I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I was a Jehovah’s Witness for a decade – a period that Marilyn and I referred to as our ‘wasted years’. I consider myself to be moderately smart and discerning, but I allowed myself to be sucked in by this pernicious sect for what should have been some of the best years of my life, my late teens to around 30 years of age. Continue reading
Boating with the Robinsons
I lived in Hong Kong on and off for 15 years, and one of the greatest joys during our family’s time there was boating and all its associated pleasures. We arrived in January, 1985, and our first experiences were naturally the ferries, from the Star Ferry service between Tsim Sha Tsui to the Island, as well as the ferries to outlying islands such as Lamma and Cheung Chau. Continue reading
A few famous people who surf(ed)
I’m Tasmanian (despite not having lived there for nearly 40 years) and was recently reading Neil Kearney’s marvellous book, Longford: The Legend of a Little Town with a Big Motor, when I spied a surprising passing note on the legendary Grand Prix driver, Jim Clark. It seems that the sun-seeking Clark, while visiting to compete in 1967, “… went surfing on Tasmania’s east coast.” (p. 166). I followed up with Neil, who’d been told that “he went to the beaches with a couple of local drivers”. That finding prompted me to try a stock-take of famous people who’ve caught the bug. Continue reading
I love Anthony Trollope
A bit strong? What is there to love, I hear you ask, about an author from the 1800s who spent most of his life as a civil servant in the Post Office, who got up at 4:30 each morning to pen a couple of thousand words before he went to work, and who wrote a book called The Three Clerks, which, as the title suggests, was about three men working for the Weights and Measures Office? Continue reading
How many jobs have you had? (B)
In my early 30s, I didn’t have a passport and had never been overseas. It was 1984, we had a young family, and were keen to take off somewhere … anywhere. I viewed enviously a business studies teacher at Hobart Technical College who had obtained a position in the Seychelles – such an amazing move seemed well out of reach. But then … Continue reading
A never-ending evening with Andrei Rieu
I would not purposely purchase a ticket to see the ever-smiling violin virtuoso and his merry waltz band. However, about 15 years ago a friend of ours offered spare tickets, so we obligingly agreed to accompany him and his wife to an Andrei Rieu concert at a stadium in Melbourne. Continue reading
How many jobs have you had? (A)
How many jobs have you had? I recently started musing on the question, listing the jobs I’ve had in Notes on my mobile phone, adding to it as memories came back. With the list now more or less completed, particular people and experiences within those jobs have resurfaced, leading to this outpouring. Continue reading
My six months in Risdon Prison
I’ve thought about writing of my time in Hobart’s Risdon Prison for decades. It was a fascinating and eye-opening experience, and I sorely wish that I’d kept a diary of all the wild tales and shenanigans that went on for six months way back then in 1974. Continue reading
What was the B side to the Pretty Things ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’?
In my wildest dreams, I imagine being in a quiz show. Chasing the big prize on the final question, I’m thrown a curly one: What was the B side to the Pretty Things 1965 hit ‘Don’t Bring Me Down‘? As the host sits back with a supercilious smug, I look her in the eye and fire back ‘We’ll Be Together’. The million is mine. Continue reading
Hitchhiking memories
A recent insightful online article on hitchhiking led me to think back to my youth, when hitchhiking was just a normal part of one’s teenage years. I grew up under pretty favourable conditions in Hobart, Tasmania, with parents who allowed my sister and I a healthy dose of freedom and independence. Continue reading