Looking at the Evidence Before us.

Looking at the Evidence Before us….

G'day Anzacs....

here I am in the Avenue of Honour in Bacchus Marsh.

Shane in the Avenue of Honour Bacchus Marsh

Not because it was near Anzac day and that this avenue of Elms is a beautiful memorial to those locals who perished in WW1 but to look at the house behind me .

Bacchus Marsh Early house

As one of the earliest substantial houses in the area it's being restored by its owners for permanent habitation after years of being derelict.

Around 160 years old it's coming to an age when we Australians perhaps are now beginning to note that we of the White settlement have a small history to preserve and that "progress" can sometimes mean not putting up another high-rise for short term profit.

The land this house has been sentinal to is this...

Market Garden Bacchus Marsh

...rich river flat soil forty feet deep before clay... a source for some of the best produce in Victoria and is in itself, something to be protected from innapropriate development ( like Coal-Mines) and council and state taxes which force the farmers off the land and into the hands of developers as has happened recently in Werribee which has similar soil.

archaeology bits

 Wandering around the house with the owner I was shown some the archaeology being found that tells its story like the low-fired bricks on the right, twisted, gnarled and soft at their 850-900C firing.. or the Cordial bottle from Ballan, a rather rare object I would think.

Ballan Cordial bottle

Cordial from Ballan's mineral springs was prized in Melbourne in the C19th though I  suspect that this bottle dates from the 20's or 30's....

...the house was added to in the 30's as you can see in the wall section on the left

Add caption

but there is still C19th glass in some of the original windows and a poignant reminder of the location of the Avenue and its purpose.

Avenue of Honour Plaque

Another local building to be restored is the Half-Church in Greendale that I

Half Church, Greendale

 photographed in the early 90's. It was deteriorating badly and it was on the verge of disappearing until sold to a couple who decided to restore it.

Half Church, Greendale

Thus keeping alive the story of Captain Moonlight and magistrate Shuter by its solid existence.

Half Church, Greendale

There's still much to be done so pop in and have a chat with Kathie Hollis who will be only too pleased to fill you in on the history of this little gem and the area.

Half-Church Greendale benefactor Kathie Hollis

One of the inspirations for this post was the place Mrs Wombat and I stayed in France.

In Charitie-sur-Loire we  found this delightful accomodation.

This was the stairway to the apartment

Le Meneau Suite La Charitie-sur-Loire

Note the rope as banister... building was built before Colombas reached the Americas....

the floors were C15th terra cotta tiles..it's also a lesson in practical preservation....

for more details....

www.la-charite-sur-loire.com

and as it is close to Anzac Day a memorial from France of the same conflict

A La memoire des Parossiens de Notre Dame morts pour le France

 This was in the Church of Notre Dame in Dijon and noted the dead of the its Parish.

I dont know how many parishes there may have been in Dijon in 1914-19 but there would have been more than one and on this plaque are around 400 names.... sobering stuff eh, Petals?

Wombat Droppings

Anzac day has been and gone to much hype, hoopla and earnestly meaningful homilies about “THE AUSTRALIAN SOUL-CHARACTER-WAY-OF-LIFE-MATESHIP-ALL-FOR-ONENESS-COURAGE-FORTITUDE-RESLIENCE-BRAVERY-HUMOUR AND FIGHTING SPIRIT.”

Ta-Daaaaaaaaa, Ta-Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Which was earnestly and movingly terrific until an old WW2 female veteran pointed out that every country subscribes to these qualities and that we’re really no different.

Balloon pricked!

I was going to attend a Dawn Service (I’ve never been before) but changed my mind when the brewery inspired “Raise-a-Glass” advertising campaign turned it into a guilt trip based upon boozy past practices (as if Oz doesn’t have enough problems with its’ excessive drinking culture) and as I never feel the need in a histrionic manner, to wrap myself in an Australian flag and paint an Australian flag tattoo on my face to feel “Australian”:  it all begins to sound and look more like Synthetic Patriotism or Disney-fied Nascent Bogan Nationalism to me. 

Hmmm, Evidence.

Clive (Titanic) Palmer (another BIG Miner) has not only resurrected the Titanic he’s now having a go at the United Australia Party (1931-45 under “Ming” Menzies, aka permanent patron Saint for “Little Johnny” Howard) which became the Liarbril Party.

“Titanic” Palmer thinks that the States who create the wealth should keep it……..hmmm… now there’s a progressive bit of social and economic thinking…as a former supporter of largesse to the LNP, "Titanics'"media umbridge at conventional pollies seems more like sour grapes than sound thinking.

What with Katter’s Cabal and the One-Notion lot and The Dyslexic Labor Partly and Born-Agains for Fairy’s all headed by the Liarbrils there are so many “Right-Wings” flying in this election, is it inevitable that they’ll veer to the left or just fly in circles like the Vultures they are?

Evidence.

The Business Council of Australia thinks “Nuclear-is-Good” as does a Jeffery Frankel (allegedly a professor of capital formation and growth from Harvard University) who also thinks “fracking’ is good too and that both are “Green !” 

That destructive technologies like these being touted as “Green” by business types only lets you know that they are the ones who are really FRACKED!

Perhaps both would like to camp for a week or three at Fukushima or Chernobyl and then drink water from streams contaminated with Methane, Sulphur and other “goodies” from fracking….. I’m sure the profits from their business ventures will provide them with adequate private medical services.

Evidence.

Toby Ralph (alleged Liarbril “strategist”) kicks “own goal” by misinterpreting Jonathon Swift’s C18th satirical essay “A Modest Proposal” about culling the poor to balance the economy… as Lawry Mahon and Mike Puleston said similarly in response ”…. from what we’ve seen so far of Abbott….. it’s likely to become a policy document”.

Evidence

Ralph said it was a joke…. like Alexander (Fish-Net) Downer’s “Things that Batter” was a joke that was not meant to insult victims of domestic violence …just a pun on the Liberal’s slogan "The Things that Matter".
 Humour...Nah...policy...Nah.
Electable..?

And here’s another piece of evidence.
"The contact last evening was initiated by Dr Roberts and in no way reflects on the individual concerned or the organisation he represents," Mr Abbott said in a statement. Dr Roberts had on Friday morning apologised to Australian Indigenous Education Foundation chief Andrew Penfold, after The Australian's political columnist Peter van Onselen posted his version of the events on Twitter. Mr van Onselen claimed the staffer told Mr Penfold (CEO of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF).) he would "cut his throat" …of the AIEF budget. when the coalition won government.
But Mr Abbott denied that particular phrase was used during what he described as an "unfortunate exchange" that was out of character. …."The contact last evening was initiated by Dr Roberts and in no way reflects on the individual concerned or the organisation he represents," Mr Abbott said in a statement…
...after review, Mr Abbott said the behaviour was "completely unacceptable" and that Dr Roberts had been demoted as director of policy - a role he had held for two years. Mr van Onselen also said the staffer had asked him to keep quiet, in return for information from inside Mr Abbott's office.

Would the “Real” Tony (the Rabbott) Abbott please stand up!

Evidence.

I saw a cardboard cut-out on “7:30 Report” t’other night…had as much content as cardboard too.  

Evidence.

Tardis (Where-All-Goes-Backward) State, Police Chief Commissioner, Ken (I-Know-Nuffin-Eivver) Lay reluctantly (it seemed) announced that Geoff (Fiddles) Shaw has finally been interviewed by police over the rorting of his taxpayer funded car and fuel card only five months after the alleged events. 
Lay seemed happier announcing that Julia Gillards’ time at Slater and Gordon (twenty years ago) was still under investigation. 
He has still yet to announce the disciplinary matters concerning the direction of one of his officers to use private citizen’s cars as barricades to halt a drugged, unlicensed driver under pursuit …. and we have yet to hear who was responsible for the wild-life slaughter a couple of weeks ago….and the police don’t ever bully their own ..so there!

Evidence.
Mis-Planning Minister, Matty (What’s-A-Green-Wedge?) Guy has announced a new rezoning of green wedge land. Probably to announce that as there’s none left it can now be called Concrete Wedge!

Cheers, Possums
Shane

The Australian Index

....viewing nice things and the Huns at the Gates

G’day Possums,

Shane at picnic

Or should I say Flying Foxes  as we had a picnic with them at Yarra Bend 

Flying Foxes

before we tripped off across the river to Fairfield to Photonet Gallery for the opening of “Window on the World”, its 3rd annual women photographers’ exhibition celebrating International women’s Day.

Opening Photonet Gallery

 Maria Colaidis’ work to me evoked a sense of Gertrude Kasabier with its soft focus and introspective nature but M.C. did tell me that her reading and looking at Francesca Woodman was part of her inspiration.  Certainly, you can appreciate that in the poses but in isolating the figure from the viewer by the use of textured glass; and softening it and increasing its vulnerability and sense of self absorption the further the figure is from the glass adds a more “Romantic” allure than Woodman’s more observational and documentary commentary on youth and gender.  Also the “framing” setting of the prints adds a further dimension to this work.  

Maria Collaidis

Karena Goldfinch presented photogravures  (a C19th intaglio printing process) that had a Federation “Pictorialist” bent but there was another edge as evidenced in the starkness of the burnt trees in combination with the dead raptor and the, at first, “Romantic” feel of the light barely pushing through the trees but becoming more mysterious and malevolent the longer you looked. The process used certainly suited the imagery and again clearly indicates how graphic in nature photography is. 

Karena Goldfinch

Karena Goldfinch

and 

Kirsten Bowers, Zen Moments

 and 

Helga Leunig

and

Kallena Kucers Edges No V

and

Michel Cardamone, Images of Lake Eyre

and

Silvi Glattauer, Wimmera Window 2

Tech on tech....

You could put it down to personal preference but what “worked’ for me in this exhibition were those of a more graphic nature and although some of my favourite photographers are street photographers, in this show it was these that seemed overwhelmed by pieces which had something more than an observational and recording function to impart.

A show worth seeing.

“Window”, A Window on the World.

Photonet Gallery 15A Railway Place Fairfield….

www.photonetgallery.com.au

Wombat Droppings

In the Tardis State (Where all Goes Backwards) Big Bird Baillieu (Genus: Silvertail Incompetens) has been digging bigger holes for his Liarbril lackeys… he’s had another hissy-fit  with “Big Red” Gillard over education… “our’s is better than yours even though I don’t really know what yours really entails….so there…!! ”

( we in the Tardis State have any public education to talk about?)… sort of foot-stamping-stuff…. 

But now some-one has really leaked some very sloppy and recorded “merde” about the OPI/ Overland/ police union/ Peter ( I-Know-Nuffin) Ryan… I have said this lot stinks … you no longer have to sniff too hard to get the whiff… Oohhh and let’s not forget we’ve another $50,000,000.00 or so to waste on another Grand Prix.

And let’s also not invite a vituperative backlash by mentioning the “deals” of Un-planning Minister Matty (What’s-a-Green-Wedge) Guy!

Federally, Morrison’s putrid idea about reporting a group to the authorities is not unlike what the Nazi’s did after they occupied countries in 1940…. they just asked people to register for identity cards .. and then again, for more information… first a small directive to give information to the occupying authority; a trickle that becomes a torrent until you are fully integrated and so compliant with the racist machine that without realising you are the racist.

Morrison needs better to understand history and better understand the ramifications of what he is doing to this society.

And is Abetz’ support for Morrison only repeating history and angling for another family Ambassador’s posting to Paris? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTPHEU3lYp0

I suppose you could call my little video “vilification” and I’d agree with you; but as Mr “Rabbott” has by his support for Morrison’s nasty vileness, sanctioned vilification as an appropriate methodology why not serve a bit back?

“Rabbott” took almost three days to “come-out” and back Morrison.  Was he reading the polls before making a decision?.

This really is a leader?

Vote Bogan…get a Liarbril!

Ships of the Damned, then and now

Already in previous posts I have said that if the Liarbrils win office in September the “Civil” society that some aspire it to be, will be submerged into the sort of vicious bogan mindsets we see evidenced above and interestingly, for the first time in Australia in 100 years we will have this crude racism (White Australia Policy) emanating from the top of our political system.

It’s going to be a very interesting country by the time it saturates the whole society and then has to find new “targets” to satisfy it’s inherent selfishness in order to maintain itself.

Cheers,

Shane

... to Arts in Ballan

G'day, Shane 'ere again.
I had a wander through the Ballan Autumn Festival yesterday ... y'know Arts, Crafts, Stalls, Pet Judging, Tableau Vivants eerrr ...Parades.... all the sort of things you see in the Louvre but on a smaller, more modest scale. That's me below sitting and having a gander at the Lal Lal Photographic Groups' exhibition.


They were very polite as they were still setting up but let me have a wander through anyway.
Mostly landscape work with some macro images; mostly good prints, an interesting show.....
Lal Lal is about 20 km SW of Ballan which is 80 Km W of Melbourne... (I thought I'd add that for the American readers so they wouldn't confuse it with the (2) Balan or Ballans in France).
Still mostly rural but fast developing into outer suburbia, Ballan was originally settled around 1840 on Wurunjeri land and by the time gold was discovered in the area it was quite a noted place for its vegetable output and the cordials made with the Mineral Springs water which were shipped to Melbourne and the goldfields at Ballarat. 1870 and its population was around 7000. The First World War hit this area as hard as it did most other country towns in Australia and the losses in young men saw the popultion plummet to around 4200 by 1919  only to fall still further to 2600  by 1951.  Presently about 5000.   As I said, Lal Lal Photo group were still setting up, as you can see... and as is normal with all groups, one person seems to be doing the work......

 www.lallalphotogroup.yolasite.com



....which only goes to prove that photography does lie!

From here we wandered off to the local life drawing group to find Brian Munn, left, local artist (painter) holding the fort for the occasional visitor ... so  I numbed him sensless with troglodyte travel tales for a bit ( he survived ..I saw him later, walking and talking at the same time).

 Some nice work here too, Brian's, Paul Anthony's and Julia Crawford's particularly.

   Then on the way to the Art show  I saw this car, a '54 Holden, bright yellow, so we took some shots of it, its owner, Keith Wright, his children, and a bit later he got some more of his toys out, so we shot them too.

 Thanks for being so amenable, Keith.   

The Kids

Keith and the Yellow Peril

The Toys

                            

 The art show had some really nice stuff in it but the hanging was, as so often you see in country shows, a bit daggy!  (And for the American reader the word "daggy' was used with intent.)

I know there are volunteer, time, space, size, variety of works.. all those  constraints but I dunno, they looked to be, in the main, put up as they came through the door. Which makes works hard to see and for some they tend to disappear because of their surroundings. Ahh well, some of the Salons in Paris weren't any better....

Overview

Overview  with the Queen as Foo

                                                

Majorie Trebilcock "Oh Yea" 

Encaustic

Joel Magpayo, "Bearded Man", Encaustic.

I  liked these works for their painterly qualities, both were small  about 300mm x 200mm and very expressive.

Thea Koning's, "Alarm Clock" Still Life, Pastel: interesting in that it has been "drawn" from a photograph and the reflections of the photographer are seen in the chrome objects as is the op-shop label. A cute idea but pretty nicely handled except for that rather dense blank shadow....

Sheila Muratori's, "Point Richard", reduced Lino Print and Janet Cattlin's, "Feathered Friends", Collagraph were both little delights in the printmaking section, seeming to keep alive a spirit of the thirties in Australian printmaking.

Col Brown's "Sparrow's Fart" won the Best Oil/Acrylic  in the show: the finely nuanced colour and tone, sureness of paint handling, excellent drawing and settled planar composition all belie the rather prosaic taste of the implied "aussie" subject matter.

Before we arrived at the Quilting  we walked past the Old Ballan Court House (now the  Historical Society's HQ) probably built 1852 (?)  ....nicely proportioned building.

At the quilting (about which I know as much as I do about "String Theory") I fell into conversation with one, Yvonne Sebire and her friend who began to elucidate the finer points of both quilting and patchwork.. particularly the Japanese criteria that the stitches are one grain of rice in length and that measure apart, too.

To me it's that sense of humanity that makes art

Yvonne's quilting work is on the left a piece by Di Paul

Yvonne with the quilt designer Pam Ludge

 ....the detail in these works was exquisite the upper work being Koi and the quilting literally being the waves they make whilst the lower piece had finely drawn (sewn leaves) see detail below, lovely stuff and thank you ladies for the conversational lesson.

And then there was the Parade.... Ta, Daaaaaa

Bands and bubbles and boys with their toys.......

...dress-ups and down, kickin around and a bit of chop-chop...

...with dogs in dresses and driving cars, stars in your eyes and an odd one to boot, why not wear funny hats: Llama's do too.

...and then came il macellaio pazzo........

preparing for the hordes who did arrive and who did enjoy....Grazie, Salvatore e Tricia per la tariffa multa...

and a last but not least, blast from the past for two special ones....from Ballan Festivals '94 and '95

cheers

Shane