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EDITORIAL SMALL CHANGE
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continue to advertise with us afterwards. But we would expect that you’d subscribe to the magazine. Which is the other aspect of this. We have, for the last twenty years, been a free magazine, but now in order for us to stay afloat, we find we have to charge for the magazine - $2.50 per month. The price of a loaf of bread, or half a cup of coffee. The May issue was the last free copy but we hope that you, our supporters will continue to read Swan Magazine thereafter. Subscriptions will be arranged via Issuu, our usual publishing platform. If you would like to take advantage of the free advertising or ask any questions at all, please email me (editor@ swanmagazine.com.au) or ring me on 0418 934 850.
ell it now seems that the light at the end of tunnel may not be the mid-town express coming our way after all. We have seen, on the 6th, the anniversary of D-Day in 1944, the lifting of a very large number of restrictions imposed to control the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Providing people keep maintaining social distancing, handwashing and the other precautions in hand and don’t think this is all over, we may yet see a further lifting and a return to normalcy such as New Zealand has just announced. WA has been particularly fortune in it’s leadership, swift action, testing, containment and a compliant population have made us one of the least affected by the disease. However, we have thirty active cases, twenty of which all arrived on the Al Kuwait stock ship. Had it not been for a combination of factors, those twenty mariners might have been spreading the virus all over Fremantle and elsewhere - a sobering thought indeed and one to make every one cautious. The borders will remain locked for some time yet (as in New Zealand) but it will leave us in the precarious position of riding a tiger - safe for the moment, but dismounting will be tricky. To those who say ‘We didn’t need the lock down - after all, look how few died!’ we say 114, 148 out of 2,045,549 United States citizens might disagree - although in conversation we might say it more forcefully. This admirable outcome for Western Australia has come at a massive cost in jobs, economic growth, domestic violence, mental health and happiness. All issues that we must now begin to address.
HMQ AND HRH
As the Queen of Australia enters her ninety-fifth year, her husband, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh has just celebrated his ninety-ninth birthday - just another year and he’ll get a letter of congratulations and good wishes from his wife and monarch. After nearly seventy-three years of marriage, the pair have stood as an example of duty, civility and public service that most of us can only marvel at. Most of her subjects can expect to retire at seventy at the latest, a milestone she passed with no noticeable slackening of duties nearly a quarter of a century ago. At the young age of twenty-one as Princess Elizabeth she said to the world via radio: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and SWAN MAGAZINE OFFER the service of our great imperial family to which we all Here at Swan Magazine we have seen 75% of our belong.’ advertising revenue wiped out as our chief advertisers are In the ninety-three years which have followed she has not restaurants, theatres and service providers such as barbers faltered or failed, not wavered or ever indicated in any way that and dentists. We receive no other income at all other than she would have preferred not to have the role of Monarch and advertising, so this is a boat we are really all in. Head of the Commonwealth thrust upon her. We have been thinking of ways in which we can help our She once remarked that had she not been queen she might advertisers and have come up with a plan – we are going to have ended up as a landed country-woman with an interest in offer free advertising for any business affected by the Covid-19 horses - one detects a trifle of wistful regret there I think. shutdown for the next four months. That is to say a quarter page In some ways we should admire the Duke more because he advertisement (either 9cm x 13cm or 19cm x 6cm) completely had the option to avoid the duties, glare and scrutiny of public free of any obligation whatsoever. life and can only marvel at the depth of his love that he should We’re doing this so that businesses struggling to keep afloat tolerate the obloquy and viciousness of the tabloid press to can let our readers know what they are offering. At the end of the spend so much time at her side but three steps back. period we’ll look at the situation again and advise further. As we move ever closer to her inevitable and rapidly The offer is for ANY business affected – you don’t need to approaching retirement from public life, whether through an Act have advertised with us before, there’s no expectation you’ll of Regency or otherwise, though never abdication, the change will have an enormous impact on most lives. An estimated ninety-five percent of the world’s population SWAN MAGAZINE are under the age of seventy - they have never known a time when Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen, was WEBSITE: not the Monarch of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Great www.swanmagazine.com.au Britain. Email: editor@swanmagazine.com.au Her mother, the late much-loved Queen Mother lived Registered Address: through three centuries dying at 102 - let us hope in this, as much 18 Tokay Lane, The Vines, Western Australia 6069 else our own Queen Elizabeth will out-do her. AUGUST DEADLINES: Advertisements: 5th August Editorial: 1st August Copyright: Swan Magazine 2020
I.S.S.N. 1833-9336
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IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES
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Books and Writing
Autumn at KSP 4 Bookworm’s Corner 9 Editorial 3 Fiction The Autumn Plague 22 Just Out 5 Poetry - Birdsong 56 The Lure of the Locked Room 44 The Idler 49 The Noble Recreation 38 Your Voice Matters 8 Business
Business Card Board Taking Control of your Career Community
Front Page Photograph: Half past wine at the vineyard Photograph: Courtesy of Angela Hawkey
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Australian Monarchist League 53 Federal Notes 12 Flinders University News 32 Local Scholarship Winner 33 Notes From Parliament 10 SAFE 54 SVRN $1.7 Million Boost for City of Swan 51 City of Swan Seniors Services 50
PAGE Free Local Delivery 50 Swan Hills Meals Project 50 Swan Valley Anglican Community School Heroes 33 The Compassionate Friends 55 What’s On 20 Covid - 19
City of Swan Roadmap Drive-through Covid-19 Testing Tax Break Needed Perth Royal Show Update
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Culpeper’s Herbal Dining In Swan Restaurant Perth Singer’s Passion Footnote People in History TV with Chris
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Entertainment
Leisure
House and Garden
17 29 34 30
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DISCLAIMER The information in this publication is of a general nature. The articles contained herein are not intended to provide a complete discussion on each subject and or issues canvassed. Swan Magazine does not accept any liability for any statements or any opinion, or for any errors or omissions contained herein.
Rove Charters is a WA-based family-owned & operated business. We service the greater Perth metropolitan and regional areas twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week providing safe, reliable and affordable transport options for airport, cruise and hotel transfers, tours, weddings and special events, dinner, concert and event transfers and any other occasion you may require transport for. Get your quote today! Find us by searching Rove Charters on Facebook or at www.rovecharters.com.au or call 0478 410 330 (Rodney) or 0478 411 143 (Evan) 3
BOOKS AND WRITING AUTUMN AT THE KSP WRITERS’ CENTRE
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OVID-19 Update: The KSP Writers’ Centre is currently working on a Safety Plan with the aim of re-opening to the public in June. No date is set just yet, but please keep an eye on our website or newsletter for details. This re-opening will mean that KSP’s writing groups can return and workshops can continue in 2020, although there will be a cap on numbers. The following KSP activities are currently open to the public; we invite you to participate. KSP Writer-in-Residence Applications Application deadlines in June, July and September The KSP Writers' Centre is proud to support the development of literary work by hosting a number of annual residencies and fellowships. Some positions offer a salary and opportunity to present workshops. Please visit our website for criteria and application details for the 2021 program. KSP Spring Story Retreat This unique retreat for fiction writers offers an intensive long weekend to develop a draft manuscript in the beautiful Perth hills with esteemed West Australian author, Dr Laurie Steed. The retreat offers private mentoring, workshops, group critiquing sessions, interaction with fellow authors, KSP membership (or one year extension if already a member), bottle of wine to share plus breakfast and lunch supplies. The retreat will be held 17-20 September 2020 and a fee applies. Deadline to apply 30 August 'I'm looking to work with short story writers and novelists who are on their way to completing either a collection of stories or a contemporary novel. The work presented does not need to be perfect. Indeed, it's better if it's not. What's more important is a willingness to develop one's craft, and to be open to the many possibilities of fiction.' - Laurie Steed. KSP Writing Competitions Entry deadlines in September and October In 2020, KSP is offering two writing competitions in the categories of Short Fiction and Poetry. Entry costs for adults start at $10; youth can enter for free thanks to sponsorship from the Shire of Mundaring. Cash prizes and certificates on offer. For more details on any of these activities please visit the KSP website www.kspwriterscentre.com or email us on: office@kspwriterscentre.com.
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BOOKS AND WRITING JUST OUT Title: Author: Publisher: ISBN:
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Everything Mark’s not, Paris is a man of the world with a thirst for adventure – even his name is better than Mark’s. But after a catastrophic argument, Mark finds himself setting off alone on his voyage, instead emailing an unresponsive Paris from the road. A cocktail cruise on the Seine, mindful pastry making in Foix, a graffiti tour in Barcelona: Mark will be forced to engage with life and strangers as he never has before, with poignantly recognisable results. But questions remain: will he ever be able to have an authentic interaction? Will Paris ever reply to his emails? And crucially, will he manage to write SEO friendly copy for every place he visits? After all, it’s not the destination that counts: it’s the homes and experiences you encounter along the way.
The Girl Behind the Gates Brenda Davies Hodder & Stoughton 9781 5293 7455 1
ased on a true story, The Girl Behind the Gates is the raw, heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting tale of a young woman cut down in her prime, and of the woman who finally brings her back to life, perfect for fans of The Girl in the Letter and Philomena. 1939. Seventeen year-old Nora Jennings has spent her life secure in the certainty of a bright, happy future – until one night of passion has more catastrophic consequences than she ever could have anticipated. Labelled a moral defective and sectioned under the Mental Deficiency Act, she is forced to endure years of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of those who are supposed to care for her. 1981. When psychiatrist Janet Humphreys comes across Nora, heavily institutionalised and still living in the hospital more than forty years after her incarceration, she knows that she must be the one to help Nora rediscover what it is to live. But as she works to help Nora overcome her past, Janet realises she must finally face her own.
About the author Liam Williams is an acclaimed stand-up comedian and creator and star of the BBC’s Ladhood, which first aired as a BBC Radio 4 comedy in 2015, before being nominated for Best Scripted Comedy at the BBC Audio Drama Awards. Subsequently commissioned for two series for BBC Three, and is the writer of BAFTA nominated BBC Three mockumentary series Pls Like, which will return for a third series in 2020. Williams also starred in the BBC comedies Back to Life and This Time with Alan Partridge, Channel 4’s Stath Lets Flats and Friday Night Dinner, and the podcast Capital. Homes & Experiences is his first novel.
What the reviewers have said The Girl Behind the Gates is a powerful, emotional novel – harrowing in parts but always authentic and full of insights and compassion, and a sobering account of the best and worst of human nature. I was moved to tears by the ending and will certainly not hesitate to recommend it.’ – Jill Childs, bestselling author of Gracie’s Secret. The Girl behind the Gates absorbed me from the start. A haunting, heart-wrenching but ultimately heart-warming novel told in beautiful prose and with great compassion and insight.’ – Gill Thompson, bestselling author of The Oceans Between Us. A powerful story of trust, compassion, healing — and the transforming power of love, that can give new life to a broken spirit. – Sharon Maas, bestselling author of The Violin Maker’s Daughter. ~oOo~ Title: Author: Publisher: ISBN:
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What the reviewers have said The voice of a generation - Independent ~oOo~ Title: Author: Publisher: ISBN:
Homes and Experiences Liam Williams Hodder & Stoughton 9781 4736 9486 6
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From Crime to Crime Richard Henriques Hodder & Stoughton 9781 5293 3350 3
ir Richard Henriques has been centre stage in some of the most high-profile and notorious cases of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. After taking silk in 1986, over the course of the next fourteen years he appeared in no fewer than 106 murder trials, including prosecuting Harold Shipman, Britain’s most prolific
ark is going on the trip of a lifetime: a summer touring Europe in the pay of the travel company he works for. For his plus one, he turns to his idolised cousin, Paris. 5
serial killer, and the killers of James Bulger. In 2000 he was appointed to the High Court Bench and tried the transatlantic airline plot, the Morecambe Bay cockle pickers, the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, and many other cases. He sat in the Court of Appeal on the appeals of Barry George, then convicted of murdering Jill Dando, and Jeremy Bamber, the White House Farm killer. In From Crime to Crime he not only recreates some of his most famous cases but also includes his trenchant views on the state of the British judicial system; how it works – or doesn’t – and the current threats to the rule of law that affect us all.
a star and a smokescreen. An unwilling darling of the Nazis, her position of privilege allows her to go undetected as an ally to the resistance. When her estranged mother, Lillian de Rocheford, is captured by Nazis, Genevieve is shaken. She knows it won’t be long before the Gestapo succeeds in torturing information out of Lillian that will derail the upcoming allied invasion. The resistance movement is tasked with silencing her by any means necessary – including assassination. But Genevieve refuses to let her mother become yet one more victim of the war. Reuniting with her long-lost sister, she must find a way to navigate the perilous cross-currents of Occupied France undetected – and in time to save Lillian’s life. For fans of Danielle Steele’s The Spy, Jane Thynne’s Black Roses and Heather Morris’ The Tattooist of Auschwitz, this exquisite novel illuminates three women’s strength, courage and capacity for unconditional love.
About the author Sir Richard Henriques was born in Lytham St Annes in 1943 and was educated at Bradfield and Worcester College, Oxford. He was called to the Bar in 1967 and practised on the Northern Circuit specialising in crime. He prosecuted and defended in equal measure. He was appointed a Recorder in 1983, took Silk in 1986 and was elected Leader of the Northern Circuit in 1995. He was appointed to the High Court Bench in 2000. He retired in 2013 but continued to sit in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) until 2018. In 2016 he conducted the Independent Review of the Metropolitan Police Service’s conduct of Operation Midland. Sir Richard is married with a son and stepson. He and his wife, Toni, live on the Fylde coast. Sir Richard is an expert bridge player and an inexpert golfer and gardener.
About the author Karen Robards is the internationally bestselling author of over fifty novels, which have regularly appeared on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, among others. She is the mother of three boys and lives with her family in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. You can find out more at www.karenrobards.com and on Facebook at www.facebook. com/AuthorKarenRobards What the reviewers have said ‘Emotional and powerful’ - Pam Jenoff, bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris. ‘Beautifully written and completely absorbing.’ - Noelle Salazar, bestselling author of The Flight Girls. ‘An extraordinarily suspenseful, emotional read’ Kelly Rimmer, bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say. ‘A truly outstanding novel, brilliantly written, that captured me and held me in its grip from page one. The Black Swan of Paris reminds us of the power of love, hope and courage’ Heather Morris, bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. ~oOo~
What the reviewers have said ‘If Henriques were a fictional character, he would be a celebrity, the kind of dashing, hawkish QC who turns up in Agatha Christie novels and is recognised by everybody … There is an undeniable, lawyerly authenticity about Henriques’s book. He takes us meticulously through his cases … It is fascinating to read’ – Sunday Times ~oOo~ Title: Author: Publisher: ISBN:
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Title: Author: Publisher: ISBN:
The Black Swan of Paris Karen Robards Hodder & Stoughton 9781 5293 3822 5
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The Book of Longings Sue Monk Kidd Viking 9780 5254 2976 0
An extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who finds her voice and her destiny, from the celebrated number one New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings. In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her
world at war. A beautiful young star. A mission no one expected. Paris, 1944 Celebrated singer Genevieve Dumont is both 6
acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteenyear-old Jesus changes everything. Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana’s pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome’s occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history. Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus’s life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman’s bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers.
‘A true masterpiece.’ —Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed. ~oOo~
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Plantation Dorothea Benton Frank Berkley 97805931 9807 0
ew York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank evokes a lush plantation in the heart of modern-day South Carolina—where family ties and hidden truths run as deep and dark as the mighty Edisto River…. Caroline Wimbley Levine always swore she’d never go home again. But now, at her brother’s behest, she has returned to South Carolina to see about Mother—only to find that the years have not changed the Queen of Tall Pines Plantation. Miss Lavinia is as maddeningly eccentric as ever—and absolutely will not suffer the questionable advice of her children. This does not surprise Caroline. Nor does the fact that Tall Pines is still brimming with scandals and secrets, betrayals and lies. But she soon discovers that something is different this time around. It lies somewhere in the distance between her and her mother—and in her understanding of what it means to come home…. About the author Dorothea Benton Frank is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including Queen Bee, Sullivan’s Island, Plantation, Pawleys Island, Shem Creek, and Isle of Palms. Born and raised on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina, she now resides in the New… More about Dorothea Benton Frank
About the author Sue Monk Kidd’s debut novel, The Secret Life of Bees, spent more than one hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has sold more than six million copies in the United States, was turned into both an award-winning major motion picture and a musical, and has been translated into thirty-six languages. Her second novel, The Mermaid Chair, was a number one New York Times bestseller and was adapted into a television movie. Her third novel, The Invention of Wings, an Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 pick, was also a number one New York Times bestseller. he is the author of several acclaimed memoirs, including The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, her groundbreaking work on religion and feminism, as well as the New York Times bestseller Traveling with Pomegranates, written with her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor. She lives in North Carolina.
What the reviewers have said ‘Effortlessly evokes the lush beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry while exploring the complexities of family relationships…Readers will enjoy immersing themselves in the lives of these deftly drawn, heartfelt characters.’ - Publishers Weekly ‘Filled with entertaining characters and lots of humor.’ The State (Columbia, SC) ‘Think Terry McMillan meets Rebecca Wells by way of the Deep South and you’ll be barking up the right bayou.’ - The Mirror (UK) More next month ... DISCLAIMER The information in this publication is of a general nature. The articles contained herein are not intended to provide a complete discussion on each subject and or issues canvassed. Swan Magazine does not accept any liability for any statements or any opinion, or for any errors or omissions contained herein.
What the reviewers have said ‘An extraordinary novel . . . a triumph of insight and storytelling.’ —Associated Press 7
YOUR VOICE MATTERS INTERVIEWING 101
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SHERENE STRAHAN
y background in tv journalism means I’m often asked about media coverage. Could I get on the TV news? Would my business make a good story for a current affairs programme? Do you think podcasters would be interested in my story? The answer is usually a definite maybe. But there’s a more important question to ask yourself first. Am I ready for the media bus to stop at my station? Exposure to a bigger audience can certainly be a tipping point but if you are not ready, it can be a waste of time at best and a disaster in the worst cases. So how do you know if you’re ready to hail the media bus? You’re NOT ready if you struggle to explain clearly and convincingly what you do and why it matters. You ARE ready if you feel great when you’re talking about what you do, and you know that people easily understand what you’re talking about. You’re NOT ready if you go into an interview without knowing what you want the audience to remember long after the interview airs. You ARE ready if you have three to five key points - short, relevant, memorable - that you want to make in the story and you do. You’re NOT ready if you don’t know anything about the media outlet and their audience, or anything about the angle they want to take on the story. You ARE ready if you know what programmes and podcasts have the kind of audience that would like and care about the stories that only you can tell. You’re NOT ready if you’re flattered to get the call to be interviewed AND you’re not really sure why they’re interested in you. You ARE ready if you know straight away why they’re calling you and you’re happy about it. You feel comfortable asking them what the angle will be, what sort of questions they’ll ask and when the story will air. You’re NOT ready if you don’t know what you hope to get out of the exposure. You ARE ready if you know what you want it to bring AND you are ready for it - website honed, social media in good shape and products or services ready to go. Whether it’s a podcast interview or a spot on the nightly news, the idea of exposure to a bigger audience can be enticing. It’s the dream opportunity - you’ve been booked for an interview for a podcast that targets your ideal audience. What now? How can you prepare so you are interesting, memorable and appealing to the people you want to reach? A couple of years ago, I was on the Flying Solo podcast, talking about how small business operators could improve their content marketing by using journalism skills. When the thirty-minute spot was up, I didn’t remember anything I’d said. Interviews are like that - it’s nerve-wracking and slightly intoxicating to have all that attention focused so intently on you. But I do remember what the host Robert Gerrish said after we finished recording. The best interviewees come with something for the audience. Tips, ideas, suggestions that can help people. Stories that are interesting and illustrate what they’re
talking about. Experiences that people can relate to. The best guests know what they want people to remember long after the interview has ended. Being generous, being clear and being prepared is the way to an interviewer’s heart and to the listener’s memory banks. I’ve kept that advice tucked away for the next time I do an interview and this time I will be better prepared so I can serve the audience and in doing so, serve myself. But what does being prepared look like? Jay Acunzo is an award-winning podcaster and digital media strategist who works with some of the world’s top brands to create memorable podcasts. He has a vast range of experience in doing podcasts and interviews. He’s also one of the nicest people I follow. When I wrote to ask him about what makes a great podcast guest, he responded straight away. ‘Communicate your ideas a lot. Say Yes to every opportunity to speak or appear on a show. Write a ton and write every week or every day. Get feedback from people who consume your work—or should. Become an investigator, not an expert. The latter is table stakes. The former makes for the best material and insights you can share. (As a host, I don’t want to book people based on their bio. I want to book them based on their ability to serve my audience. So, show you’ve done that with other audiences or your own.)’ What do you wish all your podcasts guests knew? Pretty simple: examples, examples, examples. The best guests don’t need to know my audience (it’s on me to ensure they’re a relevant guest and have a basic understanding of the audience before we start). The best guests don’t need to know me (ditto). The best guests absolutely need to be prepared to answer the question, “Can you share examples?” Real-world stories — theirs and those they’ve seen or gathered — beat general theory and ideas any day. It’s the most compelling tape a host can capture, and the best final episode for listeners (read: guests look the best!). How can your guests make the most of the opportunity to be on the show? Be prepared. Do your research and come with stories and examples. And speak as you would to someone face to face. Ditch the talking points and corporate speak. What’s the worst thing a podcast guest can do? Pitch-slap the audience. Everyone listening wants something that will serve them, not you. If you really want listeners to follow you, explore your work, or know your business, then do something genuinely worth following. Be so interesting and valuable and charming that they can’t help but want to explore what you do elsewhere. If you have to sneak-sell or pitch what you do, everyone loses: listeners, the host, and you. Enter with the mindset that you’re on the show to serve the audience. The rest takes care of itself. 8
BOOKWORM’S CORNER In America, the most banned books are Harry Potter. The apparent reasons are because they promote witchcraft, they set bad examples and are too dark. Most of the books have been banned in catholic schools on the basis that they contain ‘real’ spells. It is also said that the Harry Potter series presents witchcraft and wizardry in a good light which is simply not true. The Bible, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung and Harry Potter are the three most read books in the world. It is not surprising to see the Bible and quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung top this list but Harry Potter? Well the total number of Harry Potter books sold worldwide is close to 400 million. That is almost one Harry Potter book for every 17.5 people on earth.
ALL THINGS BOOKS AND BIBLIOPHILE
Bibliosmia This interesting fact is for the reading addicts. Has there been a time when someone has asked you if you prefer paperback or hardback books over eBooks? Maybe there was several times when you were asked this question and you responded about how you disliked eBooks? Quite often people say they perfer paperback and hardback books but are not able to give an exact reason. Could this be that reason?
our excursion through the bye-ways and literary Continuing lanes of bibliophilia. Copies of pulped Mills and Boon novels were used to build part of the M6 toll road. The M6 toll road is in Birmingam, UK. It is twenty-six miles of a six lane motorway. 2.5 million copies of Mills and Boon novels were acquired and then pulped at a recycling firm in South Wales, UK. They were used in the top layer of the motorway.
The author of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie gave the rights of the play to Great Ormond Street Hospital J.M Barrie, gave one of the greatest gifts to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for which the hospital is still receiving royalities to this day. Giving the rights to this hospital helped fund it and provides an ongoing income to benefit the many lives that the hospital saves.
The most expensive book in the world is Codex Leicester by Leonardo Da Vinci. It was purchased by Bill Gates for 30.8 million dollars. Bill Gates purchased the Codex Leicester in 1994 for $30.8 million. When you add inflation to that the book would cost $53.3 million. If Bill Gates were to sell this book today we reckon the book would sell for a lot more.
The earliest known written existence of the word ‘book’ is in a book by Alfred the Great. Books were not called books until a long time after they were actually books! Confused? Well if you want to delve deeper into this story then have a look at our blog post on the History of Books. Lord of the Ring author, J.R.R Tolkien typed the whole trilogy with just two fingers! J.R.R Tolkien said writing the trilogy was ‘Exhausting’. That is no surprise. The Lord of The Rings trilogy is over 1200 pages. Tolkien said the only way he learned to type was with just two fingers. More next month ...
Codex Leicester 9
HOUSE AND GARDEN YOUR GARDEN IN WINTER MARION LOGIE
in the soil, the leaves are edible and the flowers they produce are a much-needed source of pollen and nectar for hard-working bumblebees. In cool climates, plant garlic and shallots. In warmer climates, garlic should be in already (April) so as to maximise cold snaps (garlic needs a certain amount of winter chill). And June's a good time to plant asparagus crowns.
JULY
Long-term winter crops need feeding and maintenance during their growing period, so this month is a good time to take care of them. If your site is prone to strong winds, hill up around broccoli, kale and other brassica plants. Leek plants will also need mounding up to help produce long, tender, white stalks. Pinching the tops out of broad bean plants will produce more side shoots and, in turn, more flowers. And a good dressing of liquid seaweed over the leaves of all plants will help ward off diseases, especially if humidity is a problem. If you're ordering a new fruit tree, plant it carefully when it arrives. Here's how… Remember that although dormant, once removed from soil, bare root trees are susceptible to drying out. If it is only a short trip home, just put a bag around the roots to prevent loose soil making your car dirty. For longer trips, wrap the roots gently in damp newspaper and place the root ball in a plastic bag. Always avoid transporting the trees uncovered in the tray of a ute or trailer. Even dormant, bare root plants can dry out in high winds experienced when driving. Pruning your bare root tree is essential to ensure quick establishment and healthy growth. The roots have been pruned during harvesting. This dramatically affects the trees’ ability to absorb moisture and nutrients, as well as support and anchor itself. The roots and canopy are no longer in proportion and the canopy must be pruned. Pruning back by two-thirds will reduce the number of buds requiring energy and allow the limited root network to supply the remaining buds effectively. Pruning also encourages new, compact growth which can be trained if you want to shape your new tree.
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he cooler weather is now on us and while it slows growth down in the garden, it's nature's way of dealing to the caterpillars, butterflies, slugs and snails (and hopefully any coddling moth - it’s a declared pest in WA, and has to be reported and eradicated on sight.). Winter is a good time to get maintenance jobs done around the garden. Getting rid of weeds that can be a breeding ground for next season's pests is worth putting on the list. And if beds are not being used, consider sowing a green manure crop like lupins or oats, or mulch with straw, seaweed or fallen leaves. Winter weather can have a negative effect on the soil of garden beds left bare. Now's a good time to look through fruit tree catalogues. We've found www.guildfordgardencentre.com.au and wwwtimevasnursery.com.au to be among the best suppliers. Deciduous fruit trees like plums, apples and pears are delivered bare-rooted from mid-June onwards. Winter is also the best time the plan your spring garden. Have fun choosing different varieties to try this coming spring. Have a little browse through the seed catalogues from companies that sell online.
JUNE
In warmer areas, seeds can still be sown and seedlings planted out. Raised beds will always be warmer, so add lots of compost to build up your garden beds. At this time of the year, vegetable plants need as much sunshine as possible, so bear this in mind when planting. Growing in containers is a good idea as you can move them around into the sunniest position. This month plant out broccoli, cabbage, kales, cauliflowers, beetroot and spinach. Quick-growing Asian greens like pak choi and wombok really thrive in the cooler conditions. Growing broad beans has lots of bonuses - they fix nitrogen 10
Bare root trees should be planted as soon as possible to prevent their roots drying out. If the tree is going to be out of the soil for a short time, make sure the roots remain moist (not wet) by covering with damp soil (potting mix is fine as a temporary means) or even moist, shredded newspaper. If there is going to be a substantial delay in planting, enquire about our bagging services to ensure your tree remains healthy. Perth has very nutrient deficient soils with little to no organic matter. It is essential to improve the soil prior to planting with soil improvers, composts, manures and mulches. As a general rule for sandy soils, plant into equal parts of existing soil and a good quality compost, such as The Green Life Soil Co General Concentrate. This ratio can be reduced for heavier clay soils or soils, which have been recently improved. We also recommend that Soil Solver is added to sandy soils. This clay based product assists greatly with water and nutrient retention as well as reducing soil water repellence. For heavier gravely soils in the Perth hills, a mixture of 1/3 compost and 2/3 existing soil is usually adequate. Build the improved soil up into a mound to increase drainage. Dig a hole approximately twice the depth and width of the root ball. Use the soil that you dug out to mix in with your soil improver, cow manure etc.This is most easily done in a wheelbarrow. Place some of this mixture back in your planting hole in a small mound.Then rest the roots of the tree so that the trunk sits at the correct level. There should be a difference in colour between when the trunk ends and roots begin which indicates the final soil level.Ensure you do not plant the tree any higher or any lower than this. Once your tree is at the correct height, use the rest of your soil mixture to back fill. If fragile new roots have begun to form, you will need to be particularly careful. Have a hose trickling into the hole while you back fill. This will give the tree a really good deep watering to start with and get rid of any air pockets in the soil. Create a shallow basin in the soil around your tree to hold water – this is particularly important in heavier soils (such as the hills) where water may take more time to penetrate into the soil. If in an exposed position (or there are dogs, children or other factors likely to topple your tree) staking may be necessary. Trees with heavily pruned roots may need some extra support until established. Rather than using a single stake, train your tree to grow stronger more quickly by using supportive staking techniques, such as the figure eight. To do this, use two or three stakes evenly spaced around the tree, about 30cm from the trunk. From each stake, use suitably flexible fabric to make a figure eight around the trunk. The trunk should be stable but not rigid. Apply a layer of mulch to smother weeds, aid water retention and give nutrients. We recommend a premium mulch such as Lupin Mulch. Remember to leave a gap around the base of the tree trunk to prevent collar rot. Remove the tag and store for reference. If you leave the tag on you run the risk of strangling your tree as it grows and potentially forgetting the tree type as the print deteriorates. Planting in winter during bare root season definitely has the benefit of reduced manual watering. Heavy rains keep soil moist and cool which is perfect for plants undergoing the stressful event of transplanting. Monitor soil moisture levels and water as needed to keep soil moist, but not wet. Push your fingers into the soil around the tree. If your fingertips touch moist soil, the tree doesn’t need watering. As the dry spells increase, you will need to introduce a watering plan. Bare root trees need extra care to make up for a smaller root system, but remember that overwatering can also cause problems.
If planted correctly in improved soil, bare root trees will not need to be fertilised until they begin to grow and leaves start to develop. At this time, apply a good quality slow release fertiliser such as Troforte to provide nutrients. Add a diluted Seasol solution fortnightly to stimulate healthy root growth.
AUGUST
With most of the really cold weather behind us and the days getting longer, it's time to think about sowing seeds for spring and summer crops. It takes around eight weeks for seeds to germinate and grow to a size that can be planted out, so plan for your conditions. In areas with a shorter summer, you can start seedlings off in large containers and plant them out in the garden after all possibility of frost is over. In the orchard it's time to fertilise fruit trees. A fertiliser with a good source of potassium will help fruit set. Planting comfrey round the base of your tree works well. Applications of wellcomposted animal manure or sheep pellets, seaweed and volcanic rock dust will give your trees a good start to the season too. Dig in green manure crops and apply lime over the top. It takes a few weeks for the leaves and stalks to break down sufficiently for you to plant in, so plan accordingly. Otherwise, light the fire and dream of warmer days!
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FEDERAL NOTES HASLUCK HAPPENINGS THE HON KEN WYATT AM MP
Federal Member for Hasluck, Minister for Indigenous Australians
A
ll Australians are to be congratulated for the tremendous effort in slowing the spread of the virus. As you would have seen last week the Prime Minister released our three step plan to a COVIDSafe Australia. Through our diligence, we will now see a number of restrictions slowly lifted. Here in Hasluck, from Monday, 18 May 2020 we will see residents continue to support local businesses as we restart our State’s economy. While the 1.5m social distancing, the four square metre rule and good hygiene apply to all activities the following restrictions will be relaxed:
TOOLKIT LAUNCHED
The Morrison Government has welcomed the launch of a toolkit aimed at ensuring community sporting clubs and associations have a clear path to competition as COVID-19 restrictions are eased. The suite of practical resources, provided by Sport Australia, focus on giving grassroots organisations a roadmap for the safe return to sport at all levels. Federal Member for Hasluck, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP and Minister for Youth and Sport Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck said the Return to Sport Toolkit, was a comprehensive checklist for sports clubs and community organisations across Hasluck. It will complement the National Principles for the Resumption of Sport and Recreation Activities, endorsed by the National Cabinet. The Sport Australia toolkit provides the resources and guidance local clubs across Hasluck need to ensure a streamlined process. The safe return of competition relies on a responsible rollout where everybody follows advice and takes precautions. The Return to Sport Toolkit guides clubs and associations at every level to document their own COVID-19 Safety Plan and appoint a COVID Safety Co-ordinator to implement and oversee it. As part of the Toolkit, checklists provide practical and progressive steps such as relevant government and national sporting organisation approvals, facility management, training behaviours, hygiene protocols and appropriate communication with members. The National Principles along with the Australian Institute of Sport’s framework will be used to guide the staged return of activity as efforts to stop the spread of the virus continue. The States and Territories will be responsible for sport and recreation resumption decisions, both at the professional and community level and will determine progression through the phases, taking account of local epidemiology, risk mitigation strategies and public health capability. Minister Colbeck said sporting clubs and organisations would play an enormous part in getting Hasluck back on track as the recovery from the impact of COVID-19 continues. We have a big challenge ahead of us – but together the National Principles, the AIS framework and Sport Australia’s toolkit offer tangible advice to ensure community sporting groups are prepared to control and deal with the virus in this new era,” Minister Colbeck said. Sport Australia’s Return to Sport Toolkit can be found at www.sportaus.gov.au/return-to-sport The AIS Framework for Rebooting Sport in a COVID-19 Environment can be found at www.ais.gov.au/health-wellbeing/ covid-19.
PUBLIC GATHERINGS Indoor and outdoor non-work gatherings of up to twenty people can resume, and weddings and funerals up to twenty people inside or thirty outside will be permitted. DINING OUT Cafés and restaurants with meal service, including within pubs, bars, clubs, hotels and casino will re-open with up to twenty patrons at a time. RETURN TO WORK Western Australians are encouraged to return to work, unless they are unwell or vulnerable. Regional travel Restrictions relaxed, with travel allowed between: South West, Great Southern, Wheatbelt and Perth-Peel regions Mid-West, Gascoyne and Pilbara regions (excluding the biosecurity zone) Goldfields-Esperance region (excluding the biosecurity zone) within Kimberley Local Government areas (the Commonwealth’s biosecurity zone remains in place). Travel exemptions will be required to travel between these regions. FITNESS AND RECREATION Non-contact community sports up to twenty people Outdoor or indoor fitness classes with minimal shared equipment, up to twenty people Public pools (1 indoor and 1 outdoor) permitted to open under strict rules and up to twenty patrons per pool. Community facilities Places of worship, community facilities and libraries permitted to reopen up to 20 patrons. ADVICE FOR BUSINESS Businesses across Western Australia will need to prepare a COVID Safety Plan before they re-open, to protect staff and customers. The WA Government has begun consulting with key stakeholders to develop COVID Safety Plans and Guidelines, which will be available soon. This includes consultation with the hospitality, community and cultural venues, and sport and recreation sectors.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Well done to Remember Midland (Midland Historical Society) on being awarded a grant under the Volunteer Grants 2019-20 program. The $4,500 of funding will allow the society to purchase a Computer, Storage Hard drives and an A3 printer and scanner to properly document larger pieces of history such as newspapers and posters! 12
This is a fantastic achievement for Midland, an area so rich with history and heritage. And Congratulations to the Kalamunda Volunteer Fire & Rescue Service on being awarded funding to purchase a heavy duty washer and dryer through the Volunteer Grants 2019-20 program. The new washer and dryer will enable them to increase the readiness of the wet turnout gear throughout the winter season. Thank you to Captain Tony Moiler and all the volunteers for their service in keeping our community safe.
HARNESSING NEW TECHNOLOGY
Investment in low emissions technologies that strengthen our economy and support jobs and businesses are a priority of the Morrison Government on the road to recovery from COVID-19, and to help Australia reduce global emissions. The Government has released the Technology Investment Road map discussion paper that will bring a strategic and systemwide view to future investments in low emissions technologies. The Government has a clear focus - back new and emerging technologies that will: • Continue supplying the affordable and reliable energy households and industry need to support jobs and the economy; • Increase the productivity of export sectors like agriculture, energy, metals and minerals processing;
• Allow Australia to capitalise on opportunities to develop new industries and jobs; and • Position Australia to support our trading partners’ plans to reduce emissions through the export of low emissions technologies, energy and other products. The Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap is about more than just reducing emissions. “We are focused on developing technologies that will support jobs and making sure that families and businesses in Hasluck are paying a fair cost for energy and not imposing taxes on them. Our plan will help put Australia at the forefront of research and development while maintaining our strong record of reducing emissions. “Real action on technology, not taxes, is the pathway to further remissions reduction here and around the world.” The Roadmap will be a cornerstone of Australia’s Long Term Emissions Reduction Strategy, to be released ahead of COP26. The Government has already made substantial investments in clean energy technology, with more than $10 billion invested in more than 670 clean energy projects with a total project value in excess of $35 billion. To contribute to this important national conversation or learn more about the Roadmap process, visit:www.consult. industry.gov.au/climate-change/technology-investmentroadmap/. Written submissions are open until 21 June 2020.
HOW I CAN HELP
Contact me through phone, email , or my website .
KEN WYATT AM mp FEDERAL MEMBER FOR HASLUCK
Shop 10-12 Hawaiians Forrestfield, 80 Hale Road, Forrestfield WA 6058 08 9359 0322 Ken.Wyatt.MP@aph.gov.au kenwyatt.com.au KenWyattMP Authorised by Ken Wyatt, Liberal Party, Shop 10-12 Hawaiian’s Forrestfield, 80 Hale Road,Forrestfield WA 6058.
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TAX BREAK NEEDED
COVID -19
STEVE BLIZARD
CITY OF SWAN ROADMAP GRETA JASIAK
W
ith twenty-five percent of the newly unemployed coming from the hospitality industry, I am very grateful that my son has been able to retain his part-time job with a national restaurant chain, right through the Covid19 crisis. The global spread of coronavirus has revealed how big an employer the hospitality industry really is, and the related job multiplier including agricultural producers and the property leasing sector. During this time employees of Not for Profit hospitals and charities have continued to enjoy a Fringe Benefits Tax cap of up to $5,000 for salary packaged meal entertainment expenses, in order to assist these “hard to staff” employers. To provide a much-needed boost to the hospitality sector, the Federal Government should consider extending the $5,000 FBT exemption cap to all employers and employees from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2022, or until the Coronavirus unemployment crisis eases. There is a much stronger argument now to provide tax breaks to boost hospitality employment, than there is to only assist the not-for-profit sector. Steve Blizard is a Senior Securities Adviser at Roxburgh Securities
The City of Swan will gradually reopen some of their services and facilities from early June, as Coronavirus restrictions are scaled back. Ballajura, Beechboro and Midland Libraries have reopen their doors to some services for the community on Monday, May 18 while Ellenbrook and Bullsbrook Libraries followed suit on Monday, May 25. Guildford Library will remain operating through the City’s online Click and Collect service until the next stage of restrictions are lifted. From Monday, May 18, Swan Active centres across the City started taking online bookings for group fitness and personal training sessions which will recommence from Monday, May 25. City of Swan Mayor Kevin Bailey: “Our libraries and leisure facilities are critical community hubs that provide many with much needed support and access. “Even though these facilities will operate differently for a while as we ease our way back to normality, it is so important we enable community access while complying with socialdistancing rules. "Our number one priority is keeping our community and staff healthy and safe, so that means limiting the amount of patrons we can hold at any one time, as well as limiting the time we allow people to spend in our spaces. "We'll also be carrying out a strict cleaning regimen across our facilities, every time a person uses a computer, returns a book or uses fitness equipment." City of Swan Libraries and Swan Active centres have remained open for business during restrictions, with many services and programs being offered in a virtual format so community members could continue to enjoy them from the comfort and safety of their own home. Much of the online offering from libraries and Swan Active will continue to operate as the City gradually reopens its doors in line with the State Government’s roadmap. For more information on the City’s response to COVID-19, visit www.swan.wa.gov.au/covid-19.
Stay informed on coronavirus. COVID-19 information is being updated daily, for current advice visit health.gov.au. The best defence against most viruses including COVID-19 is practising good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Cover your cough/sneeze and dispose of tissues. Avoid contact with others if you are unwell. If you have travelled overseas or been in contact with a confirmed case and have symptoms, call your GP or the National Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080.
For information on the Government’s economic response to the coronavirus visit: treasury.gov.au/coronavirus. If you own a business you can call Treasury on 02 6263 3030 to determine exactly what support your business can receive or if you need to discuss tax deferrals with the ATO, small businesses should call 1800 806 218. Authorised by Ken Wyatt MP, Liberal Party of Australia, Shop 10-12 Hawaiian’s Forrestfield, 80 Hale Road Forrestfield WA 6058.
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COVID -19 PERTH ROYAL SHOW UPDATE
A
PETER COOPER
s we all know, the Perth Royal Show is a much-loved community event that over the years has been attended by millions of Western Australians and visitors to WA, with many looking forward to the Show each and every year. It is for this reason that the President, CEO, Council and Staff of the Royal Agricultural Society of WA is fighting every step of the way to try and stage the 2020 Perth Royal Show. In recent days we have started to see some flickers of hope that the state of WA is creeping back to some semblance of normal. Seeing this positivity developing, the RASWA Council on May 27 has resolved to extend the decision on whether to hold or cancel the Show, out to the June 24 Council meeting. The CEO and team will continue to work with private sector and government stakeholders to progress all possibilities, and together with the President and Council of RASWA a decision to proceed or otherwise will be made accordingly. The regular Perth Royal Show or a number of alternatives will all be considered, and we will make a decision based on all
the facts available at that time. As a valued stakeholder in RASWA and the Perth Royal Show we want to keep you informed of our decision-making process and will again provide you with an update on, or immediately after June 24, 2020 meeting. Let’s all hope and work together to do everything we can as a community to bring about an environment that will allow the 2020 Perth Royal Show to proceed safely and effectively, within the full confines of what we are allowed and capable of doing. Many thanks for your support during these recent times and in fact over the years. Together, lets’ see if we can make this happen.
DRIVE-THROUGH COVID-19 TESTING
P
GRETA JASIAK
atients displaying symptoms of COVID-19 can be tested for the virus without getting out of their car thanks to a newly opened drive-through COVID-19 swab collection clinic in the City of Swan. The City has worked with Western Diagnostic Pathology (WDP) to open the new clinic, which is located at the Stafford Street Carpark in Midland. Swab collections are taken underneath a marquee in a section of the car park between 8am-12pm, Mondays to Saturdays. Appointments are not required, and instead patients only need to bring a referral from their GP and their Medicare card. City of Swan Mayor Kevin Bailey said the drive-through clinic was a convenient and safe way for residents to get tested for COVID-19.
“Patients drive in, get their test and are quickly on their way, receiving their results within 24 hours of the swab collection," he said. Western Diagnostic Pathology General Manager Gerry Mabarrack said the drive-through clinics are opening in response to the State Government’s desire to expand COVID-19 testing. "This will make it easier for more people to be tested as lockdown restrictions begin to ease and business and community activity begins to return,” he said. “This is gold standard testing for COVID-19 and was the first COVID-19 PCR test accredited by the National Accreditation Testing Authorities.” The drive-through clinic is expected to be in place for as long as community demand requires. Similar facilities have been established by WDP across Perth, including at Peel Health Campus, Mount Hawthorn, Myaree and Joondalup, with another site being planned for Armadale, and details available at www.wdp.com.au The community is reminded that the clinics are not intended to replace the medical care available through their GP or at hospital emergency departments. Members of the public can telephone the COVID-19 Health Information Line on 1800 020 080 for advice and find more information at www.healthywa. wa.gov.au The drive-through clinic is in addition to the COVID clinic established at St John of God Midland Hospital in March. 15
16
DINING IN
The Thoughts of an Ageing, Balding Foodie
SWAN RESTAURANT DOUGLAS SUTHERLAND-BRUCE
T
he restrictions imposed by control of the Covid-19 virus have now been loosened to a considerable degree allowing restaurants to reopen to a limited degree, based on space, rather than numbers. For those restaurants that did it tough, either closed or reduced to pick-up take -away or home delivery, the news is excellent. For many it may be too late or too little. Time will tell. But we, along with many others did to support them in what ways we could by ordering in on a regular basis. By this means, ordering on a sort of round-robin way also gave us the opportunity to try new restaurants that we might otherwise not have tried.
One such was the Swan Restaurant and Function Centre - a restaurant with a chequered history but which has now settled into a nice family restaurant offering comfortable, familiar foods cooked well and sold at a reasonable price. At a time such as this when things are so uncertain and worrying, familiar and comforting food is what is required not yabbies in lime foam with passionfruit balls (tasty though that might be), but what is slightly disdainfully called nursery food - Bread and Butter Pudding, curries, stews, Lamb Shanks and the like. We ordered a mix of entrees, main courses and pudding for four adults, which, with a modest $5 delivery fee came to less that $150 - excellent value for money, if you ask me. All of the food was good, some outstanding - for example, the Arancini Balls ($14) were wonderful and the Hot Spicy Chicken Wings - a half kilo ($12) to die for, although ‘spicy’ is not an understatement. We also enjoyed a Pulled Pork Roll ($18), Chicken Parmigiana and chips ($22), BBQ Pork Ribs ($19.50), House-made Linguine Carbonara ($19), plus some truly amazing gluten-free chips. We followed this repast with Warm Sticky date Pudding and Warm Chocolate Brownies $8 each), delicious and the perfect end to a lovely meal. You now can enjoy these meals in the restaurant, as well as in the comfort of your own home. Swan Restaurant also offer a banging High Tea - that’s our next adventure. Very highly recommended.
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18
FOOD CULPEPERS HERBAL STEPHAN DE JONGE
A
s the Covid-19 lockdown and isolation continues, we are seeing more and more attention being given to the things that really matter, such as home cooking. As a hobby, even one born of necessity, cooking is allabsorbing, enjoyable and an area where learning never ends. Every dish is enhanced by the use of spices and herbs, so much so that a huge part of the endeavour of the Middle Ages was to establish a secure source of spices. Nicholas Culpeper (1616 - 1654) was an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer. His book the Complete Herbal is a store of pharmaceutical and herbal knowledge. Culpeper spent much time outdoors cataloguing hundreds of medicinal herbs. So as a service to the readers of Swan Magazine we’re going to give a brief overview of some common herbs and spices. Enjoy, learn and have fun trying them out.
toxic effect. They may however present a choking hazard. Fun Facts: The Greek god Apollo wore a wreath made of Laurel (Bay Leaves) Also known as Laurel leaves. In ancient times the Roman Emperors would wear a wreath made of Laurel Leaves at festive events. Hence the phrase ‘Resting on one’s laurels’ used to mean basking in one’s own success. Can also be known as Oregon Myrtle and as Pepperwood. The Latin name for the bay tree commes from laurus (laurel) and nobilis (famous). The best Bay leaves come from Turkey.
BAY LEAVES
These are the dried leaves from the Laurel plant Laurus Nobilis and have a sharp, bitter taste. They should be discarded after use. They grow in warm climates Cooking with:
Lamb, Fish, Chicken, Beef
Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Malaysian, Italian, Indian, Chinese Usage : Dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavour and fragrance. They are often used in soups, stews, braises, in pate’ making and in slow cooking recipes. Basil leaves are a part of the traditional French blend named bouquet garni. Medicinal Usage: They aren’t used in modern medicine but are steeped in medical history. They were used as a type of bandage to aid in the healing of wounds. They were also thought to be beneficial for the liver and other organs. They may assist in during birth but should be avoided by pregnant woman as they may cause an early labour. The oil is reported beneficial as an ointment for bruises and marks on the skin as a result of a fall. Also reduces itchiness. Even though they are quite bitter the leaves are edible without
Star Anise - illicium verum
STAR ANISE
Star anise is spice that closely resembles anise in flavour, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of illicium verum. Cooking with: Desserts
Fish, Duck, Bread Baking, Stewed Fruit,
Cuisine: Thai, Middle Eastern, Malaysian, Italian, Indian, Chinese Usage : It is a major component of Garam Marsala and Five Spice. Used in baking and liquor production. Great with cooked fruits in casseroles and desserts. Star Anise are traditionally added in soups, Chinese dishes or in Peking duck. Medicinal Usage: Star anise has been used in a tea as a traditional remedy for rheumatism, and the seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion. Fun Facts: Japanese star anise, a similar tree, is inedible and highly toxic! It contains sikimitoxin. It is burned as an incense. The trees that bear this spice, do not produce any fruit until they are six years old. The best Allspice comes from Vietnam. Courtesy of Culpepers
www.culpepers.net.au
www.culpepers.net.au 19
WHAT’S ON IF YOU WOULD LIKE AN EVENT LISTED IN THIS COLUMN RING our office on 0418 934 850 Entries for non-profit entities are free.
SWAN VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - Glen Forrest Group Every Monday evening We meet at 7.00pm at the Glen Forrest Uniting Church, Mc Glew Rd, Glen Forrest. Call Dermot 0488 905 211 or John 0448 074 536 or the Perth Office (all hours) 9325 3566.
Monday Mornings The Art Group meets at Baskerville Hall from 9am – 12pm for just $5.00 per session. Group leader Gilly can help and advise with most media. Feel free to come and have a look and meet our local artists – they are a very friendly lot, new members welcome! For more information call 9296 1976 or enquiries@swanvalleycommunitycentre.com www.swanvalleycommunitycentre.com
AUSTRALIAN BREASTFEEDING ASSOC. Discussion groups, guest speakers, morning tea. Free breastfeeding counselling. Expectant mothers, mothers, babies and children welcome. National Breastfeeding Helpline 1800 686 2686 is a 24 hour 7 days a week service.
EASTERN DISTRICTS MACHINE KNITTERS
Friday - second and fourth We meet from 9:00am to noon at 10 Brockman Road, Midland. Feel welcome to join us for morning tea and see how easy it is to make your own garments. For more information contact Pat 9309 3260; Liz 9572 7074 or Pat 9295 2793.
Swan/Mundaring Group meets every Monday, 9:30-11:30am at the Gumnuts Family Centre, 8 Mudalla Way, Koongamia. A qualified ABA counsellor is present at each meeting to give confidential information and support on breastfeeding issues. Contact Natalie 9572 4971. Kalamunda Group meets fortnighly on a Thursday, 9:3011:30am at the Maida Vale Baptist Church, Edney Road, High Wycombe. Contact Jenny 9252 1996.
SWAN HARMONY SINGERS
Wednesdays Come and sing with us! Swan Harmony Singers is a community choir that meets, 7-9pm, to sing music ranging from jazz to pop, plus the occasional classic. No auditions. Join us at the Salvation Army Church Hall, 371 Morrison Rd, (opposite Swan View Primary School), Swan View. Enquiries: call Anna on 9299 7249, or Chris on 9298 9529 or 0435 062 728.
Northam Group meets each second Tuesday of the month at the Bridgeley Community Centre, Wellington Street, Northam 10am to Noon. Fourth Tuesday each month at Toodyay Playgroup, Stirling Terrace, Toodyay. Noon to 2pm. Please phone Louisa 9574 0229.
TALKING HORSES
ELLENBROOK COMMUNITY WEIGHT LOSS CLUB
Wednesday evenings 6:00pm The WA Horse Council equestrian radio program is now in its seventh year. The programme is broadcast on the Community Radio Station 91.3 SportFM. To ensure that your club, event, breed or business gets coverage, call Diane Bennit 0409 083 617.
Every Tuesday evening We meet from 6.45pm to 8.00pm at the Woodlake Community Hall, Meeting room 1 Highpoint Blvd, Ellenbrook. Friendly support group at low cost. Male and females of all ages welcome. Contact Shirley 9276 7938 shirleysardelich@aapt.net.au.
THE ZONTA CLUB OF SWAN HILLS
HILLS CHRONIC PAIN SUPPORT GROUP
Dinner meeting 3rd Wednesday February – November Meets Swan Mundaring area. ( venue to be advised ) Zonta International envisions a world in which women’s rights are recognized as human rights and every woman is able to achieve her full potential. In such a world, women have access to all resources and are represented in decision making positions on an equal basis with men. In such a world, no woman lives in fear of violence. Guests are welcome to join us please contact Ruth 08 92729442 or ruth@amsaustralia.com.
1st Wednesday of each month Hilltop Grove Estate, 1645 Jacoby Street, Mahogany Creek. Morning tea provided, between 10.30 - 12.00 noon. Enquiries Terina 9572 1655.
MORRIS DANCING
All welcome. It’s like bush dancing, with sticks and bells. It’s aerobic exercise and great fun! Tuesdays 7-9pm practice, Guildford Town Hall, cnr James St and Meadow St, Guildford. And drinks later at the Woodbridge Hotel with live Irish music For more information please contact: Christine Hogan: 9279 8778 Email: madtattersmorris@iinet.Net.Au Website: madtattersmorris.myclub.org.au
JUST A PIECE - TEXTILE KINSHIP Fortnightly Fridays This textile art group meets every fortnight Fridays 9.30 to 12.00 at Just Add Passion on Richardson Rd Stoneville. $5 per session, everyone welcome Check us out on Facebook or text Janette on 0407 633 771.
SWAN WOODTURNERS GROUP
The group meets in the rear hall of The Senior Citizens’ Centre, The Avenue, Midland, at 1-00pm. on 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Tuesday, and at 7-00pm. on 2nd Tuesday of each month. A demonstration and cuppa are the norm. Men and Women are welcome. Enquiries to Ted 9295 4438.
ELLENBROOK AND DISTRICT MENS SHED INC.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday We are open at 4 Transit Way Ellenbrook from 10.00am to 3.00pm. Potential members can turn up on those days and there will be someone to explain what we do and give membership 20
WHAT’S ON details. Annual fees are low and members can do their own thing, participate in projects for the community or simply just come in for a chat and a cuppa. We are considering extending our days to include Saturdays or evenings if there is enough interest.
MUSTARD SEED - DISCOVERING COMPUTERS
Mustard Seed is a nineteen year old non-profit organisation and teaches all aspects of everyday computing. Ability levels from beginners onwards. Want help with Windows 10? In need of instruction with your Mac computer? Have an iPad or Android tablet and don’t know what it will do? We can help. Cost is $2 per session. Classes are held at 56 McGlew Road, Glen Forrest. To gain a place enrol now by phoning 0491 044 805 or emailing: mustardcomputers@gmail.com W: noodlebytes.com
SWAN VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE SWAN VALLEY HOMESCHOOL FAMILY PLAYGROUP
Thursday mornings 9:15am to 11:15am Older siblings welcome to join playgroup in a rural setting in the Swan Valley. Normal playgroup guidelines apply for children zero to five years old. Baskerville Hall, 129 Memorial Drive, Baskerville. For more information ring 0419 922 792 or email enquiries@ swanvalleycommunitycentre.com
MIDLAND MEN’S SHED
Call us on 0407 888 759 or email: singaustraliaswanvalley@outlook.com for inquiries.
THE HILLS CHOIR
Monday Evenings Do you enjoy singing and joining with others to make beautiful music? Come and join the Hills Choir. We meet from 7.30 to 9.30pm at the Uniting Church on Stoneville Road, Mundaring. Contact Margie on 9295 6103 for further information. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS YEAR - SING! If you enjoy singing and have been thinking about joining a choir, now is the ideal time to do it. Community choirs are starting to learn a new repertoire of songs, which means you get in on the ground floor as everyone is learning together, and you don’t have to worry about catching up with the rest of the group. Swan Harmony Singers are always keen to welcome new members at the start of a new year. They meet every Wednesday night from 7-9pm, and have just moved to a new home at the Midland Arts Centre in Cale Street (opposite Midland Gate). You don’t need to have a musical background and there are no auditions. You just need to enjoy singing and be prepared to make a reasonable commitment to attend rehearsals regularly. The choir sings a wide variety of music ranging from jazz and pop to the occasional classical piece, and gives performances towards the end of the year. Interested? Come along on a Wednesday evening and give it a try. If you’d like to know more, contact Maureen on 9299 6588.
Every Tuesday morning We meet socially every Tuesday morning from 9.30am to 11.30am in the Bellevue Baptist Church Hall and our usual attendance is around fifty-five. At least once a month we have a guest speaker on a range of topics. We also go on excursions to various places of interest (e.g. HMAS Stirling, Aviation Museum, Fremantle Ports, ALCOA, etc.). Our workshop with wood working and metal working is in Midvale and for the opening hours and further details please contact Brian Beer on 0411 833 055. Also in operation is our music group – the Rockin’ Shedders which is going from strength to strength and their repertoire of songs increases each week. For more information on the Shed please contact Kevin Buckland on 0417 961 971 or email: kebinsv@tpg.com.au. THE HILLS CHOIR Mondays We practice on Mondays from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the Uniting Church in Stoneville Road, Mundaring. We are looking for Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses over the age of sixteen to join us. We sing a range of sacred and secular music in four parts. Please phone Margie on 9295 6103, email the thehillschoir@ gmail.com or visit their website www.hillschoir.org.au. SING AUSTRALIA SWAN VALLEY Monday nights We are a community singing group in the Swan Valley and welcome anyone who loves to sing. There are no auditions or expectations on ability. We welcome absolute beginners and experienced singers. Singing has enormous health and wellbeing benefits which helps promote joy and positivity in people’s lives. Come along, give it a go and bring a friend for a great night of singing. The group meets 7.30 to 9.30pm in Baskerville Hall, 129 Memorial Ave, Baskerville. 21
FICTION THE AUTUMN PLAGUE K R W TREANOR
The Autumn Plague Book One in the Reckoning of Souls trilogy by K R W Treanor Would you want to be the scientist who tells the President that 88% of the population will be dead in nine days? John Callan is the man, and he has worse news to follow: even when the Nanjing Flu’s disease vector is identified, there’s not enough time left to stop it. How Callan leaves his ivory tower and learns to live in the new and frightening real world is the theme of The Autumn Plague, Book I in a planned trilogy. Follow Callan and the survivors into a place without convenience stores and a cop on the corner, and discover the human pioneer spirit waking from its long sleep. This is a timely book, opening a door into a world that might be not that far away. Be on the lookout for Book Two, The Dark Spring, which takes the story six months down the track from Day Nine, and Book Three, The Inn at the End of the World, which is set several centuries further on.
one," said Susan Schwartz, an old hand of seven years' service. "Wonder if there's some new ’flu going around?" "Maybe we should start wearing masks," said someone. "Maybe it's the Bitterroot Boys," joked another, earning himself a few hisses and dirty looks. "Don't even joke about that sort of thing," Susan snapped. "When you've been through something like 9/11, you don't make jokes about bio-terrorism." Foreign terrorists were bad enough, but it was the domestic nutters like the Bitterroot Boys that gave the NSA and the FBI the worst headaches. Fires and crashes were bad enough, but at least you knew what to do when they happened. Unseen killers in aerosol clouds were an entirely different matter. The showers that some crew members took before going home were a bit longer, a bit hotter than usual. The next morning Diane Wilson saw the paramedics arrive at the Freeman's house. After a few minutes they left, and about twenty minutes after that, a hearse arrived. Not wanting to worry her mother, Diane slipped out the front door and waylaid the hearse driver. "What's happened? Is it Mr. Freeman? They're good friends of my parents, is anything wrong?"
"It was about the beginning of September 1664 that I, among the rest of my neighbors, heard ... that the plague was returned again ...'' Daniel Defoe A Journal of the Plague Year A DAY IN EARLY SEPTEMBER
H
elena Wilson called up the stairs for the third time. "Hank, if you don't get down here right now you'll miss your bus. Come on, your toast is cold." Toast wasn't the only thing. When Helena stormed up the stairs and into the bedroom, she found her husband chill and unresponsive to her shaking and calling. When the paramedics arrived, they only had to touch Hank's cooling body to know their oxygen and defibrillators were useless. "Looks like his heart gave out in his sleep," commented one of the men. "Can we call someone for you, ma'am?" Helena stood gulping for a long moment, then said, "Our daughter—Diane--she's on the quick dial. Diane should know." The younger paramedic went down to the kitchen and pushed the phone button that said "Diane" and spoke briefly to the young woman at the other end of the line. He then went to the house next door and asked the grey-haired woman who answered the door if she were a friend of the Wilsons. Leaving her apron on the porch rail and shutting her ancient cocker spaniel in the house, Jane Freeman followed the paramedic back to 45 Alston Terrace. It wasn't until the sixteen members of the day shift returned to their base in Queens and began swapping stories about the day that the similarities came out. "Weird," said Frank Brown, the newest member of the crew. "What are the chances of all of us being called out on a dead-in-bed on the same day? "What's weirder is some of us got called to more than 22
The tired-looking man said, "Sorry, miss, it's, um…" he looked at his clipboard, "Mrs. Jane Freeman, it says here. Excuse me, I've got a lot of calls today." He went up the steps with his assistant at his heels, carrying a plastic shell-style coffin with some difficulty. Back indoors, Diane heard her mother calling from upstairs. "Diane? Diane, what is it?" Wondering how to break the news, Diane put a carafe of coffee on a tray and went up to her mother. In an affluent suburb of Boston, two little children called for their mother. "It's Gran, she fell out of her chair, come quick." In Palo Alto the Avon lady ran screaming from the front porch of a designer ranch and babbled to the first official looking person she found--a postman--about a whole roomful of dead people. On a beach in New South Wales a life-guard went to caution a sunbather about skin cancer and spent a fruitless ten minutes doing CPR before being told by a beach-combing orthopedic surgeon not to waste his breath. In Paris, a sightseeing bus was diverted back to its depot with a sick patron who was dead by the time the bus stopped. In London one of the grandest tearooms on the Kensington High Street was shut down for suspected food poisoning; and in Beijing nobody said anything, but many people began keeping to their homes and avoiding public places. By the third day after Hank Wilson's death, all the epidemiologists in the world were flipping the pages of their reference books and scratching their heads. At the CDC in Atlanta holidays were cancelled, staff members planning on attending conferences were quietly told to stay home, and the lights burned late every night. And all over the world, the morgues began to fill. ~oOo~
CHAPTER ONE
“What are we facing?” demanded the President. “I wish I could tell you, but we don’t know yet. We’re still conducting tests,” replied the haggard-faced scientist. “Damn it, is it bio-terrorism? Flu? Food poisoning? You must know something!” John Callan explained patiently, “All we know is that whatever it is, it causes apparently painless death, very quickly, and that it has appeared in every city on earth. We’re still trying to identify the index case, but it looks like it could be China. Almost all of the autopsies so far have shown the same result, total coagulation of the blood, particularly in the lungs and liver. That’s what makes the deaths so sudden: one minute the victim is breathing, and the next minute not.” “That could be said of any death, you must know something more than that!” snapped the President. “Is it contagious, is it water-borne, does it come in food? You must know something about it!” “We’re trying to identify the pathogen; in fact, that’s what I should be doing right now; I’d be more use in my laboratory than here, with due respect. The more eyes we have on microscopes, the sooner we’ll know what we’ve got. We don’t even have a proper name for it yet.” “The papers are calling it ‘The Nanjing Flu’,” said the President. “Trust them to come up with something like that. It seems to have appeared there about the same time as everywhere else, but the Chinese as usual are being very cagey about it.” The President’s national security adviser cleared her throat. “We have to assume the worst, that this thing is contagious, and that the safest thing for everyone is to stay home and wait. We’ve already issued orders for schools and theatres to be closed, what more should we do?” “Pray,” said Callan. “And now, if you’ll excuse me?” Without waiting for formal dismissal he escaped from the Oval Office
23
and strode towards the heavily guarded front door of the White House. In his car on the way back to Rapahannock Labs, Callan pulled a chocolate bar from his glove compartment and ate it as he drove. Maybe the sugar and caffeine hit would do something for his brain cells. He liked to think that no problem he came across was so difficult that it would not yield ultimately to scientific method and the occasional flash of genius. He hoped it would be true this time. It was his team that had eventually tracked the Anthrax terrorist back to his lair in a high school science laboratory, more than a decade after the FBI and CIA and USAMRID had given up. In that case, he’d had the time to pursue all the tiny clues and leads: this one was shaping to be very different. He suspected the solution of this case was going to hang more on a flash of genius than on scientific methodology, and unfortunately one couldn’t call that up at will. At the lab, he pulled his station wagon into the CEO’s spot under a Japanese maple, stuffed the candy wrapper into his pocket, and went up the steps, planning to put in a few more hours at the computer before collapsing on a cot in a corner somewhere.
In the foyer, two men in boiler suits with large toolboxes were crawling around under the receptionist’s desk while she sat on her revolving chair looking irritated. “What’s up?” asked Callan. “They barged in here and said it was order of the President, the President of all people, and started ripping up my switchboard,” Mindy snorted. “It’s all right, Dr. Callan, we’ll be done in another ten minutes. You need to be able to contact the White House at any time, and we’ve installed a dedicated line for you. It’s tied in to your cell phone as well, all taken care of. Just key in this number.” One of the men stood up and handed over a small card with a DC phone number scrawled in green ink. Callan shrugged his shoulders; this wasn’t worth arguing about, he’d only waste time and breath. “Stay cool, Mindy; take a coffee break. And would you get me a double black while you’re at it?” He headed for his office, threw his briefcase through the door, and went through into the main laboratory. “Heads up, troops, tell me you’ve unravelled it all while I’ve been gone,” he called. Twelve pairs of eyes lifted from five microscopes, six computer screens and one centrifuge. “Reports?” Callan asked. “Nothing has grown on the plates yet. Nothing has turned up at various magnifications with either gram negative or gram positive stains. And the death rate has gone past 200,000 on the East Coast alone,” said his second in command, Kamala Mehr. “One bright note, the dead people don’t seem to be infectious,” put in Karl Landru. “At least, that’s what it seems from sifting through the reports we’ve been getting. For once the National Disease Investigation Centre is making nice and sharing info, so we can access all their data. Well, as far as we know, anyway.” Everyone in the lab recalled times when NDIC hadn’t been so forthcoming. The West Nile Virus schemozzle was still fresh in their minds. They all hoped the recent custom of sharing information without regard to turf ownership and potential glory would last. However, every scientist in the room understood the desire to be the person who first identified a virus or developed a vaccine that worked. Pride in one’s work is a determined driver, and from there it’s only one slippery step to the desire for glory. Mindy tapped on the door of the lab, holding up an extra large black coffee. Employees at Rappahannock Labs put in long hours, and one of the attractions of the place was a better than average cafeteria that was more like a Montreal bistro than a fast food joint. The lab ran on coffee, and it was Callan’s belief that the better the coffee, the better the resulting thought. “OK, keep at it until six, but then knock off, I don’t want anyone’s divorce on my conscience,” Callan said, whose own marriage had collapsed under the weight of work. “Besides which, tired eyes miss clues. You can come back at 7 a.m. if you like, but no bar-hopping tonight, please.” “Aw, heck, I get some of my best theories from the bottom of a mai-tai,” joked Tom Barrett, turning back to his microscope. In his office, Callan began scrolling through dozens of emailed reports from all over the United States as well as from several acquaintances around the world, all of whom had at one time worked with him. Stabbing at the keyboard, he entered data and moved bits DISCLAIMER The information in this publication is of a general nature. The articles contained herein are not intended to provide a complete discussion on each subject and or issues canvassed. Swan Magazine does not accept any liability for any statements or any opinion, or for any errors or omissions contained herein. 24
around, constructing graphs and pie charts and blessing the new software he’d installed only last month. At the time, his accountant had all but suffered cardiac arrest at the proposed cost, but Callan had insisted. Now, with luck, it would prove its worth. Sipping the coffee, Callan let his mind free-wheel while he looked at the demographic data he’d accumulated. All major cities had reported outbreaks, from Anchorage in Alaska to Harare in Zimbabwe. Cold or hot, east or west, black, white or yellow, no population centre had escaped. There were some interesting figures here, he thought, homing in on several places that showed a higher or lower percentage than the raw data indicated it should be. Japan, Northern China, parts of Hungary, India, the Baltic States and parts of central Asia seemed to have fewer deaths than one would expect. At the other end, the death rate seemed higher than it should be among the Maoris of New Zealand, Native Americans, Peruvians and Sudanese. “Kamala, get in here,” Callan yelled into the intercom. “And the rest of you, stand by, this could be an all-nighter.” Kamala came into the office and said, “You roared, oh exalted one?” “Never mind the sarcasm, I think I’ve found something. What do Estonians have that Navajo don’t have? Or Sudanese have than Japanese don’t have?” “Really good tans?” Kamala suggested, an eyebrow raised as if waiting for the punch-line. “No, no, look,” Callan sputtered, swinging his computer screen around towards her. “You’d expect in a world-wide epidemic more or less the same sort of death rate everywhere, all other things being equal, once the disease gets a good foothold.” “That’s all other things being equal, about which we haven’t a clue at this point,” Kamala said, leaning forward and scanning the data. “Still, I see what you mean, this could indicate something. But we’d need to feed in other data, such as the relative populations of Bombay and Vilnius and Wellington and Quito before we could go any further.” “Make it so, I’ve got to have a meal and a shower before I fall over,” Callan said. “Back in 20 minutes, have something for me, I beg you.” Kamala pressed the intercom and said, “I want two volunteers: Karl and Susan.” Callan lurched down the hall to the locker room, stripped, and took a plastic stool into the nearest shower stall. Ten minutes of hot water and Spirit of Balsam soap left him clearer inside and out. Getting a change of clothes from his locker, he put on his favourite indoor boots and shuffled off to the cafeteria. “Just in time, there’s one beef burgundy left,” said Gladys McWherrie, who called herself a cook but could give lot of chefs a run for their money. Without asking, she brought a ramekin from the hot table and set it down before him. “Sit, eat. I held back the last slice of Key Lime pie for you, too.” Tucking a napkin under his chin, Callan began devouring the meal with no regard to second degree burns. Gladys put
down a mug of root beer and the slice of pie. “You’ll get an ulcer gobbling like that.” “Ulcers are almost entirely caused by helicobacter pylori; you should know that by now, Gladys,” mumbled Callan, cooling his tongue in the root beer. “Pooh, and didn’t my own uncle die of a hole in his stomach caused by the stress of his job?” she retorted. “I hesitate to ask what his job was,” Callan said, forking up the silken green pie. “We don’t much like talking about it, but he made movies. Those kinds of movies,” she said, retiring behind the counter and chalking up the cost of the meal on a touch screen. Callan was speechless. Possible rejoinders flitted through his mind, to be as hastily erased. Some things man was not meant to know. “Lovely dinner, as always,” he said, rising to leave. “You’ve a spot of gravy on your nose,” Gladys said as he went out, but he was thinking of something else, the meal already forgotten. Back at the lab, Kamala looked at him, pulled a tissue from the box on the desk and dabbed at his nose without comment. “We’ve made a bit of progress. Adjusting the data for the known population of the various areas, we compared the actual deaths as percentages to the mean percentages, and came up with the same spikes. Fewer Baltic people are dying than expected, but more Sudanese. Hungarian gypsies are dying less than the Hungarian population at large. More Navajos are dying than northern Japanese.” “OK, so that’s cold climate people not dying at the same rate as hot climate people. Is this a clue?” Callan stared at the ceiling, willing it to display a message from Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, anyone. “Well, no, because New Zealand Maoris are dying at a much higher rate than other New Zealanders, and New Zealand isn’t a particularly hot country. Some of it has glaciers, in fact.” “We need more data.” “Already on it, Karl and Susan and a couple of the others are emailing frantically, and with any luck we’ll get more data within the hour, maybe not from darkside, but certainly from our own hemisphere. May I suggest a nap while you’re waiting? You’ve been on the go since seven this morning.” “Five-thirty, in fact. Couldn’t sleep. Then I lost a couple of hours at the White House. A nap sounds good, but I don’t think I could unwind. Have we shared this clue with anyone yet?” “No, only because it’s so fragile a thread, no point in having other labs haring off into a dead end; best if we work this alone for another hour. That way we’re the only ones wasting time, if that’s what it turns out to be.” Kamala often acted as a drag anchor for Callan, one of her more valuable traits beside her acknowledged genius in haematology. It was a rare blood disease indeed that could pass her microscope without having a tag tied on its toe. “I just wouldn’t want anyone saying we were hogging valuable information, trying to scoop the glory,” Callan said. “There’s a difference between taking sensible precautions before sharing information and keeping secrets for our own gain,” Kamala said. “Besides, everyone else has the same raw data we have; for all we know, half a dozen labs are investigating the same idea.” Grumbling, Callan admitted Kamala was probably right, even about his needing a nap. He went to the end of the building where a spartan bedroom offered rest and nothing else to weary scientists. He threw himself down to rest his eyes, just for a minute. ~oOo~ 25
CHAPTER TWO
will die at great rates. Any country whose population has predominantly type A Seconds later, crawling up from fathoms down in a and O can expect to lose as much as 88% of its population if this nightmare about dragons wearing Ku Klux Klan headgear, Callan disease continues to infect at its present rate. Of course, once awoke to Kamala’s prodding forefinger. “Get up, get up, we’re on we find the vector and start dealing with that, that figure will be to something.” reduced. But worst case scenario, about 88% of the citizens of “Wha’time is it?” the United States are standing in the path of a juggernaut that at “Ten-thirty. I sent the rest of the crew off and rang Mom and the moment has no brakes.” told her not to expect me for a while. Feroze is in Chicago, so he There was a long silence. “Mother of God!” Devore finally won’t mind. Come on; come see what we’ve got.” breathed. “I’m type O. The President’s type A. Presumably 88% Staggering to his feet, John Callan followed Kamala back of all the congressmen, judges, policemen and firemen are up the hall to his office. Tapping briskly on his keyboard, she hit one or the other as well. We could be looking at the imminent ‘enter’ and spun the monitor around. “There, there’s the clue breakdown of western society.” we’ve been missing.” “Not just western society. Most of black Africa could Callan goggled at the three-line graph for a moment, trying drop off the map; the entire population of the Nicobar Islands to make sense of the spikes and troughs. could vanish. On the upside, 88% of the criminals, layabouts, “You see it? It’s blood: blood’s the answer,” Kamala insisted. pickpockets, pimps and prostitutes will also be gone.” Callan Callan fell into his chair and stared at the screen. “I’ll be gave a shaky laugh. “It’s Sodom and Gomorrah and Armageddon damned.” Grabbing the phone he punched in the number from and the Last Judgment all rolled into one.” He started to laugh the card the telephone tech had given him. Almost at once a again, hiccupped, and apologised. “Sorry, it’s just that this has voice answered. “Yes, Doctor Callan?” hit me between the eyes. I’ll send the details by email to NDIC as “Tell the President--no, no , don’t wake him up--er, who’s on soon as I can type it up.” deck at this hour? I think I’ve got some new information about “No, no, I’m sending a helicopter for you, it will be there in, the Nanjing Flu.” hold on--”she covered the phone and Callan could hear muffled There was a second’s pause, and the voice said “Miss voices--”twenty minutes. Bring whatever paperwork you have.” Devore is still here, she’s sleeping at the White House while the Without another word she rang off, leaving Callan holding a crisis is on, and left orders she was to be awakened for anything dead phone. important. Hold on please.” “Now aren’t you glad I made you take that nap? You’ll be There was a hum and a click and a sleepy voice said “Doctor lucky to see your bed before dawn.” Kamala looked smug. Callan? They said you’d found something.” The National Security “I won’t be alone, in that case. Isn’t it lucky you already rang Adviser sounded only half awake: Callan knew how she felt. your mother and said you’d be late? Pack up your data, you’re “I’m sorry to break into what must be a very rare few hours’ coming with me.” Callan pulled a comb from his top drawer and sleep for you, but we’ve come up with something. I’ll skip the ran it through his wiry hair; found a wet-wipe in another drawer prelim and just get to the meat: the flu is blood-related. The and passed it over his face and said, “Well, that’s me done. Come death rates are lower in countries where there’s a higher than on, they’ll be here soon.” normal distribution of blood types AB and B. And higher in Kamala was at the intercom, instructing the guard on night countries with types A and O predominating.” shift that they’d be coming out shortly and to keep an ear out for “What does that mean, in practical terms?” Devore asked, a helicopter. It was a sign of the times that the guard expressed her voice suddenly wide awake. no surprise. “It means that places like Estonia and northern Japan can Snapping his laptop shut without bothering to ask if Kamala expect fewer deaths, and that the Maoris of New Zealand, our had loaded all the data onto it, Callan shut off his desk lamp own Navajo, and a good chunk of Caucasians across the board and wondered when he’d be using this office for his own research again. Walking down the hall towards the KAREN R TREANOR front desk, he said, “What’s your blood type, Kamala?” KAREN Treanor has been writing since the “B,” she said, carefully not asking the age of six. Discovering bandicoots in her return question. backyard, and learning that nobody was “If anything happens, you’re to take writing about these engaging little beasts, she started Quenda Books, which publishes over the lab. Make sure I get the the Scoot, Scoot, Bandicoot® series, in 2003. legal beagles in tomorrow and do the For many years she was a frequent visitor requisite paperwork.” at Western Australian schools and libraries, “Don’t be morbid; we’re a long way talking about bandicoots and book from licked, and with this lead, we may publishing. be on the road to the cure,” she said, Karen worked for Swan Publishing for adjusting her pashmina over her head several years, and her book reviews, poems and holding the hem of her satin tunic and short stories have appeared often in the down against the expected rotor blast Swan Magazine. once they got outside. She usually She lived in Mundaring with many visiting wore lab whites at work, but had bandicoots, possums, bobtail lizards, and magpies; plus some resident chickens, cats planned to attend a concert tonight and a very tolerant husband until 2014, when and had already changed clothing she packed up the cats and husband, and before deciding that the work on Karen R W Treanor moved to Tasmania where she spends her hand took precedence over a bassoon (Photograph by Rob Watson) time wallaby wrangling, making sourdough concerto. bread, and writing. Twenty-one minutes after Devore had 26
hung up on him. Callan heard the airthumping noise of a helicopter. “Keep an eye on the place, Joe,” he said to the night shift security guard. “I don’t know when we’ll be back. Leave a note for Karl saying we’ve gone to the White House. I’ll call when I can.” He opened the door on the rotor wash, trying to shelter his precious lap-top inside his jacket. It had survived spilled coffee and trips on the Super-Concorde, but he didn’t want it blasted with grit from the parking lot. Kamala sensibly held back until the giant rotors slowed to parking mode, then followed Callan to the machine. Two severely polite young marines helped the scientists up the metal steps and into seats; almost before they had snapped their belts, the helicopter leaped skyward again. “This will be something to tell Feroze about,” Callan said to Kamala. “What’s he doing in Chicago, anyway?” “Interviewing colleges. He’s had pre-acceptance from seven so far and his grandmother treated him to one of those ‘See America First’ tickets where you can make five stops on one trip, so he’ll be going to the West Coast after he sees the two in the Midwest. The other two he can do by bus. I offered to go along and got one of those ‘Oh, mother, I’m not a little kid,’ looks.” “To me he still is a little kid. Seventeen is practically still in rompers; I remember him when you used to bring him to work on a slow Saturday, he could barely get his nose over the bench tops. Hard to believe he’s over six feet now.” Callan suddenly felt his years. “I wish his father could be here, he’d be so proud. Seven colleges wanting him to enrol, and he hasn’t even finished senior year.” Kamala was a scientist, but she was also a very proud mother of an only son. Her husband had died several years ago, and her whole focus was now on Feroze. “Are you going to call him back, knowing what you do?” “No. For one thing, we aren’t even sure what we know yet. If it’s as bad as the worst interpretation, then death will find him anywhere. And if it’s not that bad, why interrupt such an adventure for him?” The noise of the helicopter made conversation difficult; they spent the rest of the ride separately considering the discovery they had made and wondering what it could mean. In a short time the helicopter touched down gently on the South Lawn and the young marines escorted Kamala and Callan to another pair of escorts, who took them into the White House. The usual waving of metal detecting wands slowed them briefly; then they were settled in a conference room with cups of coffee and promises of the President’s attention shortly. Melusine Devore entered the room, sharply tailored as ever but with purple smudges under her eyes which stood out against the café au lait skin. “Thank you, Doctor, for coming so promptly. The President will be here soon; we tried to let him sleep as long as possible--I’m sure you understand.” “No problem, Miss Devore. May I introduce my associate, Doctor Kamala Mehr? Kamala was in charge of the research that uncovered this clue, if clue it is.” Melusine Devore flashed her famous smile at Kamala. In carefully enunciated tones, she said, “Welcome, Doctor. Where
do you come from?” “Palo Alto,” Kamala said in her broadest Californian. “No, I meant, where were you born?” Devore’s smile faltered and returned, like a light bulb in a brownout. “Oh, I see. Cedars-Sinai hospital. But we moved to Palo Alto when I was three. I went to school at Stanford, then Yale. Oh, and a bit of grad work at Cambridge--England, not Massachusetts. Although I did once teach at M.I.T.” Kamala flashed a smile equally full of shiny white teeth. Callan sensed a bitch battle brewing and hastily interposed himself. “Kamala is my right hand, er, person. She and Karl are the backbone of the lab, really--I just wander around and get underfoot.” “You’re too modest, Dr. Callan,” Kamala said. “You were the one who first spotted the significance of blood types; we just followed your trail-blazing.” Further talk was interrupted by the arrival of the President and his chief of staff. Several other people who seemed to have a security function ranged themselves around the room and from time to time touched their ears as if receiving messages from Beyond. “I’ve asked a few others to join us, they should be here shortly. Dr. Shapnik at Johns Hopkins has apparently come up with something. Someone tried to explain what he does but it was all Greek to me,” the President said. “Nanobacteria,” Kamala whispered to Callan. His heart sank. If they were dealing with something like that, the chances of Armageddon yawning at their feet were doubled or quadrupled. Nanobacteria had for long been poohpoohed by the scientific community, whose members had been convinced that no life form less than 0.2 microns in size could exist. The super-small microbes from the Mars rock had been dismissed as either quasi-bionts or else inorganic curiosities or artefacts, formed by cold or chemical action, but certainly not any form of life as it was currently defined. To be continued next month ... If you are enjoying this sample of The Autumn Plague, and would like to purchase your own kindle copy go to www.Amazon. com. 27
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ENTERTAINMENT PERTH SINGER’S PASSION
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erth singer-songwriter Mel Kay is releasing a song for our times, giving hope to those in lockdown life. The Inbetween is her reminder that being physically alone is not the same as being lonely and there are sparks of beauty even in the darkest moments. “It’s about overcoming the need to cling to the past and learning to accept the present,” Mel said. “The song is about the moment before you heal, when you are still broken by what life has thrown at you – when you are stuck in the pause between pain and redemption. “In society, we all seem to be constantly rushing to the next big milestone moment in our lives but forget that each step is finite but so important. “The Inbetween is about learning to breathe and accepting things the way they are; learning to love yourself, even in the middle of having nothing.” While The Inbetween might be a reflection of 2020 so far, Mel actually wrote the song five years ago. “I was moved by what we are all facing and wanted to bring this song to light because I felt the message would relate to a lot of people,” she said. “In 2015, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and lost everything so I wrote the song when I was in a lot of pain. “With a world so full of fear, I wanted to create art that would bring light into life and inspire people to be more of who they are. “I feel many people are now probably feeling how I did back then so I recorded the song recently and re-arranged it with producer Jordan Azor.” With a vocal style comparable to Adele and Regina Spektor, Mel has been involved with music since age three. The WA Academy of Performing Arts graduate has made a name for herself over the past five years with her ten-piece band Liberté, scoring international airplay with the singles Upside Down Town, Let It Burn and Phoenix – the latter one of six finalists for electronic song of the year at the 2018-19 WA Music Awards. Mel also collaborated with UK producer Backfall on the track You, which came twelfth out of 6000 in the international Unsigned Only music competition. With a percussive style reminiscent of Leona Lewis’ Bleeding Love, Mel said she wanted the music of The Inbetween to build behind her vocals during the recording session but be sparse enough to show space and represent a pause. “Through the song, I am hoping to create art that other artists around the world can take a spark from,” Mel said. “I would love to film a music video with multiple artists from around the globe acting, dancing and painting as the song plays. “I want this song to help people feel peace and know that we are all in this together. “Most of all, I want The Inbetween to help people be brave and seize the moment because life is now.” The Inbetween is available on Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud and YouTube. An online launch with Mel playing her music live was held via instagram on June 5. 29
TV WITH CHRIS JUNE 2020 AUTUMN TV PREVIEW
these golden years?’ African American writers and lead actresses, same sex relationships taking centre stage as Hollywood love stories. What is accepted as normality today was frowned upon in time gone by and Hollywood challenges that status quo. The casting is superb with Jim Parsons a standout as the forward and flamboyant agent and producer Henry Wilson, a real life character whose most famous product was Hollywood front man Rock Hudson (played here by Jake Picking). Also strong is Darren Criss as director Raymond Ainsley and Jeremy Pope as Archie Coleman who, in this reality, becomes the first gay, African American writer to pen a Hollywood feature. Hollywood is brave, bold and ultimately entertaining. For all lovers of good drama and bold cinema, this is the one for you.
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he era of original series’ is well and truly upon us with the juggernauts of streaming all battling it out with brand new original content. There is no shortage of choice now with Netflix, Stan, Disney+, Apple TV+ and Foxtel all releasing quality original content and vying for viewership numbers. The next few months of TV With Chris will focus on new series and original content so during these winter months you can be kept entertained with some of the best new series and original films around.
Watch if you liked: The Politician, Glee, American Horror Story or Dead to Me. ~oOo~
Title: HOLLYWOOD Media: Netflix Taking a leaf out of the book of Quentin Tarantino’s Tinseltown love letter Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, this handsome looking series successfully blurs the lines between fact and fiction and provides a compelling ‘what if’ narrative set against the aesthetically grand backdrop of post WWII Hollywood. Centred at first around aspiring actor Jack Castello (David Corenswet) who will do whatever it takes to make it in the business, the series tracks the journeys of actors, writers, producers and directors in the cutthroat and ruthless world of film-making. From the mind of Glee and American Horror Story creator, Ryan Murphy, it almost sets up an alternative reality which has its audience questioning ‘what if Hollywood had taken risks in
Title: THE EDDY Media: Netflix After announcing himself to the film world in a ferocious manner with Whiplash (which landed JK Simmons a Best Actor Academy Award) and then following up with the gorgeous La La Land which nabbed him a Best Director Academy Award, young director and producer Damien Chazelle is cementing himself as an exciting and dynamic contemporary director. This latest collaboration has him teaming up with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playwright Jack Thorne for a Parisian set jazz drama which is as good as it sounds. Centred around Paris Jazz Club ‘The Eddy’ and its owner Elliott Udo (Andre Holland), this is partially a love letter to true
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A truly multicultural cast present a masterclass of music and drama to wonderful effect. Watch if you liked: Whiplash, La La Land or The Great. ~oOo~
André Holland and Joanna Kulig in The Eddy (Photograph courtesy of Netflix)
jazz with some dynamic musicians including Polish Jazz singer Joanna Kulig and accomplished composer and pianist Randy Kerber in key roles. With that in mind, the music is stunning and provides a driving anchor to the series. There are moments of tragedy, joy and sorrow and all are expressed through varying sub-genres of jazz and it is sublime. The plot revolves around a crime that takes place at the beginning of the series at the club and the resulting investigation and fallout. Cleverly, the limited series is presented as a series of almost vignette style stories which focuses on each of the key characters and how they link to the story. At the heart of this is the challenging relationship between Elliott and his daughter Julie (Amandla Stenberg). This is a stunning series which is a slow burn story driven by jazz music so it will not be to everyone’s taste. But Chazelle’s talent for focusing on the minor details is well and truly present. Fingers on a piano, a spotlight or the stroke of a drumstick can be just as powerful as the acting itself.
Title: BAD EDUCATION Media: Foxtel Showcase) With the lack of cinema releases in recent months, this release from HBO in partnership with Foxtel is refreshing to say the least. It sees Hugh Jackman in a very different role to some of his most recent characters, which have included the Greatest Showman himself, PT Barnum and an aging superhero in Logan. In this true story, Jackman plays Frank Tassone, the charismatic and well liked superintendent of New York’s Roslyn School District. When Tassone’s assistant superintendent for business Pamela Gluckin (Allison Janney) comes under scrutiny for some unusual financial activity within the district’s books, Tassone and his staff become prime suspects in what spirals into one of the largest embezzlements in American Education history. Based entirely on truth, Bad Education has you questioning just who is the bad guy. Jackman plays Tassone as such an endearing character that it is hard to know whether or not you should be on his side. Janney is excellent as Gluckin whose facade is broken down piece by piece as the scheme deepens. Breakthrough star Geraldine Viswanathan (Miracle Workers, Blockers) proves a pivotal whistle-blower as school newspaper reporter who, whilst on the lookout for more substantial stories, begins to uncover the scheme and notices large sums of money disappearing. The fact that these events were even possible and those in power managed to swindle to education system to such a point is baffling. Screenwriters Mike Makowsky and Robert Kolker have penned a compelling drama (which was based on the New York Times article The Bad Superintendent). A stellar cast breathes life into this tense drama. Jackman is a standout and is just brilliant as the charismatic Tassone. This film manages to blend finance, education and edge of your seat drama and it is gripping from start to finish. Watch if you liked: Freedom Writers or Wall Street.
Hugh Jackman (Frank Tasson) and Allison Janney (Pamela Gluckin) 31
FLINDERS UNIVERSITY CHILD DEATHS IN AFRICA
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new study finds links between child mortality in Africa and air pollutants, unclean water, poor sanitation, large household sizes, and environmental degradation. Children under five years of age in Africa are much more likely to die than those in wealthy countries as a direct result of poor health outcomes linked to air pollution, unsafe water, lack of sanitation, an increased family size, and overall environmental degradation, according to the first continent-wide investigation of its kind. An international team of researchers led by Flinders University in South Australia, and the University of Western Australia in Perth, have now analysed data to break down and explain the correlation between increased child mortality, environmental degradation, and the population density of all mainland countries across the African continent. Published in the journal BMJ Open, Professor Corey Bradshaw from the Global Ecology Lab at Flinders University, says the analysis determined that better access to clean water, sanitation services, and family planning, could substantially reduce the preventable deaths of newborns and children under five. “Across African countries, national child health was lowest when water quality, improved sanitation, air quality, and environmental performance were lowest. We have also provided the first empirical evidence that large households are linked to worsening child health outcomes in developing nations,” says Professor Bradshaw. Population size in many African countries will increase rapidly over the coming decades, raising concerns that the added pressures on infrastructure and the environment will further compromise child-health outcomes. “In most regions of Africa, this result suggests that environmental degradation is possibly now already at a point where it is compromising food production, water or air quality, or defence against infectious disease.” “These concerning results emphasise the importance of continued investment in clean water and sanitation services, measures to improve air quality, broad-scale family planning,
and efforts to restrict further environmental degradation, all to promote the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in Africa by 2030.” The World Health Organisation estimates that 5.6 million children under five years of age died in 2016, with over half of those deaths deemed preventable or treatable with minimal intervention, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where 1 in 13 children dies before turning five. Co-author Professor Peter Le Souëf from the University of Western Australia says: “Health professionals have largely been ignoring the negative consequences of overpopulation and environmental degradation — including climate change — on child health in developing nations. They no longer have a reason to do so with this new evidence.” The relationship between child-health outcomes and causes is based on the most recent data and presents a snapshot in time, rather then what might have been more important historical challenges, according to the authors. “Failing to break out of the poverty trap is partially a result of poor health causing lower economic performance, which itself erodes health outcomes. In fact, it has been estimated that the African region will lose approximately 6% of its gross domestic product from the future years of life lost.” says Professor Bradshaw. Better environmental management and dedicated family planning across Africa will improve these figures. 32
COMMUNITY SWAN VALLEY ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL HEROES
LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNER GRETA JASIAK
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ince its inception five years ago, the Young Australia League (YAL) scholarship program has supported forty young recipients with more than $350,000 in funding. Young Australia League has announced the recipients of its 2019 scholarships, including City of Swan resident, Calian Pavlovich. The nine scholarships are designed to provide young people experiencing disadvantage with the educational support they need to thrive. Calian has been awarded the $4,000 YAL and City of Swan Lower Secondary Scholarship, delivered in partnership by the City and YAL. The Ballajura Community College student is responsible, hardworking and reliable, with a talent for sport, music, art and academics.
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ordan France and Alex Woods (Year 12) recently helped save a woman who had fallen down a high cliff onto a narrow ledge at Bells Rapids. When they discovered her calling for help, Jordan rang for an ambulance and waited in the main carpark area for the ambulance to arrive. Alex stayed with the woman on the ledge. When the ambulance arrived, Jordan took the ambulance officer to the woman. Two paramedics subsequently arrived to help. Jordan ran up and down the hill about six times fetching medical gear from the ambulance and paramedic vehicles, leaving the officers to attend to the woman. Meanwhile, Alex stayed talking to the woman the whole time. The paramedics then called for a helicopter to air lift the woman to Royal Perth Hospital. The boys stayed with the medical team and helped the helicopter with the air lift. This ordeal lasted for about two and a half hours. We are all very proud of Jordan and Alex, who both showed exceptional maturity, courage and good judgement. Congratulations!
Calian’s challenge has been difficulties with his writing, a continued struggle that he has worked hard to overcome. His autism is at the heart of this difficulty and with the help of his mum, teachers and support worker from the Autism Association, he has learnt a variety of different strategies to help him overcome this hurdle. Calian’s scholarship will go towards his transition to high school. City of Swan Mayor Kevin Bailey: “Calian has demonstrated extraordinary persistence in working towards his academic and extracurricular goals. “He is an excellent role model for young people in the City of Swan. “In addition to the scholarship, the City will continue to provide Calian with mentoring and support services. “The City’s Youth Development team work with young people to support their active involvement and contribution to the community.” The Young Australia League Chair ~ Mary Walker: “Over the past four years YAL and the City of Swan have grown to support many young Australians in guiding them on their educational journeys. “The City of Swan should be commended on its commitment to its youth and determination in bettering their bright futures. “YAL thanks the City of Swan for continuing to support YAL and Calian in his next chapter.” 33
FOOTNOTE PEOPLE IN HISTORY DR ELIZABETH GARRETT ANDERSON (1836 - 1917)
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lizabeth Garrett Anderson was an English physician and suffragist. She was the first woman to qualify in Britain as a physician and surgeon. She was the co-founder of the first hospital staffed by women, the first dean of a British medical school, the first woman in Britain to be elected to a school board and, as Mayor of Aldeburgh, the first female mayor in Britain. Garrett was born in Whitechapel, London. The Garrett ancestors had been ironworkers in East Suffolk since the early seventeenth century but left for London to make their fortune. When Garrett was three years old, the family moved to 142 Long Acre, where they lived for two years, whilst her father moved up in the world, becoming not only the manager of a larger pawnbroker’s shop, but also a silversmith. Garrett grew up in an atmosphere of “triumphant economic pioneering” and the Garrett children were to grow up to become achievers in the professional classes of late-Victorian England. There was no school in Aldeburgh so Garrett learned the three Rs from her mother. When she was ten years old, a governess, Miss Edgeworth, a poor gentlewoman, was employed to educate Garrett and her sister. When Garrett was thirteen and her sister fifteen, they were sent to a private school, run by the step aunts of the poet Robert Browning. When they finished in 1851, they were sent on a short tour abroad, ending with a memorable visit to the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London. After this formal education, Garrett spent the next nine years tending to domestic duties, but she continued to study Latin and arithmetic in the mornings and also read widely. In 1854, when she was eighteen, Garrett and her sister went on a long visit school friends, where she met Emily Davies, the early feminist and future co-founder of Girton College, Cambridge. Davies was to be a lifelong friend and confidante. It may have been in the English Woman’s Journal, first issued in 1858, that Garrett first read of Elizabeth Blackwell, who had become the first female doctor in the United States in 1849. When Blackwell visited London in 1859, Garrett travelled to the capital. Garrett joined the Society for Promoting the
Dr Elizabeth Garrett Anderson circa 1889
Employment of Women, which organised Blackwell’s lectures on “Medicine as a Profession for Ladies” and set up a private meeting between Garrett and the doctor. At first Garrett’s father was opposed to the radical idea of his daughter becoming a physician but came round and agreed to do all in his power, both financially and otherwise, to support Garrett. After an initial unsuccessful visit to leading doctors in Harley Street, Garrett decided to first spend six months as a surgery nurse at Middlesex Hospital, London in August 1860. On proving to be a good nurse, she was allowed to attend an outpatients’ clinic, then her first operation. She unsuccessfully attempted to enroll in the hospital’s Medical School but was allowed to attend private tuition in Latin, Greek and materia medica with the hospital’s apothecary, while continuing her work as a nurse. She also employed a tutor to study anatomy and physiology three evenings a week. Eventually she was allowed into the dissecting room and the chemistry lectures. Gradually, Garrett became an unwelcome presence among the male students, who in 1861 presented a memorial to the school against her admittance as a fellow student, despite the support she enjoyed from the administration. She was obliged to leave the Middlesex Hospital but she did so with an honours certificate in chemistry and materia medica.
On the 9th June 2016 a special Google Doodle commemorated Dr Garrett Anderson’s 180th birthday 34
Garrett then applied to several Medicine for Women with Sophia medical schools, including Oxford, Jex-Blake and became a lecturer in Cambridge, Glasgow, Edinburgh, St what was the only teaching hospital Andrews and the Royal College of in Britain to offer courses for women. Surgeons, all of which refused her She continued to work there for admittance. the rest of her career and was dean Garrett was able to obtain her of the school from 1883 to 1902. This credentials by way of a “side door” school was later called the Royal through a loophole in admissions Free Hospital of Medicine, which at the Worshipful Society of later became part of what is now the Apothecaries. Having privately medical school of University College obtained a certificate in anatomy London. and physiology, she was admitted in In 1873 she gained membership 1862 by the Society of Apothecaries of the British Medical Association who, as a condition of their charter, (BMA). Garrett Anderson worked could not legally exclude her on steadily at the development of the account of her sex (a loophole that New Hospital for Women, and (from was rapidly closed shortly after). 1874) at the creation of the London She continued her battle to School of Medicine for Women, qualify by studying privately with where she served as its dean. The various professors, including some hospital was for many years staffed at the University of St Andrews, the entirely by medical women. Edinburgh Royal Maternity and the Anderson was also active in the London Hospital Medical School. women’s suffrage movement. In In 1865, she finally took her 1866, Garrett Anderson and Davies exam and obtained a licence (LSA) Caricature of Garrett Anderson published in 1872 presented petitions signed by more from the Society of Apothecaries to than 1,500 asking that female heads practise medicine, the first woman of household be given the vote. That qualified in Britain to do so openly. On the day, three out of year, Garrett Anderson joined the first British Women’s Suffrage seven candidates passed the exam, Garrett with the highest Committee. marks. Her daughter Louisa, also a physician, was more active and Though she was now a licentiate of the Society of more militant, spending time in prison in 1912 for her suffrage Apothecaries, as a woman, Garrett could not take up a medical activities. post in any hospital. So in late 1865, Garrett opened her own Elizabeth Garrett Anderson once remarked that “a doctor practice at 20 Upper Berkeley Street, London. At first patients leads two lives, the professional and the private, and the were scarce, but the practice gradually grew. After six months boundaries between the two are never traversed”. In 1871, she in practice, she wished to open an outpatients dispensary, to married James George Skelton Anderson. enable poor women to obtain medical help from a qualified She had three children including Louisa (1873–1943) who practitioner of their own gender. also became a pioneering doctor of medicine and feminist In 1865, there was an outbreak of cholera in Britain, activist. affecting both rich and poor, and in their panic, some people The Andersons retired to Aldeburgh in 1902. In November forgot any prejudices they had in relation to a female physician. 1908, she was elected mayor of Aldeburgh, the first female The first death due to cholera occurred in 1866, but by then mayor in England. She died in 1917 and is buried in the Garrett had already opened St Mary’s Dispensary for Women churchyard of St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Aldeburgh. and Children. ADVERTISEMENT In the first year, she tended to 3,000 new patients, making 9,300 visits to the dispensary. On hearing that the Faculty of medicine at the University of Sorbonne, Paris was in favour of Member for East Metropolitan Region admitting women as medical students, Garrett studied French so that she could apply for a medical degree, which she obtained in 1870. The same year she was elected to the first London School Board, an office newly opened to women. Also in that year, she was made one of the visiting physicians of the East London Hospital for Children, the first woman in Britain to be appointed to a medical post. In 1872, the dispensary became the Contact Donna New Hospital for Women and Children, 9379 0840 | faragher.eastmetro@mp.wa.gov.au treating women from all over London donnafaragher.com.au DonnaFaragherMLC for gynaecological conditions. Around Ground Floor 108 Swan Street, Guildford WA 6055 Authorised by S.Calabrese, Liberal Party, 2/12 Parliament Place, West Perth WA 6005. 1874 she co-founded London School of
Donna Faragher JP MLC
Here to help!
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WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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BUSINESS TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR CAREER BEV JOHNSON
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f you are in Year 12, there is a good reason to feel disrupted. You missed your school ball. You missed camps and excursions. You thought you might never go back to the classroom …. And now you are back. If you are doing ATAR you are worried about your results. If you are doing VET subjects you are worried about how to do the practical components. Year 12s have never had it tougher when it comes to doing well at school, and they have never had it tougher deciding what to do when they leave school. This simple summary of the support and main choices available to West Australian school leavers will help you to clarify your decisions.
SCHOOL
Teachers have been heroic in their efforts to take care of the changing academic circumstances while also developing strategies that account for the anxiety that students are feeling. It is NOT business as usual. Teachers are your greatest asset when trying to find your way through to the end of the year. Talk to them. Ask them for help. See your school career advisor. They are the experts.
WACE
Decision makers are working to make the WACE fair to everyone in these changed circumstances. Don’t worry. It isn’t up to individual students or families to fix this. You will be informed about changes as they happen, and changes will make sure you have a fair outcome.
UNIVERSITY
Universities are already making changes to make it easier for students to be offered a place for 2021. Check your favourite university to see if you can apply now with an anticipated ATAR based on your Year 11 or your Year 12, semester 1 results. Some universities are offering “unconditional” places. That means if you get offered a place it’s yours, no matter how you do in your ATAR. The University of Western Australia is also making some of its scholarships available for application based on you anticipated ATAR. Only 26% of uni students get there straight from school on their ATAR score. There are many paths to university that don’t involve a final ATAR and the choices will be even greater for 2021 Universities are creating alternative pathways for 2021. You can find a summary of those pathways at www.infocuscareers.com.au
VET DELIVERED IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
We don't know what is going to happen to vocational programs delivered in secondary schools that have a workplace learning component. The date at which students have to complete their practical component has been extended. Western Australia’s success in stopping the virus may mean that students are allowed back into workplaces to complete their practical components soon.
APPRENTICESHIPS AND TRAINEESHIPS
Students who are doing their apprenticeships and traineeships from school may be allowed back into the workplace soon. If you have lost your apprenticeship or traineeship because of Covid-19 YOU ARE ELIGIBLE for the Job Keeper Allowance. Go to the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network Gateway for information: www.masexperience.com.au/aboutmas-experience/aasn/
WORK
If you are looking for work go to the usual places like Seek and Indeed. You can find advice on resume writing and interview skills on those pages. Facebook pages like Perth Jobs are becoming more popular for employers as they are fast and they don't cost employers anything to advertise jobs there. Jobs and Skills Centres are based in many of the TAFE colleges have a job board and they offer help with your resume and interview skills. A few people may be able to find work in the gig economy. Gardening, cleaning windows, cleaning gutters. You will need to have insurance and maybe a police clearance. Get government information www.employment. gov.au/growing/i-want-start-myown-business. If you want to set up your own small business find out what free help you can get from the Small Business Development Corporation.
DEFENCE FORCE – GAP YEAR
2021 is not the time to be planning a gap year where you travel overseas. You could try the Defence Gap Year. It provides paid work and you get to try a range of different jobs.
MENTAL HEALTH
If you are anxious, go to experts who have helped thousands of people in stress. • Headspace • Lifeline • Beyond Blue
IN FOCUS CAREERS
In Focus Careers is a network of Western Australian teachers and career experts who work together to provide information about career opportunities for school students, their families and schools. It aims to build the capacity of students to create meaningful education or employment pathways from school. Check out the website at www.infocus-careers.com.au For a complimentary copy of the In Focus Careers newsletter email Bev.J@infocus-careers.com.au 37
NON - FICTION THE NOBLE RECREATION
DOUGLAS SUTHERLAND-BRUCE “The Golden Age, when every cabinet minister had a thriller by his bedside and all detectives were titled” - Peter Schaffer.
THE GOLDEN AGE
and became a voracious reader. Fred died in 1901 from pneumonia and chronic kidney 1920 - 1945 disease. Christie later said that her father’s death, occurring f all the Golden Age mystery writers, none is more auriferious when she was eleven years old, marked the end of her childhood. In 1905, her mother sent her to Paris, where she was than the sainted Dame Agatha Christie. Rightly touted as educated in a series of boarding schools, focusing on voice ‘The Queen of Crime’, she revolutionised the genre, setting a training and piano playing. standard of puzzle and writing still widely read, admired and In 1912 she became engaged to Colonel Archibald ‘Archie’ emulated to this day. Christie of the Royal Flying Corps and they were married just after the start of the First World War. She was too busy during the war to write, working in the dispensary at the local Voluntary Aid Detachment, but she made plans for a detective story. Mrs Christie had read many of the works in the field and she believed that they were an excellent means of distraction from worry. Most of her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was written at odd intervals while at work and finished on a holiday on Dartmoor. The manuscript was rejected by several publishers before being accepted. She was paid sixty pounds for the copyright, little enough, but sufficient to encourage her to continue. Christie, meanwhile, settled into married life, giving birth to her only child, Rosalind, in August 1919. Archie left the Air Force at the end of the war and started working in the City financial sector. Christie’s mother died in April 1926. They had been exceptionally close, and the loss sent Christie into a deep depression. In August 1926, Archie asked Christie for a divorce. He had fallen in love with someone else. Late that evening, Christie disappeared from her home. The following morning, her Morris Cowley car was discovered at Newlands Corner, perched above a chalk quarry with an expired driving license and clothes. The Dame Agatha Christie as a young woman disappearance quickly became a major news story. Home secretary William DAME AGATHA CHRISTIE (1890 - 1976) Joynson-Hicks pressured Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller Christie, police, and a newspaper Lady Mallowan, was born in 1890 in Torquay to offered a £100 reward Frederick Alvah ‘Fred’ Miller, “a gentleman of (approximately $12,000 substance”, and his wife Clarissa. in today’s money). Over a Because her siblings were so much older and thousand police officers, there were few children in their neighbourhood, 15,000 volunteers, and several young Christie spent much of her time playing aeroplanes scoured the rural alone with her pets and imaginary companions. landscape. She eventually made friends with other girls in Despite the extensive Torquay, noting that “one of the highlights of my manhunt, she was not found existence” was her appearance with them in a for another ten days when youth production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The she was located at the Yeomen of the Guard, in which she played the Swan Hydropathic Hotel hero, Colonel Fairfax. in Harrogate, Yorkshire, Clara believed that Agatha should not learn registered as Mrs Tressa Neele to read until she was eight; however, thanks to her (the surname of her husband’s Agatha in the VAD during WW 1 own curiosity, Christie was reading by age four
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all West End theatres ceased performances due to the corona virus pandemic. In 1953, she followed this triumph with other critical and popular successes, Witness for the Prosecution and Spider’s Web, as well as various adaptations of the novels. Christie said that, “Plays are much easier to write than books, because you can see them in your mind’s eye, you are not hampered by all that description which clogs you so terribly in a book and stops you from getting on with what’s happening.” ~oOo~ Dame Agatha’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, appears first in her first published novel - The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920 - which concerns the investigation of the murder of a rich, elderly, lady in a country house and is, arguably, one of the best first mystery novels ever written. In this novel Poirot is presented as a fully rounded, threedimensional character, far from the cipher-like caricature he later became. The Styles Poirot is a Belgian police officer, forced to flee from his homeland in 1914. He had served as a policeman with distinction and honour before retiring some ten years previously. You will notice here Dame Agatha’s nice touch and fine cunning in making him Belgian - had he been French he would have been a comical ‘foreigner’, but Belgians were comrades in arms and citizens of ‘brave little Belgium’ worthy of admiration. Some other points to consider are that Dame Agatha used Sherlock Holmes as the template for what her detective should not be. Holmes was epitomely English, even aggressively English, Poirot is Belgian. Holmes is tall, hawk-faced and rude. Poirot is short, has a head like an egg and is exceedingly polite. Holmes is clean-shaven, smokes a pipe and is excessively
lover). Christie’s autobiography makes no reference to the disappearance. She divorced Colonel Christie in 1928 and sought relaxation in travel. In 1930 she visited the excavations at Ur where she met Max (later Sir Max) Mallowan, assistant to the famous archaeologist Sir Leonard Wolley. They were married in September of that year. She subsequently accompanied him on many digs since she found the desert conducive to writing as there were so few distractions. The archaeological background of digs and excavations forms the background to many of her detective stories and also to her one attempt at historical fiction (although this is also a mystery). During the Second World War, Christie worked in the pharmacy at University College Hospital, London, where she updated her knowledge of poisons. A later novel, The Pale Horse, was based on a suggestion from the chief pharmacist employing the toxin thallium, which has very specific symptoms. In 1977, a serial poisoner, Graham Young (the Teacup Poisoner), was suspected and eventually convicted by someone who identified the symptoms based on Christie’s descriptions. In addition to novels Dame Agatha wrote extensively for the stage. In the 1950s, She next adapted her own short radio play into The Mousetrap, which premiered in the West End in 1952, produced by Peter Saunders. Her own expectations for the play were not high; she believed it would run no more than eight months. It has by far the longest initial run of any play in history, with its 25,000th performance taking place on 18 November 2012 The play closed in March 2020, sixty-eight years later when
The Agatha Christie Memorial in central London 39
active when on a case, perfectly happy charms and admiration for her status to camp out on the Great Grimpen Mire as a member of the ancien régime of should a case demand it. Poirot sports Imperial Russia, questionable though an impressive moustache, smokes fancy her claims might be. cigarettes and is perfectly happy for Dame Agatha’s other detective is Captain Hastings, his Watson, to camp Miss Jane Marple of St Mary Mead. Jane out should the occasion arise, while Marple is based, on her own admission, himself preferring solid comfort and on Agatha’s paternal grandmother, Mrs three meals a day. Miller. The main quality which Miss After the Great War Poirot remains Marple and Mrs Miller share is, as Dame in England, setting up shop as a private Agatha noted in her autobiography, a detective, aided by his old friend fatalistic outlook: ‘Although a cheerful Captain Hastings, with whom he shares person, she always expected the worst a home. His many wants are lovingly of everyone and everything and was, tended by his manservant Georges (a far with almost frightening accuracy, cry from either Jeeves or Bunter) and usually proved right.’ the incredibly efficient Miss Lemon as We can see the proto-type of Jane secretary. Marple in Caroline Shepherd, Dr After Hastings’ marriage and Shepherd’s sister in The Murder of subsequent move to the Argentine Roger Ackroyd (1926). She is described some time in the 1930s, Poirot moves as ‘An acidulated spinster, full of to Whitehaven Mansions a ‘modern’ curiosity, knowing everything, hearing (one assumes the height of Art Deco) everything: the complete detective block of serviced flats whose geometric service in the home.’ Eugene Valmont appearance and proportions indulge his Miss Marple is tall and thin with mild, passion for ‘order and method’. China-blue eyes. She once wore a lace Monsieur Poirot is short - only five foot four inches, but his fishu and gloves, and during much of her detective work uses ego is enormous. His egg-shaped head is slightly tilted to the binoculars. Not noted for her admirable character she is much left, in bird-like enquiry. His hair seems suspiciously dark for one inclined to gossip, but mellowed with time into a grand-motherly his age and when excited, his eyes look green. English gentlewoman. His pride and joy is his luxuriant moustache, waxed and Born in the village of St Mary Mead, she still resides there in twirled into points at the ends. He wears slightly too small, tight, a small house. She is about eighty and in recent years has grown patent leather shoes and has carried a cane for many years frail. Unable to do much gardening or to go for long walks, she because of a leg injury received during the War. still enjoys knitting. He smokes fancy cigarettes and is an immaculate dresser. She lives on a small fixed income that is generously His use of the English language is ostensibly lacking, but one augmented by one of her nephews, the best-selling novelist can’t be sure how much this is put on to encourage underRaymond West. estimation. In the later works Miss Marple’s character has been probed Certainly in the early books his speech is scattered with in depth by Dame Agatha and the reader can see that she is French phrases, fortunately seldom higher than Secondary attempting to keep up with the times but that she deplores the School level so that the reader is seldom left in doubt of the disappearance of a more gentle and genteel era. meaning. (One compares this to Lord Peter Whimsey, who quotes Miss Marple is a shrewd student of human nature and her both Latin and Greek without explanation or translation). keen intelligence, undimmed by the years aided by her ability Although Poirot seems to be on the face of it a comic figure, to see the world writ large in small things. She draws analogies and a variation on a theme of Robert Barr’s creation of Eugene from the small local events ‘Tommy and the frog’ or ‘Yes, there Valmont (1906), although there is absolutely no evidence to suggest Dame Agatha knew or had read The Triumphs of Eugene Valmont. Robert Barr was a Canadian author who specialised in comic crime, publishing two Holmes parodies - The Adventures of Sherlaw Kombs (1892), and The Adventure of the Second Swag (1904) among a large output before his death in 1912. Poirot’s reasoning is immense and he boasts of his ‘little grey cells’, nevertheless he has been known to make the occasional mistake, often corrected before the end of the book. His energy and supreme belief in his own ability oblige him to state that he is the only detective in the world who could possibly solve his cases. Although there is little love interest in any of the Poirot stories (apart from Captain Hastings and Bella) there is an intriguing relationship between Poirot and a certain ‘Countess’ Vera Rossakoff. Poirot’s unstinting admiration for the redoubtable Countess Some film and TV Poirots - Finney, Malkovich, Suchet, Molina, Branagh seems in equal measure based on her own, perfumed, 40
For many readers the definitive TV Miss Marple - Joan Hickson
have abandoned him after the first three or four books”. Mrs Oliver appears in the Poirot books and also the stories about Mr Parker Pyne. Strictly speaking, Mrs Oliver is not a detective, guided as she is exclusively by woman’s intuition, but she’s a lovely character. Tommy and Tuppence Beresford are detectives, of a sort, but there mercifully few appearances are so deeply steeped in 1930’s archness and facetiousness that they are barely readable these days. For all the dated attitudes of the books, the one thing that shines through and clear is Dame Agatha’s marvelous skill at plotting and misdirection. More than one reader had picked up a Christie, not recalling who the murderer is, or why, but remembering who they guessed the first time - guessing again, and getting it wrong again. ~oOo~
was the baker’s daughter beau’ and her current mysterious puzzle. Together these account for her unfailing success. DOROTHY LEIGH SAYERS (1893 - 1957) In addition to these two, Dame Agatha created Ariadne December 1957 The future creator of Lord Peter Death Oliver, a celebrated detective novelist and the creator of Bredon Wimsey was born at Christchurch Cathedral in Finnish detective, Sven Hjerson. Ariadne Oliver Choir School in Oxford, the only child of the headmaster. is certainly an affectionate Aggressively intellectual, she learned Latin at self-caricature of Agatha seven and fluent French from her governess. She was a Christie by Agatha brilliant scholar at Somerville, her college at Oxford, Christie. The two share where she took top honours in Medieval Literature and many traits - apples for received her degree in 1915; one of the very first women example. Dame Agatha to do so. retired to a nice hot Her literary output is sharply divided bath with a bag of apples between her detective stories and mystic, religious whenever writers’ block literature and her brilliant translation of Dante’s struck, and Ariadne drips Divine Comedy, a work she herself considered her apples whenever we meet masterpiece. her. She first worked for England’s largest Both also seem to have advertising agency, S. H. Benson, in London from taken against their foreign 1922 to 1931 as a copywriter. Sayers was quite born detectives. successful as an advertiser. Her collaboration with ‘How do I know why I ever artist John Gilroy resulted in “The Mustard Club” thought of the revolting man? for Colman’s Mustard and the Guinness “Zoo” I must have been mad! Why a advertisements, variations of which still appear Finn when I know nothing about today. Finland? Why a vegetarian? Why One famous example was the Toucan, his bill all the idiotic mannerisms he’s arching under a glass of Guinness, with Sayers’s got? These things just happen. You try something—and people seem to like it, and then you go on—and before you know it, you’ve got someone like that maddening Sven Hjerson tied to you for life. And people even write and say how fond you must be of him. Fond? If I ever met that bony gangling vegetable eating Finn in real life, I’d do a better murder than any I’ve ever invented.’ This is Mrs Oliver on Sven, but it absolutely could have been Dame Agatha on Poirot. She said in her autobiography: Hercule Poirot, my Belgian invention, was hanging round my neck, firmly attached as the old The queens of crime - Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh & Dorothy L Sayers man of the sea…I ought to 41
jingle: If he can say as you can Guinness is good for you How grand to be a Toucan Just think what Toucan do Sayers is also credited with coining the slogan “It pays to advertise!” The very first Wimsey book was Whose Body?, published in 1923 and in 1947 she announced she would write no more detective stories. Annoyed by interviewers who asked why she once tartly replied: ‘I wrote the Peter Wimsey books when I was young and I had no money. I made some money, and then stopped writing novels and began to write what I had always wanted to write.’ The last decade of her life was spent with her translation of Dante and lecturing on religion, philosophy and Medieval literature. She died in 1957. Her biography Such a Strange Lady (1975) by Janet Hitchman is an absorbing and fascinating depiction of the woman and her craft. As an author of detective fiction over the twenty-four years she was active it is difficult not to feel deep respect for Sayers in her professional craftsmanship and the careful working that goes into the, sometimes brilliant, plots. Her plots are laid out
with care, the details she produces about a means to murder are often original and always carefully researched. She took great care to ensure that the details were right or at least did her best to make sure, not always with complete success. The air embolism she employs in Unnatural Death has been criticised both for the site of the injection and as a method of murder it is by no means certain. In her defense it was widely believed at the time as a means of murder and has been used since, even as recently as 1915 by James L Murray in Lethal Medicine. Having said that, it was a method used by Belgian serial killer Ivo Poppe, who killed some twenty people over twenty years using both air embolism and injections of Valium. The criticism of Mrs Sayers rests largely on what her supporters and admirers would cite as her strong points - her style of writing and her choice of detective. Lord Peter Wimsey, second son of the Duke of Denver appears to be on the face of it a combination of Bertie Wooster and Sir Percy Blakeney. His conversation is forced and facetious: ‘Why ask, dear old thing? Always a pleasure to assist a fellow sleuth, don’t you know. Trackin’ down murderers - all in the same way of business and all that. All finished? Good egg.’ This is fairly typical of his speech in the early books, and while reminiscent of PG Wodehouse definitely lacks Plum’s light touch. To be fair, his manner is explained in later books and can be forgiven as a result of his experiences during the First World War. It also moderates in time. However, one particularly irritating aspect of the noble lord is that he is claimed to have a profound knowledge of history, incunabulae, antique music, gastronomy - but this knowledge is more claimed than demonstrated. And when demonstration is attempted it sometimes misses. When Wimsey tells Inspector Parker that he should ask Bunter ‘to give you a bottle of the Chateau Yquem - it’s rather decent.’ he does so in apparent ignorance of the fact that this very sweet white wine is not suitable for an all-purpose tipple. When Sayers created Wimsey decided that if you’re going to have an upper-class ‘tec, you may as well go the whole hog, she made Wimsey the younger son of Mortimer Gerald Bredon Wimsey, fifteenth duke of Denver, and younger brother of Gerald, sixteenth duke. As the second son, his title is purely a courtesy one, exactly in the same sense that Lord Randolph Churchill was the younger son of the Duke of Marlborough. Peter Wimsey was born in 1890, educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford where he read modern history and took a first class degree. Immensely wealthy his fortune is self-made, inheriting very little from the Denver estates. As a explanation for Winsey’s irritating facetiousness we are told that he was about to wed a girl called Barbara on the eve of his First World War service, but postponed the wedding because he felt that it would be unfair to any wife to return maimed. He served on the Western Front from 1914 to 1918, reaching the rank of Major in the Rifle Brigade. He was appointed an Intelligence Officer, and on one occasion he infiltrated the staff room of a German officer. For reasons never clarified, after the end of his spy mission, Wimsey in the later part of the war moved from Intelligence and resumed the role of a regular line officer. He was a conscientious and effective commanding officer, popular with the men under his command—an affection still retained by Wimsey’s former soldiers many years after the war, earning himself the Distinguished Service Order in the process. He learns that the woman he loved has married another
Bronze statue of Dorothy L. Sayers, by John Doubleday. Located on Newland Street, Witham, England. It is opposite her home in Witham. 42
and Wimsey attempts to relieve his disappointment by reckless bravery in combat. In 1918, Major Wimsey is wounded by artillery fire near Caudry in France. He suffers a breakdown due to shell shock and is eventually sent home. After the war he was ill for many months, recovering at the family’s ancestral home in Duke’s Denver, nursed by his erstwhile batman and now valet, Mervyn Bunter. Throughout the books, Bunter takes care to address Wimsey as “My Lord”. Nevertheless, he is a friend as well as a servant, and Wimsey again and again expresses amazement at Bunter’s high efficiency and competence in virtually every sphere of life. Lord Peter pursues a variety of interests, history, rare books, music, but principally criminology. Pursuing this hobby soon makes him the leading amateur detective in London, residing at 110A Piccadilly, W1. Sayers’ first detective novel in which we are introduced to the titled ‘tec is Whose Body? (1923) The prudish times wouldn’t permit the reasoning be shown as to how lord Peter could instantly identify the dead body wearing only gold pince-nez as that of a Jewish man - circumcision then being religion-based as well as not spoken of in polite society. Wimsey’s family play a large part in his investigations, quite apart from their prominent appearance in Clouds of Witness, with the duke as murder suspect and accused, Lady Mary (Peter’s younger sister) an unwilling participant and the Dowager Duchess on the sidelines. Ms Sayers has drawn a great deal of criticism about her apparent hypocrisy on the topic of romance in detective fiction. The basis of the accusation is an article she wrote in 1928 called The Omnibus of Crime in which she said, inter alia: ‘ ... the less love in a detective-story the better. L’amuor au theatre, says Racine, ne peut pas etre en seconde place, [Love at the theatre can’t be second] and this holds good of detective fiction. A casual and perfunctory love-story is worse than no love story at all, and, since the mystery must, by hypothesis, take the first place, the love is better left out.’ However, this is a selective quote and usually quoted out of context - the important bit comes rather earlier in the article: ‘The instances in which the love-story is an integral part of the plot are extremely rare. One very beautiful example occurs in The Moonstone. Here the entire plot hangs on the love of two women for Franklin Blake. ... Their conduct is, in both cases,
completely natural and right, and the characters are so finely conceived as to be entirely convincing. E.C. Bentley, in Trent’s Last Case, has dealt finely with the still harder problem of the detective in love. ‘Trent’s love for Mrs. Manderson is a legitimate part of the plot; while it does not prevent him from drawing the proper conclusion from the evidence before him, it does prevent him from acting upon his conclusions, and so prepares the way for the real explanation. Incidentally, the love story is handled artistically and with persuasive emotion.’ So, providing it is well within character-driven impetus of the novel love interest is permissible - and certainly the Wimsey/ Vane affair is well conceived and written. It is not without note that Miss Vane is a successful detective story writer in a literary sort of line who says: ‘I know what you’re thinking-that anybody with proper sensitive feeling would rather scrub floors for a living. But I should scrub floors very badly, and I write detective stories rather well. I don’t why proper feeling should prevent me from doing my proper job.’ (Gaudy Night) However in Strong Poison (1930) Wimsey meets and falls in love with Harriet Vane and spends the next five novels pursuing her before getting her to accept him in Gaudy Night (1935). The next novel Busman’s Honeymoon is frankly described as ‘a love story, with detective interruptions’. Originally written as a stage play it was the last full-length Wimsey novel. It has been postulated that Miss Sayers chose to set the plot line in this way because it is suggested she herself was in love with the original of Peter Wimsey, possibly identified as author, teacher and traveller Eric George Whelpton, an Oxford friend for whom Sayers had worked as a secretary. She did begin a new novel in 1936, based about the Wimseys’ married life set against the background of the Edward VIII/Mrs Simpson scandal. But this took a nastily sensational turn and she shelved the manuscript. When she died the manuscript of some six chapters, notes and typewritten draft passed into the hands of her literary executors and was eventually given to Medieval scholar and detective writer Jill Paton Walsh (the Imogen Quy series) to complete. Which she did, rather well, and it was published in 1998 as Thrones, Dominations. Three further continuations followed - A Presumption of Death, The Attenbury Emeralds and The Late Scholar (2013). Next month - More Queens of Crime ...’
Three Wimseys: Edward Petherbridge, a line illustration and Ian Carmichael 43
NON - FICTION THE LURE OF THE LOCKED ROOM JAMES FORTE
H
omo Sapiens is usually translated as ‘Wise’ or ‘Thinking Man’, people prefer Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey] As an aside, she also wrote a whodunnit suspense play but it might also be given as ‘Puzzle-solving Man’. Certainly, most animals are capable of solving quite complex problems and called The Mousetrap which holds the record as the longest continuously running theatrical production – in London’s West learning from the experience – particularly if it involves getting End from 1952 until this year when Covid-19 caused its temporary food. closure. (To my everlasting shame, after a particularly busy day I But we spend considerable time solving problems for FUN. slept through most of the performance. I may be the only person From crosswords to Sudoku, from Rubik’s cube to interlocking in the world who knows who did it, but doesn’t know what was bits of wood or wire, from chess problems to mazes, none have much relationship to gaining our daily bread. We do them for that done!) It has been suggested that Dame Agatha wrote her stories magical Aha! moment when we achieve the solution. so that any one of the suspects could have done it and then either And if we do not find the solution - there is that almost-asselected the least likely or rolled the dice to see who it was. I do good feeling, in admitting that the puzzle setter has produced not think this is true – but it sometimes seems like it, when I reach something truly cunning and innovative. The surprise is akin to that moment when Hercule Poirot has assembled everyone in the magician pulling a live rabbit out of an empty top hat. the library. I put the book aside and survey my pages of notes It is exceedingly doubtful if any real-life murderer has ever and diagrams and throw up my hands in mystification. She was hidden a glass dagger in a carafe of water. I have not bothered without peer in the creation of red herrings (distracting false to check whether it is truly invisible. I just want to applaud the clues). imagination which came up with the idea. However, this article is not about whodunnits. Throughout the history of literature, there has always It is about a smaller class of crime puzzles known as been a popular section about crime. There is the thrill of the Howdunnits. ‘Impossible crimes’ or ‘Locked room mysteries’ are chase as the policeman hunts down the criminal. There is the the names generally given to this group. reinforcement of a code of morality as we see the evil one being And just as Agatha Christie dominates the whodunnits, caught and punished. As evidence, check the proportions of so John Dickson Carr is the most eminent with the howdunnits novels (and TV dramas) devoted to crime thrillers. – both in quality and quantity. He was prolific, writing eighty Sooner or later, the leap would have been made from a novels and many plays – almost all containing impossible simple narrative – the police procedural – to putting the reader in the place of the detective. Can you identify the killer or has the mysteries. Overwhelmingly, critics vote his The Hollow Man (published criminal been too clever? It becomes a puzzle. in America as The Three Coffins) Although there are other as the supreme example of the claimants, it is generally accepted genre – it has multiple locked room that the first crime-puzzle story that murders. contained all the necessary features Carr (who also wrote under was Edgar Allan Poe’s The Murders in the pen-name Carter Dickson) was the Rue Morgue in 1841. The concept born in America but lived much of gained the public’s attention his life in Britain and wrote in a very (particularly when followed by the English style. Sherlock Holmes stories) and it Of his most famous reached its pinnacle of popularity in detectives, Dr Gideon Fell, Sir the golden-era of detective stories in Henry Merrivale and Colonel March the 1920s and 30s with authors like are English and Henri Bencolin is Carr and Christie. French. He was a master of pushing These stories come in several implausibility to just short of the flavours. absurd. But - he kept meticulously Best known is the Whodunnit. to the rules of fair play. His Agatha Christie is overwhelmingly biography (by Douglas Greene) is the most famous author of entitled: The Man Who Explained whodunnits. In over eighty books Miracles. she presents a crime and a number Howdunnits are generally of suspects - providing details of a level more challenging than motive, opportunity and alibi for whodunnits because we not only the crime and then revealing the have to work out the identity of solution in the final chapter. the criminal but also the method Her stories are addictive. Over – which appears to be absolutely two billion of her books have been impossible. sold – which makes her the biggest Such howdunnit mysteries selling author in history. Her The may be divided into four groups: Murder of Roger Ackroyd is widely First is the ‘Closed Circle’ considered the best crime novel the first locked room mystery, The Murders books. Here we have a limited ever. [Ed: Not quite everyone - some Probably in the Rue Morgue by Edgar A Poe 44
number of suspects in some form of constrained environment (a manor house cut off by a blizzard is popular). But something impossible has happened. The best-known example is Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, also published under several other titles including Ten Little Indians. Ten people are marooned on a small island which has been thoroughly searched – there is no one else there. One by one they are murdered. Who killed the last one? Second is the purest form of the genre – the ‘Locked Room’. Within a sealed environment, a crime (usually murder) is committed, although it is impossible for the killer to have entered or exited. Apart from having all the doors and windows locked and bolted from the inside, there may be dust or mud or snow, which would have revealed any footprints. The doors may also be under constant observation by reliable witnesses such as the police. To top it all, the murder weapon has usually disappeared too. The previously mentioned novel by John Dickson Carr, The Hollow Man belongs in this group. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote another notable example with Sherlock Holmes in The Speckled Band. Third, we can group together those ‘Impossible Crimes’ which do not involve a sealed room. If other stories are concerned with the ‘who’ and ‘how’, these may also include the ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘why’. Often they feature something vanishing: a body - or something much bigger. In Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Story of the Lost Special, a complete railway train disappears. This inspired a number of other authors to try and explain the disappearance of a train. Ellery Queen did it in A Snowball in July. I had a go with The Engine that Vanished (see Swan Magazine Volume 35 No 1 of July 2018), offering a different solution. Fourth is the ‘Perfect Crime’. In popular parlance, this simply means a crime for which the villain was never caught (or at least never punished). From real life, we have the case of identical twins. The DNA evidence shows that one of them is guilty. But because there is no way of determining which one, neither can be brought to trial. I prefer a more rigorous definition of a perfect crime: one that is impossible to detect because no one even knows that a crime has been committed. Thus, it is never reported to the police. It might be the theft of some item that the owner never knew he or she possessed. It might be a murder where everyone (perhaps even the victim) believed it was an accident or a natural death. With the latter,
poison would be a possible weapon. Novels featuring a perfect crime are rare. Obviously, it is difficult for an author to write such a story since there is nothing for the detective to investigate. But it has been done! There is also a sub-class of the above: the ‘Pre-announced Crime’. Someone states that at a given time and place, a person will be killed. The murderer and the victim are both under close guard when, impossibly, the event happens – right on time. Ellery Queen’s The King is Dead is a brilliant example. Agatha Christie also did it with A Murder is Announced and The Dream. In practically all these stories, there are easier and more reliable ways for the crime to have been carried out. That is not the point. The story is written as a puzzle – that is, as an entertainment rather than a thriller. It may be improbable or even implausible, but there will be a possible (and rational) explanation. For example, one of my favourites is from David Renwick’s Jonathan Creek TV series. The leading lady has taken delivery of a new wooden wardrobe and recruits a boyfriend to help her shift it up the stairs to her apartment. They open it to ensure it is empty and to remove any shelves – making it as light as possible. After much pushing and shoving they get it to the top. The door comes open and the body of a woman falls out. She has just been killed by a blow to the back of the head. Needless to say, there is no murderer nor any sort of blunt object to be found in the wardrobe. And, yes, there is an acceptable explanation! As another aside, I should mention the other popular TV series featuring impossible murders – Death in Paradise. Try as I might, I cannot raise any enthusiasm for this program - which is now in its ninth series. The writing is formulaic, the characters are shallow and the solutions are rarely deduced but are the result of some intuition sparked by some fortunate coincidental comment to the detective. I guess it has introduced many people to howdunnits, so it deserves some credit. Which leads me to a discussion of solutions. In the interests of fair play, there are rules and conventions which should be followed – by both the writer and the reader. It is not acceptable to solve a Rubik’s cube by taking it apart and reassembling it in the original state. The author must ensure that: • the solution is possible (even though it may be highly improbable); • there are sufficient clues to deduce who is lying; • there are sufficient clues to deduce the solution; • all red herrings and subplots explaining odd behaviour are accounted for; • the solution is the only explanation possible; • there are no holes in the plot, particularly as to the motivation of the characters. In addition: • the criminal should be a significant character introduced early in the narrative; • the explanation may not be supernatural – it must be rational; 45
• any as yet unproven scientific and was stabbed at that time. concepts (for example time-travel) are Authors love to play around with banned; timing devices (clocks, answering • the detective may not have a machines, recorders, radio or TV lucky intuition and guess the solution; programmes, church bells, train • the explanation must not rely timetables, rate of cooling of body) in on undisclosed information. order to disguise the time of the crime. The acid test is that (should he People are not always who they say or she wish to), the solver may reread they are. How confident are you about the story and tick off the above points each suspect’s identity? Could someone as being met. The clues may be well have been impersonating someone else hidden and much deduction may be – maybe the victim, who was already required but the information is there. dead? The author should also indicate A search of the Web will reveal an anagnorisis (the change from catalogues of methods for deceiving ignorance to knowledge). This is the the reader. See, for example, the list point in the narrative where we are by Robert Adey of twenty devious told that the detective has solved it. methods. Most famously (notoriously?), It is a direction to the reader to close Chapter 17 of Carr’s The Hollow Man the book and try to solve the mystery has the detective, Dr Gideon Fell, at - because he or she has now been his Chestertonian best giving a lecture provided with all the clues. on how to solve an impossible crime. It is usually indicated by the Beware! Such assistance is usually a detective telling someone “Aha! Now red herring - to draw the reader into John Dickson Carr (1906-1977) I know. The murderer has been most searching for solutions in the wrong ingenious. Gather all the suspects in place. the library!” The author is like a conjuror in using distractions and For the purist, there are also conventions which should double bluffs. If a character says “There can only be one be observed. For example, there should be, at most, one solution”, the reader can be fairly certain that there is more than coincidence allowed – and that at the start of the story. Stunning one and that the correct one is not the most obvious. coincidences later on - which give the villain away - are The above advice is particularly true for the pre-war unacceptable. Also the modern story should avoid the clichés of golden-age of crime fiction. Since the 1970s, authors have had a century ago. No secret passages, no undetectable poisons, no to contend with a new environment. Forensic methods can identical twins - unless explicitly mentioned at the start. establish the time of death much more accurately. DNA analysis All these rules are not nearly as restrictive as one may leads to reliable identification. CCTV shows who was where, suppose. And almost all of them have been broken at some time. when. Computers search through large databases for subtle Once there was a strong sense that the crime could not be carried patterns of behaviour. Mobile phones have revolutionised out by the detective. That guideline is long gone. Even Hercule communication. Poirot… [Ed: See also George Baxt’s A Queer Kind of Death] One would think these innovations have overly constrained So what is it that makes a great howdunnit? The quality of the puzzle setter. Not a bit of it! Authors have taken full a locked room story depends on the sheer impossibility of the advantage of these ideas to devise even more intricate ways of events. Fortunately the ingenuity of writers is unbounded. I fooling the reader. How about blackmailing the pathologist into am amazed at the incredible number of methods there are for swapping the DNA samples? locking and bolting a room from the outside after the killer has Finally, Edward De Bono gives excellent advice on problem departed! solving. He talks about questioning assumptions (Thinking Here are some observations on the levels of difficulty of outside the box), Lateral Thinking and the use of Multi-valued these tales. logic – that is, evaluating statements as ‘true’, ‘false’ or ‘possible’. First, the difficulty is generally proportional to the number So – how many howdunnits have you solved? And what of people who are lying. Second, there may be innocent people hiding information for their own ends. Third, the victim may be involved in the commission of the crime. He or she may be playing a prank or doing something stupid - giving an opportunity to the criminal. Fourth, there may be multiple criminals working independently. Fifth, the narrator of the story may be unreliable. So let’s look at some approaches to solving howdunnits. There are a number of techniques worth trying. Pay particular attention to whoever breaks down the door into a locked room. Even if it’s a policeman. Was it really locked? As the first in, he may have had the opportunity to change things – such as replacing a key in a lock. Perhaps the victim was only unconscious 46
And here are ten collections of Locked-room short stories: All but Impossible – edited by Edward Hoch Locked Room Murders - edited by Robert Adey Death Locked In - edited by Douglas Greene & Robert Adey Mammoth Book of Perfect Crimes & Impossible Mysteries edited by Mike Ashley Locked Room Puzzles - edited by Martin Greenberg & Bill Pronzini Tantalizing Locked Room Mysteries - edited by Isaac Asimov, Waugh and Greenberg The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler Diagnosis Impossible by Edward Hoch Merrivale, March and Murder by John Dickson Carr The Thinking Machine by Jacques Futrelle In conclusion, the locked-room story should be evaluated by the degree to which the reader is adamant - there is absolutely no means by which the crime could have been committed - and then smiles in agreement when the solution is revealed. The solution may be extremely implausible, but “That when the impossible has been eliminated the residuum, however improbable, must contain the truth.” Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) ~The End~
Sherlock Holmes in The Speckled Band (Illustration by Sydney Paget)
should you read next? Searching the Web will provide long lists of locked room books. I am particularly fond of collections of short stories (one gets more impossible crimes per hundred pages that way). In the 1950s, howdunnit stories lost a little of the popularity but are now making a strong come-back. They are also particularly popular in France (see Paul Halter’s The Night of the Wolf) and Japan (try Soji Shimada’s The Tokyo Zodiac Murders). Here are three of my personal favourite short stories: The Silver Curtain by John Dickson Carr. Late one rainy night a man is being closely followed in an otherwise deserted street. He stops underneath a street lamp and collapses. When the followers catch up, they find he has been stabbed in the back. The Day the Children Vanished by Hugh Pentecost. A school bus is reliably witnessed entering a stretch of highway with no possible exits. Parents are waiting at the other end. It never arrives. The Problem of the Covered Bridge by Edward Hoch. A horse and buggy is travelling through the snow and into a covered bridge over a river. There are no tracks coming out the other side and the bridge is empty. Many hours later and miles away, it is found with the driver dead. Apart from the books already mentioned, you might like to try these ten outstanding novels: The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux Nine times Nine by Anthony Boucher (writing as H H Holmes) The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen Death from a Top Hat by Clayton Rawson The Crooked Hinge by John Dickson Carr Rim of the Pit by Hake Talbot The Case of the Constant Suicides by John Dickson Carr Suddenly at his Residence by Christianna Brand The above are mainly from the golden age of the 1920s and 1930s, more recently: The Vanished Man by Jeffery Deaver
Editor: James Forte is a critic, an awardwinning playwright and prize-winning short story writer with a particular passion for the ‘locked room’ mystery. His series centering on the indigent, cake-greedy, Celine Davies have been published in the Swan Magazine, where they have attracted wide admiration. Forte lives in Nedlands with his wife Jean, a birdwatcher.
A locked room mystery from Chatterbox magazine 1926 (Illustration by HJ Ford) 47
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THE IDLER The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Mind
both “the best and worst in people”, as witness with the toilet paper fiasco. 4. Awareness of personal hygiene and public cleanliness Personal and public health were top issues reported across both samples. Respondents were thankful to improve their own personal health strategies e.g. hand washing. They also appreciated becoming more aware of public health issues such as the need to wipe down shopping trollies.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM COVID-19
5. Living with less With only essential retail outlets being open, respondents learnt that they could live with less. Confronted with empty shelves, they had no choice.
GLENNYS MARSDON 6.
T
urns out Covid-19, the bug that crashed uninvited into our lives and refused to leave until we’d learnt our lesson, has actually taught us a thing or two. As we move forwards into a post-Covid world, it’s important not to lose sight of these lessons. So what did you learn? Was it the same or different to what others learnt? To this end we tapped into some research conducted by Thinkfield amongst 270 West Australians. We also conducted our own qualitative research amongst 55 West Australians and undertook a survey of 120 American citizens. The West Australian research unearthed forty lessons about life and ourselves, while American respondents identified twenty lesson. The results have been published in two separate short reports. Below are ten of the lessons learnt, in no particular order. 1. The fragility of life As would be expected a frequent comment was about not taking life for granted. This included the realization that “life is short”, “fragile” and “can change in an instant”. American respondents went further taking about the “lack of control”, “uncertainty” and inability to predict the future. Consequently, there were several comments about “making the most of” and “valuing every day”. Furthermore, some respondents felt it was important to have your priorities in order. 2. The importance of family Across both geographical samples, respondents spoke about the importance of family. Several respondents talked about “reacquainting” themselves with family, which was a sad reflection of how they had drifted apart.
Natural medicine Recent years has seen an increasing focus on green medicine with family doctors reminding people to get out into nature. West Australian respondents spoke glowingly about the number of people walking around their neighbourhood, the number of families gathering in parks and the number of people on bicycles. 7. Leadership West Australian respondents spoke about the absolute delight in watching all sides of the political landscape working side by side to address the issue, with no shouting or name calling. Some felt that, aside from getting things happening in record speed, this change in attitude provided a wonderful example for the next generation. Similarly, some of the American respondents mentioned good examples of leadership but confined this to the local community level. 8. The less fortunate and the elderly Early on during the pandemic comment was made that any elderly contracting the disease would not be resuscitated. This message proved upsetting for the elderly who work tireless to make it through each day. Thankfully, the likes of Captain Sir Thomas Moore had people rethinking the value of the elderly. Having already served time defending his country, at ninety-nine years of age Captain Thomas walked over a hundred laps of his backyard using a walker, thereby raising nearly A$62 million for the NHS. Similarly, an initiative that saw some of Western Australia’s homeless citizens quarantined in five-star hotels was highly commended. Concluded on page 56...
3. Improved community spirit West Australian respondents spoke about there being a more positive community spirit. That people were more likely to smile, say hello and offers to help each other e.g. offering to pick up something for them while at the shops. One respondent mentioned “a pandemic of kindness”. Having said this, some respondents conceded that difficult times bringing out 49
SWAN VALLEY AND REGIONAL NETWORK CITY OF SWAN SENIORS SERVICES FREE LOCAL DELIVERY GRETA JASIAK
THE TRIBE – BUSINESS IN SWAN VALLEY CENTRAL
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o help out all our lovely locals whilst they are closed - The Tribe have just added free local delivery to their website, the offer is limited to postcode areas ranging between 6054-6083. Management of The Tribe hope that this small gesture can help people living through this new "normal". Visit The Tribe online at www.thetribeswanvalley.com.au/ The Tribe, in the Swan Valley, is an exciting and eclectic lifestyle store. They offer different and unique pieces from fashion and home wares to jewellery, gifts & furniture. Their focus is to provide items made or designed in Australia with emphasis on eco-friendly, sustainable products. Shipping Australia wide. AfterPay available. Support Local Business – Support a Swan Valley Business – Support Women in Business
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eniors in the City of Swan can now apply for help with essential services including grocery shopping, meals and transport to medical appointments. The services are designed to help vulnerable community members while maintaining social distancing. Seniors aged sixty-five and over, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged fifty and over are eligible. City of Swan Mayor Kevin Bailey encouraged people to get in touch if they need help. "Your health and safety is our top priority, and while we need to pause some of our usual community care programs, we’re still here to help throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. "Please contact us if you need help, even if it's not for essential services, and we can provide information or put you in touch with the right person for your needs." For general information about COVID-19 or to seek support, please call our customer service team on 9267 9267 and select option 3. To apply for essential services or to find more information visit www.swan.wa.gov.au/COVID-19
SWAN HILLS MEALS PROJECT
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LYNN GRIERSON
wan Hills MLA Jessica Shaw has welcomed the introduction of the Doorstep Dinners project in the Hills. Seniors at risk will benefit from the project, which is supported by Ms Shaw, WA’s Corrective Services and the Rise Network’s army of volunteers. Ms Shaw sought assistance from Rise Network CEO Justine Colyer who welcomed the opportunity to be a part of the project.
The Swan Hills “Doorstep Dinners” Meal Project is part of Corrective Services’s Helping Hands initiative, which has involved virtually all of the state’s prisons making an altruistic contribution to their local community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prisoners at Acacia Prison, which is part of the Helping Hands initiative, are preparing the meals in the prison’s purposebuilt training kitchen. The prisoners have an opportunity to complete a traineeship or apprenticeship in Hospitality, Kitchen Operations, Commercial Cookery, Cleaning Operations and Biological Contamination as part of their rehabilitation and reintegration pathway. Rise Network volunteers collect and distribute a range of meals from roast beef and pork belly dinners to beef stroganoff and Chicken Maryland, prepared and packaged at Acacia Prison. Swan Hills MLA Jessica Shaw: “In these challenging times, it’s great to see so many people come together to support the most vulnerable members of our community. Everyone offered their support without hesitation. Working together, we will provide much-needed assistance to our seniors. “I would like to thank the staff and inmates at Acacia prison for their commitment to supporting our local area and the Rise Network volunteers for giving their time so selflessly to distribute these meals. Initiatives like this make me so proud to serve and represent this community. It goes to show how much we can achieve when we work together.” Rise Network CEO Justine Colyer: “The best initiatives happen when different parts of the community come together. In this case, we are delighted to work with Jessica Shaw and Acacia Prison to ensure elderly people receive tasty and nutritious meals through the winter. We applaud those in the prison and our volunteer drivers who are so committed to making a contribution.”
L to R: Rise Network volunteer Angie Wallace with Swan Hills MLA Jessica Shaw and Rise Network CEO Justine Colyer collect the first meals made by Acacia Prison for vulnerable seniors in the Hills. 50
SWAN VALLEY AND REGIONAL NETWORK $1.7 MILLION BOOST FOR CITY OF SWAN
FOOD SECURITY PRUE JENKINS
2
020 and all its challenges has emphasised the importance of the agricultural sector especially in terms of food security. Recognised as an essential service, the industry continues to grow and adapt as do we here at Muresk Institute. Despite the current health crisis we have continued to operate, albeit differently. Farm operations have continued business-as-usual, and our cutting edge research and development projects are still underway with social distancing protocols and hygiene practices strictly observed. The Stud Merino Breeders’ Sire Evaluation program has entered its fifth year. We have also partnered with Murdoch University to commence livestock sensor trials which allow a real-time monitoring system to predict/model intake and behaviours on different feeds. Furthermore, we continue our feed conversion trials in partnership with the Dohne Breeders’ Association along with a range of cropping and carbon related trials. Additionally, we are proud to be the trial site for a four year desalination plant project. These projects provide our students with contemporary learnings and practices as well as exposure to valuable industry networks. Since the commencement of Term 2, our training providers have adapted their training delivery to enable students to continue their studies. In line with the COVID-19 WA roadmap and further easing of restrictions, training providers are working on the return to normal arrangements where possible in accordance with the health guidelines. The agility of our training providers has ensured student numbers have continued to be strong in all full time programs including Curtin University’s Associate Degree in Agribusiness, the Certificate III in Animal Studies delivered by Central Regional TAFE and the Diploma of Agriculture delivered by South Regional TAFE. Our team has also continued to do our bit to champion careers in agriculture through our involvement in the PRIMED project. A collaborative initiative across three government agencies with the aim of shifting the perception of the primary industries sector and increasing the number of young people pursuing employment in this area. On the farm there is currently a hive of activity as we, along with many other Wheatbelt farmers are busy seeding. It’s been an action-packed year to date! To keep up with news as it happens I invite you to like our Facebook page and visit our website. Editor: The author is the General Manager of Muresk Institute
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CHRISTIAN PORTER MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR PEARCE
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he City of Swan will be supported as part of the Federal Liberal Government’s $1.8 billion boost for road and community projects through local governments across Australia. The investment will support local jobs and businesses and boost local economies struggling under the effects of COVID-19. The package includes the establishment of a new $500 million Local Road and Community Infrastructure Program and the bringing forward of $1.3 billion of the 2020-21 Financial Assistance Grant payment. The new Program is based on the successful Roads to Recovery program and will enable local councils to deliver priority projects with a focus on upgrades and maintenance to local roads and community infrastructure. Accelerating local infrastructure projects was important for supporting jobs and the local economy in Pearce. Every single job we support makes a huge difference in our local communities, now and as we navigate out of the coronavirus pandemic. Not only will this package support jobs, construction businesses and the economy across the City of Swan, it will improve our local roads and provide for new and upgraded amenities to help communities stay connected. I will be working closely with the City of Swan to make sure projects get under way to support jobs and businesses as soon as possible.” Local road projects to be delivered under the Program include but are not limited to constructing or improving bridges and tunnels, street lighting, and heavy vehicle facilities such as rest areas. A broad range of community infrastructure projects will be eligible including new or upgraded bicycle and walking paths, community facilities, and picnic shelters and barbeque facilities at parks. Under the Financial Assistance Grant program $1,721,380 has been allocated to the City of Swan this financial year. The City of Swan Mayor Kevin Bailey has thanked the Federal Liberal Government for their support: “The City of Swan would like to thank the Federal Government for committing $1.7 million under the Local Road and Community Infrastructure Program to go towards important improvement works,” Mr Bailey said. "The generous contribution will be invested into multiple projects across the City of Swan, improving safety, amenity and connectivity for our community." Guidelines for the Program will be provided directly to local governments by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. Allocations under the Financial Assistance Grant and Local Road and Community Infrastructure programs can be found at www.investment.infrastructure.gov.au/lrci.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY IN THE SWAN VALLEY
iverBank Estate will be recruiting new casual staff in the coming weeks. They are looking at recruiting only locals in the Valley to support our community. If anyone has extensive experience in hospitality, a la carte, barista and wine knowledge, please send your resume to: manager@riverbankestate.com.au.
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COMMUNITY
REPUBLICANS FAIL TO UNDERSTAND PHILIP BENWELL
I
republicans say, but as Queen of Australia, an entity recognised by Whitlam himself in his Royal Style & Titles Act 1973. Being an active constitutional monarch is not the Queen’s personal choice but a requirement under our Australian constitutional arrangements. Of course, upon appointment, the GovernorGeneral assumes that active status as the representative of the Queen but nevertheless the Queen, as Queen of Australia, should always be informed, even as a matter of courtesy. However, let me be clear, that requirement to inform does in the way not mean interference in the political system of this country as republicans would have us believe. The Governor-General has a right to seek advice on any matter whether from the law officers of this nation or from the palace itself. However, the decision Sir John Kerr took to dismiss the government (and arrange for an immediate election) was not by use of Crown/ Reserve powers but under section 64 of the Australian Constitution which authorises a Governor-General to appoint and dismiss a government: “The Governor-General may appoint officers to administer such departments of State of the Commonwealth as the Governor-General in Council may establish. Such officers shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor-General.” The fact is, whether republicans like it or not, we have a Constitution established under the Crown and until the people decide otherwise this is our system of governance. A system that works very well and has stood the test of time against all sorts of political intransigence. Whatever the circumstances leading up to the election of December 1975, the fact is the political crisis brought on by the Senate blocking supply was resolved by a vote of the people. That is our system where the people must always be in control and the job of the Queen and her representative the Governor-General is to ensure that that is The Crown of St Edward at the State Opening of Parliament (Photograph courtesy of the House of Lords) always the case.
t really is amazing how, after thirty years of constitutional debate, republicans still do not understand the Australian system of governance with the monarch as sovereign head of state and the Prime Minister as head of government. They continue to view us as some relic of colonial days whereas we are long past British domination and are, today, a modern free and independent nation which chooses to be a constitutional monarchy under the (Australian) Crown. The access to what is called the Dismissal Papers, being mainly correspondence between the Queen and the then Governor-General has given rise to all sorts of conspiracy theories in regard to the Queen’s involvement in the dismissal. Throughout her entire reign, the Queen has always behaved as a constitutional monarch should behave. As Queen of Australia she not only has a right to be notified of what is happening within her government but a duty to be informed and to advise. She is not merely a ceremonial monarch, but an active constitutional monarch, not on behalf of the British Crown, as
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PHOTOS: Nicole
#AdoptLove
A happy ‘tail’ for Monty We recently reached out for the public to help us, help Monty and ensure his future remains bright. Monty did not have the best first year of his life. He came to SAFE Metro from Broome as a one-year old pup that had to have his rear right leg amputated and additional surgery on his rear left leg. It was at this point we reached out to you and the public forum help to support Monty on his road to recovery. This special little guy didn’t let any amount of surgery get in his way, and even when he had no mobility in his back legs he was still a happy loving little guy. Monty might have had a rough start to life but now he is living in the lap of luxury, his new family even admitted he gets massages every night! In just a month he has fallen in love with his new family and they’ve fallen equally in love with him. Monty’s disability has not slowed him down at all, he loves to chase his new sister Dori and play tug of war all day! We raised over $4000 to support Monty in his recovery. This generosity allowed us to carry out the surgeries and give Monty the life he deserves. Thank you to everyone who donated and/ or shared his story.
Saving Animals From Euthanasia Inc (SAFE) is an animal rescue organisation that has saved and rehomed more than 26,000 homeless animals since its beginnings in 2003. It has grown to be WA’s largest volunteer-based animal rehoming organisation using foster care instead of cages. SAFE has 12 branches state-wide. In 2018 it was the national winner “Outstanding Rescue Group” in the Jetpets Companion Animal Rescue Awards. SAFE is the Western Australian arm of Animal Welfare League Australia (AWLA). FOSTER CARE means animals live the lives of normal pets, with no time limits, being loved in their place of care, and socialised in the home and community. Their carers’ knowledge of how they respond to different situations means SAFE can make a great match. Would you like to help animals on their journey to a new life? To become a foster carer, the first step is to contact our SAFE Avon Valley branch on 0409 000 259 or our Perth-based branch, SAFE Metro on 0475 346 545 or 0448 893 033. VOLUNTEER: https://safe.org.au/volunteer/
54 DONATE: https://safe.org.au/donate
ADOPT: https://safe.org.au/find-a-pet/
COMMUNITY Compassionate Friends of Western Australia strives Tthathetochild’s support families who have lost a child, regardless of age throughout WA.
We are a non-profit, non-government funded charity that provide peer call support, group meetings, a drop in centre, sending out quarterly newsletters, Anniversary Cards, we hold Walk of remembrance and a candlelight service (non-religious) at Christmas. We are run by volunteers and bereaved parents that are further along in their grief and wish to help others who have suffered this tragedy. Although everybody’s grief is different it helps to talk to someone who has actually had this tragedy happen to them. They WON”T say “I know how you feel” as no one can, but they will say “I don’t know exactly what you are feeling but this is how I felt when my child died”.
We raise funds by holding events, charity drives and donation from our members and outside bodies. Although this is fantastic, we still struggle with the cost of keeping our doors open so any suggestion on fundraising or donations are gratefully accepted.
events along with peer support volunteers (bereaved parents) for telephone support and group meeting facilitation. WALK OF REMEMBRANCE HELD IN MARCH EACH YEAR Events like these above give the bereaved some hope of a life after the death of their child. They connect with others that have been through the same tragic experience. In doing so its helps them to feel that they are not alone in their grief, that there is a worldwide connection to other suffering the same. DONATIONS Donations allow us to purchase stamps so we can send our booklets and other information to the newly bereaved, community groups, doctors surgeries and hospital throughout Western Australia. They help us cover advertising cost in newspapers throughout Western Australia, pay for our office and utilities allowing us to have Peer Support Workers come in and contact to bereaved that wish to have contact.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED We are always looking for volunteers to help man Sausage Sizzles, Charity Shopping Centre Drives and other
54 Simpson Street, Ardross 6107 6257
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The Compassionate Friends of WA Inc. receives no Government funding in any way.
Concluded on page 61...
POETRY
9. Personal truth lessons Across both geographical areas, though particularly in the USA, respondents mentioned learning personal truths. These included things like: realising their level of resilience; their need for people/friends; for external motivation; the value of life beyond work; and the joy of hugging.
BIRDSONG
F
JEANETTE MINNEY
rom out my window – beauty – I see: Sun, wind, shadows, and birds in the tree. Various birds are flying around, Birdsong is such a glorious sound.
10. Technology for good not evil According to a survey undertaken by Thinkfield one in two West Australians (54%) had talked to someone via a video link up during April. In addition, one in ten (8%) had been involved in an online group meeting. Consequently, they learnt the power of technology. They also learnt how not to look bored during online meetings and the importance of camera placement, particularly during online gym sessions.
Flying down to the ground, they seek Tidbits – they hold in their beak: Up they go – back to the tree, Warily looking down on cat, dog and me. Sunshine and shadows – as the night falls, Chirping now, their night calls, Birdsong sporadically fills the air From high in the tree – without care.
And let’s not forget the big lesson that we all learnt early on. Never, ever, ever allow your toilet roll stash to dwindle below three months’ worth. So there you go. What did you learn about life or yourself? Was it the same or different? Further results have been provided in the following two PDF reports for $200 (AUS) each, plus gst. If you are interested in a copy email me at admin@glennysmarsdon.com. Shorter eBook versions will be up on Amazon shortly for around $10.
Rest well, my chirpy friends – as the branches sway You all to sleep – at the end of thee day. Your birdsong will greet the morning As we all awake – when the new day is dawning.
Covid-19: 40 Lessons Learnt about Life and Ourselves (WA edition) Covid-19: 20 Lessons Learnt about Life and Ourselves (USA edition) My heart goes out to anyone who lost a loved one to Covid-19. Having lost a partner some time ago, I cannot begin to fathom doing so during a time of isolation and limited funeral procedures. Similarly, being a freelancer and having lost many contracts overnight, I hope anyone grappling to keep a business afloat receives a lifeline. Keep well and safe everyone.
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