Celebrating a more-than 30-year friendship, I attended John’s 70th group birthday last night, a truly special occasion.
The venue was Luke’s Kitchen in Sydney, a place I had only vaguely heard of, though I was familiar with the celebrity chef, Luke Mangan.
It turns out, John’s father had worked in the building when it was a public service office, a fascinating historical connection that added another layer to the evening.
The restaurant itself is breathtaking – high ceilings and a sense of grandeur that made it perfect for our group of 12-14. We weren’t crammed together; the atmosphere was relaxed, with soft background music and impeccable service.
The food was, of course, delicious, and I’ve shared some photos of my meal to give you a taste.
Luke’s Kitchen at Kimpton Margot Hotel SydneyMarket Sashimi (Luke’s crispy chilli oil. mustard and zucchii pickle, watercress)De-boned spatchcock. Steamed green beans, and slow cooked eschalots.Liquorice dome. Apples, poached blueberries, lime.
It was a wonderful evening, filled with laughter and good company. While I can’t speak to the cost, as John graciously hosted, I can say with certainty that Luke’s Kitchen is now on my list for future special celebrations.
“Oh, it’s two-thirty, it must be time for a nap”, I thought to myself a couple of hours ago. On a Monday? Yes, because it’s Day 1 of my “stay-cation”.
The last time I had a “stay-cation”, this blog tells me was almost exactly five years ago. Before that, and ever since, my time off from work has always involved some kind of travel, whether it be home to Lismore, to other parts of Australia, or overseas. Last year, I visited both Sweden and Spain. So far, I have no exotic travel plans for this year.
But a couple of weeks ago, I found myself feeling quite tired, and at times, a little grumpy with my colleagues. So, realising this, I asked the boss for a week off, to hang out at home, do things I like to do, and generally re-charge my batteries.
So far today, I’ve been out for a morning coffee, saw a movie, went to the art-gallery, did some of my own painting (art, not the house) dialed in briefly for an important meeting (so much for taking a proper break), and had the nap.
I knew very little about “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” prior to booking my ticket. It’s just that I had a movie voucher which expired today, and it was the only thing at George Street Cinemas which looked even vaguely interesting, and which I hadn’t already scene, and so I booked it “on spec”.
Arriving at the cinema I was amazed to discover I was, literally, the only person in the movie. After sixteen minutes of ads, the film finally commenced. About fifteen minutes later, someone else entered the cinema.
It was a lovely film, with elements of romance and intrigue, set on the island of Guernsey which, I hadn’t previously known, was occupied by Germany during World War II. Highly recommended.
Also today, I visited the Art Gallery of NSW, where the Sydney Biennale is underway, offering up a couple of interesting works I really liked, including a terrific video piece by a Finnish artist.
Potentiality for Love (2018) by Eija-Liisa Ahtila
And there’s also a new work by a Maori artist, portraying Captain Cook in stainless steel.
The English Channel (2015) by Michael Parekowhai
And yes, I did some painting of my own. I’m not a particularly good artist, and everything I do, I keep well and truly hidden away. However, I enjoy painting, and that’s what I plan to keep doing over the next few days, as I enjoy my “well earned break”, as they so often say in the media.
Forty years later, memories flooded back to me today of the trepidation I felt as I stepped into the office of Jim Brigginshaw, the Editor of Lismore’s daily newspaper, “The Northern Star,” Accompanied by three fellow students, who are still good friends, we interviewed him for a school project about “the media” in about 1982. That’s me on the canera.
This teenage anxiety stemmed from the strong editorial stance he and the newspaper took against homosexuality. This unfolded during the months preceding the decriminalization of homosexuality in NSW, a period when men could face imprisonment for up to 14 years. At that time, I was volunteering at the local community radio station, which hosted the weekly show “Gaywaves,” co-hosted by Vera Bourne, the mother of a school mate, and Mike Bray, co-owner of the local gay restaurant, “Double Dutch”.
My memories of the strength of the newspaper editorials and articles had almost completely faded over the decades until today visiting an exhibition spotlighting the history of “Tropical Fruits,” the nationally renowned LGBTQIA+ group based in Lismore.
It was wonderful to chat with the exhibition’s curator about my memories of life in Lismore as a teenage gay boy. Despite a notable presence of gays and lesbians in my school year, I was the only one who openly identified as such during that period.
The exhibition, though marred by the 2022 catastrophic flood that impacted the organizational headquarters and resulted in the loss of much physical history, serves as a testament to the group. Despite the sometimes grim subject matter, there are some wonderful memories of strength, resilience, and a growing community
A decade after the anti-homosexual campaign in Lismore, I found myself in another country town, Wagga Wagga, where the local newspaper, “The Daily Advertiser,” echoed a similar sentiment. The editor at the time, Michael McCormack, later ascended to the position of Deputy Prime Minister as the leader of the National Party, and recently expressing regret for the newspaper’s divisive campaign at the time.
Even though “The Northern Star” is now owned by News Corporation which generally has an anti-progressive editorial stance, they no longer run anti-gay editorials, and celebrate the annual influx of people for “Tropical Fruits”.
Meanwhile…
There is another gay-themed exhibition in Lismore, just around the corner in Magellan Street, focussing on the works of a Melbourne duo called The Huxleys.
It’s almost midnight and time for bed, so will write properly tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a couple of photograph of this beautiful city at night, both taken at around 10.30pm.
If I could afford it (which I can’t), I’d love to buy the work by Ben Quilty, currently on display at the ABC Ultimo HQ. It’s a beautiful work about a soldier living with post traumatic stress disorder. Ben has done a lot of work documenting the lives of Australian soldiers who have fought in recent conflicts, and I think this is a particularly beautiful one. The large slabs of paint. The great colours. The subject matter.
If you have the money, and you like the works, it would be good if you could support #mentalas, an auction in support of mental health research. Details are here, http://www.smhr.org.au/mental-as-auction.aspx. Hope you like the images which I snapped on the way home from work tonight.
Though many people like to go away for long weekends, I’m far more inclined to be a home-body. It’s quiet and relaxed. And so, I’m starting the third day of the Queen’s Birthday Weekend with nothing much planned, aside from a very vague idea I’ll go for a swim, and maybe engage in some more “binge television”.
The weekend started on Friday night watching a couple of episodes of the new “Tales Of The City” on Netflix. “Tales Of The City” has been part of my life for almost thirty years. I first read/devoured the books while I was in hospital after an appendectomy. Along the way, they’ve been turned into TV shows, and now, there’s a further update.
The new series is “inspired” by the books of Armistead Maupin. Anna Madrigal is now 90 years old; after an unfulfilling marriage, Mary-Ann has returned to San Francisco; Michael has taken up with a younger man, and Dee Dee seems to be following in the semi-alcoholic footsteps of her mother. There’s also a new generation coming through, with Shawna (the daughter of Mary-Ann’s school friend, Connie Bradshaw) and others, taking on a central role.
Also on the weekend, I went to see the film, “My Big Gay Italian Wedding”, currently screening at Palace Cinemas. The film’s title is exactly what it is. There are elements of comedy and farce in the film (the film’s drag queen offers to dress up in drag to imitate one of the men’s mother who refuses to attend), and the closing scene demonstrates strongly the film’s theatrical background (I won’t give it away), but ultimately it’s a sweet love story. It’s in Italian with subtitles. I’d recommend it.
Then on Saturday night, I went to see Double J’s Tim Rogers and others perform Bohemian Nights at the nearby Giant Dwarf Theatre. The conceit for the show was that Tim was a radio presenter in a country town, doing talkback, cricket scores, with musical and interview guests. Again, I enjoyed it very much. Also, recommended.
Tim RogersGeorgia MooneyTim RogersBohemian Nights at Giant Dwarf
Yesterday was also equally social, catching up with a couple of old school friends for a roast lunch at the Duck & Olive (Sunday Roast $19.99 – very tasty), and then, where the two groups combined, a couple of beers with some newer friends at The Carrington.
So yeah, a day of doing not so much on the Queen’s Birthday Holiday, may not be such a bad thing!
I wasn’t really sure what to expect when a friend and I went to “His Story” https://hisstory.live/ a story-telling night held last night at the Beresford Hotel. Honestly, walking into the Beresford felt slightly surreal. My strongest memories of that place are anchored in the 90s and 00s—Mardi Gras laneway recoveries and wild Melrose Place nights—so to be there for something so introspective and raw was a completely different experience.
The main reason I went was to meet Scott Reardon, someone I’ve been chatting with about doing my podcast on limb loss and resilience, which I’m calling The Limb Shift.
Scott is a man in his 30s who lost a leg as a teenager while working on a farm in Temora. He has since become a Paralympian and is a fantastic motivator who speaks to people all over the country. Since he lives in Canberra, I was keen to meet him face-to-face.
It’s funny—when you connect with other amputees, there is an immediate shorthand. While some people do want to talk about the trauma of what happened, I find that introductory conversations usually gravitate toward the practical—who looks after your prosthetics, the pros and cons of different types of gear, and the lighter, day-to-day aspects of life.
Noting the disco ball in the top of the photograph, chatting with Scott Reardon
Beyond that, the event itself—titled “Growing Up Without A Map”—was genuinely fascinating.
I’ll admit, I was skeptical going in; I wondered if it would be some New Age fringe event, or perhaps a “men’s rights” gathering or something similar. Instead, it was a profound evening featuring six men from a variety of backgrounds sharing their personal life stories.
One of the younger speakers gave an incredibly deep and touching presentation about his struggles with suicide, even reading a poem he wrote for his parents, which the audience absolutely loved. Another man shared his raw experiences with body dysmorphia and using drugs to self-medicate, while others spoke about everything from growing up with a single mum to surviving childhood sexual abuse, and the loneliness that can come with being suddenly single.
The audience was overwhelmingly male, and there were far more younger men there than I expected. My friend, who was just as skeptical as I was, ended up enjoying the night immensely and is already looking forward to the next one in October.
It was a great reminder that there are plenty of reasons to say no to things in life because of preconceived ideas, but sometimes it pays to walk in with an open mind. I’m really glad I did. While I’m not sure I would commit to becoming a regular, I’m tempted to go back for one more just to see if it’s something I want to attend on an ongoing basis.
Like this:
LikeLoading…
Related
2 Comments
I am terrified by Luke’s Kitchen menu. There aren’t prices. Maybe that’s because it was a paid for group event.
I am terrified by Luke’s Kitchen menu. There aren’t prices. Maybe that’s because it was a paid for group event.
And glad you enjoyed it.