Melbourne Observer. August 23, 2017

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017

VICTORIA’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

48TH YEAR OF PUBLICATION $2.95

S TATE EDITION Vol 49 No 1677 SERVING VICTORIA SINCE 1969

BONNIE AND CLYDE including GST

■ The Cardinia Performing Arts Company presents Bonnie and Clyde , the musical, until September 1 at the Cardinia Cultural Centre.

The show depicts the true story of Texans Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who met in 1934.

Vale Nick Le Souef

Bonnie falls in love with Clyde, joining him on his crime sprees. The couple enjoy fame, but kill 12 people, including nine policemen.

Director Ryan Lindsay Turner has assembled a fine cast of principal and ensemble performers.

His artistic direction and multi-purpose set, co-designed with Jordan Koutsapalis, facilitate smooth staging.

Take care mirrors don’t reflect people in the wings. Effective lighting by Michael Bates and Ryan Turner and costumes by Hazel Green, enhance visual aesthetics.

Emily Hansford (Bonnie) and Mitchell Stewart (Clyde) are a great duo, utilising their strong vocal and acting skills to recreate their formidable characters.

Brock Downie (Clyde’s brother, Buck) and Nicola Downie ( Blanche), also impress in their roles, particularly Nicola’s powerful vocals.

Director Turner has successfully developed layers in his principal characters, and beneath bravado we experience romance, tenderness and fear.

Turn To Page 00

■ The Melbourne Observer is saddened by the passing of columnist Nick Le Souef, 74, after a major stroke earlier this month.

A funeral service will be held on Friday at Rosebud. ● Turn To Page 8

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● Mitchell Stewart (Clyde) and Emily Hansford (Bonnie) in Bonnie and Clyde, the musical.

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Page 2 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

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Travel

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Observer

Showbiz Latest

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 7

It’s All About You!

Melbourne

‘Mummy’ at Butterfly Club Observer In This Edition

Long Shots: Vale Nick Le Souef ........ Page 8 Cartoon: Matt Bissett-Johnson ......... Page 9 West Hollywood: Gavin Wood ......... Page 10 Melb. Confidential: Radio awards ... Page 11 Kevin Trask: Whatever Happened ... Page 14 Showbiz Extra ................................. Page 14 Harness Racing: Len Baker ............ Page 30 Country Music: Rob Foenander ....... Page 32 Top 10 Lists: James Sherlock .......... Page 34 Movies: Rourke’s Reviews .............. Page 35 Observer Racing: Ted Ryan .............. Page 38 Country Music Local Theatre Movies, DVDs Radio Latest

Observer Showbiz

Services for Harry

■ A funeral service for Harry Beitzel will be held in Gosford, NSW, at 2pm Friday (Aug. 25). This will be at the Greenway Chapel & Memorial Gardens, Green Point 460 Avoca Dr, Green Point.

A celebration of Harry's life will be held at The Olympic Room, Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he worked and umpired, will be held at 1pm on Monday, September 18.

Harry’s son, Brad, aDVISES that he expects that the MCG celebration to go for two hours.

■ Comedian Brianna Williams will introduce audiences to her Mummy Mummy Num Nums or, to be precise: a fading doyenne of the stage and screen who is desperate to stay in the limelight.

After years of working in the biz, she’s throwing one last fabulous Hollywood party to prove that she is still relevant- a different range of special guests will appear every night, all from Mummy’s past.

Can she regain her star power, or will she be removed from the walk of fame?

This will be the third solo offering from comedian, writer and actor Brianna Williams.

A veteran member of the Melbourne improv scene, and currently starring in The Bachelor

‘Niche’ at Speakeasy

● Emily Tomlins and Eryn Jean Norvill in Niche. Photo: Jodie Hutchinson ■ Elbow Room presents their latest show Most of the time we make each other laugh, Niche as part of the 2017 DarebinArts Speak- often we challenge each other, sometimes we easy season, until August 26. surprise each other and ourselves, but it's alPowered by an original soundtrack from ways a joy.” explains Co-Artistic Director Steve Toulmin and Marcel Dorney, directed Emily Tomlins.

by Nic Holas and created and performed by Forming in Melbourne in 2008, Elbow Eryn Jean Norvill and Emily Tomlins (a tiny Room are recognised for their distinctive comchorus), Niche is a surreal, irreverent story bination of intellectual curiosity and about what we really want from celebrity in performative wit. the digital age.

Works such as We Get It, After All This, Niche takes us in into the world of its name- The Motion of Light in Water and Prehistoric sake, a famous pop star whose celebrity stems have garnered multiple awards (including from hit songs about her life.

Room wins for writing, directing and Desiring to achieve the ultimate domina- Green ensemble performance), critical acclaim, selltion with her stardom, her management hires out seasons in several cities, and multiple reJodee - an epidemiologist who knows about presentations by festivals around Australia. dangerous viruses - to help her.

Performance Season: UntilAugust 26 As the lives of these two women collide, each is drawn deeper into the web of this dan- Wed. - Sat. 7.30pm, Sun 6.30pm Tickets: $33 Full, $28 Concession and gerous ruse.

In a world for competing egos are we in a Groups 4+, $25 Preview Bookings: 9481 9500 or race to the bottom or the top? Belonging is www.northcotetownhall.com.au everything. Replication is more.

Venue: Northcote Town Hall, Main Hall “The idea for Niche has been growing and evolving between Eryn Jean and myself for 189 High St, Northcote www.elbowroomproductions.com years.

- Cheryl Threadgold “We create in a number of different ways.

Unpacked, for Channel 10, Williams has received plaudits for her previous two shows- Little Mountain Goblin and La Petite Merde, both of which appeared in multiple festivals across Australia.

In Mummy, Williams aims to explore, through audience interaction, special guests and games, all the roles a woman can play in one lifetime.

Dates: September 12-16 Time: 8.30pm Cost: $25-32 Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne Tickets: thebutterflyclub.com - Cheryl Threadgold

Tina Arena to star in Evita ■ Australian musical theatre star Tina Arena will play the role of Eva Peron in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita which will open in Australia next year.

Tina Arena’s theatrical work includes Cabaret, Nine, Dynamite and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

Ten years after Tina wowed critics on the West End as Roxie Hart in Chicago, she is back with her most challenging theatrical project to date, Evita.

“I am absolutely thrilled that my wish that Hal Prince's wonderful production of Evita should be seen again is to be fulfilled, and to renew my association with Tina Arena,” said Andrew Lloyd Webber.

“We are thrilled that Tina Arena has agreed to return to the Australian musical theatre stage to play this pivotal role in this renowned production of Evita,” said Lyndon Terracini and John Frost.

“Tina is an extraordinary artist with a commanding stage presence.” evitathemusical.com.au

Latest News AroundVictoria

Sports car probe

■ Vehicle Crime Squad detectives have arrested and charged a man as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged trafficking of high end sports cars. Investigators arrested the 39-year-old Broad-meadows man and executed a search warrant at a residence in Stamford Ct.

Offender search

■ Police are continuing to search for missing registered sex offender Adam Storch. The 38-year-old failed to notify police of his current residential address and it is possible he is using an assumed name or identity. Storch is highly mobile and is known to frequent the suburbs of Preston, Reservoir, Heidelberg, St Kilda, Prahran South Melbourneand the CBD.

Terror arrests

■ Members of the Victorian Joint CounterTerrorism Teamexpect to charge three men with engaging in a terrorist act.

This follows an extensive investigation into arson attacks on a Melbourne mosque. A 29-year-old Meadow Heights man was arrested following a vehicle stop in Roxburgh Park. It will be alleged that this man and two other men caused a serious fire at the Imam Ali Islamic Centre in December last year.

Forecast ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Today (Wed.). Rain. 4°-16° Thurs. Partly cloudy. 4°-13° Fri. Partly cloudy. 7°-15° Sat. Showers. 6°-12° Sun. Partly cloudy. 4°-13°

Mike McColl Jones

Top 5 THE T OP 5 TOP NEW TV PROGRAMS

5. Pauline Hanson in "Burqa's Backyard".

4. A program highlighting Melbourne's roads system."Botched".

3. A reality show for toilets. "Crummy Dunnies".

2. A show starring a pig and a packet of Alka Seltzer - "Pork and Windy".

1. Donald Trump - "Orange is the New Barack".

Page 8 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

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Melbourne

Observer Goodbye to Outback Legend inc orpor a ting the Melbourne A d vvertiser ertiser, incorpor orpora Ad Melbourne T ict orian Rur al Ne ws Trr ader ader,, V Vict ictorian Rural New and Melbourne Seniors News News..

Victoria’s Independent Newspaper First Published September 14, 1969 Every W ednesda y Wednesda ednesday

Contact Us Office: 30 Glen Gully Rd, Eltham, 3095 Postal: PO Box 1278, Research, Vic 3095 Phone: +61 3 9439 9927 Fax: +61 3 9431 6247 Web: ww w.MelbourneObserv e rr..com.au .MelbourneObserve or@MelbourneObserv e rr..com.au E: Edit ditor@MelbourneObserv or@MelbourneObserve

Our Team Editor: Ash Long Features Editor: Peter Mac Columnists: Len Baker (harness racing), Matt Bissett-Johnson (cartoonist), David Ellis (wine and travel), Rob Foenander (country music), Kerry Kulkens (astrology), Nick Le Souef (outback Australia), Mike McColl Jones (life), Greg Ne wman (r adio ), T erry Radf or d ((C C ourt ewman (radio adio), Terry Radfor ord roundsman), Aaron Rourke (movies), Ted Ry an (r acing), Jim Sherlock Ryan (racing), (movies, DVDs), Cheryl Threadgold (local thea e ), K e vin T sho wbiz), theatt rre Ke Trrask ((sho showbiz), Wood (Hollyw Veritas, G avin W ood (Holly w ood).

Honorary Reviewers: Mark Briggs, Rita Crispin, Martin Curtis, Sherryn Danaher Danaher,, Barbar a Hughes, L yn Hurs t, K athryn Barbara Lyn Hurst, Ka Keeble, Beth Klein, Deborah Marinaro, Gr aeme McC oubrie therine , McGr egor Graeme McCoubrie oubrie,, Ca Catherine McGregor egor,, David McLean, Maggie Morrison, Jill Pa g e ylie Rackham, Elizabeth Semmel. e,, K Kylie Distribution: Sam Fiorini, phone 9482 1145

Distribution S ta dition: A vailable w eekly a tatte E Edition: weekly att approx. 400 newsagents across the Melbourne metropolitan area, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula, Surf coast, and Victorian regional centres.

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If your local newsagent does not curr ently sstt ock the Melbourne Observ e rr,, currently Observe why not place a weekly order with them, by using their ‘putaway’ service.

Newsagents should contact All Day Distribution Pty Ltd, 169 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, Vic 3122. Phone: (03) 9482 1145.

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■ Jonas Le Souef announced the passing of his father Nick on Friday (Aug. 18) on social media, after the favourite Melbourne Observer columnist suffered a major stroke at the start of the month.

Nick’s family kept a private vigil at his bedside at the Austin for two weeks. Nick was 74.

Nick was the larger-than-life character nick-named ‘The Outback Legend’ by 3AW radio personality Keith McGowan.

Their association started several decades ago when Nick contacted Keith, then at Mornington Peninsula radio station 3MP, to tell him of a marathon effort that he was engaged in, at the reptile museum and aquarium run by his family at Rosebud.

Nick Le Souef won a large audience over the years, especially for his weekly spots on the Overnighters radio program, and then his weekly column in this newspaper.

Nick told stories of the Australian bush, based upon his days as an opal trader, particularly in Alice Springs and Coobed Pedy.

Nick’s interest in opals had begin in his Monash University days when he and some mates hitchhiked their way to the opal fields of South Australia, also touring many parts of the Northern Territory.

Nick had his listeners and readers spellbound with stories of miners, and with his interests in insects and spiders.

The interest in insects went back some decades when his forebears were active in the formation of the Melbourne Zoo and

● Nick Le Souef

Long Shots

edit or@MelbourneObserv er editor@MelbourneObserv or@MelbourneObserver er..com. om.aa u

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”

other institutions. The Le Souef name is prominent in many Victorian regions in the 1800s.

Nick was proud of this connection, and he liked to recall stories of his own father, and his collection of butterflies and insects.

He spent some of

his early days in Kyabram, with an involvement in the pioneering years of the Fauna Park.

Nick and his family had a long association with the Mornington Peninsula, and he later settled there, after being schooled in the area.

Nick Le Souef ventured into business, selling opals especially to overseas visitors, particularly American and German tourists.

He had a store in Flinders Lane, Melbourne, and in more recent times his son Onas and daughter Atheka have conducted a shop in Elizabeth St. Nick was often seen back-stage at big name concerts, marketing his opals to the largest entertainment stars.

Nick was interested in the charitable activities of the Variety Club, participating in a ‘Bash’ through the outback with identities such as musician Wilbur Wilde.

Nick’s activities came to life through the 3AW airwaves and the Observer pages.

He was a regular participant in the ‘Brady Bunch’ lunches convened by 3AW’s Philip Brady, and attended by friends including the late Dick Wicks, Keith and Angela McGowan, John Gilmour, Jane Holmes and this columnist.

Hundreds of listeners and readers have taken to social media to express their sympathy to the Le Souef family on the sudden loss of Nick.

More than anything, Nick was a story-teller who captured the imaginations of thousands of people.

He liked nothing more than to pen his memoirs, telling of his experiences in the Outback or the Peninsula, with a special knowledge of the Aboriginal culture.

A funeral service is due to be held this Friday (Aug. 25) on Friday afternoon.

Independently Owned and Operated

Your Stars with Kerry Kulkens ARIES: (March 21-April 20) Lucky Colour: Green Lucky Day: Monday Racing Numbers: 3.6.2.3.

Lotto Numbers: 3.12.26.35.36.31.

You could be feeling the need to be free of some of the responsibilities you have been carrying lately.There could be some travel coming up, but the tendency to go to extremes should be nipped in the bud.

TAURUS: (April 21- May 20) Lucky Colour: Cream Lucky Day: Friday Racing Numbers: 5.6.2.9.

Lotto Numbers: 8.15.26.34.45.43.

You may need to sort out a few priorities and it would be wiser to take nothing for granted. Check all communications carefully as the possibilities for errors are great.

You will feel happier in your domestic scene.

GEMINI: (May 21- June 21) Lucky Colour: Yellow Lucky Day:Wednesday Racing Numbers: 2.1.6.3.

Lotto Numbers: 12.15.26.34.40.3.

Not the time to get over excited and make rash promises.

Spend your money only on necessities, also make sure all accounts are paid for and that you are not being over charged.

CANCER: (June 22- July 22) Lucky Colour: Silver Lucky Day: Tuesday Racing Numbers: 6.5.3.2.

Lotto Numbers: 6.15.12.32.20.11.

Not wise to rely entirely on your own judgment ask for advice. Personal relationships could be troubling you, just try to take things calmly with your partners. Don't blow up things out of proportion and say things you really do not mean.

LEO: (July 23-August 22) Lucky Colour: Red Lucky Day: Friday Racing Numbers: 1.3.6.9.

Lotto Numbers: 1.12.25.29.34.45.

You could be craving for some luxury and may even try to indulge in something you can't really afford. Hasty decisions could put you on the wrong track, so check everything before promising anything important. Mostly it should be a happier time.

VIRGO: (August 23- September 23) Lucky Colour: Cream Lucky Day: Sunday Racing Numbers: 6.5.2.3.

Lotto Numbers: 6.12.39.8.24.11.

You could be feeling resentful towards any form of restriction and some restlessness is evident. Your judgment may not be up to par, so leave all important decisions till later. Some little luxuries later on are indicated.

LIBRA: (September 24- October 23) Lucky Colour: Green Lucky Day: Thursday Racing Numbers: 5.6.3.2.

Lotto Numbers: 5.12.23.39.7.11.

As your emotions are very much on the surface now, do not make any hard and fast decisions. Best to wait till you have calmed down and have your emotions under control.You may regret the fact that you have confided in someone you shouldn't have trusted.

SCORPIO: (October 24- November 22) Lucky Colour: Blue Lucky Day: Monday Racing Numbers: 5.1.2.6.

Lotto Numbers: 5.12.32.23.39.7.

You could be just a little too hesitant in deciding on something important and you could be missing out on a good deal. However do not let this influence you in future decision making and become too hasty.

SAGITTARIUS: (November23- December 20) Lucky Colour: Violet Lucky Day: Sunday Racing Numbers: 2.3.6.5.

Lotto Numbers: 2.15.24.45.42.40.

You cannot rely on anything or anybody at eh moment.

Best to do the important things yourself and make the hard decisions later on. Your own intuition is the best at the present time.

CAPRICORN: (December 21- January 19) Lucky Colour: Fawn Lucky Day: Tuesday Racing Numbers: 4.6.8.5.

Lotto Numbers: 4.12.26.36.35.40.

You could find it hard to keep up with things happening around you. There are some confusing aspects operating in your sector. Just let things happen and sit tight at the moment. Soon you will be in control again.

AQUARIUS: (January 20- February 19) Lucky Colour: Green Lucky Day: Monday Racing Numbers: 2.3.5.9.

Lotto Numbers: 2.15.26.40.36.33.

You could be asked to help a friend in need. The best thing to do is give all the help you can, but refuse anything that will put you in a n awkward situation. It is up to you to put the breaks on when you feel it necessary.

The Melbourne Observer is printed under contract by Streamline PressPty Ltd, 155 Johns o y, ffor or the publisher Johnstton S t, Fitzr Fitzro publisher,, Local Media Pty Ltd. ABN 67 096 680 063, of the registered office, 30 Glen Gully Rd, Eltham, Vic 3095. Distributed

by All Day Distribution. Responsibilityfor election and referendum comment is accepted by Ash Long.

C op yright © 20 ty L opyright 2011 7 7,, L ocal Media P Pty Lttd.

ACN 096 680 063.

PISCES: (February 20- March 20) Lucky Colour: Pink Lucky Day: Saturday Racing Numbers: 4.6.5.2.

Lotto Numbers: 4.12.26.35.5.11.

There could be something to celebrate due to your general good luck. Remember a friend who doesn't have much joy in life as you. Your financial situation should improve very much and this will help you to make plans for the future.

● Nick Le Souef in a record-breaking marathon with spiders in the shop window of his Lightning Ridge Opals business in Melbourne

Visit Kerry Kulkens Magic Shop at 1693 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave Phone/Fax 9754 4587 www.kerrykulkens.com.au Like us on Facebook

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 9

Showbiz News

Melbourne Arts

Observer

Blender Studios

Luke Belle performs

The Blender Exodus

by Jason Waterhouse In this exhibition The Blender Exodus, a group of amoebic Ozito power tools flee the neon blast from a shotgun, like some David Cronenberg-inspired draconian nightmare that is both laughable and disturbing; these mutated blobs resemble robotic snails, spurring questions more than answers.

Does the vacuous starter's gun speechbubble play only to pop cultural sensibilities, or does it signal the launch of this hybrid into our unsuspecting lives.

Jason Waterhouse's sculptural practice is underpinned by ideas of contemporary architecture, urbanization and how we live with the stuff around us.

In Waterhouse's studio, ubiquitous objects such as car bodies, gardener's sheds, pencils, tools and tree branches undergo a series of interventions resulting in hybridised objects that occupy an uncanny space between the past and the present, the natural and the manufactured.

Exhibition runs September 3-24. Venue: Level One, Docklands Arts Precinct Harbour Town, East Docklands. Presented by Dark Horse Experiment.

I Put Something Somewhere and I Don't Know Where I Put It. British born, Melbourne based artist Jessica Gaten presents her first solo exhibition works, I Put Something Somewhere and I Don't Know Where I Put It. Galen finds inspiration from the heartbreaking simple moments of life.; the quiet junctures that intersect our larger chaotic journeys and come to us unexpectedly, sweeping us from reality into a secluded oasis of contemplation, colour, light and sentiment.

Working primarily from her imagination, her work represents the simplicity of being as she explores the complexities of trust and our relationships with objects and spaces.

Gaten depicts these delicate relationships and tensions in her surreal avant-garde works that may both confuse and amuse the viewer.

Exhibition runs September 2 - 14.Opening hours: Thursday - Sunday 12 Noon - 5pm Venue: Blender Pop Up, Level One, Docklands Arts Precinct Harbour Town, East Docklands. Presented by Blender Pop Up - Peter Kemp

Navy Pier

■ Navy Pier written by John Corwin, is the current production presented by North of Eight at The Courthouse, North Melbourne.

The director, Phoebe Anne Taylor chose to stage this play in the round.

Being such a small space to work in, plus the ever-present column in the middle of the room, the audience were lit and included as part of the conversations.

This was a brave move to have the actors telling their stories while engaging the eyes of the audience, but it worked. Kudos to the cast for pulling this off in a relaxed style.

The play is set in the 1990’s when mobile phones and instant communication with friends didn’t exist.

Turn To Page 11

Melbourne

■ He’d rather drink tea than VB, rather watch the Tony’s than the Brownlow and he’s sick of being the sidekick, not The Star.

This September, The Butterfly Club presents a zany jaunt through musical theatre and light opera classics as Luke Belle grapples with his on and off stage role as long-time sidekick and sensitive new age guy in a world of leading men - Prince Charming, the Hemsworth brothers and Christian Grey.

Luke might have been an orphan in Fagan’s gang, a Lord High Executioner and a Gondolier-turned King, but he’s never been the leading man, the heart-throb, the bad boy or even boy-next-door.

He’s got a classic case of ‘Sidekick Syndrome and wants to sing about it. Moving from country Victoria to pursue training in classical voice over the last eight years, Luke is trading his opera roots for a one-man cabaret this September.

“In cabaret I’m able to explore my love of musical theatre – including songs made famous by women – and play more than I would normally, in the classical world,” says Luke, a classically-trained light baritone.

With silly observations from childhood, teenage years in regional Australia and today, this carefully-crafted cabaret includes classic show

Circus Oz experiments ■ Circus Oz has announced a full schedule of artform development for the balance of 2017.

Over the coming months, Sidesault will present a festival of experimental work from independent companies, the premiere of an intimate rock opera, a new artistic collaboration and a series of master classes and creative developments with some of Australia's most exciting and innovative circus artists.

“Sidesault impels us to take a sideways approach to our sector – it explores new ideas and creates connections with active and innovative independent circus artists and companies,” explains Circus Oz Senior Artistic Associate, Antonella Casella.

“Each week Circus Oz contributes over 200 hours of artist wages, production costs and in kind support to the circus sector through Sidesault.

“It’s a diverse, curated program that enables circus artists to explore and develop ideas through collaborations with specialist trainers; provides the support to create and present new works; or offers the in kind use of our purposebuilt rehearsal studios and equipment,” said Casella.

Aug. 2017 – Company 2 collaboration Focusing on multiple tight wires, this creative development is a collaboration between several generations of circus artists, Brisbanebased Company 2 and Rob Tannion. It will be an inter-generational creative exchange that interrogates the tensions of family relationships and the balance of modern family life.

Melbourne Observations

with Matt Bissett-Johnson

● Luke Belle tunes, Gilbert and Sullivan standards as well as lesser-known operetta repertoire.

Performance Dates: September 12 – 17 at 5.30pm (60 minute show) Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne Tickets: Full $32 / Concession $28 / Group 6+ $25 Bookings: melbournefringe.com.au or call 9660 9666 - Cheryl Threadgold

Sep. 2017 – Circus Oz BLAKflip Building on the success of Chasing Smoke at Yirramboi earlier this year, the Circus Oz BLAKflip masterclass will fire up again with some of Australia’s emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander circus artists to develop new works and acts with circus trainers and performance experts.

Oct. 2017 – Circus Oz Strong Women In this year’s Melbourne Festival, the Circus Oz Strong Women participants will perform as part of Taylor Mack’s A 24 Decade History of Popular Music. The early suffragette movement and the contest of land ownership in colonial and post-colonial countries will inspire the Strong Women performance.

Nov. 2017 – Sidesault at The Melba Over two weeks in November at The Melba Spiegeltent in Collingwood, Circus Oz will curate the inaugural festival of experimental circus, Sidesault at The Melba, and present four independent companies with new works that include a political sideshow, a feminist circus performance and an edgy circus cabaret.

Nov. to Dec. 2017 – Stacks On! education show In response to the Victorian Government respectful relationships curriculum, Circus Oz has developed a new education show, Stacks On!, premiering at The Melba Spiegeltent (and including circus skills workshops for school audiences) and will culminate in a Tin Top Tour to three locations in western Victoria offering free workshops and shows to the local communities.

Dec. 2017 – The Strange and Spektakulär Lives of Otto and Astrid Following creative development earlier this year, Circus Oz and Die Roten Punkte will premiere The Strange and Spektakulär Lives of Otto and Astrid at the Meat Market. It will be an intimate, circus infused, rock opera telling the true story of the rise to fame of the best rock band in the world.

Aug. to Dec. 2017 – Other companies Throughout the remainder of the year, the Circus Oz Sidesault program is supporting the following independent artists and companies with in kind rehearsal space: TEOC, Dislocate, Blue Studios, A Good Catchand Australia/UK pole duo Tarn Scully and Laura Moy. Credited with revitalising a traditional artform in a uniquely Australian way, Circus Oz is a rock ‘n’ roll, animal-free circus that has influenced the development of circus arts around the world since its foundation in 1978. Circus Oz undertook its first and critically praised international tour in 1980 and has continued touring to over 100 cities and regions in 27 countries .

What’s On Melb. Art Trams

■ Eight new artists have been announced for the 2017 Melbourne Art Trams: Bushra Hasan, EmmaAnna, Josh Muir, Justine McAllister, Matthew Clarke, Oliver Hutchinson, Robert Owen and St Albans Heights Primary School and Community Hub, ahead of these mobile art works hitting the tracks in October as part of Melbourne Festival’s visual arts program.

Streets are theatres of life … the place where individuals and communities come together to celebrate, create, protest, and imagine new histories.

Melbourne’s Art trams carry us through those streets, and in 2017, artists were invited to propose a work that specific to these trams as a site for collective engagement throughout the city.

Now in its fifth year, this public art project is a revival of the Transporting Art project that ran between 1987 and 1993.

Melbourne Art Trams is made possible through a creative partnership between Melbourne Festival, Creative Victoria and Public Transport Victoria in collaboration with Yarra Trams.

■ Bushra Hasan – An artist and graphic designer whose art is inspired by popular Indian street and tribal art. The inspiration for her tram design Tramjatra comes from her love for Melbourne’s trams and the unique friendship between the tram-loving communities of Kolkata (India) and Melbourne, and partnership with Melbourne trammie, Roberto D’Andrea.

■ Emma Anna - A visual artist and creative producer whose work draws upon a diverse range of professional and personal experience. She uses tools of language, popular culture, humour, universal symbolism and everyday technologies to help define both place and community. The Language of Fracture is made from the repeated mirroring of an image drawn from an ongoing series of street art paintings.

■ Josh Muir – An indigenous artist who is a two-time winner of the National Indigenous and Torres Strait IslanderAwards: People’s Choice Award as well as the Hutchinson Scholarship: 12-month artist residency, Victorian College of the Arts. His tram design narrates the story of William Buckley, the ‘wild white man’: an escaped English convict who lived with the Wathaurong people for many years.

■ Justine McAllister - an illustrator, artist and muralist. Specialising in large-scale murals and digital illustration, her pieces are bold, playful and almost always centred around a sense of a character. Her design explores the idea of the diverse Melbourne tram traveller along with her own travel history – she visited the 10 tram stops that have played a significant part in her life in Melbourne, and photographed 10 travellers that frequently use the same stops.

■ Matthew Clarke – an artist from southwest Victoria, inspired by the environment and people around him. His design, Lost in Melbourne, is about Melbourne`s size, colours, proportions, life and the streetscapes that - for him as an artist from the country, with a mild intellectual disability and mental illness - can be both exciting and overwhelming.

■ Oliver Hutchinson – An emerging artist whose design is intended to allow those on the street outside a tram to share the momentary experiences and connections of those inside. A spectrographic encoding is created using a generative algorithm which translates a video capture of the side view of the entire journey along the tram route into an abstract colour field.

■ Robert Owen - Arenowned Australian artist who studied sculpture at the National Art School, Sydney. Beautiful Stranger is a continuation of Robert Owen’s celebrated series Music for the Eyes, inspired by jazz, movement and light. It plays homage to the history of jazz in Melbourne, and extends Owen’s exploration of art’s capacity to translate mood and emotion through colour. The title comes from Melbourne’s proudly diverse multicultural population that travel and blend on the trams every day, with chance encounters between strangers.

- Cheryl Threadgold

Page 10 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Observer Magazine

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Stateside with Gavin Wood in West Hollywood

Hawthorn beats North, even in WeHo

● Pictured: Marty Rhone and his son Luke with Ramada Plaza Hotel Managing Director Alan Johnson, with a Don Scott Hawthorn jumper that is making its way to Ireland for the next four years, after a Hawks-Kangaroos match that went awry for Johnson and Gavin Wood in West Hollywood.

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

Don Scott’s jumper ■ Seventies singer Marty Rhone is over in Hollywood recording his first country album with legendary producer David Holman at Cactus Studios in the Hollywood Hills.

He and his son Luke, over from Ireland, where at international director Rod Hardy's suite in the Ramada Plaza Hotel complex to watch Hawthorn battle North Melbourne with Managing Director of Ramada Plaza, Alan Johnson and myself.

So it was two Hawks supporters, Marty supports the Sydney Swans but for this day he was with his son, Luke and two Kangaroos supporters.

The winner gets the famed Don Scott Hawthorn jumper signed by all the premiership team.

Well, the Kangaroos are still having meetings working out what happened; suffice to say the Don Scott jumper went to the biggest Hawthorn supporter and now the jumper will spend four years in Ireland. It is indeed a small world.

Highest-paid actress

Frankie Valli’s mansion ■ Frankie Valli may be a Jersey Boy, but these days he makes his home in the sunny climes of Southern California.

The lead singer of The Four Seasons recommitted to life in LA recently with the purchase of a just-built, 6700-square-foot, six-bedroom, and eight-bath home in Encino, California.

Located on a 14,466-square-foot lot, the home is secured behind gates that protect the circular driveway.

Oversized windows light the homes formal living and dining rooms featuring custom marble and hardwood floors.

Plus, a staircase circles up to the master suite, where in addition to spacious closets and a luxurious bath, double doors lead out to a patio area.

For entertaining, the house features a gourmet kitchen with an expansive centre island, top of the line built in appliances and a comfortable breakfast area, where the family can share the most important meal of the day.

A plus for Valli is an office area, which is the perfect spot for the singer-songwriter to pen some new tunes, while the media room is an ideal spot to sit back and catch a movie.

An oversized family room opens out to a sparkling swimming pool and spa, while a separate pool house comes with a half-bath and a cosy patio/lounge area.

Outside, lush greenery and landscaping surround the estate with a true sense of serenity, while also providing plenty of space for entertaining.

Prior to the Encino property, Valli, who is the subject of the Tony Award-winning play Jersey Boys, currently in Las Vegas, resided in Calabasas, Calif., in a home he bought in 1994 for $920,000.

GavinWood

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

Jeff Bridges sells

Moore clears theatre ■ Filmmaker Michael Moore wrapped up his one-man show on Broadway on last week by leading the audience over to Trump Tower to join a protest against President Trump's comments on Charlottesville.

Moore announced the move on Facebook, saying he and his audience members wanted to "non-violently express our rage" over Trump's assertion that counter protesters were partly to blame for violence at a white nationalist rally that left one woman dead and 19 people injured.

Joined by actor Mark Ruffalo, Moore and at least a dozen of his fans called for Trump's impeachment, chanting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go."

In a video of the protest, Moore and Ruffalo were seen weighing whether to invite former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci to join in, as he was apparently spotted having a drink nearby. They ultimately decided against it because he "still likes Trump," Moore said.

One more time for 007 ■ Daniel Craig, who once said he'd rather "break glass and slash my wrists" than play 007 again, told The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last week that he will return for another James Bond film.

"I think this is it," the British actor said. "I just want to go out on a high note. I can't wait."

■ Surpassing Jennifer Lawrence, who claimed the top spot in 2016 and 2015, the La La Land actress is the world's highest-paid actress.

Emma, 28, collected $26 million, mostly thanks to her Oscar-winning performance as Mia, a barista and aspiring actress, in the movie-musical juggernaut La La Land.

The actress spoke out about gender parity earlier this year, revealing that her male co-stars have taken salary cuts so she could receive equal pay.

"That's something they do for me because they feel it's what's right and fair," Emma said to Out magazine.

"That's something that's also not discussed, necessarily that our getting equal pay is going to require people to selflessly say, 'That's what's fair.'"

Jennifer Aniston was runner-up with $25.5 million. While she continues to receive millions in royalties even a decade after Friends ended, the actress, who appeared The Yellow Bird, also monetises endorsements through Emirates airlines, Smartwater, and Aveeno.

Jennifer dropped down two slots to No.3 with $24 million, almost half of her $46 million earnings in 2016.

Most of her pay check comes from Darren Aronofsky's upcoming cryptic horror movie Mother!, Red Sparrow, and her Dior endorsement.

Emma Watson is the sole newcomer on this year's list after Beauty and the Beast became the top-grossing movie of the year so far at $1.26 billion.

Earning estimates are based on a 12-month pre-tax scoring period from Nielsen data, box office numbers, and industry insiders.

The cumulative list total is down 16 per cent from $205 million in 2016, to $172.5 million in 2017.

While four women breached the $20 million mark last year, only three crossed the threshold this year.

The 10 highest-paid actresses of 2017: Emma Stone ($26 million), Jennifer Aniston ($25.5 million), Jennifer Lawrence ($24 million), Melissa McCarthy ($18 million), Mila Kunis ($15.5 million), Emma Watson ($14 million), Charlize Theron ($14 million), Cate Blanchett ($12 million), Julia Roberts ($12 million) and Amy Adams ($11.5 million).

● Emma Stone

Special Holiday Offer ■ If you are considering a move to Los Angeles or just coming over for a holiday to see the star's homes then I have got a special deal for you.

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 and The Local Paper.

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.

www.gavinwood.us

■ Jeff Bridges is no stranger to Hollywood, and the man who gave us the cult-classic The Big Lebowski is selling his Montecito, California villa.

The 9,535-square-foot compound, which is listed for a whopping $29.5 million, stretches over 19.5 acres with views of nearby mountains and the Pacific coast.

An expansive stone driveway welcomes visitors to the home's front door.

Exposed wood beams stretch across the ceiling of the home's grand living room. Sizeable stone columns enclose a glass dining table for eight.

A jaw-dropping entrance gives way to an elaborate staircase. Windows open up to reveal lush views of the surrounding property.

The home office features its own fireplace and French doors leading out to a roof terrace. A cabin-like atmosphere encompasses the master bedroom, with vaulted wood ceilings above and plenty of windows and French doors flooding the room with light.

The home features a detached music studio and home theatre. A stately gate protects the Hollywood star's compound from prying paparazzi.

A large circular table enjoys stunning Pacific views beneath the shade of a large tree.

Bordered by trees and grass, the pool effortlessly blends into the indigenous landscape.

Shaded by a black-and-white striped umbrella, this outdoor living space enjoys uninterrupted views stretching all the way to the Pacific.

So if you have a lazy $30 million under the mattress then this compound is for you.

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Obser ver - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 11

Melbourne

Confidential Talk is cheap, gossip is priceless

Arts Extra 20 Melbourne Painters’ Society

Twenty Melbourne Painters Society Inc 99th Annual Exhibition.

This is a tradition of excellence that began with Artistic Rebellion.

Boston, Florence, London and Melbourne have long been considered leaders in the world of traditional art.

How very fitting then that the venerable Twenty Melbourne Painters Society, stronghold of traditional values in art, is alive and flourishing as it prepares for its 99th Annual Exhibition.

The group first began after the tumultuous annual Presidential election of the Victorian Artists Society in 1918.

After his defeat, incensed Max Meldrum supporters called a special meeting to debate the issue. Angry words aroused the opposition leader's wife so much that she swiped one of the 'Meldrumites' with her umbrella.

And in this age when etiquette ruled all.

Newspapers were full of the story at the time, but what followed made Australian history.

The Meldrum supporters split from the Victoria Artists Society and immediately regrouped at his studios in Hardware Chambers, Elizabeth St,t Melbourne.

With plenty of impassioned principles and similar ideas n painting, they formed their own exhibiting group calling themselves The Society of Twenty Melbourne Painters. Less than a year later in 1919, the breakaway group held their first exhibition.

At a later date in their history, the name of the society changed to The Twenty Melbourne Painters Society..

Their determination in founding and consequent loyalty to the group ensured its success. Since that turbulent beginning the group has maintained its identity, though affairs with the 'Vics' became peaceful again to the point where the group of 20 held their annual exhibitions in the historic Victorian Artists Society premises in Albert St, East Melbourne.

While members of the society have always been skilled artists, some reached an almost 'star' status among the wider community.

Sir William Dargie painted the famous 'Wattle' portrait of Her majesty Queen Elizabeth II during six two-hour sittings at Buckingham Palace in 1954. Reproductions of this well-known portrait hang in many public institutions, the original is in Parliament House, Canberra.

Other highly respected names from the group's history include Rashid Bey, Ernest Buckmaster, Rupert Bunny, Ron Crawford, William Fraser, Harold Herbert, Sir John Longstaff and Clarice Beckett.

Despite the emphasis on tradition, it is important not to align The Twenty Melbourne Painters Society with strict adherence to a particular style of painting.

The tradition is for quality: that the group supports high standards of craftsmanship within the framework of representational painting, that they consolidate and improve the quality of traditional art, and that they promote fellowship among painters in the community.

In nurturing high standards of work through professional painting, teaching and judging, they ensure that these qualities are passed on to current and future artists.

This year, the 99thAnnual Exhibition of The Twenty Melbourne Painters is again organised by Jenny Pihan of Jenny Pihan Fine Art. The exhibition will be held at the Glen Eira City Council Gallery at the corner of Glen Eira and Hawthorn Rds, Caulfield.

Exhibition dates: Wednesday August 23 Sunday September 10. 10am - 5pm Daily.

- Peter Kemp

Local radio teams nominated for awards

■ Nominations have been announced for the Australian Commercial RadioAwardsto be held in October.

BEST ON-AIR TEAM – METRO FM Fifi, Dave, Fev & Byron; Fifi Box, Dave Thornton, Brendan Fevola & Byron Cooke, Fox FM, Melbourne VIC, Southern Cross Austereo M Kate, Tim & Marty; Kate Ritchie, Tim Blackwell & Marty Sheargold, Nova Network, NOVA Entertainment M Hughesy & Kate; Dave Hughes & Kate Langbroek, KIIS Network, Australian Radio Network M Kyle & Jackie O; Kyle Sandilands & Jackie Henderson, KIIS 1065, Sydney NSW, Australian Radio Network M Chrissie, Sam & Browny; Chrissie Swan, Sam Pang, Jonathan Brown & Dean Thomas, Nova 100, Melbourne VIC, NOVA Entertainment M The Hamish & Andy Show; Hamish Blake & Andy Lee, Hit Network, Southern Cross Austereo M BESTON-AIR TEAM – METROAM Nights with Steve Price; Steve Price & Andrew Bolt, 2GB, Sydney NSW, Macquarie Media Limited M Big Sports Breakfast; Michael Slater & Terry Kennedy, Sky Sports Radio, Sydney NSW, Tabcorp M The Continuous Call Team; Ray Hadley, Erin Molan, Darryl Brohman, Bob Fulton, David Morrow, Mark Riddell, Chris Warren & Mark Levy, 2GB, Sydney NSW, Macquarie Media Limited M Breakfast with Steve Mills & Basil Zempilas; Steve Mills & Basil Zempilas, 6PR, Perth WA, Macquarie Media Limited M Breakfast with David Penberthy & Will Goodings; David Penberthy & Will Goodings, FIVEaa, Adelaide SA, NOVA Entertainment M BEST ON-AIR TEAM COUNTRY & PROVINCIAL The Morning Rush; Jon Vertigan & Kate Meade, 3YB, Warrnambool VIC, ACE Radio Broadcasters C Nugget & Al; Nathan Dell & Al Doblo, Zinc 96.1, Sunshine Coast QLD, Grant Broadcasters C Monkey & The Big Fella; Matt Monk & Matty Stewart, Coast FM, Warrnambool VIC, ACE Radio Broadcasters C Amber & Billows; Amber Wheatland & Michael Billings, Sunraysia's Hit 99.5, Mildura VIC, Southern Cross Austereo C Crystal & Brad In The Morning; Crystal Vas & Brad Blissett, Power FM, Bega NSW, Grant Broadcasters C Flan & Emily Jade with Christo; Sean Flanagan, Emily Jade & David Christopher, 102.9 Hot Tomato, Gold Coast QLD, Hot Tomato P Mike E & Emma; Michael Etheridge & Emma Chow, The Edge, Sydney NSW, Australian Radio Network P Marty, Christie & Crammy; Marty Haynes, Christie Hayes & Ryan Cram, i98FM, Wollongong NSW, WIN Network P Dan & Candice for Breakfast; Dan Taylor & Candice Hazeltine, Chilli FM, Launceston TAS, Grant Broadcasters P The Departure Lounge; Leigh Kuhlmann & Leanne Stamps, K Rock, Geelong VIC, Grant Broadcasters P BESTENTERTAINMENT/MUSIC PRESENTER Nicole Banks; hit FM, Mid-North Coast NSW, ARN/SCA C Kris Seabert; Mixx FM, Colac VIC, ACE Radio Broadcasters C

● Philip Brady and Simon Owens Brady Ellis; Magic 89.9, Port Lincoln SA, Grant Broadcasters C Kim Bowden; 2EC & Power FM, Bega NSW, Grant Broadcasters C Dave Rabbetts; Star 104.5, Gosford NSW, NOVA Entertainment P Josh Olek; K Rock, Geelong VIC, Grant Broadcasters P Lachlan Kitchen; i98FM, Wollongong NSW, WIN Network P Chris Sewell; Wave FM, Wollongong NSW, Grant Broadcasters P Gordie Waters; KIIS 1065, Sydney NSW, Australian Radio Network M Carrie Bickmore; The Hit Network, Southern Cross Austereo M Tim Blackwell; Nova Network, NOVA Entertainment M Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small; Nova Network, NOVA Entertainment M Melissa Doyle; smoothfm, Sydney & Melbourne NSW/VIC, NOVA Entertainment M BESTTALK PRESENTER Richard Perno; 2DU, Dubbo NSW, Super Radio Network C Glenn Wilson; Triple M Goldfields, Kalgoorlie WA, Southern Cross Austereo C Stephen Cenatiempo; 2NM, Muswellbrook NSW, Grant Broadcasters C Chris Coleman; 2CC, Canberra ACT, Capital Radio Network P Katie Woolf; Mix 104.9, Darwin NT, Grant Broadcasters P Dean Mackin; 2HD, Newcastle NSW, Super Radio Network P Brian Carlton; LAFM, Launceston TAS, Grant Broadcasters P Ben Fordham; 2GB, Sydney NSW, Macquarie Media Limited M Tom Elliott; 3AW, Melbourne VIC, Macquarie Media Limited M Neil Mitchell; 3AW, Melbourne VIC, Macquarie Media Limited M Ray Hadley; 2GB, Sydney NSW, Macquarie Media Limited M BESTCURRENTAFFAIRS PRESENTER Tim Shaw; 2CC, Canberra ACT, Capital Radio Network NM Caroline Hutchinson; 92.7 Mix FM, Maroochydore QLD, EON Broadcasting NM Katie Woolf; Mix 104.9, Darwin NT, Grant Broadcasters NM Stephen Cenatiempo; 2NM, Muswellbrook NSW, Grant Broadcasters NM Ray Hadley; 2GB, Sydney NSW, Macquarie Media Limited M Ben Fordham; 2GB, Sydney NSW, Macquarie Media Limited M Neil Mitchell; 3AW, Melbourne VIC, Macquarie Media Limited M Leon Byner; FIVEaa, Adelaide SA, NOVA Entertainment M

E-Mail: Confidential@MelbourneObserver.com.au

What’s On ● From Page 9

Navy Pier The four actors - Jessica Stanley played the passionate Iris, Mark Salvestro played the tormented Martin, Pat Moonie played the self-absorbed Kurt and Siobhan Connors played the compassionate Liv – kept focus and told their interweaving stories with impassioned deliveries.

Kurt and Martin went to literary college together. When Kurt uses Martin’s story to win a literary contest both his and Martin’s lives are changed forever. A series of events then bring all the players lives together.

The script challenged the actors to embrace their own identity, deliver humour mixed with pathos and tell the always-relevant story of finding our own way in the world.

The show runs for 90 minutes without an interval. In the last half hour, the pace seemed to drag a little.

The imaginative set, designed by Sean Minahan, worked well in the round although at times it was not always possible to see all the actors as they delivered their lines, as their seats were in line with the audience seats.

Congratulations to all the production team and cast for an engaging night of theatre.

Performance Season: Until September 2 Venue: The Courthouse Hotel, North Melbourne Bookings: northofeight.com.au - Review by Lyn Hurst

Shit Happens

■ Sandy MacGregor was back in her own unique way. She told of her very personal story of trying to make it in ‘showbiz’ whilst struggling with mental health issues.

I found her to be a captivating story teller.

There were opening night jitters and referrals to script yet they did not hinder my enjoyment, merely reminded me that no one is perfect so give it your all.

Sandy gave her all being chosen from many young hopefuls for numerous gigs in Australia and the US. In the days before Australians were sought after in Hollywood she disguised her ethnicity, succeeding in working as an actor in the US, whilst facing many personal challenges.

Her brushings with celebrities were mentioned as matter of fact. I feel in a different time, with better help, the MacGregor name would have been famous around the globe.

Sandy is a talented performer , easy to see as she relives some of the moments that brought her professional success and personal heartbreak.

Sitting in the iconic La Mama Theatre I was mesmerised, listening to every word.

There is little to watch other than Sandy herself.

Produced by 15 Minutes from Anywhere with the talents of director Beng Oh and dramaturg Jane Miller, Sandy MacGregor has a very personal story to tell which is fascinating and informative for anyone interested in showbiz, or a fascinating human interest story.

- Review by Elizabeth Semmel

Myer fellows

■ Ten artists from across Australia have been announced as the 2017 Sidney Myer Creative Fellows.

They are: Angela Betzien (NSW), writing; Emily Tomlins(Vic), theatre; Genevieve ClaySmith (NSW), film; Hiromi Tango (NSW), visual arts; Jade Lillie (Vic), Cultural Community Arts and Development; Julia deVille (Vic) visual arts; Kyle Page (Qld), dance; Mark Leonard Winter(Vic), theatre; Megan Washington (Qld), music; Yitzhak Yedid (Qld), music.

Page 12 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

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1597 Ferntree Gully Rd. KOOYONG. Kooyong Newsagency. 483 Glenferrie Rd. KYABRAM. Kyabram Newsagency. 117 Allan St. KYNETON. Collins Newsagency. 95 Mollison St. LANGWARRIN SOUTH. Langwarrin South Newsagency. 1/143-149 Warrandyte Rd LARA. Lara Newsagency. 44 The Centreway.

LILYDALE. Lilydale Newsagency. 237 Main St. LOWER PLENTY. Lower Plenty Newsagency. 95 Main Rd. MALVERN. Lucky Malvern Lotto. 167 Glenferrie Rd. MALVERN. Malvern Newsagency. 114 Glenferrie Rd. MALVERN. Malvern Village Newsagency.

1352 Malvern Rd. MALVERN EAST. Central Park Newsagency. 393 Wattletree Rd. MALVERN EAST NEWSAGENCY. Waverley Road Newsagency. 336 Waverley Rd. McKINNON. McKinnon Newsagency. 163 McKinnon Rd MELBOURNE. Domain Newsagency.

Shop 6, 401 St Kilda Rd. MELBOURNE. Flinders Street Newsagency. 65 Flinders St. MELTON. Newsxpress Melton.

MENTONE. Mentone Newsagency. 24 Como Pde. MERLYNSTON. Merlynston Newsagency.

17 Merlyn St. MIDDLE PARK. Middle Park Newsagency. 16 Armstrong St. MILDURA. Klemm's Mildura Newsagency.

53 Langtree Mall.

MILDURA. Mildura Newsagency and Lotto. 71 Langtree Ave. MILL PARK. Mill Park Newsagency. 4 Stables Shopping Centre.

MITCHAM. Mitcham Newsagency. 503 Whitehorse Rd. MITCHAM NORTH. Mitcham North Newsagency. 228 Mitcham Rd MOOROOPNA. Mooroopna Newsagency.

84 McLennan St. MORDIALLOC. Warren Village Newsagency. 87 Warren Rd. MORNINGTON. Mornington Newsagency. 97 Main St. MORWELL. Morwell Newsagency. 176 Commercial Rd. MOUNT ELIZA. Mount Eliza Newsagency.

102 Mount Eliza Way.

MOUNT GAMBIER. Posters Newsagency.

79 Commercial St East.

MOUNT MARTHA. Mount Martha Newsagency. 2 Lochiel Ave. MOUNT WAVERLEY. Pinewood Newsagency. Shop 59, Centreway Shopping Centre.

MOUNTAIN GATE. Mountain Gate Newsagency. Shop 9B, Mountain Gate Shopping Centre.

MULGRAVE. Northvale Newsagency. 901 Springvale Rd. MULGRAVE. Waverley Gardens Newsagency. Shop 44, Waverley Gardens.

MURRUMBEENA. Murrumbeena Newsagency. 456 Neerim Rd. NARRE WARREN. Narre Warren Newsagency. Shop 1, Narre Warren.

NEWBOROUGH. Newborough Newsagency. 30 Rutherglen St. NEWMARKET. Newmarket Newsagency.

292 Racecourse Rd NOBLE PARK. Noble Park Newsagency.

422 Douglas St. NORTHCOTE. Newsplaza Newsagency, Northcote Plaza.

NORTHCOTE. Northcote Newsagency.

335 High St. NORTH MELBOURNE. Ledermans Newsagency. 234-244 Macauley Rd. NUNAWADING. Mountainview Newsagency. 293A Springfield Rd. PARKDALE. Parkdale Newsagency. 238 Como Pde. West.

PASCOE VALE SOUTH. Coonans Hill Newsagency. 67 Coonans Rd. PASCOE VALE SOUTH. Paper N Post.

372-380 Bell St. PRESTON. Preston N’agency. 377 High St. PRESTON. Preston Town Hall Newsagency. 247-249 Murray Rd. PRINCES HILL. Princes Hill Newsagency.

607 Lygon St RESERVOIR. Broadway Newsagency.

279 Broadway.

RICHMOND. Swan St Newsagency. 108 Swan St. RICHMOND. Vernons Newsagency. 308A Bridge Rd. RINGWOOD EAST. Ringwood East Newsagency. 52 Railway Ave. RINGWOOD NORTH. North Ringwood Newsagency. 182 Warrandyte Rd. ROBINVALE. Robinvale Newsagency. 67 Perrin St. ROSANNA. Rosanna Newsagency. 135 Lower Plenty Rd. ROSEBUD. Rosebud Newsagency. 1083 Point Nepean Rd. RYE. Rye Newsagency. 2371 Pt Nepean Rd. SALE. Sale Newsagency. 310 Raymond St. SANDRINGHAM. Sandringham Newsagency. Shop 5, 18-34 Station St. SCORESBY. Scoresby Newsagency. 14 Darryl St. SEAFORD. Seaford Newsagency. 124 Nepean Hwy. SEBASTOPOL. Sebastopol Newsagency.

Shop 3, 'Safeway Complex'.

SHEPPARTON. Goulburn Valley Newsagency. 314 Wyndham St. SHEPPARTON. Lovell Newsagency. 246 Wyndham St. SOMERVILLE. Somerville Newsagency.

Shop 24, Plaza, Eramosa Rd. SOUTH MELBOURNE. Clarendon Newsagency. 9 Thistlewaite St. SPRINGVALE. Springvale Newsagency.

321 Springvale Rd. STRATHFIELDSAYE. Strathfieldsaye News and Lotto. Shop 5, 939 Wellington St. TARWIN LOWER. Tarwin Lower Newsagency. 45 River Drive.

TATURA. Tatura N’agency. 138 Hogan St. TEMPLESTOWE. Macedon News and Lotto.

THORNBURY. Normanby News and Lotto. 25 Macedon Rd TOORADIN. Tooradin Newsagency. 92 South Gippsland Hwy. TOORAK. Toorak Village Newsagency.

479 Toorak Rd. TORQUAY. Torquay Newsagency. 20 Gilbert St. TRARALGON. Seymour Street Newsagency. 83 Seymour St. TRARALGON. Traralgon News and Lotto.

51-53 Franklin St. TULLAMARINE. Tullamarine Newsagency. 2/191 Melrose Dr. VERMONT. Vermont Authorised Newsagency. 600 Canterbury Rd. VERMONT SOUTH. Vermont South Newsagency. Shop 14, 495 Burwood Hwy. WANTIRNA SOUTH. Wantirna South Newsagency. 223 Stud Rd. WARRAGUL. Warragul Newsagency. 43 Victoria St. WARRNAMBOOL. Reinheimers Newsagency. 145 Koroit St. WATSONIA. Watsonia Newsagency.

Watsonia Rd. WHEELERS HILL. Wheelers Hill Newsagency.

WODONGA. Mahon's Newsagency. 168 High St. YARRAVILLE. Yarraville Newsagency. 59 Anderson St.

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 13

Melbourne People

Northcote

● Northcote football team. Circa 1940-41.

● Carter’s Arms Hotel. Near Separation St corner. Circa 1910.

● Entrance to Northcote, from Clifton Hill

● The Savings Bank, Northcote. 1900-1930.

● High St, Northcote

● Northcote State School

● Northcote Football Club (VFA). 1933.

● High Street, Northcote.

Page 14 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, Februar y 8, 2017

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Observer Magazine

■ Janet Leigh was a beautiful actress during the Golden Days of Hollywood with her sparkling blue eyes, her outstanding figure and deep sultry voice.

Janet was very intelligent and worked hard at acting - she made about 50 feature films during her career. There was a sweetness that came across the screen - I loved her work.

Jeanette Helen Morrison was born in California in 1927. She was an only child and when Jeanette was 18 she was "discovered" by a Hollywood talent agent who was shown her photo by actress Norma Shearer.

Jeanette accepted a contract from the MGM Studios and left college to try her luck at a film career despite the fact that she had no acting experience.

Her father became her business manager and Jeanette lived just off Sunset Boulevard in a little house with her parents.

She made an impressive debut alongside Van Johnson in a supporting role in the film The Romance of Rosy Ridge.

During the shooting, Leigh's name was first changed to ‘Jeanette Reames’, then to ‘Janet Leigh’ and finally back to her birth name ‘Jeanette Morrison’, because ‘Janet Leigh’ resembled Vivien Leigh too much.

However, Van did not like the name and it was finally changed back to ‘Janet Leigh’.

Janet played Peg March in Little Women, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott.

Whatever Happened To ...

Janet Leigh

By Kevin Trask of 3AW and 96.5 Inner FM She proved versatile, starring in films as diverse as the baseball farce Angels in the Outfield, the tense western The Naked Spur and a great supporting role in the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedy Living It Up. Janet married Tony Curtis in 1951 and they made five films together: Houdini, The Black Shield of Falworth , The Vikings, Strictly for Pleasure and Who Was That Lady?

They had two children together: Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Janet later said she had a great time being married to Tony Curtis but the marriage only lasted for 11 years.

Janet proved herself as a singer and a dancer in musical films such as when she played the

● Janet Leigh title role in the musical comedy My Sister Eileen, co-starring Jack Lemmon, Betty Garrett, Bob Fosse and Dick York.

She also did very well in Bye Bye Birdie starring opposite Dick Van Dyke.

But Janet Leigh is best remembered for her role as ‘Marion Crane’ in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Psycho.

The story goes that Janet never took a shower after making the film and always had a bath instead.

Janet was married four times during her lifetime. Her last husband was stockbroker Robert Brandt, they married in Las Vegas in 1962 and were married for 42 years.

In later years Janet Leigh guest starred in television shows such as Fantasy Island, Columbo, Murder She Wrote and Touched By An Angel.

She served on the board of directors of the Motion Picture and Television Foundation which provided medical services for actors.

Janet Leigh was the author of four books; The memoir There Really Was A Hollywood which became a New York Times bestseller.

The non-fiction book Psycho: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller. And two novels: House of Destiny and The Dream Factory.

In her final year Janet suffered from vasculitis, an inflammation of the blood vessels. She passed away peacefully at her home in Los Angeles in 2004 at the age of 77 with husband Robert Brandt and her daughters, actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Kelly Curtis, at her side.

Kevin Trask Kevin can be heard on radio The Time Tunnel - on Remember When Sundays at 9.10pm on 3AW That's Entertainment - 96.5FM Sundays at 12 Noon 96.5FM is streaming on the internet.

To listen, go to www.innerfm.org.au and follow the prompts.

Review: The Garden of Granddaughters OK. With John O’Keefe Next big thing at Seven

Showbiz Extra with Cheryl Threadgold ■ Brighton Theatre Company opened to a full house last week with The Garden of Granddaughters, the company’s 136th production, playing at the Brighton Arts and Cultural Centre until September 2.

Written by Australian playwright Stephen Sewell, this intriguing snapshot of family relations is set in 1990.

Max is a world-famous Australian conductor, and has returned to Melbourne with wife Moriley to unexpectedly visit their three daughters and two granddaughters.

Max’s intention to sort out his younger generations’ lives not only provides them with food for thought, but consolidates his own life.

When Max and Moriley eventually depart under the stealth of darkness, we are left to wonder how this will impact on a family now relatively at peace.

Under the direction of Andrew Ferguson, the play’s creative opening and closing balletic interludes are delightful.

Barry Lockett delivers an outstanding performance as Max, capturing his every emotional nuance, philosophies and genuine love for his family, albeit usually from a distance.

Elegant Linda O’Grady is perfectly cast as Max’s wife Moriley. Indeed, during the play, situations arise where the various roles require strong acting skills, and all performers shine in their individual roles.

Max’s three very different daughters are portrayed by Paula Rockman (Michelle), Mandy Lay (Lisa) and Nicola Taylor (Fay). CharlotteYanko (Paula) and Genevieve Yanko (Alison) as the granddaughters add charming dimension in their symbolic roles representing the future.

Liam Gillespie is terrific as down to earth Morty, delivering a refreshing naturalistic performance.

Minimal set changes and dialogue transport us believably to all intended locations, except the Zoo. While actors admirably convey the location through dialogue, the lit domestic set

■ Rarely have I seen the Seven Network so excited about their announcement of The Wall - their big, new family prime-time show for next year. The Wall was a mega hit in the US and revolves around a bouncing ball - where it lands depends on how much the family team wins or losers. Seven is currently casting for contestants and a host.

Top gong for Michael

■ And the winner of the Outstanding Presenter of Current Affairs on TV is ... (open envelope) ... Michael Usher , of the Seven Network.

One-time Chief of Staff at National Nine News, Melbourne, turned reporter on 60 Minutes ,Usher took home the chocolates in the annual Excellence in Journalism Awards 2017.

Two-day bash for Laurie

■ We didn’t expect the farewell bash for veteran political journe Laurie Oakes to go quietly and it lived up to expectations - it went on for two days.

First a 'do' at Parliament House with all the big names there, sipping and slapping people on the back. Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten were top of the invite list. Next day it contined, this time with all his pals from Network Nine and all the usual retirement gags were rolled out.

Oprah goes shopping

● Charlotte Yanko (Paula), Paula Rockman (Michelle) and Barry Lockett (Max) in The Garden of Granddaughters.

Photo: John Shelbourn in the background is distracting. Cos- and after the show.

Performance season: Until Septuming for this show is beautiful, and congratulations to Efthalia Scheidle. tember 2 Venue: Bayside Cultural Centre, Well done to Brighton Theatre Company for supporting an Austra- Cnr. Wilson and Carpenter Sts, lian play, and for the company’s tradi- Brighton.

Bookings: 1300 752 126. tional, much appreciated and well - Cheryl Threadgold organised hospitality before, during

■ One time Queen of the arvo chat shows, Oprah Winfrey, may have quit the small screen but she has just teamed with Kraft Heinz to launch a collection of comfort foods - soups and pre - made side servings. Branded 'O -That's Good' they go sale in supermarkets in America with no immediate plans for Australia.

More TV about Diana

■ If you're pining for even more facts and film clips about Princess Di then watch out for a new one-hour special on the Nine Network. Called DianaThe Day The World Cried is narrated by Kate Winslet.

Go Fund Me

■ You're no doubt aware of the affair at Seven between Amber Harrison and her CEO boss, Tim Worner. The media lapped up the story and eventually it ended up in court with Amber losing her claim and the court saying she was to pay Seven's substantial legal fees. Single Mum Amber said 'no way' as she had no brass. Amber has started a donations page, going online with with Go Fund Me looking for $200,000. Meanwhile Tim Worner pocketed a cool $ 2.74 million and did not recieve a bonus due the the company's poor financial performance. In a dialogue to the media Worner blamed the network’s poor financial performance - $745 million loss - on costs of televising major sporting events.

eBay Record

● Observer reader Jessie Lynch and reviewer Cheryl Threadgold were pictured at the Sandringham Club at a memorial service for Var Seares.

Photo: Malcolm Threadgold

■ Bob 'Bongo' Starkie of the Skyhooks has placed his platinum record on e-Bay to be auctioned off to highest bidder. 'Bongo' is adding his signature to the framed record of glory containing all the somgs from Best Of Skyhooks circa 1979. Already the best bid is north of $2000, bids close tomorrow.

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 15

Observer Classic Books

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Then he showed us another little job he’d printed and hadn’t charged for, because it was for us. It had a picture of a runaway nigger with a bundle on a stick over his shoulder, and “$200 reward” under it. The reading was all about Jim, and just described him to a dot. It said he run away from St. Jacques’ plantation, forty mile below New Orleans, last winter, and likely went north, and whoever would catch him and send him back he could have the reward and expenses.

“Now,” says the duke, “after to-night we can run in the daytime if we want to. Whenever we see anybody coming we can tie Jim hand and foot with a rope, and lay him in the wigwam and show this handbill and say we captured him up the river, and were too poor to travel on a steamboat, so we got this little raft on credit from our friends and are going down to get the reward.

Handcuffs and chains would look still better on Jim, but it wouldn’t go well with the story of us being so poor. Too much like jewelry. Ropes are the correct thing — we must preserve the unities, as we say on the boards.”

We all said the duke was pretty smart, and there couldn’t be no trouble about running daytimes.

We judged we could make miles enough that night to get out of the reach of the powwow we reckoned the duke’s work in the printing office was going to make in that little town; then we could boom right along if we wanted to.

We laid low and kept still, and never shoved out till nearly ten o’clock; then we slid by, pretty wide away from the town, and didn’t hoist our lantern till we was clear out of sight of it.

When Jim called me to take the watch at four in the morning, he says: “Huck, does you reck’n we gwyne to run acrost any mo’ kings on dis trip?”

“No,” I says, “I reckon not.”

“Well,” says he, “dat’s all right, den. I doan’ mine one er two kings, but dat’s enough. Dis one’s powerful drunk, en de duke ain’ much better.”

I found Jim had been trying to get him to talk French, so he could hear what it was like; but he said he had been in this country so long, and had so much trouble, he’d forgot it.

Chapter XXI. IT was after sun-up now, but we went right on and didn’t tie up. The king and the duke turned out by and by looking pretty rusty; but after they’d jumped overboard and took a swim it chippered them up a good deal. After breakfast the king he took a seat on the corner of the raft, and pulled off his boots and rolled up his britches, and let his legs dangle in the water, so as to be comfortable, and lit his pipe, and went to getting his Romeo and Juliet by heart. When he had got it pretty good him and the duke begun to practice it together. The duke had to learn him over and over again how to say every speech; and he made him sigh, and put his hand on his heart, and after a while he said he done it pretty well; “only,” he says, “you mustn’t bellow out ROMEO! that way, like a bull — you must say it soft and sick and languishy, so — R-o-o-meo! that is the idea; for Juliet’s a dear sweet mere child of a girl, you know, and she doesn’t bray like a jackass.”

Well, next they got out a couple of long swords that the duke made out of oak laths, and begun to practice the sword fight — the duke called himself Richard III.; and the way they laid on and pranced around the raft was grand to see.

But by and by the king tripped and fell overboard, and after that they took a rest, and had a talk about all kinds of adventures they’d had in other times along the river.

After dinner the duke says: “Well, Capet, we’ll want to make this a firstclass show, you know, so I guess we’ll add a little more to it. We want a little something to answer encores with, anyway.”

“What’s onkores, Bilgewater?”

The duke told him, and then says: “I’ll answer by doing the Highland fling or the sailor’s hornpipe; and you — well, let me see — oh, I’ve got it — you can do Hamlet’s soliloquy.”

“Hamlet’s which?”

“Hamlet’s soliloquy, you know; the most celebrated thing in Shakespeare. Ah, it’s sublime, sublime! Always fetches the house. I haven’t

Mark Twain got it in the book — I’ve only got one volume — but I reckon I can piece it out from memory. I’ll just walk up and down a minute, and see if I can call it back from recollection’s vaults.”

So he went to marching up and down, thinking, and frowning horrible every now and then; then he would hoist up his eyebrows; next he would squeeze his hand on his forehead and stagger back and kind of moan; next he would sigh, and next he’d let on to drop a tear. It was beautiful to see him. By and by he got it. He told us to give attention. Then he strikes a most noble attitude, with one leg shoved forwards, and his arms stretched away up, and his head tilted back, looking up at the sky; and then he begins to rip and rave and grit his teeth; and after that, all through his speech, he howled, and spread around, and swelled up his chest, and just knocked the spots out of any acting ever I see before. This is the speech — I learned it, easy enough, while he was learning it to the king: To be, or not to be; that is the bare bodkin That makes calamity of so long life; For who would fardels bear, till Birnam Wood do come to Dunsinane, But that the fear of something after death Murders the innocent sleep, Great nature’s second course, And makes us rather sling the arrows of outrageous fortune Than fly to others that we know not of. There’s the respect must give us pause: Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The law’s delay, and the quietus which his pangs might take, In the dead waste and middle of the night, when churchyards yawn In customary suits of solemn black, But that the undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns, Breathes forth contagion on the world, And thus

the native hue of resolution, like the poor cat i’ the adage, Is sicklied o’er with care, And all the clouds that lowered o’er our housetops, With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action. ’Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. But soft you, the fair Ophelia: Ope not thy ponderous and marble jaws, But get thee to a nunnery — go!

Well, the old man he liked that speech, and he mighty soon got it so he could do it first-rate. It seemed like he was just born for it; and when he had his hand in and was excited, it was perfectly lovely the way he would rip and tear and rair up behind when he was getting it off.

The first chance we got the duke he had some showbills printed; and after that, for two or three days as we floated along, the raft was a most uncommon lively place, for there warn’t nothing but sword fighting and rehearsing — as the duke called it — going on all the time. One morning, when we was pretty well down the State of Arkansaw, we come in sight of a little one-horse town in a big bend; so we tied up about threequarters of a mile above it, in the mouth of a crick which was shut in like a tunnel by the cypress trees, and all of us but Jim took the canoe and went down there to see if there was any chance in that place for our show.

We struck it mighty lucky; there was going to be a circus there that afternoon, and the country people was already beginning to come in, in all kinds of old shackly wagons, and on horses. The circus would leave before night, so our show would have a pretty good chance. The duke he hired the courthouse, and we went around and stuck up our bills. They read like this: Shaksperean Revival!!! Wonderful Attraction!

For One Night Only! The world renowned tragedians, David Garrick the Younger, of Drury

r

e rv S se U N Ob N IO BO CT SE

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Lane Theatre London, and Edmund Kean the elder, of the Royal Haymarket Theatre, Whitechapel, Pudding Lane, Piccadilly, London, and the Royal Continental Theatres, in their sublime Shaksperean Spectacle entitled The Balcony Scene in Romeo and Juliet!!! Romeo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Garrick Juliet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Mr. Kean Assisted by the whole strength of the company! New costumes, new scenes, new appointments! Also: The thrilling, masterly, and blood-curdling Broad-sword conflict In Richard III.!!! Richard III. . . . . . . . . . . . .Mr. Garrick Richmond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Kean Also: (by special request) Hamlet’s Immortal Soliloquy!! By The Illustrious Kean! Done by him 300 consecutive nights in Paris! For One Night Only, On account of imperative European engagements! Admission 25 cents; children and servants, 10 cents.

Then we went loafing around town. The stores and houses was most all old, shackly, dried up frame concerns that hadn’t ever been painted; they was set up three or four foot above ground on stilts, so as to be out of reach of the water when the river was over-flowed. The houses had little gardens around them, but they didn’t seem to raise hardly anything in them but jimpson-weeds, and sunflowers, and ash piles, and old curled-up boots and shoes, and pieces of bottles, and rags, and played-out tinware. The fences was made of different kinds of boards, nailed on at different times; and they leaned every which way, and had gates that didn’t generly have but one hinge — a leather one.

Some of the fences had been white-washed some time or another, but the duke said it was in Clumbus’ time, like enough. There was generly hogs in the garden, and people driving them out.

All the stores was along one street. They had white domestic awnings in front, and the country people hitched their horses to the awningposts. There was empty drygoods boxes under the awnings, and loafers roosting on them all day long, whittling them with their Barlow knives; and chawing tobacco, and gaping and yawning and stretching — a mighty ornery lot.

They generly had on yellow straw hats most as wide as an umbrella, but didn’t wear no coats nor waistcoats, they called one another Bill, and Buck, and Hank, and Joe, and Andy, and talked lazy and drawly, and used considerable many cuss words. There was as many as one loafer leaning up against every awning-post, and he most always had his hands in his britches-pockets, except when he fetched them out to lend a chaw of tobacco or scratch. What a body was hearing amongst them all the time was: “Gimme a chaw ’v tobacker, Hank.”

“Cain’t; I hain’t got but one chaw left. Ask Bill.”

Maybe Bill he gives him a chaw; maybe he lies and says he ain’t got none. Some of them kinds of loafers never has a cent in the world, nor a chaw of tobacco of their own. They get all their chawing by borrowing; they say to a fellow, “I wisht you’d len’ me a chaw, Jack, I jist this minute give Ben Thompson the last chaw I had”— which is a lie pretty much everytime; it don’t fool nobody but a stranger; but Jack ain’t no stranger, so he says: “YOU give him a chaw, did you? So did your sister’s cat’s grandmother. You pay me back the chaws you’ve awready borry’d off’n me, Lafe Buckner, then I’ll loan you one or two ton of it, and won’t charge you no back intrust, nuther.”

“Well, I DID pay you back some of it wunst.”

“Yes, you did —’bout six chaws. You borry’d store tobacker and paid back nigger-head.”

Store tobacco is flat black plug, but these fellows mostly chaws the natural leaf twisted.

When they borrow a chaw they don’t generly cut it off with a knife, but set the plug in between their teeth, and gnaw with their teeth and tug at the plug with their hands till they get it in two; then sometimes the one that owns the tobacco looks mournful at it when it’s handed back, and says, sarcastic: “Here, gimme the CHAW, and you take the PLUG.” All the streets and lanes was just mud; they warn’t nothing else BUT mud — mud as black as tar and nigh about a foot deep in some places, and two or three inches deep in ALL the places.

Continued on Page 16

Page 16 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Observer Classic Books From Page 15 The hogs loafed and grunted around everywheres. You’d see a muddy sow and a litter of pigs come lazying along the street and whollop herself right down in the way, where folks had to walk around her, and she’d stretch out and shut her eyes and wave her ears whilst the pigs was milking her, and look as happy as if she was on salary. And pretty soon you’d hear a loafer sing out, “Hi! SO boy! sick him, Tige!” and away the sow would go, squealing most horrible, with a dog or two swinging to each ear, and three or four dozen more a-coming; and then you would see all the loafers get up and watch the thing out of sight, and laugh at the fun and look grateful for the noise. Then they’d settle back again till there was a dog fight. There couldn’t anything wake them up all over, and make them happy all over, like a dog fight — unless it might be putting turpentine on a stray dog and setting fire to him, or tying a tin pan to his tail and see him run himself to death.

On the river front some of the houses was sticking out over the bank, and they was bowed and bent, and about ready to tumble in, The people had moved out of them. The bank was caved away under one corner of some others, and that corner was hanging over. People lived in them yet, but it was dangersome, because sometimes a strip of land as wide as a house caves in at a time. Sometimes a belt of land a quarter of a mile deep will start in and cave along and cave along till it all caves into the river in one summer. Such a town as that has to be always moving back, and back, and back, because the river’s always gnawing at it.

The nearer it got to noon that day the thicker and thicker was the wagons and horses in the streets, and more coming all the time. Families fetched their dinners with them from the country, and eat them in the wagons. There was considerable whisky drinking going on, and I seen three fights. By and by somebody sings out: “Here comes old Boggs! — in from the country for his little old monthly drunk; here he comes, boys!”

All the loafers looked glad; I reckoned they was used to having fun out of Boggs. One of them says: “Wonder who he’s a-gwyne to chaw up this time.

If he’d a-chawed up all the men he’s ben agwyne to chaw up in the last twenty year he’d have considerable ruputation now.”

Another one says, “I wisht old Boggs ’d threaten me, ’cuz then I’d know I warn’t gwyne to die for a thousan’ year.”

Boggs comes a-tearing along on his horse, whooping and yelling like an Injun, and singing out: “Cler the track, thar. I’m on the waw-path, and the price uv coffins is a-gwyne to raise.”

He was drunk, and weaving about in his saddle; he was over fifty year old, and had a very red face. Everybody yelled at him and laughed at him and sassed him, and he sassed back, and said he’d attend to them and lay them out in their regular turns, but he couldn’t wait now because he’d come to town to kill old Colonel Sherburn, and his motto was, “Meat first, and spoon vittles to top off on.”

He see me, and rode up and says: “Whar’d you come f’m, boy? You prepared to die?”

Then he rode on. I was scared, but a man says: “He don’t mean nothing; he’s always a-carryin’ on like that when he’s drunk. He’s the best naturedest old fool in Arkansaw — never hurt nobody, drunk nor sober.”

Boggs rode up before the biggest store in town, and bent his head down so he could see under the curtain of the awning and yells: “Come out here, Sherburn! Come out and meet the man you’ve swindled. You’re the houn’ I’m after, and I’m a-gwyne to have you, too!”

And so he went on, calling Sherburn everything he could lay his tongue to, and the whole street packed with people listening and laughing and going on. By and by a proud-looking man about fifty-five — and he was a heap the best dressed man in that town, too — steps out of the store, and the crowd drops back on each side to let him come. He says to Boggs, mighty ca’m and slow — he says: “I’m tired of this, but I’ll endure it till one o’clock.

Till one o’clock, mind — no longer. If you open your mouth against me only once after that time you can’t travel so far but I will find you.”

Then he turns and goes in. The crowd looked mighty sober; nobody stirred, and there warn’t no more laughing. Boggs rode off blackguarding

Sherburn as loud as he could yell, all down the street; and pretty soon back he comes and stops before the store, still keeping it up. Some men crowded around him and tried to get him to shut up, but he wouldn’t; they told him it would be one o’clock in about fifteen minutes, and so he MUST go home — he must go right away. But it didn’t do no good. He cussed away with all his might, and throwed his hat down in the mud and rode over it, and pretty soon away he went araging down the street again, with his gray hair a-flying. Everybody that could get a chance at him tried their best to coax him off of his horse so they could lock him up and get him sober; but it warn’t no use — up the street he would tear again, and give Sherburn another cussing. By and by somebody says: “Go for his daughter! — quick, go for his daughter; sometimes he’ll listen to her. If anybody can persuade him, she can.”

So somebody started on a run. I walked down street a ways and stopped. In about five or ten minutes here comes Boggs again, but not on his horse. He was a-reeling across the street towards me, bare-headed, with a friend on both sides of him a-holt of his arms and hurrying him along. He was quiet, and looked uneasy; and he warn’t hanging back any, but was doing some of the hurrying himself. Somebody sings out: “Boggs!”

I looked over there to see who said it, and it was that Colonel Sherburn. He was standing perfectly still in the street, and had a pistol raised in his right hand — not aiming it, but holding it out with the barrel tilted up towards the sky. The same second I see a young girl coming on the run, and two men with her. Boggs and the men turned round to see who called him, and when they see the pistol the men jumped to one side, and the pistol-barrel come down slow and steady to a level — both barrels cocked. Boggs throws up both of his hands and says, “O Lord, don’t shoot!”

Bang! goes the first shot, and he staggers back, clawing at the air — bang! goes the second one, and he tumbles backwards on to the ground, heavy and solid, with his arms spread out. That young girl screamed out and comes rushing, and down she throws herself on her father, crying, and saying, “Oh, he’s killed him, he’s killed him!” The crowd closed up around them, and shouldered and jammed one another, with their necks stretched, trying to see, and people on the inside trying to shove them back and shouting, “Back, back! give him air, give him air!”

Colonel Sherburn he tossed his pistol on to the ground, and turned around on his heels and walked off.

They took Boggs to a little drug store, the crowd pressing around just the same, and the whole town following, and I rushed and got a good place at the window, where I was close to him and could see in. They laid him on the floor and put one large Bible under his head, and opened another one and spread it on his breast; but they tore open his shirt first, and I seen where one of the bullets went in. He made about a dozen long gasps, his breast lifting the Bible up when he drawed in his breath, and letting it down again when he breathed it out — and after that he laid still; he was dead. Then they pulled his daughter away from him, screaming and crying, and took her off. She was about sixteen, and very sweet and gentle looking, but awful pale and scared.

Well, pretty soon the whole town was there, squirming and scrouging and pushing and shoving to get at the window and have a look, but people that had the places wouldn’t give them up, and folks behind them was saying all the time, “Say, now, you’ve looked enough, you fellows; ’tain’t right and ’tain’t fair for you to stay thar all the time, and never give nobody a chance; other folks has their rights as well as you.”

There was considerable jawing back, so I slid out, thinking maybe there was going to be trouble. The streets was full, and everybody was excited. Everybody that seen the shooting was telling how it happened, and there was a big crowd packed around each one of these fellows, stretching their necks and listening. One long, lanky man, with long hair and a big white fur stovepipe hat on the back of his head, and a crooked-handled cane, marked out the places on the ground where Boggs stood and where Sherburn stood, and the people following him around from one place to t’other and watching everything he done, and bobbing their heads to show they understood, and stooping a little and resting their hands on their thighs to watch him mark the places on the ground with his cane; and then he stood up straight and stiff where

Sherburn had stood, frowning and having his hat-brim down over his eyes, and sung out, “Boggs!” and then fetched his cane down slow to a level, and says “Bang!” staggered backwards, says “Bang!” again, and fell down flat on his back. The people that had seen the thing said he done it perfect; said it was just exactly the way it all happened. Then as much as a dozen people got out their bottles and treated him.

Well, by and by somebody said Sherburn ought to be lynched. In about a minute everybody was saying it; so away they went, mad and yelling, and snatching down every clothes-line they come to to do the hanging with.

Chapter XXII. THEY swarmed up towards Sherburn’s house, a-whooping and raging like Injuns, and everything had to clear the way or get run over and tromped to mush, and it was awful to see. Children was heeling it ahead of the mob, screaming and trying to get out of the way; and every window along the road was full of women’s heads, and there was nigger boys in every tree, and bucks and wenches looking over every fence; and as soon as the mob would get nearly to them they would break and skaddle back out of reach. Lots of the women and girls was crying and taking on, scared most to death.

They swarmed up in front of Sherburn’s palings as thick as they could jam together, and you couldn’t hear yourself think for the noise. It was a little twenty-foot yard. Some sung out “Tear down the fence! tear down the fence!” Then there was a racket of ripping and tearing and smashing, and down she goes, and the front wall of the crowd begins to roll in like a wave.

Just then Sherburn steps out on to the roof of his little front porch, with a double-barrel gun in his hand, and takes his stand, perfectly ca’m and deliberate, not saying a word. The racket stopped, and the wave sucked back.

Sherburn never said a word — just stood there, looking down. The stillness was awful creepy and uncomfortable. Sherburn run his eye slow along the crowd; and wherever it struck the people tried a little to out-gaze him, but they couldn’t; they dropped their eyes and looked sneaky. Then pretty soon Sherburn sort of laughed; not the pleasant kind, but the kind that makes you feel like when you are eating bread that’s got sand in it.

Then he says, slow and scornful: “The idea of YOU lynching anybody! It’s amusing. The idea of you thinking you had pluck enough to lynch a MAN! Because you’re brave enough to tar and feather poor friendless castout women that come along here, did that make you think you had grit enough to lay your hands on a MAN? Why, a MAN’S safe in the hands of ten thousand of your kind — as long as it’s daytime and you’re not behind him.

“Do I know you? I know you clear through was born and raised in the South, and I’ve lived in the North; so I know the average all around.

The average man’s a coward. In the North he lets anybody walk over him that wants to, and goes home and prays for a humble spirit to bear it. In the South one man all by himself, has stopped a stage full of men in the daytime, and robbed the lot. Your newspapers call you a brave people so much that you think you are braver than any other people — whereas you’re just AS brave, and no braver. Why don’t your juries hang murderers? Because they’re afraid the man’s friends will shoot them in the back, in the dark — and it’s just what they WOULD do.

“So they always acquit; and then a MAN goes in the night, with a hundred masked cowards at his back and lynches the rascal. Your mistake is, that you didn’t bring a man with you; that’s one mistake, and the other is that you didn’t come in the dark and fetch your masks. You brought PART of a man — Buck Harkness, there — and if you hadn’t had him to start you, you’d a taken it out in blowing.

“You didn’t want to come. The average man don’t like trouble and danger. YOU don’t like trouble and danger. But if only HALF a man — like Buck Harkness, there — shouts ’Lynch him! lynch him!’ you’re afraid to back down — afraid you’ll be found out to be what you are — COWARDS— and so you raise a yell, and hang yourselves on to that half-a-man’s coat-tail, and come raging up here, swearing what big things you’re going to do. The pitifulest thing out is a mob; that’s what an army is — a mob; they don’t fight with courage that’s born in them, but with courage that’s borrowed from their mass, and from their officers. But a mob without any MAN at

the head of it is BENEATH pitifulness. Now the thing for YOU to do is to droop your tails and go home and crawl in a hole. If any real lynching’s going to be done it will be done in the dark, Southern fashion; and when they come they’ll bring their masks, and fetch a MAN along. Now LEAVE— and take your half-a-man with you”— tossing his gun up across his left arm and cocking it when he says this.

The crowd washed back sudden, and then broke all apart, and went tearing off every which way, and Buck Harkness he heeled it after them, looking tolerable cheap. I could a stayed if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to.

I went to the circus and loafed around the back side till the watchman went by, and then dived in under the tent. I had my twenty-dollar gold piece and some other money, but I reckoned I better save it, because there ain’t no telling how soon you are going to need it, away from home and amongst strangers that way. You can’t be too careful. I ain’t opposed to spending money on circuses when there ain’t no other way, but there ain’t no use in WASTING it on them.

It was a real bully circus. It was the splendidest sight that ever was when they all come riding in, two and two, a gentleman and lady, side by side, the men just in their drawers and undershirts, and no shoes nor stirrups, and resting their hands on their thighs easy and comfortable — there must a been twenty of them — and every lady with a lovely complexion, and perfectly beautiful, and looking just like a gang of real sureenough queens, and dressed in clothes that cost millions of dollars, and just littered with diamonds. It was a powerful fine sight; I never see anything so lovely. And then one by one they got up and stood, and went a-weaving around the ring so gentle and wavy and graceful, the men looking ever so tall and airy and straight, with their heads bobbing and skimming along, away up there under the tent-roof, and every lady’s rose-leafy dress flapping soft and silky around her hips, and she looking like the most loveliest parasol.

And then faster and faster they went, all of them dancing, first one foot out in the air and then the other, the horses leaning more and more, and the ringmaster going round and round the center-pole, cracking his whip and shouting “Hi! — hi!” and the clown cracking jokes behind him; and by and by all hands dropped the reins, and every lady put her knuckles on her hips and every gentleman folded his arms, and then how the horses did lean over and hump themselves!

And so one after the other they all skipped off into the ring, and made the sweetest bow I ever see, and then scampered out, and everybody clapped their hands and went just about wild.

Well, all through the circus they done the most astonishing things; and all the time that clown carried on so it most killed the people. The ringmaster couldn’t ever say a word to him but he was back at him quick as a wink with the funniest things a body ever said; and how he ever COULD think of so many of them, and so sudden and so pat, was what I couldn’t noway understand. Why, I couldn’t a thought of them in a year. And by and by a drunk man tried to get into the ring — said he wanted to ride; said he could ride as well as anybody that ever was. They argued and tried to keep him out, but he wouldn’t listen, and the whole show come to a standstill.

Then the people begun to holler at him and make fun of him, and that made him mad, and he begun to rip and tear; so that stirred up the people, and a lot of men begun to pile down off of the benches and swarm towards the ring, saying, “Knock him down! throw him out!” and one or two women begun to scream. So, then, the ringmaster he made a little speech, and said he hoped there wouldn’t be no disturbance, and if the man would promise he wouldn’t make no more trouble he would let him ride if he thought he could stay on the horse. So everybody laughed and said all right, and the man got on. The minute he was on, the horse begun to rip and tear and jump and cavort around, with two circus men hanging on to his bridle trying to hold him, and the drunk man hanging on to his neck, and his heels flying in the air every jump, and the whole crowd of people standing up shouting and laughing till tears rolled down.

And at last, sure enough, all the circus men could do, the horse broke loose, and away he went like the very nation, round and round the ring, with that sot laying down on him and hanging to his neck, with first one leg hanging most to the ground on one side, and then t’other one on t’other side, and the people just crazy. It warn’t funny to me, though; I was all of a tremble to see his danger. But pretty soon he struggled up astraddle and grabbed the bridle, a-reeling this way and that; and the next minute he sprung up and dropped the bridle and stood! and the horse a-going like a house afire too.

To Be Continued Next Issue

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Spring Homemaker

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Spring Homemaker

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Places To Go

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Observer Crossword Solution No 7

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Observer Victorian Sport Melbourne

Punters’ pockets full at Kilmore This Week ■ Wednesday - Geelong, Thursday Mildura, Friday - Charlton/Melton, Saturday - Shepparton. Sunday - Melton, Monday Warragul, Tuesday - Terang.

Horsesto follow ■ Brackenreid, Sammy Fitz, Tre Cool, Dragontown, Tejays Candyman, Getthenet, Andyou, Campaign Drive, Koolaz Elvis, Hickstead.

To Melton ■ All roads will lead to Tabcorp Park Melton on Sunday for the rich Breeders Crown program featuring Australasia's best juveniles.

Full of excitement ■ Residents of the Taylors Hill Retirement Village were full of excitement and elation after 7Y0 Modern Art-Rose Of Hollywood gelding Sirladyn Reba, a horse they hold a share in, scored a brilliant victory in the www.maryboroughharness.com.au Pace for C4 or better class over 1690 metres.

Trained and driven by Terang's Mattie Craven, Sirladyn Reba began with plenty of zest from outside the front line to clear the field and after being allowed to bowl along at his leisure, kicked clear approaching the home turn.

Although the heavily supported Allies Mate tried hard to catch him after trailing, Sirladyn Reba safely held him at bay to score by 7 metres in a brilliant rate of 1-54,8 on the rain effected track. Open class performer Lets Elope was most disappointing in finishing third 21.9 metres away after racing wide from last in the final circuit.

Stable double ■ Bungaree trainer/driver Michael Stanley snared a stable double at the Swan Hill fixture last Thursday, winning with American Ideal-Flair For Life colt American Zest in the Sebastian K @ Trump Bloodstock 2Y0 Pace over 1750 metres and Falcon Seelster-Striking Sally gelding Sammy Strikes in the Decron 3Y0 Pace over the same journey.

American Zest making his third appearance at the races, led for the majority of the journey from gate four to account for first starter Brackenred (three back the markers) which flashed home to go down by a nose in a tricky finish, with Im Joey Jones third after trailing the winner. The mile rate 1-58.7.

Sammy Strikes starting from gate two on the second line was quickly into the moving line settling mid-field. Following At First Sight three wide in the final circuit, Sammy Strikes ran home strongly to score by 6.8 metres in advance of Mildura stablemates Roll The Seven along the sprint lane from three back and Ironbark Fella (three back the markers) out wide in a mile rate of 2-00.3.

Cosy trip ■ Bolinda trainer Vince Vallelonga combined with Ararat freelance reinsman Michael Bellman to land the Pegasus Spur @ Woodlands Stud Trotters Handicap for T0 or better class over 2240 metres at Swan Hill with honest 4Y0 Majestic Son-Conshe mare The Cooler. After a cosy trip four back the markers from a 30 metre handicap, The Cooler faced the open from the bell outside Spirit Walker which had led from the outset. Taking over in the straight, The Cooler just lasted by a head from Spud along the sprint lane.

■ Favourite punters who braved the elements at Kilmore trots last Wednesday went home with their pockets loaded after most favoured runners won each of the nine races on the program, including a quartet to the all conquering Emma Stewart (Ballarat) stable.

Art Major-Charlotte Brew filly Scarlett Brew (Mark Pitt) was first to arrive in the Cadell Food Service 2Y0 Pace over 1690 metres. Settling four back along the markers from inside the second line as Illawong Mary led from outside the front line, Scarlett Brew looked in all sorts of trouble approaching the home turn with a wall of horses ahead of her. Weaving in-between runners in the straight, Scarlett Brew ($2.60) finished brilliantly to gain the day by a half neck over the pacemaker, returning a mile rate of 200.1. Mollywood (three back thye markers) used the sprint lane to be a neck back in third place.

Red-hot favourite ■ Red-hot favourite Intrusive ($1.04), a Art Major-Intrude filly, snared the Momentum Gaming Pace for C0 class over 2180 metres giving Mark Pitt a double, leading throughout from gate two, toying with her rivals to score by 45.2 metres in advance of Major Hei which battled on well after racing in the open, with My Aguilera 17.9 metres away in third place off a three wide trail from last in the final circuit. The mile rate 159.6.

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Two-minute mile

■ At Terang on Tuesday, local trainer Mattie Craven provided five runners in the ABS Australia Trotters Mobile and not surprising one of them Mister Gunsen was the victor. Driven by brother Glen, Mister Gunsen a 8Y0 SundonHandbrake gelding was given the run of the race from gate three trailing stablemate Cyclone Lucky Seven which started outside the front line.

Using the sprint lane, Mister Gunsen finished best to gain the day by 8.5 metres over the pacemaker, with Frances Annie (one/two) 1.1 metres away in third place. The mile rate a slick 2■ Next to come along was 4Y0 Mach Three- 00.1.

Modern Life entire Ample Power (Chris Alford) in the Jet Roofing Pace for C2 class over 2180 metres in a mile rate of 2-00.8. Starting solo on the second line, Ample Power ($1.60) first up ■ Former outstanding juvenile Shadow Sax since November last year wasn't rushed to go resumed on a winning note when successful in forward and assume control at the bell, winning the Guaranteed @ Goodtime Lodge Pace for by an easy 14.7 metres from Pandoras Boxer C2 & C3 class over 1680 metres at Terang. from last and Illawong Maestro which used the Trained by Emma Stewart, Shadow Sax a 4Y0 sprint lane from four back the markers to be 4.8 Shadow Play-Miss Saxony gelding driven by metres away.

Gavin Lang was having his first outing since May 2016 and after being trapped wide from gate six, worked forward to park outside the front runner Juliustigres (gate four).

■ Somebeachsomewhere-Vertigal filly A VicTravelling sweetly approaching the final tor ($1.40) brought up the treble by taking the bend, Saxony Style coasted to the wire, recordMcIvor Estate 3Y0 Pace over 2180 metres. ing a 7.5 metre margin over the pacemaker in a Again with Chris Alford in the sulky, A Victor brilliant rate of 1-55.5. Keayang Destiny finstarting outside the front line was shortly racing ished third 8.9 metres away after following the at the head of affairs and toyed with her rivals, winner. scoring by 4.7 metres from Gozo Boy (one/one) which joined her on the final bend, with Dolly Mach Lombo a nose away third after using the sprint lane off the back of the winner. The mile ■ The Claimers are always interesting at rate 2-01.4.

Kilmore and Melton trainer Beau Tindale combined with Bolinda's Lisa Miles to land the J & A Mazzetti Claiming Pace over 2180 metres with honest 6Y0 Four Starzzz Shark-Oh Ren ■ Earlier in the week picturesque Yarra Valley Ishi gelding Im Intense. raced on Monday and Melton trainer/driver Joe Racing exposed for most of the journey, Im Pace's 6Y0 Bettors Delight-Heartbreak Motel Intense ($6.30) was too strong at the finish for gelding Blackwarrior was a tough victor of the the pacemaker With Gusto, scoring by 2.4 IGA Liquor Pace for C2 & C3 class over 1650 metres in a rate of 2-01, with Hosier Lane a metres. stablemate of the runner up coming from last to Vacating a mid-field passage to move out- be 19.3 metres away third. side the leader and favourite Campaign Drive with a circuit to travel, Blackwarrior although under pressure, rallied in the straight to outstay the leader and win by 1.3 metres in a rate of 1- ■ The highlight of the night at Kilmore was the 58.6. Ctheballerina was third 2.1 metres away Georgina & C0 Trotters Handicap for T2 or after racing three wide solo from the bell. better class over 2150 metres which saw another favourite My Skypocket ($2.00) salute the judge, but not before giving his supporters cause for alarm.

■ Four year old Courage Under Fire-Our Trained at Daylesford by Mick Barby, My Vanessa gelding Thisboyzonfire caused a ma- Skypocket driven by wife Anne-Maree Conroy jor upset in the Zonzo Estate Pace for C0 class was slw to begin from 20 metres, settling at the over 1650 metres at Yarra Valley by defeating tail of the field as Aldebaran Midnite led from the long odds-on favourite Lynniemach in a rate barrier three. Still a "mile" away at the bell, My of 2-02.1.

Skypocket gradually made ground in the last Trained and driven by Melton's Jason Fino, lap even though he was right off the track. Given Thisboyzonfire was given every opportunity from full rein on turning, My Skypocket ran home gate two training the hot pot which drew inside powerfully in a most impressive performance him. Despite the easy run the leader was given, to account for Scorching Along (one/two) and Thisboyzonfire using the sprint lane bloused her Getthenet (one/three), returning a mile rate of by a head, with Shellys Star 7.9 metres away in 2-05.4. The margins 1.1 metres by a head. third place after racing wide for the last lap.

- Len Baker

Used sprint lane

Travelled sweetly

Treble celebrated

Too strong

Tough victor

Made ground

Bloused by head

Baker’s Delight Does great job ■ Charlton trainer Leon Fanning does a great job with his small team and 6Y0 Four Starzzz Shark-Maninky Flight mare Miss Meteor was an impressive victor of the 2240 metre Sweet Lou @ Woodlands Stud Pace for C3 & C4 class at Swan Hill in a rate of 159.9.

Driven by Inglewood based Peter Sanderson, Miss Meteor led throughout from the pole, toying with her rivals to score by 5 metres in advance of Hezthebigbopper (one/ three - three wide last lap) and a death-seating Betterthanajeep who battled on gamely to be 2.2 metres back in third place.

Unextended ■ Lara trainer Dean Braun's brilliant Tintin In America-Bagdarlin filly Shartin cruised to victory in the TAB Rewards Pace for C3 or better class over 1729 metres at Tabcorp Park Melton on Friday. Driven by Luke McCarthy, Shartin led for the majority of the trip from gate four winning unextended by 4 metres unextended from a game Ella Michelle which raced exposed, with Rockabella Starz third after trailing the winner. The mile rate 1-55.4.

Into the clear ■ Goulburn Valley (Kialla) trainer Clive Dalton has returned from a stint in Perth with a handy couple of horses and was successful with 6Y0 Artesian-Like A Damel gelding Hugh Victor in the Pointon Partners Pace for C5 or better class over 2240 metres at Melton. Settling three back along the markers from the pole, Hugh Victor when extricated into the clear approaching the home turn finished full of running to just hold off a fast finishing Animated by a neck which followed him all of the way, Riverboat Jasper was third a head away, coming from last at the bell. The mile rate 1-56.8.

Struth ■ Bizarre as it sounds, an airport in America has two gravestones set side-by-side into its main runway directly above where a husband and wife were laid to rest nearly 150 years ago.

Back in the 1800s extensive farmlands around the-now Savannah Hilton Head International Airport in the State of Georgia, were owned by the Dotson family that had its own cemetery for the burial of family members, and for their slaves and the families of those slaves as well.

Over 100 people were known to have been laid to rest there before the US Army acquired the farm to build an airfield with the approach of WWII, and moved the family cemetery to a new site. The graves, however, of patriarch and matriarch Richard and Catherine Dotson, who died in the 1870s and 1890s respectively, were left where they were, in homage to their pioneering heritage.

And in the 1970s when the military airport was turned over to civilian use, it was found that a planned major new runway would run right over the two graves – which under Federal law could not be moved without family permission.

The family, however, refused that permission on the grounds that Richard and Catherine would have wanted to stay where they had lived and worked so hard on their-once farmland, so the government ordered the new runway go right across them, with their gravestones re-laid flat into the runway above their graves.

The gravestones are sufficiently near to the side of the runway for passengers to be surprised to see them as they taxi by.

- David Ellis

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Obser ver - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 31 e urn lbo Me

Every Week in the Melbourne Observer

ver N ser O Ob TI C SE 3

Observer Showbiz

Radio: Trainee radio job offered ............................ P age 32 wbiz: 40 Years of Crosby Society ....................... P age 33 Sho Showbiz: Country Music: Relax with Peta ....................................... Page 32 Jim and Aar on: Top 10 lists, reviews .................................... Page 34 Aaron: Cheryl Threadgold: Female of the Species ............................ Page 35 PL US THE LLO OVATT”S MEGA CRO PLUS CROSSSWORD

A HAPPY AND HOLY OCCASION Po Po Mo Co

● Claire Sullivan, Precious Cargo (aka Thomas Quirk) and David Maney; Amaya Vecellio (middle). Kimberley Twiner (ground).

Photo: Theresa Harrison ■ The eight member comedy performance art group PO PO MO CO will be performing their show Recreation and Leisure in the 2017 Melbourne Fringe Festival at the Lithuanian Club from September 23-30.

Founder and producer, Kimberley Twiner, says “We are self-confessed laugh whores, we get onstage to exploit ourselves for the audience. This pure entertainment. An ensemble of queers this is neo-vaudeville. We are Australia’s only queer physical comedy troupe.”

Audiences will never see the soap The Bold and The Beautiful in the same way again. Nor will they ever be able to even smell vegemite again without thinking of PO PO MO CO. They are the new take of Australiana and Melbourne better be ready.

The PO PO MO CO ensemble are Kimberley Twiner, Amaya Vecellio, Dave Maney, Anna Lehmann Thomson, Lily Fish, Thomas Quirk, Hallie Goodman and Claire Sullivan.

Venue: Fringe Hub: Lithuanian Club - Ballroom Dates: 23 – 30 September, no Monday Times: Tue. - Sat. 9.15pm, Sun. 8:15pm Bookings: https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/event/ po-po-mo-co-present-recreation-leisure/troupe PO PO MO CO takes Fringe audiences through a cocktail mix of cruise ship, tupperware parties and topped with a dash of biting social commentary.

- Cheryl Threadgold

● Lachlan Mason and Kirsten Page in The Female of the Species (photo: Tara McCarthy).

Cenarth Fox’s review is inside this section.

● Susan Carty, Jaydn Gifford, Kirby Chenhall, David Sly, Mike Roberts, Kate McMannus and Greg Allen in A Happy and Holy Occasion.

■ The Basin Theatre Group presents A Happy and Holy Occasion until September 2 at Doongalla Rd, The Basin.

Written by John O’Donohue and directed by Loretta Bishop, the play is set in 1942 in Newcastle just before the fall of Singapore in World War II. It tells the story of a family gathering in the home of the working-class Irish-Catholic O’Mahon family.

The ‘happy and holy occasion’ is the farewell dinner for the eldest child before he leaves to train for the priesthood.

The play takes a snapshot of that era covering racism, sexual mores, misogyny, domestic violence, and understanding of the Catholic Church as it was back then – all fear, rigidity and repression. Hardly a happy and holy occasion!

Performance Dates: Until September 2 Venue: The Basin Theatre, Doongalla Rd, The Basin.

Tickets: $27 incl. program, pre-show sherry, tea/coffee and biscuits at interval and supper with the cast after the show.

Bookings: www.thebasintheatre.org.au or 1300 784 668 - Cheryl Threadgold

The Mercy Seat

Bonnie and Clyde

● From Page One Lachlan Maclean as police officer Ted Hinton develops well his jovial character’s transformation to hatred, against love rival, Clyde, Jessica Henderson is delightful as Young Bonnie, (alternating with Ruby Molnar), as is Ebony Portelli (alternating with Charlize Norman) as Teen Bonnie. Soren Adkin (Young Clyde) and Oliver Thompson (Teen Clyde) are splendid in their roles.

Tristan Cullinan-Smayle (Preacher), Carly Hunter (Cumie Barrow). Richard Green (Henry Barrow), Nik Grbic (Sheriff Schmid), Miranda Barron (Emma Parker), Vicki Damon (Governor Ferguson), Alexandra Nicole (Trish), Zoe Reid (Stella), Taylor Westland (Eleanore) and Scott Dowling (Frank Hamer) all deliver enjoyable performances.

Musical Director Ben Heels’s orchestra does first-rate work rendering the catchy tunes, and Robert Mulholland’s choreographed movement bears his trademark polish and style.

Sound balance between orchestra and performers was a problem at the matinee, but no doubt will resolve for future shows.

Does crime pay? This well-presented musical has a story with a difference. Try to catch Bonnie and Clyde until September 1.

Performance Season: Until September 1.

Venue: Cardinia Cultural Centre, Lakeside Drive, Pakenham.

Bookings: www.cardiniaperformingarts.com/bookings - Cheryl Threadgold

● Kylie Ryan and Alex Rowe. Photo: Dave Swann ■ Tangled Web Theatre Productions presents Neil Labute’s The Mercy Seat from September 1- 9 at Gasworks Arts Park, Albert Park.

Directed by Natasha Boyd, The Mercy Seat was one of the first theatrical responses to 9/11, and is a claustrophobic two-hander set close to Ground Zero on the morning after the towers came down.

The horrific events of the 9/11 disaster is the backdrop for examining a relationship – should Ben use the terrorist attacks as an opportunity for a happier life with his mistress and boss Abby.

Turn To Page 00

Page 32 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Observer Showbiz

Country Music, Radio, Theatre, Almanac Country Crossroads

Trainee job in radio ■ A ‘Technology Trainee’job is being advertised by Melbourne radio station 3AW. jocksjournal.com

Make good

By Rob Foenander info@countrycrossroads.com.au

■ 3AW Nightline and Remember When co-host Philip Brady made a visit to former station executive David McGee, 87, at Sandringham, late last week.

The visit followed the station’s wrongful airing of a story that David McGee had passed away.

Relax with Peta

Vale Gary

■ Melbourne independent artist and multiinstrumentalist Peta Minter has released her debut album Radiant Creation.

Peta's work is described as relaxing music, uplifting and moving that takes the listener on a creative sound journey.

With over 25years as a performer, Peta's 10-track album of original work reflect a very talented and unique artist. More info at petaminter.com.au

Katie at The Poet ■ Alt Country singer-songwriter Katie Brianna will do a series of shows in Victoria commencing today (Wed., Aug. 23) at the Drunken Poet in West Melbourne. Other dates will include August 26 at the Wesley Anne in Northcote for the Allan CaswellMichael Carpenter album launch and August 27 at the Bayview Country Art Club, Bittern. The Weeping Willows will also feature as special guests.

More info at www.katiebrianna.com

Stars back again ■ Country rock band Stars will perform with the original line-up for one of the last concerts to be held at the Caravan Club, Oakleigh. The November 4 show will feature Mick Pealing, Mal Eastick, Roger McLachlan and Glynn Dowding along with Nick Charles. The reformed band have been touring the country to enthusiastic audiences and new fans who've come on board.Contact and info: 9568 1432 - Rob Foenander

■ Sydney radio man Gary O’Callaghan has died at the age of 90.

His performances included a character, Sammy Sparrow.

■ US actor Gene Kelly was born in 1912. He died aged 83 in 1996.

Bandleader Bob Crosby, brother to Bing, was born in 1913.

He died aged 79.

American actress Barbara Eden (I Dream Of Jeannie) is 83.

Keith Moon, drummer with The Who, was born in 1947.

At one stage of his career Sarah Patterson will be takhe is said to have had 46 per ing over the Tuesday and cent of the Sydney audience Thursday afternoon slots from listening to him.

September 5, whilst her evening slots will likely be taken by Kym Cartwright.

Engineer

■ Radio, equipment and IT skills are part of the talents needed by applicants for the Senior Support Engineer position being offered by 3AW and Talking Lifestyle stations in Melbourne, part of the Macquarie Media network.

Radio Briefs

■ Leigh Drew was first to score an interview with Charles Aznavour, 92. Interviews - with a difference - are being offered by the promoters. Aznavour is profoundly death, so questions are lodged in writing by participating radio stations. Aznavour voice■ Natalie Livingstone has tracks his replies. been offered a regular appoint- ■ Alex Knock is joining the ment at ABC Radio in Mel- ACE Radio Network in bourne, though will be continu- Warrnambool as a copywriter. ing to cover theAIR News Fri- ■ ACE Radiop has three cars day and Saturday afternoons, entered in the Variety Bash, says Artie Stevens. currently in progress.

AIR gigs

‘High Society’ at Lilydale ■ The Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre presents High Society, until September 2 at the Athenaeum Theatre, Castella St, Lilydale.

With music and lyrics by Cole Porter and directed by Alan Burrows, High Society is based on the classic 1939 romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story by Philip Berry.

The story tells of Tracy Lord's ex-husband, C.K. Dexter Haven, refusing to let her marry the bland George Kittredge as planned, and the two reporters who arrive to cover the wedding find much more than they'd anticipated among this niche of high society.

Performance Details: Until September 2.

Matinee performances Saturday August 26 and Sunday August 27 at 2.15pm Times: All evening performances commence at 8.15pm, pre-show/sherries at 7.45pm (1.45pm for matinees) Venue: Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre, 3941 Castella St, Lilydale.

Tickets: $25/$23 Bookings: 735 1777 or online http:// s a 2 . s e a t a d v i s o r. c o m / s a b o / s e r v l e t s / EventSearch?presenter=AULILYDALEATCI Tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits served at interval time. At the end of the show meet the cast and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or a soft drink accompanied by savoury nibbles.

- Cheryl, Threadgold

r Obser vbeiz On This Day Show

Wednesday Thursday August 23 August 24

Kosher Bacon

■ British comedian and playwright Stephen Fry is 60 (1957).

The late dwarf actor Kenny Baker was born in 1934.

American musician Mason Wiliams is 79 (1938).

Singer-songwriter Mike McLellan was born in 1945.

■ After a sold out season of Jewish-ish at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Michael Shafar debuts his new show Kosher Bacon at Melbourne Fringe Festival at the Lithuanian Club in North Melbourne from September 15 - 30.

Since leaving a career in law for comedy, Michael Shafar has made a name for himself as one of the fastest rising stars in Australian comedy, reaching the RAW Comedy National Final in 2016.

Building on from the success of Jewishish, Michael debuts Kosher Bacon; a show about paradoxes like ‘round squares’, ‘hot ice’ or ‘delicious tofu’.

It also happens to be a show about marriage, the media, God and bar-mitzvah DJs. Date and Time: September 15-30 (No Mondays), 9pm (Sundays at 8pm) Venue: Lithuanian Club, 44 Errol St, North Melbourne Cost: $20 - $25 Tickets: melbournefringe.com.au - Cheryl Threadgold

Standout

■ Western Edge Youth Arts presents Standout on Saturday (Aug. 26) from 7pm to 9pm, at the Phoenix Youth Hub, 72 Buckley St, Footscray.

The double bill includes In the Light of Day, created and preformed is an exploration of a community that is suddenly placed in quarantine, forcing neighbors to connect.

With scenes continually breaking out of the stage, this immersive piece will lead audiences to becoming part of the action.

And At First Glance, whichdelves into love and all its motivations. Follow Benji as he falls in love on the Werribee line. Touch on to meet Lucinda, a resilient young woman, trapped in a dead-end job. Transfer to Joel, a shy guy in a music shop with nothing left to lose. Can you really fall in love at first sight?

Date: Saturday, August 26 Time: 7pm-9pm Venue: Phoenix Youth Hub, 72 Buckley St, Footscray. Free ... but please register as seats are limited. Food and refreshments provided.

- Cheryl Threadgold

Geelong Gallery

● Andrew Wild and Barry Barker in High Society.

Kirsty Grant - Fred Williams's printmaking practice.

Curator, Kirsty Grant presents an illustrated First Friday lecture discussing Williams's printmaking practice and how it has informed his work as a painter.

Friday September 1 from 10.30 am.

- Peter Kemp Melbourne

Observer

Friday August 25

Saturday August 26

■ Actor Van Johnson was born in Rhode Island in 1916. He died aged 92 in 2008.

US composer Leonard Bernstein was born in 1918. He died aged 72 in 1990.

Scottish actor Sir Sean Connery was born in 1930.

US TV man Regis Philbin is 86 (1931).

■ Theatre entrepreneur J C (James Cassius) Williamson was born in Pennsylvania in 1845.

He died aged 67 in 1913.

Australian radio personality Dita Cobb was born in 1923. She died aged 67 in 1991.

Macauley Calkin is 37 (1980).

Sunday August 27 ■ US President Lyndon Johnson was born in 1908. He died aged 64 in 1973.

Australian cricketer Sir Donald Bradman was born in 1908. He died aged 92 in 2001.

Voice-over man Kev Golsby is 82 (1935).

US actor Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubenfeld) is 65 (1952).

Monday August 28

■ Singer Shania Twain (Eileen Edwards) is 51.

Donald O’Connor was born in 1925.

He died aged 78 in 2003.

English actor Windsor Davies (It Ain’t Half Hot Mum) was born in London in 1930.

Australian surfer and TV sports presenter Mark Warren is 64.

Tuesday August 29 ■ Actress Ingrid Bergman was born in Sweden in 1915. She died aged 67 in 1982.

British director Sir Richard Attenborough was born in England in 1923. He died last year.

American actor Elliott Gould was born in 1938.

Singer Michael Jackson: born 1958.

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

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 33

Observer Showbiz

TV, Radio, Theatre

Two Shows ■ Boutique Theatre presents Two Months, Two Shows, firstly Miley, Moon Unit and Me, an original cabaret by Tegan Jones on August 30 – September 3 at The Butterfly Club.

In this original work, actor and vocalist Tegan Jones takes audiences on a journey of the relationships between fathers and their daughters, focusing on female vocalists and the fathers who inspired them to sing.

Tegan intertwines her own stories about her father’s influence on her musical journey with those of famous singers.

Prayers to Broken Stone written by Matthew Sini and directed by Seon Williams and Matthew Sini is being presented on September 12-16 and September 19-23 at the Studio Theatre, Gaswoirks Arts Park.

The apocalypse is nigh and the Stone family are letting it all hang out.

Confessions, confrontations and conspiracies are afoot as the family gather for one last dinner before the end of civilisation.

Everyone has an agenda. Matriarch Maxine has an unexpected new beau joining the family, Declan and Kenny have never been the most communicative brothers, Aunt Ruth is finding her wild side, and Evie is returning from time away…in a cult.

Like most families, the Stones are not exactly functional - but none of that matters now that the world is ending.

- Cheryl Threadgold

Killers

■ To kill or not to kill. That was the question that tantalised us throughout the performance.

American writer Kevin Armento’s Killers took us through several climax’s adeptly directed b Gabrielle Savrone at its season at The Owl and The Cat Theatre.

The play was dedicated to anyone who has been affected by suicide. It explores much of the triggering points by language and images.

Many scenes were backed by projection, filmed by young talented film maker Blake Hay. Some short and some graphic sequences as two intertwining stories unfolded.

Miranda, played by Holly Chadwick, has fought with her inner urges to kill since childhood and she handles the demanding role with honesty and engagement as she battles her inner demons.

When she befriends young Bobby Barrett, played by Charles Russell, they start making booby traps that subdue her urges.

Russell is impressive with strong and understanding delivery. Film maker Blake Hay captured both Miranda and Bobby in a car clip as they showed glimpses of a relationship, even though Bobby was also attracted to Julia played by Charlotte Rose Watson.

Running parallel was the story of an older Amalia played by Marnie with fantasies of dying while conducting an interoffice romance with Robert played by Adam Marsh.

Linking these stories and elaborating further detail while scene setting was Joanne Davis as Narrator.

Cameo roles of Toby Jones, played by Seth Balen, and Jackson, played by Gideon Cohen ,further strengthened the underlying themes of depression and inadequacies that lead to suicide.

“It’s not horrible, it doesn’t t increase or decrease my desire to die,” quoted Jackson.

Entertaining and provocative that openly delivers on a topic that is often hidden from view or understanding.

Performance Season: Until August 26 Venue: Owl and Cat, Richmond Bookings: www.owlandcat.com.au - Review by Graeme McCoubrie ● Local theatre companies can send news of their shows, auditions, to: editor@MelbourneObserver.com.au

If These Walls Could Talk

● Geoff Dunstan and Kate Fruer in If These Walls Could Talk ■ Independent ensemble Dislocate’s perfor- by using many hand props they conveyed stomance of If These Walls Could Talk was a high- ries of past residents, some poignant while othlight of the City of Stonnington’s Glow Winter ers joyous yet always physical.

Kate Fryer and Geoff Dunstan opened by Arts Festival.

Performed at Chapel off Chapel it was no playing an old couple, trying to dance and with a ordinary performance, visually exciting, physi- lighting change they transformed to their younger cally demanding, touches of sadness yet brim- selves, cavorting with circus antics on the couch and some aerial work before transforming back ming with joy and humour.

With precision timing and deftness of move- to reminisce over cups of tea, while possibly ment the ensemble of four literally threw them- contemplating a suicide pact. A thoughtful moselves around, swinging high and low while per- ment. forming many a circus antic.

To bring us to other generations Sam Aldman Not a word spoken, with actions speaking for and Luke Taylor as removalists, changed the themselves of the various generations that had set several times and with Fryer and Dunstan occupied an apartment. they made good use of the trick door that rotated The apartment was the set, comprising of a while swinging open and shutting, the fireplace side wall with a double hung window, a rear that sucked up tablecloths and the window that fireplace and another side wall with a trick door. kept shutting. At all times displaying great dexAdd a double couch, a central table and above terity in well-choreographed antics. it a hanging tulle lampshade that also hid an aerial A physically exhausting performance interstrap. mingled with themes of memory, history, relaCreated and directed by Kate Fryer with the tionships, with respect for life, love and suicide. productive and physical support of Geoff Must see their next season.

Dunstan, Luke Taylor and Sam Aldman and - Review by Graeme McCoubrie

40 years of Crosby Society

New works at MAPA ■ Committed to supporting the current generation of performance makers, the Monash Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA), in conjunction with the Monash University Centre for Theatre and Performance and the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, has commissioned two new Australian works – a physical theatre piece: Death Match and a musical: Jack of Two Trades.

MAPA Executive Director, Professor Paul Grabowsky, explains, “Our programming reflects our commitment to diversity, excellence and inclusivity.

“Commissioning new Australian writing and allowing our students to learn from professional artists is an extremely important practice for their learning and development.”

Since 2015, Monash University has partnered with The Coopers Malthouse to allow performing arts students to apply their academic learning through collaboration with professional artists who have included Daniel Keene, Angus Cerini, Patricia Cornelius, Susie Dee and Emma Valente.

This year, playwright Morgan Rose and director Katrina Cornwell will develop and present Death Match – a fast-paced, breathless examination of triumph and failure set in a sporting arena.

As the inaugural recipients of the Pratt Foundation Music Theatre Artists in Residence Program, Lucy O’Brien (composer) and Andrew Strano (book writer and lyricist) are writing and developing a new original Australian musical: Jack of Two Trades adapted from The Servant Of Two Masters.

The first outing of Jack of Two Trades at Monash University will allow audiences the chance to see something totally new evolving right before their eyes – it will be a significant milestone in the long development of any new musical theatre work.

The Pratt Foundation has contributed $1 million over three years to support the Pratt MusicTheatreArtists in Residence Program, where three original musicals will be commissioned – the 2018 recipients are Peter Rutherford (Matilda Musical Director) and James Millar (Matilda Miss Trunchbull).

“The Monash model of commissioning theatre makers to create work that is then immediately produced is the ideal process of creation,” said Morgan Rose.

“It allows artists to create work and encourages non-traditional ways of creation – we are given the time, support and resources to make new work.

“Monash is supporting artists, creating high-quality work and pushing boundaries at the same time,” “The development of successful musicals can take approximately five years – there is a lot of trial and error.

“Through this wonderful program, Monash can provide an initial foundation to allow musical theatre writers to create and try ambitious new works – this is a crucial process that is often lacking in the creation of new works inAustralia,” said Andrew Strano.

Death Match. Sept. 28-Oct. 7 Jack of Two Trades. Oct. 19-22 mapa.monash.edu - Cheryl Threadgold

Geelong Gallery

● From left: Peter De Ryk, Josie Conway, John Allan, Keith Dorman ■ Members of the Bing Crosby Society to his death he had been making plans for a tour watched a screening of the Bing Crosby film ofAustralia.

Going My Way, at their latest meeting.

A cake was baked for the occasion and enThere was a special supper to mark the suc- joyed by all present. The Society meets at the cess of the society over a period of 40 years. Collingwood Library in Stanton St, Bing was well aware of the society and he Collingwood, next to the Town Hall. used to send messages to his friends in The next meeting will be ay 7.30pm on TuesMelbourne. day, October 17.

Bing passed away in October 1977 and prior - Kevin Trask

■ Fed Williams first noticed the You Yangs in 1957 from the deck of the ship on which he was sailing home to Melbourne from London. Williams commenced gouache painting on the You Yangs in 1962, and the geography provided him with various vantage points to focus on the distinctive rocky outcrops of the place, and the vast expanses of country that opened before him.

Each Sunday, explore highlights of the exhibition in an engaging tour with a gallery guide, from 2pm to 4pm.

The season opened August 19 and closes Sunday November 5.

- Peter Kemp

Page 34 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Observer Showbiz

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Movies, DVDs with Jim Sherlock, Aaron Rourke What’s Hot and What’s Not in Blu-Rays and DVDs FILM: LAND OF MINE: Genre: War/Drama.

Cast: Roland Moller (the Sgt), Louis Hofmann, Joel Baseman, Laura Bro. Year: 2015.

Rating: MA15+ Length: 100 Minutes.

Stars: **** Verdict: Inspired by real events, in the days following the surrender of Germany in May of 1945 in Denmark, a group of young German POWs (mostly teenagers) are forced to defuse and clear a beach of thousands of land mines (approx. 44,000) under the watch of a Danish Sergeant who slowly learns to appreciate their plight. Multiaward-winning film, including 2017 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film, this is a superbly made film, inspired by real events, that is a powerful anti-war testament and nail-biting thriller of post-war revenge and retribution. Filmed in historically authentic locations, the outstanding performances by the young cast, most notably Louis Hofmann and Joel Baseman, they drive this emotion charged story with great effect. Beginning with a cruelly tough unsympathetic approach, and soon followed by striking intimacy and pathos, writerdirector Martin Zandvliet has created an intelligent, sensitive, harrowing, poignant, stirring and thought provoking history lesson void of cliché and executed with unnerving simplicity and unrelenting force in its deceptively serene surroundings that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Footnote: A total of (approx.) 1.5 Million Mines were across the Danish coastline alone. It is believed that more than 2,000 German soldiers were forced to remove mines, and nearly half of them lost their lives or limbs.

FILM: PERSONAL SHOPPER: Genre: Mystery/Drama/Thriller.

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Lars Eidinger, Ty Olwin, Sigrid Bouaziz.

Year: 2016.

Rating: MA15+ Length: 105 Minutes.

Stars: ***½ Verdict: A personal shopper in Paris, who serves wealthy clients, believes she can make contact with her fraternal twin brother who had recently died there of a generic heart condition, which they were both born with, and her life becomes more complicated when inexplicable events occur in her dead brother's house and she starts receiving mysterious text messages from an unknown source. Moody, atmospheric and well paced psychological ghost-story and mystery held together beautifully by a richly refined and compelling performance by Kristen Stewart, under the direction of writer-director Olivier Assayas. More reflective of such haunting classics as "The Uninvited" (1944), Jack Clayton's "The Innocents" (1961), Roman Polanski's "Repulsion" (1965) and Nicolas Roeg's "Don't Look Now" (1973). This is not Tobe Hooper's "Poltergeist" (1982) or John Carpenter's "Halloween" (1978), but a well paced, bewitching and unconventional genre piece with twists and turns in which the emptiness of consumerism, technology and the complexity of present life and the afterlife come together with intelligence, ambiguity and gripping menace. The scene in a hotel is worth the price of purchase or rental alone.

FILM: THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE: Genre: Biography/Drama.

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Daniel Bruhl.

Year: 2017.

Rating: M .

Length: 127 Minutes.

Stars: ***1/2 Verdict: The compelling story inspired by true events of Dr. Jan Zabinski (Johan Heldenbergh) and his wife, Antonina (Jessica Chastain), the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, and the saving of animals and rescue of Jews after the brutal Nazi bombing of Warsaw in Poland in September of 1939. Throughout their extraordinary journey covertly working for the resistance and saving lives out of what has become the Warsaw Ghetto and subsequent uprising, and save the remaining animals of the zoo, Antonina is under the watchful eye of the Reich's newly appointed chief zoologist (Daniel Bruhl).

Effectively directed by Niki Caro (Whale Rider) and written by Angela Workman, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Diane Ackerman, and on the author's use of the personal diaries of Antonina Zabinski. Performances, most notably Jessica Chastain as Antonina Zabinski, the recreations of the times and production design are compelling, and the symbolic references of dialogue and moments between the understanding and importance of animals and humans are prolifically moving. Not quite on par with the powerful "Schindler's List," despite any flaws or weaknesses, this story is one to experience! The film reveals that only 6% of Warsaw's population survived the war. The Zabinskis were eventually recognized by Yad V'shem for their righteous acts, and defiance against the Nazis.

- James Sherlock

Rourke’s Reviews: Studio Ghibli Film Festival

● A lovely moment from the classic animated film My Neighbor Totoro, one of many screening at the Studio Ghibli Film Festival, which commences on August 24.

■ Founded on June 15 1985 (by vice (1989); Porco Rosso (1992); Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Pom Poko (1994); Princess Toshio Suzuki and Yasuyoshi Mononoke (1997); Spirited Away Tokuma), Studio Ghibli has be- (2001) (this won the Academy come one of the most revered, re- Award for Best Animated Film); spected, and beloved animation stu- Howl's Moving Castle (2004); Ponyo (2008); The Wind Rises dios around the world.

While Disney still remain the (2013).

Films By Isao Takahata most famous creators of animated Grave Of The Fireflies (1988); films, Ghibli has managed to leave a very distinctive fingerprint on the Only Yesterday (1991); My Neighindustry themselves, with a body bors The Yamadas (1999); The Tale of work which includes a number Of The Princess Kaguya (2013).

Films By Goro Miyazaki of masterpieces that are as influTales From Earthsea (2006); ential and important as the greatest From Up On Poppy Hill (2011) Disney creations.

This retrospective (consisting of Films By Hiromasa Yonebayashi Arriety (2010); When Marnie 22 films and two documentaries) gives audiences of all ages the Was There (2014).

Yoshifumi Kondo chance to see these beautiful, timeWhisper Of The Heart (1995). less features on the big screen, an Tomomi Mochizuki experience that thousands of AusOcean Waves (1993). tralian families, who have grown Hiroyuki Morita to love these imaginative, meticuThe Cat Returns (2002). lously crafted movies over the last Documentaries three decades, will cherish.

The Kingdom Of Dreams And It's easy to see why these films continue to entrance movie-goers, Madness (2013) - Wonderful docuwith their unique mix of strong char- mentary from Mami Sunada (who acters, well-structured stories, directed the incredibly intimate and fantastical settings, and gorgeous, moving 2011 Ending Note : Death Of A Japanese Salaryman, and was hand-drawn animation.

Will be screening in selected a assistant director on a couple of cinemas (including Cinema Nova films by Hirokazu Kore'eda), deliand Hoyts Melbourne Central), so cately yet comprehensively docuplease check your local guides for ments the making of Hayao Miyazaki's 2013 feature The Wind session times and details.

Enjoy the magic and wonder that Rises.

Isao Takahata And His Tale Of is Studio Ghibli. Here is the list of films playing (presented by Mad- Princess Kaguya (2015) - Another eye-opening documentary that man Entertainment). painstakingly covers the long proFilms By Hayao Miyazaki Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The duction process of The Tale Of The Wind (1984); Laputa : Castle In Princess Kaguya, director The Sky (1986); My Neighbor Takahata's first film in 14 years.

- Aaron Rourke Totoro (1988); Kiki's Delivery Ser-

Top 10 Lists AUGUST 20 to AUGUST 26 THE AUSTRALIAN BOX OFFICE TOP TEN: 1. ANNABELLE: CREATION. 2. DUNKIRK. 3. VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS. 4. WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. 5. ATOMIC BLONDE. 6. THE BIG SICK. 7. BABY DRIVER. 8. WOLF WARRIOR 2.

9. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING. 10. WIND RIVER. NEW RELEASES AND COMING SOON TO CINEMAS AROUND AUSTRALIA: AUGUST 17: GINTAMA, HAMPSTEAD, LOGAN LUCKY, MADAME, POLINA, THE CIRCLE, THE DARK TOWER. AUGUST 24: ALL FOR ONE, AMERICAN MADE, EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING, KILLING GROUND, LOVESTUCK, MAUDIE, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 3D, THE KING'S CHOICE, THE LOST CITY OF Z, VIVEGAM. THE DVD AND BLU-RAY TOP RENTALS & SALES: 1. ALIEN COVENANT [Action/Thriller/Sci-Fi/ Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston].

2. GET OUT [Mystery/Thriller/Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford].

3. KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD [Charlie Hunnam, Eric Bana, Jude Law].

4. SNATCHED [Comedy/Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn].

5. FATE OF THE FURIOUS [Action/Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Kurt Russell].

6. McLAREN [Feature Documentary].

7. A DOG'S PURPOSE [Family/Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton].

8. THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE [Drama/History/ Jessica Chastain, Daniel Bruhl, Johan Heldenbergh].

9. GHOST IN THE SHELL [Sci-Fi/Action/Fantasy/Scarlett Johansson].

Also: DENIAL, BERLIN SYNDROME, GOING IN STYLE, T2: TRAINSPOTTING, LIFE, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, RESIDENT EVIL: VENDETTA, BOSS BABY, THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE, ALONE IN BERLIN. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON DVD THIS WEEK: JOHN WICK 2 [Action/Crime/Thriller/Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane].

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: Volume 2 [Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure/Chris Pratt].

NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK: JOHN WICK 2 [Action/Crime/Thriller/Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane].

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: Volume 2 [Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure/Chris Pratt].

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: Volume 2 3D + Blu-ray [Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure/Chris Pratt].

THE DAM BUSTERS [War/Action/History/Richard Todd].

THE GODFATHER TRILOGY: 45th Anniversary Box Set [Marlon Brando, Al Pacino].

CROSS OF IRON [War/Action/James Coburn, James Mason].

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD [Romance/Drama/Julie Christie, Terence Stamp].

NEW & RE-RELEASE AND CLASSIC MOVIES ON DVD HIGHLIGHTS: THE DAM BUSTERS [War/Action/History/Richard Todd].

THE GODFATHER TRILOGY: 45th Anniversary Box Set [Marlon Brando, Al Pacino].

CROSS OF IRON [War/Action/James Coburn, James Mason].

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD [Romance/Drama/Julie Christie, Terence Stamp].

NEW RELEASE TELEVISION, DOCUMENTARY AND MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS: LOVE CHILD: Season 4.LUCIFER: Season 2.

BLINDSPOT: Season 2.

BLINDSPOT: Seasons 1 and 2.

SUPERGIRL: Season 2.

SUPERGIRL: Seasons 1 and 2.

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 35

Observer Showbiz

Local Theatre with Cheryl Threadgold and team History, History, History ■ Following performances across the UK, Europe and a 2017 Brisbane Festival season, Deborah Pearson’s live documentary History History History premieres in Melbourne with an exclusive season at The Substation as part of Melbourne Fringe.

With dramaturgy by Daniel Kitson, History History History features Pearson performing a live documentary alongside the football comedy film due to premiere at Budapest’s Corvin Cinema on the day of the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the USSR. The battle was fought primarily from the Corvin Cinema and led to one of the largest refugee crises of the 20th century.

The performance, which runs the length of the film, includes interviews with the exiled screenwriter and people involved with the 1956 film.

It explores the connect and disconnect between the personal and the political, reflecting on immigration, suppression and our personal links with history. In its retelling, Pearson unlocks a surprisingly personal story.

Co-founder of Edinburgh’s purveyors of risk taking and risk chasing Forest Fringe, Pearson’s work has toured to four continents and 15 countries and has been translated into five languages.

The Canadian-born, UK-based live artist and playwright has won awards for both her solo practice and her work with UK artist collective Forest Fringe including three Herald Angels, a Scotsman Fringe First, a Peter Brooke Empty Space Award and the Total Theatre Award for Significant Contribution.

Pearson has a PhD in narrative in contemporary performance from Royal Holloway, where she was a Reid Scholar and recently published The Future Show with Oberon books.

Forest Fringe co-director Andy Field joins his colleague in Melbourne for Forest Fringe x Melbourne Fringe – an innovative residency project bringing together local and international artists to explore the streets and spaces of Melbourne’s west.

This experience culminates with a takeover of The Substation in Exchange Lab, where experiments, interventions, talks and reflections fill the space in a free collaborative celebration on September 29.

Date: September 20-23, 8pm Tickets: $15 -$25 Venue: The Substation , 1 Market St, Newport Twitter: @thesubstation_ Facebook: www.facebook.com/ TheSubstationNewport Website: www.thesubstation.org.au

THE MERCY SEAT ● From Page 00 ■ Indeed, it is the intense focus of a relationship under pressure that will ignite the audience’s interest in this production.

Neil LeBute is a film director, screenwriter, playwright and actor.

He is best-known for a play that he wrote and later turned into a film, In the Company of Men (1997). He wrote and directed the films Possession (2002, based on the A.S. Byatt novel), The Shape of Things (2003, based on his play of the same name) and Death at a Funeral (2010).

An independent company, Tangled Web Theatre Productions is brings this timely, intricate production to the stage.

Performance Details: September 1 – 9 Times: September 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 at 8pm; September 2, 9 at 3pm Venue: Gasworks Arts Park, 21 Graham St., Albert Park (Cnr Graham & Pickles Sts.,Albert Park) Tickets: Full: $25 Concession: $22 (Length: 100 minute no interval) Booking: - Online only - http:// www.gasworks.org.au/event/the-mercy-seat/ - Cheryl Threadgold

Female of the Species ■ Many people help make a theatre company succeed, and one of STAG’s assets is Tony Leatch.

He designs, builds and dresses the sets, and his work for The Female of the Species is typical of his outstanding talent.

Rob McDonald’s lighting highlighted the set, giving eye-catching 3D views of the rural landscapes upstage. Of on-stage shadows were there none. The furniture and props were ideal.

Veronica Hannebery handled the never-offstage role of Margot with strength.

She maintained Margot’s in-your-face personality giving the other players a sounding board for their roles.

Kirsten Page was suitably manic with Annie Oakley skills to match. Madeline Barwick came across as ditzy, angry, hopeful and foolish; all

when required.

Lachlan Mason did the well-meaning prat of a husband to a tee. Gilbert Gauci finally got a STAG role where histrionics were required and showcased his full box of tricks.

The role of Theo might well have been written for Dennis Hine St Clair.

Director Mark Stratford maintained the right pace and created a true ensemble piece. All that is required to make this a cracking show is an audience.

The Female of the Species by Joanna Murray-Smith Performance Season: Until August 27 Venue: Strathmore Community Theatre, Loeman St, Strathmore Bookings: 9382 6284 - Review by Cenarth Fox

Last of the Summer Wine SHOWS

SHOWS

■ The 1812 Theatre: Last of the Summer Wine (by Roy Clarke), Until August 26 at 3-5 Rose St., Upper Ferntree Gully. Director: Pip Le Blond. Bookings: 9758 3964 or www.1812theatre.com.au ■ Skin of Our Teeth Productions: A Room with a View (by Emma Louise Watson adapted from novel by E.M. Forster) Until August 26, at the Shenton Theatre, Cnr. Ryrie and Garden Sts., Geelong. Director: Christine Davey. Bookings: chriskppd@westnet.com.au ■ Peridot Theatre: Life After George (by Hannie Rayson) Until August 26 at the Unicorn Theatre, Lechte Rd., Mt Waverley. Director: David Lawson-Smith. Bookings:9808 0770.

■ The Basin Theatre Group: A Happy and Holy Occasion (by John O'Donoghue), Until September 2 at The Basin Theatre, Doongalla Rd., The Basin. Director: Loretta Bishop. Bookings: 1300 784 668 (7.00pm - 9.00pm only) ■ Beaumaris Theatre: August Osage County Until September 2 at Beaumaris Theatre, 82 Wells Rd.., Beaumaris. Director: Fred Pezzimenti. Bookings: www.beaumaristheatre. com.au ■ Cardinia Performing Arts Company (CPAC): Bonnie and Clyde (a new musical) Until September 1 at the Cardinia Cultural Centre, Lakeside Drive, Pakenham. Director: Ryan Lindsay Turner: Musical Director: Ben Heels; Choreographer: Robert Mulholland. Bookings: http://www.cardiniaperformingarts.com/bookings ■ PEP Productions: Caravan (by Donald McDonald) Until August 26 at Doncaster Playhouse, 679 Doncaster Rd., Doncaster. Director: Lorraine Millar. Bookings: pep.productions06@ gmail.com : https://www.trybooking.com/ QMNR ■ Wyndham Theatre Company: The Vicar of Dibley Until August 26 at the CrossRoads Theatre, Cnr Synnot St. and Duncans Rd., Werribee. Director: George Benca. Bookings: www.trybooking.com ■ Strathmore Theatrical Arts Group (STAG): The Female of the Species (by Joanna MurraySmith), Until August 27 at the Strathmore Community Theatre, Cnr Loeman and Napier Sts., Strathmore. Director: Mark Stratford. Bookings: www.stagtheatre.org ■ Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company: High Society (by Cole Porter from the book by Arthur Kopit) Until September 2 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 39 - 41 Castella St., Lilydale.

Director: Alan Burrows. Bookings: 9735 1777.

■ Brighton Theatre Company: The Garden of Granddaughters (by Stephen Sewell) Until September 2 at the Bayside Cultural Centre, Cnr Wilson and Carpenter Sts., Brighton. Director: Andrew Ferguson. Bookings: 1300 752 126.

■ The Mount Players: The Full Monty Until

September 10 at the Mountview Theatre, 56 Smith St., Macedon. Director: Leo Vandervalk.

Bookings: 5426 1892.

■ OCPAC (Old Carey PerformingArts Club): Sweet Charity September 1 - 23 at MGH, Carey Boys Grammar School, Bakers Rd., Kew. Tickets: $35/$30. Bookings: https://chook.as/ocpac/ sweet-charity www.ocpac.com.au ■ Track Youth Theatre: Superheroes September 1 at 7.30pm, September 2 at 2.00pm and 7.30pm at the Renaissance Theatre, 826 High St., East Kew. Tickets: $20/$12.50. Bookings: www.trybooking.com/QJDK ■ Melbourne French Theatre: Every Trick in the Book (by Georges Feydeau) September 7 16 at the Pop-up Theatre, 203-205 Canning St., Carlton. Director: Alec Gilbert. Booking details: www.melbournefrenchtheatre.org.au ■ Phoenix Theatre Company: Rock of Ages September 8- 16 at Doncaster Playhouse. Bookings: www.phoenixtheatrecompany.org ■ Tangled Web Productions: The Mercy Seat (by Neil LeBute) September 1 - 9 at Gasworks Arts Park, 21 Graham St.,Albert Park (Cnr Pickles and Graham Sts.) Tickets: Full $25, consc. $22. Duration: 100 minutes, no interval. Bookings: http://www.gasworks.org.au/event/themercy-seat/ ■ Heidelberg Theatre Company: The Club (by David Williamson) September 8 - 23 at 36 Turnham Ave.., Rosanna. Director: Gavin Williams. Bookings: 9457 4117 www.htc.org.au ■ Williamstown Little Theatre: The Seafarer (by Conor McPherson) September 7 - 23 at 2-4 Albert St., Williamstown. Director: Bruce Akers.

Bookings: 9885 9678 www.wlt.org.au ■ Adelphi Players Theatre Company: Love Letters (by A. R. Gurney) September 9 - 17 at the Booran Road Hall, 264 Booran Rd., Ormond.

Director: Michael Mace. Tickets: $15/$12.

Bookings: 9690 1593.

AUDITIONS ■ Williamstown Little Theatre: The 39 Steps (by Patrick Barlow) September 3 at 2.00pm and September 4 at 7.00pm at 2 Albert St., Williamstown. Director: Barbara Hughes. Audition bookings: 0458 134 469.

■ Brighton Theatre Company: The Return (by Reg Cribb) September 4, 5 at 7.30pm at 7.30pm at Brighton Theatre, Cnr Wilson and Carpenter Sts., Brighton. Director: Deborah Fabbro. Audition bookings: 0416 141 838 or orbbaf@ozemail.com.au ■ Essendon Theatre Company: Unnecessary Farce (by Paul Slade Smith) September 19 at 7.30pm and September 24 at 2pm at the Bradshaw St. Community Hall, Bradshaw St., West Essendon. Director: George Benca. Audition bookings: georgebenca@gmail.com 0419 591 517.

COMPLETELY IMPROVISED POTTER ■ If you were one of the many people disappointed that The Cursed Child is yet to come to Melbourne, don’t panic.

Completely Improvised Potter is billed as the next best thing, being presented at The Butterfly Club until August 27..

Using an audience-suggested title drawn from the Goblet of Fire, Completely Improvised Potter will have audiences forgetting the show which Must-Not-Be-Named (The Cursed Child) and ready to indulge in the wizarding world of potions ... or cocktails.

The cast of Completely Improvised Potter solemnly swear that they are up to no good as they create brand new adventures before audiences.

More magical than Merlin and funnier than a trip to Zonko’s, the show will appeal to Gryffindor and Slytherin alike.

Completely Improvised Potter’s cast features veterans of the Big Hoo-haa!, the Improv Conspiracy, Impro Melbourne, Soothplayers, and graduates of the VCA, Fed Uni, and Chicago’s iO Theatre. Tickets are selling fast.

Performance Dates: Until August 27 at 8.30pm Venue: The Butterfly Club, Melbourne CBD. Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com

MAYBE THIS TIME

● Zeb Direen ■ Can a non-binary person win love, succeed in auditions, and keep their job without changing their socks?

Maybe This Time is an emotional comedy cabaret, based on true stories of Hobart performing artist Zeb, being presented from September 25 – October 1 at 5.30pm at The Butterfly Club.

Getting ready in the morning should be simple, but not for people like Zeb, with every decision they make impacting how they are seen by the people around them.

They work, audition, and go clubbing, all the while double checking every action so they can continue to sit elegantly on the tipping point between masculine and feminine (OK, maybe they want to tip more towards feminine).

How do they stay sane, you may ask?

That’s simple: by singing their favourite musical escapist songs.

Zeb Direen (pillow seller, crayon collector, insulin taker) has written Maybe This Time to shed light on the everyday frustrations they face not fitting into a gender binary, and performing in it because only they can.

“I made this work, or continued making this work, because of the frequency I have to ask people or correct people when using male/masculine pronouns and descriptors when talking about me,” says Zeb. “I want people to leave my performance thinking about the assumptions we make with gender with beautiful music still ringing in their ears.”

Zeb will be joined on keyboard by Melbourne-based classically-trained pianist Nicholas Gray, who has accompanied cabaret performers such as Mama Alto, Ilana Charnelle, and Leanne Chuan.

He has also written and produced two original musicals with his partner Caleb Darwent, Sophisticated Lady and The Adulteresses, both of which received sell-out shows and stellar reviews.

Dates: September 25 – October 1 Times: 5:30pm (55 min) Venue: The Butterfly Club Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com.au

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Page 36 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 g

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Melbourne

Observer

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Lovatts Crossword No 7 Across

1. Portion 5. Appliance, ... cleaner 8. Gluttony 11. Coloured-tile design 14. Nit-picker 18. On the sick list 19. The U of IOU 20. Zigzag pattern 23. Chef's garment 24. Scandalous 27. Entice 28. Beeped (horn) 29. Debates 31. Fuzzy leather 32. Crush (fly) 34. Roof edges 36. Fantasise 37. Not even once 38. Toddlers 39. More unfriendly 41. Ardent 44. Certainly 47. Dance 49. Equally balanced 50. Gazed fixedly 52. Bill 54. Recess 56. Restaurant list 58. Throw out of house 60. Most awful 62. Young dogs 64. Rain heavily 66. Egyptian snakes 67. Avoided 70. Measuring rod 71. In control, at the ...

72. Singing voices 73. Finished 74. Cupid's shaft 75. Climbing vegetable 77. Armoured vehicle 79. Dominate (market) 83. Pummelled 85. Unusually 87. Exhaust (supply) 89. Wandering 91. Gratifying 94. Stressed 97. Declare 98. Scenes 99. Questionable 100. Court fine 103. Column 105. Custodian 107. General pardon 110. Pork cut, ... ribs 111. Relaxes 114. Renovate (ship) 116. Frosty 118. Exclusive 120. Expressing contempt 122. Hue 124. Screen collie 126. Vibrated noisily 129. Divides 132. Castle entrance 136. Borders 139. Falsify 140. Quantity of paper 142. Fracas 145. Edit (text) 146. Splendid sight 148. Halt 150. Chopped down 152. Outlook 154. Remain

Across

Down

1. Covering for feet 156. Ticket remnant 2.

Pained expression 157. Become septic 3.

Orient 159. Hand-make (jumper) 4.

Duration of presidency 161. Eiffel Tower city 5. Long narrow prospect 164. Surplus 6. Greatest 167. Essential 7. Glove 169. Slightest 8. Cheer 171. Canoodle 9. Ghostly 10. Charismatic 173. Happen 11. Assaulted & robbed 174. Periodic 12.

Tranquil 177. Socially excluded 13.

Bring about 180. Anglican parish priest 14. Price of passage 183. In an unspecified way 15. Aromatic herb 187. Leaps over 16. Advocate 190. Pencil rubber 17. Walrus teeth 192. Constant 21. Body's building blocks 194. Book publicity hype196. Ever 22. Phantom Of The ...

25. Engine booster 197. Of the sun 26. Befuddle 198. Musical pace 28.

Gently 200. Peace offering, ... branch 30.

Calming drug 201. Male sibling 33. Language 203. Root vegetable 35. Compete 205. Sport, Rugby ...

38. Toughen (steel) 207. Willingly 40. Moral 209. Drain 42. Utter (cry) 43. Location 211. Improper 45. Tidings 213. Undergarment 46. Wheat tips 215. Powered bike 48.

Guacamole ingredient 217. Ambience 49.

Furthest limits 220. Portable light 51. Dashes 222. Lockjaw 53. Mulish 224. Nobleman 55. Well-behaved child, little ...

227. Recognition 57. Unmoved 228. Welcoming 59. Relinquish (land) 61. Ready for business 232. Kitchen flooring 62.

Pluto or Earth 234. Circuit-breaker 63.

Suggestion 237. Leather strap 65. Planned movement 239. Golf club 66. * symbol 240. Goodbye 68. Hard Italian cheese 241. Warm & cosy 69. Dentist's tools 242. Port style 76. Likely 244. Considering 78. Much ... About Nothing 245. Small religious group 80. Fleur-de-lis 81. Jittery 247. Booming 82.

Dog, cocker ...

250. Stimulates 84.

Water tank 251. Adversary 85.

Matures 252. Type of bee 86. Dozes 253. Depart 88. Wicked 255. Packing boxes 90. Approachable 257. Shattered 92. Meeting schedule 260. Skin eruptions 93. Diaper 95. Rock or jazz 264. Comfort 96. Scope 266. Affixed with spikes 101.

Rainbow shapes 267. Judas' payment, ... pieces of 102.

Determined individual silver 103.

District 270. Astonish 104. Zone 273. Principles 106. Acting sovereign 274. Jetty 108. North American deer 275. Craze 109. Prince Edward, ... of Wessex 277. Not drunk 110. Sluggish 112. TV studio filming area 279. Treadle 113. Feminine pronoun 281. Seethe 115. Excursion 283. In force (of license) 117. Secretes 285. Ledger entry 119. Pine or palm 286. Annul 121. Notion 287. Dreary 123. Unnerve 290. Dries up 124. Beach rescuer 291. Follow 125. Caustic 292. Salad dressing 127. Docile 128. High hits 293. Mongrel 130. The same 294. Pose for artist 131. Cheek whiskers 295. Loathes 133. Wonderment 296. Paper hanky 134. Nags 297. Sloop or ketch 135. Grass colour 298. Ice-cream dessert 137. Deadly poison 299. Topic 138. Fury

Down 141. Keenly perceptive 143. Raise (children) 144. Belonging to whom?

147. Hopeless wish, ... in the sky 149. Mountains 151. Labours 153. Is able to 155. Lovable 157. Room base 158. Bladder 160. Decorate with pictures 162. Tiny particle 163. Creep (towards) 165. Beast of burden 166. Here ..., gone tomorrow 168. French brandy 170. Additionally 172. Loose hood 175. Hanker after 176. Hatchets 178. Slothful 179. Dodge 181. Plant seed 182. Written material 184. Elect 185. Deciduous tree 186. Woodwind instrument 188. Second-hand 189. Suit-maker 191. Regal 193. Speaking to crowd 195. Fixed procedure 196. Ward off 199. Copious 202. Legacy 204. Traitor 206. Female relative 208. Hunger 209. Wound mark 210. Bombard 212. Residences 213. Beat up 214. Current units 215. Interim 216. Camera stand 218. Arm joints 219. Each person 221. Sped on foot 223. Flightless bird 225. Bore diameter 226. On fire 229. Lungs & liver 230. Plagiarised 231. Home (duties) 233. Single thing 235. Acidic 236. Civilian wartime prisoner 238. Honey drink 243. Heavenly spirits 245. Half 246. Blister-like pouch 248. Gambling chances 249. Extinct bird 254. Inaccurate 255. Free from blame 256. Allow in 258. Enigma 259. Serious-minded 261. State further 262. Undulating 263. Four-door car 265. Straddling 268. Pester 269. Minimise 271. Hosiery garment 272. Improvement (in economy) 274. Beg 276. Skilled 278. Fundamental 280. Die down 282. Flour cereal 283. Promises 284. Schoolboys 288. Geological eras 289. Handle

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 37

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24 29

35

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33

12

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282

Page 38 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Observer Victorian Sport Melbourne

Hey Doc firms for Memsie ■ Australian Guineas winner Hey Doc proved he could be the one to beat in the Memsie Stakes, the first of the big group races coming up at Caulfield on September 2, after his big win at Flemington.

Hey Doc, now four, proved he is right on the ball with a strong win up the straight in the Aurie Star at Flemington over the 1200 metre trip.

Prepared by leading trainer, Tony Mc Evoy, he proved fit enough first-up, with a powerful finish, catching the consistent Cannyescent on the line.

Hey Doc has firmed into second favoritism for the classic at the Heath, behind the classy Black Heart Bart, who will definitely improve on his first-up run in the Peter Lawrence.

Black Heart Bart, in the powerful stable of Darren Weir, always puts in, and is the one to beat.

Likewise the Sydney mare, Yankee Rose, coming off a third to the mighty Winx in the Cox Plate last year.

Her trainer, David Van Dyke, said that she will do all her racing in Melbourne up to an including the Spring carnivals.

On the next line is the Sydney galloper, Le Roman, who is with top mentor, Kris Lees, who has a ton of ability, but may need the run.

Former world number one sprinter, Lankan Rupee, will having his second run after a lengthy break, at the time of going to press he was to run the Spring Stakes in Sydney.

Now eight, he put in a good run on a heavy track at Sandown, to just get beaten in the Bletchingly Handicap by promising young sprinter, Ability.

If he butters up in the Memsie, it would be his third run back after a long injury spell.

I am looking at Black Heart Bart and Hey Doc as the main chances.

Connolly the King

■ Well-known author John Macnaughtan has turned his writing prowess to the history of the one of the most colourful people ever to grace the Sport of Kings, in Eric Connolly.

This will be the third book with which John has been associated with; the first was a history of the Mordialloc Football Club, with which he had been with for 35 years, and the second, a history of the Epsom Racecourse on its closure, which he co-authored with Veronica Hahn.

John started his book on Connolly's exploits some six years ago when researching the Epsom book.

He said he was hooked when he found that at the age of 23, Connolly owned/trained the winner of the 1904 Grand National Steeplechase winner, from his stables located in Mordialloc.

The thing that distinguishes Connolly from the current trainer is that he owned and trained them from stables that were restricted to accommodating eight horses at a time.

Yet his successes included two Newmarket Handicaps, Melbourne Stakes (later the L.K.S.McKinnon Stakes), the Oakleigh Plate, Caulfield Stakes, the Williamstown Cup, and the Metropolitan Handicap.

The other distinguishing feature was his generosity.

He conducted an open house in Brighton, where his two daughters worked tirelessly to raise funds for needy causes.

The title of the Book is Money Lost Nothing Lost Courage Lost Everything Lost, which is a phrase coined by Connolly and has relevance to all punters today.

The book has been beautifully put together with 220 pages with over 100 photographs.

The final step is to locate a sponsor or benefactor to cover the cost of printing for the book estimated at $10,000 for 1000 copies.

What a fascinating read and look it will be.

● Hey Doc back to his best with a strong win the Aurie Star St Flemington. have their big day on February 27 , next year.

It is a scoop by the Club mainly due to the efforts of the top man, John Sweeney who works tirelessly for both organisations.

I am looking forward being part of the action on the big day.

Ted Ryan

Inglis 150 years

■ The William Inglis Company continues to celebrate 150 years in business, with their August Thoroughbred Sale at their magnificent complex at Tullamarine.

This Friday (Aug. 25), the company will get the show underway early at 10am with their first Season Stallion Parade, with the sale getting under way at 10.30am.

The Broodmares are first to go under the hammer, Lots 1 to 62, to be brought into the sale ring.

They will be followed by the Stallion lot 63.

Then there will be the yearlings Lots from 64-75. Unbroken Lots are next ranging from 76 to 81.

The race fillies are mares, Lots 82 through till Number 138, and are sure to attract plenty of attention with the breeding scene very hot at the moment.

The sale will wind up with race colts and geldings to go under the hammer being Lots 139 to 167.

It is always a pleasant day even if you're not a buyer, it is an interesting day at the magnificent complex at Oaklands Junction, right next door to Tullamarine.

Hope to catch you there, especially if you haven't been before.

- Ted Ryan

Miles launch

■ Great racecaller Greg Miles who recently retired after calling a record 36 Melbourne Cups, will launch the book at the Woodlands Golf Club and the National Jockeys’ Trust where they will

● Lankan Rupee. Photos: Racing Photos

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Wine Column ■ Mudgee's Robert Stein Winery and Vineyard was established in the mid-1970s but the family's connection with Australian wine goes back to 1838, when Johann Stein migrated from Germany and brought with him our first riesling cuttings.

They apparently thrived under his supervision at Camden Park, the Macarthur family's property not far from Sydney.

Johann's brother, Jacob, established his own vineyard, Sandal Farm, also towards Sydney's south-west.

In 1976, Robert Stein revived the family's connection with wine when he planted vines at Mudgee, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Robert was helped by his son Andrew in establishing the vineyard and grandson Jacob in now the winemaker at one of the district's most acclaimed wineries.

Jacob and his team produce quite a broad range of wines, but, understandably, given their Germanic roots, are particularly proud of their rieslings.

Robert Stein 2017 Riesling ($30) I've never really thought of Mudgee as a riesling district, though the wines produced

by Ian MacRae at Miramer during the 1980s, when I lived and made wine near the town, should have convinced me of the variety's potential there.

And Jacob Stein, winemaker at Robert Stein Winery and a descendent of the Jacob Stein mentioned above, is also turning out some very useful rieslings.

This certainly shows in this wine's varietal hallmark citrus and floral notes.

I'm drinking it on its own as an aperitif, and its dry and highly more-ish, but I'd also like to try it with some freshly caught, quickly seared white-fleshed fish such as bream.

Robert Stein 2017 Half-Dry Riesling ($35) I always take a bit more personal interest than usual when tasting a release from Mudgee's Stein Winery and Vineyard.

It's because some years ago Robert Stein, who planted his vineyard in the mid70s, confessed that when designing his own winery he had copied in miniature the winery I had helped design and construct a few years earlier not that far away.

His grandson Jacob is making wine there now and doing a splendid job, as shown by this wonderful riesling that carries just a little bit of residual sweetness.

Like its completely dry brother, the wine has some bracing acidity but shows more fullness of flavour.

Hence it will carry food that's a bit richer, so serve, for instance, with fish that has a creamy or buttery sauce.

Cockburn's 2011 Late Bottled Vintage Port Most reasonable ports consumed in Australia are tawny ports.

They're generally a golden brown in colour hence the name - and fairly sweet.

They've been matured in barrels and should ready to drink very soon after botting.

Vintage ports are usually a deep red in colour and have been bottle quite early in their life and should improve with many years of bottle maturation.

Late-bottled vintage ports, such as this beauty from Portugal, sort of combine bits of both styles, though this is certainly drier than most Australian tawnies.

I like it a great deal, mostly because I not overwhelmed by initial sweetness, but also because it offers a genuine mouthful of elegant flavour.

Drink with cheese and crackers, after dinner with some really good friends.

- John Rozentals

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 39

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Page 40 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 41

DINDI SAWMILL Supplying Quality Hardwood Timber • STOCKYARD RAILS • BRIDGE TIMBER • FENCING MATERIAL • BUILDING MATERIALS • SPECIALTY BIG END TIMBERS, UP TO 8 METRES

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Page 42 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Eildon

Eildon

Alexandra

Alexandra

NEW

Renovators Delight, Cute Eildon Cottage • 2 good sized bedrooms • Currently leased for $145 Per Week • Original raw floor boards throughout • Brand new carport, Neat Back yard on 642m2 $155,000

Room for the boat! :• 3 Bedrooms plus study or fourth bedroom • Renovated Kitchen and Bathroom • Large corner block • Currently leased for $260 PW • Great holiday home of investment $250,000

Taggerty

Rustic style country living with magnificent views • Mud brick home on 53Ac of creek flats and hill country • Offering 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

200 Acres on the Crystal Creek • Tidy 3 bedroom fibro home with split system • Undercover entertaining deck and double carport • Undulating to rising hill country with part grazing and part bush. Mature nut trees and a variety of fruit trees • Abundant water supply with potable bore and new tanks $465,000

Alexandra

• Semi-permanent creek, 3 dams and stockyards • 3 large water tanks, carport shed and workshop $650,000

Sales Specialists I Belinda Hocking 0418 115 574 Sales and Property Services I Jessica Bates 0437 533 236 Property Management I Sarah Brockhus 0457 537 222

Property Investment Starts Here!

• 2 bedrooms, 2 bathroom brick unit • Open plan design with split system • Single lock up garage • Fully enclosed private courtyard • Currently leased at $225 PW until November, 2017. $260,000

Alexandra

Work From Home! :• 3 bedroom home with commercial 2 zoning • Large shed with concrete floor, roller door & power • Approx 864sqm with a double carport • High ceilings and original sash windows $239,000

Great Investment, Low Maintenance • 3 large bedrooms, 2 way bathroom • Open plan living with split system • High ceilings and timber dado features • Lock-up garage and workshop • Leased for $270.00p.w. to great tenants $279,500. View By Appointment

Landmark Harcourts Alexandra 56 Grant Street, Alexandra I 5772 3444

Yea

Renovated Period Home in the Heart of Town This exquisite Period Cottage has been tastefully renovated, is located in a picturesque part of town. It is in the heart of Yea and is currently a Bed and Breakfast.

An inspection would reveal the charm of a bygone era with all modern facilities.

There are two generous sized bedrooms, family bathroom and open plan living encompassing kitchen with modern appliances and stunning vaulted ceiling, dining space behind an exposed chimney and living with fireplace, Nectre wood heater and rev cycle air-conditioner.

There are Baltic Floor boards, High Ceilings and doors to match the period.

Outside is a wonderful “Chardonnay” deck to watch the world go by, trees, mature planting and off street parking space.

Location Location Location!

Downsizer?-Investor? –First homebuyerthen this one will suit.

Landmark Harcourts Yea 56 High Street, Yea I 5797 2799

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017 - Page 43

Page 44 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, August 23, 2017

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