Our Great Southern Land

A Vintage blog discovery...with history...and books, too!

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:08:00 +0000

I blame Andrew.
He started the 6 degrees of separation by mentioning I Wear A Hat who in turn then mentioned Circa Vintage Clothing ; from there it was all downhill as far as my resistance went and I've spent the past 30 mins drooling over the Art Deco in Goulburn brought to you by the glorious gal of Circa Vintage Clothing, Nicole Jenkins.

Who has a vintage clothing store in Fitzroy.
*nudges Brian of Fitzroyalty*

Who also has a book out.
Love Vintage.
Good girl, she's even listed where to get her Love Vintage book in Oz and NZ.

And who has helped organise a fashion parade to launch another book Our Girls; Aussie Pin Ups of the 40s & 50s.
What: “Our Girls” book launch with Circa ’50s fashion parade and other stars.
Where: The Order of Melbourne, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne
When: Wednesday November 11th at 6pm
Cost: Free entry.

Remember boys and girls - Xmas is just around the corner!!!

November 7 and ...hugging bears...and....stuff....

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:05:00 +0000

Mercifully I culled a lot for you today (cropped out the crap) so you can skim read the events and be so enthused as to repeat the tripe around the water cooler at work.....
*crickets chirping*
Pass the chocolate teddy bear bikkies, it's Hug A Bear Day and I'm determined to do my duty!

1886 What later prompted the Calgary council to recommend building civic and religious buildings out of sandstone instead of wood was due to a fire that razed 4 hotels, 3 warehouses and 4 business stores after initially beginning in a feed store on 9th Avenue.

1943 Singer Joni Mitchell was born as Roberta Joan Anderson in Fort McLeod, Alberta on this day.
For further details click HERE.

1970 Aoraki/Mt Cook was conquered by "long haired hippies" John Glasgow and Peter Gough.
Read more about the mountain HERE.
Because they could.
Because it was there.

1976 Robert Muldoon accused Minister for Agriculture Colin Moyle of having been picked up by police for "homosexual practices" the previous year which sparked off the Moyle Affair.
More details HERE.
*I have both 4th and 7th November, 1976 for this.

1982 The beautiful Cloudland Ballroom in Brisvegas was illegally demolished.
For pictures and full history click HERE.

2008 Today the military's assistance in the Govt intervention in the NT came to an end after beginning in June to help stamp out child sexual abuse.

Yellow = New Zealand
Orange = Canada
Green = Australia
Red = usually British or other nationality
Anything in bold, italics and coloured blue is a link to another site with more info.
Anything outrageous is usually humour and/or sarcasm.

Plug that damn pipe already.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:56:00 +0000

Just an explanation of the north-south pipeline to those urban bodies and interstate persons who have no flipping idea of what I mean when I mention it.
Quick facts -
Long pipeline taking water from rural food growing area suffering from drought to transport water to Melbourne so we can flush our dunnies.
More salient facts HERE.

Plug The Pipe Campaign HERE.

And, surprise, surprise, the damn thing is threatening several protected species as reported HERE.

*waves to the Premier's office and Parliamentary Library in Spring St*
Hi!!!!

November 6 and a warning not to waste one's valuable sleeping time listening to tripe.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:25:00 +0000

Woke up to hear the radio presenter chatting to a gal from New York ( that's 20 mins of my life I'm never getting back again). During the conversation someone emailed in asking if the meat baloney was the same as the saying "that's a load of baloney" to which she replied yes.
A little later on someone else emailed in asking if the word baloney was a corruption of the word Blarney (as in the Irish Blarney Stone).
Well!
The gal from NY got up on her high horse and spat the dummy big time, becoming a sarcastic smartarse saying "Well why don't you go back to your Google search engine and look up Balogna in Italy as that's more likely where the word comes from and I know what I'm talking about because I've eaten baloney and it's a mystery meat, nothing to do with the Blarney Stone. We haven't used that saying for nearly 20 yrs over here you're more likely to hear "that's a load of horse*** ..."
She was so incensed and spitting nails she accidentally hung up her phone on-air!
When she rang back she was still going on about the origins of the word baloney (despite the presenter's efforts to change the subject) and being rude toward the poor person who'd asked a simple question!
Memo to self - don't bother waking up to listen to that segment again.

1810 Never let it be said that Gov Lachlan Macquarie was just a pretty face hosting the first Survivor series in the colonies...
Macquarie let Riley, Blaxcell and Wentworth become the sole importers of rum - rum, that which greased the wheels of the settlement and made everything seem almost civilised (and convict blokes looked almost like eligble bachelors through a rum haze) - on the proviso that they build a proper hospital.
See, Rudd? That's how it's done.

1830 Te Rauparaha's war party popped in for a nasty mischief to the homebodies at Akaroa then they went on their way to Kapiti Island with some captives and a pile of human flesh.
Sorry, gone vegetarian this week...

1879 Thanksgiving was first officially observed in Canada on this date before it was shifted to share the week with Armistice Day post-WW1 then in 1957 it was moved, again, to the second Monday in October.

1906 The first long distance telephone line snaked its way up hill and down dale to reach Regina from Winnipeg.
But was there any gossip worth lifting the handset for...?

1908 PM Joseph Ward hammered home the final spike in the North Island Main Trunk Line.
For more info click HERE.
If you pop over to The New Zealand Journal you'll find some recent news of a former station stop being re-introduced and some great old photos.

1968 Surgeons in Toronto performed the first transplant into a human eye using a plastic cornea implant.
Ahh, yes, it's all clear to me now...

1984 The Christchurch Gay Taskforce was born on this day.

1991 Canadians put out the last of the 751 oil well fires started by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's troops at the end of the Gulf War.
Obviously none of you guys were around to fix this mess up off the coast of Oz recently...

1992 Indigenous Archaeological sites in Tasmania, at Rocky Cape, were reclaimed by Aboriginal People.
Goodness! You'd think they owned them or something...!

1997 Indigenous People were offered an apology from the various religious orders for their past treatment of Aboriginal People.

Yellow = New Zealand
Orange = Canada
Green = Australia
Red = usually British or other nationality
Anything in bold, italics and coloured blue is a link to another site with more info.
Anything outrageous is usually humour and/or sarcasm.

Fan-bloody-tastic lecture

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:07:00 +0000

Yeah, sorry, should have put in a nerd alert but never mind, it'll wash off under the shower.
Feral Beast and I went to a lecture/talk with Martin Flanagan and Paul Bateman at the State Library tonight.
I'd read a few of Mr Flanagan's pieces but I wanted to say nothing to FB so he had no preconceived ideas or expectations, effectively walking in cold.
Well.
He was transfixed within moments of the discussion starting; these were two good friends having a chinwag on stage, chatting back and forth about the differences between Tassie and Victoria but also the very many links that tie the two states together.
One thing that struck me was when he said,
"You ask anyone in Tassie about Gunns and everyone's got an opinion. But you ask anyone in Melbourne about an environmental issues no one seems to care, whereas if you asked anyone in rural Victoria they'd all have an opinion."
Which is so true and has been proven time and time again when anyone tries to discuss the North-South Pipeline with Melbournians who either know nothing or have swallowed the govt spin hook, line and sinker.
Many subjects were thrown about - sport, footy, Indigenous People, history, heritage, the environment, Windshuttle, Mansel, La Trobe, Hobart, William Buckley, convicts and George Augustus Robinson.
I cannot possibly convey everything that was discussed but I do recommend attending any future lectures involving Martin Flanagan.
A podcast from one of his lectures from 2006 is available HERE.

Meals for the elderly

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Yes, the elderly refuse to gnaw their way through oh-so-tender-steak-that-could-be-torn-like-a-piece-of-soggy-rice-paper.
Cos chewing can be so much like hard work.
Forgive me my snarkiness, but we have to cook a different menu to ensure the old bugger actually eats something more than his dessert...oh yes, we've tried the old "if you don't finish your meal you don't get any sweets" line but he'd happily trot off to bed with nothing on his stomach.
Pulmonary Fibrosis is a c*nt.
So, steam all vegies until you can mash 'em with a fork.
Add them to egg mixture and either
A - make a quiche
B - make an omelette
C - turn it into bubble and squeak served on butter-soggy toast
or
D -bake them into little vegie loaves and tell 'em they're savoury cakes for arvo tea.
Stews, casseroles and thick soups are another way to hide the vegies and get them into the old buggers.
Use an extra large plate and serve up a big serving.
A - the large plate makes it look like a normal sized serving so they won't arc up about the amount.
B - the old buggers were usually brought up through the Depression and had it drummed into them to "never leave food on the plate" so they make an effort to actually eat most of it.
C - use bread and butter as side dishes for them to dip into stews/casseroles/soups while they're eating.
Let the old buggers graze throughout the day; little meals, full of calories, often, while they're watching the idiot box and not having to make an effort to chew.

November 5 when stuff happened but no firey eclipse or end of the world took place. Ho hum.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:34:00 +0000

Inserted between the trivial tripe will be news items from November 5, 1938.
Beside yourself with excitement now, aren't you?
The kitty litter tray is thataway---------------->>>>>>>

Special mention for Brian ....Guy Fawkes got sprung or blew something up or peppered his parliamentary entry with too much powder.

Once upon a time we here in Oz would celebrate Guy Fawkes Day with bonfires and fireworks.

And then the Fun Police put a stop to it.

And now Nov 5 is as boring as batshyte in Oz.

1881 Parihaka, a settlement which protested peacefully against the confiscation of Maori land, was attacked by 1,600 police and volunteers.

The mining industry was pushing for a *gasp* 5 day working week....were they mad?!?!

1917 In Ontario the Cabinet passed a law banning the use of grain to produce alcohol for the rest of the War.
All those poor barleys that dreamt of soaking up the hops...

Conductor has nfi what Swing music is...colouring inside the lines also confuses him.

1946 The first industrial action of Indigenous People took place in the Pilbara region.

Actual work was taking place on railway infrastructure...were they mad?!?!

1956 Aunty (ABC) began working to earn our 8 cents per day by flashing herself in lounge rooms all over the state.

Automatic telephone exchanges and 133,809 telephone subscribers...madness, I tell you, this phone thing will never take off...!

1959 Bryan Adams was pupped on this date.
And to think - when he first hit Australian shores as a support act for The Police he gave out badges that read,
"It's ok, Bryan Adams doesn't know who you are, either."
Check out his website HERE.

Old bloke claims to be the oldest student from Heidelberg State School...if you're more ancient speak up!

1979 The Regent Theatre in Christchurch was gutted by fire.
To have a gander at some of the beauty of this renovated theatre befriend it on FB HERE.

Bragging that our double-decker buses would be better than London's...awww,bless their wee muddled brains.
Photo HERE.

1993 Cosgrove High School in Hobart was host to the first compulsory Aboriginal Studies Program in the Apple Isle.

Elastic rail spikes....?

She spun across the ballroom floor,

Her figure was fantastic,

Suddenly her rail spike fell down...

You can't trust Coles elastic.

1995 Martin Dickson became the first openly gay Presbyterian Minister in NZ on this day.

Clear your calendars for these upcoming events...like the Metallic History of Great Britain, that's bound to be an enthralling arvo...the nurses' league is getting their heads together...Northcote Baths are open, woohoo....and many more events to ~~bore you rigid~~ keep you from the grip of insomnia.

1995 David Boys from Montreal became World Scrabble Champ.
W00T! (and that's a double word score).

In more exciting news the Church Film Society have got their grubby mitts on...no, none of this Harry Potter or Twilight nonsense, it's The Seven Men of Preston.

Kiwi of The Week is Tohu Kakahi.
Read more about this chap HERE.

Yellow = New Zealand
Orange = Canada
Green = Australia
Red = usually British or other nationality
Anything in bold, italics and coloured blue is a link to another site with more info.

Last Tassie Tiger

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:25:00 +0000

Go on, you think you know everything there is to know about it - the media trot out the tried and tired prattle everytime there's a mention of cloning them back into existence - "the last one was named Benjamin, a male, who died of old age at the Hobart Zoo, blah blah blah blah...."
How about trying the truth on for size ; the last one was a female with no name and she died from neglect and exposure due to a fragile male ego under threat from a chicky-babe who knew her onions.

Yeah, kinda doesn't make for good media copy, eh, the fact we managed to screw over the very last (known) Tassie Tiger cos a bloke didn't like being told by a woman *gasp* (how very dare she!) how to do his job despite the fact there were several zoo animals turning up their toes due to neglect in his "care" *ahem*.

Alison Reid (picture HERE) told her tale shortly before she died and it's not a tale that is taught in schools (similar to the fact Tassie Aboriginal People weren't extinct but that wasn't taught in schools for decades, either. Don't let facts get in the way of teaching history now, ya hear?!)
Have a read of some brief facts HERE.

Go read the chapter in Australian Tragic by Jack Marx or The Last Tasmanian Tiger; The History and Extinction of The Thylacine by Robert Paddle or Thylacine; The Tragic Tale of The Tasmanian Tiger by David Owen (excerpt HERE) to find out the truth.

November 4...Shocking Crime Scene in Melbourne Cup win!

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:46:00 +0000

Crikey Moses, Gummy Mary, Sodom and Gomorrah, have been doing some more family history delving and I may have not only identified one of my Aboriginal ancestors in the family photos but the fact her father was one of the early policemen aka 'patrolman' in the Sydney area.
But he wasn't for very long...after barely 12 months he was given the heave ho and royally dismissed by the Gov'ner.
Thank goodness, for a moment there I thought we had a deep, dark stain on our family of a law abiding citizen....!
So, let's have a break and hunt up some inoffensive trivial tripe to tickle someone's funny bone.....

1897 Although they used gas lighting night cycling at Lancaster Park just didn't take off.
Oh, I say! Not enough power in the gas, watt!
Beanz Meanz ~~Fartz~~ Lightz!

An A Cappella musical interlude from Tripod and Eddie Perfect with Meet Me in The Middle Of The Air.

1930 Kiwi-born Phar Lap blitzed the Melbourne Cup.
Click HERE to watch a mini-movie of the event.
Or don't.
See if I care, hmph!

1990 Canadian PM Brian Mulroney offered an apology to Canadians of Italian descent who were forced into internment camps for the duration of WW2.
He had earlier apologised to Japanese Canadians for the same thing.

1992 Marion Rheaume, goalie, became the first chicky-babe to sign a professional hockey contract.

Now, I'm about to do my Molly Meldrum bit here and recommend that you do yourself a favour by going out to get a copy of Australian Tragic by Jack Marx.
It's a collection of little-known/forgotten events throughout Oz history.
Well written, well researched, some subjects have enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and re-thinking long-held stances on some of the more notorious people in recent Oz history.
I think there would be enough stories out there to warrent a second book but obviously there has to be enough interest in this book first so go grab a copy and dip into it!

Yellow = New Zealand
Orange = Canada
Green = Australia
Red = usually British or other nationality
Anything in bold, italics and coloured blue is a link to another site with more info.

Melbourne Cup Day 2009 ...here's a tip....Save Yer Dosh!

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:45:00 +0000

OMG.
Xmas is about 2 seconds away.
Start knitting/crocheting/plaiting pubic hair last week some time cos THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO FINISH YOUR PROJECTS.
NEVER.
Do not listen to those fools who tell you that dedication, sleep deprivation and a bajillion hands make light work.
There is NO SUCH THING as "light work" unless you're playing with the electrical power lines.

1883 *snort* The Water Conservation Act was passed with the Metamucil.
Hear that, Holding?
Water Conservation...as in saving water...as in being careful...as in Stage 4 Where The Bloody Hell Are You?!

1886 Henry Reynolds launched his famous Anchor butter brand.
Read more on it HERE.

1894 Billy Barker, Canada's top air ace of WW1, was born on this day.
To learn more about this dare-devil click HERE.

1908 The Catholic Church announced that it no longer thought Canada suitable for missionary activities.

1920 Kath Walker, better known as Oodgeroo Noonunccal, was born on this day.
Read more about Australia's first Indigenous poet to have her work published in Oz, HERE.

1974 Summer daylight savings time was introduced on a trial basis on this date, proving popular enough to come in permanently the following year.

Yellow = New Zealand
Orange = Canada
Green = Australia
Red = usually British or other nationality
Anything in bold, italics and coloured blue is a link to another site with more info.

All Saints Day ..or The Day We Shovel Them Dead Ghosts and Ghoulies Back Into Their Graves...

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:04:00 +0000

1849 The streets of Quebec weren't quite paved with gold but on this day they were lit by coal gas.

1898 The NZ Old Age Pension Act was passed, for older, destitute people "of good character" worthy to receive the 18 pounds per year.
This was the first of its kind in the British Empire.

1903 The Invercargill to Christchurch rail service began choofing along.

1923 Victoria's coppers went on strike.
Laugh? We nearly shat ourselves in the riotous time that followed!

1934 Another hysterical event was when the Federal Govt ordered the NT police to stop chaining up Aboriginal prisoners.

1941 In Ontario the Rainbow Bridge was officially opened to Niagara Falls in New York.
We have yet to convince homophobes to get the fluck over it....

Our Geelong trip or How I Learned To Love Sun-Dried Sushi Au Naturel

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:14:00 +0000

Can I just begin by saying that I love the 6.42am from Oakleigh?
It's been on time these past few weeks (and having said it out loud it will now break down every day) we can grab a seat, there are normal human beings on this train (as opposed to the bug-eyed staring hyped up sardine squished druggies trying to pass for caffeine addicts heading into the office to make another ~~mugging~~ killing) and being a limited express we don't muck around with the MATH stations spending an entire 26 mins getting to ~~So Cross~~ Spencer Street Station.

*NB Quite a number of these shots are Feral Beast's, as he's uploaded the whole lot into his own file and transferred what he thinks I might want across to my file.

Many of his shots are actually for his studies so I'm "borrowing" them for here.

Storm water/creek thing masquerading as a waterway.

Or maybe a nuclear hatching pond for aliens, who knows?

Something to do with...er...the oil industry.

Geelong Railway Station.

Gordon Tafe, beautiful building but I think FB has culled my shots of the stained glass windows *sob*

A faith-based building called, I am reliably informed, a church.

This was a real estate agents offices, road too wide and busy to get a great shot from other side of the road without ending up with tall delivery trucks blocking the shot or myself as roadkill.

This was, I think, the old telegraph station beside the post office.

We were taken with the depth and crispsness of the oak-leaf carvings.

The T & G corner.

This is the National Wool Museum.

Yes, you must attend this place when you next visit Geelong.

You will dream of Sunday roasts skipping merrily through your house...

...or this mofo Funnel Web bitch.

And this croc.

Mmmm, tastes like chicken.

And not an Irwin to be seen...

Then we hit the Ford Discovery Centre and drooled over these beauties.

Sure, they weren't Holdens but some had the classic lines of the "good production years".

Crash test 'roo.

An old sign beside the Ford Discovery Centre.

A public house, m'lord.

Gratuitous chimney shot.

What a hard view we had to cope with...

Cunningham Pier which used to have a railway line out to it.

Just 2 of the 100 famous bollards Jan Mitchell created.

Click HERE for more info on these fab pieces of public art.

Sadly, Debbie Harry told a porkie when she sang "The Tide is high"

The only thing high was the seaweed under the noon day sun.

Just a brilliant splash of P!NK on the foreshore cliff-face.

Will ye nae come back agin?

Like on our Mordialloc to wherever-the-hell-we-ended-up-after-a-million-hours-of-marching the cliffs are eroding.

Badly.

But they've built this beaut winding jetty-type promanade out across the water away from those nasty falling rock things, complete with lighting and bench seats.

The "Learn To Swim" bollard people.

There were gardens, Oh, were there gardens in bloom?!

Everywhere we looked roses, lobelia, freesias, geraniums, jasmine, you-name-it-and-it-was-blooming.

The King Edward VII Sailor's Rest.

Which is covered by National Trust but trifling things like that...

Looking down towards the enclosed sea swimming baths.

*sigh* such a hardship...

Corio Villa which you must read about it's quirky history HERE.

This band rotunda is very similar to the one in Sandringham.

Snapped from the train on the way outta town...

Many pics are missing...there shall be (quiet, polite) words with FB when he returns from Russian school this arvo.

Pics, trivial tripe and a lesson in cropping the crap out!

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:13:00 +0000

I was going to post our Geelong photos but the time has got too late to be making things look spesh, so I've edited just 3 to show how an editing programme and a digital camera can make even me take decent shots (sometimes).

Before.

After

Before.

After

Before.

After.

All I've done is crop the crap out (something I learnt from BB) which brings the subject closer and centre to the resulting photo while Feral Beast has been learning to do the special effect thingies I'm yet to try.
*These are not what I'd call remotely decent shots, they just happen to be near the beginning of the photo folder and it's almost time for me to turn into a pumpkin!

1908 The Canadians won the very last gold Olympic medal in a sport that has not graced the Olympic Games since...Lacrosse.

1912 The Queen's Theatre, now the M.W Arcade, was opened.

1913 The national waterfront strike effected Lyttelton Harbour.

1917 The 4th Light Horse charged the Turkish line at Beersheba and gained the wells which helped them break the Ottoman line and advance into Palestine.
Go hire the movie on DVD and then read up about the NZ-born actor, Jon Blake.

1950 Birth of that fabulous actor, John Candy, in Toronto. Known for his comedy he was also a talented 'straight' actor.For a great site dedicated to him click HERE.

1952 The Vic Premier Holloway retired from his 3rd and final term of office of FOUR days.
This is, obviously, the shortest Vic Govt in history.

1975 The Racial Discrimination Act 1975 came into effect.

1982 Canada's first female saint, Marguerite Bourgeoys, was canonised for her heroics, founding the Congregation de Notre-Dame de Montreal and opening a girls' school in a stable in 1653.
For further details on this classy chick click HERE.

October is almost gone bring on Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:44:00 +0000

I shall a'haunting go so lock your windows tightly Saturday night!

Today's post seems to have a theme of grog running through it...or rather the attempts to limit the said grog.

1838 The first Temperance meeting was held in Melbourne.
Yes, the drunken yobs of today are still trying to console themselves and get a grip on that fact...

1865 The Native Land Court came into being which made it easier to gain Maori land.
More details HERE.

1918 The Armistice with Turkey was signed, ending Turkey's involvement in WW1.

1918 A petition carrying 240,000 signatures was presented to NZ Parliament in an effort to introduce Prohibition which was only narrowly out-voted in a referendum the following April.
For more info on the Temperance movement in NZ click HERE.

1920 On this day at the University of Toronto Frederick Banting dashed off a note which resulted in his research team discovering insulin...
"Tie pancreas ducts of dogs. Wait six or eight weeks. Remove and extract."
(Then mix with tomato juice and call it a Bloody Mary?)

1929 Nova Scotia did away with Prohibition so that the Govt could control the *hic* liquor.

1975 A young 24 yr old Tony Mundine took out the Australian and Commonwealth Light Heavyweight boxing titles in Blacktown, Sydney.

1976 The first woman ever sworn in as a RCMP, Heather Ann Phyllis, resigned to get married.
There was one Mountie who got her man... *boom boom*

1985 Keri Hulme won the Booker McConnell prize for her novel The Bone People.

Yellow = New Zealand
Orange = Canada
Green = Australia
Red = usually British or other nationality
Anything in bold, italics and coloured blue is a link to another site with more info.

It's one of those days

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:03:00 +0000

Dunno if I'll even hit publish but I need to explain, apparently, to some readers who are obviously effected by the full moon or the tides or the change of season/weather/Spring Racing Carnival or they stopped taking their meds...again, or the simple fact they have a huge pile of SOL (shit on liver) that they're unable to shift with even a little Metamucil and orange juice but feel the need to share their crappy mood with me.

I am legally blind and, contrary to what I've over-heard some idiots at the Eye and Ear Hosp in Melbourne brag, this actually forces you to give up your driving license.
So, when I write a photo tour of some place it's a walking tour, not a car in sight, only transport is train/bus/tram.
If you want to make yourself feel better by attacking and abusing me over the fact I am not writing about touristy things situated a million miles out of a town, then go right ahead cos you're the one who ends up looking like an ignorant dickhead.
And if I wish to "moan and complain incessantly" about Melbourne's public transport system (which I don't "incessantly" but I try to in a humourous way) it is because I do not have the luxury to "just take the car when the fucking train is late and stop crying over it".

My son is "High Functioning Autistic" or Asperger's/Aspie.
I homeschool him as the mainstream school system let him be bullied for 3 yrs by a child they treated with kid gloves.
That same child and the inaction of the school, when the child attempted to ****** abuse my son after years of hitting/kicking/punching/biting, etc, forced me into the position of contacting child protective services.
The school refused to report it. Several other mothers came forward and reported the same thing about the same child and the fact the school had not acted on their previous complaints and concerns until I rang DHS.
I then removed him from the school.
I do not "waste my son's ideal learning years" nor am I "a nutcase religious hippy living on the fringe of society" nor is my son "some idiot savant Rainman eating his own shit".
If I choose to post about his achievements I do so as a proud mother whose child was struggling at school, even with an integration aide.
My son is now on his 3rd subject at university and enjoying it greatly.
He is 12.

This blog is based on trivial history items, events, dates, things generally overlooked in the mainstream.
I blog about Oz, NZ and Canadian (and some British) history dates because there isn't enough info about them out on the net.
I write these events in a humourous manner without any intention to offend anyone.
If you do not like something, then close the window and walk away.
Don't bother coming back and writing an offensive reply attacking me over the historical facts, I can't re-write history just to make your racist, right-wing arsehole of a soul feel better.
Likewise to those who think I should be more pro-active left-wing - historical facts are facts, they are mired in the past and, despite the many times we can revisit the event or date, we cannot change what happened to cause the event nor can we alter the results of that same event.
While I am a hard worker abusing me won't work miracles.

And if I write something that is obviously outrageous it is because IT'S A JOKE, JOYCE.
If you notice I have linked historical events with time periods that came long after the date IT'S A JOKE, JOYCE.
Having to explain that things are a joke kinda takes the humour out of things and assumes that you are all idiots, which I don't think you are.
Although, judging by the emails, there's a select couple who are functioning without a brain or commonsense.

I poke crap at all politicians of all persuasians.
They're all as bad as one another and the only decent pollie is the one who actually pulls their finger out of their arse and gets work done, not whether they pontificated beautifully in Parliament or what blue/white/red collar/ribbon party/seat they belong to.

The different states of Oz poke crap at each other in a FRIENDLY manner.
When I poke fun at another state ( or even my own) I do so in a JOKING manner (see above for IT'S A JOKE, JOYCE).
Some Americans have taken me to task over this practice, believing that there is a real savage intent behind the words. I think this is due to a very real issue between the states in USA (please correct me if I'm wrong) but don't assume that if it happens in your country then it must be the same in every country.
Queenslanders are Banana Benders, Northern Territorians are Top Enders, NSWelshmen are Cockroaches, Victorians are Gumsuckers/Cabbages (NSW and Vic are referred to as Mexicans by Qlders coz these states are south of the QLD border) , Taswegians are Apple Islanders, South Australians are Crow Eaters, Westralians are Sandgropers and there's a huge plethora of other state nicknames I've left out.
Our unofficial 7th state New Zealand are Kiwis who have their own nicknames for different areas and call Oz their West Island.
IT'S ALL A JOKE, JOYCE, none of it is meant in offence.

If you feel the need to write me an email abusing me or my blog that's fine but stop and take a good, long look at your behaviour and what's fuelling it.
Do you constantly belittle others? Criticise other people all the time, fire off emails correcting people in a rude/abusive manner? Have few friends and even less online contacts who return your emails but you can't figure out why?
Try being more constructive instead of destructive.
While others around you are building things up with their acheivements, you're tearing things down, possibly due to your insecurity/inability to be creative or because your head is firmly wedged in your arse and is cemented there.

While you're reading this....

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:18:00 +0000

....I am off to run amok in Geelong for the day (Wednesday), on another walking tour, so I shall be rather quiet around all of your blogs (stop cheering, I can hear you, you know!) and your comments will be moderated when I get my backside home again so whisper sweet nothings to my inbox LOL .

For location , info and some fab snaps of Geelong click HERE.

1824 The very first Canadian medical school began the very first classes on this day at The Montreal Medical Institute.
Merci!

1830 Josiah Henson, the model for the hero of Harriet Beecher's Uncle Tom's Cabin, arrived in Ontario from Maryland with his wife and 4 children via the Underground Railway.
Click HERE to learn more about this man who inspired the book which inspired the US Civil War.

1834 The Battle/Massacre of Pinjarra took place when WA Gov Stirling led an armed party of 25 police, soldiers and volunteer civilians in reprisal against the Pinjarra people for the murder of 19 yr old Hugh Nesbit which resulted in the death of thirty Indigenous People.
Read more about this bloody event HERE.

1890 Although it wasn't a public holiday (yet) the first Labour Day (see? NZers can spell proper) was celebrated in NZ.
Click HERE to learn more.
Go on.
You know you wanna.
Just do it already!

Founder of the 8 hour working day in NZ was Samuel Parnell.
Click HERE to read about this hirsute chap.

1916 The first full-time correspondence school began in NSW.

1978 The Pioneer Sports Stadium was officially opened in Canterbury on this day.
For more details of the history click HERE.

Yellow = New Zealand
Orange = Canada
Green = Australia
Red = usually British or other nationality
Anything in bold, italics and coloured blue is a link to another site with more info.

A little something I 'borrowed' from a friend who posed this ...

"I often wonder why we tend to wait until someone's funeral to say grand and truthful things to/about those we love. Not just partners, friends as well. Have a think about what you would say about a particular friend on that occasion - and tell them here, or by phone or best - in person. Now."

I really think you guys and gals rock.

October 27 on the Rocket Clock...?

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:42:00 +0000

Crikey Moses, Mary mother of God and Joseph the carpenter!
Just opened one of my chronology sources for this date and it's spewed forth a literal stream of info I could surf along.
Fortunately for you, dear readers (and troll) I'm a generous soul when it comes to culling the crap...which kinda explains the ex hubby *snort*.

Enough of this frivolity, let us away to the deep, dark deeds of this date.....

1728 Someone whom Oz, NZ, Canada and Britain can all claim is dear old Jimmy Cook, pupped on this day in Marten-in-Cleveland in Yorkshire, he mapped the east coast of Oz, the whole of NZ, the Newfoundland coast and Canada's west coast before becoming the filling in a Sandwich Island meal.

1943 Kiwi soldiers made the first landing under fire since Gallipoli when they landed on Mono Island.
To see a photo click HERE.

1952 In Montreal streetcars were kicked to the kerb *sniff* and replaced with *yawn* buses.

1983 The very first exterior lift in NZ was installed in an office building on the corner of Manchester and Kilmore Sts.

1985 Celine Dion won 5 FELIX Awards.
My ears, they burn...............

1991 World-renown Indigenous tracker Jimmy James was commemorated in a plaque on North Terrace in Adelaide for his extraordinary talents in tracking crims and always getting his man.
For more info on Jimmy James click HERE and HERE.

1998 Aden Ridgeway became the first NSW Indigenous Person to hit Federal Paliament and, at that date, only the second in the whole of the Isle of Oz.

Yellow = New Zealand
Orange = Canada
Green = Australia
Red = usually British or other nationality
Anything in bold, italics and coloured blue is a link to another site with more info.

October 26 annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd she prattles again...

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:29:00 +0000

Sorry, been rather slack with the daily wafflings, have been pulling weeds and planting a thousand and one vegie plants/seedlings.
Although the compost has birthed more tomatoes than you can poke a stick so the front garden shall be awash with 'matoes soonish!

1835 The first load of livestock landed at Williamstown.
They found their land legs and then proceeded to exclaim loudly at their below decks sea cruise...

1838 Geelong - where we are venturing on this week's walking tour on Wednesday - was proclaimed a town site.
No, the timing is a mere coincidence, I'm really not that anal!

1942 An Act was passed, namely the Women's Jurors Act, which allowed Kiwi chicky-babes to sit on juries.

1980 Land at Cuthbert's Green was given to the trustees of the Nga Hua E Wha National Marae.

1993 The wonderful Crash Test Dummies released the album God Shuffled His Feet.

1997 Jacques Villeneuve became the first Canadian to win the World Championship of Drivers when he came in 3rd at the European Grande Prix in Jerez, Spain.

Yellow = New Zealand
Orange = Canada
Green = Australia
Red = usually British or other nationality
Anything in bold, italics and coloured blue is a link to another site with more info.

Daylesford tour finale

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:19:00 +0000

Yes, yes, I take far too many photos (346 at Daylesford to be precise) but I do cull a lot to spare you the rigid stare into the middle of next week!
Onward we go to Daylesford Lake and to prove that Frisky Librarian Jayne and I really are two separate people....

And so we leave Daylesford basking in the Spring afternoon sunshine....

Next week is Geelong!

October 23 and Daylesford tour continues

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Continuing our walking tour of Daylesford -

Daylesford Primary, a little further down Vincent St.

Looks gorgeous, can't we have it made into a private residence...?

Bend and snap 22.5 times when you reach this section...

OMG! This Heathen felt God!

And he was mighty buff I must admit...

Uniting Church found loitering on the corner of Central Springs Rd and Duke St.

Lower picture shows original church/hall dated 1861.

St Peter's Catholic Church on the corner of Central Springs and Duke St.

I sizzled only slightly as I passed...

St Andrews Church, now privately owned, in Camp Street.

Christian Fellowship Church in Camp St.

Christ Church, in Central Springs Rd, which looks out on these stunning views.

Best pub I've been in for ages.

Daylesford Bowls Club cnr of Camp and Albert Sts; don't know how they manage to get many ends played with that view...

Hitching post and decent gutter for the neddy to paddle in.

Couldn't you see Matron Sloan charging out of there in full sail...?

Daylesford Hospital in...Hospital Street.

Plaque says it all, main street outside the Royal Hotel.

(Former) Albert Hotel in Camp Street.

Top pic showing the gradient of the street with a lower, basement floor on one side.

The Convent Gallery in Daly Street.

The gardens were bursting with colour, life and a few unusual blooms...

As promised we sat on the balcony of the Daylesford Hotel for Andrew and Cazzie and toasted them in their absence.

The last pic shows what I assume to be some CFA burning off as it was far too late in the day to have been anything to do with historic Maldon station burning plus it was the wrong direction.

1874 A contest in finding the fastest oyster opener was held in Quebec with the winner shucking 300 of the delish shell-fish in 30 mins.

1948 The NZ Mt Ruapehu air crash claimed the lives of thirteen on board.
For more details click HERE.

1998 The then-Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Herron claimed the Federal Govt would never cough up an apology for the Stolen Generation.

To my little turd-like troll

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0000

Yes, my impatient little sheep-dropping, I did venture out of the main street of Daylesford.
What a shame you didn't venture into Basic Manners 101.
Such a charming piece of bile you shared with me one wonders how you've managed to function without off-loading that pile of crap earlier in your life...or was that your use for your former hubby?
Or...Aha! You must be teething to be sulking and throwing tanties like this!
Never mind, my teeny-minded little grommit, just go and have a nap in the corner while your ouchy toothy pegs cut through the fragile gums and us adults get on with our business.

Daylesford tour

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:17:00 +0000

OK, let me get this off my chest straight off; Daylesford is a beautiful, friendly, fabulous place but, dear Lord Mouldy-Bottom On High, if GPs wrote a prescription for us unfit people to live up there for a week and just use our legs we'd all be running marathons inside a year.
There aint no "flat, level" area in Daylesford, it's up hills and down dales all the way but by the end of the day I can honestly say I was no longer feeling anything below my waist so its all good.
A street map of Daylesford is available HERE.

*Anything bold, italic and blue is a link to further information so feel free to clickity-click-click whatever takes your fancy.

Woodend Station where one changes ~~into a screaming virago~~ for the road coach to Daylesford.

Side of a former pub (I think?) in Daylesford.

Stoaked Cafe & Cuisine.

And, now we do the obligatory leadlight window obsession bit....

You'll notice there are different animals on each panel but I was unable to get shots of them all due to only 1 light being on in the shop(drat those energy-conscious people!).

Enough of that indulgence, let's move on to the buildings of note, many of which house goodies galore like collectibles and antiques and charming one-off pieces.

Daylesford is geared toward the tourist trade but it is a lovely place to visit and stay...maybe to even make a tree-change in.

Seriously, a book store that recognises the feline as the proper ruler of our universe.

What more could you ask for?!

Click HERE to check out the amazing array of goodies they offer.

The Rex Theatre.

Gourmet Larder.

Alpha Hall was the first cinema outside of Melbourne.

A little more on the various theatres in Central Vic HERE.

While there's a sense of history everywhere Daylesford has incorporated modern items to fit in, and compliment, items from yesteryear.

(Taking notes, Jussy?)

Right, we've wandered up past the former Daylesford Town Hall

Past the pretty shops and whatnot

To find ourselves standing on the corner with this diagonally opposite

Fantastic shop filled to the brim with curious bits n bobs, known as Wombat Hill Antiques and Collectibles, open on weekends only, apparently.

Make a point of going for a look see!

*Last photo is of a boot-scraper, 1 of 2 still insitu, which infers that it must have been an upmarket pub/guesthouse as none of the others have these!

And the grand post office ahead of us

Click HERE for a then-&-now look.

Then along the street is...

(Former) Daylesford Fire Station.

Then this grouping of objects which obviously belong to

Daylesford & District Historical Society.

I must say for a town geared toward tourism the entry fees on the museum are dirt cheap and make it a must-visit. *Check opening days and times on website.

Still meandering down Vincent St (Daylesford-Ballan Rd) we found..

Random pretty houses and gardens *blissful sigh* which are not done any justice by the camera.

More to come tomorrow including shots of where we sat on the balcony of the Daylesford Hotel for Andrew and Cazzie.

To check out more info on Daylesford this site HERE has some great links, commentary and photos.

October 20.....another Chewsday, another day of wet paper bag excitement

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:41:00 +0000

Oh, look, She of The Waffling Past doth cackle yet more!

New Zealand History Online site has named James K. Baxter as Kiwi Of The Week.

1659 The first Ursulines - The Grey Nuns- rocked up to Montreal.
1686 La Maison des Ursulines - the House of the Grey Nuns - was destroyed by fire in Quebec.
(Not, as The Spouse would have us believe, that anyone was smoking in bed).

1792 John Pascoe Fawkner was spewed forth into this world, giving Melbourne 2 suburb names and its first pub.

1873 Fiercely staunch feminist Nellie McClung, who fought for the rights of women in Canada, was born on this day.
Read more about this grand lady HERE.

1964 Homicide - the classic Aussie cop series, boys and girls, that made pork pie hats de rigeur - burst onto the idiot boxes sitting in the corner of our lounge rooms.

1976 Activists at the 5th National Gay and Lesbian Conference formed the National Gay Rights Coalition.

1987 The NZ stock market went into meltdown due to the crash on Wall Street.
Same bucket of Wall Street crap...

1997 The Senate passed a motion, along with their prune juice, which condemned the Govt's part in rubber stamping approval of mining at Jabiluka.

And because I've been such a slack old cow I missed mentioning...
Oct 19, 1868 A 7.5 earthquake at Cape Farewell at 12.35am.
Oct 19, 1973 The NZ Day Act was given the Royal Nod to make Waitangi Day a public holiday.
Oct 19, 1976 The Sullivans, war-time soapie, threw themselves upon us.
Oct 19, 1994 Goodnight Kiwi aired for the last time on TV1 & TV2.

Forget the DeLorean and TARDIS for time travel...I gots me a new-old Melway !

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:42:00 +0000

Daniel updated his Melway Street Directory with a newbie not long ago but I was hankering after the olllllld ones.
Today I spied me a lil treasure at the Sunday Market...4th edition published in 1970 for a measly $5 which cost $2.97 brand new so inflation didn't hit me too hard.
Now, you're all sitting there thinking "WTF does a fat blind chick - who only flies a broomstick from room to room - want with an old Melway?"
Aren't you?
Huh?
You are, aren't you?
Go on, admit it, you're scratching your head and getting splinters.
Anyways it's got goodies that no longer exist and, being a Melway, it's pretty accurate for locations of these thingies that no longer exist.
One thing that blew me away was the sheer number of schools per page.
A bajillion little yellow squares denoting schools on each page leapt out; I counted and map 17 held 24 schools while opposite on map 18 there were a further 18.
Map 29 was smothered in 25 schools and beside it map 30 had another 22.
That's not counting teacher's colleges and other speciality colleges/schools.
Now, call me Rudolph and paint my nose red but surely it stands to reason that closing all these small schools and shoe-horning kids into mega-factory-type learning buildings has not only decreased the national average in literacy/general knowledge but increased the travel time, decreased the choice for parents and decreased the variety for teachers to work.
While the schools were in abundance so was the number of chemical factories/labs spread all over the then-empty suburbs but which may very well be covered in housing now.
Found a couple of train stations that have gone to God, clay pits and quarries, hospitals galore that have, like the schools, been amalgamated and turned into health factories that just breed infectious diseases...sorry, can't treat them properly now that Fairfield was dumped.
Boys' and girls' homes, infants orphanges and "youth training" homes are all listed, all disappeared from sight but still mapped in the old Melway.
The one thing that gave me a few giggles was the fact "future freeways" were colour-coded purple, when there was only a short section of the South Eastern Freeway open when the book was published.
Cardinia Creek Reservoir hadn't been finished, either; it was proposed to begin being filled with cloud juice in 1972, two years in the future while the map warned that the Emerald-Beaconsfield Rd would be closed as it kinda ran straight through what was shortly to be a rather deep-ish reservoir (and snorkeling 4WDs hadn't been invented at that stage).
Am having a ball back in 1970!

Castlemaine tour continued

noreply@blogger.com (Jayne) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:47:00 +0000

Right, on with the tour.
Remember to wear comfy shoes as Castlemaine is not flat - it is very hilly and, sometimes, steep.
It was born from the discovery of GOLD! and, as we all know, that glittery stuff seems to be wedded to mountains/hills/not-very-flat-walking-surfaces.
Also, pack a jacket/jumper as it can be a couple of degrees cooler up there than the Melb CBD.
Harcourt, just 8 kms up the highway from Castlemaine, is nestled in a valley and has been known to have snow quite late in the year and/or solidly frozen ponds, bird baths, etc.

For Elizabeth; a garden that took our fancy walking up from the train station.

These plaques are everywhere on buildings of significance (take note, Jussy), I took a few but some are dreadfully blurry so I'll spare you the painful eyesight.

Looking toward the RSL across the gardens from that artwork seat from the previous post.

With the monument (including horse & dog troughs) at our backs we're looking straight across the intersection from the gardens.

You might be able to make out the history of Mostyn street if you click on the pic to enlarge.

Background is looking up Barker St (Midland Hwy).

We're out on Mostyn street now, looking at the front of the (very pretty) Castlemaine RSL.

A side-on view of the famous Castlemaine Market building.

This, which you've already had the pleasure of meeting, is next along the street.

On the opposite side of the street are the usual suspects of chemists, hairdressers, bargain basement cheap shop, gift and shoe shops.

None of the buildings are younger than Art Deco so the streetscape (and skyline) is a gentle undulating line of styles that are kind to the eye.

Sorry, no photos as it was quite a busy shopping day and there were just so many bodies out and about I couldn't do an Andrew and get a clear shot.

Looking down Mostyn Street from outside the old school that is Stoneman's Bookroom on the corner, a must-see shop.

The famous Theatre Royal tucked around the corner; apart from needing a paint job it's been going since 1854, is a nightclub, restaurant, cinema and live theatre venue.

Click the blue link for the home page which includes a detailed history of the oldest theatre in Oz.

These were a pretty splash of colour along the (extra wide) nature strip on the way up to the Bourke and Wills monument.

This is not a dry stone wall, there are remains of mortar between some of the stones, but is a lovely example of use of local stone most of which was dug up with building works, gold mining, etc.

This huge solid lump of rock is someone's front fence, which continues on in either direction for quite some distance.

A little further along there was a break in the natural rock so they plugged it with local stone.

The light was a shocker but this is a fountain monument to the goldminers depicting the Garfield water wheel.

For a clearer picture click HERE.

The Garfield water wheel was the biggest in the southern hemisphere.

To see the remaining stone base for the wheel, click HERE.

To learn more about this monster of the gold mining era click HERE.

More sound-byte history.

I propose councils should do this with all street names.

No, not holding my breath, either.

We're heading up Lyttleton Street now, it runs parallel to Mostyn Street.

Site of a bank now, cnr of Midland Hwy (Barker Street) and Lyttleton Street, opposite Post Office.

Click to enlarge to read.

Castlemaine Town Hall.

Castlemaine School of Mines.

The (former) hotel used as (fictional character) Chris Riley's Imperial Hotel in the tv series Blue Heelers.

A clear, full-frame shot is HERE.

Castlemaine Court House.

St Mary's Hall.

The famous Anticlinal Fold.

Don't know what that is, exactly?

Click HERE.

Explaining that Lyttleton had been a goldfields policeman while Hargraves was (incorrectly) credited with the first discovery of gold.

Now we're walking back down Lyttleton street towards Barker St (Midland Hwy) and the main shopping area.

This is the footpath outside the magnificent post office (clearer picture of P.O HERE); it's a natural, local stone which marries the building and footpath together beautifully.

It also shows how wet the day was!

We've turned the corner into Barker St (Midland Hwy) now and beside the post office is the Telegraph Station.

Old Telegraph Station.

You can see the tool marks on the stone work.

This is jammed up against another lovely building the Faulder Watson Hall which I couldn't get a shot of but which you can see HERE.

Faulder Watson Hall plaques/stones.

Engine/carriage storage or work shop at Castlemaine.

Signal box.

Details of Castlemaine Station.

I could have taken a million more shots of the beautiful homes and buildings all from another time but the day was miserably wet, on and off, and there are many photos available to view online without me repeating the same ones over.

Next week we head to Daylesford!