Don Bentley was sipping a new beer he had discovered, and thinking of newspapers as he always did. Beer and newspapers went together, Bentley was thinking, as neatly as hops and water, ink and newsprint, pen and paper. The more of the Greengrass Old Rogue ale that Bentley drank, the more the connection became clearer. Real ale and real newspapers. A newspaper, Bentley would eventually tell his wife, when she surveyed three or four empty bottles by the side of his chair, was … [Read more...] about Real ale and real newspapers
Blog
One for the slate
Revolution was in the air as the sub-editors of The Chronicle gathered during their evening break in the mess room at the back of the newsroom. The revolution was inspired not by the workers this time, but by the government which was intent on reining in union power in the workplace, introducing legislation to make it easier for employees to enter into personal contracts and bypass union wage awards. Don Bentley had heard all the arguments for and against union membership … [Read more...] about One for the slate
Hoon ravens crave to settle down
LIFE isn’t all fun and games for the gangs of ravens we seen going around town in huge flocks during the winter months. The ravens are mainly juveniles flexing their muscles, and wings, for a winter and spring of mayhem before attempting to find mates and settle down to family life. This aspect of raven behaviour has been described by scientists as a sort of mobile discotheque – with groups of young males fighting for dominance and females trying to find mates. The latest … [Read more...] about Hoon ravens crave to settle down
Currawongs in the picture
ARTIST Bobby-Z Lambert gets a little help from his friends during the long and lonely hours he spends at the easel in his studio. The life of a painter can be a solitary one and it is not unusual to see pictures of artists with perhaps a cat, or a patient dog, amid the pots of paint and jars holding brushes. The great Rembrant might have had his favourite cat alongside him, but Bobby-Z chooses a feathered friend to go with his setting. Or should I say friends, because it … [Read more...] about Currawongs in the picture
Tracks to oblivion
The hollows in the stony beach – from which hunting Aborigines once launched ambushes on seals – were not too difficult to find. I had been told what to look out for on a track along the Tarkine coast and I set out at dawn one morning to scour the beach for them. A flock of white-fronted chats were calling as they searched for invertebrates among kelp and chestnut teals were riding the waves in a rocky inlet as I cast my gaze over a beach of grey boulders the size of a … [Read more...] about Tracks to oblivion