Cinema ……………….. 29 to

Canberra’s National Portrait Gallery is an excellent institution and a popular tourist attraction. Its reputation for probity in its displays is an important asset, not just to the Gallery but to the national capital itself. And it has been unimpeachable...until now Its current star exhibition is from London’s National Portrait Gallery while that institution is closed for refurbishment until 2023. It is called the ‘Shakespeare to Winehouse’ exhibition and according to its promotional spiel ‘One of the most significant art works on display is John Taylor’s portrait of William Shakespeare, painted in the 1600s and thought to be the only portrait the writer ever sat for.’ Indeed, the portrait is said to have been the London NPG’s ‘first acquisition in 1856’. Trouble is, the idea that it’s really a portrait the Bard would be laughable were it not so obviously an attempt by the vast British Shakespeare industry to foist a fib on the colonials, and indeed the rest of the world. For the ‘provenance’ of the Chandos portrait (so called because the Dukes of Chandos once owned it) is an exercise in legerdemain. Indeed, it begins with an acknowledged fraudster, one George Vertue, an engraver who in 1737 published what he falsely claimed was a map of London executed in 1560, and in the exposure, it was revealed that ‘Vertue crowned his pretended copy with the date 1560 in Roman numerals…and took other unwarrantable liberties with the object of disguising the fraud. The unhappy result of this tinkering of the original design was that numerous subsequent antiquaries were victims of the deception.’ It was this Vertue who claimed – without any supporting evidence – that the ‘Shakespeare’ portrait was the work of one John Taylor, though no other painting by him is known to exist. There was a boy actor of that name among the Children of Paul’s acting troupe in the 1590s and Vertue – again without evidence – says that he was an ‘intimate friend’ of Shakespeare. In the 1620s there was a Joseph Taylor who was a member of the Painter-Stainers’ Company, but of course Shakespeare died in 1616. It is, in short, a fantasy. But why, you ask, would the London National Portrait Gallery accept the portrait as even a contender for authenticity? And there’s the rub. For such is the power of the worldwide Shakeapeare industry, that they will do almost anything to promote and package their money-spinner. And the so-called ‘Chandos’ portrait actually looks much more like the character they want him to be than the traditional engraving by Martin Droeshout on the title page of the First Folio of the plays published in 1623. The Droeshout Shakespeare looks rather fey, not at all the manly chap with a piercing look and sturdy frame of the John Taylor (?) creation. Indeed, it is far more likely to have been a self-portrait of Joseph Taylor or the work of one of his six apprentices. But that, of course, is hardly the point. The real issue is that the world today is riven between truth and the ‘fake news’ so beloved of Donald Trump and the dictators like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and others travelling a similar road. It’s spread through the advertising industry and become a tool for the powerful lobbies at the heart of the political process. The arts, by contrast, have always been a bastion of truth-telling, even when a white lie might keep the turnstiles spinning. That’s worth preserving, don’t you think? robert@robertmacklin.com

Reading—A beer with Baz Bazza put the book to one side and had a sip of the offered full schooner. ‘What are you reading, Bazza? Some le wing, nuts and berries view on life, set amongst the gum trees at the back of Braidwood?’ Bazza sighed and half smiled. ‘Nah……Mick, it’s actually about John Bradfield, the engineer, responsible for the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.’ Mick puffed his chest ever so slightly. ‘I’ll have you know, Bazza, all the granite for the bridge came from Moruya. It’s the ninety year celebra on of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge this weekend.’ ‘Yeah…..I’m across that, Mick. You know, I always thought the granite in the four pylons of the bridge were integral to holding it up, but apparently it’s func on is decora ve. To source a major part of the beauty of the bridge from down here and transport it, in purpose built barges, all the way to Sydney, underlines the sheer vision of the project. When you think about it, the bridge pre y much defines Sydney. This bloke Bradfield was pre y bloody impressive.’ Mick leaned in. ‘Bazza…..let’s not get too roman c. Sydney needed a harbour crossing so they built a bridge.’ ‘That’s exactly the point, Mick. That capacity to build for purpose and beauty at the same me me is rare. Sydney needed a football stadium, they built one in 1988 and pulled it down thirty years later. Can you imagine the outcry if it was decided that the Sydney Harbour Bridge has served its purpose and now needs to be demolished?’ ‘The bridge is s ll func onal, Bazza.’ ‘And that’s why Bradfield was so impressive, Mick. He wasn’t a er a solu on to a problem that would last a few decades. He combined the need for a bridge and an electric train network, that s ll operates today. It was built when Sydney had a popula on of about one and a quarter million people and it is s ll servicing a popula on of just over five million people today. Now……I call that planning for the future. It does my head in when he did not have access to all the popula on forecasts and technology we have today, and yet seems to run rings around our modern day versions of town planning. And to cap it all off, such beauty in the solu on is really quite mind boggling.’ Mick straightened his back and touched his chin. ‘And built during the Great Depression, Bazza.’ ‘Yeah Mick……built in the depths of the Great Depression. What a courageous decision! It just goes to show when you combine ingenuity and vision with a convic on Premier such as Jack Lang, anything is possible. The same can be said for the Sydney Opera House. Now…… both projects had their fierce opponents but it is impossible to imagine Sydney without either. It’s pre y hard to find a modern day example of achieving grand purpose with undeniable beauty.’ They both took extended sips of their schooners. ‘Well…… there is Barangaroo, Bazza.’ ‘Barangaroo eh?…… Grand purpose….. gambling. Beauty? ……. Well let’s just say it’s a giant ironic exclama on mark on what I’m talking about.’ Have a beer with Baz at john.longhurst59@gmail.com

Deau River polling booth at State elec ons, 25th March, will be presided over by Mr. Mar n J. Flynn and conducted at the halfway house as usual. MATRIC PASS. – Jack Stormon, son of Mr. and Mrs. M. Stormon, jnr., of Eurobodalla, and nephew of Mrs. J. Johnston, the talented teacher of the Eurobodalla Public School, got a Matricula on pass in law, arts, medicine and science at recent Matricula on examina on. BURSARY. – A pupil of Eurobodalla Public School, Wilbred Taylor, was successful in securing a bursary at the Q.C. held at Bodalla in November last. Hear est congratula ons to the lad, both for winning bursary and keeping up the record of his old school. EUROBODALLA SHIRE. – The monthly mee ng … was a ended by President T. Flood, Crs. A.H. Anne s, R.J. Anderson, H.J. Mallon, J. and H.J. Bate.

Correspondence: From L.G. Dept., with the Minister’s approval to the part of the main South Coast road which runs through the Shire being re-named “The Prince’s Highway.” The Engineer was also instructed to erect suitable sign-posts along the Highway; From Land’s Dept., re proposed closing of road to Thomas Davis’ in the Parish of Congo. Resolved that the Council offer no objec on; From Narooma Progress Associa on, re declara on of the township of Narooma as an urban area and a sanitary area.

The Clerk was instructed to … take the necessary steps towards the declara on of an urban area; From Moruya Progress Associa on, re destruc on of blackberries in Queen Street. The Clerk was instructed to inform Associa on that the vines projec ng through the Court House fence on to the street, had been cut by Council “as an act of grace,” but responsible par es were officers of the Department of Jus ce; From S.S. Bank agent, asking that the Council would take steps to have Easter Tuesday, 1st April, proclaimed a public holiday throughout the Shire. The request was granted; From J. Mar n. Narooma, asking permission to erect a co age near Narooma for Miss A. Hawdon. Request granted, subject to the supervision of Engineer and the payment of the building fee. ADVERTISMENT. – MOTOR SERVICE. MALONEY’S CAR leaves Moruya for Araluen, Braidwood, Tarago and Goulburn TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS and SATURDAYS at 1 p.m.; Fare from Moruya to Araluen £1; Araluen to Braidwood 7/6; Braidwood to Goulburn 12/6. Catching the mail train from Tarago at midnight or day train from Goulburn mid-day. Booking Office: Miss Johnson. ‘Phone 40. H. MALONE; Proprietor.

Whoops-a-Daisy, the World's Gone Crazy is the rhyming tale of a li le girl's mission to fight for the fair treatment and future of her four furry/feathered friends living in the rapidly disappearing woods behind her home. It is told through Fyrn, a seven-year-old girl with big dreams. She wants to be a voice for those unable to speak and the eyes for those who fail to see, for those who do not know which path to choose, and for civiliza on on the cusp with much to lose!

No cing trees slowly disappearing from the bushland/ reserve behind her home, Fryn embarks on a courageous fight for the future of her four furry/feathered friends (Chuckles the kookaburra, Ank the possum, K-all the wise old owl, Tabmow the wombat) and Snuff, the echidna. Fryn struggles to spread awareness of the plight of the frightened wildlife as their habitat is slowly cut away, now only me will tell if she can achieve her goal and transform into a heroine who posi vely impacts their world.

Le : Take a literary walk amongst the trees with this collec on at Moruya Books.

Reading IA Book Club: Firestorm by Greg Mullins

By Revelly Robinson Revelly Robinson reviews Firestorm, a book by Greg Mullins detailing the Government's inac on on climate change from a frontline perspec ve. THE TERRIFYING and catastrophic fires of 2019 should have triggered a warning for poli cians to take climate change seriously. Sadly, the entrea es from Emergency Leaders for Climate Ac on (ELCA) for Prime Minister Sco Morrison to prepare adequately for what was always predicted to be a devasta ng bushfire season fell repeatedly on deaf ears. Now, veteran firefighter Greg Mullins tells his story about life on the frontline of climate change impacts and why he sees it as so crucial for all of us to heed the call of immediate climate ac on. Greg Mullins was always going to follow the footsteps of his father into firefigh ng. It’s in his blood. Throughout his exemplary career, Mullins rose through the ranks of the New South Wales fire service, witnessing first-hand the carnage wrought by bushfires upon homes, wildlife and communi es. Growing up on the outskirts of northern Sydney, Mullins’ childhood was immersed in nature. Despite seeing the toll firefigh ng had taken on family life, Mullins was nonetheless drawn to the service out of a desire to protect communi es against such disastrous events. How the bushfire crisis would have been handled under a Shorten Government The mismanagement of our bushfire crisis by the Liberal Government would have been avoided had Bill Shorten been elected. He describes the escala ng series of fire events, from the 2003 Canberra bushfires to Black Saturday in 2009 and the worsening set of condi ons that contributed to each outbreak. Following the onset of drought a er a cycle of El Niño, the condi ons were rife for another catastrophic fire event. However, as Mullins a ests, the 2019 bushfires weren’t just impacted by cyclical events, but exacerbated by overarching changing clima c condi ons of ho er, drier summers. The increasingly earlier start of bushfire seasons all across the world posed a major resourcing challenge.