Cinema

Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018

Gadfly 210 By Robert Macklin I rarely write about Covid because I’m sick to death of reading about it and I don’t know any more about it than you do. I just hate it. But it just happens that it’s led me to a Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018 jewel beyond price. It is best known as ‘Tuross’ and in the early pre-vax days my wife and I were forced to spend seven straight weeks sheltering there from the Covid storm. We’d bought the li le beach house with a friend in 1994 and a couple of years later, in a moment of financial madness, we swapped a nice li le earner of a share in some Canberra flats for our friend’s half of the property. Since then, we’d spent lots of weekends there – and the occasional fortnight when the stresses of authorship (for both of us) demanded some surcease. But those seven weeks were a revela on. Without our realizing it, the place had changed. Where once it felt a bit like a ‘them-and-us’ situa on between the locals and us blow-ins, now it had all the charm of a community where the Australian ideal of ‘all in together’ had finally found its perfect perch. The surroundings helped. The beach is a great leveler: you can’t tell the professional po er from the pot-bellied professional. The wildlife – from kangaroos to echidnas (and the occasional black snake) – joined with a veritable aviary to begin each day with an astonishing dawn chorus. And we all live under the benign protec on of the polymath Lei Parker who not only runs The Beagle but conducts his own ICAC equivalent on the Eurobodalla Shire Council. Like most home-owners during the pandemic, we did a bit of renova ng – nothing major, just waterproofing the brick shed at the bo om of the block and a aching a simple carport to stop the Hyundai from being covered in sap from the big pine tree at the front. The best part of the project was ge ng to know Tuross’s amazing tradies. There’s Adam, a great plumber, but an even greater mosaic ar st. There’s Pete the electrician who not only diagnoses the problem telepathically, but fixes it while telling the most entertaining stories of former residents. And Trevor the contractor, a Kiwi who jumped the ditch 20 years ago, has a though ul lightness of touch that would do Jacinta Ardern herself proud. Down at the shops, the ladies at Hallmark real estate set the tone for the en re community – I’d defy Shiva himself to leave their company without a happy smile. Then there’s Greg the newsagent who knows just about everything and has a beaut running feud with The Canberra Times delivery people; the medical centre’s kindly Dr Sambo (honestly) from Africa; Josh, the best butcher on the coast; Mandy the brilliant barber who can chat an en re haircut without taking breath! And how’s this – at his Tuross Service Sta on, Phil (unlike someone else we know) s ll holds the hose!! The other great revela on was the discovery of the way the permanent popula on has changed. Suddenly we have a famous photographer, Heide Smith a few doors up the avenue, a brace of splendid ar sts within stone’s throw, a leading Press Gallery journo around the corner, an interna onal chef across the road, more professors emeritus, re red diplomats, poli cians and military brass than you’d meet at a Canberra cocktail party. But here’s the thing: you wouldn’t know of their various accomplishments unless you asked. They’re just Turossians, living the dream, reflec ons of the jewel like all the rest of us. And we’ve had our jabs. So up yours, Covid; Omicron and all! robert@robertmacklin.com

“Thanks for the beer, Bazza. I need a drink a er the Christmas shopping. I have been to just about every shop to find this gi for the granddaughter. It’s a voice ac vated Triple Covid Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Vaccinated Barbie Doll.” Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018 Bazza shook his head and had a sip. Paul Kelly’s song ‘How to Make Gravy’ mellowed the pub clientele as Mick unpacked the doll on the floor.

“Watch this Bazza, ‘Barbie….put your mask on.’” The doll carefully unpacked a mask, placed it over its mouth and immediately moved one and a half metres from Mick.

“How good is that, Bazza?” Mick moved to pick up the doll but it immediately moved to a one and a half metre distance. He then took a large step and the doll moved again. Mick scanned the bar and whispered, ‘Barbie…. come here.” Mick bit his lip and followed up with a couple of big steps and the doll now scurried to maintain a one and a half metre distance. Bazza had a good laugh and the whole bar was now fixated on Mick chasing the Barbie Doll round the pub. A red faced Mick finally cornered the doll, removed the ba eries and packed it away. “You’ve got a bit of work to do there, Mick, to avoid granddaughter tears. I learnt that lesson when I gave my daughter a voice ac vated secret diary twenty odd years ago.” Mick raised his eyes. “Back then, Mick, the ‘must have gi ’ was a secret diary that only opened to the owner’s voice. She was pre y bloody excited when she got it and we immediately set it up. She set her favourite teacher’s name as the password. It was quite a long name and she whispered it in and the diary opened. Joy all round. However, the diary was very sound sensi ve and on the second occasion she mispronounced her name and the diary would not open. A li le frustrated she tried again, without success. A er mul ple a empts she started yelling and then sobbing the name into the diary. Well of course, the diary did not recognise the voice changes and remained locked.”

Bazza took a long drink. “Anyhow, Mick we decided to reset the password but that meant a thirty minute wait. The makers of this bloody thing were very security conscious. For a five year old, on Christmas Day, it was the longest thirty minutes. We decided on a simpler password. Unfortunately, in those days we lived in a flight path. As luck would have it, a jumbo aircra came into land just as she u ered the new magic word, ‘cat’. Now, the diary would not open unless the word ‘cat’ was accompanied by a jumbo aircra coming into land. So there we were, all Christmas Morning, wai ng for a jumbo aircra to come into land so that the word ‘cat’ could be used to unlock the diary.” “Ah, the joy of Christmas, Bazza.” “Anyhow, Mick she decided to take ma ers into her own hands for the second reset. She chose a quiet place to u er the new magic word. All good, except she spent the rest of Christmas Day locked in her wardrobe with her diary, under half a dozen pillows and the spare doonas.” Mick scowled at the Barbie Doll.

Reading – history

Chris na Strahan - Mistress of the Culinary Art by Shirley Jurmann

Chris na (known as Tina) was born in 1872 and married John Francis Strahan in 1900 in Sydney. In 1910 they Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018 purchased the property known as “The Orchards”, Mynora, which was lot 116 on the riverbank and across the creek from Joseph and John Fle Lou t’s proper es. As the name of the property implies, they were orchardists, growing all kinds of fruit and vegetables. O en there was an excess of these and Chris na learnt to preserve these in a very skillful way. In March 1910 Chris na boarded the “Hillmeads” in Moruya, taking with her for the South Coast Trophy exhibit at the Royal Agricultural Society’s Show, one of the best and largest collec on of preserved bo led

fruit, vegetables, meat and fish ever put together by any individual exhibitor on the South Coast. She also took a most a rac ve exhibit of bee’s wax and honey. (Shoalhaven Telegraph 23rd March 1910). The Bega Budget of 30th March 1910 was also loud in praise of Mrs Strahan’s exhibit. It men oned that as well as the usual fruit and vegetables Mrs Strahan had a large collec on of meats, poultry, wild duck, hare, rabbit and seafood showing the possibili es that were to be found in the harvest of the sea. When interviewed Mrs Strahan said, “If we only had the railway, instead of a steamer about once a week, we would all make our fortunes. You don’t know what we can do in Moruya”. Men from the outback, a er months of salt horse, smoked goat, damper, spo ed dog and billy tea were heard to say they wished they could get some of this mouth-watering produce in the back blocks. Mrs Strahan in her usual progressive style had a factory erected at the orchard in 1911. She intended to preserve fruit, meats, fish, game and all the other delicacies which had won her unbounded admira on at different shows. She hoped to supply large houses in Sydney with her wares. In December 1911 The south Coast Times and Wollongong Argus had a report which said:

Our representa ve in London writes that he has been in a endance at the most important shows, where all kinds of preserved fruits have been exhibited, but he has seen nothing to beat the exhibits prepared by

Mrs J.F. Strahan, of Mynora. He expresses the wish that he could display a selec on of Mrs Strahan’s preserves etc. as indica ng what an Australian woman, single-handed, can do on Australian soil. In April 1912 the Moruya Examiner wrote:

On Sunday we had the pleasure of viewing a most beau ful display of preserves, the handiwork of that energe c and skillful lady, Mrs J Strachan, of Mynora. The collec on, 250 jars, is for the South Coast exhibit

in the District Trophy Compe on at the Royal Sydney Show and includes the following: - Fruits: Peaches, plums, guava, rhubarb, nectarines, grapes, oranges, pears, apricots, figs, apples, pear and pineapple, quince, lemons, black and white cherries; fruits preserved without water, bo led 10 and 12 years;

Vegetables: cauliflower, green beans, marrow, pumpkin, white turnips, celery, French beans, beetroot, Vol 16 September 15th 2017 parsnips, swede turnip, haricot beans, cabbage, carrots, tomato and asparagus; Fish: Schnapper, whi ng, Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018 silver bream, jew, perch, black bream, mullet, lobster, oysters, garfish, salmon, trout, flounder, mussels, eels and prawns, and a collec on of fish in tomato sauce. Mrs Strachan also intends exhibi ng in the open classes, and then forwarding some of the choicest varie es for compe on at the London Exhibi on. At the Royal Sydney Show in 1912 The South Coast won first prize for its exhibit which contained 34 varie es of maize, 52 varie es of ca le fodder, 38 varie es of wheat 25 varie es of oats, 25 varie es of barley, 67 varie es of potatoes, 43 varie es of apples. The Kameruka Estate supplied an excellent exhibit of dried fruit, together with a collec on of apples suitable for export. Five varie es of tobacco were shown and eight of sugar cane. The exhibit of honey was very good as was the dairy produce and wool exhibit. The collec on of preserves from Mrs Strahan of Mynora, Moruya cons tuted an exhibi on in itself.

Her husband John died at Mynora in 1918, leaving his property to Chris na. She then opened the “Shamrock” Tea Rooms in Vulcan Street where she was noted for her delicious cakes. She conducted the tea rooms successfully for many years. In 1921 she spent some weeks in hospital with an abscess on her arm and she was forced to sell her café. The adver sement in the Moruya Examiner of 24th September reads:

On the advice of my doctor I am reluctantly compelled to relinquish business. Therefore my up-to-date tearooms, confec onary, fruit and drinks establishment, known as the Shamrock Café which shows a quick and substan al turnover, is for sale. The shop is well furnished and is in a most central posi on. For par culars apply T. Strahan, Vulcan Street, Moruya.

The business was bought by Mr R Hilliers, chef at the Adelaide Hotel. Chris na moved to Sydney and later the North Coast. She died in 1925 in Manilla.