16 minute read
Local Photos 34 Unreliable Guide 36 Headnoise 38 Satire
Subject Over the Rainbow Location Clovelly Photographer Pauline Wall
Subject Ferocious Fernie Location Centennial Park Photographer Beatrice Lefebvre
Subject Jolly Jethro Location Coogee Photographer @lozzapix Subject Surf Check Location Maroubra Photographer Mark Hunter
Subject Frozen in Time Location Seelands Photographer Sophia Morgan
Subject Seagulls in Flight Location Bondi Photographer Graeme Bogan
Subject Eavesdropping Location Coogee Photographer Alan Wang
Subject Storm Damage Location Coogee Photographer Claudia Lovett Subject Morning Conversations Location Coogee Photographer Theresia Hall @theresia.g.hall
Subject Stormy Location Gordon's Bay Photographer Martin Bloom
Subject Daybreak Location Clovelly Photographer Theresia Hall @theresia.g.hall
Allow debate to challenge stupid ideas.
The Unreliable Guide to... Cancel Culture
Words Nat Shepherd Photo Jack Dorsey
This is still such a buzz expression that even my grandparents have started saying it. For them, it expresses the fear that if they carry on saying the old, un-politically correct things they used to enjoy saying out loud an angry mob will appear and bar them from society (or worse, their local pub). Of course, no one really gives a monkey’s what ridiculous notions they may have about politics, gay marriage or various racial demographics because they are not celebrities and they have no platform. But should celebrities be held accountable for what they say and be punished if they offend us? It’s a tricky question and it’s making a lot of people on both sides very angry.
The Power of Platform
Today, more than ever, thanks to social media, celebrities can air their opinions to millions. Corporations know this, that’s why they pay people like George Clooney or Johnny Depp vast sums to drink coffee, wear a certain watch or waft about in fancy gear to express the loveliness of some overpriced perfume. We all accept their power to promote goods, but when celebrities start promoting certain political points of view that diverge from the current dogma it can cause a riot.
While Trump’s accusation that the goal of cancel culture is to make “decent Americans” live in fear of being fired, expelled, shamed, humiliated and driven from society is pure right-wing rhetoric, lots of celebrities have been given a hard time recently for saying what they think. Graham Linehan, creator of Father Ted and The IT Crowd, has been thoroughly cancelled for allegedly transphobic comments and his planned Father Ted musical has been axed.
Linehan believes “every comedian at the moment is living under a kind of state of permanent blackmail… if they step on the wrong side of any particular line… (they’ll) be destroyed.” If that sounds a bit dramatic, bear in mind that writer and feminist JK Rowling claims she’s had “endless death and rape threats and (her) family address posted online with a picture of a bomb making manual,” for her comments on some trans issues. I don’t know the nuances of what was said by whom, and I’m not a trans person so I’m not going to wade into that, but this seems an extreme reaction. Linehan and Rowling were both liberal darlings not so long ago. Rowling in particular is an active campaigner for human rights, does work for Amnesty International and seems to be a fairly decent human being. Even if you don’t agree with every word she says, is it a good idea to cancel a person like that when Trump, Putin and Tony Abbott still live and breathe?
Freedom of Speech is Vital
It is important to know what other people are thinking. The danger of AI guided platforms like Twitter and Facebook is that they guide us into an echo chamber of our own point of view, where even a slight transgression from the collective doctrine is seen as heresy. Meanwhile, in another bubble, people are happily saying things that would make your hair curl and you have no way of offering another perspective.
People don’t stop being racist and homophobic just because you won’t let them speak, they just find new forums with people who agree and reinforce their views. That’s why freedom of speech is so important; debate challenges stupid ideas, offers other perspectives and can even rectify wrong thinking. But if people can’t even voice these ideas you can’t hope to get in their heads and make them see sense.
Finally, The Unreliable Guide worries that what was intended to be a way to make celebrities accountable has become a punishing censorship that ignores the nuances of meaning and an individual’s overall intention. Meanwhile, the real nutjobs can nurture their misconceptions in a private echo chamber of hatred over which we have no say at all.
Mayor's Message
Bondi Pavilion community reopening
Waverley Council invites you to join our grand community reopening of Bondi Pavilion from 6pm Thursday 22 September, and continuing through to the end of the spring school holidays.
This will be the public’s first look inside our newly restored heritage venue which Council will be activating from reopening night onwards with live music, performances, architecture tours, Bondi Story Room talks, a bar service, the Waverley Art Prize and more! Our seven new artists and collectives in residence for the inaugural Bondi Pavilion Housewarming Program are also bringing their engaging art and ideas to the restored Pavilion, supporting its ‘artist-first’ ethos.
We can’t wait to reveal our two-year restoration which is nothing short of spectacular! For details about our reopening and special events that will be taking place, visit bondipavilion.com.au
Bronte Pool improvements
Waverley Council recently voted to investigate options for resurfacing Bronte Pool to make it safer for swimmers and better equipped to withstand hazardous surf conditions which have seen large pieces of the pool surface damaged or break away. Council will investigate the appropriateness and cost effectiveness of reverting to the original style of pool surface of lime as well as other surfaces suitable to the hostile ocean environment and flexible enough to accommodate natural movement of the pool. Council has spent considerable time, effort and money on resurfacing the pool to ensure it operates and is maintained at a level that is appropriate given its popularity and is safe to use.
2022 Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award
On September 27, Council will be announcing the shortlist for the 2022 Nib Literary Award. The Nib is awarded to nominated published works of any genre that best fulfill the award criteria.
Winners will be announced at a public event at Bondi Pavilion in November.
Destination Hall Street
Waverley Council is currently consulting our community about a six-month trial to transform Hall Street into a pedestrian friendly space with outdoor dining, street gardens and creative lighting.
Council received a $500,000 grant through the state government’s Streets as Shared Spaces program to revitalise the popular beachside shopping strip between Gould Street and Glenayr Avenue by introducing a range of proposed measures including dedicated outdoor dining spaces on both sides of the street, introduction of a oneway street (between Gould and O’Brien) with no loss of parking, introduction of a new plaza space with more greenery and improved signage and lighting to make the space accessible for day and night-time trading.
The Hall Street upgrade will be piloted for six months and we have been busy consulting with our residents and businesses to help inform a range of proposed temporary measures in the trial.
Paula Masselos, Mayor of Waverley
The original Twitter.
No News is Good News
Words Jeremy Ireland Photo Eddard Stark
What impels us to seek news? Back in ye olden days it was literally a way of gathering information. “What news from the South?” you’d say. You might be given a note, perhaps from a raven, or receive a scroll with a wax seal, or perhaps it was verbal, received in person from someone who rode a horse or even ran for three days to deliver it. As technology improved, the speed with which we received our news increased - newspapers, telegrams, radio and even the good old-fashioned telephone brought massive change. With the invention of television, sitting down to watch the news became part of our daily routine, and with that it also became marketable.
Today, news is instantaneous. We have 24hour news channels on TV and radio, and of course we also have the Internet. Apps send us notifications at all hours, email is instant and news websites provide constant updates. This we all know, but maybe over time we have forgotten what the word news really means. News is actually an acronym - North, East, West, South - meaning to seek information and tidings from each corner of our known world. Modern news bulletins are truly global, coming from every corner of our planet. It is incessant, despite having any real impact on us in a local sense at all.
Sure, we don’t live in what you might call the Dark Ages anymore, but it’s worth asking the question, what is the news of today actually providing for us, and is it healthy for our wellbeing? In search of an answer, I decided to do an experiment. I watched a news bulletin from a 24-hour news channel and assessed how I felt at the end of it. Please bear with me here, but it started with the Australian State of the Environment Report, then the heat wave in Europe, record COVID numbers in Queensland, Victorian schools pushing for a mask mandate, a child dying in South Australia due to criminal neglect, a car crash (which those in the business call ‘ambulance chasing’), carbon monoxide poisoning in a house, gas supply threats nationwide, copyright threats to indigenous art, a plane crash in Somalia, war in Ukraine, the Aussie dollar dropping in value and the stockmarket tanking. Sport then followed for some light relief, and then the weather, which is a depressing enough story in itself. It was pretty much all negative, most of it beyond my capacity to do anything about, and in all honesty it left me feeling pretty helpless, if not a bit stressed and anxious.
I want to make clear that keeping informed by the way of news is useful, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that consuming too much news on a daily basis can have a direct impact on our thinking, emotions and behaviour. Throughout a crisis like COVID and the recent weather events it is often critical to be informed, but if it is overwhelming us it might be time to reconsider why we’re watching it.
Can watching the news impact mental health? Yes, of course it can. COVID is a good example of this, with news bulletins compounding stress levels with a constant stream about the disease on a minute-by-minute basis during what was already a stressful time. According to one psychological report, much of the news we watch today isn’t so much reporting as it is a way of keeping people addicted to the news cycle. When COVID was breaking news in 2020 we were glued to the TV, worried about what would happen. Sensational news headlines get attention; the more dramatic, the better. The emotional toll of negative news has been proven time and time again through research. There is a definite link between watching news and its effect on the sympathetic nervous system that controls stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Too much of these hormones can be bad for your health.
If you feel like the sky is falling in every time you watch the news, the good news is that it isn’t. Staying informed is one thing, but it’s something else if you’re feeling swallowed up by it. If this is you, perhaps set a limit on how much news you consume each day, choose how you want to receive it, and get it from reliable sources. Even try going without it for a while and see how you feel. Remember, no news really can be good news.
Have you got a question? You can get in touch with Jeremy by calling 0400 420 042.
Randwick News
Recently, I attended the Yay Little Bay community celebration that recognised the passion and hard work of the community members who campaigned alongside Council to halt the proposal by Meriton to build an oversized apartment complex in an area known for its low-key, village-like feel. Last month, Council voted to hold a similar celebration in Matraville to thank the No More Incinerators group and community members who worked with Council to successfully put a stop to the proposed Matraville incinerator. Both of these campaigns have seen grassroots groups and Council working together for a common goal – to protect the amenity of Randwick City. We make a great team! In the meantime, the core business of Council continues with improvements happening all over Randwick City. We recently opened a new inclusive playspace at Maroubra’s Coral Sea Park, which allows children of all abilities to play together, including those with physical disabilities, mobility impairments or spectrum disorders such as autism. Our Ocean Pool Restoration Project has seen new coping installed around the edges of Malabar Ocean Pool and Mahon Pool in Maroubra, creating a smoother, more comfortable surface to walk on. The Ross Jones pool in South Coogee is next on the list. Works have just started at Meeks Street Plaza in Kingsford to create a more welcoming area for people to sit and gather, enjoy shaded outdoor space and take advantage of outdoor furniture to eat takeaway food from restaurants in the area. Keep an eye on our website for more projects that will be starting in the coming months, we have lots of upgrades and improvements in the works for the rest of 2022.
Councillor Dylan Parker
Mayor of Randwick Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker
What’s On
UNTIL SUNDAY 25 SEPTEMBER ART EXHIBITION: VISUALISATION, BY THE RANDWICK ART SOCIETY
Lionel Bowen Library, 669-673 Anzac Parade, Maroubra Free
EVERY MONDAY UNTIL 19 SEPTEMBER BUILD YOUR OWN LED SMART LAMP
4-6pm, Lionel Bowen Library, 669-673 Anzac Parade, Maroubra $30, bookings essential
THURSDAY 15 SEPTEMBER AUTHOR TALK: ELEANOR LIMPRECHT, AUTHOR OF THE COAST
7-8pm, Royal Randwick Shopping Centre, Level 1 Free, bookings essential
SUNDAY 18 SEPTEMBER ECO LIVING FESTIVAL
10am-3pm, Randwick Community Centre, 27 Munda Street, Randwick
A gift from Gladys.
Prepare to Rejoice at Your New House of Worship
Satire Kieran Blake, kieranblakewriter.org Photo Cath Edral
Attendance at Sydney’s new house of worship will be compulsory for Eastern Suburbs locals once the glittering Sydney Football Stadium reopens in September.
Residents from Bondi to Botany Bay will be forced to worship false idols on a weekly basis, and be forced to pay tithes to the broad church that is Australian sport in order to recover the cost of the $828 million redevelopment at Moore Park.
Compulsory attendance at games involving the Sydney Roosters, NSW Waratahs and Sydney FC will expose the populace to society’s greatest role models, and will address the moral decline of a region which rejected traditional values for new-age pastel belief systems. It marks the dying wish of the nation’s most faithful martyr before his political execution, and is the most significant legacy of another great and powerful leader who fought tirelessly to deliver this gleaming temple to her once loyal subjects before succumbing to temptation.
“It is abundantly clear that services with no charge are undervalued in Australia’s increasingly secular society,” explained the faithful martyr, “and the collection of tithes from those attending the SFS will instil a deeper appreciation of the spiritual benefits of attending this shrine to capitalism.”
Attendees who forego weekly services, in lieu of celebrations such as the battle of the Cockroach and the Cane Toad, will contribute a far more generous tithe to compensate for their absence.
“It is also expected that compulsory attendance at these weekly services will persuade Eastern Suburbs residents to return to traditional values.”
Tithes from the faithful will also cover the cost of hosting the privileged members of the closed societies who will worship from exalted positions within their glass towers. From on high, the chosen ones can survey the walls of the SFS adorned with idolatrous images of money lenders and peddlers of products provoking all manner of licentious and destructive behaviour among the masses.
The first residents rostered on to fulfil their obligations will hear the sermon of the Rooster vs the Rabbit on September 2, after which hundreds of animals representing the vanquished team will be ritually sacrificed in order to appease the lords of the airwaves who succeeded in delivering the glittering edifice to The Emerald City. Devotees will also be blessed with the transformative hymns of Guy Sebastian (the poor man’s Bruno Mars) who will perform on loan from another of Sydney’s gilded houses of worship.
The revolving roster will then supply worshippers for the sermon of the Wallaby and the Rose, as well as the moral of the Matilda, before the resumption of weekly services recounting the blossoming of the waratah under a bright blue sky.
Are You Pregnant?
Come in and see us for pregnancy massage and help with the right supplements. Remedial massage, aromatherapy, lymphatic drainage and reiki also available. We are open 7 days Instant claims available with hicaps Phone 9130 7064
292 Campbell Parade, North Bondi info@sagebeauty.com.au www.sagebeauty.com.au
Local artist Janine Hall has explored our local community through a retrospective mirror, depicting our iconic coastal playground in past eras. Her works examine and depict coastal life and recreation, showing that while what we wear on our beaches has changed immensely, the psyche of beachgoers hasn't. We are a land of people who flock to the edges of our continent to relax, play, breathe and 'commune-icate'. The Australian community phenomenon of surf-lifesaving is almost as iconic as our most famous beaches themselves. It has developed from the reality that our beaches, while providing great energy and relaxation, are equally treacherous and claim many lives each year. Janine is drawn to historic images of our environs and loves to re-imagine them in colour. When we look at old black and white photos, we can be tricked into believing that life was dull and 'lived in black and white'. But historic times and people were as colourful as we are today, and they lived in full colour. Janine tries to remind the viewer that colour has always been present, even 'Before Now'.
WAVERLEY LIBRARY GALLERY 32-48 Denison Street, Bondi Junction 26 August–21 September, 2022 Monday–Friday, 9.30am–9pm Saturday, 9.30am–3pm Sunday,1–5pm OPENING EVENT AND DRINKS WITH THE ARTIST Thursday, 1 September, 6–8pm Please scan QR code to RSVP
