SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR LATEST UPDATE! My guardian Pauline Conolly grew a special rose called Hot Chocolate. ‘Come and smell it Des’ she said. So I did, just to make her happy. I took a deep breath of the perfume and then…wham!! A *#@!*!*# bee stung me
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In 1928 the Sydney publishers Angus and Robertson received an enquiry letter and a sample of work from poet Mr F. C. Meyers of Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. To say they were not impressed is something of an under-statement. Now you might
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OK, so above we have a diagram showing the anatomy of the ibis. That’s all very well, but it omits a vital evolutionary link. According to urban mythology, Sydney’s sacred ibis are a scary mutation of the seagull. The story goes that over succeeding generations, one strain of
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AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL RULES I grew up in the small Tasmanian town of Ulverstone, where Australian Rules Football was the sport we were passionate about. Ulverstone’s colours have always been black and red, hence their name, The Robins. In the 1960’s football was untainted by the corporate sector and
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I must begin with the most charming letter imaginable; written by the British author Sylvia Townsend Warner to her dear friend Alyse Gregory, in response to the gift of a sweet, wooden match box. THE AUSSIE MATCHBOX The familiar Redheads matches were first made in Australia in 1909
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Condensed milk has been around for generations. I do love the following snippet, published in an Australian newspaper in 1901; When condensed milk was first introduced thirty years ago the idea was scoffed at. The inventor carried the entire daily supply for New York in a ten-quart pail, delivering
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GONE FISHING MATE Hello everyone, Editor Des here. You wouldn’t think that fishing could lead to big trouble would you? But believe me it can! Well I was riding around the garden one day when I thought I spotted a fish in a big water bowl. I
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TIMES ARE A’ CHANGING AT THE SHOW As I wandered around Sydney’s Royal Easter Show on my last visit I was struck by how accurately this iconic event reflects changes in our society. The cookery section is a classic case in point. If we want it to
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WRITING TO SANTA IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS; AN ILLUSTRATED ESSAY BY EDITOR DES…. ER, THAT’S ME! Well here is a letter written by a little Australian boy called Paddy, exactly one hundred years ago. Who do you think Paddy was? (see answer at the bottom of
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CHRISTMAS DOWN-UNDER John O’Grady once wrote a best selling book called, They’re a Weird Mob. It was about Australians and yes….we are a bit strange. What do you expect when we live in an upside down world? Our fair country was described in Alice in Wonderland
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