Melbourne Observer. December 9, 2015

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● Judy Charlton presented The Nicky McFarlane Bequest Perpetual Trophy for Best Drama Production at the Victorian Drama League Awards. She is pictured with VDL President Bruce Cochrane. The 19th year Victorian Drama League Awards were held at Merrimu Receptions Murrumbeena, with 350 attendees with 26 theatre companies in the vying for technical, acting and directing awards. Some 155 Nominations and Finalist Awards were presented, many by the VDL Patron Hannie Rayson. Winners list on Page 11. Photo: Nathan Jones THE GREA T GREAT MUSIC OF THE O ‘60s ‘30s T TO Streaming through the Web PHONE: 9572 146 6 1466

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Christmas Gift Guide

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 9

Court Roundsman

It’s All About You!

Melbourne

Compensation payable for Observer Chronic Fatigue Syndrome In This 144-Page Edition

Haigh father and sons take the chocolates ■ A Commonwealth worker’s Chronic Fatigue Syndrome illness arose out of their government employment, the AdministrativeAppeals Tribunal of Australia has ruled.

Deputy President James Constance set aside a Comcare decision that had denied compensation to the worker.

The AAT, sitting in Melbourne, said that Comcare was liable to pay compensation to the applicant in respect of an injury “being an aggravation of depression and anxiety”.

The female employee had worked for the Australian Public Service from 2002 until August last year.

The woman had grown up in country Victoria, had been a healthy child who enjoyed sports and outdoor activities, and had been an excellent student.

In 1992, the woman suffered a number of acute symptoms including mental fatigue, insomnnia, sore throat, swollen glands, sinus pain and headache.

The woman completed university studies, gaining a Degree of Bachelor ofArts in Criminal Justice.

In 2005, the woman was working for a fraud investigation team for Centrelink when she suffered anxiety and depression, “arising, in part at least, from the type of investigative work she was undertaking”.

“Her health issues caused her to take substantial, but not excessive, sick leave,” Deputy President Constance said. ● Alister, John and Simon Haigh ■ The 100th anniversary of a successful fam- derpinned Haigh's Chocolates, and in the ily business still run by the direct descendents 1950s, current chairman John Haigh, went to is something worth celebrating. work in Switzerland to learn from Swiss masIn the case of the Haigh's Australian ters. chocolate empire, they decided to mark the He came home to apply those skills to the occasion by asking culinary historian Barbara family chocolate business.

Santich to write the family chocolate making The fourth and current generation, joint history.

Managing Directors Alister and Simon Haigh, The result is a 250-page glossy, hardcover continue the family passion for producing book called Enjoyed For Generations. chocolate, and Haigh's now employs more The Haigh chocolate dynasty began in 1915, than 500 people in three states and sells online. but 20 years earlier, 19-year-old Alfred Haigh Alister Haigh is understandably proud of had a dream of creating chocolate in his fruit the milestone the company has reached. and home made sweets shop.

"One hundred years in one business is an Just 100 years earlier, at the turn of the 19th achievement, particularly for one family, so century, chocolate had been known more as a we hope our family story will appeal and endrink, much enjoyed in historical novels, but tertain," he said.

Alfred Haigh set out to change the perception Enjoyed For Generations can be bought at of chocolate from just something to drink to selected bookstores including Reader's Feast, the must-have sweet treat it is today at Haigh stores and at www.haighs By the depression years of the 1930s, chocolates.com.au Claude Haigh's horse-breeding and racing un- Julie Houghton

Love’s claim dismissed

■ Epping landholders Thomas James Love and Helen Love have lost their County Court case against the Commonwealth Bank.

Judge Kennedy heard the case related to 62.2 hectares of industrial land at O’Herns Rd worth $10.3 million.

The Loves contended that the bank conducted a mortgagee’s sale, in breach of its duty.

COUNTY COURT The Loves said the bank released a fauna and flora report that this caused the land to be sold at undervalue.

Judge Kennedy found that Mrs Love did not have an interest in the land at the time.

The Judge said she had to ascertain if any bank undervalue would have satisfied Mr Love’s liability to the bank.

The land had been held ion the Love family since 1915. Mr Love sold the property to VicRoads, and extensive litigation followed.

Love borrowed $4.8 million from the bank to assist with legal costs.

By 2009, he was in debt to the bank for $12.6 million.

The property was sold at a “forced value” of $13 million, the Court was told.

Publishing arrangements ■ There is one remaining issue of the Melbourne Observer for 2015. It will be available on news-stands on Wednesday, December 16.

Our offices will close for 2015 at 5pm this Friday (December 11).

All advertising bookings and copy needs to be lodged by 5pm Friday.

- Editor

Judgement day for Premier ...................... Page 10 Drama League awards winners list ........... Page 11 Yvonne laments for the Postie ................. Page 12 Travel and Wine with David Ellis ............... Page 14 Victoria Pictorial: Nostalgic photos ......... Page 15 Gavin Wood, live from West Hollywood ..... Page 19 Gwen Plumb retrospective ....................... Page 20 Claire Bowditch joins 774 ABC ................. Page 41 Local Theatre: Cheryl Threadgold’s guide . Page 45 Ted Ryan: Time for Pakenham ................... Page 51 Places To Go In Greater Geelong - P29-33 After Party at The Owl and Cat The new girl at 774 Top 10 lists

Observer Showbiz Showbiz

Latest News Flashes Around Victoria

Drugs: guilty plea ■ Jessica Short, 25, the second of the two coaccused ringleaders of a multi-million dollar drug syndicate out of Wangaratta has pleaded guilty to her involvement, reports The Chronicle.Her co-accused, Mark Seymour, 26, has been jailed for nine months.

Meters rammed ■ Parking meters are being rammed and stolen from the Geelong CBD in a crime wave, frustrating the local Council, the Geelong Advertiser reports.

Wind farm plans ■ Constructionof a Colac district wind farm will start early next year with a revised plan involving fewer turbines and a grid-connection change, reports the Colac Herald.

Dancer’s final bow ■ Julie Ryan’s 44 years of teaching dance to aspiring ballerinas came to an end last weekend, reports the Latrobe Valley Express.

‘Saddest day’ ■ It was the “saddest day in Yarram’s history”, reports the local Standard when the town’s Commercial Hotel was put up for auction. It was passed in at $900,000.

Weather Forecast ■ ■ ■ ■

Today (Wed.). Mostly sunny. 13°-27° Thurs. Partly cloudy. 13°-25° Fri. Partly cloudy. 12°-23° Sat. Partly cloudy. 12°-21°

Mike McColl Jones

Top 5

THE T OP 5 TOP MOST POPULAR CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR 2015 5.A multi-coloured lolly that you can twist into shape.

Rubik's Jube.

4.The official Oscar Pistorius game - No Legos.

3. A chook that lays the letters of the alphabet - Scrabbled Eggs.

2. A "Sam Stosur tennis racquet". (Hardly been used).

1. The Gabi Grecko wind-up doll.

You wind it up and everyone runs away.

Page 10 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

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Ash On Wednesday

Judgement day for Premier

inc orpor ating the Melbourne A d vvertiser ertiser incorpor orpora Ad ertiser,, ict orian Rur al Ne ws and Trr ader ader,, V Vict ictorian Rural New Melbourne T Melbourne Seniors News News..

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● Daniel Andrews ■ Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was voted into office just 12 months ago ... and the chickens are coming home to roost.

Yesterday’s Herald Sun revealed that the THE militant CFMEU has paid $2.4 million in donations into the Victorian Labor Party.

The news came as officials from the same union were charged with blackmail.

Andrews is dodging bullets as the true bill for his cancellation of the East-West Link come to the fore.

The bill looks like it is $800 million - and rising.

On the taxi inudstry, Labor is battling for an answer on the question of Uber hire cars.

The Andrews government is using the same tired answer that it is still examining the matter ... the same that Andrews gave to radio man Neil Mitchell six months ago.

No doubt, Andrews and his ministers will announce more enquiries, more consultants. more “looking into it” ....

Victoria deserves much better.

Melbourne People

Bennett’s interview with Diana Trask ★Craig will soon be televised on Studio 10.

It is a big week or two for Royal Melbourne ★ Philharmonic conductor Andrew Wailes. See the ads on Page 6 and 58 to find out why. quiz master Tony Barber has successfully ★TV recoverd after eye surgery.

FareShare volunteers cooked more than a mil★ lion meals for Melburnians in need this year using food that would otherwise be wasted, says journalist Wendy Hargreaves.

Channel 9 publicity boss Michelle Stamper was sop taken by the AC-DC concert at the weekend, that she went back for more last night (Tues.).

★ editor@MelbourneObserver.com.au

with Ash Long, Editor “For the cause that lacks assistance, ‘Gainst the wrongs that need resistance For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do”

8 cents

Thought For The Week ■ “I like long walks, especially when they're taken by people who annoy me.”

- Fred Allen

bull that she was in charge of the questions on the show, when he tried to take ■ “Life is one long process of getting tired.” over a segment to avoid - Samuel Butler answering her questions.

Observer Curmudgeon

One more

● Malcolm Turnbull ■ They used to say that the ABC cost taxpayers eight cents a day.

Viewers certainly had their eight cents worth on Monday night when 7.30 host Leigh Sales tol Prime Minister Malcolm Turn-

Observer Treasury

Text For The Week

■ “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: ■ The final issue of the The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Melbourne Observer for son, and will call him Immanuel.”

2015 is due out next week - Isaiah 7:14 on Wednesday (Dec. 16).

Advertisers are re- Contents of Court Lists are intended for information purposes The lists are extracted from Court Lists, as supplied to the quested to have their ads only. public, by the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, often one week prior booked, with copy lodged, to publication date; for current Court lists, please contact the by 5pm Friday. We will be Court. Further details of cases are available at unable to process ‘late www.magistratescourt.vic.gov.au The Melbourne Observer shall in no event accept any liability for loss or damage suffered by any copy’. person or body due to information provided. The information is Subscribers have been provided on the basis that persons accessing it undertake responsent accounts. Their en- sibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content. velopes show the expiry No inference of a party’s guilt or innocence should be made by of their name as a defendant. Court schedules may date of their paid sub. Pay- publication be changed at any time for any reason, including withdrawal of ments will be appreciated. the action by the Plaintiff/Applicant. E&OE. ADVERTISEMENT

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 11

Showbiz News

Victorian Drama League awards Briefs Charged

■ Homicide Squad detectives have charged a Fairfield woman, 41, with murder, in relation to the death of a man, 62, in Richmond.

7 times

■ Liam Carroll, of Leopold, has been banned from driving for six months after being caught for the seventh time driving on a disqualified licence.

He was this week fined $2500 at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to two counts of driving while disqualified and driving an unregistered vehicle, reports the Geelong Advertiser.

Threat ■ Victoria’s police could be on strike next week unless a new wage deal is struck, the Herald Sun reported yesterday (Tues.).

The Boss ■ ABBC-TV’s Leigh Sales put PM Malcolm Turnbull in his place when he tried to sidestep some tough questions on the 7.30 program on Monday night.

■ The 19th year Victorian Drama League Awards were held at Merrimu Receptions Murrumbeena, with 350 attendees with 26 theatre companies in the vying for technical, acting and directing awards.

Some 155 nominations and finalist awards were presented, many by the VDL Patron Hannie Rayson.

Awards Convenor Graeme McCoubrie said the many awards were close finishes and that was reflected in the result of the best Drama production, with a tie between Sunshine Community Theatre and Williamstown Little Theatre.

This Award is now to be known as the Nicky McFarlane Perpetual Trophy for Best Drama Production as a result of a 20-year bequest from Nicky’s estate.

Nicky McFarlane was part of the Victorian Drama League for some 50 years, and served in all facets of theatre production and administration before sadly passing away at the beginning of this year.

Best Set Designer SILVERAWARD Merinda Backway Secret Bridesmaids’ Business Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company GOLDAWARD Victorian Drama League Perpetual Trophy for Set Design (Donated by Beaumaris Theatre Inc). Phil Holmes. Lost In Yonkers. Eltham Little Theatre Inc. Best Lighting Designer SILVERAWARD Emma Fox. Lost in Yonkers. Eltham Little Theatre Inc. GOLDAWARD The Frank Donohue Perpetual Trophy for Lighting Design (Donated by The 1812 Theatre). Robin Le Blond Secret Bridesmaids’ Business. Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company Best Sound Designer SILVERAWARD Pam Ford. Driving Miss Daisy. Sherbrooke Theatre Company Inc. GOLDAWARD The Victorian Drama League Perpetual Trophy for Sound Design (Donated by V F Trainor Trophies). Richard Foster. The Book of Everything The 1812 Theatre Best Costume Designer SILVERAWARD Annie Blood and Cast. A Doll’s House Encore Theatre GOLDAWARD The Russell Johnson Perpetual Trophy for Costume Design (Donated by Sonja and Eddy Jager). Emma Jones and Trudy Kerlin Pride and Prejudice Skin of our Teeth Productions Best Hand and Set Properties SILVERAWARD Neil Barnett. Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Beaumaris Theatre Inc. GOLDAWARD The inaugural Victorian Drama League Perpetual Trophy for Hand and Set Properties (Donated by V F Trainor Trophies). Barbara Hughes and Maria Haughey Visiting Mr Green. Williamstown Little Theatre Best Actress in a Minor Role in a Drama or Comedy GOLDAWARD Eleni Miller as Naomi Bartlett. Secret Bridesmaids’ Business. Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company

Melbourne Observations

with Matt Bissett-Johnson

● Joint winners Best Drama Production 2015. Travis Handcock (left) and Stephen Andrews from Sunshine Community Theatre for Ruben Guthrie, and Phil Holmes and Bernadette Wheatley from Williamstown Little Theatre for Visiting Mr Green.

Photo: Nathan Jones Best Actor in a Minor Role in a Drama or Comedy Mordialloc Theatre Company GOLDAWARD Best Actress in a Comedy Production Neil Barnett as Pirelli. Sweeney Todd, The Demon GOLDAWARD Barber of Fleet Street. Beaumaris Theatre Inc. Victorian Drama League Perpetual Trophy for Best Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Comedy Actress in a Comedy (donated by Waverley Theatre GOLDAWARD Company). Lauren Anne Crute as Elizabeth Pride The Eileen Bentley Perpetual Trophy for Best Sup- and Prejudice . Skin of our Teeth Productions port Actress in a Comedy (Donated by Essendon TheBest Actress in a Drama Production atre Company. Julie Arnold as Mary Smith . Caught in GOLDAWARD the Net. Brighton Theatre Company The Victorian Drama League Perpetual Trophy for Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Drama Best Actress in a drama Production (Donated by GOLDAWARD Waverley Theatre Company). Genevieve Ryan as Daisy The Yvonne Manley Perpetual Trophy for Best Sup- Werthan Driving Miss Daisy. Sherbrooke Theatre Comport Actress in a Drama ( Donated by Sherbrooke The- pany Inc. atre Company. Juliet Hayday as Marge Morrisey Best Actor in a Comedy Production Hotel Sorrento. Mordialloc Theatre Company GOLDAWARD 9 The Max Grant Perpetual Trophy for Best Actor in Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Comedy a Comedy Production (Donated by Mitcham Theatre GOLDAWARD Company). Tim Long as John Smith. Caught in the Net Lachlan Turner as Mr Bennet. Pride and Prejudice Brighton Theatre Company Skin of our Teeth Productions BestActor in a Drama Production Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Drama GOLDAWARD GOLDAWARD The David Perkins Perpetual Trophy for Best Actor Ian McMaster as Edwin Bates. Hotel Sorrento in a Drama Production (Donated by David Perkins).

Eyawn Harry as Hoke Coleburn Driving Miss Daisy Sherbrooke Theatre Company Inc. Best Director of a Comedy GOLDAWARD The Edna (Jones) Bartlett Perpetual Trophy for ■ ASIC has banned John Stephen Best Director of a Comedy Production (Donated by Paulding of Melbourne from manag- Gordon Bartlett ). Gaetano Santo Caught in the Net ing corporations for five years follow- Brighton Theatre Company Best Director of a Drama ing his involvement in the failure of GOLDAWARD three companies.

The Edna Chandler Perpetual Trophy for Best DiThe ban follows an ASIC investiof a Drama Production (Donated by Basin Thegation which found Paulding breached rector atre Group). Horrie Leek. Driving Miss Daisy his duties as a director.

Sherbrooke Theatre Company Inc. Paulding was the director of Best Production of a Comedy Paulding Constructions Pty Ltd, a GOLDAWARD construction company based in The Charles “Bud” Tingwell Perpetual Trophy for Victoria from 1991 until 2009.

Best Comedy Production (Donated by Charles “Bud” Paulding was also the director of Tingwell). Caught in the Net – Brighton Theatre ComPort Phillip Property Group Pty Ltd and pany Best Production of a Drama Kingtoun Pty Ltd which were both GOLDAWARD placed into liquidation in May 2010. inaugural Nicky McFarlane Perpetual Trophy The failures resulted in deficiencies forThe Best Drama Production (Donated by Nicky owed to creditors across the three McFarlane) was a tie: Ruben Guthrie – Sunshine Comcompanies which totalled over $3.5 munity Theatre and Visiting Mr Green – Williamstown million.

Little Theatre

$3.5 million deficiencies

Page 12 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

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It’s beginning to look a lot like ...

Yvonne’s Column

■ Now it’s beginning to sound more like Christmas. The bells are ringing, the choirs are singing, and the cash registers are ready for action.

Ka-ching. Ka-ching.

But there is one sound that was always synonymous with Christmas that I miss so much: the sound of the postman’s whistle as he trudged along the street with a huge canvas bag full of mail, slung over his shoulder.

At Christmas time his bag was always full to bursting with cards from all over the world bringing messages of good cheer to friends and loved ones.

I recall that it was always hot in December and by the time the Postie would reach our gate; mum would be waiting with a glass of cold homemade lemonade.

It was a sort of a ritual and I think it was also an excuse for a bit of a gossip.

Gift for Postie

■ Think about it for a minute. Don’t you miss the sound of the Postman’s whistle? Every dog in the street would be waiting for it, and the first whistle would create a cacophony of sound.

Mum went to a lot of trouble to select a gift for our Postman. As his family of children increased every year, so did the parcels which mum had wrapped for him and his family.

Sometimes he would come back to our house after his shift to collect his booty.

I miss him and the sound of his whistle.

It was the thin edge of the wedge once the whistle went.

The bikes didn’t last long either and were the next to go.

Motorised bikes came next and would whiz along the street. You didn’t even have the anticipated pleasure of a letter because he had come and gone like the phantom. You never got to know him.

Replaced by agent

■ I’m not too sure when Australia Post started to update the Post Offices. They were a bit sneaky, and if you weren’t prepared you were in for a shock.

The 216-year-old service that has been working so well since 1809 is going down the gurgler, fast.

I objected when I had to go to my newsagent for a new passport.

Or to have attested a confidential document, for that matter. There was an importance about the Postmaster asking the questions, but

Dad, son rule

■ If there was a father/son rule in radio then imagine Clive Palmer as a shock jock, or maybe hosting a radio version of MasterChef. We're told Clive is the son of George F. Palmer who at one stage owned 3AK - now SEN. 3AK ownership was held by the Akron Tyre Company , one of several business interests operated by Papa George in the early 1930s. 3AK was the fourth commercial broadcasting station in Melbourne following 3DB, 3UZ and 3KZ..

with Yvonne Lawrence

yvonne.lawrence@bigpond.com newsagents today given the responsibility usually have one eye on their customers and one eye on the document.

He wouldn’t know if what he was being told is true or false because it is no longer taken seriously as an important part of his job. In some cases English is not his/her first language, so it makes it more difficult for them.

$222 million loss

■ It was a time for shedding tears when our beautiful and impressive Post Office in Bourke St next to Myer was sold. There was a flower seller and his barrow always outside, and buying a bunch of violets to wear on your lapel was mandatory. So was buying flowers on your way home.

I got to know the seller, and heard many an interesting story.

I don’t know when Ahmed Fahour was engaged as CEO, but he is leaving a track record of a loss of $222 million due in part to the decline in letter volume.

He has lost several of his top executives, and unless he can pull a rabbit out of the hat he may follow.

And now with the cost of a postage stamp is to be increased to $1, right on Christmas, soon we will need carrier pigeons to keep in touch with our friends, Snail mail has had a dose of DDT. It’s no wonder the service is declining and losing money.

I’m concerned for those in nursing homes

✔

Due date ■ And what about notification of important hospital appointment dates that is not received until weeks after the due date.

During the week I received a phone call and the very officious voice on the end of the line asked me why I hadn’t responded to a letter that was sent to me.

The “voice” just stopped short of calling me a liar when I told him that I had no knowledge of a letter. Even the snails that reside in my letterbox couldn’t have eaten the entire letter in a week.

Mr Fahour hasn’t shone as CEO and he’ll have to start using some of that ’fabulous personality’ that his friends say he has, to try and attract back the executives who have left Australia Post to employment elsewhere.

I look at the letters tied up with ribbon that I have kept and marvel that letters were received during the war from prisoners.

One of my friends has one that was sent to his mum from his father who was on the Burma Railway.

I have a couple that mum sent to me when I was at school.

Boyfriend’s notes ■ She was still issuing orders and asking if I

with John O’Keefe

Runway model

● Wiggles

Whoops

■ Sydney's Daily Telegraph published the wrong photo of a girl who died of a drug overdose at recent Stereosonic event.

Daily Telehad the girl's name right but in haste used the wrong image sourced from a social media site..

Whoops, what a disaster.

The best that the Tele could offer was a apology for wrong photo that appeared front page, and online.

Wiggles

Kinky Boots

● Clive Palmer

Lateral thinking

■ Your system needs a bit of de Bono thinking to get it back on track.

We could always rely on a letter being delivered on the next working day. That’s a thing of the past.

I don’t like my accounts being sent electronically, but try refusing to accept them.

My water bill arrived and I had an outstanding amount of over three thousand dollars. It was so ridiculous with only two people in the house, that I haven’t stopped laughing long enough to phone them and tell them about their mistake.

And postboxes are disappearing at a rate of knots too.

The system is failing miserably, and I mourn the loss.

We have been warned that the very hot weather will be with us over Christmas and into January; so leaving water out for our animals and birds is vital. It’s easy to forget with the excitement of Christmas.

Make sure that you secure the water containers so that they can’t be tipped over.

May I implore owners of dogs who tie them up to a lamppost outside a café whilst they are having coffee inside to make sure they have water and are in the shade. Remember. the poor animal feels the heat and can often be very distressed as it waits for its owner.

- Yvonne Lawrence

O’Keefe’s Extra Bit There’s a Maples store right near your door

OK

■ At the QANTAS AGM one of the fashion plates in Fashions on the Runway was a middle aged gent looking very dapper in a dark suit with matching tie and kerchief. His face looked familiar - it was none other than Gruen panellist Todd Sampson - in disguise from his customary T- shirt and six-day growth.

Sampsonisa Director of QANTAS. ■ The multi-award winning musical Kinky Boots will be a must see when it stages its Australian premiere at Her Majesty's Theatre , October 2016. Kinky Boots is a feel good musical featuring music and lyrics by pop icon Cyndi Lauper.

who look forward to their Christmas cards when they may not receive any. They could be lucky of course and receive their mail at the end of January.

remembered to clean my teeth. Little chance of that when boarders formed a crocodile and had to pass by an eagle-eyed nun watching you whilst you performed your ablutions.

And I confess I still have a couple of love letters from my first boyfriend. Very tame by today’s standard.

So how about that Mr. Farhour?

Have you asked the postmen for a solution?

From experience, staff has a canny way of solving problems because they are the workers on the ground.

Many times my Centre maintenance staff came up with brilliant and simple ideas, which were budget savers.

I held a monthly meeting when all the staff came into the boardroom to discus any problems they may have. I supplied sandwiches and coffee, and they vied for the best idea of the month. The winner won dinner out or theatre tickets. But best of all, the staff were encouraged to speak freely without fear of repercussions, even it the question was directed at me.

The meetings worked.

■ Rumour appears fact that the original band of brothers known as The Wiggles are about to make a comeback - of all places in pubs and clubs.

Their reasoning is their original audience has matured enough to now be patrons of licensed premises.

Pre-Wiggles days they were regulars on the pub scene playing covers..

■ More than a century before Ikea, the allen key and the now infamous flat pack were conceived an ambitious young retailer called Benjamin Nathan had grandious plans when he opened his first furniture store in Melbourne in 1890.

Business was encouraging and Benjamin- called Ben to his palsformed a partnership with Fred Thomas.

It was'nt long before they started trading as Maples Furniture and Music being a direct knock off of a London retailer of the same name.

Ben had a number of interests apart from retailing.

He loved the 'ponies' and was a mate of John Wren and they owned a few racehorses, plus controlling Queensland Press.

Ben's other passion was growing and exhibiting tulips.

He purchased Rippon Lea, the mansion set in acres of beautiful grounds and ample fields to grow his tulips.

At the peak of the season Ben had 40 gardeners on hand tending to the blooms.

Meanwhile back at the retail store the business expanded. Maples were

first to introduce time payment. They even fielded their own football team who went on to win the Wednsday League flag.

Maples South Melbourne was head office but Prahran was the flagship store complete with electric lifts and mood lighting.

Radio advertising played a huge part in Maples promotion with their P and A Parades- P for professional and A for amateur performers.

One successful promo was customers could book a chauffeur to drive them in a limo to shop at Maples - no charge.

During their trading history there was great rivalry between Maples and Paterson's Furniture.

Come the advent of TV, Graham Kennedy used to vocalise 'There's a Maples store right near your door' , only to have sidekick Bert Newton reply - 'There's a Paterson's joint where ever you point'.

The Maples dynasty grew to 50 stores around Australia employing 700 staff, The company was dissolved in 1979 and sold to Clark Rubber Company.

- John O’Keefe

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Obser ver - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 13

Page g 14 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, y, December 9,, 2015

Melbourne

Observer

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Travellers’Good Buys

with David Ellis

New to Calcutta, apart from the name ■ Next time you’re working on the flower vase, give a thought to the Mallick Ghat Flower Market on the banks of the Ganges River in Kolkata (Calcutta as most of us still think of it.)

Because here in the biggest flower market in Asia, something like 2,500 vendors a day trade fresh-cut flowers by the hundreds of kilograms… some 1,500-plus tonnes in fact, brought in daily from farms 60kms or more out of town.

Name a warmth-loving flower and you’ll find it at Mallick Ghat… travel writing colleague Roderick Eime who was there just recently discovering the markets to be a fascinating if chaotic 15- to 18-hours a day of frenzied bidding, bargaining and bustle as vendors and buyers haggle over prices.

And almost cry as you learn that marigolds change hands from as low 60 rupees (AU$1) for a one kilogram bunch, 25 cut roses for just $3.50, wedding garlands a measly 400 rupees ($8) – with equally eye-watering prices for everything from sweet peas and sunflowers, to orchids and gladioli…

But Roderick warns that while Mallick Ghat’s certainly worth a visit during a stay in Calcutta, be ready to splash around a muddy calamity under-foot, and to be constantly jostled amid the competitive crowds.

As well, being right alongside the sacred Ganges, prepare too for the

sights of the faithful undertaking everything in the holy waters from religious bathing and washing to other activities normally reserved for the bathroom…

It’s all, Roderick says, something of an assault on the senses, with the fragrant perfume of those tonnes of flowers, competing with the everpresent aroma of one of India’s busiest, most densely populated and overcrowded cities.

● Flowers by the hundreds of kilograms … some 1,500 tonnes in fact that change hands daily at Kolkata (Calcutta) Mallick Ghat Flower Markets at prices to make you cry.

Melbourne

Observer Wines & Liqueurs

with David Ellis

Tassie bubbly’s heritage ■ G and C Kreglinger has been one of Belgium’s most-respected wine companies since its founding in Antwerp way back in 1797 as the country’s first licenced wine traders, and what many don’t realise is that it’s been around in Australia since 1893.

However it traded here as primarily wool exporters, not getting into winemaking and marketing until 2000, firstly in South Australia and a year later in Tasmania when it bought a majority ownership in Pipers Brook Vineyard and Winery in the State’s north-east. It was this purchase that led to it also creating its own exceptional cool-climate, limited-production and super-premium Kreglinger sparkling wine range.

Just released from this range is their 2006 Vintage Brut that was made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay off a vineyard in Tasmania’s north-east dedicated 100% to sparkling wine production, and whose low yields reward with significant increases in fruit aroma and flavour. This in turn carries through on the wonderfully creamy palate with its abundance of citrus, brioche and French pastry flavours.

Pay $55 for this really outstanding Tassie drop to enjoy over the Festive Season with such party-room treats as oysters, caviar and delicate sushi or sashimi.

One to note ■ If you like a good lamb roast, or just good ol’ lamb chops off the barbie, a great wine to spoil the family with as you enjoy these great lamb-and-wine get-togethers over the coming holidays, is a Voyager Estate 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot from Western Australia’s Margaret River.

88 per cent Cab Sav, 8 per cent Merlot and just a touch of Petit Verdot to round it out, this is a rich and flavoursome wine that’s been almost tailor-made for enjoyment with lamb: it has wonderful sweet dark- and red-berry fruit flavours to the fore, suggestions of bayleaf for a touch or savouriness, and is rounded out with finely-grained tannins.

Its $70 a bottle for that special Festive family occasion, and if you’re not into lamb, match it up with a Black Angus beef fillet with wild mushrooms and baked vegies.

Pictured ■ Cool climate Tassie sparkling a great choice with Festive celebrations in mind.

■ Get the family together around this, a perfect match with lamb roast or chops off the holiday barbie.

■ A popular and colourful ‘art wall’ in Seattle, Washington is made up, would you believe, of 1,000,000-plus pieces of used chewing-gum.

Or was. Local authorities have finally got to work with super-heated steam sprays and good ol’ fashioned muscle power, to clean off the sticky mess that’s been building up since the early 1990s.

That’s when patrons queueing for tickets to the Market Theatre began sticking their used gum on the surrounding walls, and pushing small coins into it in the belief it would bring good luck. After some years they gave up on the coins that kept falling off, but continued to attach their gum to any empty spaces.

And when they ran out of these, they piled layer upon layer of the stuff so that in some places the mess is up to 15cm thick for 15m along both walls outside the Theatre.

Authorities concede that while the bizarre wall is doubtless one of the world’s most germ-laden tourist attractions, it is in fact not as great a health hazard as kissing Ireland’s Blarney Stone – and is being cleaned down not for health reasons, but because the sugar in the gum is corroding the theatre’s brickwork.

And after the US$4,000 clean-up job is complete, the faithful will be able to return to their old habits of sticking used gum wherever they like along the walls outside the Market Theatre.

■ You will have no fear of getting seasick aboard the 30,000 tonne luxury ship Sun Cruise at Jeongdongjin in north-eastern South Korea – because it sits on a cliff-top 90 metres above the sea.

This bizarre land-based “cruise ship” has virtually everything you’ll find on a regular liner, except perhaps for water lapping around its “hull.”

And to make up for that, the sound of waves against steel plays softly over loudspeakers throughout its public places, coupled with an occasional ship’s horn.

Guests can choose between half a dozen dining options from Korean and Western restaurants to a Sky Lounge, Bakery and Snack House, and take drinks in several venues that include a revolving bar on the top deck and a nightclub... and take-in what are said to be the best sunrises in South Korea.

There’s also an on-deck saltwater pool, a gymnasium, volleyball court, golf range, karaoke lounge… and a souvenir store and supermarket, several convention and meeting rooms, and a wedding hall. And Sun Cruise has its own private beach nearby with power and sail personal watercraft.

The Sun Cruise Resort is 165 metres long, and has 211 rooms and condominiums, the condos having their own kitchenettes. Room prices start from 80,000 South Korean won a night – approximately AU$98, plus VAT and the cost of onboard meals that are not included in the price.

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Gone Fishing

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 15

Historic Photo Collection

● Fishing near Taggerty. Circa 1910-1930.

● Boys fishing at Sorrento Back Beach. 1909.

● Fishing pool at Mount Buffalo. Probably early 1900s.

● Fishermen on the Yarra St wharf, Geelong. Circa 1940s.

● Surf fishing, Rye Back Beach.

● Fishing at Carrum Creek. Circa 1899.

● Fishing huts. Kororoit Creek. Williamstown. 1963.

● Soldiers fishing at Hethersett Private Repat. Hospital, Burwood. WWI.

Page 16 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, y, December y 9,, 2015 - Page g 17

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CAMBERWELL, 3124. Burwood Newsagency. 1394 Toorak Rd, Camberwell. (03) 9889 4155.

CAMBERWELL, 3124. Camberwell Centre Newsagency. 628 Burke Rd, Camberwell. (03) 9882 4083.

CAMBERWELL, 3124. Camberwell Market Newsagency. 513 Riversdale Rd, Camberwell.

(03) 9813 3799.

CAMBERWELL, 3124. Zantuck Newsagency. 732 Riversdale Rd, Camberwell. (03) 9836 4953.

CAMBERWELL EAST, 3124. East Camberwell Newsagency. 188 Through Rd, Camberwell. (03) 9836 2495.

CANTERBURY, 3126. Canterbury Newsagency. 104 Maling Rd. (03) 9836 2130.

CARISBROOK, 3464. Carisbrook Newsagency. (03) 5464 2293.

CARLTON, 3053. Lygon Authorised Newsagency.

260 Lygon St, Carlton. (03) 9663 6193.

CARLTON NORTH, 3054. Princes Hill Newsagency.

607 Lygon St, Carlton North. (03) 9380 1419.

CARLTON NORTH, 3054. Rathdowne Newsagency.

410 Rathdowne St, Carlton North. (03) 9347 2630.

CARNEGIE, 3163. Carnegie Newsagency. 58 Koornang Rd, Carnegie. (03) 9568 5256.

CARNEGIE, 3163. Patterson Newsagency. (03) 9557 5794.

CARNEGIE, 3163. Southern Distribution & Delivery Service. 669 North Rd, Carnegie. (03) 9576 7044.

CARRUM, 3197. Carrum Newsagency. 514 Station St, Carrum. (03) 9772 7696.

CARRUM DOWNS, 3198. Bayside Distribution. (03) 9782 6333.

CAULFIELD EAST, 3145. Caulfield Newsagency.

14 Derby Rd, Caulfield East. (03) 9571 6194.

CAULFIELD NORTH, 3161. Junction Newsagency.

69-71 Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield North. (03) 9523 8546.

CAULFIELD SOUTH, 3162. Booran Road Newsagency. 177 Booran Rd, Caulfield South.

(03) 9578 3195.

CAULFIELD SOUTH, 3162. South Caulfield Newsagency. 792 Glenhuntly Rd, Caulfield South.

(03) 9523 8701.

CHADSTONE, 3148. Supanews. Shops A42 and A49, Chadstone. (03) 9569 5858.

CHADSTONE, 3148. Holmesglen Newsagency.

637 Warrigal Rd, Chadstone. (03) 9569 7365.

CHARLTON, 3525. Charltopn Newsagency. (03) 5491 1680.

CHELSEA, 3196. Chelsea Newsagency. 403 Nepean Hwy, Chelsea. (03) 9772 2621.

CHELTENHAM, 3192. Cheltenham Newsagency.

332 Charman Rd, Cheltenham. (03) 9583 3276.

CHELTENHAM, 3192. Southland Newsagency.

Westfield Shoppingtown, Cheltenham. (03) 9584 9433.

CLAYTON, 3168. Clayton Authorised Newsagency.

345 Clayton Rd, Clayton. (03) 9544 1153.

CLIFTON HILL, 3068. Clifton Hill Newsagency. 316 Queens Pde, Clifton Hill. (03) 9489 8725.

COBURG, 3058. Coburg Newsagency, 481-483 Sydney Rd, Coburg. (03) 9354 7525.

COLAC, 3250. Blaines Newsagency, Colac. (03) 5231 4602.

COLDSTREAM, 3770. Coldstream Newsagency.

670 Maroondah Hwy, Coldstream. (03) 9739 1409.

CORIO, 3214. Corio Village Newsagency. Shop 27, Corio Village, Corio. (03) 5275 1666.

COWES, 3922. Cowes Newsagency. 44 Thompson Ave, Cowes. (03) 5952 2046.

CRAIGIEBURN, 3064. Craigieburn Newsagency.

Shop 9 Mall, Craigieburn. (03) 9308 2132.

CRANBOURNE, 3977. Cranbourne Newsagency.

105 High St,Cranbourne. (03) 5996 8866.

CRANBOURNE NORTH, 3977. Thompson Parkway Newsagency. Cnr South Gippsland Hwy, Cranbourne North. (03) 5996 0055.

CROYDON, 3136. Burnt Bridge Newsagency. 434 Maroondah Hwy, Croydon. (03) 9870 6140.

CROYDON, 3136. Croydon Newsagency. 158 Main St, Croydon. (03) 9723 2001.

CROYDON NORTH, 3136. Croydon North Newsagency. 5 Exeter Rd, Croydon North. (03) 9726 6030.

DANDENONG, 3175. Lonsdale Newsagency. 250 Lonsdale St, Dandenong. (03) 9792 1897.

DANDENONG, 3175. Lucky Winners Lotto. 118 Hemmings St, Dandenong. (03) 9792 4628.

DANDENONG, 3175. Doveton News & Lotto. (03) 9792 4937.

DEER PARK, 3023. Deer Park Newsagency. 823 Ballarat Rd, Deer Park.(03) 9363 1175.

DENILIQUIN, 2710. Deniliquin Newsagency and Bookstore. (02) 5881 2080.

DIAMOND CREEK, 3089. Diamond Creek Newsagency. 62A Hurstbridge Rd. (03) 9438 1470.

DINGLEY VILLAGE, 3172. Dingley Newsagency.

79 Centre Dandenong Rd, Dingley Village. (03) 9551 1184.

DONCASTER, 3108. Shoppingtown Newsagency.

Shop 34, 619 Doncaster Rd, Doncaster. (03) 9848 3912.

DONCASTER EAST, 3109. East Doncaster Newsagency. 74 Jackson Ct, Doncaster East. (03) 9848 3174.

DONCASTER EAST, 3109. Tunstall Square Newsagency. Shop 4, Tunstall Square, Doncaster East. (03) 9842 2485.

DONCASTER EAST, 3109. The Pines Newsagency.

Shop 35, 181 Reynolds Rd, Doncaster East. (03) 9842 7944.

DROMANA, 3936. Dromana Newsagency. 177 Nepean Hwy, Dromana. (03) 5987 2338.

DROUIN, 3818. Burrows Newsagency, Drouin. (03) 5625 1614.

DRYSDALE, 3222. Drysdale Newsagency. High St, Drysdale. (03) 5251 2776.

EAGLEMONT, 3084. Eaglemont Lucky Lotto, News & Post. 68 Silverdale Rd. (03) 9499 2589.

EDITHVALE, 3196. Edithvale Newsagency. 253 Nepean Hwy. (03) 9772 1072.

ELSTERNWICK, 3185. Elsternwick Newsagency.

348 Glenhuntly Rd, Elsternwick. (03) 9523 8335.

ELSTERNWICK, 3185. Elsternwick Office Supplies.

433 Glenhuntly Rd, Elsternwick. (03) 9523 6495.

ELSTERNWICK, 3185. Ripponlea Newsagency. 78 Glen Eira Rd, Elsternwick. (03) 9523 5649.

ELTHAM, 3095. Eltham Newsagency & Toyworld.

958 Main Rd. (03) 9439 9162.

ELWOOD, 3184. Elwood Newsagency. 103 Ormond Rd, Elwood. (03) 9531 4223.

EMERALD, 3782. Emerald Newsagency. Main St, Emerald. (03) 5968 5152.

EPPING, 3076. Dalton Village Newsagency. (03) 9408 8877.

ESSENDON, 3040. Essendon Newsagency. 15A Rose St, Essendon. (03) 9337 5908.

ESSENDON, 3040. Roundabout Newsagency. 94 Fletcher St, Essendon. (03) 9370 5305.

ESSENDON NORTH, 3041. North Essendon Newsagency. 1085 Mt Alexander Rd, North Essendon. (03) 9379 2243.

FAIRFIELD, 3078. Fairfield Newsagency. 99 Station St, Fairfield. (03) 9481 3240.

FAWKNER, 3060. Fawkner Newsagency. 54 Bonwick St, Fawkner. (03) 9359 2046.

FAWKNER, 3060. Moomba Park Newsagency. 89 Anderson Rd, Fawkner. (03) 9359 1595.

FERNTREE GULLY, 3156. Ferntree Gully Newsagency. Shop 2, 69 Station St, Ferntree Gully. (03) 9758 1343.

FERNTREE GULLY, 3156. Mountain Gate Newsagency. Shop 9B, Ferntree Gully. (03) 9758 4427.

FERNTREE GULLY UPPER, 3156. Upper Ferntree Gully Newsagency. Shop 3 Ferntree Plaza. (03) 9756 0171.

FITZROY, 3065. Fitzroy Newsagency. 337 Brunswick St, Fitzroy. (03) 9417 3017.

FITZROY NORTH, 3068. North Fitzroy Newsagency.

224 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North. (03) 9489 8614.

FOOTSCRAY WEST, 3012. Kingsville Newsagency.

339 Somerville Rd, Footscray West. (03) 9314 5004.

FOREST HILL, 3131. Brentford Square Newsagency. 29-31 Brentford Sq., Forest Hill.

(03) 9878 1882.

FOREST HILL, 3131. NewsXPress Forest Hill. Shop 215, Western Entrance, Forest Hill. (03) 9878 2515.

FOUNTAIN GATE, 3805. Fountain Gate Newsagency. Shop 1157 (Level 1), Fountain Gate. (03) 9704 6408.

FRANKSTON, 3199. Beach Street Newsagency.

239 Beach St, Frankston. (03) 9789 9736.

FRANKSTON, 3199. Foote Street Newsagency. c/ - Bayside Distribution Services. (03) 9783 4720.

FRANKSTON, 3199. Frankston Newsagency. 5 Keys St, Frankston. (03) 9783 3253.

FRANKSTON, 3199. Karingal Hub Newsagency. c/ - Bayside Distribution Services. (03) 9776 7744.

FRANKSTON, 3199. Young Street Newsagency. 78 Young St, Frankston. (03) 9783 2467.

GARDENVALE, 3186. See Brighton.

GARFIELD, 3814. Garfield Newsagency Pty Ltd. 77 Main St, Garfield. (03) 5629 2533.

GEELONG, 3220. Geelong Newsagency & Lotto.

139 Moorabool St, Geelong. (03) 5222 1911.

GEELONG EAST, 3219. East Geelong Newsagency.

78A Garden St. (03) 5229 5109.

GEELONG WEST, 3218. Manifold Newsagency.

Shop 2, 132 Shannon Ave, Geelong West. (03) 5229 5897.

GEELONG WEST, 3218. Murphy's Newsagency. PO Box 7133, Geelong West. (03) 5229 1973.

GISBORNE, 3437. Gisborne Newsagency. Shop 20, Village Shopping Centre. (03) 5428 2632.

GLADSTONE PARK, 3043. Gladstone Park Newsagency. Shop 164. (03) 9338 3921.

GLEN HUNTLY, 3163. Glenhuntly Newsagency.

1164 Glenhuntly Rd, Glenhuntly. (03) 9571 2551.

GLEN WAVERLEY, 3150. Glen Waverley News.

Shop L2, 65 Glen S/C, Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley. (03) 9802 8503.

GLEN WAVERLEY, 3150. Kingsway Newsagency.

65 Kingsway, Glen Waverley. (03) 9560 9987.

GLEN WAVERLEY, 3150. Syndal Newsagency. 238 Blackburn Rd, Glen Waverley. (03) 9802 8446.

GLENFERRIE, 3122. See Hawthorn.

GLENROY, 3046. Glenroy Newsagency. 773 Pascoe Vale Rd, Glenroy. (03) 9306 9530.

GRANTVILLE, 3984. Grantville Newsagency. Shop 4, 1509 Bass Hwy, Grantville. (03) 5678 8808.

GREENSBOROUGH, 3088. Greensborough Newsagency. Shop 4-5 Greensborough. (03) 9435 1024.

GREENVALE, 3059. Greenvale Newsagency. Shop 4 & 5, Cnr Mickleham & Greenvale Rds, Greenvale. (03) 9333 3154.

GROVEDALE, 3216. Grovedale Newsagency. 19 Peter St. (03) 5243 1480.

HADFIELD, 3046. Hadfield Newsagency. 120 West St, Hadfield. (03) 9306 5007.

HAMPTON, 3188. Hampton Newsagency. 345-347 Hampton St, Hampton. (03) 9598 1239.

HAMPTON EAST, 3188. Hampton East Newsagency.

412 Bluff Rd, Hampton East.(03) 9555 2821.

HAMPTON PARK, 3976. Hampton Park Newsagency. Shop 3, Park Square, Hampton Park. (03) 9799 1609.

HASTINGS, 3915. Hastings Newsagency. 56 High St. (03) 5979 1321.

HAWTHORN, 3122. Glenferrie Newsagency.669 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn. (03) 9818 2621.

HAWTHORN EAST, 3123. Auburn Newsagency. 119 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn East. (03) 9813 4838.

HAWTHORN EAST, 3123. Auburn South Newsagency. 289 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn East.

(03) 9882 2009.

HAWTHORN WEST, 3122. Hawthorn West Newsagency. 44 Church St, Hawthorn. (03) 9853 6098.

HEALESVILLE, 3777. Healesville Newsagency.

(03) 5962 4161.

HEIDELBERG, 3084. Heidelberg Newsagency. 128 Burgundy St, Heidelberg. (03) 9457 1098.

HEIDELBERG WEST, 3081. Heidelberg Heights Newsagency. 35 Southern Rd, Heidelberg West.

(03) 9457 2063.

HEIDELBERG WEST, 3081. The Mall Newsagency.

Shop 18, Heidelberg West. (03) 9457 4244.

HIGHETT, 3190. Highett Newsagency. 2 Railway Pde, Highett. (03) 9555 1010.

HIGHTON, 3216. Highton Newsagency. 7 Bellevue Ave. (03) 5243 4824, HOPPERS CROSSING, 3030. Hoppers Crossing Newsagency. 31 Old Geelong Rd, Hoppers Crossing. (03) 9749 2652, HUNTINGDALE, 3166. Huntingdale Newsagency.

291 Huntingdale Rd, Huntingdale. (03) 9544 1175.

HURSTBRIDGE, 3099. Hurstbridge Newsagency.

800 Main Rd. (03) 9718 2045.

IVANHOE, 3079. NewsXPress. 194-196 Upper Heidelberg Rd, Ivanhoe. (03) 9499 1231.

IVANHOE EAST, 3079. East Ivanhoe Newsagency.

262 Lower Heidelberg Rd, Ivanhoe East. (03) 9499 1720.

KEILOR, 3036. Centreway Newsagency. 59 Wyong St, Keilor East, 3033. (03) 9336 2451.

KEILOR, 3036. Keilor Newsagency. 700 Calder Hwy, Keilor. (03) 9336 7930.

KEILOR DOWNS, 3038. Keilor Downs Newsagency.

Shop 3, Keilor Downs Plaza, Keilor Downs. (03) 9310 9955.

KEW, 3101. Cotham Newsagency. 97 Cotham Rd, Kew. (03) 9817 3840.

KEW, 3101. Kew Newsagency. 175 High St, Kew. (03) 9853 8238.

KEW NORTH, 3101. North Kew Newsagency. 93 Willsemere Rd, Kew. (03) 9853 9383.

KEYSBOROUGH, 3173. Parkmore Newsagency.

Parkmore Shopping Centre, Kensington. (03) 9798 4311.

KILMORE, 3764. Kilmore Newsagency. 41 Sydney St. (03) 5782 1465.

KILSYTH, 3137. Kilsyth Newsagency. 520 Mt Dandenong Rd. (03) 9725 6218.

KINGSVILLE, 3012. See Footscray West.

KNOX CITY. See Wantirna South KNOXFIELD, 3180. Knoxfield Newsagency. (03) 9764 8260.

KOO-WEE-RUP, 3981. Koo Wee Rup Newsagency.

44-48 Station St, Koo Wee Rup. (03) 5997 1456.

LALOR, 3075. Lalor Newsagency. 364 Station St, Lalor. (03) 9465 2698.

LARA, 3212. Lara Newsagency. 44 The Centreway, Lara. (03) 5282 1419.

L AVERTON, 3028. Laverton Newsagency. 12 Aviation Rd, Laverton. (03) 9369 1426.

LEOPOLD, 3028. Leopold Newsagency. 45 Ash Rd, Leopold. (03) 5250 1687.

LILYDALE, 3140. Lilydale Newsagency. 237 Main St. (03) 9735 1705.

LOWER PLENTY, 3093. Lower Plenty Newsagency.

95 Main Rd. (03) 9435 6423.

LOWER TEMPLESTOWE, 3107. See Templestowe Lower.

MALVERN, 3144. Malvern Newsagency. 114 Glenferrie Rd, Malvern. (03) 9509 8381.

MALVERN, 3144. Malvern Village Newsagency.

1352 Malvern Rd, Malvern. (03) 9822 3761.

MALVERN, 3144. Winterglen Newsagency Malvern Lotto. 167 Glenferrie Rd, Malvern. (03) 9509 9068.

MALVERN EAST, 3145. Central Park Newsagency.

393 Wattletree Rd, Malvern East. (03) 9509 9842.

McCRAE, 3938. McCrae Newsagency, 675 Point Nepean Rd. (03) 5986 8499.

McKINNON, 3204. McKinnon Newsagency. 148 McKinnon Rd, McKinnon. (03) 9578 4478.

MELBOURNE, 3000. Mitty's Newsagency. 53 Bourke St, Melbourne. (03) 9654 5950.

MELTON, 3337. Melton Authorised Newsagency.

383-385 High St, Melton. (03) 9743 5451.

MELTON, 3337. NewsXPress. (03) 9743 5451.

MENTONE, 3194. Mentone Newsagency. 24 Como Pde, Mentone. (03) 9585 3494.

MERLYNSTON, 3058. Merlynston Newsagency. (03) 9354 1532.

MIDDLE BRIGHTON, 3186. Middle Brighton Newsagency. 75-77 Church St, Middle Brighton.

(03) 9592 1000.

MIDDLE PARK, 3206. Middle Park Newsagency.

16 Armstrong St, Middle Park.

MILDURA, 3500. Klemm's Mildura Newsagency.

(03) 5302 1004.

MILL PARK, 3082. Mill Park Authorised Newsagency. Stables Shopping Centre, Cnr Childs Rd & Redleap Ave, Mill Park. (03) 9436 4400.

MITCHAM, 3132. Mitcham Newsagency. 503 Whitehorse Rd, Mitcham. (03) 9873 1108.

MOE, 3825. Yeatman's Newsagency. 3A Moore St, Moe. (03) 5127 1002.

MONT ALBERT., 3127. Mont Albert Newsagency.

42 Hamilton St, Mont Albert. (03) 9890 1140.

MONTMORENCY, 3094. Montmorency Newsagency.

41-43 Were St. (03) 9435 8893.

MONTROSE, 3765. Montrose Newsagency. 912 Mt Dandenong Rd. (03) 9728 2057.

MOONEE PONDS, 3039. Puckle Street Newsagency.

45 Puckle St, Moonee Ponds. (03) 9375 2264.

MORDIALLOC, 3195. Mordialloc Newsagency.

574A Main St, Mordialloc. (03) 9580 5141.

MORDIALLOC, 3195. Warren Village Newsagency.

87 Warren Rd. (03) 9580 3880.

MORELAND, 3056. See Brunswick.

MORNINGTON, 3931. Mornington Newsagency. 97 Main St, Mornington. (03) 5975 2099.

MORNINGTON, 3931. Scribes Newsagency. Shop 1/10, Mornington Village, Mornington. (03) 5975 5849.

If your local newsagency is not listed, and you would like them to stock the Melbourne Observer, please ask them to contact All Day Distribution, phone (03) 9482 1145.

MORWELL, 3840. Morwell Newsagency. 176 Commercial Rd, Morwell. (03) 5134 4133.

MOUNT ELIZA, 3934. Mount Eliza Newsagency.

102 Mount Eliza Way. (03) 5974 2347.

MOUNT MARTHA, 3934. Mount Martha Newsagency. 2 Lochiel Ave, Mount Martha. (03) 5974 2347.

MOUNT WAVERLEY, 3149. Pinewood Newsagency.

Shop 59, Centreway Shopping Centre, Mount Waverley. (03) 9802 7008.

MOUNTAIN GATE, 3156. See Ferntree Gully.

MT EVELYN, 3658. Mt Evelyn Newsagency. 1A Wray Cres. (03) 9736 2302.

MULGRAVE, 3170. Northvale Newsagency. 901 Springvale Rd, Mulgrave. (03) 9546 0200.

MULGRAVE, 3170. Waverley Gardens Newsagency. Shop 44, Waverley Gardens, Mulgrave. (03) 9547 5773.

MURCHISON, 3610. Murchison Newsagency, Murchison. (03) 5826 2152, MURRUMBEENA, 3163. Murrumbeena Newsagency. 456 Nerrim Rd, Murrumbenna. (03) 9568 1959.

NARRE WARREN, 3805. Narre Warren News & Tatts. Shop 1 Webb St, Narre Warren. (03) 9704 6495.

NEWCOMB, 3220. Newcomb Newsagency, Geelong. (03) 5248 5434.

NEWMARKET, 3031. Newmarket Newsagency. 294 Racecourse Rd, Newmarket. (03) 9376 6075.

NEWPORT, 3015. Newport Newsagency. 6 Hall St, Newport. (03) 9391 2548.

NIDDRIE, 3042. Niddrie Newsagency. 455 Keilor Rd, Niddrie. (03) 9379 3840.

NOBLE PARK, 3174. Noble Park Newsagency. 22 Douglas St, Noble Park. (03) 9546 9079.

NOBLE PARK, 3174. Variety Newsagency. 1268 Heatherton Rd, Noble Park. (03) 9546 7916.

NORTH BALWYN, 3104. See Balwyn North.

NORTH MELBOURNE, 3051. See West Melbourne.

NORTH MELBOURNE, 3051. Haines Street Newsagency. 46 Haines St. (03) 9328 1195.

NORTH MELBOURNE, 3051. News On Errol. (03) 9326 3744.

NORTHCOTE, 3070. Croxton Newsagency. 509 High St, Northcote. (03) 9481 3624.

NORTHCOTE, 3070. Northcote Newsagency. 335 High St, Northcote. (03) 9481 3725.

NORTHCOTE, 3070. Northcote Newsplaza. (03) 9481 7130.

NUNAWADING, 3131. Mountainview Newsagency.

293A Springfield Rd, Nunawading. (03) 9878 7887.

NYAH, 3594. Nyah General Store. (03) 5030 2230.

OAK PARK, 3046. Oak Park Newsagency. 120 Snell Grove, Oak Park. (03) 9306 5472.

OAKLEIGH, 3166. Oakleigh Newsagency. Shop 61-63, Oakleigh. (03) 9563 0703.

OAKLEIGH EAST, 3166. Oakleigh East Auth.

Newsagency. 190 Huntingdale Rd, East Oakleigh.

(03) 9544 4322.

OAKLEIGH SOUTH, 3167. Oakleigh South Newsagency. (03) 9570 5833.

OCEAN GROVE, 3226. Ocean Grove Newsagency.

82 The Terrace, Ocean Grove. (03) 5256 1779.

PAKENHAM, 3810. Pakenham Newsagency. 99 Main St, Pakenham. (03) 5941 1243.

PARKDALE, 3195. Parkdale Newsagencxy. 238 Como Pde. (03) 9580 1724.

PASCOE VALE, 3044. Pascoe Vale Central Newsagency. 110 Cumberland Rd, Pascoe Vale.

(03) 9354 8472.

PASCOE VALE, 3044. Coonans Hill News/Tatts/ Post Office. 67 Coonans Rd, Pascoe Vale South.

(03) 9386 7465.

PASCOE VALE SOUTH, 3044. Paper N Post. Pascoe Vale South. (03) 9354 1432.

PEARCEDALE, 3912. Pearcedale Newsagency.

Shop 14, Pearcedale Village Shopping Centre, Pearcedale. (03) 5978 6343.

POINT COOK, 3030. NewsXPress. (03) 9395 0424.

POINT LONSDALE, 3225. Point Lonsdale Newsagency. 99 Point Lonsdale Rd. (03) 5258 1159.

PORT MELBOURNE, 3207. Port Melbourne Distribution. (03) 9681 8122.

PORTARLINGTON, 3223. Portarlington Newsagency. Shop 1, 60 Newcombe St, Portarlington. (03) 5289 2892.

PRAHRAN, 3181. Prahran Market Newsagency.

Shop 3A Pran Central, Prahran. (03) 9521 1200.

PRESTON, 3072. Northland Newsagency. Shop 3, Northland Shopping Centre. (03) 9478 2693.

PRESTON, 3072. Preston Newsagency. 377 High St, Preston. (03) 9478 3001.

PRESTON, 3072. Preston Town Hall Newsagency.

411 High St, Preston. (03) 9470 1630.

PRINCES HILL, 3054. See Carlton North.

QUEENSCLIFF, 3225. Queenscliff Newsagency. (03) 5258 1828.

RESERVOIR, 3073. Reservoir Newsagency. 22 Edwardes St, Reservoir. (03) 9460 6317.

RESERVOIR, 3073. Broadway Newsagency. 279 Broadway, Reservoir. (03) 9460 6510.

RHYLL, 3923. Rhyll Newsagency. 41 Lock Rd, Rhyll.

(03) 5956 9205.

RICHMOND, 3121. Swan Street Newsagency. 108 Swan St, Richmond. (03) 9428 7450.

RICHMOND, 3121. Vernons Newsagency. 308A Bridge Rd, Richmond. (03) 9428 7373.

RINGWOOD EAST, 3135. Ringwood East Newsagency. 52 Railway Ave, Ringwood East.

(03) 9870 6515.

RINGWOOD NORTH, 3134. North Ringwood Newsagency. 182 Warrandyte Rd, North Ringwood. (03) 9876 2765.

ROBINVALE, 3549. Robinvale Newsagency. (03) 5026 3264.

ROCKBANK, 3335. Rockbank Newsagency. (03) 9747 1300.

ROSANNA, 3084. Rosanna Newsagency. 135 Lower Plenty Rd, Rosanna. (03) 9459 7722.

ROSANNA EAST, 3084. Banyule Newsagency. 55 Greville Rd, East Rosanna. (03) 9459 7027.

ROSEBUD, 3939. Rosebud Newsagency. 1083 Nepean Hwy, Rosebud. (03) 5986 8359.

RYE, 3941. Rye Newsagency. 2371 Point Nepean Rd, Rye. (03) 5985 2013.

SANCTUARY LAKES, 3030. Sanctuary Lakes Newsagency. Shop 16, 300 Point Cook Rd. (03) 9395 4055.

SALE, 3850. Sale Newsagency. (03) 5144 2070.

SAN REMO, 3925. San Remo Newsagency. 105 Marine Pde, San Remo. (03) 5678 5447.

SANDRINGHAM, 3191. Sandringham Newsagency 58-60 Station St, Sandringham. (03) 9598 1246 SEAFORD, 3198. Carrum Downs Newsagency. (03 9782 6333.

SEAFORD, 3198. Seaford Newsagency. 124 Nepean Hwy, Seaford. (03) 9786 1220.

SEDDON, 3011. Seddon Newsagency & Lotto. 74 Charles St, Seddon. (03) 9687 1919.

SEVILLE, 3139. Seville Newsagency. 654 Warburton Hwy. (03) 5964 2236.

SHEPPARTON, 3630. Lovell's Newsagency. 246 Wyndham St, Shepparton. (03) 5821 2622.

SOMERVILLE, 3912. Somerville Newsagency Shop 24, Plaza, Eramosa Rd West, Somerville (03) 5977 5282.

SOUTHBANK, 3006. Melbourne Centra Newsagency. 292 City Rd, Southbank. (03) 9690 3900.

SOUTH MELBOURNE, 3205. Clarendon Newsagency. 276 Clarendon St, South Melbourne (03) 9690 1350.

SOUTH MELBOURNE, 3205. South Melbourne Newsagency. 358 Clarendon St, South Melbourne (03) 9690 7481.

SOUTH MORANG, 3752. South Morang Newsagency. 17-19 Gorge Rd. (03) 9404 1502 SPRINGVALE, 3171. Springvale Newsagency. 321 Springvale Rd, Springvale. (03) 9546 9235.

ST KILDA, 3182. Esplanade Newsagency. 115 Fitzroy St, St Kilda. (03) 9525 3321.

ST KILDA, 3182. St Kilda Junction Newsagency 52 St Kilda Rd, St Kilda. (03) 9510 1056.

ST KILDA, 3182. Village Belle Newsagency. 161 163 Acland St, St Kilda. (03) 9525 5167.

ST LEONARDS, 3223. St Leonards Newsagency Foreshore Rd, St Leonards. (03) 5257 1604.

STRATHMORE, 3041. Napier Street Newsagency 313 Napier St, Strathmore. (03) 9379 2603.

STRATHMORE, 3041. Strathmore Newsagency. 15 Woodland St, Strathmore. (03) 9379 1515.

SUNBURY, 3429. Sunbury Authorised Newsagency. 14 Brook St, Sunbury. (03) 9744 1220.

SUNSHINE, 3020. Sunshine Newsagency. 3/282 Hampshire Rd, Sunshine. (03) 9312 2654.

SUNSHINE SOUTH, 3020. South Sunshine Newsagency. 22 Tallintyre Rd, Sunshine. (03 9312 1629.

TAYLORS LAKES, 3038. Watergarden Newsagency. Shop 92, Bay B (Near Safeway) Taylors Lakes. (03) 9449 1122.

TEESDALE, 3328. Teesdale Newsagency. 1071 Bannockburn Rd. (03) 5281 5230.

TEMPLESTOWE, 3106. Templestowe Newsagency 122 James St, Templestowe. (03) 9846 2486.

TEMPLESTOWE LOWER, 3107. Macedon News & Lotto. 25 Macedon Rd, Lower Templestowe. (03 9850 2720.

THORNBURY, 3071. Normanby Newsagency. 703 High St, Thornbury. (03) 9484 2802.

THORNBURY, 3071. Rossmoyne Newsagency. 406 Station St,Thornbury. (03) 9484 6967.

TOORADIN, 3980. Tooradin Newsagency. 94 South Gippsland Hwy, Tooradin. (03) 5996 3343.

TOORAK, 3142. Hawksburn Newsagency. 529 Malvern Rd, Toorak. (03) 9827 3569.

TOORAK, 3142. Toorak Village Newsagency. 487 Toorak Rd, Toorak. (03) 9826 1549.

TORQUAY, 3228. Torquay Newsagency. 20 Gilber St, Torquay. (03) 5261 2448.

TOTTENHAM, 3012. Braybrook Newsagency. 127 South Rd, Tottenham. (03) 9364 8083.

TULLAMARINE, 3045. Tullamarine Newsagency 199 Melrose Dr, Tullamarine. (03) 9338 1063 UNDERA, 3629. Undera Newsagency. (03) 5826 0242.

UPWEY, 3158. Upwey Newsagency. 18 Main St Upwey. (03) 9754 2324.

UPPER FERNTREE GULLY, 3156. Upper Ferntree Gully Newsagency. (03) 9756 0171.

VERMONT, 3133. Vermont Authorised Newsagency. 600 Canterbury Rd, Vermont South (03) 9873 1845.

VERMONT SOUTH, 3133. Vermont South Newsagency. 495 Burwood Hwy, Vermont South (03) 9802 4768.

WALLAN, 3756. Wallan Newsagency. 59 High St (03) 5783 1215.

WANDIN NORTH, 3139. Wandin North Newsagency. 18 Union Rd. (03) 5964 3339.

WANTIRNA SOUTH, 3152. Knox City Newsagency Shop 2080, Shopping Centre. (03) 9801 5050 WANTIRNA SOUTH, 3152. Wantirna South Newsagency. 233 Stud Rd.. (03) 9801 2310.

WARRAGUL, 3820. Heeps Newsagency. 6 Victoria St, Warragul. (03) 5623 1737.

WATSONIA, 3087. Watsonia Newsagency. 93 Watsonia Rd, Watsonia. (03) 9435 2175.

WATTLE PARK, 3128. See Box Hill South.

WERRIBEE, 3030. Werribee Newsagency. 16 Station Pl, Werribee. (03) 9741 4644.

WERRIBEE, 3030. Werribee Plaza Newsagency Shop 37, Shopping Centre, Werribee Plaza. (03 9749 6766.

WEST MELBOURNE, 3003. North Melbourne Newsagency. 178-182 Rosslyn St, Wes Melbourne. (03) 9328 1763.

WESTALL, 3169. Westall Newsagency. 148 Rosebank Ave, Westall. (03) 9546 7867.

WHEELERS HILL, 3150. Brandon Park Newsagency. Shop 28, Wheelers Hill. (03) 9560 5854.

WHEELERS HILL, 3150. Wheelers Hil Newsagency. 200 Jells Rd, Wheelers Hill. (03 9561 5318.

WHITTLESEA, 3757. Whittlesea Newsagency. 59 Church St. (03) 9716 2060.

WILLIAMSTOWN, 3016. Williamstown News & Lotto. 16 Douglas Pde, Williamstown. (03) 9397 6020.

WINDSOR, 3181. Windsor Newsagency. 71 Chapel St, Windsor. (03) 9510 2030.

WONTHAGGI, 3995. Wonthaggi Newsagency. 27A McBride St, Wonthaggi. (03) 5672 1256.

WOORI YALLOCK. Woori Yallock Newsagency. (03 5964 6008.

YARRA GLEN, 3775. Yarra Glen Newsagency. (03 9730 1392.

YARRAVILLE, 3013. Yarraville Newsagency. 59 Anderson St, Yarraville. (03) 9687 2987.

YEA, 3717. Yea Newsagency, 78 High St. (03 5797 2196.

Page 18 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Vision Australia brings rare book to life Moving Lodge service

● Vietnam Veterans Memorial Lodge members, from left, John Gibbs, Kevin O'Neill, Dennis Livingston, Terry Wilson, Peter Gurr, Peter Henry, Roger Dykes and Kevin Law. Photo courtesy Bairnsdale Advertiser ■ Members of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Lodge conducted a commemorative ceremony of the Battle of Long Tan at Union North Gippsland Lodge last month.

Many of the members of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Lodge are exservicemen or ex-police officers, but the Lodge is not restricted to those who have served.

Members who have an interest in the memorial of those who lost their lives at war are most welcome.

The 45 Lodge members attended the moving ceremony to hear the names of those killed read out and a candle extinguished for each of the 18 servicemen who died in the August 18, 1966 battle.

The battle saw the action of 108 ANZACs against a Viet Cong (North Vietnamese) force estimated between 1500 and 2500.

The battle was one of the heaviest conflicts of the Vietnam War as well as one of the few battles in the recorded history of the world to be won against such odds.

As if to match the conditions of the battle itself, the day of the service poured with rain.

Members also used the night as an opportunity to raise funds for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Lodge charitable fund. www.australia.com.au

‘On your bike’, Lodge tells kids

■ A 200-page, leather-bound book, written and printed entirely in braille was discovered during the relocation of Freemasons Victoria from the Dallas Brooks Centre.

With no real indication of the context of the book, or by whom it was written, Library and Museum Collections Manager Samantha Fabry engaged a braille specialist from Vision Australia to translate the rare publication.

Librarian Jamie Kelly, of the Vision Australia Library in Kooyong, analysed the book in confidence, first establishing that it was dated December 10, 1930.

Page by page, Jamie softly touched each of the pages, able to relay the contents of the book.

"Working in the first Degrees,” he said.

"To open the Lodge … Entry and presentation candidates …Obligation …," he continued.

With the reading of the contents page, Samantha was able to ascertain that this book was in fact the Rituals and Ceremony of Workings of the 3 Degrees in Freemasonry, as it states in its introduction.

Jamie read the Preface, saying that the book seemed to be written by and for the same person.

“This volume of braille was written by B.E. Glew for his instruction and guidance on the Degree Working and Ceremonials as laid down in the ritual for Freemasons compiled with the assistance of BTC Hall of ANZAC Hostel, Brighton and to whom my very best thanks are due for his great

● Braille librarian Jamie Kelly with loyal seeing-eye dog Gambler, translating the rare publication.

Master Frank. E. Pettifer (1945help given so freely.”

Opened on July 5, 1919, ANZAC 47) was Honorary Treasurer and Hostel (which today operates as a care Trustee for the Victorian Association facility for the elderly) was used by of Braille Writers from 1934 till his the Repatriation Department for the death in 1946.

Frank Pettifer was well known for care of permanently disabled vetersupporting the translation of books into ans from WWI. Although this book was published braille and therefore could have been 11 years after WWI, it was possibly responsible for encouraging this transused by blind war veterans who lived lation.

The rare book is now in the posat ANZAC Hostel including those vetsession of the Freemasons Victoria erans who fought during WWII. Coincidently, if we look back at Library and Museum in a display Freemasonry at this time, Past Grand case, for all to see.

Victorian Boy Scouts and the Great War

● Milton Tsaktsiras, Wayne Motton and Michael Holloway of Ivanhoe Grammarians Lodge with some of the new bikes donated to the City of Banyule Children’s Gift Appeal.

■ A conversation between Freemasons Victoria Mebership Services Manager Bruce Stockdale, and Ivanhoe Grammarians Lodge Secretary Ash Long, has led to dozens of bicycles being donated to the Banyule Children’s Gift Appeal.

The Lodge has been a strong supporter for many years of the Toys For Tots appeal, and Bruce Stockdale put up a challenge to Lodge members to further increase their support for the disadvantaged children of the area.

Lodge members did a quick whip● Max Fraser and Neville Emerson with some of the ‘Toys around, and were supported by the For Tots’ donated by the Lodge Freemasons Foundation Victoria.

● Glenn Webster, Rover Advisor, 1st Taylors L akes; Luke Borg Fabry, 3rd Williamstown Scouts’ and Brad Miles, Scouts Victoria.

■ The Victorian Boy Scouts and the Great War Exhibition was officially opened last month, at the Victorian Scout Centre in Mt Waverley.

This display highlights some of the most significant objects within the Scout Heritage Victoria collection which focuses directly on the Scouts involvement within World War I..

Curated by Scout Heritage Victoria this exhibition was supported by the Victorian Government through the ANZAC Centenary Community Grants Program Veterans Fund.

Scouting commenced in Victoria in 1908, one year after its inception in England in 1907. The founder, Robert Baden-Powell, wrote a series of articles under the title of Scouting for Boys which created considerable interest from young boys who eagerly followed his ideas on camp-craft, hiking and leadership skills.

Scout Troops sprung up around the suburbs of Melbourne and quickly expanded into country areas.

Adults were quickly recruited to become Scoutmasters and an umbrella Headquarters (reporting to Imperial HQ in England) was established.

With the outbreak of WWI, Scouting lost many of its leaders who enlisted for service to the nation. During the war years, Scouting continued unabated with older boys in the Troop stepping up to take on the vacant leadership roles.

Scouts were also involved in War Service activities and War Service badges were awarded for their efforts.

At the end of the war, many soldiers returned home and resumed their Scouting activities, whereas others paid the ultimate sacrifice.

This exhibition is dedicated to their memory and recognises the efforts of so many members involved in the development of Scouting in Victoria.

To find out more about Freemasonry, how to become a member, or attend upcoming public events, please visit www.freemasonsvic.net.au Or ‘like’ our FaceBook page www.facebook.com/freemasonsvic for the most up to date information.

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au Melbourne

Observer

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 19

West Hollywood

Salute for West Hollywood leader

■ Hi everyone, from my suite at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites comes this week's news.

10 free things to do

Award for WeHo veteran

■ In celebration of West Hollywood’s status as a ‘Creative City;, Alan Johnson, CEO of the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites, presented the City of West Hollywood Creative BusinessAchievement Award in the Lifetime Achievement Award' category to Alberto Borrelli for his leadership in the City for more than 40 years.

Pictured: Steve Lococo with Alberto Borrelli being presented his award by Alan Johnson.

Albert and his partner Steve Lococo have been grooming clients from show business, city leaders, essential services officers and the general public for more than 40 years in their upscale hair salon called B2V Salon, 646 N.Doheny in West Hollywood.

Lisa Vanderpump (Housewives of Beverly Hills television show, Sur and Pump restaurants owner) was also presented with the City of West Hollywood No.1 Attraction Award.

● Steve Lococo with Alberto Borrelli being presented his award by Alan Johnson.

Pam on last Playboy cover ■ Hugh Hefner's world famous magazine will stop featuring naked pictorials after the January/February issue Pamela Anderson is putting on her Playboy Bunny ears one more time.

Anderson has revealed that she will grace the cover of the final issue of Playboy to feature nude pictorials.

In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight, Anderson said that Hugh Hefner's representatives reached out to her to appear on the cover of the historic issue.

"I got a call from [Hugh Hefner's] attorney who said, 'We don't want anybody else. There's nobody else, could you do the last cover of Playboy?'" Anderson said.

But Anderson, who has appeared on a record 11, now 12, Playboy covers, was apprehensive at first. She was worried the effect the cover would have on her sons, whom she said have been teased throughout their lives for her work. But both of her sons gave their blessing.

Adele’s hit will be huge

■ British singer Adele is already the hit of the holiday season with her blockbuster song Hello, and now she's heading to TV. Her recent one-night-only concert from Radio City Music Hall was captured by NBC for a special titled Adele Live in New York City.

As expected, the British singer performed her huge hit in her ong-awaited comeback to the New York stage on Nov. 17.

The show, which airs on NBC on Monday (Dec. 14) marked the artist's first concert in four years. I am sure you will get to see this concert in Australia around the same time.

The one-hour NBC special showcases Adele's incredible performances of songs from her new album, 25, and also features her interacting with her fans from the iconic Radio City stage, and performing landmark songs from throughout her career, according to the network.

Cameras were rolling behind the scenes in the days leading up to the concert, offering exclusive access to the artist's preparations for the event.

25 sold 3.38 million copies in its first week of sales in the US marking the largest single-week sales figure for an album since Nielsen started tracking point-of-sale purchases back in 1991.

It's also the first album to pass the 3-million sales mark in a week in Nielsen history.

Speak with Joanna

■ If you are considering a move to Los Angeles or just coming over for a holiday then I have got a special deal for you.

If you're coming for your holiday, we would love to see you at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites, 8585 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood.

I have secured a terrific holiday deal for readers of the Melbourne Observer.

Please mention 'Melbourne Observer' when you book and you will receive the 'Special Rate of the Day'.

Please contact: Joanna at info@ramadaweho.com Happy Holidays, Gavin Wood

GavinWood

From my Suite at the Ramada Plaza Complex on Santa Monica Blvd

Star for Ron

● Ron Howard ■ The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is announcing that legendary actor/director/producer Ron Howard will be honored with the 2,568th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday (Dec. 10)..

The star, in the category of Motion Pictures, will be dedicated at 6931 Hollywood Boulevard in front of Madame Tussauds Hollywood.

Helping Hollywood Chamber President/CEO and emcee Leron Gubler to unveil the star will be Brian Grazer and Michael Keaton.

"Ron Howard is the epitome of the dream-come-true of the entertainment world … starring as a child actor and becoming one of the world's most prolific filmmakers," stated Ana Martinez, Producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies.

"We are proud to add him to our Walk of Fame for a rare second time. His first star was dedicated to him on August 19, 1981, for his work as an actor in the category of Television."

www.gavinwood.us

HOTEL MUSIC SERIES Listen to free acoustic music in an awesome setting. The Andaz's Under the Covers series happens monthly on Wednesday nights. The Roxy Theatre owner Nic Adler hand-picks the featured cover musicians, and conducts a pre-show interview with them in an Andaz hotel room (hence the name, "Under the Covers." For a poolside setting, visit The Standard Hollywood's weekly Wednesday night series, Desert Nights.

You'll listen to acoustic performances in the intimate, candlelit Cactus Lounge and sip drinks by The Standard's expert bartenders.

BOOK SIGNINGSAT BOOK SOUP Meet your favorite author, listen to a reading and get an autographed book or a picture at Book Soup in West Hollywood. The famous bookstore features author readings most nights a week, and admission is always free. Find Book Soup's schedule here: http://www.booksoup.com/author-events.asp GET HEALTHYONYOUR SPECIALDAY Why celebrate turning another year older by stuffing your face with cake and champagne? Add even more years to your life by claiming your free class and gym usage at Lift West Hollywood! The gym wants to give you the very special birthday gift of fitness, so mark your calendar on your birthday.

PERSUE THE SUNSET STRIPFARMER'S MARKET Relax after work or bring the family on an adventure Thursday nights at the Sunset Strip Farmer's Market. Every Thursday night, the famous street hosts a nighttime farmer's market full of produce, dairy and meat, food vendors and entertainment. While purchasing groceries for dinner costs money, there is often live music and entertainment, which is always free for attendees.

REMODELYOUR HOMEAT PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER The Blue Building of the architecture masterpiece that is the Pacific Design Center is home to countless interior design showrooms. Bring a sketchpad, a camera and your questions: spend the day browsing for ideas for your current house or future dream home.

GETACELEBRITY'SAUTOGRAPH (ANDATASTY TREAT)AT MILLIONS OF MILKSHAKES Take a walk down the red carpet at Santa Monica Boulevard's Millions of Milkshakes! You never know who'll stop by. Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Heidi and Spencer, Mario Lopez and more have all stopped by the store to sign autographs, meet fans, take pictures and, of course, create their own drinks! Stop by on a regular day for a delicious celebrity-created treat. Or find out when a star is coming to town and get in line!

TAKEASTROLLDOWN SANTAMONICABOULEVARD From your room at the Ramada Hotel and Suites, stroll down Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, it is also known as the world-famous Route 66 (which runs from the pier in Santa Monica beach to Chicago, Illinois). In West Hollywood, the street's medians are home to larger-than-life modern art installations, grand fountains and greenery. West Hollywood is California's most walkable city, after all, so test out that claim for yourself by burning calories and taking in the sites. If you get hungry on your 1.9-mile adventure, Santa Monica Boulevard is home to world-renowned bars and delicious cafes.

FAMILY DAYATWEST HOLLYWOOD LIBRARY Reading is fun for the whole family at the West Hollywood Library. Bring your kids to the free weekly Toddler and Family events, featuring storytime, songs, fingerplay and more. Go to an author visit and book signing. Learn how to use a computer.

Attend a seminar on the U.S. Constitution. Join an LGBT book club. All West Hollywood Public Library events are free to the public!

PEOPLE WATCHATTOWER BARAT THE SUNSET TOWER HOTEL Tower Bar at the Sunset Tower Hotel is known for having famous guests. You'll catch the stars you read about in the tabloids having lunch, as well as current and former rock stars grabbing a drink at the bar. The hotel itself has a ton of Hollywood history - take a look around and explore.

GETCULTUREDAT MOCAAT THE PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER Everyone knows about Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art located on Grand Avenue. But few know that the museum also has a branch inside the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. Best of all, the WeHo location always has free admission! Tuesdays through Sundays, you'll find rotating exhibitions, which revolve around contemporary design, architecture and specialty shopping.

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Page 20 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

■ Gwen Plumb was an Australian actress and broadcaster who had a very busy life in showbusiness and was noted for her kindness and great wit.

Gwendoline Jean Plumb was born in 1912 in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Stanmore and raised in the eastern beach suburb of Coogee.

A chance invitation from a member of the David Jones tailoring department, where she was working in 1940, led to her accepting a role in a local play at the Chelsea Drama Club.

Gwen had never acted before in her life, but was bitten by "the acting bug".

Her first professional engagement was at the Minerva Theatre in a production of See How They Run. Gwen was a founding member of the Belvoir Street Theatre and worked many times with the Independent Theatre.

Her radio career commenced when Gwen took a job as a copywriter at 2CH. She worked with the ABC acting in Gwen Meredith's first radio series The Lawsons and then played the role of ‘Emma’ in Blue Hills for many years.

During the 1940s Gwen had her own interview programon 2GB in Sydney which continued till 1974.

She also teamed with actor and comedian Gordon Chater in mid-morning radio variety show.

Her Whale Beach home, where she lived for

Whatever Happened To ...

Gwen Plumb

By Kevin Trask of 3AW and 96.5 Inner FM

50 years became known as an actors' retreat.

Sir Laurence Olivier himself is said to have visited and the walls featured paintings by Peter Finch.

In the 1950s she performed with the Beatrice Lillie Revue Company in London and appeared as a panellist on the radio show Twenty Questions.

On her return to Australia, Gwen became a regular panel member on Leave It To The Girls compered firstly by Harry Dearth and then by Terry Dear.

In 1952 Gwen won the Macquarie Radio Award for Best Comedy Performance of the Year for her role in Adam's Rib for The Lux Radio Theatre.

She played major character roles in television shows such as Neighbours, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, Richmond Hill, The Harp in the South and Home and Away.

In her later years Gwen starred in the stage production of Steaming and teamed with June Bronhill for the comedy classic Arsenic and Old Lace.

It was at a 1993 reunion of the Independent Theatre that she announced her retirement from showbusiness.

Her autobiography Plumb Crazy was published in 1994.

Gwen suffered a decline in health after a bowel cancer operation and died in her home a Kirribilli in 2002 at the age of 89.

Her career lasted for 60 years and she received the British Empire Medal in the 1970s.

In 1993 Gwen Plumb was made a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for ● Gwen Plumb In the 1960s she started working in television her services to the entertainment industry and shows such as Consider Your Verdict, Boney, her charity work.

Kevin Trask Jonah and The Rovers.

The Time Tunnel - with Bruce and Phil In 1977 Gwen was cast as ‘Ada Simmons’ Sundays at 9.20pm on 3AW the kiosk operator in the television soap opera That's Entertainment - 96.5FM The Young Doctors and was with the series for Sundays at 12Noon four years.

96.5FM is streaming on the internet.

Her numerous stage productions included The American Dream, The Bed Before Yesterday and To listen, go to www.innerfm.org.au and Blithe Spirit. follow the prompts

Doctor Edelsten of Lightning Ridge ■ I was at an AAA (Australian American Association) function a couple of years ago when I encountered two familiar faces.

Over glasses of red and canapes I was introduced to them - Geoff Edelsten and his then-missus, Brynne.

Of course publicity, in its various guises, had swooped down on them, and on this day they were both grist

for this particular mill. Shortly I discovered that he had been a local GP at Lightning Ridge in the 60s, so we had a topic or two to share. Not a bad bloke, I thought. And Brynne, intelligent and articulate.

And we discussed a few of the famous and unusual cases which we could remember on the field - mine collapses, car crashes, a few falls

down opal mines, and spider and snake bites. One such my old mate George Graham related to me, involving an old Hungarian miner in the fifties, who in pain had presented himself to the local hospital, and in answer to nurse who enquired as to his welfare, replied: "Bit on the b---s with a red-a---e!" as he flopped his unfortunate regalia on to her desk.

Which, of course, brings me to my own current, pre-mentioned medical predicament. Whilst I have never been bitten by a red-back, I have fallen foul to a couple of snakes, centipedes and scorpions, stingrays and cobblers, the worst of them all from a pain perspective.

■ My current ailment, as I reported lately, is a dodgy hip.

As is my normal wont, I always begin any encounter in my shop enquiring as to the country of origin, and occupation of every visitor.

One particular gentleman, unusually an Aussie, told me he was from Sydney, and was a surgeon. "Wanna swap a hip for an opal?" I enquired, with levity.

This of course wasn't going to work, but thus our conversation began.

"Nick, I can't help you in such matters - it would be unethical for me to be personally specific, but I can guide you a little more."

"I'm contemplating contacting a Mr X, who has been recommended to me by one of my mates."

"I wish you hadn't told me that."

"But my ex-wife is about to have her hip done by another gentleman, Mr. Y., who's done some of my other mates."

"She couldn't be in better hands."

MrY. was a gentleman called Mr. James Stoney, who practises from St V.'s and other parts east.

So a quick change of direction.

I recall that my father-in-law, Len Crowe, was discussing the professionalism of the surgeon who was treating his wife's cancer years ago.

"If he had chosen to grow tomatoes instead of healing people, he would have had the same degree of success which he currently enjoys."

Len's comments have swooped back to me as I've been dealing with this man of integrity in whom I have placed so much trust for the welfare of the next 20 years of my life.

two with my local GP, and had discovered that my blood pressure was a bit high, but we had reduced this with a tablet or two.

Of course I needed a final verification, so fronted up to another mate, to finally OK all of this.

He decided that, even though I was a little high, it was worth my while to have the surgery the following Tuesday.

So I was wheeled into my ward and into my room, where all these little sticky things were stuck to me.

They then had wires attached to them, and in turn were attached to this monitoring machine with little green numbers flashing away to inform any viewer the exact rate of every little change within my whole being.

My blood pressure had risen a little, but also this thing called an Atrial Fribulation had decided to rear its little with Nick Le Souef head.

Lightning Ridge Opals "Gotta fix this first!"

175 Flinders Lane, It's an irregular heart rate - beating at Melbourne different rhythms and rates.

Phone 9654 4444 I had been looking forward to this www.opals.net.au life-changing operation by this expert, when my own body had thrown this ■ ■ So we next discussed various unexpected spanner in the works, and brands of hip available, and I told him this all needed to smoothed off and I wanted an Exeter, which my first calmed down before any surgery man had recommended. could even begin to be contemplated.

He had informed me that the old tried and true methods for this type of ■ So began a plethora of trials and surgery were the best. tribulations.

New ideas and new fangled techI'd tried to look after myself for nology often ended up back on the drawing board --- the operating table - years by eating the right food and ex-- after a couple of years. Not for me. ercising properly, and avoiding drugs.

Here I was in a hospital where all You may hear from a surgeon that you'll be up and about in a few weeks, this counted for nothing, and drugs my Sydney friend said. reigned supreme.

"You want to be jumping about in So for the next four days it was 20 years, not two weeks," he said. trial and error to get this recalcitrant So I Googled Mr Exeter, and it seemed he was right - about 90 per heart beating properly.

Whist this ailment wasn't necescent were still operational. Sounded sarily dangerous in itself per se, it had OK to me.

So again I discussed this with an adverse effect when combined with James, and he was quite happy to go surgery and anaesthetic. along with this.

So, after a few more days, it was: The first thing of course was to "Try all these pills and we'll see how make sure the heart was up to all this. they've worked in a couple of weeks.

I had gone through my life without "On yer bike." ever having a blood test, or even a Great! blood pressure test, or anything else - Nick Le Souef I just reckoned that I was invincible ‘The Outback Legend’ and immortal. I'd had an initial test or

The Outback Legend

Melbourne Obser ver - Wednesday, September 23, 2015 - Page 19

Observer Classic Books

‘The Uncommercial Traveller’ by Charles Dickens Continued From Last Week This occasioned the greatest excitement of the evening; for, no sooner did the curtain rise on the introductory Vaudeville, and reveal in the person of the young lover (singing a very short song with his eyebrows) apparently the very same identical stout gentleman imperfectly repressed by a belt, than everybody rushed out to the paying-place, to ascertain whether he could possibly have put on that dress-coat, that clear complexion, and those arched black vocal eyebrows, in so short a space of time. It then became manifest that this was another stout gentleman imperfectly repressed by a belt: to whom, before the spectators had recovered their presence of mind, entered a third stout gentleman imperfectly repressed by a belt, exactly like him.

These two ‘subjects,’ making with the moneytaker three of the announced fifteen, fell into conversation touching a charming young widow: who, presently appearing, proved to be a stout lady altogether irrepressible by any means — quite a parallel case to the American Negro — fourth of the fifteen subjects, and sister of the fifth who presided over the check-department.

In good time the whole of the fifteen subjects were dramatically presented, and we had the inevitable Ma Mere, Ma Mere! and also the inevitable malediction d’un pere, and likewise the inevitable Marquis, and also the inevitable provincial young man, weak-minded but faithful, who followed Julie to Paris, and cried and laughed and choked all at once. The story was wrought out with the help of a virtuous spinningwheel in the beginning, a vicious set of diamonds in the middle, and a rheumatic blessing (which arrived by post) from Ma Mere towards the end; the whole resulting in a small sword in the body of one of the stout gentlemen imperfectly repressed by a belt, fifty thousand francs per annum and a decoration to the other stout gentleman imperfectly repressed by a belt, and an assurance from everybody to the provincial young man that if he were not supremely happy — which he seemed to have no reason whatever for being — he ought to be. This afforded him a final opportunity of crying and laughing and choking all at once, and sent the audience home sentimentally delighted. Audience more attentive or better behaved there could not possibly be, though the places of second rank in the Theatre of the Family P. Salcy were sixpence each in English money, and the places of first rank a shilling. How the fifteen subjects ever got so fat upon it, the kind Heavens know.

What gorgeous china figures of knights and ladies, gilded till they gleamed again, I might have bought at the Fair for the garniture of my home, if I had been a French-Flemish peasant, and had had the money! What shining coffee-cups and saucers I might have won at the turntables, if I had had the luck! Ravishing perfumery also, and sweetmeats, I might have speculated in, or I might have fired for prizes at a multitude of little dolls in niches, and might have hit the doll of dolls, and won francs and fame. Or, being a French-Flemish youth, I might have been drawn in a hand-cart by my compeers, to tilt for municipal rewards at the water-quintain; which, unless I sent my lance clean through the ring, emptied a full bucket over me; to fend off which, the competitors wore grotesque old scarecrow hats. Or, being French-Flemish man or woman, boy or girl, I might have circled all night on my hobby-horse in a stately cavalcade of hobbyhorses four abreast, interspersed with triumphal cars, going round and round and round and round, we the goodly company singing a ceaseless chorus to the music of the barrel-organ, drum, and cymbals. On the whole, not more monotonous than the Ring in Hyde Park, London, and much merrier; for when do the circling company sing chorus, THERE, to the barrel-organ, when do the ladies embrace their horses round the neck with both arms, when do the gentlemen fan the ladies with the tails of their gallant steeds? On all these revolving delights, and on their own especial lamps and Chinese lanterns revolving with them, the thoughtful weaver-face brightens, and the Hotel de Ville sheds an illuminated line of gaslight: while above it, the Eagle of France, gas-outlined and apparently afflicted

Charles Dickens with the prevailing infirmities that have lighted on the poultry, is in a very undecided state of policy, and as a bird moulting. Flags flutter all around. Such is the prevailing gaiety that the keeper of the prison sits on the stone steps outside the prison-door, to have a look at the world that is not locked up; while that agreeable retreat, the wine-shop opposite to the prison in the prison-alley (its sign La Tranquillite, because of its charming situation), resounds with the voices of the shepherds and shepherdesses who resort there this festive night. And it reminds me that only this afternoon, I saw a shepherd in trouble, tending this way, over the jagged stones of a neighbouring street. A magnificent sight it was, to behold him in his blouse, a feeble little jog-trot rustic, swept along by the wind of two immense gendarmes, in cocked-hats for which the street was hardly wide enough, each carrying a bundle of stolen property that would not have held his shoulder-knot, and clanking a sabre that dwarfed the prisoner.

‘Messieurs et Mesdames, I present to you at this Fair, as a mark of my confidence in the people of this so-renowned town, and as an act of homage to their good sense and fine taste, the Ventriloquist, the Ventriloquist! Further, Messieurs et Mesdames, I present to you the Face-Maker, the Physiognomist, the great Changer of Countenances, who transforms the features that Heaven has bestowed upon him into an endless succession of surprising and extraordinary visages, comprehending, Messieurs et Mesdames, all the contortions, energetic and expressive, of which the human face is capable, and all the passions of the human heart, as Love, Jealousy, Revenge, Hatred, Avarice, Despair! Hi hi! Ho ho! Lu lu! Come in!’ To

this effect, with an occasional smite upon a sonorous kind of tambourine — bestowed with a will, as if it represented the people who won’t come in — holds forth a man of lofty and severe demeanour; a man in stately uniform, gloomy with the knowledge he possesses of the inner secrets of the booth. ‘Come in, come in! Your opportunity presents itself to-night; to-morrow it will be gone for ever. To-morrow morning by the Express Train the railroad will reclaim the Ventriloquist and the Face-Maker! Algeria will reclaim the Ventriloquist and the Face-Maker!

Yes! For the honour of their country they have accepted propositions of a magnitude incredible, to appear in Algeria. See them for the last time before their departure! We go to commence on the instant. Hi hi! Ho ho! Lu lu! Come in!

Take the money that now ascends, Madame; but after that, no more, for we commence! Come in!’

Nevertheless, the eyes both of the gloomy Speaker and of Madame receiving sous in a muslin bower, survey the crowd pretty sharply after the ascending money has ascended, to detect any lingering sous at the turning-point.

‘Come in, come in! Is there any more money, Madame, on the point of ascending? If so, we wait for it. If not, we commence!’ The orator looks back over his shoulder to say it, lashing the spectators with the conviction that he beholds through the folds of the drapery into which he is about to plunge, the Ventriloquist and the Face-Maker. Several sous burst out of pockets, and ascend. ‘Come up, then, Messieurs!’ exclaims Madame in a shrill voice, and beckoning with a bejewelled finger. ‘Come up! This presses.

Monsieur has commanded that they commence!’ Monsieur dives into his Interior, and

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the last half-dozen of us follow. His Interior is comparatively severe; his Exterior also. A true Temple of Art needs nothing but seats, drapery, a small table with two moderator lamps hanging over it, and an ornamental looking-glass let into the wall. Monsieur in uniform gets behind the table and surveys us with disdain, his forehead becoming diabolically intellectual under the moderators. ‘Messieurs et Mesdames, I present to you the Ventriloquist. He will commence with the celebrated Experience of the bee in the window. The bee, apparently the veritable bee of Nature, will hover in the window, and about the room. He will be with difficulty caught in the hand of Monsieur the Ventriloquist — he will escape — he will again hover — at length he will be recaptured by Monsieur the Ventriloquist, and will be with difficulty put into a bottle.

Achieve then, Monsieur!’ Here the proprietor is replaced behind the table by the Ventriloquist, who is thin and sallow, and of a weakly aspect.

While the bee is in progress, Monsieur the Proprietor sits apart on a stool, immersed in dark and remote thought. The moment the bee is bottled, he stalks forward, eyes us gloomily as we applaud, and then announces, sternly waving his hand: ‘The magnificent Experience of the child with the whooping-cough!’ The child disposed of, he starts up as before. ‘The superb and extraordinary Experience of the dialogue between Monsieur Tatambour in his diningroom, and his domestic, Jerome, in the cellar; concluding with the songsters of the grove, and the Concert of domestic Farm-yard animals.’

All this done, and well done, Monsieur the Ventriloquist withdraws, and Monsieur the FaceMaker bursts in, as if his retiring-room were a mile long instead of a yard. A corpulent little man in a large white waistcoat, with a comic countenance, and with a wig in his hand. Irreverent disposition to laugh, instantly checked by the tremendous gravity of the Face-Maker, who intimates in his bow that if we expect that sort of thing we are mistaken. A very little shaving-glass with a leg behind it is handed in, and placed on the table before the Face-Maker. ‘Messieurs et Mesdames, with no other assistance than this mirror and this wig, I shall have the honour of showing you a thousand characters.’ As a preparation, the Face-Maker with both hands gouges himself, and turns his mouth inside out. He then becomes frightfully grave again, and says to the Proprietor, ‘I am ready!’ Proprietor stalks forth from baleful reverie, and announces ‘The Young Conscript!’ Face-Maker claps his wig on, hind side before, looks in the glass, and appears above it as a conscript so very imbecile, and squinting so extremely hard, that I should think the State would never get any good of him. Thunders of applause. Face-Maker dips behind the lookingglass, brings his own hair forward, is himself again, is awfully grave. ‘A distinguished inhabitant of the Faubourg St. Germain.’ Face-Maker dips, rises, is supposed to be aged, blear-eyed, toothless, slightly palsied, supernaturally polite, evidently of noble birth. ‘The oldest member of the Corps of Invalides on the fete-day of his master.’Face-Maker dips, rises, wears the wig on one side, has become the feeblest military bore in existence, and (it is clear) would lie frightfully about his past achievements, if he were not confined to pantomime. ‘The Miser!’ FaceMaker dips, rises, clutches a bag, and every hair of the wig is on end to express that he lives in continual dread of thieves. ‘The Genius of France!’ Face-Maker dips, rises, wig pushed back and smoothed flat, little cocked-hat (artfully concealed till now) put a-top of it, Face Maker’s white waistcoat much advanced, FaceMaker’s left hand in bosom of white waistcoat, Face-Maker’s right hand behind his back. Thunders. This is the first of three positions of the Genius of France. In the second position, the Face-Maker takes snuff; in the third, rolls up his fight hand, and surveys illimitable armies through that pocket-glass. The Face-Maker then, by putting out his tongue, and wearing the wig nohow in particular, becomes the Village Idiot.

The most remarkable feature in the whole of his ingenious performance, is, that whatever he does to disguise himself, has the effect of rendering him rather more like himself than he was at first.Continued on Page 20

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Observer Classic Books From Page 19 There were peep-shows in this Fair, and I had the pleasure of recognising several fields of glory with which I became well acquainted a year or two ago as Crimean battles, now doing duty as Mexican victories. The change was neatly effected by some extra smoking of the Russians, and by permitting the camp followers free range in the foreground to despoil the enemy of their uniforms. As no British troops had ever happened to be within sight when the artist took his original sketches, it followed fortunately that none were in the way now.

The Fair wound up with a ball. Respecting the particular night of the week on which the ball took place, I decline to commit myself; merely mentioning that it was held in a stable-yard so very close to the railway, that it was a mercy the locomotive did not set fire to it. (In Scotland, I suppose, it would have done so.) There, in a tent prettily decorated with looking-glasses and a myriad of toy flags, the people danced all night.

It was not an expensive recreation, the price of a double ticket for a cavalier and lady being one and threepence in English money, and even of that small sum fivepence was reclaimable for ‘consommation:’ which word I venture to translate into refreshments of no greater strength, at the strongest, than ordinary wine made hot, with sugar and lemon in it. It was a ball of great good humour and of great enjoyment, though very many of the dancers must have been as poor as the fifteen subjects of the P. Salcy Family.

In short, not having taken my own pet national pint pot with me to this Fair, I was very well satisfied with the measure of simple enjoyment that it poured into the dull French-Flemish country life. How dull that is, I had an opportunity of considering — when the Fair was over — when the tri-coloured flags were withdrawn from the windows of the houses on the Place where the Fair was held — when the windows were close shut, apparently until next Fair-time — when the Hotel de Ville had cut off its gas and put away its eagle — when the two paviours, whom I take to form the entire paving population of the town, were ramming down the stones which had been pulled up for the erection of decorative poles — when the jailer had slammed his gate, and sulkily locked himself in with his charges.

But then, as I paced the ring which marked the track of the departed hobby-horses on the market-place, pondering in my mind how long some hobby-horses do leave their tracks in public ways, and how difficult they are to erase, my eyes were greeted with a goodly sight. I beheld four male personages thoughtfully pacing the Place together, in the sunlight, evidently not belonging to the town, and having upon them a certain loose cosmopolitan air of not belonging to any town. One was clad in a suit of white canvas, another in a cap and blouse, the third in an old military frock, the fourth in a shapeless dress that looked as if it had been made out of old umbrellas. All wore dust-coloured shoes. My heart beat high; for, in those four male personages, although complexionless and eyebrowless, I beheld four subjects of the Family P. Salcy Blue-bearded though they were, and bereft of the youthful smoothness of cheek which is imparted by what is termed in Albion a ‘Whitechapel shave’ (and which is, in fact, whitening, judiciously applied to the jaws with the palm of the hand), I recognised them. As I stood admiring, there emerged from the yard of a lowly Cabaret, the excellent Ma Mere, Ma Mere, with the words, ‘The soup is served;’ words which so elated the subject in the canvas suit, that when they all ran in to partake, he went last, dancing with his hands stuck angularly into the pockets of his canvas trousers, after the Pierrot manner.

Glancing down the Yard, the last I saw of him was, that he looked in through a window (at the soup, no doubt) on one leg.

Full of this pleasure, I shortly afterwards departed from the town, little dreaming of an addition to my good fortune. But more was in reserve. I went by a train which was heavy with third-class carriages, full of young fellows (well guarded) who had drawn unlucky numbers in the last conscription, and were on their way to a famous French garrison town where much of the raw military material is worked up into soldiery. At the station they had been sitting about, in their threadbare homespun blue garments, with their poor little bundles under their arms, covered with dust and clay, and the various soils of France; sad enough at heart, most of them, but putting a good face upon it, and slapping their breasts and singing choruses on the small

est provocation; the gayest spirits shouldering half loaves of black bread speared upon their walking-sticks. As we went along, they were audible at every station, chorusing wildly out of tune, and feigning the highest hilarity. After a while, however, they began to leave off singing, and to laugh naturally, while at intervals there mingled with their laughter the barking of a dog.

Now, I had to alight short of their destination, and, as that stoppage of the train was attended with a quantity of horn blowing, bell ringing, and proclamation of what Messieurs les Voyageurs were to do, and were not to do, in order to reach their respective destinations, I had ample leisure to go forward on the platform to take a parting look at my recruits, whose heads were all out at window, and who were laughing like delighted children. Then I perceived that a large poodle with a pink nose, who had been their travelling companion and the cause of their mirth, stood on his hind-legs presenting arms on the extreme verge of the platform, ready to salute them as the train went off. This poodle wore a military shako (it is unnecessary to add, very much on one side over one eye), a little military coat, and the regulation white gaiters. He was armed with a little musket and a little swordbayonet, and he stood presenting arms in perfect attitude, with his unobscured eye on his master or superior officer, who stood by him.

So admirable was his discipline, that, when the train moved, and he was greeted with the parting cheers of the recruits, and also with a shower of centimes, several of which struck his shako, and had a tendency to discompose him, he remained staunch on his post, until the train was gone. He then resigned his arms to his officer, took off his shako by rubbing his paw over it, dropped on four legs, bringing his uniform coat into the absurdest relations with the overarching skies, and ran about the platform in his white gaiters, waging his tail to an exceeding great extent. It struck me that there was more waggery than this in the poodle, and that he knew that the recruits would neither get through their exercises, nor get rid of their uniforms, as easily as he; revolving which in my thoughts, and seeking in my pockets some small money to bestow upon him, I casually directed my eyes to the face of his superior officer, and in him beheld the Face-Maker! Though it was not the way to Algeria, but quite the reverse, the military poodle’s Colonel was the Face-Maker in a dark blouse, with a small bundle dangling over his shoulder at the end of an umbrella, and taking a pipe from his breast to smoke as he and the poodle went their mysterious way.

CHAPTER XXVIII— MEDICINE MEN OF CIVILISATION My voyages (in paper boats) among savages often yield me matter for reflection at home. It is curious to trace the savage in the civilised man, and to detect the hold of some savage customs on conditions of society rather boastful of being high above them.

I wonder, is the Medicine Man of the North American Indians never to be got rid of, out of the North American country? He comes into my Wigwam on all manner of occasions, and with the absurdest ‘Medicine.’ I always find it extremely difficult, and I often find it simply impossible, to keep him out of my Wigwam.

For his legal ‘Medicine’ he sticks upon his head the hair of quadrupeds, and plasters the same with fat, and dirty white powder, and talks a gibberish quite unknown to the men and squaws of his tribe. For his religious ‘Medicine’ he puts on puffy white sleeves, little black aprons, large black waistcoats of a peculiar cut, collarless coats with Medicine button-holes, Medicine stockings and gaiters and shoes, and tops the whole with a highly grotesque Medicinal hat. In one respect, to be sure, I am quite free from him. On occasions when the Medicine Men in general, together with a large number of the miscellaneous inhabitants of his village, both male and female, are presented to the principal Chief, his native ‘Medicine’ is a comical mixture of old odds and ends (hired of traders) and new things in antiquated shapes, and pieces of red cloth (of which he is particularly fond), and white and red and blue paint for the face. The irrationality of this particular Medicine culminates in a mock battle-rush, from which many of the squaws are borne out, much dilapidated. I need not observe how unlike this is to a Drawing Room at St. James’s Palace.

The African magician I find it very difficult to exclude from my Wigwam too. This creature

takes cases of death and mourning under his supervision, and will frequently impoverish a whole family by his preposterous enchantments.

He is a great eater and drinker, and always conceals a rejoicing stomach under a grieving exterior. His charms consist of an infinite quantity of worthless scraps, for which he charges very high. He impresses on the poor bereaved natives, that the more of his followers they pay to exhibit such scraps on their persons for an hour or two (though they never saw the deceased in their lives, and are put in high spirits by his decease), the more honourably and piously they grieve for the dead. The poor people submitting themselves to this conjurer, an expensive procession is formed, in which bits of stick, feathers of birds, and a quantity of other unmeaning objects besmeared with black paint, are carried in a certain ghastly order of which no one understands the meaning, if it ever had any, to the brink of the grave, and are then brought back again.

In the Tonga Islands everything is supposed to have a soul, so that when a hatchet is irreparably broken, they say, ‘His immortal part has departed; he is gone to the happy hunting-plains.’

This belief leads to the logical sequence that when a man is buried, some of his eating and drinking vessels, and some of his warlike implements, must be broken and buried with him.

Superstitious and wrong, but surely a more respectable superstition than the hire of antic scraps for a show that has no meaning based on any sincere belief.

Let me halt on my Uncommercial road, to throw a passing glance on some funeral solemnities that I have seen where North American Indians, African Magicians, and Tonga Islanders, are supposed not to be.

Once, I dwelt in an Italian city, where there dwelt with me for a while, an Englishman of an amiable nature, great enthusiasm, and no discretion. This friend discovered a desolate stranger, mourning over the unexpected death of one very dear to him, in a solitary cottage among the vineyards of an outlying village. The circumstances of the bereavement were unusually distressing; and the survivor, new to the peasants and the country, sorely needed help, being alone with the remains. With some difficulty, but with the strong influence of a purpose at once gentle, disinterested, and determined, my friend — Mr. Kindheart — obtained access to the mourner, and undertook to arrange the burial.

There was a small Protestant cemetery near the city walls, and as Mr. Kindheart came back to me, he turned into it and chose the spot. He was always highly flushed when rendering a service unaided, and I knew that to make him happy I must keep aloof from his ministration. But when at dinner he warmed with the good action of the day, and conceived the brilliant idea of comforting the mourner with ‘an English funeral,’ I ven tured to intimate that I thought that institution, which was not absolutely sublime at home, might prove a failure in Italian hands. However, Mr. Kindheart was so enraptured with his conception, that he presently wrote down into the town requesting the attendance with to-morrow’s earliest light of a certain little upholsterer. This upholsterer was famous for speaking the unintelligible local dialect (his own) in a far more unintelligible manner than any other man alive.

When from my bath next morning I overheard Mr. Kindheart and the upholsterer in conference on the top of an echoing staircase; and when I overheard Mr. Kindheart rendering English Undertaking phrases into very choice Italian, and the upholsterer replying in the unknown Tongues; and when I furthermore remembered that the local funerals had no resemblance to English funerals; I became in my secret bosom apprehensive. But Mr. Kindheart informed me at breakfast that measures had been taken to ensure a signal success.

As the funeral was to take place at sunset, and as I knew to which of the city gates it must tend, I went out at that gate as the sun descended, and walked along the dusty, dusty road. I had not walked far, when I encountered this procession: 1. Mr. Kindheart, much abashed, on an immense grey horse.

2. A bright yellow coach and pair, driven by a coachman in bright red velvet knee-breeches and waistcoat. (This was the established local idea of State.) Both coach doors kept open by the coffin, which was on its side within, and sticking out at each.

3. Behind the coach, the mourner, for whom the coach was intended, walking in the dust.

4. Concealed behind a roadside well for the irrigation of a garden, the unintelligible Upholsterer, admiring.

It matters little now. Coaches of all colours are alike to poor Kindheart, and he rests far North of the little cemetery with the cypress-trees, by the city walls where the Mediterranean is so beautiful.

My first funeral, a fair representative funeral after its kind, was that of the husband of a married servant, once my nurse. She married for money. Sally Flanders, after a year or two of matrimony, became the relict of Flanders, a small master builder; and either she or Flanders had done me the honour to express a desire that I should ‘follow.’I may have been seven or eight years old; — young enough, certainly, to feel rather alarmed by the expression, as not knowing where the invitation was held to terminate, and how far I was expected to follow the deceased Flanders. Consent being given by the heads of houses, I was jobbed up into what was pronounced at home decent mourning (comprehending somebody else’s shirt, unless my memory deceives me), and was admonished that if, when the funeral was in action, I put my hands in my pockets, or took my eyes out of my pocket-handkerchief, I was personally lost, and my family disgraced. On the eventful day, having tried to get myself into a disastrous frame of mind, and having formed a very poor opinion of myself because I couldn’t cry, I repaired to Sally’s. Sally was an excellent creature, and had been a good wife to old Flanders, but the moment I saw her I knew that she was not in her own real natural state. She formed a sort of Coat of Arms, grouped with a smelling-bottle, a handkerchief, an orange, a bottle of vinegar, Flanders’s sister, her own sister, Flanders’s brother’s wife, and two neighbouring gossips — all in mourning, and all ready to hold her whenever she fainted. At sight of poor little me she became much agitated (agitating me much more), and having exclaimed, ‘O here’s dear Master Uncommercial!’ became hysterical, and swooned as if I had been the death of her. An affecting scene followed, during which I was handed about and poked at her by various people, as if I were the bottle of salts. Reviving a little, she embraced me, said, ‘You knew him well, dear Master Uncommercial, and he knew you!’ and fainted again: which, as the rest of the Coat of Arms soothingly said, ‘done her credit.’

Now, I knew that she needn’t have fainted unless she liked, and that she wouldn’t have fainted unless it had been expected of her, quite as well as I know it at this day. It made me feel uncomfortable and hypocritical besides. I was not sure but that it might be manners in ME to faint next, and I resolved to keep my eye on Flanders’s uncle, and if I saw any signs of his going in that direction, to go too, politely. But Flanders’s uncle (who was a weak little old retail grocer) had only one idea, which was that we all wanted tea; and he handed us cups of tea all round, incessantly, whether we refused or not. There was a young nephew of Flanders’s present, to whom Flanders, it was rumoured, had left nineteen guineas. He drank all the tea that was offered him, this nephew — amounting, I should say, to several quarts — and ate as much plumcake as he could possibly come by; but he felt it to be decent mourning that he should now and then stop in the midst of a lump of cake, and appear to forget that his mouth was full, in the contemplation of his uncle’s memory. I felt all this to be the fault of the undertaker, who was handing us gloves on a tea-tray as if they were muffins, and tying us into cloaks (mine had to be pinned up all round, it was so long for me), because I knew that he was making game. So, when we got out into the streets, and I constantly disarranged the procession by tumbling on the people before me because my handkerchief blinded my eyes, and tripping up the people behind me because my cloak was so long, I felt that we were all making game. I was truly sorry for Flanders, but I knew that it was no reason why we should be trying (the women with their heads in hoods like coal-scuttles with the black side outward) to keep step with a man in a scarf, carrying a thing like a mourning spy-glass, which he was going to open presently and sweep the horizon with. I knew that we should not all have been speaking in one particular key-note struck by the undertaker, if we had not been making game. Even in our faces we were every one of us as like the undertaker as if we had been his own family, and I perceived that this

Continued on Page 33

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 23

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Places To Go

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Places To Go on the Mornington Peninsula

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Places To Go on the Mornington Peninsula

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Places To Go In Greater Geelong

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Places To Go In Greater Geelong

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Places To Go In Greater Geelong

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Places To Go In Greater Geelong

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Places To Go In Greater Geelong

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Places To Go

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Places To Go

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Showbiz

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, September 23, 2015 - Page 33

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Observer Classic Books From Page 20 could not have happened unless we had been making game. When we returned to Sally’s, it was all of a piece. The continued impossibility of getting on without plum-cake; the ceremonious apparition of a pair of decanters containing port and sherry and cork; Sally’s sister at the tea-table, clinking the best crockery and shaking her head mournfully every time she looked down into the teapot, as if it were the tomb; the Coat of Arms again, and Sally as before; lastly, the words of consolation administered to Sally when it was considered right that she should ‘come round nicely:’ which were, that the deceased had had ‘as com-for-ta-ble a fu-ne-ral as comfortable could be!’

Other funerals have I seen with grown-up eyes, since that day, of which the burden has been the same childish burden. Making game. Real affliction, real grief and solemnity, have been outraged, and the funeral has been ‘performed.’

The waste for which the funeral customs of many tribes of savages are conspicuous, has attended these civilised obsequies; and once, and twice, have I wished in my soul that if the waste must be, they would let the undertaker bury the money, and let me bury the friend.

In France, upon the whole, these ceremonies are more sensibly regulated, because they are upon the whole less expensively regulated. I cannot say that I have ever been much edified by the custom of tying a bib and apron on the front of the house of mourning, or that I would myself particularly care to be driven to my grave in a nodding and bobbing car, like an infirm fourpost bedstead, by an inky fellow-creature in a cocked-hat. But it may be that I am constitutionally insensible to the virtues of a cocked-hat. In provincial France, the solemnities are sufficiently hideous, but are few and cheap. The friends and townsmen of the departed, in their own dresses and not masquerading under the auspices of the African Conjurer, surround the hand-bier, and often carry it. It is not considered indispensable to stifle the bearers, or even to elevate the burden on their shoulders; consequently it is easily taken up, and easily set down, and is carried through the streets without the distressing floundering and shuffling that we see at home. A dirty priest or two, and a dirtier acolyte or two, do not lend any especial grace to the proceedings; and I regard with personal animosity the bassoon, which is blown at intervals by the big-legged priest (it is always a big-legged priest who blows the bassoon), when his fellows combine in a lugubrious stalwart drawl. But there is far less of the Conjurer and the Medicine Man in the business than under like circumstances here. The grim coaches that we reserve expressly for such shows, are non-existent; if the cemetery be far out of the town, the coaches that are hired for other purposes of life are hired for this purpose; and although the honest vehicles make no pretence of being overcome, I have never noticed that the people in them were the worse for it. In Italy, the hooded Members of Confraternities who attend on funerals, are dismal and ugly to look upon; but the services they render are at least voluntarily rendered, and impoverish no one, and cost nothing. Why should high civilisation and low savagery ever come together on the point of making them a wantonly wasteful and contemptible set of forms?

Once I lost a friend by death, who had been troubled in his time by the Medicine Man and the Conjurer, and upon whose limited resources there were abundant claims. The Conjurer assured me that I must positively ‘follow,’ and both he and the Medicine Man entertained no doubt that I must go in a black carriage, and must wear ‘fittings.’ I objected to fittings as having nothing to do with my friendship, and I objected to the black carriage as being in more senses than one a job. So, it came into my mind to try what would happen if I quietly walked, in my own way, from my own house to my friend’s burial-place, and stood beside his open grave in my own dress and person, reverently listening to the best of Services. It satisfied my mind, I found, quite as well as if I had been disguised in a hired hatband and scarf both trailing to my very heels, and as if I had cost the orphan children, in their greatest need, ten guineas.

Can any one who ever beheld the stupendous absurdities attendant on ‘A message from the Lords’ in the House of Commons, turn upon the Medicine Man of the poor Indians? Has he any ‘Medicine’ in that dried skin pouch of his, so supremely ludicrous as the two Masters in Chancery holding up their black petticoats and butt-

ing their ridiculous wigs at Mr. Speaker? Yet there are authorities innumerable to tell me — as there are authorities innumerable among the Indians to tell them — that the nonsense is indispensable, and that its abrogation would involve most awful consequences. What would any rational creature who had never heard of judicial and forensic ‘fittings,’ think of the Court of Common Pleas on the first day of Term? Or with what an awakened sense of humour would LIVINGSTONE’S account of a similar scene be perused, if the fur and red cloth and goats’ hair and horse hair and powdered chalk and black patches on the top of the head, were all at Tala Mungongo instead of Westminster? That model missionary and good brave man found at least one tribe of blacks with a very strong sense of the ridiculous, insomuch that although an amiable and docile people, they never could see the Missionaries dispose of their legs in the attitude of kneeling, or hear them begin a hymn in chorus, without bursting into roars of irrepressible laughter. It is much to be hoped that no member of this facetious tribe may ever find his way to England and get committed for contempt of Court.

In the Tonga Island already mentioned, there are a set of personages called Mataboos — or some such name — who are the masters of all the public ceremonies, and who know the exact place in which every chief must sit down when a solemn public meeting takes place: a meeting which bears a family resemblance to our own Public Dinner, in respect of its being a main part of the proceedings that every gentleman present is required to drink something nasty. These Mataboos are a privileged order, so important is their avocation, and they make the most of their high functions. A long way out of the Tonga Islands, indeed, rather near the British Islands, was there no calling in of the Mataboos the other day to settle an earth-convulsing question of precedence; and was there no weighty opinion delivered on the part of the Mataboos which, being interpreted to that unlucky tribe of blacks with the sense of the ridiculous, would infallibly set the whole population screaming with laughter?

My sense of justice demands the admission, however, that this is not quite a one-sided question. If we submit ourselves meekly to the Medicine Man and the Conjurer, and are not exalted by it, the savages may retort upon us that we act more unwisely than they in other matters wherein we fail to imitate them. It is a widely diffused custom among savage tribes, when they meet to discuss any affair of public importance, to sit up all night making a horrible noise, dancing, blowing shells, and (in cases where they are familiar with fire-arms) flying out into open places and letting off guns. It is questionable whether our legislative assemblies might not take a hint from this. A shell is not a melodious wind-instrument, and it is monotonous; but it is as musical as, and not more monotonous than, my Honourable friend’s own trumpet, or the trumpet that he blows so hard for the Minister.

The uselessness of arguing with any supporter of a Government or of an Opposition, is well known. Try dancing. It is a better exercise, and has the unspeakable recommendation that it couldn’t be reported. The honourable and savage member who has a loaded gun, and has grown impatient of debate, plunges out of doors, fires in the air, and returns calm and silent to the Palaver. Let the honourable and civilised member similarly charged with a speech, dart into the cloisters of Westminster Abbey in the silence of night, let his speech off, and come back harmless. It is not at first sight a very rational custom to paint a broad blue stripe across one’s nose and both cheeks, and a broad red stripe from the forehead to the chin, to attach a few pounds of wood to one’s under lip, to stick fishbones in one’s ears and a brass curtain-ring in one’s nose, and to rub one’s body all over with rancid oil, as a preliminary to entering on business. But this is a question of taste and ceremony, and so is the Windsor Uniform. The manner of entering on the business itself is another question. A council of six hundred savage gentlemen entirely independent of tailors, sitting on their hams in a ring, smoking, and occasionally grunting, seem to me, according to the experience I have gathered in my voyages and travels, somehow to do what they come together for; whereas that is not at all the general experience of a council of six hundred civilised gentlemen very dependent on tailors and sitting on mechanical contrivances. It is better that an Assembly should

do its utmost to envelop itself in smoke, than that it should direct its endeavours to enveloping the public in smoke; and I would rather it buried half a hundred hatchets than buried one subject demanding attention.

CHAPTER XXIX—TITBULL’SALMSHOUSES By the side of most railways out of London, one may see Alms-Houses and Retreats (generally with a Wing or a Centre wanting, and ambitious of being much bigger than they are), some of which are newly-founded Institutions, and some old establishments transplanted. There is a tendency in these pieces of architecture to shoot upward unexpectedly, like Jack’s bean-stalk, and to be ornate in spires of Chapels and lanterns of Halls, which might lead to the embellishment of the air with many castles of questionable beauty but for the restraining consideration of expense.

However, the manners, being always of a sanguine temperament, comfort themselves with plans and elevations of Loomings in the future, and are influenced in the present by philanthropy towards the railway passengers. For, the question how prosperous and promising the buildings can be made to look in their eyes, usually supersedes the lesser question how they can be turned to the best account for the inmates.

Why none of the people who reside in these places ever look out of window, or take an airing in the piece of ground which is going to be a garden by-and-by, is one of the wonders I have added to my always-lengthening list of the wonders of the world. I have got it into my mind that they live in a state of chronic injury and resentment, and on that account refuse to decorate the building with a human interest. As I have known legatees deeply injured by a bequest of five hundred pounds because it was not five thousand, and as I was once acquainted with a pensioner on the Public to the extent of two hundred a year, who perpetually anathematised his Country because he was not in the receipt of four, having no claim whatever to sixpence: so perhaps it usually happens, within certain limits, that to get a little help is to get a notion of being defrauded of more. ‘How do they pass their lives in this beautiful and peaceful place!’ was the subject of my speculation with a visitor who once accompanied me to a charming rustic retreat for old men and women: a quaint ancient foundation in a pleasant English country, behind a picturesque church and among rich old convent gardens. There were but some dozen or so of houses, and we agreed that we would talk with the inhabitants, as they sat in their groined rooms between the light of their fires and the light shining in at their latticed windows, and would find out. They passed their lives in considering themselves mulcted of certain ounces of tea by a deaf old steward who lived among them in the quadrangle. There was no reason to suppose that any such ounces of tea had ever been in existence, or that the old steward so much as knew what was the matter; — he passed HIS life in considering himself periodically defrauded of a birch-broom by the beadle.

But it is neither to old Alms-Houses in the country, nor to new Alms-Houses by the railroad, that these present Uncommercial notes relate.

They refer back to journeys made among those common-place, smoky-fronted London AlmsHouses, with a little paved court-yard in front enclosed by iron railings, which have got snowed up, as it were, by bricks and mortar; which were once in a suburb, but are now in the densely populated town; gaps in the busy life around them, parentheses in the close and blotted texts of the streets.

Sometimes, these Alms-Houses belong to a Company or Society. Sometimes, they were established by individuals, and are maintained out of private funds bequeathed in perpetuity long ago. My favourite among them is Titbull’s, which establishment is a picture of many. Of Titbull I know no more than that he deceased in 1723, that his Christian name was Sampson, and his social designation Esquire, and that he founded these Alms-Houses as Dwellings for Nine Poor Women and Six Poor Men by his Will and Testament. I should not know even this much, but for its being inscribed on a grim stone very difficult to read, let into the front of the centre house of Titbull’s Alms-Houses, and which stone is ornamented a-top with a piece of sculptured drapery resembling the effigy of Titbull’s bath-towel.

Titbull’s Alms-Houses are in the east of London, in a great highway, in a poor, busy, and

thronged neighbourhood. Old iron and fried fish, cough drops and artificial flowers, boiled pigs’feet and household furniture that looks as if it were polished up with lip-salve, umbrellas full of vocal literature and saucers full of shell-fish in a green juice which I hope is natural to them when their health is good, garnish the paved sideways as you go to Titbull’s. I take the ground to have risen in those parts since Titbull’s time, and you drop into his domain by three stone steps.

So did I first drop into it, very nearly striking my brows against Titbull’s pump, which stands with its back to the thoroughfare just inside the gate, and has a conceited air of reviewing Titbull’s pensioners.

‘And a worse one,’ said a virulent old man with a pitcher, ‘there isn’t nowhere. A harder one to work, nor a grudginer one to yield, there isn’t nowhere!’ This old man wore a long coat, such as we see Hogarth’s Chairmen represented with, and it was of that peculiar green-pea hue without the green, which seems to come of poverty.

It had also that peculiar smell of cupboard which seems to come of poverty.

‘The pump is rusty, perhaps,’ said I. ‘Not IT,’said the old man, regarding it with undiluted virulence in his watery eye. ‘It never were fit to be termed a pump. That’s what’s the matter with IT.’ ‘Whose fault is that?’ said I. The old man, who had a working mouth which seemed to be trying to masticate his anger and to find that it was too hard and there was too much of it, replied, ‘Them gentlemen.’

‘What gentlemen?’

‘Maybe you’re one of ’em?’ said the old man, suspiciously.

‘The trustees?’

‘I wouldn’t trust ’em myself,’ said the virulent old man.

‘If you mean the gentlemen who administer this place, no, I am not one of them; nor have I ever so much as heard of them.’

‘I wish I never heard of them,’ gasped the old man: ‘at my time of life — with the rheumatics — drawing water-from that thing!’ Not to be deluded into calling it a Pump, the old man gave it another virulent look, took up his pitcher, and carried it into a corner dwelling-house, shutting the door after him.

Looking around and seeing that each little house was a house of two little rooms; and seeing that the little oblong court-yard in front was like a graveyard for the inhabitants, saving that no word was engraven on its flat dry stones; and seeing that the currents of life and noise ran to and fro outside, having no more to do with the place than if it were a sort of low-water mark on a lively beach; I say, seeing this and nothing else, I was going out at the gate when one of the doors opened.

‘Was you looking for anything, sir?’ asked a tidy, well-favoured woman.

Really, no; I couldn’t say I was.

‘Not wanting any one, sir?’

‘No — at least I— pray what is the name of the elderly gentleman who lives in the corner there?’

The tidy woman stepped out to be sure of the door I indicated, and she and the pump and I stood all three in a row with our backs to the thoroughfare.

‘Oh! HIS name is Mr. Battens,’ said the tidy woman, dropping her voice.

‘I have just been talking with him.’

‘Indeed?’ said the tidy woman. ‘Ho! I wonder Mr. Battens talked!’

‘Is he usually so silent?’

‘Well, Mr. Battens is the oldest here — that is to say, the oldest of the old gentlemen — in point of residence.’

She had a way of passing her hands over and under one another as she spoke, that was not only tidy but propitiatory; so I asked her if I might look at her little sitting-room? She willingly replied Yes, and we went into it together: she leaving the door open, with an eye as I understood to the social proprieties. The door opening at once into the room without any intervening entry, even scandal must have been silenced by the precaution.

It was a gloomy little chamber, but clean, and with a mug of wallflower in the window. On the chimney-piece were two peacock’s feathers, a carved ship, a few shells, and a black profile with one eyelash; whether this portrait purported to be male or female passed my comprehension, until my hostess informed me that it was her only son, and ‘quite a speaking one.’

‘He is alive, I hope?’

Continued on Page 33

Page 34 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Observer Classic Books From Page 33 ‘No, sir,’ said the widow, ‘he were cast away in China.’ This was said with a modest sense of its reflecting a certain geographical distinction on his mother.

‘If the old gentlemen here are not given to talking,’ said I, ‘I hope the old ladies are? — not that you are one.’

She shook her head. ‘You see they get so cross.’

‘How is that?’

‘Well, whether the gentlemen really do deprive us of any little matters which ought to be ours by rights, I cannot say for certain; but the opinion of the old ones is they do. And Mr. Battens he do even go so far as to doubt whether credit is due to the Founder. For Mr. Battens he do say, anyhow he got his name up by it and he done it cheap.’

‘I am afraid the pump has soured Mr. Battens.’

‘It may be so,’ returned the tidy widow, ‘but the handle does go very hard. Still, what I say to myself is, the gentlemen MAY not pocket the difference between a good pump and a bad one, and I would wish to think well of them. And the dwellings,’ said my hostess, glancing round her room; ‘perhaps they were convenient dwellings in the Founder’s time, considered AS his time, and therefore he should not be blamed. But Mrs. Saggers is very hard upon them.’

‘Mrs. Saggers is the oldest here?’

‘The oldest but one. Mrs. Quinch being the oldest, and have totally lost her head.’

‘And you?’

‘I am the youngest in residence, and consequently am not looked up to. But when Mrs. Quinch makes a happy release, there will be one below me. Nor is it to be expected that Mrs. Saggers will prove herself immortal.’

‘True. Nor Mr. Battens.’

‘Regarding the old gentlemen,’ said my widow slightingly, ‘they count among themselves. They do not count among us. Mr. Battens is that exceptional that he have written to the gentlemen many times and have worked the case against them. Therefore he have took a higher ground.

But we do not, as a rule, greatly reckon the old gentlemen.’

Pursuing the subject, I found it to be traditionally settled among the poor ladies that the poor gentlemen, whatever their ages, were all very old indeed, and in a state of dotage. I also discovered

that the juniors and newcomers preserved, for a time, a waning disposition to believe in Titbull and his trustees, but that as they gained social standing they lost this faith, and disparaged Titbull and all his works.

Improving my acquaintance subsequently with this respected lady, whose name was Mrs. Mitts, and occasionally dropping in upon her with a little offering of sound Family Hyson in my pocket, I gradually became familiar with the inner politics and ways of Titbull’s AlmsHouses. But I never could find out who the trustees were, or where they were: it being one of the fixed ideas of the place that those authorities On Saturday nights, when there is a greater stir than usual outside, and when itinerant vendors of miscellaneous wares even take their stations and light up their smoky lamps before the iron railings, Titbull’s becomes flurried. Mrs. Saggers has her celebrated palpitations of the heart, for the most part, on Saturday nights. But Titbull’s is unfit to strive with the uproar of the streets in any of its phases. It is religiously believed at Titbull’s that people push more than they used, and likewise that the foremost object of the population of England and Wales is to get you down and trample on you. Even of railroads they know, at Titbull’s, little more than the shriek (which Mrs. Saggers says goes through her, and ought to be taken up by Government); and the penny postage may even yet be unknown there, for I have never seen a letter delivered to any inhabitant. But there is a tall, straight, sallow lady resident in Number Seven, Titbull’s, who never speaks to anybody, who is surrounded by a superstitious halo of lost wealth, who does her household work in housemaid’s gloves, and who is secretly much deferred to, though openly cavilled at; and it has obscurely leaked out that this old lady has a son, grandson, nephew, or other relative, who is ‘a Contractor,’ and who would think it nothing of a job to knock down Titbull’s, pack it off into Cornwall, and knock it together again. An immense sensation was made by a gipsy-party calling in a spring-van, to take this old lady up to go for a day’s pleasure into Epping Forest, and notes were compared as to which of the company was the son, grandson, nephew, or other relative, the Contractor. A thick-set personage with a white hat and a cigar in his mouth, was the favourite: though as Titbull’s had no

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other reason to believe that the Contractor was there at all, than that this man was supposed to eye the chimney stacks as if he would like to knock them down and cart them off, the general mind was much unsettled in arriving at a conclusion. As a way out of this difficulty, it concentrated itself on the acknowledged Beauty of the party, every stitch in whose dress was verbally unripped by the old ladies then and there, and whose ‘goings on’ with another and a thinner personage in a white hat might have suffused the pump (where they were principally discussed) with blushes, for months afterwards.

Herein Titbull’s was to Titbull’s true, for it has a constitutional dislike of all strangers. As concerning innovations and improvements, it is always of opinion that what it doesn’t want itself, nobody ought to want. But I think I have met with this opinion outside Titbull’s.

Of the humble treasures of furniture brought into Titbull’s by the inmates when they establish themselves in that place of contemplation for the rest of their days, by far the greater and more valuable part belongs to the ladies. I may claim the honour of having either crossed the threshold, or looked in at the door, of every one of the nine ladies, and I have noticed that they are all particular in the article of bedsteads, and maintain favourite and long-established bedsteads and bedding as a regular part of their rest. Generally an antiquated chest of drawers is among their cherished possessions; a tea-tray always is. I know of at least two rooms in which a little teakettle of genuine burnished copper, vies with the cat in winking at the fire; and one old lady has a tea-urn set forth in state on the top of her chest of drawers, which urn is used as her library, and contains four duodecimo volumes, and a black-bordered newspaper giving an account of the funeral of Her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte. Among the poor old gentlemen there are no such niceties. Their furniture has the air of being contributed, like some obsolete Literary Miscellany, ‘by several hands;’ their few chairs never match; old patchwork coverlets linger among them; and they have an untidy habit of keeping their wardrobes in hat-boxes.

When I recall one old gentleman who is rather choice in his shoe-brushes and blacking-bottle, I have summed up the domestic elegances of that side of the building.

On the occurrence of a death in Titbull’s, it is invariably agreed among the survivors — and it is the only subject on which they do agree — that the departed did something ‘to bring it on.’

Judging by Titbull’s, I should say the human race need never die, if they took care. But they don’t take care, and they do die, and when they die in Titbull’s they are buried at the cost of the Foundation. Some provision has been made for the purpose, in virtue of which (I record this on the strength of having seen the funeral of Mrs. Quinch) a lively neighbouring undertaker dresses up four of the old men, and four of the old women, hustles them into a procession of four couples, and leads off with a large black bow at the back of his hat, looking over his shoulder at them airily from time to time to see that no member of the party has got lost, or has tumbled down; as if they were a company of dim old dolls.

Resignation of a dwelling is of very rare occurrence in Titbull’s. A story does obtain there, how an old lady’s son once drew a prize of Thirty Thousand Pounds in the Lottery, and presently drove to the gate in his own carriage, with French Horns playing up behind, and whisked his mother away, and left ten guineas for a Feast. But I have been unable to substantiate it by any evidence, and regard it as an Alms-House Fairy Tale. It is curious that the only proved case of resignation happened within my knowledge.

It happened on this wise. There is a sharp competition among the ladies respecting the gentility of their visitors, and I have so often observed visitors to be dressed as for a holiday occasion, that I suppose the ladies to have besought them to make all possible display when they come. In these circumstances much excitement was one day occasioned by Mrs. Mitts receiving a visit from a Greenwich Pensioner.

He was a Pensioner of a bluff and warlike appearance, with an empty coat-sleeve, and he was got up with unusual care; his coat-buttons were extremely bright, he wore his empty coatsleeve in a graceful festoon, and he had a walking-stick in his hand that must have cost money When, with the head of his walking-stick, he knocked at Mrs. Mitts’s door — there are no knockers in Titbull’s — Mrs. Mitts was overheard by a next-door neighbour to utter a cry of surprise expressing much agitation; and the same neighbour did afterwards solemnly affirm that when he was admitted into Mrs. Mitts’s room, she heard a smack. Heard a smack which was not a blow.

To Be Continued Next Issue

Observer Crossword Solution No 26 C O I F F E O R A P A K I S T E T E S A D I S T T N R A T I S H O A P O S C R I M P H R E D E T E R R R E E M E A S U R E W N A L L Y I N N E O S H R I N E E N V S M U D G E I I N U N E A S E N R O D M U R A L O O C E T H R A S H U N O S M O K E R I L E A D V E R S D E E M I N D F U I D E R O O F R A E R E D I S P E N M R U E M B A L M E N B C R O C H E S E R M E S S E S I A X M A N D A R I T L C R A F T I

U T A H

R D R A A E U N R A S O S E T F N E E E F I T R O N W E N E D G E S I L Y C L E N T F A N S H E D E S A D D R T R C R E G I T C H S S W A S E R S A E E Y E S I C K N O S H U D L Y A L I N S T E T C C P I N A T S N E O G L N D U P E E P A C G O G O T L S Q U E I R C K T O I T T E R N S E R A G E N S A G I A D D I E T L S C E L E T U E H A B M A K E I I N E X C T E N L E R O V E

G S Q P U A D L O I R C I N E R C L E S E P R T E S E S T O I Q U R E T T E E S T E R A A N G L E I L N F T E R A R I T I I S T R S

T E M T I S E S I D O I N G R A E S H S P E R I M E E V G A A L Z E R T T I E M P I A R T D E D D R E E S C S U P P E N U E L I O P E E

R T A A Z E S N A B T A R E R S N G O T U O C E N S A I N I N T V E A R P E S I E N N Y S S O S K O T T O U H O D K A I M S O R A U O S G L A U N I E S D W R I S E O A E C U R Y I R I N O I N G S S A L I S R G I E N C E I S T A R R E O U N S E P A R G O N U N O L L S N P E

J M A E R T P I A B L E M O O A U N S H E P R E T O I C U S N C O W U T H O U F T M O E D E A D M N I E S I T Y R E L A D F E R R S

A H O D E D N O W O N L D E E R A D O V A A N T R A G R E H O R D E R S I R A N W E I L L I B U V I L F T U N G G I E F Y F E N C T I S

A L E N E U T S G A N L I L E F E L U O S T C E R S S E G Y R E D G A Q T E D E L E P L E N C E O D Y N E S O S P U L O E D

S S E E X P E A D N G O R I L O Y E

I C O W O Y O D S W O D R K B E R A S A P

H E T I H I C K A L A V W E R A T T S S

H O W G I A I D L E P H A O E H P R O O L Y N O R A T I R A H E M P E R I G U D M O U N U N M B R A C A U I S H R I V K O I E M A I L D Y M R A B I G I U A G E N E D E O N O O A P E K U S E S N Z A Z U R I E L L N E W Y O A E A B L A C K L T T I T H E R N E E G E R S E L U M A P S O E T P L I N E A T O C N A T U S N N E I G N I E E T M A L L E

R L U N T E F S I N G D O R U T H A E S S E L E E D V E S R T S W S E E U P L C H E R K A E R A T O K Y E O U T N G E E R E I N G H S T

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Review: Ricercar

● Ben Prendergast and Kasia Kaczmarek in The One. Photo: Pier Carthew ■ Making rape the subject of a play is confronting and challenging for both the audience and the actor.

The playwright, Vicky Jones, tackles many of the assumptions and preconceptions about the matter in The One which happens to be her first play.

Locked in a corrosive relationship, Jo (Kasia Kaczmarek) and Harry (Ben Prendergast) contend with each other for ascendancy.

They bring to the evening over which the play takes place the baggage of past relationships, broken dreams and unfulfilled promises.

He is the older academic who has had an affair with a colleague Kerry (Emily Tomlins) whilst living with Jo. She is the student who previously aborted a pregnancy.

Both vie for dominance according to rules they tacitly understand but by which they are constantly undone.

They want the truth from each other but deceive and lie because of the intellectual stimulation it provides. This leaves Kerry, the hapless outsider, their patsy and the audience shocked at the twists and turns made possible by the constant deceptions.

That this show deals with the violation of rape makes it doubly disquieting but theatrically captivating and intriguing.

Sexual matters are dealt with comically at the outset with a coupling on the sofa whilst watching porn and eating twisties. We’ve had very little dialogue prior to this which makes for a titillating start.

Kerry’s revelation of unwanted sex with her partner, though she didn’t explicitly object, leads to a discussion about the nature of rape.

What follows is a growing awareness that the violation is not just physical but also psychological which challenges the conventional awareness of who is the perpetrator and who the victim.

The production is tight and terse. The set is simple – a lounge room. The emphasis is on the dialogue and interaction between the individuals.

A giant digital clock on the wall suggests the passing of time between scenes. Jo and Harry’s evening is reduced to the 65 minutes the performers are on stage.

This is brave theatre which requires a brave audience who will undoubtedly come away discussing a topic that is both pertinent and relevant within the context of contemporary society currently challenges by domestic violence. It’s a discussion we should all be having.

Performance Season: Until December 13 at 8pm Venue: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Bookings: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com/events/theone - Review by David McLean

● Claire Sara (Viv) in After Party at The Owl and Cat Theatre.

■ The chaos of the corporate Christmas party collides with the art of independent theatre when After Party – a new Australian comedy by Michael Thebridge – makes its world premiere at the Owl and Cat Theatre in Richmond.

The second show to be staged as part of theatre’s annual 12 Days of Play end-of-year production, After Party stars Stephanie Evison-Williams, Jack Matthews, Lukas Meintjes, Hannah Koch, Thomas Ian Doyle and Claire Sara.

These six brave actors will have just 12 days to fully stage the show – which will be playing nightly from December 12-21.

Directed by Gabrielle Savrone, After Party is Thebridge’s first play – and was loosely inspired by his experiences working as a copywriter in a branding agency.

It follows the account managers, strategists and creatives of Opus advertising agency, as they struggle through the morning after the infamous agency Christmas Party.

Hangovers, nausea, and the regret of a late night visit to The Peel are hard enough – but soldiering through a nine o’clock meeting with a tough client is even worse. Especially when the side effects of everyone’s bad behaviour starts spilling into the meeting room.

Performance Season: December 12-21 at 8pm (Sunday shows at 6pm) Venue: The Owl and Cat Theatre, 34 Swan St., Richmond Tickets: Adults $28 Concession $26 Bookings: www.trybooking.com/166220

Showbiz Briefs ■ Hugh Marks, CEO of Nine Entertainment Co., has nnounced the appointment of Amanda Laing to the newly created role of Managing Director.

■ Opening night of Fiddler On The Roof will be staged on Tuesday January 5 at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne.

■ The largest Lego Christmas tree in the southern hemisphere, at Fed Square, made and designed by Chris Steininger, is being lit daily, with a sound and light show nightly from 9pm until Sunday, December 27.

■ Topology and The Kransky Sisters are presenting Tunes From The Tube to Melbourne as part of Midsumma Festival from January 27-31.

● Laura Buzacott and John Howard Photo: Lachlan Woods ■ Theatre Works’current production Ricercar, a collaboration between The Twoks and Present Tense, aims for cutting-edge theatre but is simply a showcase of exceptional musical talents.

Their description that Ricercar is “somewhere between a concert, a spectacle and a meditation” is apt.

Glorious live music and vocals from the delicacy of choral music to the power of opera drive the whole production.

They provide the only spectacle, though, other than the secret location in which the first part of the show is performed.

Unfortunately, the unnecessary movement and dramaturgy (only momentarily successful) choreographed by Xanthe Beesley steals from any sense of witnessing exciting theatre.

Presented in two very disparate parts, the show is both enchanting and confounding. Folk-like songs provide magnificent yet confusingly disconnected interludes.

These songs are composed, arranged and performed by Xani Kolac of The Twoks using some of Shakespeare’s sonnets. They should be in a show of their own.

In fact, Ricercar feels like two or more shows squeezed together. Perhaps the concept is too ambitious and the themes too many.

Other self-ascribed labels are not fulfilled. Performers singing from behind and amongst the audience, tenuously linked vignettes, and a sombre processional between venues doesn’t add up to contemporary theatre.

That aside, the show is 100 per cent polished and quite bewitching. The musical aspect is superbly constructed on the whole. Humble in its ecstasy, it takes the audience on a tumultuous journey through melancholy, contemplation, and pure joy.

Co-director and musician Nathan Gilkes plays with an electric passion that rings out through all the music and performers.

Combined with the epic music and voices, a feeling of exhalation is inescapable.

Overall, Gilkes and co-director Bryce Ives have produced an enthralling live music concert utilising extremely talented musicians and performers that is well worth seeing.

Performance Season: Until Dec 12 Times: Tues to Sat 8pm; Sun 3pm Venue: Theatre Works, 14 Acland St, St. Kilda Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au or 03 9534 3388 - Review by Deborah Marinaro

Page 42 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Observer Showbiz

Radio Confidential News from stations from around Victoria

Claire Bowditch joins 774

Country Crossroads info@country crossroads.com.au Rob Foenander

Brothers perform

■ Bluegrass brothers Lachlan and Hamish Davidson will perform their brand of music at the Queen Victoria Night Market, 5pm-10pm on Wednesday, January 13.

Later this month the boys head up to Queensland for the Woodfolk Folk Festival commencing December 27.

Drifters at Brunswick

■ The Moonee Valley Drifters take their country show to the Victoria Hotel, 51 Victoria St, Brunswick on Saturday (Dec. 12) from 8pm-11pm.

The band is a regular fixture at some of Melbourne's well known music venues with a loyal fan base.

Their motto is "Roll With The Punches, Make It Swing And Groove On Your Hunches."

More info: www.mooneevalleydrifters.com

Licola Festival 2016

■ Each year the Mountain Cattlemen celebrate their culture and heritage with a weekend festival - the Get Together.

It is a family event and everyone is welcome.

The next get together will be held at Merrijig on the weekend of January 8-10.

On offer will be country music artists, horse events and other outdoor activities.

The concept has been developed by Geoff Burrowes, the producer of the Man from Snowy River films and it is not to be missed says the www.mcav.com.au website.

- Rob Foenander

Media Flashes

■ Stacey June and Kristie Mercer will launch a new national night show on the KIIS radio network from January. The Aussie female duo will replace the Ryan Seacrest Show which was syndicated from the US. The Thinkergirls will be heard every weeknight from 7pm to 9pm.

■ The Doctor Blake Mysteries was the most popular Australian series on ABC-TV over the year, reports TVTonight.

■ Melbourne-raised Bianca Dye will be co-hosting Breakfast with Al Dobie for the summer break on Gold FM on the Gold Coast.

■ New tickets will be released on Monday (Dec. 14) for The Sound Of Music, to be staged at The Regent from May 13.

r Obser vbeiz On This Day Show

Wednesday Thursday December 9 December 10 ■ Actor Kirk Douglas was born as Issur Danielovitch Demsky in Amsterdam in 1916.

He is 99.

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke was born in 1929 (86).

Dame Judi Dench was born in York, England, in 1934 (80).

Actor Beau Bridges is 74 (1941).

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

■ English singer Peter Sarstedt was born in New Delhi, India, in 1941 (74).

Irish-born actor and director Kenneth Branagh was born in Belfast in 1960 (55).

American actress and singer Dorothy L amour was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1914. She died aged 81

■ Musician Clare Bowditch is the new presenter of 774 ABC weekday afternoon program.

She replaces Richard Stubbs who has already left the station.

Warwick Tiernan, ABC Local Manager in Melbourne said: “Clare will be a fresh, new voice on Melbourne radio.

“She is a gifted artist and story teller, whose warmth, intelligence and conversational approach will help build connections with contemporary Melbourne, and audiences across Victoria.

“Having Clare on the station is a win for 774, but more importantly it’s a win for our listeners who will no doubt enjoy spending time in the afternoon with her. ” Ms Bowditch said: “I’m over the moon that 774 has invited someone like me to host Afternoons.

“I’m from a family of “mad keen” life-long ABC listeners.

I’ve always sought out good conversations, so the chance to spend afternoons talking with Victorians on the things that matter most to them, and the things that light them up, is a brilliant one.”

Clare lives in Melbourne with her partner Marty, their teenage daughter and identical 8-year old twin boys.

Clare starts 1pm-3pm, Mondays-Thursdays, from Monday, January 25. A new program is also in development for Friday afternoons.

Wendy on ABC in NSW

● Clare Bowditch

Briefs

Left Nova

■ Estelle Paterson has left as Nova 100 Music Director. Her position was been made redundant.

Estelle joined the Nova network in 2001 and has been Music Director since 2003.

Paul Jackson, Nova Group Program Director said, “Estelle is a true professional and her passion for music is unrivalled.

“I would like to thank her

● Estelle Paterson for her contribution to the company and dedication to her role.” Nova Entertainment told Radio Today that they will being releasing details of their new structure shortly.

■ Melbourne radio advertising in November was down to $20.637 million, down 3.19 per cent compared to the same month last year.

■ Ed Sheeran has joined the Nova line-up for a week of special shows hosted by Tim Blackwell, ■ Osher Günsberg and Heather Maltman are covering the breakfast shift on the Hit Network which includes Melbourne’s Fox 101.9 FM..

■ K-Rock Geelong is advertising for a new morning announcer. Applications close on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24).

■ Ash London has stepped down as host of the Shazam Top 20. She co-hosted the program with Angus O’Loughlin.

● Wendy Harmer ■ Former Sun News-Pictorial reporter Wendy Harmer is back on bigtime radio, and will host the 8.30am-11am weekday slot on Sydney station 702 ABC next year.

It is the sister program to Jon Faine’s show on 774 ABC in Melbourne.

“It's been a long career behind the microphone since Jane Clifton and I first had an alternating weekend night shift at 3AK in the late 80s,” Wendy said.

“I remember they only had one song there I could play - Paul Kelly's Before Too Long and I flogged it.

“Glenn Robbins was a regular on my show back then, a million years ago.

“In 1992 I presented a drive show for ABC RN called Kaboom and that's where I met my bestie Laura Waters who was my gun producer.”

Wendy remembers working for Triple M, the ABC and Vega.

“I've done a lot of fill ins over the years both on 774 ABC Melbourne and in Sydney in brekkie, mornings and drive and so I'm very pleased to have a microphone to call my own again.”

Wendy says she is looking forward to broadcasting on the topics of the Australian and US elections, and the Rio Olympics.

Melbourne

Observer

Friday Saturday December 11 December 12 ■ Italian film producer Carlo Ponti was born in Italy in 1912.

He died aged 93 in 2007.

Australian fashion designer Maggie Tabberer is 97 (1936).

Singer, dancer, TV presenter and writer Reg Livermore was born in Parramatta, in 1938 (77).

■ American singer and actor Frank Sinatra was born in Hokoken, New Jersey, in 1915.

He died aged 82 in 1998.

Singer Dionne Warwick was born in New Jersey in 1941 (74 ).

Irish singer and television presenter Daniel O’Donnell was born in Donegal in 1961 (54).

Sunday December 13 ■ American actor Dick Van Dyke was born in Missouri in 1925.

He is 90 this year.

Singer/songwriter Ross Ryan was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1950 (65).

Australian signer Anthony Callea was born in Melbourne in 1982 (33). He made No 1 with The Prayer.

Monday December 14

■ American band-leader Spike Jones was born in Califronia in 1911.

He died aged 53 in 1965.

US country singer Charlie Rich was born in Arkansas in 1932.

He died aged 62 in 1995.

Actress Rebecca Gibney was born in NZ in 1964 (51).

Tuesday December 15 ■ French engineer Alexandre Eiffel was born in 1833. He died aged 81 in 1923.

Actor Tim Conway, who was Ensign Charles Parker in McHale’s Navy, is 80.

TV presenter Tim Webster is 64. Cricketer Greg Matthews is 54. TV’s Michelle Stamper celebrates.

Thanks to GREG NEWMAN of Jocks Journal for assistance with birthday and anniversary dates.

Jocks Journal is Australia’s longest running radio industry publication.

Find out more at www.jocksjournal.com

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

ShowBiz!

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 43

Observer Showbiz

Luke’s winning photo

● Luke Schofield ■ Most teenagers finishing school at this time of year are simply relishing the escape from classes and homework.

However, Caulfield Grammar student Luke Schofield has just finished Year 11 and is celebrating by winning the #snapmonash photographic competition run by Monash Gallery of Art and The Glen Shopping Centre.

He wins $1000 prize money. The winning photo was one of three Luke entered in the competition.

The prizewinning snap was one of Luke's two friends Tess Stavely and Abby Chung, strolling through a Glen Waverley car park.

"I was just walking through the car park but at that point the light was beautiful and the wind was blowing through my friends' hair," Luke explained.

According to judge Joseph McGlennon, himself the winner of the major 2015 Bowness Photography prize, 17-year-old Luke is a young photographer to watch.

"I love this image of two girls in a Monash car park - it has a great new world feel that reflects Monash as young, vibrant, forward-looking city," McGlennon said.

Monash Gallery of Art in Wheelers Hill has been the home of Australian photography since its establishment in the late 1970s.

It is the only Australian public art gallery dedicated to the collection and promotion of photography.

- Julie Houghton

TV, Radio, Theatre Latest Melbourne show business news - without fear or favour

Summer jazz sessions ● Satoko Fujii and Kaze. Natsuki Tamura (trumpet), Christian Pruvost (trumpet), Satoko Fujii (piano) and Peter Orins (drums) will perform in the Melbourne International Jazz Festival Summer Sessions.

■ Melbourne Interna- Australian saxophone legFriday, January 15 – tional Jazz Festival Sum- end David Ades – and Hailu Mergia with Tony mer Sessions return again more. Enjoy balmy eve- Buck and Mike Majin January – kicking off the nings and cool jazz this kowski year with world-class summer.

Saturday, January 16 – Saturday, January 9 - A Life in a Day (Aus) jazz.

The re-opened Vince Jones Quartet Sunday, anuary 17 – Bennetts Lane Jazz Club (Aus) Satoko Fujii and Kaze Sunday, January 10 – (JAP/FRA) will play host to Ethio-jazz giant Hailu Mergia, Japa- Vince Jones Quartet Event Information (innese pianist Satoko Fujii’s (Aus) cluding venues): Thursday, January 14 melbournejazz.com ng improvisation project – Swooping Duck (Aus) Kaze, a celebration of - Cheryl Threadegold

Meet Barbara Hughes

Golden Days Radio

■ New listeners to Golden Days Radio web stream are averaging 1061 per week, says General Manager Alex Hehr.

He says number of people tuning in via the website on average weekly is now 4488.

“The real number however is most likely more given that we have many people tuning in via iTunes internet, Apple TV, web2TV, our mobile ‘app’ and other streaming providers which will impact greatly on those numbers.

“Bandwidth usage for October was 1597 gigabytes. Average time listening per on line per tune in is at 149 minutes.

“New or unique visitors 2406, the number of visits was 5398 and 68,255 hits.

“The most hits are coming from these countries from 1 to 10 are USA,Australia, Ukraine, UK, China, Russia, Canada, Germany, Franceand Japan,” Alex Hehr said.

Showbiz Briefs

■ A media call for Fiddler On The Roof opening at the Princess Theatre early in the new year, is being held this afternoon (Wed.) in North Melbourne.

■ Sarah Masson’s paintings are on show until Sunday (Dec. 13) in the Chronic Dissatisfaction exhibition being held at the White Rabbit Collective, 523 Sydney Rd, Brunswick.

■ The Wind In The Willows will transform Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens from December 24 to January 23, with special regional performances in Gippsland. Tickets are on sale now from www.shakespeareaustralia.com.au ■ Cate Blanchett will tonight (Wed.) receive Australia’s highest screen award; the AACTA Longford Lyell Award.

■ Slow Food Melbourne Christmas Twilight Market returns to the Convent at 3pm on Wed., Dec. 23.

RMP’s Christmas

● Barbara Hughes ■ If looking for Barbara Hughes you Stiff and The 25th Annual Putnam will most likely find her in a theatre. As County Spelling Bee. In 2013 she squeezed 17 people onto well as being an enthusiastic audience member with a particular love of musi- the tiny Williamstown Little Theatre cal theatre, her interests include per- stage in A Funny Thing Happened On forming, directing, administration and The Way to the Forum.

This year she was privileged to direct managing a wardrobe department (in her Oliver! for OSMaD with a cast of 48 spare time).

Barb’s performing career began at including 19 children.

This was an absolute joy, and one of Altona City Theatre where she played Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Lucy in her most satisfying theatrical experiYou’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Roxy ences.

Barb is a Life Member and current in Chicago, and Sarah Jane Moore in Vice-President of Williamstown Little Assassins.

Barb loves the challenge of doing Theatre. is a busy theatre group producSondheim and, as well as Assassins, she ingWLT five plays each year and Barb is genhas appeared in A Funny Thing Hap- erally involved in most of them in some pened On The Way To The Forum, Fol- way, either as Director, Production Colies, Company, Gypsy and as Mrs Lovett ordinator or doing props – fake food a in Sweeney Todd, her favourite role to specialty. She also manages their warddate. robe department.

Another favourite role was Madame Barb says she enjoys reviewing for Thenardier in Les Misérables. She has the Melbourne Observer because it gives received three MTGV nominations for her the opportunity to view shows she Assassins, Les Mis and Gypsy. might not normally attend, and to think As a director, Barb has enjoyed suc- more critically about what she is watchcess with several small musicals includ- ing. ing The Venetian Twins, Honk!, Lucky - Cheryl Threadgold

● Yvonne Kenny ■ Melbourne has its favourite Christmas traditions, like the Myer Christmas Windows, Carols by Candlelight and Christmas with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic.

The RMP believes in celebrating Christmas in a big way, and has been doing so since the early days of Melbourne.

This year marks its world record making 236th performance of Handel's Messiah, on Sunday (December 13) at 5pm in Melbourne Town Hall.

RMP Chief Conductor Andrew Wailes has assembled an impressive line of soloists, including soprano Greta Bradman, mezzo-soprano Fiona Campbell, tenor Andrew Goodwin and bass Peter Coleman-Wright, accompanied by the RMP choir and orchestra.

Expect the sounds of the famous Hallelujah Chorus to lift the roof of that grand old recital venue.

Then just five days later, the RMP choir is hard at work again, along with the Melbourne University Choral Society and Australian Children's Choir in three Carols in the Cathedral concerts, at 8.30 pm on Friday December 18 , and 3pm and 8pm on Saturday December 19 , in St Paul's Cathedral.

This year's famous soloist is soprano Yvonne Kenny, well known to Melbourne music lovers through her international career as an opera singer and her many CD recordings.

Also performing in this night of word and music are the RMP Brass and Percussion, harpist Jacinta Dennett, organist Geoffrey Urquhart, pianists Rhodri Clarke and Amir Farid, and readers Roland Roccheccioli and Julie Houghton, and the whole night is conducted by Andrew Wailes.

One of the highlights of the Carols in the Cathedral concerts is the chance for audience participation in many of the hymns, and it really is a glorious sound when a thousand voices join together in the acoustic of this historic cathedral.

According to Wailes, who has been compiling these musical showcases for more than a decade, this year's concerts will again offer audiences a feast of traditional Christmas music, as well as some lesser known works.

"Christmas is a wonderful time for choirs, even if it can get a little too busy at times,” Wailes said.

“As musicians, we are so lucky to be able to perform these carols, as well as the descants, motets and brass fanfares which all celebrate this special time of the year, and are so loved by our audience."

Bookings for both events are at www.rmp.org.au - Frances Elizabeth Lawrence

Page 44 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Observer Showbiz What’s Hot and What’s Not in Blu-Rays and DVDs

● Norman Bates is back to thrill and chill in the stunning Psycho: The Complete Collection box set on DVD and Blu-Ray. FILM: PSYCHO - The Complete Collection: Genre: Horror/Thriller.

Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, Martin Balsam, Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia, Jeff Fahey, Henry Thomas, Bud Cort, Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore, Anne Heche, Viggo Mortensen, William H. Macy, Robert Forster, James Remar.

Years: 1960/ 1983/1986/1987/1990/1998/R18+/Assorted Running Times.

Rating: R18+ Length: Assorted Running Times.

Stars: ***** Verdict: This stunning classic collection features Alfred Hitchcock's groundbreaking 1960 masterpiece and all the "Psycho" films that followed in one Blu-ray and DVD box set. Also Includes "Psycho II," "Psycho III," "Psycho IV: The Beginning" (1990/TV Movie), "Psycho" (1998 Remake), the little seen "Bates Motel" (a TV movie starring Bud Cort), and a bonus Two-Disc of additional features that include the feature Documentary: "The Psycho Legacy" with interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, photos and promotional materials. This is everything you would want to know about the "Psycho," and more, in one outstanding, thrilling, chilling and unmissable collection.

FILM: MAX: Genre: Family/Drama/Adventure.

Cast: Thomas Haden Church, Josh Wiggins, Lauren Graham.

Year: 2015.

Rating: PG. Length: 111 Minutes.

Stars: *** Verdict: Enjoyable action-adventure story of a military dog who is adopted by his handler's family after his after their U.S. Marines son is killed in the Afghanistan war and the dog forms an unlikely bond with his younger surviving brother. Though we may have seen it all before, this tale is light and thrilling enough for the whole family to enjoy. The first part covers the family tragedy of the death of a son, and how the dog, once adopted by the family, forms a trusting bond with the troubled and reserved brother and how the boy opens up through the friendship with the dog. The rest of the film takes the boy, the dog and two friends on a high adventure, with the dog leading a heroic way. Even though cliché is dominant throughout, it pulls at the emotional strings at the right time, the screenplay and direction are respectful and the performances solid, most notably Max (Carlos) himself, making "Max" an entertaining journey and learning experience for young and old. The film is dedicated to the extraordinary contribution to the military service that dogs have made in past wars, with poignant images shown over the end credits.

Trivia: Heroic dogs on the big screen dates back to the silent film era, but only a very few of those canine characters became famous. A German Shepherd named Strongheart starred in a half-dozen silent films in the 1920s, including 1925's adaptation of the novel "White Fang". A much more famous German Shepherd movie star was Rin Tin Tin, who appeared in over two dozen movies in the 1920s and early 30s, and actually saved the studio Warner Bros. from bankruptcy. Both dogs' bloodlines survive to this day, with Rin Tin Tin's direct descendants appearing in films into the 1940s, and Rin Tin Tin XII still making public appearances. The most famous hero dog of all is the collie named Lassie. As the character (a dog named Pal and Pal's descendants), Lassie made several movies in the 40s and early 50s (and a few more since), had a radio show in the late 40s and starred in a very popular 1954-1973 television series, and made various TV appearances since.

FILM: ANT-MAN: Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Comedy.

Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Bobby Cannavale, Cory Stoll, Evangeline Lilly.

Year: 2015.

Rating: PG. Length: 117 Minutes.

Stars: ***½ Verdict: Size doesn't matter in this refreshingly straightforward and quirky action-comedy-sci-fi romp of a young con-man once fitted with a supersuit has the ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength thanks to a special serum, and he must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor to plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. Paul Rudd is spot-on as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Michael Douglas a joy to watch as his mentor Dr. Hank Pym. The screenplay, direction and pacing are tight yet respectful, the humour bang-on, the cast right on the money, and the production design, action sequences and special effects are jawdropping, to say the least. This may seem like just another in the increasing line of super-hero movies from the Marvel movie universe, but next to "Guardians of the Galaxy" this is the most entertaining from the Marvel franchise.

Movies, DVDs

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

With Jim Sherlock and Aaron Rourke

Far From Men

● A tense moment for Mohamed (Reda Kateb) and Daru (Viggo Mortensen) in the absorbing drama Far From Men. ■ (M). 101 minutes. Available on little more substantial.

Excellent examples of the genre DVD on December 9.

Thoughtful in execution and gor- are Fast Times at Ridgmont High, geous in presentation, Far From Men Stand By Me, Heathers, Clueless, The is an engrossing drama that examines Year My Voice Broke nd Flirting. the nature of man, and why he conThe two following movies are also tinually feels the need to fight and kill. a cut above the usual teen fare, and A hit at this year's French Film Fes- come highly recommended. tival, then a success at during its the- ■ Hana And Alice (PG)(2004). 135 atrical run, this marvellous feature minutes. Available on region 3 DVD. now arrives on DVD, and will be ****.

Refreshingly natural and imreadily embraced by all serious mensely entertaining, this live-action movie-goers.

Set in 1954 at the start of the Alge- comedy/drama rises head-and-shoulrian War, the story centres on school ders above others of its ilk by not conteacher Daru (Viggo Mortensen, con- descending to its audience.

The story focuses on socially awkvincingly speaking French and Arabic), who is forced by French farm- ward Hana (Anne Suzuki) and freeers to escort Mohamed (Reda Kateb), spirited Alice (Yu Aoi), high school a local dissident accused of murder, girls who have been friends for years.

When Hana becomes obsessed to a regional police station to stand with student Miyamoto (Tomohiro trial.

Embarking on this long, increas- Kaku), whom she wants as her boyingly dangerous journey, the two friend, this will set a plan in motion gradually learn about each other, the that will be filled with complications reasons behind the conflict, and the and self-truths.

Composer/producer/writer/direcmoral choices and basic humanity that tor Shunji Iwai (Swallowtail Butterlies within us all.

Both start to adopt a more contem- fly / All About Lily Chou-Chou / April plative viewpoint towards the violent Story) shoots in his typically stylish, world around them, and it's a peace- docu-drama manner, providing plenty ful belief that makes Daru and of details that make these flawed-butcharming characters feel real and Mohamed far from men.

Acclaimed at both the Venice and believable.

The icing on the cake is Suzuki Toronto Film Festivals, Far From Men will lose some of its big screen and Aoi, who deliver outstanding performances. Hana And Alice wouldn't grandeur on the small screen.

Strikingly shot by Guillaume be as captivating without them.

Deffontaines, the landscape perfectly ■ The Case Of Hana And Alice symbolises the battle being waged (PG)(2015). 100 minutes. Coming between and within these two men. Soon. ***½.

Eleven years after the delightful Add to this a haunting score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, and wonder- original comes The Case Of Hana fully precise editing by Juliette And Alice, an animated prequel that Welfling, and what we have is an ab- shows us how the title characters first met and eventually became best solute feast for the senses.

Mortensen (A History Of Violence / friends.

Written and directed once more by The Road / Crimson Tide / Jauja) again offers a low-key, commanding Shunji Iwai, he cleverly decides to performance, and is well-matched by use the animated format so he can Kateb (A Prophet / Zero Dark Thirty / bring back all of the cast from the first Lost River), and these talented actors film, who of course would be too old make the most of the richly textured now to play younger versions of their screen characters. script given to them.

It is an approach that pays off, as This potentially heavy-handed tale is delicately handled by director David hearing those familiar voices allows us to connect these animated creOelhoffen.

Poetic and filled with quiet beauty, ations with the memorable live-action Far From Men subtly shows the vast ones introduced introduced to us over devastation of war and the small pock- a decade ago.

The animation itself is stunning, a ets of peace and acceptance that will combination of techniques that brings hopefully take root across the land.

A remarkable and timely film that Hana and Alice's adventures to vivid, colourful life. is definitely one of the year's best.

- Aaron Rourke RATING - ****½.

DVDs and Blu-Rays kindly supplied ■ Modern films dealing with teenby Video Vision, 177-179 Carlisle agers are usually hard to recommend, Street, Balaclava. For information often due to their strident and obnoxor bookings for Far From Men, ious nature, going for the crude joke please call 9531 2544, or check rather than delivering something a online at videovisiondvd.com.au

Top 10 Lists THE AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE TOP TEN: 1. THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2.

2. SPECTRE. 3. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2.

4. CREED. 5. THE DRESSMAKER. 6 LOVE THE COOPERS. 7. SECRET IN THEIR EYES. 8. TAMASHA. 9. BY THE SEA. 10. BRIDGE OF SPIES. NEW RELEASES AND COMING SOON TO CINEMAS AROUND AUSTRALIA: DECEMBER 3: END OF THE TOUR, IN THE HEART OF THE SEA, PHOENIX, THE NIGHT BEFORE, TRUTH. DECEMBER 10: MISSISSIPPI GRIND. THE DVD AND BLU-RAY TOP RENTALS & SALES: 1. ANT-MAN [Action/Fantasy/Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lily].

2. TED 2 [Comedy/Mark Walhberg/Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman, Seth MacFarlane].

3. TRAINWRECK [Comedy/Romance/Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson].

4. RICKI AND THE FLASH [Comedy/Drama/Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline].

5. MAX [Adventure/Drama/Josh Wiggins, Thomas Heden Church, Luke Kleintank].

6. JURASSIC WORLD [Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi/Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard].

7. INSIDE OUT [Animated/Adventure/Diane Lane, Bill Hader].

8. THE HOBBIT: TRILOGY Extended Edition.

9. LOVE & MERCY [Music/Drama/ John Cusack, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti].

10. SAN ANDREAS [Action/ Dwayne Johnson, Paul Giamatti].

Also: PAPER TOWNS, MOMENTUM, SELF/LESS, FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, MADAME BOVARY, SPY, TERMINATOR GENISYS, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, FAST & FURIOUS 7.

NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON DVD THIS WEEK: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION [Action/Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner].

PIXELS [Comedy/Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan].

LAST CAB TO DARWIN [Comedy/ Drama/Michael Caton, Jacki Weaver, Emma Hamilton].

ARMY DOG [Family/Casper Van Dien, Grace Van Dien].

FANTASTIC FOUR [Action/Sci-Fi/ Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Miles Teller].

HAUNT [Horror/Thriller/Jackie Weaver, Harrison Gilbertson].

KNOCK KNOCK [Thriller/Keanu reeves, Ana de Armas].

MANGLEHORN [Drama/Al Pacino, Holly Hunter].

NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION [Action/Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner].

PIXELS [Comedy/Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan].

Turn To Page 51

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 45

Observer Showbiz

Local Theatre With Cheryl Threadgold

‘Treasure Island’ at Rosanna

Melbourne

Observer LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

SHOWS ■ Heidelberg Theatre Company Youth Group: Treasure Island (Adapted by Erich Fordham and Ryan Purdy). December 11 - 15 at 63 Turnham Avenue, Rosanna. Directors: Christian Bell and Ryan Purdy. Bookings: www.htc.org.au ■ The 1812 Theatre: Moonlight and Magnolias (by Ron Hutchinson) Until December 12 at 3-5 Rose St., Upper Ferntree Gully. Director: Loretta Bishop. Tickets: $27. Bookings: 9758 3864 www.1812theatre.com.au ■ Adelphi Players: Little Red Riding Hood Panto (by Fred Rome) Until December 13 (Matinees 1.30pm and 3.15pm) at Booran Road Hall, 264 Booran Rd., Ormond. All tickets $10.

Bookings: 9690 1593.

■ PLOS Musical Productions: Mary Poppins December 31 January 9 at the Frankston Arts Centre, Frankston. Tickets: $49/ $44. Bookings: www.plos.asn.au ■ Encore Theatre: Little Red (by Matthew Chaloupka-Wagner) January 14-23 at the Clayton Community Centre, Cooke St., Clayton. Bookings: 1300 739 099.

■ The Midsumma Festival: January 17- February 7 at various venues. www.midsumma.org.au

AUDITIONS

■ Ark Theatre: Arkadian Olde Time Music Hall December 12 at 2pm at Lilydale Heights College Performing Arts Centre, 17 Nelson Place, Lilydale. Director: Fiona Carter. Audition bookings: 0409 355 000. ● Julian Adams and Christian Dell’Olio (co-director) ■ Frankston Theatre Group: The Odd Couple (Female) (by rehearse Heidelberg Theatre Youth’s Treasure Island. Neil Simon) December 13 at 1pm and December 14 at 7pm at Photo: Erich Fordham The Shed, Cnr Somerset and Overport Rds., Frankston. Director: ■ Heidelberg Theatre Company Youth presents Treasure Is- Ray Thompson. Audition bookings: 0419 304 650.

■ The Basin Theatre Company: Sleuth (by Anthony Shaffer) land from December11-19 at 36 Turnham Ave., Rosanna.

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson and adapted by Ryan December 30 at 9.00am at The Basin Theatre, Dongalla Rd., Purdey and Eric Fordham, this Heidelberg Theatre Company The Basin. Director: Chris Shaw. Audition bookings: 0414 684 Youth production is directed by Christian Dell-Olio and Ryan 346 or email chris@shawramics.com .

Purdey.

SOLSTICE Young Jill Hawkins lives a quiet life by the sea, dreaming of the day she can escape to the world beyond.

The opportunity comes a little sooner than she anticipates when the dying pirate, Billy Bones, gives her a map – the only clue to a forgotten island, where the treasure of a hundred ships lies waiting.

Ably assisted by the bumbling Dr Livesey and the intrepid Lady Trelawney, Jill sets out to claim the treasure on the far side of the world, but finds herself caught in a web of conspiracy and danger, at the centre of which stands the secretive and disarmingly charismatic Long John Silver.

What follows is an adventure featuring swordfights, dead parrots, sea shanties, pistols and gold as heroes and villains alike race towards … Treasure Island.

Performances: December 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 at 7pm; December 12, 19 at 2pm Venue: 63 Turnham Ave., Rosanna Tickets: $10 Adults, $5 Children Bookings: www.htc.org.au or 9457 4117 or at the door.

Suitable for families, including children from 6 years. Duration: 80 minutes

Cenarth Fox celebrates

● Francesca Smith (Red Riding Hood) and Oscar O'Neill-Pugh (Prince) in Little Red Riding Hood Panto.

■ The Adelphi Players present Little Red Riding Hood Panto until December 13 at the Booran Road Hall, Ormond.

Written by Fred Rome, this delightful show also has matinees at 1.30pm and 3.15pm Performance Season: Until December 13 Venue: Booran Road Hall, 264 Booran Rd., Ormond Tickets: All $10 Bookings: 9690 1593

RUSHIN’ RABBIT ■ Ella Filar’s latest work Rushin’ Rabbit, co-written with writer/performer Gabriel D’Alessandri, is adult cabaret theatre - no question; odd, surreal, imaginative – no question; in the Komissar Kabaret tradition – yes; entertaining, instructive and thought provoking – question mark.

Rushin’ Rabbit is a confused episodic tale of insomnia and repressed political angst – I think. What is fantastic about it is the music. The live band brings ambiance and klezmik funk to the production – bravo the musicians.

Filar and D’Alessandri acknowledge the influence of Bertolt Brecht and his anti-realism epic theatre genre, but despite some successful Brechtian techniques – I do feel very alienated from the piece - it simply doesn’t work.

The characters are silos. The relationship between the party and political animals is indeterminate. While one appears to be motivated by feeling and emotion, the other by intellect and a sense of social responsibility – but are they manifestations of the same person?

Script, plot and intent aside the cast did their best. While the outbursts of song felt at times disjointed, the lyrics and performances by Olivia Laskowski and Claire Nichols had some merit.

I particularly enjoyed Jack Beeby’s presence and accent, and given the limitations of the space, it was tight and well crafted theatre.

Ella Filar has a substantial cabaret repertoire under her belt with quite a reputation so I expect and hope Komissar Kabaret will continue to create theatre that challenges perception and convention.

Rushin’ Rabbit was performed at the Butterfly Club.

- Review by Beth Klein

FOX PLAYS TURNS 40

● Cowboy (Mark Coker) and Raggy (Sue Brookes) in Cenarth Fox’s musical Toys in 1977. See story at far right on this page.

Photo: Meg Lowery

● Matthew Fagan and Daniel Tucceri.

■ Matthew Fagan and Daniel Tucceri will perform rediscovered master works with virtuosic improvisations and modern instruments, while keeping faithful to the original scores of the master composers, on Saturday, December 19 at 7.30pm, Solstice is a musical journey into our mythology and rediscovery of ancient music, acoustic instruments and modern electronics from traditions of Celtic, Classical to Romantic.

It was in Melbourne's renowned Bourke Street Mall that both men crossed paths and their musical partnership was born.

They welcome patrons to hear their work during this Summer Solstice Ritual at Northcote Uniting Church.

Solstice features performances of re-composed master works of the classical masters Beethoven, Rodrigo, Bach, Albeniz and Vivaldi with unique sounds on 10-string Spanish electric guitars, digital keyboards and acoustic piano.

Performance: Saturday, December 19 at 7.30pm Venue: Northcote Uniting Church, Chalice, 251 High Street Northcote.

Tickets: $25/$20 Bookings: mjb2fagan@gmail.com or 0438 881 985

■ n late 1975, Melbourne playwright and author Cenarth Fox created a company to publish and produce his plays and musicals.

Fox Plays began with one musical and today has more than 70 titles of plays, books and musicals in its catalogue at www.foxplays.com.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary, Fox has released three new shows and a novel—a theatrical thriller.

The new stage works are Nippers (a musical for adults where all the characters are 4 years old), Death by Eating (a drama about Big Food and diabesity), and As Farce as You Can (a comedy where the 8 actors literally run to avoid disasters).

The novel, A Plum Job, stars a brilliant young English actress who gets to perform in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1940.

Her acting has to impress the Gestapo, Resistance and a double-agent where a bad review means torture and death.

Congratulations to Cenarth Fox for continuing to create productions for audiences and performers to enjoy globally.

All the play scripts from Fox Plays may be previewed online at foxplays dot com - Cheryl Threadgold

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Page 46 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 Melbourne

Observer

Lovatts Crossword No 19 Across

1. Able to be modified 6. Run away (4,3) 10. Crumpling 16. Drunkard 17. Canary Islands port, ... Palmas 19. Endure 20. Sheep fibre 21. Brass instrument 22. Snatched 23. Wallop 26. Church senior 28. Alliance 30. Smiles 31. Recite 33. Composer, Sir Edward ...

35. Serviceable 37. Wild grass 38. Fork point 39. Espionage agents 41. Mountain call 43. Supplement, ... out 44. Fragrant flower 45. Scornfully disobey 46. Corrosive substance, ... soda 48. Aquatic mammals 50. Contributes 51. Devout 52. Small fenced-in area 53. Sore secretion 55. Ice-cream server 57. Respectful 60. Ethnic bigots 62. Young man 64. Fire-fighting fixtures 67. Mass 68. Damages (bodywork) 69. Public pool 71. Achiever 72. Endorse (motion) 74. Camouflage colour 75. Italian farewell 77. Naked rider, ... Godiva 79. Bravery badges 82. A single entity 83. Peruses 85. Betray, ... on 87. OK (informal) 89. Tennis barrier 90. Ashen 91. Epsom annual horse race 92. Actor, ... Gibson 94. German Mrs 96. Distort 98. The N of NB 99. Synagogue scholar 100. Send back 102. Sort (through) 104. Cut (timber) 106. Gets 107. Tout 109. Cargo 111. Be unfaithful to (3-4) 112. Nothing 113. Milkshake ingredient 114. Ship's spine 116. Fraud 118. Frog relatives 119. ... of Carpentaria 121. Incursion 123. Woodwind instrument 125. Fibbed 127. Can metal 128. Excursion 130. Sunbeams 132. Truck compartment 134. Palm cereal 136. Tanzania's ... es Salaam 137. Squalid 139. Large racing yacht 140. Tennis ace, ... Nastase 141. Fishing-line fibre 143. Convict's ball & ...

Across 145. Mortuary table 147. Lawyer's charge 148. Wound with dagger 149. Ready for picking 150. Pledge 152. Put strain on 154. Writer, ... Blyton 156. Basketball shot, ... dunk 158. Flavouring herb 159. Oxlike antelopes 161. Acorn bearer 163. Prince Edward, ... of Wessex 165. Spicy lentil dish 167. Hunger pain 169. Restate 171. Fabric join 173. Cropping up 175. Silver bars 177. Pet's parasites 179. Ills 181. Nipples 182. Lion's neck hair 183. Honey wine 185. Positive replies 187. Dismiss 189. ... & downs 190. Kitchen flooring 191. Female opera singer 192. Cloth remnant 194. Security lapses 196. Non-clergy 197. Antarctic inlet, ... Sea 198. Judo level 199. Beijing's former name 202. Deplete 204. Cycled 205. Fast planes 206. Counterfeited 208. Auction 210. Knight's mount 212. Filled pastries 213. Sports team 214. Infant babble (4,4) 216. Happily ... after 217. Contactable (2,4) 219. Realms 221. Devonshire tea cake 223. Red-rind cheese 225. Perform 226. All-in fight 227. Open tart 230. Long films 232. Snowfields elevator (3,4) 235. Shopping precincts 236. Mother 238. Smash into 240. Anaesthetic gas 242. Exclusive group 243. Dispatches 244. Town plan 245. Physician 246. Attacked (3,2) 247. City, ... Angeles 248. Nursemaid 249. Ring-throwing game 251. Hallucinogenic drug (1,1,1) 253. Electricity power source 255. Greener 256. Revise (text) 258. Cash disc 259. Cases 260. Belonging to us 261. Beer 262. Divorce order (6,4) 263. Gizmos 264. Armless (dress)

Down 1. Marriage cheat 2. Vibrates 3. Pixie 4. Very eager 5. Radiant 6. Destines to grim fate 7. At summit of 8. Smoke vent 9. Tale 11. False pretences 12. Push for 13. Unrefined 14. Partook of liquor 15. Aphrodite & Athena 16. Moved to & fro 18. Regrettably 24. Clue 25. Low platform 27. Swollen heads, big ...

29. Yes vote 30. Tile mortar 31. Potatoes 32. Even so 34. Stretch 36. Alias (1,1,1) 38. Cheap booze 39. Indian gowns 40. Drink delicately 42. Windies batsman, Clive ...

45. Pasture 46. Desert plants 47. Kill selectively 49. ... & Gomorrah 51. Dried plum 52. Jerks 54. Voyage 56. Primp & ...

58. Peeper 59. Black wood 60. All set 61. Neck warmer 63. Date of offensive (1-3) 65. Cosmetics boss, Elizabeth ...

66. Israeli city, ... Aviv 68. Sheikhdom, Abu ...

70. Dedicatory verses 72. Cloyingly sweet 73. Duress 74. Roadway edgings 76. Rowing aids 78. Jabbers 80. Vaporised 81. Removes whiskers 83. Resist openly 84. Half 86. Fox brush 88. High temperature 91. Actor/singer, Sammy ... (5,2) 92. Fade (away) 93. Touch with tongue 95. Flying saucers (1,1,2) 97. World Wide Web (1,1,1) 99. Cheese skin 100. Entertainer, ... Harris 101. Layers 103. Mexican food shell 105. Carol, The First ...

107. Common seasoning 108. Afternoon meal 110. Gentle strokes 113. Humdrum 115. Lawful 117. Groaning 118. Close-fitting 119. Cunning 120. Polishes (car) 122. Tibet's ... Lama 124. Pyramids country 126. Blowpipe missiles

Down

129. Commercials 130. British flying force (1,1,1) 131. Produce 133. Overalls, ... & brace 135. Bullfight cry 137. Big cricket hit 138. Unique model (3-3) 142. Persona ... grata 144. African anteater 146. Inclination 148. Clever 149. Betrothal token, engagement ..

151. Scrutinising (accounts) 153. Every day 155. Sketched 157. So! 158. Provides with personnel 159. Squall 160. Obtain (support) (4,2) 162. Bend to pray 164. Mekong valley nation 166. Holidays owed, time in ...

167. Coal mines 168. In attendance (2,4) 170. Abated 172. Breakfast or dinner 174. Enervates 175. Forbids 176. One, numero ...

178. Browns (meat) quickly 180. Disfigure 182. Feel the loss of 184. Michaelmas ...

186. Skim on ice 188. Environmental treaty, ... Protocol 190. Plenty 191. Challenged 193. Midges 195. Filter 197. Cotton spool 198. Avoid 200. Age 201. Candied 203. Requires 205. Abandon (lover) 206. Financial penalties 207. Shady tree 209. Flee to wed 211. Duck's mate 212. Agreement 213. Window ledges 214. Confused 215. Fuses (of bones) 218. Coffee lounge 219. Surfer, ... Slater 220. Sailors 222. Troop formations 224. Flour factory 226. Yacht's principal canvas 228. Antiquated 229. Crooner, ... King Cole 231. Hardens 233. Leo animal 234. 'Tis (2'1) 235. Death in Venice author, Thomas ...

236. China's ... Zedong 237. Pacify 239. Portable 241. Horse-riding show 243. NE US state 244. Corpse repository 248. Fixes with hammer 250. Ayatollah's land 252. Former Italian currency 253. Castle ditch 254. Model, ... Macpherson 257. Used spade

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 47

Solution on Page 40

MEGA

CROSSWORD No 19 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

16 19

28

29

24 31

45

58

72

84

91

92

127

128

120

129

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138 145 153

160

161

146 154

162

169

155 163

170 177

183

184 192

171 178

185 193

200 208

195 202

209

214

238

230 239

231 240

245 250

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220

226 235

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259 261

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207

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252 257

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225 233

151

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256

175

212

232

246

150

205

224

241

142

168

189

217

136

182

204

223

135

197

216

126

159

181

211

222

134

125

167

196

210

221

124

174

188

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187

111

149

173 180

98

141

166

81

105

158

165

179

194

133

157

172

186

201

228

164

97

123

148 156

80

117

140 147

66

89

104

116

132

139

144 152

131

96

110

122

79 88

103

115

65 71

87

109

121

64

78

95

50 56

70

86

108

119

15

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55 63

102

114

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113

118

262

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48 54

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69

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41

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90

34

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74

137

33

68

73

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27

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60

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18

26

39

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199

25

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10

21

30

37

57

17

20 23

9

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237

Page 48 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 49

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Page 50 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 Melbourne

Observer

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Sport Extra

Will Fernando Bale be retired?

■ Champion chaser Fernando Bale might keep on racing, despite missing a place in last Friday night's Ballarat Cup. “We’ve all got different ideas. I’m thinking about retiring him but Jan (wife) and Brendan (son) want him to keep racing so I’m outvoted at the moment," said owner/breeder Paul Wheeler .

“I think the Daillys (trainers) might be looking at the Paws Of Thunder at Wentworth Park in January.

“The final of the Paws Of Thunder is on January 16 and Jan and I are going overseas on the 20th so that might fit in well.”

Fernando Bale had been expected to retire after the recent Melbourne Cup series, but connections are pushing on.

He finished fifth in the Ballarat Cup final last Friday night.

Wheeler also owns Dyna Double One, Melbourne Cup winner over Fernando Bale, and has no plans for that dog to retire just yet either.

Dyna Double One won the Brisbane Cup Final last Thursday night.

"There’s no plans to retire Dyna Double One yet either but if either of them gets any sort of injury that will be it. They’ll be retired to stud immediately," Wheeler explained.

"When Dyna Double One is retired he’ll be going to stud in NSW with Tony Wiseman, who’s also standing last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Dyna Villa, and Tony tells me that he’s been inundated with interest from breeders since Dyna Double One won the Melbourne Cup.”

Greyhounds

with Kyle Galley

Rule changes

■ A significant amount of greyhound racing rule changes at both a national and state level are now in effect.

Greyhounds Australasia, the national controlling body, has introduced rule changes relating to controlling body powers, timing of races, satisfactory trials, reporting on matters affecting performance and testing/swabbing procedures.

Local rule amendments will cover greyhound euthanasia, regulation of greyhound training properties and registered greyhound racing participants.

Further rule amendments will deal with issues relating to licence suspension and animal welfare.

Submissions are being taken by Greyhound Racing Victoria until December 10 on their proposed rule changes.

New roles

■ Three newly created roles at Greyhound Racing Victoria will also help

industry participants better understand animal welfare and compliance issues.

From early next year, three industry advisory and support officers will work statewide, providing advice and support for breeders, breakers, trainers and anyone else involved in the care of greyhounds.

Greyhound Racing Victoria CEO Alan Clayton said the newly created roles will help drive GRV's goal of an industry that sets best practice throughout all stages of a greyhound's life from breeding to retirement after racing.

Highlights

the form of She's A Collinda and Cosmic Collinda.

Fittingly, both dogs were also there to share in the newlyweds big day.

Steph and Sam met six years ago, and despite having had no exposure to greyhound racing, Sam has since become hooked.

“It’s a passion that we both love.

We are always researching it and we are so immersed in it," Steph said of the couple's interest in greyhound racing.

“Our dogs are like our children … we are all a family."

The ‘Collinda’ dogs have been racing around Gippsland for decades, and Steph carries on a proud family tradition.

“I love animals and I love greyhounds," Steph said.

"I love their personality and how beautiful the actual greyhound breed is and there is no way I could never not have a greyhound in my life.”

Steph works as a primary school teacher and Sam an electrician, and the couple prepare their teams of dogs as a hobby.

■ There are plenty of highlights coming up in Victorian greyhound racing before the end of the month.

The annual Sir John Dillon Memorial race is staged at Sandown Park tomorrow night (Dec. 10), with the program also containing the continuation of the rich Laurels series.

The Sale Cup, Australia's richest middle distance event, is also coming up, with the heats set for Sunday, December 20.

A first prize of $75,000 is on offer in the final, on Boxing Day, Decem- ■ Greyhound Racing Victoria's ber 26.

Ready 2 Race sales at Bendigo have again provided a platform for new owners to become involved in the sport.

■ Gippsland greyhound trainer Although two dogs sold for more Steph Cameron will long remember than $26,000, there were several greythe month of November 2015. hounds which also changed hands for Steph and her partner Sam Tyler around $1000, which could prove were married on November 15, while value for money purchases long term. the pair also prepared two race winAt the end of the day there were ners in the week of the wedding, in only two lots passed in from 57 grey-

Ready 2 Race

Busy mopnth

● Fernando Bale

hounds put up for sale. Overall, the average sale price was about $1000 down on last year.

Crocmedia's Off The Bench radio program broadcast live on the day and were again active in purchasing dogs, snapping up four lots for just over $22,000, with these dogs to be syndicated through a contest.

Dogs sold through the sale are also eligible for the Ready 2 Race event, which culminates in a rich Final at Sandown Park.

Upcoming race meetings

■ Wednesday: The Meadows (Day), Bendigo (Twilight), Cranbourne (Night), Ballarat (N); Thursday: Shepparton (T), Sandown Park (N), Warrnambool (N); Friday: Cranbourne (D), Bendigo (T), Geelong (N); Saturday: Traralgon (T), The Meadows (N); Sunday: Sandown Park (D), Healesville (D), Sale (T); Monday: Ballarat (D), Traralgon (T), Shepparton (N); Tuesday: Geelong (T), Horsham (T) - Kyle Galley

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 51

Observer Victorian Sport

Showbiz Extra

Melbourne

■ From Page 44

Top 10 Lists

Time for standalone Cup meet ■ Even the horses are shouting for it: a stand alone meeting for the newest track on the block; that of the Pakenham Racing Club at Tynong for its next Cup meeting.

For the uninitiated, that means the main meeting in Victoria on that given day.

The Club under hard working CEO, Michael Hodge, has gone ahead in leaps and bounds into their second year of the new track at Tynong, with the track rated not only one of the best in Australia, but world wide.

At their recent Pakenham Cup meeting the Club attracted its biggest ever crowd to the picturesque track.

It took me nearly a half hour after the last to get out, with cars packed right up to the entrance of the long drive.

The Club's amenities are first class and the rooms for the stewards, jockeys etc.; are up with the very best.

The Club has everything to attract the best of horses and with a stand alone meeting like, Bendigo, Ballarat, Cranbourne and Mornington deserves the chance.

Michael Hodge said that he hopes Racing Victoria will allocate $300,000 in prizemoney for its Cup meeting.

I am a proudly employed by helping the Club with hosting their presentations and they are a pleasure to work for.

The Club's next Cup meeting will be on Sunday November 26 next year.

Hodge added that if Racing Victoria could provide the necessary, the Club would consider topping that up by a further $350,000 or $400,000.

The Club's recent Cup meeting attracted a very good field, won by OurVoodoo Prince, another win for Darren Weir and his team.

Racing Victoria, I feel, will look at this in a favourable light, and it will be all systems go and deservedly so.

Ted Ryan

NEW RELEASE AND RE-RELEASE CLASSICS ON DVD THIS WEEK: Tobe Hooper's EATEN ALIVE [R18+/Horror/ Neville Brand, Robert Englund].

● Luke Nolen Photo by SLICKPIX, phone 9354 5754

NEW RELEASE TELEVISION, DOCUMENTARY AND MUSIC DVD HIGHLIGHTS: COMMUNITY: Season 5.

IRIS [Documentary].

NO OFFENCE: Season 1.

CROSSBONES: Season 1.

GIRLS: Season 4.

ELSTREE 1976.

I AM BIG BIRD: The Caroll Spinney Story.

A TOUCH OF FROST: Series 14 & 15.

SPOOKS: The Greater Good.

- James Sherlock

Farewell Leticia

ments at the Track in the near future.

Lots 2-7-8-and 17 remain vacant, of the 18 lots that were put up for sale.

Both lots 2-7 and 8 are of .700ha selling for $ 280.000 per allotment, while lot 17 is of .0600 ha. for a price of $260,000.

The trainer allotments allow for the stabling infrastructure and a dwelling on a clear title, ensuring a functional investment for years to come.

With a minimum of 40 race meetings held annually at the site and a mix of turf, polytrack synthetic and night meetings living closer to work makes sense.

All lots contain the following features.

■ Three phase power.

■ Telephone and internet access ■ Town Water ■ Sewerage reticulation ■ Rear access to horse walk thoroughfares which offer safe, secure and direct access into the Pakenham Racecourse.

Review ■ Racing Victoria has released an overview of participation and performance across this year's Spring Racing Carnival with wagering turnover on the rise and strong results recorded in country Victoria.

A review of 23 feature meetings, including nine major Cup meetings, from Underwood Stakes day at Caulfield on September 29 to the Ballarat Cup on November 21, found the following in comparison to the same meetings in 2014.

Wagering: ■ Total wagering across all operators was $ 1.3 billion-up 4.9%.

■ Total turnover on the nine major country Cups meetings-up 12.5%.

■ The State's three premier racedays, the Melbourne Cup, the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate all achieved wagering growth.

Attendance: ■ Total attendance

● Prince of Penzance Photo by SLICKPIX, phone 9354 5754 across the 23 feature race meetings-down 3.5%.

■ Total attendance on the nine major country Cups - up 3.4%.

■ The Melbourne Cup drew the biggest crowd of 101,015 - up 0.2%.

Participation: ■ A total of 1477 horses competed 2392 times across the feature meetings with the average field size remaining consistent with 2014 with 11.5 starters.

■ 27 horses from Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, England and Ireland travelled to Victoria for the Spring Racing Carnival and were stabled at the Werribee International Horse Centre.

Soon ■ An excited Pakenham CEO, Michael Hodge, said thecLUB IS on the verge of locking in the final four trainer allot-

LAST CAB TO DARWIN [Comedy/Drama/ Michael Caton, Jacki Weaver, Emma Hamilton].

Tobe Hooper's EATEN ALIVE [R18+/Horror/ Neville Brand, Robert Englund].

FANTASTIC FOUR [Action/Sci-Fi/Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Miles Teller].

HAUNT [Horror/Thriller/Jackie Weaver, Harrison Gilbertson].

KNOCK KNOCK [Thriller/Keanu reeves, Ana de Armas].

GIRLS: Season 4.

SPOOKS: The Greater Good.

● Pakenham Cup: Our Voodoo Prince Photo by SLICKPIX, phone 9354 5754

● Darren Weir Photo by SLICKPIX, phone 9354 5754 ■ 192 horses, trainers, and 65 jockeys recorded individual ■ One of our best wins at the 23 feature oops is not far away from re-entering the meetings. ranks after a ■ More than 6000 riding long lay- off with back individual owners problems. shared in the $44.3 Luke Nolen, who million in prizemoney has ridden mainly for across the meetings. leading trainer Peter Moody, has been out Engagement: ■ The Racing.Com of the saddle for some digital platform at- time.

He hopes to return tracted over 1 million unique visitors for the at the end of Decemafter a further feature period with the ber back operation about Melbourne Cup re- eleven weeks ago. cording a 578% inThe 42-year-old crease in unique us- rider hasn't ridden ers, in 2014. since July 4 .

Recovery

■ Melbourne Theatre Company announced this week that its Associate Director Leticia Cáceres will leave the company at the conclusion of her contract in December, in order to pursue freelance opportunities both in Australia and internationally.

MTC Artistic Director Brett Sheehy said” “Leticia has been a crucial part of MTC’s artistic team for the past three years and her contribution to the works seen on our stages as well as our education and Artist Access programs has been invaluable.

“She’s brought extraordinary energy, skill, vision and flair to the role of Associate Director. Although we will miss her immensely, we are very happy to see her take this exciting step in her career, exploring opportunities both nationally and beyond our shores.

“We are thrilled MTC was able to provide the platform to enhance her reputation as one of Australia's most exciting theatre directors.”

In the three years since Leticia joined the company, she has directed six productions, some of which have been hailed as the most memorable theatrical offerings of the year including her acclaimed production of Constellations which The Australian described as ‘flawless’ and this year’s Birdland which was described as ‘unmissable’ by Time Out magazine.

Leticia’s productions directly met MTC’s vision of attracting new and younger audiences with fresh, bold and contemporary theatre.

Her production of Cock attracted high numbers of audiences under 30 years old and her commitment to young audiences remained a hallmark of her time with MTC, with her production of Yellow Moon touring to regional schools, receiving four Green Room Award nominations and winning a Drama Victoria Award. I n total, Leticia’s productions reached well over 80,000 attendances and her productions of Cock and Death and the Maiden both toured interstate.

Leticia also led MTC’s landmark Women Directors Program for the past two years, which has seen 23 women directors forge relationships with MTC and establish work opportunities for new and diverse voices on the Mainstage.

Leticia Cáceres said, ‘I’m very proud of my achievements during my time at MTC but the moment has come to explore new opportunities. My tenure has been nothing short of extraordinary and I feel very fortunate to have been able to shape and support the programs and initiatives offered under Brett’s vision for the Company.”

- Rosie Shepherdson-Cullen

Page 52 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

www.MelbourneObser ver.com.au

Observer Victorian Sport Melbourne

Racing Briefs

Won the quinella ■ Longlea trainer Glenn Sharp snared the quinella in the Aldebaran Park Trotters Handicap for T0 & T1 class over 2190 metres at Maryborough on Tuesday with consistent Noopy Kiosk/Disco Dance gelding Tella Tall Tale, running home from mid-field to defeat the improving Spud from a mile back and Champ Devine in a mile rate of 2-06.8.

Shelbourne's Larry Eastman presently campaigning in Perth with Menin Gate, Morton Plains and Milly Perez, was successful with smart 4-Y-0 Ponder/Cl;assical Girl mare Ponder Girl in the Maryborough Highland Society Pace for C3 & C4 class over 2190 metres at Maryborough.

With David Moran in the sulky, Ponder Girl (gate 4) enjoyed a sweet trip one/one, before running home to defeat No Bettertime and Artoc in 2-01.7.

Impressive winner ■ The most impressive winner of the day at Shepparton trots on Thursday was Shepparton trainer/driver Danny Ferris' 5-Y-0 Bacardi Lindy/ Strapon mare Barefoot Sally in the Saddleworld Shepparton Trotters Handicap for T2 or better class over 2190 metres.

Coming from 30 metres, Barefoot Sally settled a long way off the leaders Star Style, Mont Morley and Kains Boy, before going forward three wide in the final circuit.

Sustaining a long run, Barefoot Sally scored by a huge 15.9 metre margin in advance of Star Style and Kains Boy in a mile rate of 2-02.9.

Amanda Turnbull enjoyed a great afternoon with three winners - Alotbettor (Nathan Jack) in the Kevin Murray Pace Final, Star Black Lisa Bartley) the Pam Wilson Pearl Kelly Winner Pace and Ucanttakeitwithu driven by herself in the Neatline Homes Pace Final.

Other winners on the day were : Brallos Pass (Mark Watson & Nathan Jack), Mylightningfella (Jeff Gledhill & Josh Duggan) and Goodtime Bobby (Julie Brinacombe and Ash Manton).

Stable treble ■ Neighbour Brent Lilley and concessional reinsman Josh Duggan enjoyed a great night at the Ouyen meeting conducted at Swan Hill on Wednesday, finishing the evening with a stable treble.

Four year old Christian Cullen/Jaz Tanner gelding Christian Jaz was first to greet the judge in the Mallee View Motel Pace for C0 class over 2240 metres.

Enjoying a lovely trail on the back of Ricciardo after leading out, Christian Jaz used the sprint lane to defeat the leader by 2.9 metres in a rate of 2-03.5, with Jeremes Bonus third after following the pair.

Island Caro, a 4-Y-0 gelded daughter of Sportswriter and Island Salsa landed the race named in my honour - the Len Baker Vicbred Pace for C0 class over 1750 metres in identical fashion.

Trailing the heavily backed pacemaker Live In Abby, Island Caro prevailed by a head in 1-58.9.

Zap Bam Boom finished third 1.4 metres away.

Consistent Sportswriter/Uncork 4-Y-0 gelding Streamliner raced by many Macedon Ranges residents, led throughout in the Apco Easy Shop Pace for C1 class over 2240 metres, recording an easy 13.8 metre margin over Gran Lema Girl which raced in the open and Tommys Song in 2-01.8.

Drop in class ■ At Geelong on Thursday, Riddell's Nicole and Dean Molander landed the Geelong Cup 2nd Jan Pace for C3 & C4 class over 2100 metres with Kiwi bred Christian Cullen/Syriana 5-Y-0 gelding Im Meticulous in a mile rate of 2-00.4.

Driven by Matt Craven, Im Meticulous appreciated a drop in class from what he had been racing against and after racing wide, was too strong for his rivals, accounting for Bab Boy Brad and Jambiani.

■ Listen to Len Baker on Harness Review, 8pm10pm Mondays, on 97.9 FM, streamed in 979fm.com.au

Locals delighted ■ Local runners came good much to the delight of the parochial West Australians at Gloucester Park on Friday.

Eight year old Kiwi bred Bettors Delight/Lov Isin The Air gelding Lovers Delight was victorious in the first heat over 2536 metres for the Bunbury stable of Stephen Reed with champion reinsman Chris Lewis in the sulky.

Going forward from gate seven, Lovers Delight parked outside the leader Mach Alert before taking over with 2200 metres to travel.

Joined by Lennytheshark approaching the bell, the pair broke away coming off the back straight with Lennytheshark issuing a serious challenge.

Being hailed the victor halfway up the running, Lennytheshark failed to catch Lovers Delight, going down by a neck, with My Hard Copy flashing home from last to finish third ahead of Mach Alert and Crusader Banner. The mile rate 1-56.8 (last half 54.5 - quarter 26.7). ★ Heat two saw the Henley Beach father and son combination of Mike and Mark Reed successful with bonny 5-Y-0 Christian Cullen/Lucinda Midfrew mare Libertybelle Midfrew in a rate of 1-55.7 (56.8 - 28.4).

Starting from gate three, Libertybelle Midfrew crossed Our High Jinks to assume control in the back straight on the first occasion and was never headed.

Kicking away on the final bend, Libertybelle Midfrew scored by 1.9 metres over Philadelphia Man which had every opportunity to run her down after a beaut trail into the race following the third placegetter Waylade which was three wide from the bell. Shannonsablast was fourth and Our Blackbird fifth. ★ The third heat was the most exciting of the night with the Tasmanian Devendra, a brilliant winner on opening night coming from last to gain the day in a thrilling finish.

Sydneysider Mach Beauty with Lauren Panella back in the cart worked hard from gate four to lead and gave a bold showing after a disappointing fifth over the mile at Bunbury when he again headed the field.

With runs coming from all directions on straightening, Devandra (seven wide home turn) came with a withering burst of speed down the outside fence to prevail by 2 metres over the free

Harness Racing

Melbourne

Observer

len-baker@ bigpond.com

with Len Baker

legged Avonnova one/one at bell, with Five Star Anvil which trailed the leader third ahead of Mach Beauty and Cold Major who were noses away in fourth and fifth place. The mile rate 1-57.3 (57.1 29.1).

The huge 1.3 million dollar final will be held on Sunday December 13 the main chances appearing to be Lennytheshark, Philadelphia Man, Devandra, My Hard Copy and Avonnova.

First win ■ Young Terang owner/ trainer Paddy Lee would have been "over the moon" when 7-Y-0 Sundon/Maori Daunou gelding Maorisfavourite sun scored in the Seelite Doors & Windows Trotters Handicap for T2 or better class over 2190 metres at Maryborough on Wednesday.

Coming from 30 metres, Maorisfavouritesun driven by cousin Glen Craven was sent forward mid-race to lead, defying all challengers to gain the day in advance of Girls Go First and Dieu De Lamour in a mile rate of 2-03.3.

It was Paddy's first winner as a trainer.

Geelong ■ At Geelong on Thursday. Courtney Slater combined with Terang's Jason Lee to land the James & Son Pace for C2 class over 1609 metres with 7Y-0 Safely Kept/Torado Fire gelding El Sabio in rate of 1-58.4, leading most of the way to account for Evil Trickster and Monumental.

Debut ■ Mount Cottrell owner/ trainer Michael Azzopardi combined with Craig Demmler to land the Maryborough District Advertiser 2-Y-0 Pace over 1690 metres at Maryborough with Blissful Hall/Lucky Eclipse

colt The Defiant. Making his race debut, The Defiant although inclined to race greenly at times, led throughout to account for Tossup and My Golden Grinner in a mile rate of 2-01.2.

Melton's Beau Tindale and stable reinsman Rod Petroff snared the McArdle Transport Maryborough Pace for C2 class over 2190 metres at Maryborough with 4-Y-0 Courage Under Fire/ Tishafly Franco gelding Fire Up Franco in a rate of 2-00.8.

Despite racing wide from outside the front line, Fire Up Franco had 2.3 metres up his sleeve at the finish, defeating Jilliby Courage which raced in the open and Heza Modern Guy which led.

At Geelong on Thursday, Gordon's Tim McGuigan landed the Devcon Properties Pace for C0 class over 2100 metres with 5-Y-0 Four Starzzz Shark/Classic Amy mare Classic Amy, defeating Comical and Ebonyallstars in a rate of 2-01.2.

Other local winners on the day were : Sir Macs Man (Craig Demmler) and Swiftlytothebeach (Amy Tubbs), Sir Macs Man (Panspacificflight/Galleons Destiny) ran home from mid-field to account for stablemate Glenferrie Arch and Rule Of Thumb in a rate of 1-58.8.

Swiftlytothebeach (Somebeachsomewhere/ Non So Swift) led all of the way to score from Soho Montelena and Miss Quatro in 2-00.8.

Speedy ■ Bolinda trainer Vince Vallelonga presently in Perth for the Inters with Major Crocker, snared the Maryborough Trials On Yu Tube Pace for C1 class over 1690 metres at Maryborough on Wednesday with speedy 4-Y-0 Real Desire/Chilled Sanction mare Chilled Desire.

- Len Baker

The Last Word Mussel Festival in March 2016 ■ A two-day seafood street party - and more than five tonnes of molluscs - have shot the Port Phillip Mussel Festival straight to the top of the must-do list of Melbourne festivals.

Now in its third year, the free-entry Port Phillip Mussel Festival is set to have South Melbourne Market and surrounding streets pulsating in March 2016. And its growing, cult-like popularity has seen it earmarked as a signature event at next year's Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

Port Phillip Mayor Bernadene Voss says the festival has filled a gap in this bayside city's calendar: "Melbourne is famous for its festivals, and this has quickly become one of the best. It's a vibrant celebration of local food and culture. We welcome locals and visitors to Melbourne to come and spend the day in the sun with family and friends, feasting, dancing and celebrating seafood from our local waters."

Mussels are the main attraction, with mussel "cook-ups" by leading Melbourne chefs certain to be a crowd and taste-bud favourite.

Some of the top restaurants who will be dishing up the mussels include Claypots, Evening Star, Köy, Paco Y Lola, Simply Spanish, Dandelion and St Ali, serving them in various styles such as piping hot mussel paella, wok-cooked drunken mussels and Bia Ha Noi mussels.

Molluscs, however, will be far from the only drawcard at the Port Phillip Mussel Festival. Local wines, craft beer and refreshing cider will provide the perfect seafood accompaniments. Sangria and artisanal ice-cream are among other annual top sellers.

Beverage sponsors James Squires Craft Beer and Jack Rabbit Wines from the Bellarine Peninsula will provide the perfect seafood accompaniments.

Setting the mood will be some of Melbourne's best Dixieland and New Orleans jazz bands including The Shuffle Club, Paul Williamson Hammond Combo, Pearly Shells Hot 6 and Margie Lou Dyer, turning South Melbourne Market's eastern fringe into a mini Bourbon Street. The city-bound lane of Cecil St, adjoining the market, will be closed both days on the weekend of March 12 and 13.

South Melbourne Market general manager Ross Williamson said the Port Phillip Mussel Festival had become one of the market's most anticipated annual events, fusing some of the city's finest foods and beverages with the vibes of New Orleans.

"There really is nothing else like this festival in Melbourne, and that's why it's been embraced and grown so much in such a short space of time," Ross says. "Last year we had thousands of visitors over the two days and we love that it brings so many new faces to the market."

The Port Phillip Mussel Festival will take place on the final two days of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, which has the theme "Sense of Place" in 2016. It will be held at South Melbourne Market on Saturday, March 12 (12 Noon-10pm) and Sunday, March 13 (12pm-8pm). Visit www.south melbournemarket.com.au/mussel-fest South Melbourne Market is located on the corner of Coventry and Cecil Sts, South Melbourne, and is open 8am-4pm (Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday) and 8am-5pm (Friday). Visit www.southmelbournemarket.com.au - Greta Donaldson

NYE at Footscray ■ Enjoy a night full of family fun and entertainment with the third annual New Year’s Eve event at Footscray Park.

This special event is the second largest New Year’s Eve event in Victoria, second only to the City of Melbourne.

An on-stage line up featuring everything from children’s music to blockbuster acts such as The Robbie Williams Experience will get the crowd up and dancing. Denise Drysdale is MC. An early fireworks display at 9.30pm will illuminate Footscray’s night sky, drawing thousands of people to the banks of the iconic Maribyrnong River. www.festivalcity.com.au

Tick gets the flick ■ After 26 years, the National Heart Foundation Board has decided to retire the Tick.

National CEO Mary Barry, said the Tick commenced at a time when there was little to guide healthier food choices.

- Terry Radford

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 53

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PHONE: 1800 231 311 FAX: 1800 231 312 EMAIL: editor@MelbourneObserver.com.au

PAVING

TAX TIME

BRICK PAVING SPECIALIST

☛ All aspects of paving including: Claym Brick, Sandstone Bluestone & Castlemaine Slate ☛ All aspects of landscape construction 25 years experience ☎ Glen

0412 516 936

PC/CC16

RELAXATION MASSAGE

Call Ben 0403 591 216 ben.hurree@ gmail.com BB /I I 16

Promote your business statewide in the Melbourne Observer Trades and Services Guide

THE GREA T MUSIC OF THE ‘30s T O ‘60s GREAT TO Str eaming thr ough the W eb treaming through Web PHONE: 9572 1466

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Page 54 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

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What’s New

Burnwood BBQ's are manufacturers of high quality Charcoal BBQ's and Spits.

Large range of stock available to pick from, customers can also make to order. ● Large range of accessories: ● Prongs and plates (for Greek Gyros) ● Motors ● Grills ● Rotisserie sets ● Charcoal ● BBQ utensils By buying direct you cut down on price, not quality.

All of our BBQ's are made with 3mm thick steel.

Mention this advertisement when you purchase/order a BBQ or Spit for a free gift*. * Conditions apply: Promotion of free gift valid until October 15, 2015 or sooner should stock run out.

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 55

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Victorian Rural News

Motoring

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 57

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - Page 59

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