Stomping out Nazis in Chippendale

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Mounted police in Chippendale or Ringwraiths from LOTR?

Knocked off early-ish on Friday night at 7.30pm and went to the Humanist Society Hall in Chippendale to protest against a group of extreme right-wing fascists, Klub Nazia, who meet there every month. They didn’t show, though.

There were about 80 people there, mostly residents, hanging around outside and a little streeet party with drums and music and singing. There were two mounted police, about 10 Tactical Response officers and another dozen police officers. They were strategically standing in a circle around the protesters.    Continue reading Stomping out Nazis in Chippendale

Australian Style book review

9781920989767It’s a beautiful book. I bought it because I like interiors and was interested in a vision of “Australian” style. I couldn’t find many references to Australia, though.

I used to work with Penfold, sub-editing her Source column, and, after reading this book, I can affirm she walks the walk. She always looked glamorous and always had bright, chirpy anecdotes. She’d always say we were brilliant at our work (page 31). She always had a humorous comment to make about a trip to Monte Carlo or a fashion faux pas or the latest mishap by the tradies. She’d send herself up in an Ab Fab Patsy kind of way.

Continue reading Australian Style book review

ABBA jigsaw: Australia-only product

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This TV special outrated the July 1969 moon landing in Australia.

Just thought I’d add this pic — I did my 160-piece puzzle when I got home from the Gourmet Viking dinner. This puzzle was a still from an Australian TV appearance on  Bandstand in 1976 and released by Reg Grundy as a puzzle only in Australia. So it’s very rare and one of my favourite items. Priceless to me — and it features their cat costumes, which the ladies often ripped off during Waterloo to reveal a mini-skirt version.

ABBA fan club features in newspaper article

Article in today's The Daily Telegraph.Yay! I’ve been an ABBA fan since 1975 (34 years!) and was contacted by the competition, the Daily Telegraph, to organise something for their Mamma Mia promotion. They also ran a full-page Mamma Mia photo too.

I couldn’t appear in the photo or article, but my friends are in it, and I was at the Gourmet Viking dinner. Later, we got 18 free tickets to Mamma Mia for our efforts (worth $100 each!). Which we greatly enjoyed.

One of the fans emailed: “We look so old in the pics.” Cause we are!

I have a pic of me there too, will dig it up.

I'm in there somewhere.

Vale Hakoah Club

hakoah-club-476x317The Bondi Hakoah Club is closing. It was a Jewish club where all the high-flying Jewish people and their friends hung out. Over the past decade or longer it was mainly frequented by oldies.

I used to go there in the early 1990s when I was living in Bondi in Jacques Avenue and watch the free movies for members (my flatmate was a member and it was cheap to join.) Though the club is gone, there is a strong Jewish community around Bondi — there is a fence (“eruv”) running around the beach which Jewish people are not supposed to venture past on the Sabbath. It cost a lot to build and took many years to get Waverley Council permission to erect it.

Continue reading Vale Hakoah Club