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Greta van der Rol
  • Jews in mourning Three men and a boy stand with their backs to the camera. A lit menora stands on a shelf
    Life and things

    Let hatred grow and murder follows

    ByGreta 20 December 202520 December 2025

    All those not living under a rock know about the dreadful events that took place at Bondi Beach. Two heavily armed men opened fire on a group of Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah, the festival of light. Fifteen innocent people died. I won’t count the death of the assassin. He got what he deserved. And yes,…

    Read More Let hatred grow and murder followsContinue

  • gretavdr detailed map of ukraine being pulled apart by two hands
    Life and things

    Giving Up Territory Is Not Peace. It Is Surrender.

    ByGreta 13 December 202513 December 2025

    the way to end the war in Ukraine is for Ukraine to hand over a chunk of itself to Moscow and call it peace. Sorry, but that is not peace. That is surrender

    Read More Giving Up Territory Is Not Peace. It Is Surrender.Continue

  • women wearing burqa Afghanistan
    Life and things

    Pauline Hanson, the Burqa, and the Hypocrisy We Pretend Not to See

    ByGreta 6 December 20256 December 2025

    A sharp look at Pauline Hanson’s burqa stunt, the history of the burqa, and the hypocrisy around a garment that erases women’s identities.

    Read More Pauline Hanson, the Burqa, and the Hypocrisy We Pretend Not to SeeContinue

  • A modern building starting to crumble - an analogy to Gough Whitlam's govt
    Miscellaneous

    A Golden anniversay

    ByGreta 15 November 202519 November 2025

    It has been 50 years since The Dismissal, that climactic day the Governor General sacked the Whitlam government. Since it’s a golden anniversary, the press has been full of it, telling stories from (elderly) people who were there. Our Dear Leader, current PM Anthony Albanese, has had much to say about that sacked prime minister…

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  • Horses burst from the starting gates at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, with jockeys in colourful silks and the city skyline in the background.
    Life and things

    The Race That Still Stops a Nation

    ByGreta 8 November 20258 November 2025

    The 2025 Melbourne Cup made history once again when Half Yours crossed the line first, ridden by jockey Jamie Melham. Her victory was a landmark moment — only the second time a woman has ever won the Cup. The first, of course, was Michelle Payne on Prince of Penzance in 2015, and Australia cheered just…

    Read More The Race That Still Stops a NationContinue

  • A cemetery shrouded in mist. Headstones and strange figures can be seen in the gloom
    Life and things

    How Halloween Crossed the Globe

    ByGreta 1 November 20251 November 2025

    It’s 5am on Halloween day. The sun’s up somewhere behind all that cloud, the road outside is wet and the distant rumblings might mean the rain is out over the Bay – or that more is approaching. According to BOM, it’s a bit of both. It hasn’t been a good night. In a way. You…

    Read More How Halloween Crossed the GlobeContinue

  • king parrot
    Life and things

    A short break from writing

    ByGreta 25 October 202527 October 2025

    Life’s peaceful at Hervey Bay. The weather is warming and we’re at that stage where we’d like some rain, please. Not like earlier in the year when the remains of a cyclone dumped hundreds of millimetres upon the town. Just – I dunno. 25mm? The garden is enjoying the sunshine. We have walking iris, which…

    Read More A short break from writingContinue

  • whale 5
    Life and things

    The Hostages Are Home—but the War Is Far From Over

    ByGreta 18 October 202527 October 2025

    I’ll be honest. I didn’t think that Hamas would give up the remaining hostages. I thought they’d hang on as long as they could, buying themselves time to regroup, rearm, and consolidate. Yes, Trump deserves credit. Perhaps the real reason Hamas has agreed is because of pressure from other Arab countries. Maybe, also, a recognition…

    Read More The Hostages Are Home—but the War Is Far From OverContinue

  • Children's toys in a pile dominated by a doll draped in a Palestinian flag
    Life and things

    The Dawn That Changed Everything

    ByGreta 11 October 202528 October 2025

    It has been two years now. Two years since unspeakable horror poured over the Gaza-Israeli border. First, it was just the sound of rockets. Then the sirens. Then the chaos. The attacks started just before dawn when ordinary people were asleep in their beds. Communities near the Gaza border—small kibbutzim where people lived ordinary lives—were…

    Read More The Dawn That Changed EverythingContinue

  • Old couple
    Life and things

    A noise in the night

    ByGreta 4 October 202527 October 2025

    It’s an hour after midnight. The town slumbers under clear skies, nothing stirring except the occasional possum or a couple of fruit bats squabbling in the trees. An elderly couple is fast asleep in their bed – and is suddenly jolted awake by an insistent beeping. It took us (yes, it was us) a while…

    Read More A noise in the nightContinue

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