tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243380642024-03-14T07:39:46.680+11:00Personal ReflectionsJim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comBlogger3467125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-12205035830067761762023-11-04T16:31:00.001+11:002023-11-04T16:31:32.921+11:00Saturday Morning Musings - reflections on urban development and life style 1<p>I suppose it's inevitable but not universal that we become more reflective as we grow older. There is more to reflect on, good and bad, The iceberg under the present becomes just so much larger, the future shrinks. </p><p>Is this increased reflection a good thing? I do wonder some times. I know some who have a unique capacity to live in the present, to enjoy what they have even if that is much reduced. Others have the capacity to reinvent themselves, to move forward in new directions. In both cases, reflection may be put aside unless it adds value to the present.For still others, reflections on the past bring a sense of loss, loss of friends and loved ones, of lost opportunities, even guilt over past mistakes. This may lead to a sense of grievance, a feeling that life and especially people have let them down.</p><p>I'm not sure which group I fall into. I have elements of them all. I do know that I have become more reflective and I'm not sure that's such a good thing. How do I use that reflection in a positive way?</p><p>This brief meander was triggered this morning by an apparently unrelated event. I have long been fascinated by the dynamic elements in the patterns of human life. This morning there was a radio program on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/forget-the-conspiracies-15-minute-cities-will-free-us-to-improve-our-mental-health-and-wellbeing-200823" target="_blank">fifteen minute city</a>. This included an interview with Carlos Moreno who promoted the concept. As you will see from linked <i>Conversation</i> article, the whole concept has somehow been caught up in those terminally boring culture war debates between right and left. The article is written from something of a left perspective. Those sceptical of the concept are concerned that it will become another weapon in the armoury of those who wish to impose particular life styles on people for their own good and to preserve the environment. </p><p>I can see why they might feel that, but it's really beside the point. It's quite possible to have an objective discussion on the pluses and minuses of a concept or approach including experience in practice without becoming too involved in possibly related but peripheral arguments. Mixing metaphors, there is little value in chasing a fine red herring down a rabbit hole. Unless, of course. you wish to use the smell to distract! </p><p>This morning's radio discussion started reflections along two lines. </p><p>Now that I am back in Armidale I have become much involved in thinking about life in this little city that is again my home. I walk or drive the streets and surrounding countryside, bike riding is a bit beyond me at the moment, looking at the changing pattern of life. I read the local media and attend activities and functions. And where I can, I talk to people both face to face and on-line.This is a fascinating place undergoing change, one with a unique lifestyle. What does this tell us about the process of urban, community and social development? My argument is that it is a microcosm, a case study, of the broader discussions usually dominated by the metros. </p><p>The second line of reflection lay in a simple question; how did I come to be so interested in this area? What have I learned? How did I learn it? This question is a little self-indulgent. You must bear with me here.</p><p>Over coming weeks I will follow these two lines through, thus (hopefully) getting me back into writing mode. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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At the time the Queen visited Armidale in 1970 I was already in Canberra so missed the visit there, but was invited to a gathering at the ANU Union when Charles visited there. Not that we talked. I was just in the background while he moved elsewhere in the room. </p><p>Later I watched his wedding and also saw he and Diana pass in Sydney, My old school had links with Gordonstoun and Prince Edward, links that continue to this day. Given all this, I thought that I would indulge myself by taking you back to the early days of Queen Elizabeth's reign where there was a family linkage. </p><p>In 1952-1953, my grandfather <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Drummond_(politician)" target="_blank">David Drummond </a>visited the UK together with Gran and Aunts Kathleen (Kay) and Margaret. Fa, I always called him Fa because I couldn't pronounce grandfather, was then Member for New England having previously been a member of the NSW Parliament and a long standing Minister for Public Instruction (Education). </p><p>King George V1 had died in February 1952 and the new Queen while not yet crowned had already assumed ceremonial duties including on 10 June 1952 the first presentation to court of the new reign. Lady White, the wife of the High Commissioner to the UK, arranged for the Drummond girls to be presented to court. By happenstance, and as reported somewhat breathlessly in the <i>Armidale Express</i>, Kay was the first deb to be presented followed by Margaret.</p><p>I was struck by the bolded reference to the elastic dress-belts as the height of fashion. They along with deb presentations were about to pass into history! Kay would teach in London, elocution and drama, at a private drama academy. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5JmyG4hukqDtcFERg2qPii_M64mPKDHiMTcrodUrIjy1qNBD2KVdtuQ5GvAZHPWt03w8qNfx4ctjGpJXtFxQGsATxub2vMV_uBeuB2yRtVt8p9QngmtNWHrI377frWigOBul_nVZcoeG5z-Rg0VJif-yRr_8n7xwG7kT--4nDuowh4IHDjw/s1224/The%20first%20to%20curtsey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1224" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5JmyG4hukqDtcFERg2qPii_M64mPKDHiMTcrodUrIjy1qNBD2KVdtuQ5GvAZHPWt03w8qNfx4ctjGpJXtFxQGsATxub2vMV_uBeuB2yRtVt8p9QngmtNWHrI377frWigOBul_nVZcoeG5z-Rg0VJif-yRr_8n7xwG7kT--4nDuowh4IHDjw/w640-h502/The%20first%20to%20curtsey.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The following photo shows the dress Kay wore at the presentation. <p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlQtv9LDW_op3mc4WHfyqeobOMFhmlCF_-zeeyRp3kto-zqpr6Q1mhDo0k_fvu9nI8jRyRoWCdUQ0uyw07ewJ4Y_lUc9DMLRRKIQTpQgY3uQDzeTgRSEU8e8mDuHSe7s-fMKM3-AYTJjELR2uSKGHSMhdF85sdkUOMsOd9ZEU_VcQ5MCsnq8/s1024/Kay%20Presentation%20partu%20Buckinham%20Palace%2010%20June%201952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="770" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlQtv9LDW_op3mc4WHfyqeobOMFhmlCF_-zeeyRp3kto-zqpr6Q1mhDo0k_fvu9nI8jRyRoWCdUQ0uyw07ewJ4Y_lUc9DMLRRKIQTpQgY3uQDzeTgRSEU8e8mDuHSe7s-fMKM3-AYTJjELR2uSKGHSMhdF85sdkUOMsOd9ZEU_VcQ5MCsnq8/w301-h400/Kay%20Presentation%20partu%20Buckinham%20Palace%2010%20June%201952.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>On 12 July 1952, there was a garden party at Buckingham Palace. This photo shows the Drummond family arriving at the Palace for the party. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldvCMGatjW2EQYTzIUPgKvCoz66QX-9uZ0X8zeOhhtzv1lBsvBrjAp0jQW4gvw3jPjVbM4XYa0Q5lJwWMIVWDMje9zU5J33dKYq8NU1MibtMibWMSIB648KoOu8dZZO47LCCE9-6YxGGNjChu-OUJnDFfmRTtN3OJawkRfki8btqAT43qyVc/s500/Drummond's%20arrival%20at%20Buckingham%20Palace,%2010%20Jul%2052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="500" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldvCMGatjW2EQYTzIUPgKvCoz66QX-9uZ0X8zeOhhtzv1lBsvBrjAp0jQW4gvw3jPjVbM4XYa0Q5lJwWMIVWDMje9zU5J33dKYq8NU1MibtMibWMSIB648KoOu8dZZO47LCCE9-6YxGGNjChu-OUJnDFfmRTtN3OJawkRfki8btqAT43qyVc/w400-h373/Drummond's%20arrival%20at%20Buckingham%20Palace,%2010%20Jul%2052.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />My grandparents. Things were definitely more formal then! <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-76U2x3Qp09qCbYMjyq53N1s4CHymVCN7Js3UEKO0TSxsga5m01Z6ouPRd3x3FSpDbxJ4Cc1_hwptMEX5EXTwadK-RpdcYm0HFXUB4VWOFgwF0O8CHYD5vIp2-FJdkCNvopuBsSqZWlu84dO9j-6jHAokD96_tEL53vp-WeVyF6iRjtbRsk/s1024/Gran,%20Fa%20after%20the%20Garden%20Party%20at%20Buckingham%20Palace%2012%20July%201952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="606" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-76U2x3Qp09qCbYMjyq53N1s4CHymVCN7Js3UEKO0TSxsga5m01Z6ouPRd3x3FSpDbxJ4Cc1_hwptMEX5EXTwadK-RpdcYm0HFXUB4VWOFgwF0O8CHYD5vIp2-FJdkCNvopuBsSqZWlu84dO9j-6jHAokD96_tEL53vp-WeVyF6iRjtbRsk/w236-h400/Gran,%20Fa%20after%20the%20Garden%20Party%20at%20Buckingham%20Palace%2012%20July%201952.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Gran with the girls after the garden party. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpGAHupWUc5fZUqgOSCE9xxuYTDvG6Juw5nypTmeGZA1G3asTOWkYwWlKeGw3Egdm2b2ak_-94wKGSmI61secUXT6NgVJtr7rkU_kutx73-y0T2j4BEfK9ZGhczNGdmrX4zy1t2mHt423GrBGMXLZRhsu3yED6z63EKw6N-WkDuiceO0IG8E/s1024/Margaret,%20Gran,%2012%20July%201952%20after%20Buckingam%20Palace%20Garden%20party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1024" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpGAHupWUc5fZUqgOSCE9xxuYTDvG6Juw5nypTmeGZA1G3asTOWkYwWlKeGw3Egdm2b2ak_-94wKGSmI61secUXT6NgVJtr7rkU_kutx73-y0T2j4BEfK9ZGhczNGdmrX4zy1t2mHt423GrBGMXLZRhsu3yED6z63EKw6N-WkDuiceO0IG8E/w400-h297/Margaret,%20Gran,%2012%20July%201952%20after%20Buckingam%20Palace%20Garden%20party.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And here is a family shot taken at the party.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjWoDA5cbuaZz7GCPCsXEzdS_ozAgqo881T0fB0z8eYsERCWs4aVV_cIfezxfmZ2Bk5HPd-ydmqPKEKaragkDU3zT7eUmy4JDIZQZahMy55KOQRgQGoCQESDvd0Vih2w9kb7yOSLo3Ax0Z4jKPFAkJPkzwK2o59R0lhO0ns882_tjwyx9Eng/s1295/Garden%20Party%20Buckingham%20Palace%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1295" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjWoDA5cbuaZz7GCPCsXEzdS_ozAgqo881T0fB0z8eYsERCWs4aVV_cIfezxfmZ2Bk5HPd-ydmqPKEKaragkDU3zT7eUmy4JDIZQZahMy55KOQRgQGoCQESDvd0Vih2w9kb7yOSLo3Ax0Z4jKPFAkJPkzwK2o59R0lhO0ns882_tjwyx9Eng/w400-h250/Garden%20Party%20Buckingham%20Palace%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div>The Drummonds were still in London at the time of the Coronation, purchasing tickets to watch.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZHz1vAexRu1TdxyeaPjLxMIfaWXHWzGA41Gc3lmTk4lhhDaT33TxjgvAtbUoBsQTdUnF3Sn3T0bf1cERUu0wEWfXGVVoR_kNTLtlykCvNar5WrOOHhVV5KTkLjLQuTPcRDerTmAU1ragKWHF1_6RfrFeRKDAGS83WDS9FtqUxPKk38HudGI/s1024/The%20conronation%201953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="1024" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZHz1vAexRu1TdxyeaPjLxMIfaWXHWzGA41Gc3lmTk4lhhDaT33TxjgvAtbUoBsQTdUnF3Sn3T0bf1cERUu0wEWfXGVVoR_kNTLtlykCvNar5WrOOHhVV5KTkLjLQuTPcRDerTmAU1ragKWHF1_6RfrFeRKDAGS83WDS9FtqUxPKk38HudGI/w400-h346/The%20conronation%201953.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Kay took notes and typed them up later. Her diary follows.</div><div><br /></div><div>Page One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmwM71-2mBhCwUH5im7soLvp5rXVmaARzFf7hUzqJlvKKtYFnxr0u_jSfz5rvU1ol6VghL64WzObk7H0-N-R0z5JL4bNuNVlZ26MPl_11rY1ZqN6m3PwgN0AMjUanjSQqPZldl0XfEGSROlM6ZVkEaveHqs28mERd_wyBvS7QjL0TqBZVYlg/s1024/Diary%20of%20the%20Coronation%201%201953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="793" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmwM71-2mBhCwUH5im7soLvp5rXVmaARzFf7hUzqJlvKKtYFnxr0u_jSfz5rvU1ol6VghL64WzObk7H0-N-R0z5JL4bNuNVlZ26MPl_11rY1ZqN6m3PwgN0AMjUanjSQqPZldl0XfEGSROlM6ZVkEaveHqs28mERd_wyBvS7QjL0TqBZVYlg/w496-h640/Diary%20of%20the%20Coronation%201%201953.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><br />Page 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBC-xK2m0aXo8iBsC5HAeXikUj3gmuXjC-7f9eAxwqZvZVi0Il_dnnpzKBiTVl0cBvxUwsbgXSlmVjyFch57HUxW3U_PLbSlT_S_o_M6twBJp185cmvDZdZfrMqndil3nKE_bozuBfGbJwY30weoOlB9_Pzcqi6dD6YjoPy7444ovsX7wq8o/s1024/Diary%20of%20the%20Cooronation%202%201953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="789" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBC-xK2m0aXo8iBsC5HAeXikUj3gmuXjC-7f9eAxwqZvZVi0Il_dnnpzKBiTVl0cBvxUwsbgXSlmVjyFch57HUxW3U_PLbSlT_S_o_M6twBJp185cmvDZdZfrMqndil3nKE_bozuBfGbJwY30weoOlB9_Pzcqi6dD6YjoPy7444ovsX7wq8o/w494-h640/Diary%20of%20the%20Cooronation%202%201953.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br />Page 3 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCtfzG90h-LpLCzo0pOrAGpM5T_d6X06mIMP20HUmOjzZ6OokJjUL0_kZji382RTj31rV_cPQyTzSRGcoy1TycH6BrROjiK-y9yWi-rKgZW42y28Ps_ET9Rdtso6hBlTJ4xfWrkS7dSae5_zoPkEz2SgtWCPD4Zg2yqpTFLqXDl0BbGVurOk/s1024/Diary%20of%20the%20Cooronation%203%201953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="812" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCtfzG90h-LpLCzo0pOrAGpM5T_d6X06mIMP20HUmOjzZ6OokJjUL0_kZji382RTj31rV_cPQyTzSRGcoy1TycH6BrROjiK-y9yWi-rKgZW42y28Ps_ET9Rdtso6hBlTJ4xfWrkS7dSae5_zoPkEz2SgtWCPD4Zg2yqpTFLqXDl0BbGVurOk/w508-h640/Diary%20of%20the%20Cooronation%203%201953.jpg" width="508" /></a></div><br />Page 4</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JSpcxSFKK486Kj5YbPYfFyeqUf1iT3z1OrGvzwuOOV-PUCHRF7VLHuoUz5toF7pHk7v41wLtV1oXDVeBWaKeQ91zMkIrcg9JuKYqI4aNuFH8Z8GC6MtuQWdVlkeYcuORX7Yd0m0AJ_uJmadijb9QRjoPXyYvG3_8evqnf2EZEIpTR2wXeqM/s1024/Diary%20of%20the%20Cooronation%204%201953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="774" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JSpcxSFKK486Kj5YbPYfFyeqUf1iT3z1OrGvzwuOOV-PUCHRF7VLHuoUz5toF7pHk7v41wLtV1oXDVeBWaKeQ91zMkIrcg9JuKYqI4aNuFH8Z8GC6MtuQWdVlkeYcuORX7Yd0m0AJ_uJmadijb9QRjoPXyYvG3_8evqnf2EZEIpTR2wXeqM/w484-h640/Diary%20of%20the%20Cooronation%204%201953.jpg" width="484" /></a></div><br /><div>One week later the final event was the Derby. None of them would ever forget the the collective experience</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRMw0keWd2bhTPsioK99D8HRLFysctBGF5trsX-Pw_zmiFONXOjFuH1Fyrq_N6p_R7w_qE-fDT0xVLBGt7g85WkjpQG3LJdXkNhLbIHkqa2Frji5dgkkPQ4k1BBLbc-2_B41ULrzE0jePVCkTfQQtyfMlladdlOE61cbioZILRlmFxo3I0yw/s500/Derby%20ticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="500" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRMw0keWd2bhTPsioK99D8HRLFysctBGF5trsX-Pw_zmiFONXOjFuH1Fyrq_N6p_R7w_qE-fDT0xVLBGt7g85WkjpQG3LJdXkNhLbIHkqa2Frji5dgkkPQ4k1BBLbc-2_B41ULrzE0jePVCkTfQQtyfMlladdlOE61cbioZILRlmFxo3I0yw/w400-h241/Derby%20ticket.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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Playing with the house.</span></p> I hate moving. Growing up, we lived first at Rusden Street. The house no longer exists, later demolished to make was for a New England TAFE car park. I do remember the house and nearby park, although I left there when I was around four.<br /><p></p><p>When I was around four, we moved to 202 Marsh Street, the place that would be home until I left for Canberra in 1967. Well, that's not quite precise. While I was away I retained my bedroom and my books and constantly came back. Much later after I married, we moved back to the old house where my girls were born. There we lived until my wife took a job in Sydney in 1996 and we all had to move. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXuQNo2Xk6gtTM9lU0hyPsIB3ioO73pv43Gx1j04znpE1KJ7zZve_QJ-wQVivX0_Xu9NxCBG2q8rnZLi37sx8yAgXKsogJgusv-kp1ecD5rvAQjVHFTo1Ua94eiN21dRJToouVPUO_HwNSaB07UwmE-0euRlPgD--ysd8x0svCbEE-Q_fIGA/s1649/Helen%20Clare%20Marsh%20Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1649" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXuQNo2Xk6gtTM9lU0hyPsIB3ioO73pv43Gx1j04znpE1KJ7zZve_QJ-wQVivX0_Xu9NxCBG2q8rnZLi37sx8yAgXKsogJgusv-kp1ecD5rvAQjVHFTo1Ua94eiN21dRJToouVPUO_HwNSaB07UwmE-0euRlPgD--ysd8x0svCbEE-Q_fIGA/w400-h288/Helen%20Clare%20Marsh%20Street.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: center;">Bath time. Both my girls were born at Marsh Street</div><div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since we left Armidale I have lived in seven rental properties, now moving into a house owned by my partner making an eighth move. It would be <span style="color: #444444;">nice if this were the last.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;">I mention all this because I have found this last move totally disruptive, It's partly a matter of age. I can no longer lift boxes in the way I once could. I can no longer go without sleep in the way I once could. I find it harder to motivate myself yo keep going.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;">My books are my love, the tools of my trade. During the many moves I have been forced to reduce my book and paper collection by perhaps two thirds. Now I am still unpacking books and trying to organise myself. I got thye computer and internet set up early, but the books are still going even with reduced numbers. I guess that reduced is a relative concept. I still have thousands of books!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;">To most Australians, printed books have been in decline. Many Australians actually have few or no books in the house. I remember a decade or so ago on a consulting job staying with a client. With the exception of a few Reader's Digest condensed books, there was not a single book in the house. On assignment, I hadn't brought any books with me. I became frustrated at not being able to read myself to sleep!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;">There is a myth that today we don't need printed books. We can get everything from the internet. The reality is quite different. The internet is wonderful. I use it all the time. It gives me access to material in hours, sometimes minutes, that would have taken me weeks when I started university. This may be true, but the internet is actually very limited in scope and focus. I work in niches, areas not covered by the internet except in most peripheral ways And here I come back to my books. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;"> I know that I will get though by current moving ways, that I will be able to increase my writing, but for the moments it's very hard.</span></div><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Jim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-8677023545566101972022-06-06T03:58:00.001+10:002022-06-06T03:59:02.968+10:00Can globalisation survive current shocks?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmtRXiu5KB0GS4VvZ8OJO9sRW8XytLX9HOy8S2WK15zQORgQ41iZWRff6Eahdf7dUSIr29IIJhvF39EML-MtfdFh7aTqGiiB_AlMe4G2_7YGY65-VCpm8wplmUYyJx1F2P5OGUHuK1qKN4BDNqrpIKM1B0XCFWNSHtSw27pgkT3SvvHv5FYo/s1280/1280px-Chatterbox_ChickenRice%20By%20Jpatokal.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmtRXiu5KB0GS4VvZ8OJO9sRW8XytLX9HOy8S2WK15zQORgQ41iZWRff6Eahdf7dUSIr29IIJhvF39EML-MtfdFh7aTqGiiB_AlMe4G2_7YGY65-VCpm8wplmUYyJx1F2P5OGUHuK1qKN4BDNqrpIKM1B0XCFWNSHtSw27pgkT3SvvHv5FYo/w400-h266/1280px-Chatterbox_ChickenRice%20By%20Jpatokal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div>Malaysia has banned the export of chicken products from 1 June 2022, Introduced to protect Malaysian domestic supply,<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-01/malaysia-reaffirms-live-chicken-export-ban-in-blow-to-singapore" target="_blank"> the ban covers</a> live poultry, whole carcasses, chilled and frozen meat, chicken parts and chicken-based products, </div><div><br /></div><div>Variants of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainanese_chicken_rice" target="_blank">Hainanese chicken rice</a> are a popular local dish in many parts of Asia and especially in Singapore where it is a ubiquitous national dish. On June 2 2022 CNN carried <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/02/asia/singapore-chicken-shortage-malaysia-export-ban-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank">a story</a> written by Heather Chen on the impact on Singapore of the Malaysian ban. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Malaysian ban is the latest in a series of interconnected flow-on effects that began with covid related damage to global supply chains that were then further damaged by the Russian invasion of Ukraine which restricted supply of oils and grains from those countries and led to the application of sanctions on Russian activities that further affected trade. Then add the effects of drought in parts of the world. The end result is a perfect storm now affecting billions of people. </div><div><br /></div><div>Australia has not been immune from these various effects. At one level the country has benefited from record prices for agricultural products, coal and natural gas. Here I couldn't help noting the irony that the controversial <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmichael_coal_mine" target="_blank">Adani mine whose economics were so doubted</a> now looks like a profitable short term bet with current thermal coal prices well above break even. At a second level, consumers are suffering from continuing supply shortages in supermarkets and along supply chains with high prices for vegetables, meat and <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-reasons-our-gas-and-electricity-prices-are-suddenly-sky-high-184303" target="_blank">especially energy</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is unclear how these various effects will work themselves out. I suppose my main longer term concern lies in the impact on globalisation. Globalisation has become a hotly contested topic. From my perspective, while globalisation has had costs it has also facilitated economic growth that has lifted millions out of poverty. Now the world risks a shift back to national autarchy not seen since the great depression. </div><div><br /></div><div>At a personal level, I underestimated the fragility of the interconnected global economic system. To illustrate this, consider the case of Just In Time production, more recently known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing" target="_blank">Lean Manufacturing</a>. Central to this are interconnected production systems designed to reduce inventory costs by bringing in supplies just when needed. With time, these systems became globally complex. They also became dependent on a small number of critical suppliers for products such as computer chips. Recent supply chain disruptions have have had ripple effects along these complex chains, They have also changed price relationships disrupting the financial models built into the production processes. In Australia, for example, shortages of building materials have had disruptive supply and price effects that have dramatically slowed construction including house building, adding to problems associated with labor shortages. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't think anybody knows just how global systems will adjust to current shocks. The economic outlook has certainly become darker with some commentators talking about the risk of global depression. I think (hope that) these concerns are overstated, but the risks are there. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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Because I lecture as well as write, the two forms are very different, I have acquired a certain facility in oral presentation.</p><p>I was reminded of all this listening to the ABC Radio National film critic Jason Di Rosso <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-screen-show/david-chase,-the-sopranos,-the-many-saints-of-newark,-to-chiara/13592796" target="_blank">interviewing</a> Italian-American film maker <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Carpignano" target="_blank">Jonas Carpignano</a> with a special focus on his latest film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Chiara" target="_blank">A Chiara</a>. It was a good interview, but two things interested me in particular. </p><p>The first was the way that Carpignano's three feature films all centred on different stories set in a single Calabrian town, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gioia_Tauro" target="_blank">Gioia Tauro</a>. This is now Jonas's home town. In filming, he had to work in a way that would tell a story while being respectful of the local community. This required a degree of trust. I face something of the same problem, compounded by the fact that while Carpignano's films are fiction, my writing often deals with living people or their families. </p><p>The second was the discussion on film craft, the way in which Jonas's apparently free-flowing semi-documentary style concealed careful attention to detail in a structured approach designed to achieve his filmic objectives. In writing terms, I think of this as the creation of texture, the provision of the detail necessary to create a story.</p><p>In writing, in film, in plays, in art, indeed in all forms of performance, there is an interaction between the work and the audience. This is not a simple process. </p><p>Consider a play. The playwright has an idea as to the story and the way it should be presented, but once completed it is out of the writer's hands. It will be interpreted by producer and cast in ways that may diverge from the author's intent. Then it will be interpreted again by the audience. Here there are in fact three works, the play as written, the play as presented and the play as interpreted by members of the audience. </p><p>I sometimes call myself a public historian. By this I mean partly that I write from outside the academy, more that I am seeking to interest and involve a broader audience in the topics I select. Over the hundreds of columns that I have written, I am (if you like) trying to sell both history and the topics I am interested in. I regard my writing as successful it it gives my readers new insights, if it leads them to further reading or, perhaps most importantly, if it leads them to challenge me. </p><p>Writing in this way I rarely use footnotes or identify sources, although in most cases I can if asked. This habit of mine appals some academic historians. They regard it as a professional breach. To some, the purists, the only genuine history is that based exclusively on primary sources. </p><p>I really challenge this last view. I am fortunate to have a reasonable library including many older texts, most now consigned to the dustbin in our current digital age where only the most recent or most popular are regarded as worthy of retention. Just because a book is older or in some way now old-fashioned does not prevent it offering insights in general or as an artefact of its time. </p><p>I follow a somewhat different approach when writing as a professional historian, I am now seeking to advance knowledge of a particular topic. I still wish to interest, to explain, but I am now bound by the canons of history as a discipline. Here long ago I absorbed the simple message that knowledge is only knowledge if it is potentially refutable. If it cannot be refuted, at least in theory, it's more a matter of faith and belief. This means that I must present my evidence in ways that allow my evidence and arguments to be checked and challenged. </p><p> Looking back over my own writing, the type of issues referenced in this note have been a constant preoccupation of mine. Here are a few examples:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Tuesday, January 22, 2008 <a href="http://belshaw.blogspot.com/2008/01/history-and-changing-meaning-of-words.html" target="_blank">History and the changing meaning of words </a> </li><li>Wednesday, January 23, 2008 <a href="http://belshaw.blogspot.com/2008/01/changing-meaning-of-words-and.html" target="_blank">The changing meaning of words and the historian's craft </a></li><li>Thursday, January 24, 2008 <a href="https://belshaw.blogspot.com/2008/01/selection-perception-and-bias-in.html?m=0" target="_blank">Selection, perception and bias in the historian's craft</a></li><li>Thursday, April 07, 2011 <a href="https://belshaw.blogspot.com/2011/04/problems-with-literature-locale.html?showComment=1607252054932" target="_blank">Problems with literature & locale</a></li></ul><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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Covid cases have exploded, testing systems are collapsing, our health staff at all levels are exhausted, contact tracing is overwhelmed, the need for workers to quarantine has affected production at all levels, the pressures are forcing daily changes in the interacting rules between jurisdictions, while jurisdictions have stopped providing information that we used to rely on. .</p><p>I need to write a proper policy piece on all this. For the moment, I want to make a few short comments from a personal perspective. </p><p>The decision by the new NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet to abolish restrictions in NSW in a single swoop rather than a more staged testing way has been an unmitigated disaster, one that has actually had the opposite effects that he intended. Life including economic activity has actually become more difficult, not easier. It's not all his fault. The now abolished Queensland requirement that people must undergo PCR tests before entering Queensland added something like a third to the load of an already overstretched NSW testing system, while decisions at Federal level that rendered the supply of booster shots unprofitable for GPs and pharmacies reduced supply availability just at the time that rule changes increased demand.</p><p>Both Premier Perrottet and Prime Minister Morrison talk about individual responsibility. In fact, the interacting changes have had the opposite effect. </p><p>I visited one of the local shopping centres the day that both masks and QR code registration ceased to be mandatory. Less than 10% of customers, perhaps 20% of staff, had masks on. I think that people just suddenly relaxed. As covid cases spread across Northern NSW including Armidale, mask wearing came back before it and QR check-ins became mandatory once more. </p><p>The spread in cases coincided with changes to the information provided by NSW Health and by Hunter New England Health. Information on cases is now restricted to local government areas, while the previous venue information is no longer provided. Instead, we are meant to rely on notifications from Service NSW to warn us, notifications that have struggled as the contact tracing system came under increasing strain. </p><p>I have received one such notification informing me that on 13 December I had signed into Tamworth Base Hospital on or around the same time as a covid infected person and that I should monitor for symptoms and get tested if they emerged.. Oddly, I was visiting someone in Tamworth sitting by their bed when I received the notification. Because I hadn't seen it before, I asked the doctors who were present about the notice. We discussed it briefly. Later they actually came back to see me to find out more since they had not heard about the case, but by then I had driven back to Armidale. </p><p>The next day when I drove to Tamworth I was not allowed to enter the hospital because a code red had been declared across all NSW hospitals barring visitors, so I drove back to Armidale. I was annoyed. Apparently, it had come into effect at 5pm the night before, but communications about the matter had been poor among staff and patients. Patients had not been told, so could not alert visitors. This was happening as the mask/QR rules were relaxed. Later, a code yellow was apparently declared as the hospital struggled to manage the combined effects of covid and other workload. This included at least one covid case among staff in the ward I had been visiting. All patients were covid tested, while staff were forced into full protective equipment. </p><p>I have not needed to have a covid test myself, which is just as well since PCR testing facilities were limited over the Christmas break, while delays in getting results increased We have all been told to use home based rapid antigen tests (RAT) in place of or in combination with PCR tests. This came as PCR tests including those mandated by Queensland for entry to the state (negative test no later than 72 hours before entry, adding about a third to the NSW testing load) buckled. The replacement of RAT tests for PCR had the inevitable effect of exploding demand for RAT tests that could not be met from available supply. Many of the FB groups that I am a member of and not just in Armidale have been full of requests for information about availability of both PCR and RAT tests not just for people who want to travel but also to meet occupational requirements and health concerns. </p><p>As an aside, and this bears upon the question of individual responsibility, youngest and her partner live in Lake Macquarie where case numbers are relatively high, while Adrian runs a cellar door that has stayed open. They both visited Sydney for Christmas, while Clare visited me after Christmas. They were able to obtain supplies of RAT tests earlier in December and have used them, for example, to test before going to Sydney and after coming home. That is a case of individual responsibility, but you can only do it if you have access to the tests and can afford to buy them. PCR tests are free, but RAT tests have to be purchased. </p><p>Much stress is now being placed upon booster shots. My second shot was 19 July. When the time requirement for booster shots was cut from six to five months, I became eligible for a booster on 19 December. However, the time requirement for boosters was then cut further from five to four months with a further cut to three months to come in later, Meantime, vaccination for kids aged 5-11 comes into effect from January. So we have a very large boost in demand, Vaccines are available, but the logistics of actually getting them to people has become a real issue. I was not able to get my booster shot before Christmas and will now have to scrabble to find a place with some places not taking bookings until early February.</p><p>I am very happy to take individual responsibility, but it's hard to do so when information is restricted, when PCR tests are under strain, when RAT tests are expensive or not available and the availability of boosters uncertain. My mood was not helped by NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard's comment that we all had to accept that we were all going to get the omicron variant. Thank you. /</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Jim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-76613667285941415332021-11-18T16:33:00.006+11:002021-11-19T17:28:01.237+11:00The Kitchen Garden<p></p><blockquote> <i style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: whitesmoke;">I was flaneuring around Mosman, one of
those leafy North Shore Sydney suburbs. looking at architecture and the pattern
of life. The thing I most noticed was the absence of kitchen gardens. Houses
had grown and gardens shrunk to mere decoration or, at best, extensions of
indoor living. My mind was cast back…..</span></i></blockquote><i style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: whitesmoke;"></span></i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: whitesmoke;"> In
January 1885, Albert Wright purchased <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kangaroo
Hills</i>, now <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wongwibinda</i>, in the
Falls country east of Armidale. It had all been done in a rush.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">They had
been living at <i>Nulalbin </i>outside Rockhampton. The year before eldest son
Bertie had died after a lingering illness. The death came as a shock, and
Albert and wife May decided that they must find a home in a more temperate
climate.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They left <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nulalbin</i> in December 1884 for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bickham<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">, </span></i>a Wright family home in the
Hunter Valley. In early January Albert went north, buying <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kangaroo Hills </i>on the spot. At end January, the whole family
shifted to the new property.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Establishing the
kitchen garden</span></h4>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">One of Albert’s first acts was to plant a
large vegetable garden near the new house being built for his family. This was
a common pattern on properties, for the kitchen garden and associated fruit
trees were critical to the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. It was a day’s
ride to Armidale, so you could hardly buy there on a daily basis.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">In town, people had more choices. Even so,
most people had vegetable gardens, while much of the fruit and vegetables they
might buy were grown locally. The Chinese market gardeners with their plots
spread along the local creek were once a common feature in most Northern towns,
part of the often unrecognised Chinese thread in the history of New England dating
from the later 1840s. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">There was much emphasis on the importance
of the home garden for financial, health and indeed aesthetic reasons. The CWA
(Country Women's Association) cookery book, long a kitchen bible, put it this
way:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 1.0cm; margin-right: 1.0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 1cm 6pt; text-indent: 0cm;"><em><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Home is not a Home without
a garden. Plant one, and it will repay you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 1.0cm; margin-right: 1.0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 1cm 6pt; text-indent: 0cm;"><em><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every wise housewife knows
the value of the kitchen garden. It is a money saver, and a pleasure at all
times. Nearly all vegetables are of easy culture. All soup vegetables should be
grown at home. It is a great comfort to slip out and cut your own home
requirements in your own back yard.</span></span></em><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Digressing,
Masterchef has been a popular Australian cooking show in which contestants
compete by cooking particular dishes for judgement by an expert panel. Back in
2010, the challenge set for contestants in one show was to cook certain recipes
from the CWA cookbook - scones, lamingtons, jam, a fruit cake - and then serve
to 100 CWA ladies. An experienced CWA judge critiqued their efforts.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was
watching it with my family. Now we knew the CWA pretty well and had eaten a lot
of country cooking. My then wife also learned to bake from her nan. I guess
because of all this, we had a feel as to what might happen.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">These
contestants had cooked in challenge after challenge, managing often complicated
dishes that I could never cook. There had been individual failures, but overall
the results had been good. This time, with few exceptions, they bombed. It's
just not as easy as it seems.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As the
contest proceeded, I noticed that eldest had got out the cookbook I had given
her. “I feel like scones”, she explained. Mixing bowls and ingredients appeared
on the coffee table. With guidance from her mum, the process continued. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">After
the show finished, we discussed it over scones, blackberry jam and whipped
cream. Our feeling was CWA 8, Masterchef 2. I digressed, but they were nice
scones!</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Developing a proper home garden was not
always an easy task. At <i>Kangaroo Hills, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">t</span>he spring of 1885 was a very good one<i>. </i>Albert planted
onions, cabbages, lettuces, pumpkins, beans and fruit trees. Then came a sudden
frost: “It seems useless”, a dispirited Albert wrote, “to try to grow anything
in such a climate.” Nevertheless, he persevered, learning from experience. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: whitesmoke;">Albert’s
problems were not unusual. New England is marked by great variation in soils,
temperature and rainfall from coastal subtropical to high country to semi-arid.
The new settlers had to learn what would grow best, how to grow it. In many
places, water had to be carefully rationed. Nevertheless, they persevered and
finally succeeded. They learned how to create micro-climates through location,
wind-breaks and walls. They also learned when to plant things to best effect..<b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Managing the kitchen
garden</span></h4>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">A
reasonable size home garden could be a complex operation involving all the
family. Herbs - lavender, thyme, marjoram, mint, sage, parsley and rosemary -
were usually grown near the back door so that they could be easily picked for
domestic purposes.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Further
out were the vegetables grown in cycles depending on the growing season.
Standard vegetables included onions, carrots, potatoes, peas and beans, sweet
corn, pumpkins, lettuce, sometimes garlic although its use was then less
common, cabbages, cauliflower, tomatoes, lettuce, silver beet, beetroot,
parsnips and turnips. The compost heaps could normally be found near the
vegetable garden, carefully maintained to provide a steady stream of compost to
the changing beds.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The garden nearly always included vines and
fruit trees. And then there were the flowers grown for decoration and to supply
cut flowers to the house. Mum loved her flowers. She would go out with a basket
and secateurs, bringing flowers back to the kitchen table (the working centre
of the house) for shaping to fit the vases. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The exact mix of garden plants varied
across New England depending on the soil and climate. In the case of our home
garden - a large cool climate garden - there were the ubiquitous grape vines,
three apricot trees, a rather superb plum tree, an apple tree, a fig tree,
gooseberries, red and black currants, strawberries and raspberries as well as
flowers and lots of vegetables. Sometimes In the mornings I would go outside
and pick raspberries to bring back and crush with cream and sugar.
Alternatively, I would pick a jar of preserves off the shelf made with the
Fowlers Vacola outfit. This was stored in the garage for use during the flush
times for various local fruits. I loved the black cherries. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Many gardens also
contained a chook (poultry) yard providing fresh eggs and the sometimes fowl
for dinner. In our case, the chook yard had high wire fences enclosing a
properly constructed hen house with laying boxes plus a large area for the hens
to roam. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Even in
town, many families maintained a milker to provide milk, cream and butter.
Staying at <i>Glenroy</i>, my aunt and uncle’s property at Kentucky south
of Armidale, we used to get up early to go with Uncle Ron to see the cow
milked. The milk would be brought back in a bucket and then heated gently to
raise the cream that would be collected and used to make butter. In Armidale,
mum would sometimes send us out to get fresh milk that came from a cow a few
blocks away.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">There was a clear division of labour within
the garden. Prof (we all called him Prof when talking about and sometimes to
him; earlier he had been called Doc by locals) was in charge of the main
garden, digging the beds, planting, clearing weeds and collecting produce for
the kitchen, mowing the lawns and splitting wood to feed the fires, In these
roles he was assisted by old Mr Wallace who came in one morning a week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
children we were fascinated by Mr Wallace. He told us stories about clearing
the Dorrigo scrub for timber and to open the way for farms; he told us about
bank crashes and showed us an old bank note from a now defunct bank; he also
explained the evils of the papacy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Mr Wallace believed that there was a papist
plot to take over the world. While leaning on his shovel, he discoursed on the
wickedness of Rome, the Pope and his cardinals. We had no idea what a papist
was and only a vague idea of Rome’s location. Today, it is difficult for
Australians to understand the depth of the sectarian divisions that marked much
of Australia’s history, although conspiracy theories remain well entrenched. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Prof’s garden duties also included
collecting the manure from the chook yard and distributing it across the garden
beds or to feed multiple compost heaps. He was also responsible for trimming
the hens’ wings to stop them flying, for collecting eggs and for preparation of
the older birds for the table. This involved catching the bird and then
chopping its head off on a chopping block kept for the purpose. This led the
bird to run round in circles, something captured in the Australian phrase to
run round like a headless chook (or chicken) meaning activity carried out in an
uncontrolled or disorganised way without purpose. The bird was then plucked and
its innards removed before it was ready for cooking. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">This was not the only time that we saw
animals killed for food. Apart from rabbits shot or trapped, some of my friends
made their pocket money from trapping rabbits for supply to the local freezer,
we also watched sheep being slaughtered for house meat on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glenroy</i>, An older ewe near the end of its wool growing life was
selected. This was then killed by a knife through the mouth into the brain. The
animal was then gutted and skinned before being hung up for butchering. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">As children, we took all this for granted.
Today when I think of killing hens, sheep or the goats I I would quite like to
keep, I feel a little squeamish. Our meat now comes neatly packaged. The actual
act of killing seems remote, far removed, sanitised. I have to remind myself
that it is part of life. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">With the passage of time, maintenance of
the chook yard became too time-consuming for our father. The chooks were
removed, leaving the yard as part of our playground.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Harvest Time</span></h4>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
reliance on locally produced produce created a pattern of seasonal gluts and
shortages. As children we knew every fruit tree in the immediate area, knew
when they were coming into fruit. We also picked and ate from the garden, new
peas, tomatoes, fresh beans and little cucumbers. No problem in getting
children to eat fruit or vegetables. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow things that we picked ourselves were
just that much more satisfying.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">For
adults, hard work was involved. When produce was plentiful, people bottled,
preserved or prepared for storage in cool, dry, dark places. It wasn’t just
produce from the home garden. Fruit and vegetables now in abundant supply and
therefore cheap were also purchased or given by relatives or friends. There was
a considerable bottling ritual, a production process. The bottles were
sterilised, the fruit cooked, the tomato relish made, the jams created,
providing a steady stream of produce for the rest of the year. Some of the
tastes were wonderful. Many of us would kill today for a jar of Aunt Kay’s
tomato relish!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There
have been many changes in Australian diet over the decades, changes that
partially reflect changing fashions and the availability of food stuffs but
also the tools available for cooking. Cooks have always had to match what they can
do to the available equipment. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In our
case, we had a substantial fuel stove that not only provided constant hot water
but a substantial range of cooking options. It could be a bit cranky; you had
to be able to judge the temperature, but that came with experience. The firebox
was on the right. The temperature of the whole stove could be controlled by
varying the intensity of the fire through a combination of fuel and dampers.
The hot air from the fuel box ran along the top of the stove to the chimney on
the left.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">A hot
plate ran the length of the stove with heat gradually diminishing towards the
chimney. This allowed food to be cooked and then moved to a cooler place to set
or stay warm. The ever present kettle could be moved from the left of the stove
to the hotter right where it quickly boiled. The oven was on the left with a
warming oven below, allowing food to be kept warm or plates to be warmed before
serving. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Armidale
can be warm in summer, cold in winter, In summer, the kitchen could be warm
indeed with the stove adding to outside heat, leaving mum hot and sweaty. In
winter, the stove came into its own drawing people into the kitchen warmth. This
gave rise to the New England flick as the girls stood with their back to the
stove, flicking up their skirts to allow the heat to circulate. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Having harvested, we ate. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The food we ate was influenced by
what we had in the garden, what had already been harvested and stored, the more
limited foods available locally in the grocery stores, butchers and greengrocers.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The standard main meal was two courses,
three for bigger meals. The central dish was a meat dish presented in different
ways usually with two to three vegetables drawn from the garden. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Growing up in sheep country,
sheep meat was a staple. Beef, the major meat across Australia, was less common
because it was more expensive, chicken less common still. </span><span lang="EN-GB">This was followed by a desert often of bottled fruit, sometimes with
fresh cream. In some cases soup preceded the main meal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The exact mix of meals depended on what was
available. Soups, stews and casseroles were common because these made best use
of available produce. I still love the taste of fresh field mushrooms, of rich
casserole sauces.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">There was great variety in homemade soups.
Some soups like chicken, often made from the remains of a bird previously
killed, were relatively light, as were the beef broths served to invalids. Some
soups were major meals in their own right, served with crusty bread.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Today we
waste much food. The earlier cook-books had many recipes to take advantage of
left-overs. There were good, practical, reasons for this. Food took a much
higher proportion of family income than it does today.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
roast chook became soup, the vegetables went into bubble and squeak, the roast
lamb or beef was minced for a new dish. I still miss the cast iron hand-mincer
I inherited from my parents. I don’t know what happened to its innards, they
went missing in one of our many moves. It was actually much more efficient (and
easier to clean) than modern devices.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
pattern with other meals was a little different. Breakfast was generally a
bigger meal than it is today. As children, we normally had porridge or wheat
bix with hot milk followed by a hot dish, often bacon or some form of eggs or,
more rarely steak. For a period modelling my Scottish grandfather, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ate my porridge with salt and cream. Later
when things were busier, I would go outside and pick raspberries to bring back
and crush with cream and sugar. Alternatively, I would pick a jar of preserves
of the shelf or from the fridge and have it with cream.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Lunch,
by contrast, was far more pedestrian depending on just what we were doing. In
fact, lunch did not have a clear pattern because it varied so much depending on
the main mea.. On Sundays then, as indeed now, lunch was often a roast dinner.
The Sunday roast remains an enduring tradition in many Australian households.
Where, as in this case, lunch was actually dinner, tea was a relatively light
meal.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There
were then no school canteens, nor were there the bars and other convenience
snacks that today dominate the supermarket shelves. School lunches were
sandwiches, a piece of fruit, often a piece of cake, and a drink. Looking back
at some of the reminiscences from the 1950s, the memory of soggy tomato
sandwiches seems to be a constant theme!</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There
were other meals and snacks, of course. The pattern here varied from family to
family depending on income and taste.Then, as now, busy parents sometimes
resorted to the very quick and easy. This was where tinned food came in handy.
Tinned spaghetti or baked beans on buttered toast or tinned soups with bread
fingers were common choices.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">A Child’s
playground</span></h4>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">From a
kid's perspective, one of the greatest things about the home garden was the way
it provided trees to climb, places to hide, spots to dig in or to build camp
fires. We were expert in fires, how to start them in the best way, how to build
fireplaces. Potatoes cooked in the ashes were eaten, charcoal and all, with
butter with the melting butter running down fingers. Nostalgia!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Beyond home, we also had access to our
grand parents’ garden just a block away at 89 Mann Street, a large Federation
style house. This was a much bigger garden. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Mann Street is one of Armidale’s grander
streets, As the small city expanded, local businessmen, professionals and
graziers started to build bigger houses on South Hill, first in Barney, then
Brown and finally Mann Street. These houses were on big blocks looking north
down to the shopping centre and then Dumaresq Creek, the small creek wandering
through the centre of the town. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The blocks were large, often including
stables, servant’s quarters, chook pens and cow byres for the milking cows,
These features have disappeared now with subdivision, but Barney, Brown and
Mann Street remain the heart of the Victorian city that is still one of
Armidale’s architectural treasures. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Unusually, 89 was built from weatherboard
rather than the more normal Armidale blue brick. The front of the house with
its sweeping steps faced Dumaresq Creek. The back of the house with its formal
garden and pine trees faced Mann Street. With time, this original distinction
between back and front became confused. To us and indeed all visitors, the old
back was now the front, the old front the back. It would be years before I
discovered the reason </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">There were two garages facing Mann Street,
one on each side of the block. At the Northern back (front!) of the house’ a
hedge divided the main garden from the back yard. Beyond the hedge lay the
tennis court, the kitchen garden and the old cow byre now incorporated in the
chook yard. Our kelpie Rover used to love herding the chooks. He would divide
them into two groups based on breed and then sit panting in the middle between
the groups, satisfied with his efforts. For a period, there were also a few
sheep really kept for sentimental purposes. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">With the exception of the tennis court, we
rarely went beyond the dividing hedge because this part of the garden was less interesting. From a young age, our grandfather and
aunts taught us to play tennis using wooden rackets dating back to the 1930s. I
have dreadful hand-eye coordination, but with practice became a reasonably competent
player. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Mann Street was especially good for hide
and seek because of its sheer size. The pedestals at the base of the front
stairs acted as home base. The objective was to get there before the person who
was in and then count 1.2,3 home. My favourite hiding spot was the roof of one
of the garages where I could see the whole yard and thus sneak down to get to
home first.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Our particular friends were the Halpin
twins who lived half a block away. Father Bruce was a director of Richardson’s,
the local departmental store, while mother Vee was a long standing friend of
mum’s. We spent much time with them in our respective gardens and roaming the
streets.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Growing up, my daughters loved the story of
the three morning teas. We would start at 202 Marsh Street for the first, then
to the Halpins for our second, finishing up at Mann Street for the third. </span></p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The kitchen garden’s
decline</span></h4>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
kitchen garden has been in sad decline. The gardening folk memories that we
used to absorb from our parents have also declined as a consequence. The
decline began slowly and then accelerated during the busy 1980s.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Walking
around Armidale or Queanbeyan during the 1970s,you would still see kitchen
gardens everywhere. Queanbeyan, the NSW town just across the border from the
Australian Capital Territory where I was then living, was a fascinating place
with a large immigrant community that had come to work on the Snowy
Hydroelectric Scheme or on the building of Canberra. They brought with them
farming and gardening techniques from Eastern and Southern Europe where the
home garden had been a way of life. This was industrial scale kitchen gardening
where the garden and associated livestock provided much of the food over the
year.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It also provided the base for a range of home-made alcohols that could
be a real trap if you were involved in local politics as I was at the time.
That one drink for hospitality purposes could extend and be repeated on calls
elsewhere, creating a degree of unsteadiness by the end of that day’s visits.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">By 2000, the decline in the kitchen garden was largely complete. Many
things contributed to that collapse. Neighbours and councils began to object to
the noise and smells associated with the garden, including the omnipresent
hens. Blocks became smaller, flats or townhouses more common. More people
rented. The supermarkets brought a wider range of cheaper foodstuffs, reducing
the incentive to garden. Time became more precious as two income families tried
to balance the demands of more complex lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Can the kitchen garden come back? I think not, although the increased
interest in sustainability and the rise in community gardens do hold out some
hope. The difficulty is that these things appeal to particular niche views and
lifestyles whereas the old kitchen garden was an integral element in normal
life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Jim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-77831870182862629812021-10-12T10:31:00.005+11:002021-10-12T10:31:40.192+11:00Covid blues on "freedom day". <p>Monday 11 October 2021 was "Freedom Day" in Greater Sydney. In our case it's Restriction Day since the new rules actually restrict some freedoms we had Sunday. A newspaper colleague commented: "It's a nightmare trying to keep up with these rules, which keep changing." </p><p>That's true. I only realised the impact of the new changes on 6 October and then spent days trying to clarify the rules and their implications for the community activities I was engaged in. After multiple emails and phone conversations plus a rule clarification at the weekend, I think that we have come to a landing point although ambiguities remain. While I think that my involvement was helpful to me and others, it also represented another set of lost days.</p><p>A friend commented how hard she had found it to concentrate on her PhD. I have found the same dragging effect on my writing. We both know that it shouldn't matter, we should be able to closet ourselves to focus on our work, but it has. Somehow, telling myself to start writing, to get on with it, doesn't work! Ah well, sad face.</p><p>I'm sure that we will do better. There has been some fascinating stuff happening. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Jim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-36722903496685103932021-08-28T16:36:00.011+10:002021-08-28T16:44:15.379+10:00Saturday Morning Musings - usage of the term liberal democracies<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAZzQoh0zXvspLhGLwNxI3Ay4ONYphDmYvrMtO0ghlMOxWC16iJMg7hKtxRYLyYAVsz6P6GVFS8uvjM0JOytQdqnaJzIUOcEmMp1f7fjBXG5SQZvYfBFPqqOGH_CysDPcj5PtVg/s1572/Liberal+Democracy+2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="1572" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAZzQoh0zXvspLhGLwNxI3Ay4ONYphDmYvrMtO0ghlMOxWC16iJMg7hKtxRYLyYAVsz6P6GVFS8uvjM0JOytQdqnaJzIUOcEmMp1f7fjBXG5SQZvYfBFPqqOGH_CysDPcj5PtVg/w640-h194/Liberal+Democracy+2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><blockquote><span style="color: #990000;"><b>‘Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’ Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947</b></span></blockquote></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This hard to read image from Google Ngam shows the use of the term liberal democracies in books from 1860 to the present, You can see can see how little the term was used in the past. There was an acceleration during the Second World War and then usage just jogged along before an exponential acceleration during the 1980s. Usage then stabilised before exploding again in the 2000s. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">According <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracy" target="_blank">to Wikipedia</a>, the term has a long history, but it's also one that I have rarely used. For most of my life I have referred just to democracy with a special focus on parliamentary democracy. Occasionally I have referred to Western democracies, but a search on the blog shows that I have used the term liberal democracies just once in several thousand posts and then in passing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No doubt this reveals that I am out of touch. I went to Wikipedia to review the term and was surprised somewhat at the analysis. I felt that the term had become an ideological label whose meaning was in fact uncertain and indeed confusing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I then did the Ngam analysis just to check usage, This suggested that the increased usage of the term has been directly bound up with particular events. I'm not sure where I go with this. I just wanted to record the information. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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Gordon Smith, Stormy Morning</span></b></div><p></p><p>The theme of this year's NAIDOC Week is Heal Country. The NAIDOC web site describes is in this way:</p><p></p><blockquote><p><i>The NAIDOC 2021 theme – Heal Country! – calls for all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction.</i></p><p><i>Country that is more than a place and inherent to our identity.</i></p><p><i>Country that we speak about like a person, sustaining our lives in every aspect - spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and culturally.</i></p><p><i>NAIDOC 2021 invites the nation to embrace First Nations’ cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage and equally respect the culture and values of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders as they do the cultures and values of all Australians.</i></p><p><i>For generations we have been calling for stronger measures to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of our culture and heritage.</i></p><p><i>We are still waiting for those robust protections.</i></p><p><i>This year’s theme also seeks substantive institutional, structural, and collaborative reform – something generations of our Elders and communities have been advocating, marching and fighting for.</i></p><p><i>Healing Country means finally resolving many of the outstanding injustices which impact on the lives of our people.</i></p><p><i>It is about hearing and actioning the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples which are the culmination of generations of consultation and discussions among our nations on a range of issues and grievances. </i></p></blockquote><p></p><p>In a way, this description is confusing because it mixes together a number of different things. In this post, I want to concentrate one thing, the sense of Country. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0h4jH1o3Us5yeG8j6yDx0_oQkcx-Xh0u82sgqG37rBWn6KvW-xrtRhaxyMskTquHbKYARVfC3QWiCR6IT2u2mJjdpqdi99Neg952sEuofa-0h9l7evZXFWo7lNNIHcEHPPkm_Q/s654/Rain+on+the+Uralla+Road+Julia+Griffin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="654" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0h4jH1o3Us5yeG8j6yDx0_oQkcx-Xh0u82sgqG37rBWn6KvW-xrtRhaxyMskTquHbKYARVfC3QWiCR6IT2u2mJjdpqdi99Neg952sEuofa-0h9l7evZXFWo7lNNIHcEHPPkm_Q/w640-h436/Rain+on+the+Uralla+Road+Julia+Griffin.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>My Country. Julia Griffin Rain on the Uralla Road</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I once tried to explain the difference between the Aboriginal perspective and that of the new European settlers in this way: to the Aboriginal peoples, the present was an extension of a living past, to the Europeans, a point towards a still to be defined but hoped for future. The Aboriginal perspective was carried through in various kinship systems that effectively integrated the natural and human environment by placing plant, animal and physical features within kinship systems. </div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="https://www.commonground.org.au/learn/connection-to-country" target="_blank">modern Aboriginal idea </a>of Country and connection to Country draws from this traditional base although it carries connotations that reflect the Aboriginal historical experience, including the desire to re-establish and re-assert links to past connections and experiences destroyed by European colonisation. In a way, the idea of Country and healing Country is part of a set of beliefs linked to but independent of the original history, a set of beliefs that has now gained a living presence, creating its own history.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-09/covid-live-updates-coronavirus-press-conference-sydney-lockdown/100279126" target="_blank">Celtic Revival</a> provides an example of a similar process in a European environment. This drew in part from historical grievances, in part from a sense of loss, in part from a romanticized version of the past. In doing so it aimed to recover elements of that past, including language revival. It also incorporated mystical elements drawing from Celtic folklore that have had a huge impact in, among other things, fiction including in fantasy world. The ABC TV series<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleverman" target="_blank"> Cleverman</a> (a series I greatly enjoyed) provides an Aboriginal example.</div><div> </div><div><p></p></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-H46QKgaNDXg0_7FS5o2mv2H_6j9vNLq7Gs-zLVsQ-pdDT4MWfHwLyraNtSkxBsWJ6Key7-jgt6rSre6KMY8hbpAqwmn99B-ceIC-eR3e2OqxY9Gjlp3gGDxpkZyH27oH_ntlg/s1800/Frosty+morn+Gordon+Smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-H46QKgaNDXg0_7FS5o2mv2H_6j9vNLq7Gs-zLVsQ-pdDT4MWfHwLyraNtSkxBsWJ6Key7-jgt6rSre6KMY8hbpAqwmn99B-ceIC-eR3e2OqxY9Gjlp3gGDxpkZyH27oH_ntlg/w640-h640/Frosty+morn+Gordon+Smith.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span><span> </span></span>My Country. Gordon Smith Winter Morn </span></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>When I first came across the Aboriginal sense of Country, my instinctive reaction was Yes! because it so exactly mirrored my reactions to the area in which I grew up, which remains my Country today. Later, when I worked with Aboriginal people, I came to understand why Country was so important to people whose pasts had been so disrupted. Without that contact they were adrift in a way I sometimes felt faced with the destruction of the immediate past and present, with distance from my home, with my inability to do things that might protect, preserve and create. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some may argue, and especially those deracinated Australians who have lost connection with place, that the comparisons are not comparable. How can I as an older white male from a middle class background who has gained from the benefits of settler society, from the benefits of dispossession, possibly understand, share? In response, I would argue several things. </div><div><br /></div><div>From my experience, there is a thirst among many Australians to establish their own place in their family histories, to link back to the places they and their families have come from, to establish connection with the places they now live. Many, and especially older Australians from regional backgrounds who have moved on but now hark back to their past, share and re-share stories and images from places that were, in their thinking, their own Country. I know all this from my experience as a regional historian, from my participation in groups such as Armidale Families Past and Present. </div><div><br /></div><div>In my own case, my mind is filled with experiences, stories and images that now incorporate the deep history of Aboriginal New England however imperfectly. I am a story teller who has ended in the role as preserver of memories. My mind is full of stories. Those stories are all linked in some way to land, to Country. </div><div> </div><div>To my mind, the Aboriginal concept of Country holds out important possibilities for healing the gap between between Indigenous and non-Indigenous society. In understanding the Aboriginal concept of Country we learn about Aboriginal society and history. We can better support action to heal the past. But we also learn more about our own concepts of Country, about the things that are important to us. </div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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In 1788 there were at least 250 Aboriginal languages on the Australian continent incorporating multiple dialects. </span></b></blockquote><p></p><p>I see that Neil Whitfield has put up <a href="https://neilcommonplacebook.wordpress.com/2021/07/04/naidoc-week-2021-healing-country/" target="_blank">his annual post(s)</a> on NAIDOC Week. The <a href="https://www.naidoc.org.au/" target="_blank">Week celebrations </a>are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. This year the Week begins today, 4 July.</p><p>I am less familiar with NAIDOC Week than I was when working as a contractor for the Aboriginal Housing Office, NAIDOC Week was a major celebration, Now many years later and miles away, my current activities have caused me to reflect on the teaching of Aboriginal history. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xuUH5PY24-VuAlz39tFjWkWOVuy-GLN8QDcw91iTlNf4Hxg72w6uVMSaKgLgyIW3qGXT3_YDt_kt1fZtfGqAUfzX-65SK4HUBZKXhBmcDJTmkB3FbTifN5WtwD2mv3ZeL3PBMQ/s600/nsw+river+catchments+Enivironment+NSW+%25282%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xuUH5PY24-VuAlz39tFjWkWOVuy-GLN8QDcw91iTlNf4Hxg72w6uVMSaKgLgyIW3qGXT3_YDt_kt1fZtfGqAUfzX-65SK4HUBZKXhBmcDJTmkB3FbTifN5WtwD2mv3ZeL3PBMQ/w400-h291/nsw+river+catchments+Enivironment+NSW+%25282%2529.gif" width="400" /></a></div>As regular readers will know, I have been teaching a full semester (six month) course on the history of the broader New England. As shown by the map, the study area covers the New England Tablelands and the surrounding river valleys to the north, south, east and west. This is a large area, larger than many European counties including England, incorporating many sub regions. <p></p><p>The first part of the course traces the history of Aboriginal New England from out of Africa perhaps 72,000 years ago though to 1788. I deal with the impact pf European occupation including the Aboriginal response in two lectures and then try to incorporate subsequent Aboriginal history as elements in the course.</p><p>The course has been more demanding than expected. Last year's course was stopped in its tracks by covid requiring it to be spread over the full year. Then I structured first semester 2021 into two groups with with two discussion groups, a structure based in part on the risk that covid might limit the numbers that could be accommodated in the available space. One result was that I ended up with two full lectures a week plus a discussion session. Now I am planning the the third session restructured again to take covid into account. This will start in a bit under two weeks, </p><p>The numbers involved are not large, This is an adult education course, not a fully credentialed course targeting larger student numbers delivered within the University system. I did trial external delivery via Facebook group but found that the combination of technical difficulties with my limited time and skills prevented proper action. Still, by the end of 2021 I expect to have some 80 people completing the introductory course with a core group of perhaps 20 who want to go onto further discussion.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhglZXPxCjZJOqwTGw8gEgyHvfFMamh6tvBvPchsUaQxS7ZC8ju4kwYhVMgyBT70aBIvRyXGEdgw5KQEQSayGpIpOiISxzHmx8SwOOY5-6J0WPeb3L-uEQ48ifwdBpqD_uc9WNsg/s242/Serpentine+Stone+arrangements.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="208" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhglZXPxCjZJOqwTGw8gEgyHvfFMamh6tvBvPchsUaQxS7ZC8ju4kwYhVMgyBT70aBIvRyXGEdgw5KQEQSayGpIpOiISxzHmx8SwOOY5-6J0WPeb3L-uEQ48ifwdBpqD_uc9WNsg/w344-h400/Serpentine+Stone+arrangements.jpg" width="344" /></a></div><p></p><p>The participant reaction to the Aboriginal segments has been interesting. Almost universally, people have liked the story from out of Africa to 1788 because I am telling a story that they have never heard, one informed by new scientific discoveries that throw sudden light on a deep past, Nearly everybody wants this section to be much longer as we try to explore some of the changing detail of Aboriginal history and life. </p><p></p><blockquote><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Serpentine stone arrangements east of Armidale are one of the major Aboriginal ceremonial sites </span></b></blockquote><p></p><p>Having completed the story of Aboriginal New England I turn to European settlement sketching the penal and pastoral periods ignoring the impacts on Aboriginal peoples. I chose this route because it seemed to me that you needed to understand the pattern of European occupation before you could understand how it affected the Aborigines. When I do address the impact of European occupation people have some knowledge of the long Aboriginal history as well as the patterns and drivers of the settler arrival, </p><p> I also try to focus on the Aboriginal response. To my mind, this makes it easier to understand just what happened. In teaching. I try to avoid the current focus on massacres. I do so a number of reasons. </p><p>To begin with, a massacre focus is both contested and also largely ignores the multiple factors involved including disease and destruction of habitat. It also treats the Aborigines as passive victims rather than people with agency responding to events that they could not directly control but did respond to as best they could. Presented objectively, it leads people to a sense of shock. It also lies the base for the later treatment of Aboriginal history. Herein lies a problem if we think of Aboriginal history after colonisation as uneasy co-existence, resistance and then survival and now, hopefully, recovery. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfDGon_0Dix8p2BUNXj37hHDe-ra6qHRt5Xy_qQceJcfBPfdggzjDhlvtMFSxtTZuRn9X_x9ph8iR3kErujCHEmX4N37LFP885aybW8_XrASkChXeRBc8QcxHGNPfqwc7J7caeQ/s768/NAIDOC+week.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="543" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfDGon_0Dix8p2BUNXj37hHDe-ra6qHRt5Xy_qQceJcfBPfdggzjDhlvtMFSxtTZuRn9X_x9ph8iR3kErujCHEmX4N37LFP885aybW8_XrASkChXeRBc8QcxHGNPfqwc7J7caeQ/w283-h400/NAIDOC+week.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><p>The key problem from my viewpoint lies in the absence of current writing that I can draw from. As a general historian writing on a particular area, I necessarily have to rely on secondary sources, I can only do so much original research. There is enough material to allow me to sketch some of the history including key events, but not enough to present a proper synthesis.</p><p>This deserves a separate post at some point.</p><p>While useful, most national histories suffer because they are based on generalisations, focused on particular key events, The problem here is that Aboriginal history is local, family, regional and jurisdiction based. Only when you have looked at this level can you generate a proper national perspective. And here we have too few regional or jurisdiction studies. </p><p>I try to teach history in an objective way, based on the evidence that I have. Of course, I have my own biases. </p><p>When I look at Aboriginal history post British settlement including especially the attitudes of the best intentioned members of European society, I find myself myself shaking my head and saying "how could you believe that?!" Too a substantial degree, the worst damage has been done not by the usual suspects but by those who really wanted to make a difference. I suspect that this may be true today. </p><p>When I present post frontier events including the role of prejudice I find my class shaking their heads in shock. When I present evidence showing how far the Aboriginal peoples have come from disaster I have found the same reaction. This leads me to my final point. </p><p>As a non-Aboriginal person teaching elements of Aboriginal history, I constantly strike trouble. Many, non-Aboriginal as well as Aboriginal, believe that Aboriginal history can only be taught by Aboriginal people. </p><p>I do not accept that view. As I reflect on NAIDOC week, I would like to think that my history teaching makes a difference, one that will contribute to our share future. </p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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He had filled the car with petrol and then went inside the service station to pay mask-less. Someone reported the matter to the police.</p><p>We haven't had to wear masks in our area. The decision to mandate them from Sunday despite the absence of covid here was taken as a consequence of the current Sydney outbreak.</p><p>Sunday morning kitten Clyde was found paralyzed and unmoving on the bathroom floor requiring an emergency visit to the vet. The vet suggested a visit to the next door McDonalds for coffee while she ran tests. We entered and after a little while were told that they could not serve us if we did not have a mask. Wandering downtown I was able to get a coffee at one of the stalls at the monthly market. I noticed that there were more masks around although wearing was still patchy. </p><p>I still wasn't sure what was going on. Coming home, I called in at the small corner store then at the little bottle-oh. In both cases I was served but told that masks were now mandatory. Now there was a problem. To get masks at the chemist I had to enter the shopping centre and then the chemist but could not do so without a mask! Finally, I found an old one and using that acquired some disposable masks. </p><p>Monday I had to buy something, dashed out, reached my destination and realised that I did not have my mask. I came home. Had I been going to a self-serve petrol outlet I might have found myself in the same position as Mr Joyce, filling and then unable to pay without breaching the regulations. </p><p>As I said, I have a certain sympathy for Mr Joyce. However, there is a broader issue, the break-down in the social consensus that has made covid restrictions successful. All jurisdictions bear some responsibility for this. Some examples to illustrate. </p><p></p><blockquote><p><b><span style="color: #990000;">"I don't want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got COVID, probably wouldn't die.</span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #990000;">"We have had very few deaths due to COVID-19 in Australia in people under the age of 50 and wouldn't it be terrible that our first 18-year-old in Queensland who dies related to this pandemic, died because of the vaccine.</span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #990000;">Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young </span></b></p></blockquote><p></p><p>The issues associated with AstraZeneca have been widely covered. By the time I received my first injection I was worried about side-effects, but decided that the risk was worthwhile given my age. Since then, official advice has varied although the epidemiological evidence has not really changed. </p><p>The emotional intervention by Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young following the Prime Minister's announcement that AstraZeneca could be accessed by younger Australians was a dramatic over-reaction that, to my mind, reflected the pressures upon her as well as the political stance adopted by the Queensland Premier. </p><p>The take-home message that the risks of a younger person dying from covid were less than those rare reactions from AstraZeneca strikes at the heart of the vaccination program, feeding into the narrative that the AstraZeneca vaccine is unsafe. It also feeds into the broader anti-vaxxer story that all vaccines are unsafe. If the risks of a young person dying from covid are lower than those associated with vaccination why bother getting vaccinated? Why take the risk? </p><p>The issue is not helped by disagreements among professionals. Each jurisdiction states that it relies on its health experts, that its policy decisions are based on health advice. Leaving aside differences among experts, this statement is misleading in that the decision on that health advice is affected by political circumstances and judgements. This is not a criticism, simply an observation. </p><p>The requests from Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia to reduce the quotas on overseas arrivals in Australia are inherently political. Take Queensland as an example. </p><p>Queensland is running up against capacity constraints in the existing hotel quarantine system. That's a genuine constraint from a public policy viewpoint. The question of the best way of expanding the quarantine system is a public policy question. However, the broader expressed concerns about the risks of covid leakage from the quarantine system and the responses involve a mix of public heath and political responses. </p><p>The public health question involves an assessment of risk and how that risk might best be managed. The political response focuses on the likely community impact and associated costs. These issues involve political as well as public policy responses including how much risk the community is prepared to bear as well a public concerns about preferential treatment for particular groups. .</p><p>Simplifying, the Prime Minister's core announcement was an indemnity scheme that would make it easier for those under 40 to accept AstraZeneca should they choose to do so, The responsibility here rests upon individuals who have been advised of the risks by their doctors. This seems perfectly appropriate to me. Since the announcement, there appears to have been a rush of younger Australians to get the AZ jab. This makes perfect sense to me. </p><p>Each Australian jurisdiction from the Commonwealth down focuses on those presently living and especially voting within its jurisdiction. This makes perfect sense, but ignores changes elsewhere in a world that is now opening up despite the virus. To many younger mobile Australians, it makes sense to get vaccinated now with AZ not just because it reduces their immediate risks but because it will enable them to travel when the borders open - as they must.</p><p>Oh, just to finish, Clyde's x-rays suggested a possible spinal fracture or head damage from a fall or alternatively some form of thrombosis, The prognosis was grim. By nightfall, he was showing some sign of movement although the vet warned he might not last the night. By morning, he was moving and ate something, although he seemed to suffer from sight loss. By the time we picked him up, he was able to walk and was complaining. The vets were amazed! </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Jim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-78096600982653963242021-04-21T16:08:00.005+10:002021-04-21T16:11:15.674+10:00Covid 19 vaccinations at local level - a personal experience<p>When Australian governments announced that those in group 1b ( essentially Australians over seventy) were eligible for covid-19 vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine I held off because I knew that supplies were limited. Then, with all the controversy over the AZ vaccine, the suggestion that supplies were available because people were refusing it, I decided to move. The results were instructive. </p><p>I went to the Government website to identify local GP suppliers. The site said that my GP clinic was not taking bookings, so I went to another GP clinic that was. They said that they were only getting fifty doses per week. More, that they did not know how many doses they would get to the end of the week before. They were now fully booked to the end of May. They suggested that I try my own GP clinic even though they were not taking bookings. I did so. </p><p>My GP clinic said that their supply was limited. They were working through from their oldest patients down and were now to 82 year olds. However, as it happened, they had just had a cancellation. If I came in immediately, I could be vaccinated. I did so and now am. </p><p>I got in because the dose would have gone to waste otherwise. As I got my shot, the clinic was full of much older Armidalians getting their jabs. The oldest was born in 1929. </p><p>When I came home I listened to stories about metro based mass vaccination centres intended to speed the process up. Am I wrong to wonder why governments shouldn't fix up the existing distribution system first on the supply side?! Am I wrong to think that these centres will attract preferential supply and make the existing position in Armidale worse? </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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