Category Archive: LIFE
In Our Nature
Museum of Economic Botany, Adelaide Botanic Gardens, March 2018 With the mosquito-like turbines of ‘Supercars‘ ringing in our ears, The Varnished Culture sought solace in the Gardens, and found this temple of unguents and ointments, a showcase for the interaction twixt people and plants, open for once. This was to exhibit a series of highly-stylised photographs by Tamara Dean, but first, we took-in the rather Belle Époque interior of the Museum, with its wonderful ceiling and the busts of several of the great botanists (Banks, Humboldt) lit atop various display cabinets. It was worth a visit for the magic mushrooms alone……
Continue Reading →At the Carbine Club
Adelaide Convention Centre, 28 February 2018 The Club was started by some fellows after a long lunch in Melbourne in the 1960s, made up of men distinguished in the playing, and or administration, of sport. ‘Carbine’ was a famous racehorse from a long time back, (Melbourne Cup, 1890) but men in any type of popular sport are welcome. (Only men, mind – it’s an old fashioned, very Melburnian club. They still have a ‘loyal toast’ to Her Majesty and the people of Australia, and though this is a tad ‘quaint,’ it is at least a refreshing change from the soulless,…
Continue Reading →Lambaste the Critic
Balance of power
Morry Bailes’ In Daily article entitled “Anti Judge rhetoric a danger to democracy” (https://indaily.com.au/opinion/2018/01/18/anti-judge-rhetoric-danger-democracy/) made the following fairly remarkable claim: “The recent criticism of Victorian judges is not helpful and serves only to undermine the public’s confidence in the judiciary. It’s up to all of us to protect the separation of powers and to denounce anyone’s criticism, especially politicians seeking bumps in the polls.” Unfortunately, this admonition to back off from judicial decisions shows the profession to be several passes behind. If criticism of a judicial decision must be confined to someone with standing and wealth to appeal, a right limited to the…
Continue Reading →The Cars That Ate Reason
Mitsubishi folded car manufacturing in Australia in 2008. Last year, Ford closed. This October, Holden closed its plant at Elizabeth, with stacks of local workers shown the door and associated industries going to the wall. It is not as if we made crap cars. It wasn’t from lack of an enthusiastic local market for Holdens and Fords. And it’s not as if the good old Aussie taxpayer hadn’t stumped-up its fair share of subsidised cash to keep the embers glowing. Market forces are many and varied. But they tend to follow immutable, organic, rules. When organised car-making started up in…
Continue Reading →Just Don’t Smoke, Jack
Jack Hawkins (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) Hawkins was a dependable figure in top flight films for at least a decade. He specialised in bumptious, slightly wily men of military bent, but could expand upon that range when required. He was not a subtle actor, but always a pleasing presence. His notable films are The Fallen Idol (1948), The Cruel Sea (1953), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) (an over-praised film where he is easily more natural in his performance than Alec Guinness or Bill Holden), Ben-Hur (1959), The League of Gentlemen (1960) (a particularly suave and…
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