George Orwell’s book, ‘1984‘, a dystopian science fiction novel published in 1949, has often been cited when discussing issues such as privacy in our twenty-first century society. In the latest move towards Orwellian reality, we have the Communications Legislation Amendment (Combating Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2023. The legislation’s stated purpose is to protect Australians from…
Just for something completely different, as a change from going overseas, we decided to have a short couple of days in our own backyard, so to speak. In all the years we’ve lived here, we hadn’t been down the Mary Valley, a fertile area created by the Mary River. It’s not exactly a day trip,…
The second Ashes test played at Lord’s has been and gone. It was a great contest, played down to the wire, with Australia winning. But the game will always be remembered for Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal, out stumped when he wandered off down the pitch before the over was called. If you haven’t heard all about…
I’ve been sorting through some of the many photos we’ve accumulated over the years. Since about 2002 those pictures are stored on a computer so it’s very easy to have a look at what we did back then. The fading prints in folders in boxes in cupboards are a different thing altogether. I’m sure there…
The news that the submersible Titan imploded as it descended towards the remains of the Titanic came as a macabre relief. Instant death as opposed to ninety-six hours of sitting in a cramped can waiting to die. While the search was on, my writer’s brain was already edging toward a story – the curse of…
The news in Australia is full of two things: the Brittany Higgins rape allegations and who in the parliament knew what when, and the latest outpourings on the up-coming Voice referendum. For my non-Australian readers, Brittany Higgins accused fellow ministerial staffer Bruce Lehrmann of raping her on a couch in the Defence Minister’s office. The…
It’s June, according to the calendar the beginning of Winter in Australia. For us it’s a time of cool-cold nights (by our standards) and warm days, low humidity and light winds. It’s our favourite time of year here on the East Coast. Walks on the beach are a pleasure. It’s different on the West Coast….
Peter and I have just returned from a five-night stay in Fiji. We were offered a great deal covering accommodation, most meals and drinks, and a few side perks like cocktails and coral reef viewing. I’ve never been to any of the Pacific islands and Pete’s last visit was in 1966. It sounded good. The…
I saw in the news that Johnny Depp is resurrecting his acting career, playing the role of Louis XV in a French film about one of the king’s many, many mistresses (Jeanne du Barry). There he was, astride a white horse, and then we were shown a scene obviously shot in the Palace of Versailles…
The current Government has delivered its budget and is crowing with delight that it has managed to come up with a surplus, which is great. It comes on the back of full employment (because we drastically reduced the migrant intake during covid) and the coal industry. It’s good to know there’s finally going to be…