From Kafka’s concepts to the world of Hieronymus Bosch

G’day Possums,

the “insanity” is spreading like a Middle Ages plague; this one of the mind  but soon to hit the body … more of that later in Wombat Droppings.

Shane pondering visions of our future

Last week at the prompting of its affable publican, Kathleen I took myself off to Hudson’s Great Western Hotel in Ballan to hear a Cajun band strum, squeeze, bow, tap and sing its way through some medleys and take some photos.

 

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

The crowd was a good-natured mix of locals and others from further afield… and of all ages, too who were not afraid to put their dancing shoes on.

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

It was a fun, enjoyable evening; attendance details can be seen in last pic.

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

Hudson's Hotel, Ballan

Wombat Droppings or Low-Down Politics in Oz.

Oh, where to start in this so-called “audit”, this foetid mire of right-wing Business Council of Australia anti-social ideology.

Laughingly presented by Assistant Treasurer (and Part-time Stand-Up comic to the Chief Office Boy “Rabbutt-the-Hun”) Joe “Cereal-Toyota-SPC-Killer” Hockey as blue-print for future growth and prosperity, but lacking detail and keeping us in suspense till the poll samplings are done to see which bits are the least offensive and which bits can be snuck through later; this shit-laden “audit”, is being fronted by a business man of dubious quality, Tony “Shylock” Shepherd who takes notions of egalitarianism and Federation and turns them on their head. This “Audit” presents not a vision for a nation but a business case for asset stripping and eventual enslavement and sale of the population to the highest foreign bidder.

There in no nation in profit.

Aiding and abetting this right-wing frolic was one James “Plonker-too” Paterson whose high-pitched whine announced (and timed to coincide “Shylock” Shepherd’s rantings) that abolishing the minimum wage would advantage the poor….. hmmm... as conceptually tenable as is the idea of a flat earth being more efficient as a round one?

Poor James, he does seem to get stuck with all the seriously silly gigs the “The Coots-With–Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe” invent. Perhaps this is a “Hazing” ritual within the IPA fraternity to “prove” him. That, like the more senior of the IPA Asylum, “Plonker-one” Roskam and “Badger” Berg, that you can say repetitively in public, the most inanely ludicrous, anti-social things with a straight face and still call yourself human.

Stop Press… here is a picture , allegedly of three of the “Faceless-Men” who back the IPA…Apparently taken at the crucifixion of a socialist type chap; these willing three were selling off what assets he had left.

Alleged IPA Donors at Crucifixion

Liarbrils in NSW are imploding under the weight their own fundraising corruption being exposed publicly. “The Spiv” Sinodinas just might take a few of his Federal colleagues with him as the net in the ICAC enquiry tightens. What is wryly funny about this is how “Rabbutt-the-Hun” has banged-on and on and on about Labor corruption and is now watching only two Labor people being investigated; whilst whole branches of the Liarbril Party and people very close to himself are feeling the heat …justice might exist. 

In the Tardis State “Where-All-Goes-Backward” Liarbril Pretend Premier, Dennis “Inutilus Rusticus” Naptime has taken to going around in election mode without a tie. This, I think, is meant to look relaxed and “cool”. Dennis….NOT… you look more like a dork than ever!

They are having a flurry of activity putting a little money back into things they have previously gutted and which for the main will mostly be privatised (and therefore in the long run cost the public more)… there is a real whiff of desperation in all this sudden activity… and trying to avoid presenting a business case for their concreting of public parks and destroying homes to build a tunnel of little effect is not a good look either.

Just when the real Premier, Geoff “Fiddles” Shaw seems to have been sedated, up pops Bernie “F***WITTED” Finn telling us that the “social media” is dangerous and should be

A Bernie Finn

censored as “… a campaign on face-book could in the long run could bring down a government”…and “people”, he said “..wake up in the morning and they are faced with this information that may be totally libellous, false in every way, but a lot of people will be influenced by it.”  Poor Bernie… sounds more like “The Sun” and “The Australian” and “Blot on the Landscape” to me.

 Not content with those gems of media wisdom, Bernie then goes off on a rant… "In this day and age I don't think there is any acceptable reason for having an abortion,"

"In years gone by when they needed to kill the baby to save the mother then it might have been acceptable but in today's world I think that's a very 1950s argument."

The Liarbril MP, said abortion in cases of rape was like being raped a second time and was being used as defence by paedophiles and rapists.

Is he a member of the IPA, too?

Closer to the Wombat Burrow there was a very sad letter in the local rag from a Jim Stewart of Smeaton who is one of those “gullibles” sucked in by the tobacco business’ campaign style..  a style deliberately concocted to divide and discredit environmental campaigns. He quotes with very shonky figures and psuedo-scientific assertions by the fully discredited NIPPC, a shonky group backed by Heartland Foundation in USA. Heartland’s funding over the past decade has included thousands of dollars directly from Exxon Mobil and the American Petroleum Institute, but a large portion of their funding ($25.6 million) comes from the shadowy Donor’s Capital Fund, created expressly to conceal the identity of large donors to free-market causes. The Koch brothers appear to be funnelling money into Donor’s Capital via their Knowledge and Progress Fund.

It is exquisitely sad to see people denigrating science and some even claiming that scientists have a vested interest (though in what, is never stated) when the truth of the matter is that they are quoting the views of the real vested interests who have only profit as their motive not the health of the planet nor that of its inhabitants.

 Curiously, there was another climate denier letter in the same rag… from Queensland… so thoughtful of someone in the “Far North” to think of writing to Ballan in Victoria. Hmmm is this propaganda from the owners of this rag…? Oohh, Shane you are cynical!

And if you think the illo up front is a bit over-the-top it may be time to wake up …just a little….

Cheers Petals,

Shane

..to close the gate.

G’day  Possums,

I came upon another “Blog” recently  which had some local information which was curiously familiar…

…I, in fact had written it. 

So I have decided to re-print it in full and….re-claim it!

Shane in Shades...it's sunny and we're going Solar....

Originally a smaller version was started by then local, Greta Beveridge and expanded by me to be used in a local directory for the Greendale CFA Brigade.

When a group of local business’ wanted to produce a similar directory for the Ballan Traders Assoc. I “got-the-gig” and many hours were then spent in the Ballarat library poring over old newspapers and Council records to provide new locals with a fuller story of the area.

A BRIEF HISTORY of the BALLAN AREA

In1833 Edward Henty landed in Portland, John Batman in Port Philip in 1834 to be followed by John Pascoe Fawkner who settled in 1835.

Following the route of the Moorabool River from Geelong in 1838 Robert Von Stieglitz, Cowie and Stead, attracted by the good grasslands and the presence of permanent water established pastoral holdings in the home of the Wurunjeri, Kurung and Wathourung tribes.

Gordon, Landscape

The extensive pasturelands and good soils meant that by 1850 most districts of the State were settled, if only sparsely by the white settlers, at which time the Victorian population was estimated at some 76,000.

On August 13, 1851 a small girl found a gold nugget in Swanton St. Melbourne and others commenced to dig.
 It was not reported if any more was found in the vicinity but the new Victorian Government offered a reward for the first person discovering substantial gold deposits so that the population drift to the developing goldfields in New South Wales might be curtailed offered a reward.

A farmer in the Clunes area asked a Melbourne friend to check some Pyrite deposits he had located in one of his creeks and when it was reported as being gold-bearing the farmer decided "..that it wouldn’t be worth reporting as I don’t want hundreds of people arriving to dig up my land....”  Unfortunately, the Melbourne friend mentioned the deposits to a fellow named Esmond who knew the locality, as he made deliveries there. In his explorations, Esmond discovered considerable amounts of alluvial gold and the “rush” was on!

It’s worth noting that although Esmond struck many claims, the most substantial monies he made was from that Government reward paid, some years later.

Clunes, then Buninyong in 1851; with gold throughout the district the first licenses were issued in that September at a cost of £18/0/0 per annum and raised again in December to  £ 3/0/0  per  month.

The costs of the license fees for a 12’ x 12’ piece of dirt and the constant harassment of the prospectors by the police to account for them, led to many discoveries in other areas as the “diggers” attempted to evade the authorities by seeking gold away from prying eyes and eventually to the “Eureka” Rebellion.

In Blackwood, Gordon, Mt Egerton, Morrisons, Tea Tree Creek and Greendale the population exploded, Blackwood having some 13,000 people and Egerton with 6,000 supporting nine hotels, five churches and a State School.

Victoria’s population had increased by 80,000 in just twelve months.

The old Royal Mail Hotel, Blackwood

Some groups of miners were taking £10,000 per week and it was not unknown for a prospector to leave ship in Melbourne, obtain a license and a fortune in time enough to board the same ship for return passage to England.

As the alluvial gold became less available and mining commenced. The Wombat Forest around Blakeville delivered the thousands of feet of wood for pit props and it became the centre of this industry, with Ballan becoming the major rail link to Ballarat for its product. Cordial and Mineral water was also being commercially produced along with abundant agricultural and pastoral produce of many varieties of vegetable and meat.

Some idea of the wealth available in the district in indicated in the expenditure for the rail extension from Ballan to Bacchus Marsh in 1889; the seventeen miles of rail, bridge and earthworks costing some £ 173,993/10/0.

Post and telegraph Office, Ballan

 By 1855 Cobb and Co coaches were operating throughout the district. One service advertised its departure from Blackwood at 10.00am and arrival in Ballarat, 5.00pm. George Flack’s Ballan Hotel becoming a vital link in the chain of communication as one of Cobb and Co’s changing stations when it was constructed in 1860. The Plough Inn, Myrniong, also began the first of its incarnations in 1861.

Post and telegraph Office, Ballan

The character of the Shire, proclaimed in 1864, was defined by its agricultural and mining pursuits, the original Shire Offices being built in 1870 to service a community of 7,000 people. 

Greendale Church  now being renovated...

Visitors to the Victorian goldfields like Anthony Trollope, were impressed by the industry of the people and their generally law abiding behaviour which they contrasted with the mayhem they had witnessed on the Californian goldfields and attributed this to the fact that ...”Queen Victoria was on the throne and that we were British in law and attitude....”

Unfortunately this Victorian morality didn’t bother a certain Mr Scott, lay preacher, who, apart from collecting alms for the still incomplete church in Greendale also raised arms as “Captain Moonlight”, bushranger.

When he was eventually captured by troopers in New South Wales in 1879 he was apprehended wearing a woman’s dress and was reported as being more upset at his long term compatriot-in-arms being shot and killed than by his own capture and fate.

He was, after sentencing by Magistrate Shuter of La Cote homestead, hanged.

Around this time the 1700 miners in the area had in a years work, obtained yields of 130 ozs in alluvial gold and 7,635 ozs from quartz crushing.

Mechanics Institute and Library

August 31, 1887 saw the opening of the Mechanics Institute and Library, the land purchase costing  £27/10/0. Some of the discussions taking place in its rooms no doubt similar to one topic debated by the Golden Point Y.M.C. Around this time on...” The advisability of opening free libraries and museums on Sundays”.

Mechanics Institute and Library with Peter Blizzard Sculpture

Land values at this time were £8-12 per acre or £20/0/0 for 40 acres.

Bushfire was an ever-present summer danger: “Black Thursday” in 1859 had destroyed a huge area of the State including a swathe from Ballarat through to Myrniong and again in 1902, 30,000 acres in the Kilmore region was burnt by a fire which had started from a spark in a mine engine. This vulnerability to fire led the Greendale schoolmaster, Mr Grant to set up, with help from local farmers an unofficial group to fight fires when they occurred locally and by 1914 the Greendale Fire League had been formed. This brigade can probably now claim to be the oldest and longest operating fire service in the State.

The spirit of self help and mutual co-operation was also evident in the number of clubs, sporting teams of various codes, the balls held in different towns and the celebration of local produce at farm days, flower shows and race days held regularly down through the years.

The 1890, the discovery of gold in Coolgardie W.A. meant that many of the Victorian miners decamped to seek more fortune there. Towns, which were founded primarily on gold mining, began to falter. Mine shafts once left, filled with water and although there may have been substantial deposits remaining, the costs and efforts in pumping out and re-habilitating the mines were far outweighed by the now smaller returns.

Pykes Creek and Korweinguboora reservoirs had been completed by 1911 and provided water to Bacchus Marsh and Geelong respectively, the latter works costing £11,000/0/0.

Pykes Creek

Following the First World War, Ballan had a small influx of soldier settlers and its predominately agricultural and logging activities were the mainstays of its economy though gold was still being mined but with much smaller returns.

By 1919 the Shires population had fallen to 4200 and Egerton had only enough people for two of its churches to maintain services.

Post Office Ballan

The radio transmitter at Fiskville and the electricity generation plant were in operation by 1927 and this was to continue till 1935 when the S.E.C. supply became available.

The population continued declining and by 1951 Ballan Shire could list only 2600 residents and Gordon is mentioned as the only place gold mining was still in operation. Blackwood was by now considered a holiday resort and all other parishes are treated as pastoral and agricultural.

Anglican Church, Ballan

 The population began to increase again by the 1970’s, with subdivisions being opened up throughout the district.

The quicker access to Melbourne by the expanded Western Highway and the attractiveness of the country and its potential lifestyle saw more rural-commuter living with a consequent expansion in business and industry to support the growing community and its needs.

With these services developing and increasing and being surrounded by the natural beauty of the countryside we can consider ourselves fortunate to inherit a part of Wurunjeri land and in our own fashion become a productive new part of its history.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Wombat Droppings

Oi… has this been a week !

Some of this has been sourced from  www.getup.org.au

1/ We have discovered that it seems our footy heroes may be as high as Lance Armstrong and consorting with crims. Well, well… what a surprise…. although the McCarthy-ist tactics displayed by those ranting seem to auger returns similar to that horrid piece of American work.

2/ “Mr Rabbott” doesn’t know the difference between a “motherhood” statement and a policy.

But we knew that anyway… it’s just that his tune has changed for the time being and looks like he’s had a facelift,pity about his moral stance!

3/ The Pope has quit which means Cardinal George Pell gets to go O/S for a while…how convenient! Just when the “Tardis State (where-all-goes-backward) has just started its investigations into the abuse of children.

4/ A candidate from Katter's Australia Party had to be reprimanded for comparing gay marriage to paedophilia.

5/ A dusky complexioned ABC journalist and his two year old daughter were hurled racist vitriol for twenty minutes while travelling on a Sydney bus. Seems no-one intervened except the driver who suggested he move to the front of the bus. Hmmm.

6/ Then the launch of a new political party, "Rise Up", a group whose leader once publicly stated that the Black Saturday bushfires were caused by laws that allow abortion and that is waging a war against multiculturalism, marriage equality, climate action, being sane, rational, humane and intelligent!

7/ Cringe-worthy climate denier (neither Lord nor qualified) Lord (Loopy) Monckton is touring our country again, probably being funded by Gina (The Largest Miner)Rinehart but fronted by the (Coots- with-Queer-Ideas) IPA… one of whom, ( James (Pollyanna) Paterson )seemed ‘tother night on Q&A, to have lost his script by A/ praising the even-handed policies of The ABC and B/ the research done by CSIRO, both of which the IPA wish to destroy by privatisation. Even his smugly sleazy, fellow traveller Brandis seemed surprised.

8/  Past-it pollies Michael(Ghengis Head Kicker) Kroger and Jeff (Bully-Boy) Kennett, (the Dorian Gray of Tardis State)  have been out and about sticking the knife into Big Bird Baillieu (Genus: Silvertail Incompetens) ‘cause his government is incompetent and they have been sounding like the Fifth Form brat Bullies they probably were! 

What we're witnessing is a rise in conservative forces and policies that threaten much of what we've fought for. There’s a new Medievalism in the air .

I think we’re in for a mongrel few months…… then an Armageddon of Hubris and as I said last post, the end of Civility.

Cheers Petals,

Shane

... to a Buon Natale

Buon Natale

 The small town of Ballan used to have an independent Butcher’s shop but the supermarket grew and it closed down.

Then about 18 months ago Salvatore and Trish opened up their Regional Butchers’ Shop.

They participated in the Ballan Festival earlier this year (see “The Arts in Ballan” entry) and the business seems to have gone from strength to strength with Salvatore recently even winning prizes for his sausages in a butchers’ competition.

On Saturday night last, Salvatore and Trish invited their customers to a Bar-B-Q as a thank you for their patronage.

The shop, Inglis St, Ballan

Preparation,  Salvatore and Trish

This space, next to the butchers will soon be a deli that Trish is opening

Locals from the Ballan Football Club.

It was a perfect early Summer's night for dining outside

...and a good way to meet others

abundant food

for all tastes...

Hello...

Robbie's Mum.. ( I think)

and a littlie with her Dad

Salvatore and the delectable spit-roast

A barmy night.

Da Boyz...

Da Boyz2 ...

Trish..

Yep....

and sometimes the servings were a bit daunting

Robbie

Thanks Salvatore and Trish, it was simply, a brilliant night.

We met people and made friends and it was an act of generosity that has made this little town closer, friendlier and more human, more livable village.

Buon Natale.

Politics:

And just when you thought it safe to go back in the water…. 

Cory (Bestiality) Bernardi (Liarbril, South Aussie)  has teamed up with  Professor David (I-Want-a-Queen) Flint to promote another group of ultra-right-wing loopies to replicate the American’s loopy “Tea-Party”.

I imagine that together, they want to reproduce American gun laws, too!

A fruitful meeting of mindlessness?

It turns out that Tony (the Rabbit) Abbott (Liarbril wannabe PM) says he hasn’t read the judges' court ruling on the “Slippery Pete Affaire” and specifically the damning comments that were made about Mal (What’s –a-Lie?) Brough, (Queensland  pre-selected Liarbril.... jeez they can breed-em up there, can’t they?) but as “the Rabbit” has already said that  you can’t trust anything coming out of his mouth…… I reckon he’s read it ….or at least had it decoded  and is doing what the conservatives do best… obfuscate, deny, point-the-other-way and generally treat the issue as if it’s of supreme unimportance.

Except he is being hoisted on his own Petard of “Tell-us what-you-know-or-you’ve-got-something-to-hide” type attack. 
 

Another point is… as they (Liarbrils) have no policy, perhaps he genuinely has nothing to say!

“Prognostications” might be coming to pass.

We received in the (“Tardis State”, where all goes backwards) burrow this week, two pieces of interesting mail. 

One was a political postcard castigating  PM Gillard and local member Catherine King  for allegedly ripping money out of the health system.

It was authorised by a D. Mantach in Melbourne.

For pure venom and lack of substance it was also, pure Liarbril.

We returned this “Hate-Mail” to sender; being made aware a-priori, how vicious this next Federal campaign is going to be…and wondered why “Big Bird” Baillieu (Genus: Silvertail Incompetens) is still blaming every-one else for his own crews’  continued incompetence?
And giving an alert to look further than the "spin" on this issue!

Next piece of mail was from our Energy Supplier.

It was about the January price increases….. it must be getting close to the time to start marching in the streets.

Thanks, “Big Bird” for effectively closing down the wind energy farms in the “Tardis State” and allowing the Brown Coal industry its polluting monopoly.

What foresight, what imagination, what a Liarbral hero!

And a big Xmas “Thank-You” to Jeff (Bully-Boy) Kennett, failed ex premier (the Dorian Gray of Tardis State politics) for privatising our electricity system in the first place and making the complete shambles of it that we are now experiencing!

cheers,

Shane.