was at work as a property manager in my own office, when the phone call came through from the secretary of the organizing committee to say that they had received our application, but I can’t remember exactly how she said it, but I think she said, “Look, there’s just one problem.”
And I said, “Yeah, okay, well, what’s that?” And she said, “Well, we’ve discussed it with the committee, and we’d like you to change your name to the G&L Choir.” I mean, she said to me on the phone, because I said, “Well, why do you want us to change our name?” And she said, “Because we kind of think there’s going to be children’s choirs involved, and that might discourage them from participating. And also, we have a lot of sponsors to sponsor this event, and we don’t want the publicity of there being a gay and lesbian choir that might chase away sponsors.”
Of course, it didn’t, as far as I’m aware. But I remember when we got into the final, that there were two, I think, school groups that stayed behind to cheer us on. They were actually supposed to be going back home, wherever they were from, I don’t know, but they were supposed to be going back home.
But they asked their supervisors and their teachers if they could stay because they wanted to cheer on the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir in the final.
James O’Brien: I caught up with some of the choir a couple of years ago. In particular, I remember one woman who talked about her apprehension at returning to Wagga as she’d previously lived there.
Choir Member: I won’t go into my whole life story, but in 1979, I was in a relationship with a woman that came from Wagga. In 1978, we were sacked from the Mater Hospital for being gay. Yeah, and so she was dragged back to Wagga by her family.
Six months later, I went to Wagga to live with her. It was probably the worst time of my life because it was the most homophobic town. Of course, her parents, I won’t say their name, were quite well-known in Wagga at the time, apparently.
They did everything they could, so I couldn’t get work, I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t do anything. It was just a nightmare. Eventually, I left, and many years later, some years later, fell in love with Tamina and never looked back until Stephen announced that I was going to Wagga.
James O’Brien: So was this a bit triggering for you?
Choir Member: It was, absolutely. I was petrified going back to Wagga. Yeah, yeah, petrified, because I was worried.
I mean, in hindsight, it probably never would have happened, but I was worried I’d run into the girl, I’d run into her family, because people were really horrible to me in the town when I was there, so I was petrified. But none of those things happened, and it was actually a lovely experience. And once I was there with the choir, a lot of those panicked feelings I had sort of settled.
Stephen Schaefer: Hi, I’m Stephen Schaefer. I was the founding music director of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir. I always went there with a great sense of confidence.
I mean, I think I raised the idea with the choir to general incredulity, if I remember. We’d only been going for a little over a year, maybe 18 months, something like that. And for some crazy reason, I thought we should go and do it, even if we didn’t win, which wasn’t exactly on the agenda at the time.
It would be a great experience. It’d be a weekend away, never to be forgotten, as indeed it was. It was sort of like several weekends away, never to be forgotten.
But it was such a wonderful experience. It really put the choir on the map, certainly when we won. But I think it did a great deal for us, each of us, just starting on what has become a 30-year journey.
James O’Brien: One of the interesting things for me, as well as reporting on the story, is that I was also a member of the local gay and lesbian community. So I was given a bit of access behind the scenes to the story as it unfolded.
ABC Radio Archives: Because every time someone stands up and says, “I’m gay and lesbian,” it’s a brave act.
And when 70 people get up and say it and sing it, and they win a competition, it’s really wonderful. Given that early adverse publicity about the choir coming to Wagga, was there any trepidation about coming to Wagga? Well, we didn’t quite know what to expect when we got here. In fact, you know, we got off the train and got onto the bus, and that was that.
But yeah, we had little second thoughts and stuff, of course. And so winning in the face of that is, you know, even sweeter. The gay and lesbian choir took first place in the community choir section, fighting off six others.
With it, political and artistic kudos. We were competing tonight in the mainstream, nationally, with other mainstream choirs. And as a gay and lesbian choir, we won.
I think that’s really important for the community. Stephen, artistically, what is the significance of this? Musically, it means that the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir, which is a group of totally untrained and unauditioned singers, most of whom just can’t read music at all, can meet the challenge, can discover something that they love sharing and communicating with their friends and the wider community, and perform to an Australian class standard. After Wagga, what next? We’ve been invited to sing at the Fifth National AIDS Conference closing dinner, which is a very exciting and prestigious event.
We’re very proud to be part of that. We’ll probably mount another concert early next year as part of the Mardi Gras, and we’re planning to release a CD. International touring has not yet crossed off the agenda.
Getting the choir to Wagga was a major undertaking. So New York or London is a little further off, I think. And I think we’ll actually try and aim to go to the Gay Games in New York in two years’ time.
And I would also like to see the choir go to the Australian Gay Games, the China Standards in Melbourne, in January, long weekend next year, I think we’ll be there. Well, that’s a good thing because we’re part of an ever-widening and very active community in all areas. It’s just fantastic that gay and lesbian people are everywhere and are living and functioning, funnily enough, and enjoying it and starting to say, “Hey, we’re here.”
And celebrating as we can hear. Absolutely.
POSTSCRIPT : I attempted to locate some local members of the organising committee, but unfortunately it was such a long time ago that most have died.
But this is something I recorded at the time. This was the item which played locally on ABC Radio in Wagga, which was very much about the success and challenges for the community itself, as the competition gained further national exposure.
JO: Both artistically, and in terms of popularity, the National Choral Championships are undergoing rapid growth and rapid change, and will expand in coming years, according to one of the judges, Adrian Wintle.
Adrian Wintle (AW): We started very modestly, as you’re aware in 1990 with seven choirs actually entering, and it’s been pretty much a slow moving thing, but it’s starting to spread around, the word of these championships, and as people get to hear about it, and realise it is the richest choral event in Australia, we expect to see even more entries next year.
JO: In terms of quality of performance, where to from where, do you expect to attract better choirs from Australia?
AW: We’re all acutely aware, the judicators, that there are squillions of choirs out there in the wilderness, and we would hope that some of the cathedral choirs, for instance, the collegiate choirs, the university choirs, might see fit to come to Wagga. We also held a think-tank session on the Sunday morning after the event, and we as a committee, gleaned from that various things that will help run the championships in the future including, possibly, the subsidisation of choirs coming in, if we’re to gain sufficient sponsorship to cover the basic travel costs, because we are conscious that Wagga being situtated as it is, represents expenditure of a high order for groups coming in from abroad.
JO: But there was also high praise for the choirs which won from the audience…
Voice Over: The first prize for the male and female choir goes to the Melbourne Chorus of Sweet Adelines.
JO: But Adrian Wintle is fast to point out that it’s artistic merit not just popularity that assures a choir of a win.
AW: There’s a yardstick you apply according to the capabilities, the inherent capabilities of a choir. If you’re judging in a community choir section you can’t expect the attainment of that community choir to rival that of a professional or a sub-professional, advanced chamber choir. And the set works reflect that sort of division, if you like. But within the perceived limits of a particular section you look for excellence.
JO: One of the big surprises was the win by the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir. Crowded earlier this year in a controversy – they were asked to change their name to the “Eastern Suburbs G&L Choir” – the secretary of the choir feels proud of their achievement, to have won first place in the Community Choir section.
Stephen Schafer, Choir Musical Director (SS): Musically, it means the Sydney Gay &and Lesbian Choir, which is a group of totally untrained and unauditioned singers, most of whom just can’t read music at all can meet the challenge, can discover something they love sharing and communicating with their friends and the wider community, and perform to an Australian class standard.: We also got the positive reception from the Wagga people, who were the organisers of the Choral Championships. They were very pleased that we were here; they were very pleased that we won. And that was from the Wagga people, who organised the championships. And that was just terrific to just be accepted for who we are by the people. The other choirs thought we were terrific. In fact we’ve got some here tonight celebrating with us, and we’ve just got a tremendous response from people, in fact better than we expected.
JO: So where to from now? Adrian Wintle believes the championships will grow, attracting bigger and better choirs…
AW: Overall, I think it speaks of an expansion. We as a committee have to be ready to cope with that. We have to be sensitive to the requirement of these choirs coming in, to offer them the prospect of reasonable accommodation, and for that, we need the assistance of the Motelier’s Association, which support us already. We have to ensure they have adequate rehearsal space when they get here. There was a thing that was floated at the “think-tank” session concerning the use of churches which led to a suggestion, perhaps, we should have a category for church choirs. And all this sort of material from around and aired suggests that we’re on the bring of a choral music explosion.
While the nation’s legislators struggle with what to do about same-sex marriage, there’s at least one major bank which thinks I’m still in a relationship which ended over a decade ago.
“Back in the 1900s and early 2000s” (I say this for dramatic effect), Damien and I had a joint bank account, with linked credit cards. After we went our separate ways as a couple, we also went our separate ways as a financial entity. Or so we thought.
Despite the fact we’ve both told the bank we’re no longer a couple, and despite having received at least two letters (yes, letters) apologising for the inconvenience and saying they would rectify the fault, I continue to receive a new credit card from them for this linked account every two or three years. The latest arrived in the bank yesterday.
“Can you just cut it up and promise you won’t go to Stockholm with it”, Damien joked to me in an email this morning.
I met the owner of the recently reopened Mecca Cafe in Lismore and shared my family’s connection to the place. “My granny was a cook here, and my dad used to play in bands here,” I told him, recalling how it was a staple of the 1930s and 40s.
Even though those days were before my time, I still have fond memories of the cafe.
The Mecca had been closed for four years, and the devastating flood that hit Lismore a couple of years ago had caused significant damage, leaving the building empty. Many people wondered what would become of the space, but now, it’s finally back.
The Mecca has a rich history that stretches back to the heart of Lismore’s cafe culture. Established in 1933 by James Forrester and Cliff Gray, it quickly became a local landmark, celebrated for its unique “Art Moderne” style.
The cafe was a hub of activity and a true social institution, famous for its booths with individual jukeboxes—a detail that sparked a shared memory with another customer who came to see the reopening.
The owner and I had a great chat and discovered a serendipitous connection: he used to live in the same suburb as I do, at The Kirk, with Gretel aka “Madam Lash”, just around the corner from my house.
He also shared his own story of resilience, describing how he rebuilt his life after the flood. It was clear this cafe was a new, meaningful step for him.
While we spoke, other people were also coming in to see the revived institution, including memories of the jukeboxes!
The Mecca holds a special place in the hearts of Lismore residents, and it was heartening to see the smiles on everyone’s faces.
As I was talking with the owner, a thought crossed my mind: this would make a great story for the local ABC station, ABC North Coast. It turns out I wasn’t the only one who thought so. I later found out that Bridie from the ABC had left a note under their door, expressing interest in doing a story. It gave me a great feeling to know that there’s so much community interest in seeing a beloved part of our town brought back to life.
And when I say “working from home”, I’m not talking about the “working from home” I’ve been doing for the last fifteen months.
“Working from Lismore” means something quite different to “Working from Surry Hills”.
I’ve been here for almost three weeks now, having returned home when Nancy became very ill and subsequently died. For the next week, I was involved in organising a funeral/wake and in organising some of her “affairs”.
But since then, I’ve been working from either the front bedroom or the kitchen of Pat and Jack’s place.
And when it became obvious Sydney was going into “lockdown”, I saw reason to return to there, and so I’m continuing to stay here in Lismore.
It’s a much different routine here. For a start, I’m going to bed fairly early most nights, though not always sleeping. Pat and Jack are both in their 70s/80s now, and so they go to bed early, after watching Neighbours, Home & Away, and NCIS.
They also have a nap most afternoons, which is providing me with an awful temptation. As I continue to work from the kitchen table, the phrase “we’re just going to have a little nap for a while” makes me jealous that I can’t do the same.
I’ve also started to develop a daily routine of going to a nearby coffee shop.
“How long have you been here?”, I asked the woman behind the counter. “About two and a half years”, she told me. I mentioned that I remembered when the building behind their coffee shop as Lismore’s Baby Health Centre.
“I used to bring my children here, to the Baby Health Centre”, the woman running the Duck Pond Espresso coffee shop told me.
As I go about my daily routine, Pat and Jack get on with theirs. As Jack no longer drives, he and Pat go for a daily trip to the shops, visiting both Aldi and Woolworths. They also do a variety of odd jobs, and right jow Jack (in his 80s) is helping a similarly aged friend to contstruct some scaffolding.
While I was working at the kitchen table yesterday, Jack was going through a box of old papers and found this.
In case you’re thinking of stealing all my money, my signature has changed a fair bit. How about the old fashioned “J”?
“What was the Gould League?”, a couple of younger colleagues asked me over a video conference. Though I understand the Gould League is still around to a degree, it doesn’t appear to have the same notoriety as it did back in the 1970s.
I told them it was an environmental organisation focussed on school kids back in the 1970s. Vincent Serventy was the face of the organisation. “I hope you stuck to your commitments”, Jack said with a smile. “Yes, I hope I have, too”, I told him.
It’s Saturday afternoon and I’ve just a little lie down on the couch, having spent a couple of hours this morning at work, and then going out for a yum-cha lunch at my new favourite little Chinese restaurant, Hingara. I’ve gotta say though, that although the food is terrific, the service can be a little scatty, especially when you have to remind them about most things.
I spent a couple of days in Melbourne this week. Thursday was officially a “work day” and I was going to have Friday off, but I ended up going in for a meeting on Friday morning as well.
While sitting at a terminal and checking my email, a voice boomed from behind, “I thought I recognised that voice”. It was Monty from Perth who’d recently moved to Melbourne. We had a couple of beers at a bar overlooking the Yarra and he told me ALL of the gossip from Perth, so if there are any Perth readers to this blog, your have no secrets! No seriously, it was a real delight to see him.
From there I spent an hour or so boozing at the Xchange Hotel, located on Commercial Road. It was actually the first time I’ve been to a “bar” in Melbourne in several years and it was pretty good fun. Quite relaxed, informal etc.
My friend Sue picked me up from there on Thursday night, we went back to her place and chatted for a while before hitting the sack. On the Friday we had lunch at a nice little cafe at Williamstown overlooking the water. The weather was absolutely spectacular, which was encouraging, since most times I’ve visited Melbourne it’s been in winter when it’s cold and wet. Monty commented that he loves Melbourne, but compared with Perth, “the beaches are shit”.
And aside from that, there’s nothing else to report. Paul has been in Cairns and Brisbane all week, so I’ve been a bit of a homebody. I also guess today is a bit of a “rest day” in anticipation of tomorrow.
The day starts off with a visit to the National Maritime Museum for a day of Scandinavian entertainment to celebrate the Vikings exhibition – Swedish folk dancing, an instrumental and choral Norwegian Ensemble and a Norwegian church service. Includes Scandinavian products for sale, food and craft stalls, films shown throughout the day with activities for children.
And from there, it’s off to Mardi Gras Fair Day, which will be Stuffed with great international icons and national heroes such as Sophie B Hawkins, Pinky Tuscadero, Madison McKoy, Reel Sessions, the vocal sounds of Sassin and the all-girl, all-out Violent Minx, this year’s entertainment program won’t let you stay on the ground for long.
My blood sugar was up quite a bit this morning; when I checked, it registered 10.3, which is a little outside my usual comfortable range. Ideally, I like to keep it between 5 and 8, and I hardly ever see a reading as high as 10.3. Normally, I’m around the six or seven mark, which is perfectly fine for a diabetic. I suspect it’s elevated due to yesterday’s culinary adventures – there were plenty of noodles, rice, and similar carbs, especially during the food tour.
Even though I consciously tried to limit the carbs and focus more on proteins, it seems my sugar levels inevitably crept up. Then, to top it off, last night I also had those few beers on the tour and even braved a shot of baijiu – that potent white spirit. I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the baijiu; I think it had a slightly sweet edge to it? Anyway…
The real surprise of the evening, however, came after I arrived back at the hotel last night. When I first got to my room, I noticed a torch by my bedside and thought it was a bit unusual. My first thought was, “Are they concerned about me getting up in the middle of the night and tripping over, given my leg?” About an hour after I settled in, the lights suddenly went out, and I knew something was definitely up! I ventured out for a look down the corridor, and in my wing of the hotel at least, all the lights were off. So, it was clear something significant was happening. I found out this morning that it was actually a planned power outage. I just hadn’t received the memo because I wasn’t on the main bus coming back with the rest of the group yesterday.
So, that sudden blackout was a bit of a shock! Fortunately, I had brought a power bank with me. I’d been wondering whether I would actually need it, as my phone usually lasts pretty well. Thankfully, I was able to pull it out last night, get my phone charging, and ensure I was all set for the day.
The day started with another stop on our organised tour: a visit to a traditional Chinese medicine clinic. I’d actually experienced something similar back in 2010 on my tour with Sue, so I had some idea of what to expect.
The format is usually pretty standard: it often starts with a foot massage – though I wasn’t keen on that myself, as having only one foot makes it a bit redundant, and taking my shoe and prosthesis on and off is quite an ordeal. This is followed by an explanation about the principles of Chinese medicine, and then they offer individual ‘diagnosis’ sessions.
I noticed a fair bit of skepticism among many of my fellow tour members about the whole process. Personally, I try to be a bit more philosophical about it; you have to think that in 5000 years of practice, they must have learned a thing or two. The man giving the introduction also gave an interesting talk about the balance between traditional and modern medicine, and how both can have their place.
As for the diagnoses offered, I confess I remained a little skeptical. Looking around at many of my fellow tour members – mostly men in their 70s – I felt I could have probably hazarded a guess that many of them might drink a bit too much, perhaps not always eat as healthily as they could, and likely had some circulation issues or early signs of diabetes. It didn’t seem to require ancient wisdom to spot some of those common ailments. Consequently, I wasn’t convinced of the need to spend a few hundred dollars on the prescribed Chinese medicines, though quite a few of our group did decide to make purchases.
Today’s big event was the trip to Shanghai, which meant experiencing the famous high-speed train. There’s been a lot of excitement building for this within our group. As I’ve chatted with others, the men, in particular, have been very vocal about their anticipation. Perhaps after the ladies had their fill with the jade factory and other “pretty things,” perhaps it’s the “boys’ turn” for some impressive engineering marvels! A generalisation, I know, but that’s certainly the vibe.
The journey from Beijing to Shanghai by high-speed train absolutely lived up to the hype. It was an incredibly pleasant experience from start to finish. The train glided along so smoothly, and I really enjoyed just looking out the windows at the vast and ever-changing Chinese landscape flashing by – a fascinating tapestry of agricultural land, bustling towns, and striking new developments.
Beyond the scenery, it was also a great opportunity to connect properly with some of my fellow group members. During those few hours on the train, I learned a bit more about their lives, their own travel experiences, and what brought them on this particular tour. It’s always one of the unexpected pleasures of group travel – getting to know new people and hearing their stories.
After a late arrival, a few of us took a walk down the street and enjoyed a meal together.
