Three Daughters
The celebrated social commentator, Clive James, once said something to the effect that gazing upon the face of an intelligent beautiful woman was to gaze upon the face of God. It’s a good line but is ultimately a shallow one. It resonates with me nevertheless because, I think he’s at …
Just For the Fun of it
Around the time of the second Iraq War, I started jamming on a Sunday afternoon with a local Ararat musician, Darren Sherwell. It started out as a bit of fun. He was an accomplished player and excellent singer. My fingers were full of rust – but somehow,in those first fumbling …
Thoughts About The Melbourne Free Assange Rally
” I thought that there would be more people here,” said an elderly lady. I agreed. True, in the end there may have been between 300 and 500 people gathered around the Melbourne city library front steps. As an event that keeps Assange front of mind and puts his plight …
Incandescent Rage
Caitlin Johnstone’s epic piece on Cardinal George Pell is remarkable in many ways. However, for me, it hammered home some truths that I have only dared skate across in moments of darkness. In her own surgically clean way, Caitlin has managed to put her finger on the one clear feeling …
Friendship and Sunshine
How do you measure friendship? Who can you count on? Genuine friends are hard to find – here’s a description of a man I’m proud to call my friend. Above: At a party somewhere – we would have been 18 It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen Dean. …
Postcards from Hell
When is the right time to change? I nearly left it too late. This was kind of confronting to write. Its not easy to fess up to being as low and as reprehensible as I was. These are the snapshots I remember. This is for the people mentioned in the …
When Winning Isn’t Everything
I wrote this when I was President of Grampians Hockey back in 2005. I read it out at the presentation night and then filed it away somewhere. Grampians Hockey has been an integral part of my family’s life for close to fifteen years. Grampians were seen as the weakest country …
Collateral Damage
This was hard to write. But I feel better for having done it. This is for hundreds of people but in particular the following -Ralph Steiner who knew there was something very wrong and tried to save me. Sorry Ralph I’d pulled up the drawbridge. For Danny Connolley …
Regrets
This story is not a work of fiction – its what I remember to be true. It first appeared in a charming little magazine called Morbid Curiosity under the title Visitor. The original version used a fictional character to tie everything together. I removed her and stated the whole truth. …