This statistic warmed my heart on Saturday: “Australians bought 55 million books at a value of more than $1.1 billion, an increase on the previous year.” (Neilsen) Despite the advent of e-books, the arrival of Amazon and the 2011 closure of Angus and Robertson and Borders, Australia’s 600+ independent bookshops are “far from disappearing,” Helen
“Those who drink the water must never forget who dug the well.” This was said back in the 1980s by Harry Bath, a former rugby league player and coach. He was highlighting the importance of recognising those that have gone before, making the point that today’s rugby league players and fans should appreciate the pioneers
Haha, weeks after posting that Jim Maxwell was broadcasting from his purple couch I learned that he’s colour blind. The couch isn’t blue, It’s purple. A question I often get about life story writing is, “How can I write my stories when they involve so many people and I am writing from my perspective? I
Hearing stories about your forebears is “grounding”, Wendy Harmer said on the ABC Radio Sydney Breakfast show this morning. Wendy has just arrived back after a road trip through the small towns of Melbourne visiting her Auntie Pat from Ballarat and many other “rellies”. “The Browns were pretty ordinary!” Wendy said disparagingly but with a
Jim Maxwell broadcasted from his purple couch while watching the sunrise this morning. When radio first hit the airwaves, did we ever fathom that one day that would be possible? His voice was crystal clear on ABC Radio, talking to Robbie and Wendy. From stuffy sound-proof studios to broadcasting from your lounge room from miles
I met a doctor who always wanted to be a farmer yesterday. His father told him that he didn’t have enough money to set him up as a farmer and to go to uni instead. So he did medicine and then spent the next 40 years as a GP in a NSW country town. I
The Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony blew my mind by how it married current technology with ancient culture and wisdom. The ceremony opened with a young Aussie holding a smart-phone which counted down from 65,000 years ago to now. The hand-held computer counted down from the time homo sapiens were first in Australia to the moment