Sadly, this story is NOT a joke.
It’s about my girlfriend’s in-laws and what they gave her husband for his 40th birthday this week. If you’ve ever whinged about yours, you’ll be grateful for what you’ve got after reading this. (I’m going to use substitute names for privacy reasons)
Happy Families – Christmas LunchIt all started last Christmas when Laura and Steve hosted a lunch for their friends and family. Laura wasn’t thrilled Steve’s parents were invited, as they’d never gotten along, but thought she could get through one afternoon. And it was Christmas, after all…
In the past, Steve’s mother had always rubbed Laura up the wrong way with personal criticisms and complaints about her cooking. His father was also prone to racist remarks, which riled Laura no end. Not to mention neither of them were particularly lively company, offering only stilted conversation. At first, Laura had wondered if it was because of a language issue. (Both parents came to Australia from Germany in their twenties) But their command of English was excellent. No, it was their lack of manners, decided Laura. The fact that they would constantly drop in unannounced, despite repeated requests for a warning phone call; their demanding manner and social ineptitude once they arrived, topped off by a lack of any form of thank you.
French champagne
Needless to say, you can understand why Laura wasn’t keen to include them at Christmas. But they came. Empty-handed. And proceeded to guzzle all of Laura’s French champagne. Then the snide comments started about the food. And rude remarks directed at Laura’s friends – in particular, a lovely Anglo-Indian couple.
But it was after lunch, when Steve’s dad started ranting on about why the nation needed an ‘all-white Australia policy’ that Laura put her foot down. Quietly but firmly she took him by the arm, led him to the kitchen and explained why it was time for them to leave. At the end of the day, Laura and Steve agreed it was time to distance themselves from his parents for a bit – just to let tensions ease.
Around mid-year, Steve’s mum waved an olive branch. ‘We’re taking the whole family out to dinner,’ she said. ‘Please come. It’s our shout.’ So off they went to a fancy restaurant. Laura grinned and bore it but the evening was another round of excruciating conversation and bad manners. At the end of the meal, when it came time to pay the bill, Steve offered to chip in and grabbed Laura’s credit card. Laura waited for his mother to protest. After all, she’d made a huge fuss about how ‘they’ were taking everyone out to dinner. But she just sat there and smiled at her son while the waiter snatched Laura’s credit card and SHE ended up paying for the ENTIRE dinner.
But the clincher came this week. It was Steve’s 50th birthday on the weekend, so a month ago the pressure began with phone calls and hints – ‘When are we coming over to celebrate?’
Happy Birthday Steve!
Bitten-too-many-times, Laura decided to keep friends and family separate to avoid any clashes and to stop them ruining Steve’s main party. When they arrived yesterday for a small family gathering, Laura thanked all the gods in the heavens she’d made that decision. Because of their present.
They were obviously peeved they hadn’t been included in the main festivities, so his mother, who always baked a birthday cake for her son (despite his maturing years…) did NOT bring a cake. Nor did they bring him a bought-from-a-shop and beautifully gift-wrapped present.
No.
His mother pulled out a package in a brown paper bag and proudly declared that to mark Steve’s milestone year, she was giving him, the eldest son, a family heirloom that he would treasure for the rest of his life.
Nazi war medals – generic photo
His Grandfather’s war medals.
His Grandfather’s NAZI war medals… OF WHICH SHE WAS PROUD.
It was all Laura could do not to throw them in the bin on the spot. In the kitchen, she whispered to Steve that there was NO WAY she would have them in the house. Seriously bad karma, she said. Laura is not Jewish. Just pretty much a normal person who finds the whole Nazi Holocaust history a sickening abomination and finds it unbelievable that anyone living in our society could actually cherish a medal associated with glorifying such atrocities.
Steve agreed. He did not want the medals. But he could not bring himself to thrown them in the bin.
Clever Laura had a better idea. Steve’s younger brother was returning to his parents home that evening. She snuck his car keys, crept out the front door and planted the medals on the backseat of his car.
So far, they haven’t heard what the family reaction was to that. I’m guessing it won’t be good. But like Laura, I don’t really care. I don’t think she’ll be seeing much more of them in the future.
Now, aren’t your in-laws looking good???
Chadstone must be Melbourne’s most popular high-end shopping centre. I don’t have the statistics to prove it – only the personal experience of facing car-parks full to overflowing every time I venture there, plus queues snaking out of Prada and Chanel every time I walk past. It beats city shopping because at least those crowded car-parks are FREE and during Melbourne’s long, cold winter, it’s much more cosy shopping indoors. And yes, the range of stores, catering to all wallets – from rob-a-Swiss-bank-to-buy-anything to shoe-string budgets – is vast and varied.
New store on the blockBut if your budget doesn’t stretch to European haute couture (and mine certainly doesn’t) then Chaddy also stocks a great selection of local designers, with stock carrying far more reasonable price-tags. One of my favourite Aussie labels comes from three Sydney-based sisters who started up Manning Cartell. Over the years, their stock has mostly been sold through independent boutiques, but gradually, with growing success, they’re opening their own stores. I always loved buying their stock (sorry, loved even more Channel TEN buying it!) as a newsreader, because their jackets were so consistently well-cut and stylish. And it was tricky finding chic jackets that fit the ‘newsreader mode’ without being ‘mother-of-the-bride’…
Manning CartellSo I was thrilled to find they’ve only JUST (two weeks ago) opened a new store at Chadstone. My girlfriend Rochelle and I were shopping there on Saturday which meant I happened to have a willing model on hand, (after a little arm-twisting) to showcase some of their best stock. And oh boy, do they have some good stuff!
I like the fact they do suits with skirts OR shorts, so you can dress this look up or down – for work or play. Their fabrics are divine – suits in textured metallic weaves or soft-spun gold thread, with light-as-a-feather silk tops to float underneath. It’s the contrasts between tailored, sharply structured pieces (suit jackets, leather singlets) with floaty, ethereal elements that gives the label its unique edge.
Little Mermaid gold jacket $549; shorts $299 with Lemon Sugar and Mango top $349 Wicker Man jacket $649, skirt $399 with Sportsman on stilts black leather singlet $399Sailors Valentine dress $599 and Sugar and Mango top $349 with Ebony Mask Shorts $449
Manning Cartell also showcase a range of accessories, such as metallic belts in pewter, rose gold or gun metal for $299 each that would update any outfit. Another coveted piece was the most beautiful structured lace skirt I’ve spied this season and is SOOOO on my birthday wish-list. Not to mention a classic sequinned tunic that has a funky 60s feel and would be a great trans-seasonal after-five number.
Metalllic belts $299Intertwined Black Lace Skirt $499 Jewel box tunic, pewter, $699
But my favourite on the day would have to be this sexy peach dress which gets away with having almost ‘too-much-in-your-face-cleavage’ because of the fabric being demure lace…
Seashell Lace Dress, peach; $599
If I had the figure for it, I’d grab it, but given the post-giving-up-smoking additional kilos aren’t budging, I’ll have to leave that one for Rochelle who looks amazing in this. In fact, with the right hat, I think it would be perfect for Oaks Day, don’t you?
Do you ever get the feeling that social media is taking over our lives? That you can’t function unless you’ve checked your Facebook account, sent out your latest Twitter update and Blogged something event-worthy in your life and ALL that’s BEFORE getting out of bed?? Or maybe you’re a complete social networking addict, like a friend of mine who carries two I-Phones to juggle her separate business and personal accounts?
Juggling social networkingAs reporter Kate Jones wrote in an excellent opinion piece in the Herald Sun today, it makes you wonder how our kids are going to turn out when so much of their interaction is electronically based… Will they understand the ‘ancient arts of handwriting and conversation?’
Which is why I was drawn to this media release which landed in my email system, titled:
DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT THIS SOCIAL SEPTEMBER
Social September is an initiative sparked by Bianca Venuti, daughter of famed entertainer Maria Venuti. While she admits she’s a huge fan of social networking, Bianca says the time has come to ‘switch off’ and do it for a good cause.
‘We love using social media, but also believe connections and conversations in the real world remain invaluable,’ she said. ‘Social September takes us back in time to experience the benefits of good ol’ face to face interactions with the people in your lives.’
Maria and Bianca VenutiThe latest statistics show Australians spend one in every five minutes on social media. So Bianca wants us, alongside a host of well-known Aussie celebs, to come up with fund-raising ideas that will encourage people to ‘switch off’ and get together IN PERSON (remember how to do that?) to raise money for The Reach Foundation.
Reach is a really good fit for this cause. Because by ‘switching off’ and actually communicating with each other in a face-to-face setting, we feel a whole lot better about ourselves and life. And Reach is all about helping young people improve their self-esteem, thereby inspiring them to achieve. Both Social September and Reach recognise building relationships face-to-face is crucial in promoting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing. So turn off that digital technology and start talking!
Bianca says she’s got a couple of specific plans in mind for herself. ‘I’m pledging to Disconnect by leaving my phone in my handbag (particularly in social settings), and Reconnecting – by hosting an Italian cooking lesson to catch up with friends I haven’t seen for ages.’
But she says people are free to choose to disconnect in whichever way suits them. ‘We’d love everyone to get on board in a way that makes sense to them. I can’t wait to see the reconnect event ideas people come up with!’
I think I’d like to play a REAL game of Scrabble with someone, instead of Words With Friends. Any takers? Maybe a fund-raising scrabble tournament? Hmm… this could be good.
The TrustSocial September is being launched tonight in Melbourne at The Trust Bar. I think I’m going to have to pop in just to see if anyone dares pull out a mobile phone.
If you’d like to get involved, register at www.socialseptember.com and spread the word. That’s where you can also learn more about specific events taking place. For each $75 raised, one additional young Australian can be invited to a face- to-face Reach program.
Some of the inaugural Social September Socialites include Adriano Zumbo, Laura Dundovic, Maria Venuti AM, Danny Clayton, Sam Burgess, Sami Lukas, Joshua Horner, PJ Lane, Trevor Ashley, Zoe Sheridan, and Joe Avati.
Hmm, that’s a provocative headline. My Dad Lied to Me. Well, in a way he did. And in a way, he didn’t. Let me explain.
Dad has been trying to get me to go with him to his weekly art classes in Mt Waverly on a Tuesday afternoon for several years. He thinks, because I haven’t painted much since high school, that my Rembrandt-esque talents are going to waste. My artistic dreams and enormous potential are not being fulfilled. (huge sigh…)
Like most parents, he has an over-inflated perception of his child’s ability. I am not Rembrandt, not ever will be. My artistic talents compared with the great master would add up to the amount he had in one atom of his smallest toenail. But Dad is right in one sense. In Year 12, I studied art as a subject and had visions of being accepted into the Victorian College of Arts. Yes, I thought I had a future as a painter.
But look at what I painted back then…
Murky waters by teenage Jennifer.Ewww. A muddy, impressionistic interpretation of Aussie landscape and as far from the sort of work accepted by the College of the Arts as you could imagine. So you can picture what they thought, this hip school of laid-back cool, when I stupidly turned up for an interview dressed in my Sunday-best. Naively, I thought it was appropriate and respectful to arrive on time and dressed conservatively, in a pleated skirt, neatly ironed shirt and new shoes. FAIL. I remember their comments as they looked me up and down in disbelief:
‘So you liked 19th century Australian art and the likes of Frederick McCubbin, huh?’ ‘Hmmm, did your art teacher do that for you?’ ‘How do you think you will survive as a painter?’ ‘You do realise that most artists have to waitress or stuff sausages to get by? Can you see yourself stuffing sausages??’
Stuffing sausages was something I hadn’t considered.
Then they suggested I go downstairs to visit the studios where the students worked. I knew straight away I wouldn’t get in. Abstract images in huge slabs of colour were plastered over massive canvases – aka artist Mark Rothko – alongside soaring geometric sculptures. Students dressed in goth garb, ripped t-shirts and paint-spattered black jeans eyed me disparagingly.
When I returned to the interview room, my paintings had been packed up and placed outside the door. Goodbye.
I didn’t paint much after that.
In recent years, I decided to experiment with modern art. Here is what I made for the main dining area of our sunroom. It’s my abstract interpretation of a mouth, because, after all, the dining room and the mouth go hand in hand. Eating, laughing, conversation, tasting etc…
Weird abstract mouth paintingI know. It really looks like an obscene internal intestinal organ.
But back to the bit about Dad lying. So he’s been harping on about art class and for years I’ve been ‘too busy’. In a couple of weeks, he’s going into hospital to have a pace-maker fitted. Apparently in the great scheme of medical practices, this isn’t a big deal. But by my reckoning, anything that messes with your heart is pretty major. A guilty conscience started eating away at me. YOU STILL HAVEN”T BEEN TO ART CLASSS WITH YOUR DAD!!! It was a loud voice.
Damn.
Alright already, I’ll go to bloody art class then. And that’s what I did yesterday. Dad was working on a piece from a photo he took on a trip to Europe. Today, his mission was to paint ducks on the lake.
Dad at work… Artist John Hansen
He did a great job. But he lied. He made out everyone in the class just brought along something they were playing with – that everyone was basically a beginner and I wouldn’t feel out of place. And I knew it was a low-key art school in a back-shed somewhere in Mt Waverly, so I agreed, thinking, ‘This will be a breeze.’
Sue at work
Not exactly. Meet Diana. Practically a professional artist who’s just sold several pieces at her local art show and paints fruit so life-like, it just about jumps out of the bowl.
Nancy
Then there’s Elaine. Elaine can whip up a Matisse-like still life in a matter of seconds. She’d half-finished this number before I’d finished unpacking.
Jennifer’s painting of girls washing hair
And what about Jennifer (not me) who has a painting of Black Caviar with trainer Peter Moody on show right now at THE HIDDEN FACES OF THE ARCHIBALD PORTRAITS EXHIBITION until 28 September? She captures light streaming through a window like Renoir.
Art teacher Peter Smales
Yep, Dad had definitely lied. This was NOT a group of beginners. These were seriously talented artists and professionals. Still, you never stop learning and it was amazing to watch art teacher Peter Smales step in and help tweak a painting, improving it with the lightest touch.
So I guess the time has come for me to overcome my pride and and show you what I came up with…. I went in a completely different direction to everyone else. I’ve got a thing about the fluro fashion that’s everywhere right now, so thought I’d buy some neon paints and experiment.
Keep in mind the masterpices you just saw.
Wait for it…
My finished masterpiece Work in progress…
As Peter said, I didn’t paint the best piece of the day but I did get first prize for ‘Boldest Picture’. I think that’s a compliment? Bidders welcome.
Much has been said about feminist academic Germaine Greer in the past week and not much of it has been nice. Much of the hysterical criticism stems from Greer’s performance on the ABC’s QandA panel show last week. Comments she made about our PM’s backside and female genital mutilation have been met with SHOCK and HORROR and bandied about in newspaper headlines with great disgust — often taken out of context.
Keeping an open mind, I headed to a Melbourne Writers Festival session last Friday where Greer was to be interviewed by Benjamin Law about her life and passions. I was curious to see for myself. Was this iconic dynamo going to prove her critics right by ranting like a lunatic, or would she shine like the beacon of forward thinking that thousands claim her to be? Is all the brouhaha merely evidence that those in the privileged position of having a public voice can’t help but subscribe to our cultural sport of slashing down tall poppies to a dirt-eating level?
Benjamin Law and Germaine Greer
The interview started with an entertaining account from Greer about how she posed naked, ankles behind ears, for a university-produced magazine Suck. This evoked much laughter from the audience – the woman has a witty and self-deprecating sense of humour.
Then onto more serious matters, where in an erudite and passionate manner, she provided an impressive discourse on a wide range of topics.
Female genital mutilation wasn’t one of them, so I can’t pass judgment about that particular controversy, but if you’ve read that Greer almost condones the practice, you might be best off taking a look at a piece written by academic Dr Camille Nurka, a Lecturer in Gender Studies at the School of Social and Political Science at Melbourne University.
http://theconversation.edu.au/female-genital-cosmetic-surgery-a-labial-obsession-9119
Instead of discrediting Greer with losing the plot, Nurka says Greer talked about the issue with much tact and sensitivity.
But back to the Festival Session. I’m not going to quote Greer at great length — rather, give you in point form six reasons why she won me over on the day.
(1) Greer hasn’t read Fifty Shades of Grey.
‘I’m not interested in 50 Shades of Grey. I’m not interested in fucking, buggery or spanking. Life’s too interesting to go into someone else’s suburban bedroom and start snuffling about. The ground is already so well trodden on all of this. And sado-masochism is something I dread in a way, because I’ve seen what happens in sadistic relationships and it’s horrifying. The fact is they become hooked on basic humiliation and crave it, which to me is horrifying, ghastly.’
(2) She made some excellent points about why our rape laws are archaic and need to be re-written, which would lead to a higher rate of prosecution.
‘There are very few convictions because rape is so hard to prove. … We should abandoncriminal rape and have a single law of sexual assault and then include everything that could possibly happen under that.’
(3) Her views on marriage.
Germaine Greer‘Marriage is a mess as a social institution. You don’t know what you’re getting into because it’s a contract with no clauses and you don’t know what they are till you’re in the divorce courts. We need co-habitation agreements, which list clauses about children, money, sex etc… I was married for three weeks and then thought, hell, I’m not going to hang around for any more of that shit.’
(4) Her explanation regarding the comments she made about PM Julia Gillard’s dress sense.
‘I spoke for twenty minutes about what a great job she was doing as Prime Minister, then I make one flippant remark and that’s all anyone talks about. I’ve got the same figure as Julia – narrow shoulders and a fat arse. … Labor is putting too much pressure on her to be decorative and UN-serious. She should just wear what she’s comfortable in – plain suits – and get on with the job.’
(5) She promotes eco-feminism and getting back to nature.
‘Ideally, we should all try to have a small apartment in the city and a patch of earth in the bush which we try to get back to what it used to be in its natural state.’ (Spending time with nature)…it brings rewards in terms of solace. It doesn’t fix things, but it makes them easier to bear.’
AND MY FAVOURITE…
(6) Do Less Housework. Greer says women put too much pressure on each other to maintain an overly hygienic and picture-perfect home.
‘It’s okay to be dirty! STOP cleaning the house! It’s important every now and then, to be dirty.’
Hear, hear!! I’m throwing out the vacuum cleaner and washing detergent as I type.
While I didn’t agree with everything Greer said, I did admire her style, charisma and vigour. At least she’s original and dynamic, and in a world populated by sycophants who just want to please the crowd, it’s refreshing to hear someone who says what they like. And she gets us talking.
There’s a quote I remember reading from Greer many years ago, where she said, ‘I grew up thinking there was one unpardonable sin – to be boring.’ That, she never will be. Perhaps that’s why she never apologises for the controversies she causes either– and I like that too.
Germaine Greer, 1970At the end of the session, several young groupies, armed with newly bought copies of The Female Eunuch, descended upon the stage for autographs. I could hear whispers from those who loved the session and some who were disappointed. Personally, I don’t see Greer as an ‘icon’ perched on a pedestal as high as the Rialto, but nor do I wish to kick her in her ‘fat arse’ for expressing a point of view. The woman did, after all, write a book that paved the way for the feminist movement and you’ve got to give her credit for helping to shape history.
I enjoyed her company for that hour, but afterwards, I didn’t want an autograph. Instead, I would love to have gone to the pub with her for a chinwag over a wine of two. With a person – not a hero, nor a villain. Now that could have been a very interesting night.
I can’t believe the Melbourne newspapers didn’t make more of a fuss. Australia’s leading lady of Hollywood has, for the FIRST TIME EVER, signed on to represent an Aussie brand and it only made page 21 of the Herald Sun?? Yet it’s front page news in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph. It seems a change in management ranks means we’ll be getting a much more serious and less tabloid Herald Sun in the future – which is fine, but why ignore a major entertainment story that also ties in with a brilliant and audacious business strategy by Australian company, Swisse?
Nicole KidmanAnd it is BIG news for Swisse because going global and competing with the big multi-nationals is no small feat. And if you’re going to take on the world markets, why not do it properly and sign on the nation’s queen of style? Swisse couldn’t have produced a lovelier photo of Nicole too – the perfect picture of grace and good health.
Kidman will be ambassador for the brand when Swisse rolls out its international campaign, starting with the United States in January. Then they’ll march on into the U.K., Europe and Asia. The TV ads and photos for the campaign will all be shot in Australia.
If you want to argue about who IS Australia’s leading lady of Hollywood, just look at the statistics. Nicole has been nominated for 8 Golden Globe awards, winning three, and is Australia’s only Best Female Oscar winner. But it’s not only her artistic achievements that make her a good fit for the brand. Her lifestyle and values give her exponential value as the total package. Being involved in international issues means she has also been honoured as a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2007 and is a global ambassador for UN Women that promotes gender equality and empowerment of women and girls worldwide.
Kidman chose Swisse because she likes the idea of being part of a small Australian family-built company (about to get a whole lot bigger!) that is commited to good health and well-being. ‘I joined Swisse because I wanted to help bring awareness to the importance of living a healthy lifestyle in a busy, often stressful world,’ she said.
Only last week, Swisse was announced as BRW’s winner of the most successful Australian private business of the year. (with a turnover of $100 million plus)
Part of their marketing success relies on rolling ad campaigns using famous faces. They sponsor top TV shows and are also a major presence at Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival.
On Thursday night, they kicked off their racing season with a launch party at South Yarra’s newest and coolest restaurant, Mama Baba. Swisse CEO Radek Sali spoke about how they’re expanding the brand to release a skin care and body range, and will soon be unveiling protein bars and sports supplements.
Swisse CEO Radek SaliAnd Sali is thrilled about their new partnership with Kidman. ‘Nicole Kidman is a much loved Australian overseas and we know that Swisse will be Australia’s most loved health and wellness brand overseas in coming months and years,’ he said.
Swisse have also become famous for their amazing parties and the Mama Baba event was a stand-out. Finger food from Masterchef George Colombaris’ kitchen was superb and French champagne, Laurent-Perrier, flowed freely. The guest list read like the who’s who of Melbourne, and you can understand why. If you get invited to a Swisse party, you’re guaranteed quality food AND company. Here’s some of the people Fletch and I ran into on the night:
Model David Witco and Olympic basketballer Liz Cambage Michelle Ronan, Glen Moriarty and Paige McKenzie
Alan Fletcher and Jessica McNamee
Kate Arnott, Brad Green, Catherine Chisolm and Simon Bones
Elliot Garnaut and Lauren Phillips Tom Davidson and Mitch Catlin
Tim O’shea and Melissa Bergland
Nick and Rachel Holland Anna Byrne and Catherine Chisolm
To give the guests a taste of what’s to come from Swisse, Goodie Bags were handed out when we left the party. (yay!) I’m yet to try the creams, but I can assure you, those sleep tablets work a treat.
Swisse Goodie Bag
While Father’s Day is not an occasion author Deborah Robertson likes to celebrate, this year the annual event will represent an important milestone. It’s the first time she’s going to speak publicly about her troubled childhood, which in the past, she’s preferred to channel through various characters in her books.
Author Deborah RobertsonTaking part in Sunday’s session, ‘Father’s Day’, Robertson will be on a panel – including Patrick Gale, Tony Birch and chair Toni Jordan – discussing relationships with dads, absent fathers and the importance of father figures.
Robertson has also written a feature piece for The Age Good Weekend magazine, explaining why Father’s Day isn’t a day where everyone can play ‘happy families’. She says it’s also the first time she’s written about her upbringing. ‘Up to this point, I’ve done all my exploration of my childhood, which was a really difficult one, through fiction. Which is a mask and a disguise and a way of distancing myself from everything,’ she said.
Robertson’s father was a gambler. Betting on horses was an addiction which tore her family apart. ‘I don’t remember a time when he wasn’t gambling,’ she said. ‘And he deserted us. He just left one day because he’d embezzled some money and he went missing for years. Years… I was the oldest of three. My Mother coped magnificently in terms of working hard, keeping food on the table and getting us to school, but she was emotionally very fragile so I did a lot of that sort of care.’
Eventually, Robertson’s father returned, but their relationship had been irreparably fractured. ‘When he finally gave himself up and came back, he came back to the family and we were a family again, but we were never close. He would never talk about what happened and you can never be close when something as big as that has happened. He was just a terribly isolated, unhappy man.’
Author Deborah Robertson
Even now, the emotional toll seems painfully present in her eyes. ‘Father’s day, his birthday, Christmas day, their wedding anniversary day…they’re just sad days. There’s just no other way of dealing with them. They’re just sad.’ The Spring Carnival in Melbourne is also a difficult time for her. ‘Melbourne Cup Day is sort of grotestque to me. It’s a day that I don’t feel like I’m Australian, because I get bad-tempered and feel isolated and I just can’t connect with the idea of a flutter.’
After years of tolerating a strained relationship, Robertson says she is now estranged from her father and has been for the past year, since her parents finally separated. And while Robertson is strongly anti-gambling, her story this weekend is not a lecture from a crusader. It is told from the perspective of what it is like to be the child of an addict. ‘My particular story is gambling, but I wrote this story, trying to leave enough space in it for people to come in with their own experiences.’
She is however, angry that gambling, (pokies in particular) is so readily available in Australia. ‘I’m from Western Australia and we never had pokies in WA and the world hasn’t crumbled; no one’s died of boredom. We have a casino but that’s completely different to having pokies at pubs where families might go to for dinner.’
Careless by Deborah Robertson
Robertson moved to Melbourne three years ago – giving up a long-term job teaching at university, to become a full-time writer. ‘I was exhausted and Careless had been successful enough to mean that I had a contract and an advance for another couple of books. I turned fifty and realised I was no longer ever surprised by anything in Perth, which is pretty serious for a writer. So it was inevitable. I almost didn’t have a choice.’
Careless came out in 2006, winning enormous literary acclaim. It was handed the Nita B. Kibble Award and the Colin Roderick Award, not to mention being shortlisted for half-a-dozen other literary prizes. It’s about a young girl, Pearl, whose little brother is killed in a shocking act of violence. For a first novel, such success was gratifying. ‘I was incredibly moved to know I’d made a connection with lots of people that I didn’t know.’
Sweet Old World
On Saturday, Robertson is also taking part in the MWF, on a panel in a session titled ‘Fish out of Water, which focuses on ex-patriate characters where she’ll discuss her latest book, Sweet Old World. It examines the serious issues involved in a man’s mid-life crisis and his unfulfilled desire to have children. ‘And he’s estranged from everything,not just his country of birth,’ says Robertson. ‘I think often for men, the desire to become a parent doesn’t happen till later so they can miss out. Fathering is a rite of passage in masculinity and we don’t observe rites of passge in society much at all.’
For more details about the sessions Deborah is speaking at this weekend, go to the Melbourne Writers Festival website at http://www.mwf.com.au/2012/?name=Home-2012
It was an appropriate venue – The Toff In The Town – to hold the annual Ned Kelly Awards, celebrating Australia’s best crime writers, as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. From the outside, a dingy old building that hides secrets within. Even the 1950s tiled stairwell, cracked and stained, doesn’t prepare you for what lies ahead. A lush dark red restaurant with private dining booths lurks on the second level, boasting a surprisingly good menu and great reviews. Then on the third, a dimly lit bar and band room oft sought after by high profile musicians wanting to play for an intimate audience.
It was here – the room dotted with small round tables and groups gathering in dark corners and hiding in the back shadows – that the Ned Kelly Awards got underway on Wednesday evening.
Jane Clifton, as MC, kept the night ticking over with witty banter between each of the main awards. It was noted by one presenter that the awards get bigger and better each year, proving that crime writing is indeed flourishing in Melbourne.
The Giant PineappleHence the suggestion we build a huge ‘CRIMINAL’ figure at the gateway to the city – in keeping with other giant monuments around the country such as the Giant Pineapple, Giant Avocado, Giant Banana or Giant Blue Heeler. Yep, I reckon that’d be a sure-fire winner with the tourists…. But which crim would we pick? And where would he or she be placed? I think I’d rather just list the award winners than put my personal safety at risk by guessing and offending God-knows-who.
Author Peter Twohig
Peter Twohig, author of The Cartographer, won Best First Crime Fiction. He describes his novel, which is about a young boy mapping crime in Melbourne as
The Cartographer
‘A light look at some very dark stuff,’ and insists, despite much questioning from those who have read it, that it IS all completely fiction!
Eamonn Duff took out the award for Best True Crime for his book, Sins of the Father, which delves into the Schapelle Corby case and took three years to write. Happily for him, he couldn’t be there in person to collect the award as he is already overseas promoting his book in the UK. Short story writers were also recognised; this year’s SD Harvey Short Story Award going to A.J. Clifford for Summer of the Seventeenth Poll.
Author J.C. Burke
Described as an unsettling novel, Pig Boy, by J. C. Burke was awarded Best Crime Fiction. Burke also took three years to write her book, which focuses on troubled teen Damon Styles and what happens after he is expelled from school on his 18th birthday.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award. This year’s winner was flagged as complex, compelling and cutting-edge, whose publisher promotes her as Australia’s Queen of Crime. And the winner is….
Author Gabrielle Lord
GABRIELLE LORD!
And yes, it was VERY dark in the room…sorry.
Over the course of her career, Lord has written 15 novels, a children’s book, won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction in 2002, and wrote the highly popular Conspiracy 365 Young Adult series, which has since been made into a television series.
Congratulations to all the winning authors.
Ooh la la – The Hamptons – sounds awfully posh, doesn’t it?
Can’t you just see yourself swanning about in those expensive designer clothes, while you holiday in your third-generation mansion at the Hamptons and try to decide what champagne to serve at your next sophisticated soiree?
It was easy to pretend I was at the Hamptons yesterday. The sun shining on white sands, the clear blue sea, and look – in the distance, some cool young jet-setters hanging by the water – a sophisticated bar decked out in spring colours close by…. yep, it was all there.
Who are all these cool dudes?
But on closer inspection, I saw the cool young jet-setters were actually standing on boxes. Ah, that’s right, models! I was attending the Harris Scarfe spring/summer fashion and homewares launch at the chic Sandbar by the bay in Middle Park.
Models show-casing the spring/summer fashion range for Harris ScarfeIt was a fabulous lunch, attended by a colourful collection of Melbourne identities, including actors Melissa Bergland and Michala Banas, Zoe Badwi, Ann Peacock, Heath Meldrum with wife Brodie Harper, Nick Bracks, Tania Buckley and Amber Petty. Former Miss Universe Australia Jesinta Campbell even dropped in from Sydney to join in the fun.
The SandBar looked stunning – decked out in gelati-coloured lanterns and of course, Harris Scarfe’s new homewares collection – fresh vibrant colours giving us a taste of spring. The lunch was very Hamptons – French champagne and jugs of Pimms cocktails, while gourmet fish and chips, elegantly wrapped in a Harris Scarfe brochure, added a casual, beachy touch.
The Sandbar – Middle Park
It’s the first public event since Harris Scarfe (now 160 years old) was sold in July by Momentum Corporate to Pepkor, a South African company who also owns Best & Less.
Marketing Manager Chris Kontos said Pepkor are committed to moving the brand forward. He describes the store as having something for everyone. ‘We’re every person’s retailer,’ he said ‘ We sell goods at both the high end of the market, plus great stock at low prices.’
Their new spring/summer range is certainly a testament to their word. It includes all the bright neon and gelati colours seen in just about every fashion store right now, mirrors trends and boasts very competitive prices.
Harris Scarfe fashion Harris Scarfe fashion
Harris Scarfe fashion Harris Scarfe fashion
Harris Scarfe fashion
I don’t know who’s getting it right at Harris Scarfe, but they’re bucking the downward retail trend. Last year they tallied up revenue of $325 million and are expected to open new stores next year.
Maybe it’s because of the Marketing Manager Chris Kontos. The man seems to have taken Melbourne by storm in recent months – his charm and looks making him a welcome addition on the guest-list of any function of note. Maybe his panache and winning ways have rubbed off on the budget brand, making it appeal to a broader market? Is that why Harris Scarfe now seems kinda cool?
Michala Banas and Harris Scarfe Marketing Manager, Chris Kontos
Simone Campbell, Ann Peacock,Steve Carey
And to top off a brilliant lunch, we were given a fabulous ‘Goodie Bag, full of homewares samples.
Harris Scarfe Goodie BagI loved the taste of summer with a lime-green handle ice-cream scoop, a Sheridan hand-towel (proof Harris Scarfe does sell ‘quality’ brands) a lime-patterned oven-mitt (yay – I needed one of those!) and even a heat-controlled hairbrush. BUT best of all…..
…wait for it….
…we were given….
YES! STEAK KNIVES !!!!!!!!!!!!!
STEAK KNIVES!
As a journalist, I was naturally drawn to the Melbourne Writers Festival event, ‘BIG IDEAS — Telling the World’s Stories: What happens when the Journalists Leave?’ Likewise, so was Melbourne’s public and journalistic community, with the session at the BMW Edge being a sold-out event.
Margaret SimonsChairing the panel was award-winning freelance journalist Margaret Simons, who is also the Director for the Centre for Advanced Journalism at Melbourne University and the author of ten books.
The focus was on how media reporting is changing in a world where our tools of communication are better than ever before. How is journalism being influenced by social media and the blogosphere? What impact is the ability of people to tell their own stories, through Facebook or Twitter, having on the news?
Special guest of the night was US scribe Andy Carvin, best known as the world’s leading Twitter journalist – although he tweeted last night ‘Don’t’ call me a Twitter journalist’ — even though he’s famous for using Twitter as a news-breaking device.To demonstrate the immediacy of the social networking tool, Carvin tweeted throughout the session – and still seemed to keep up with the questions thrown his way.
Panel discussion: ‘Big Ideas – Telling the World’s Stories’Carvin is currently employed as the senior strategist for US public service radio broadcaster NPR. He’s also the founding director of the Digital Divide Network, which has an online community of more than 10,000 internet activists in more than 140 counties. He uses his twitter community to help with research when he’s out in the field, with information such as tracking aeroplane routes and shipping times.
Carvin’s Google Plus profile reads ‘I tweet revolutions’. So what is the most important story he’s broken with Twitter?
Andy CarvinI think it depends how you define that,’ he said. ‘I was one of a handful of people who really forced a lot of people on-line to really pay attention to what was going on in Libya and also kept an eye on Syria while everyone’s eyes were off the ball. So in the grand scheme of things, I think my collective work was most important in Libya and Syria.’
‘In terms of specific stories, I was one of the first people to raise questions about the Bloggergate girl in Damascus when she was kidnapped a year ago in June.
(if you’d like to read more about this, go to storify.com/acarvin )
Another story involved several Arabic news sites claiming that Israel was secretly supplying weapons to Gaddafi. ‘With the help of my Twitter followers we were able to prove, almost within a matter of minutes, that the evidence they had only proved they had access to what are know as star-shells or elimination rounds which light up the sky at night, ‘ said Carvin. ‘The only evidence they were using was a six-pointed star on these munitions and we found evidence of that symbol going all the way back to World War One, as the standard symbol and so it had nothing to do with Israel. Nonetheless, many Arabic news services were running with it.’
For now, Carvin is taking a break from journalism to write a book about his experiences.
Margaret Simons took matters beyond the actual reporting of stories to ask, ‘What is the media failing to do?’ For instance, she said, they will sweep like a pack on a story in a foreign country, put a certain issue in the spotlight and then depart so that the problem is again forgotten and communities are left to fend for themselves.
Dominic Frigugilietti
Domenic Friguglietti, Head of ABC International Development which supports Asia Pacific partners with communication development programs, talked about the progress they’ve made in Cambodia. Slowly but surely, starting from a grassroots level, they’ve made progress strengthening media operations there and implementing new projects.
‘The citizen-journalist relationships in Cambodia are very important,’ he said. ‘We’ve been encouraging talkback radio, starting with a pilot in an environment more open to change. So you start softly and build your way up to topics such as the HIV epidemic and human trafficking.’
He said they’ve also made progress in Papua New Guinea, where domestic violence has been a huge issue. ‘We’re tapping into citizen and social media and how it can be used a a dual tool. We ran a campaign last year called ‘Use Your Voice’. It worked because we got someone who confessed to being involved in domestic violence in the past, to speak out against it and lead the campaign. It’s about utilizing and harnessing the power of communication and we’re only just learning about that now. But at least in PNG and Vanuatu, there’s a lot more freedom in the media.’
So given the views of the panel, it would appear we need both approaches – one immediate and one long-term – to tackle different types of BIG ISSUES worldwide. For Carvin, when there’s an IMMEDIATE CRISIS, it’s about encouraging as many people as possible to get up to speed with the ability to impart information quickly through tools such as Twitter, and for Friguglietti the key to tackling SOCIAL ISSUES is sustaining long-term relationships and providing a constant presence.
