Book set to make history

Step aside Steele Rudd. Decades before you penned On Our Selection in the dying days of the Nineteenth Century, a fellow Queenslander wrote a novel of life in those hard times – and we’ll soon get a chance to see if it’s any good.

And thanks to some ancestral sleuthing work by a descendent many generations removed, that work – Tom Hurstbourne or a Squatter's Life written by John Clavering Wood (1837-1910) will finally be launched later this month – a hundred years after the author’s death.
But for the dogged detective work of Newstead residents, Gloria Grant and Gerard Benjamin (authors of Reflections on New Farm), this precious Queensland heirloom might have been lost to oblivion.
Where did they find the manuscript? Well, that’s a story all of its own but here's a hint: J.C. Wood was Gerard's great-great-grandfather. Gerald uncovered the unpublished Queensland manuscript dating from 1865, and Gloria took up the painstaking task of unravelling and recording the faded manuscript.
Retired High Court Justice and author, Ian Callinan will deliver his own verdict in the matter of Tom Hurstbourne when he launches the book of Hurstbourne’s exploits at the Mercy Heritage Centre, All Hallows' School on February 28.
The event is being hosted by the Brisbane History Group. After the launch, high tea will be served, followed by tours of the Heritage Centre and a seminar exploring the novel’s literary and historical virtues. For details about the launch, please phone 3351 6371 or e-mail: bhg@brisbanehistory.asn.au. All are welcome but an RSVP is essential.
So, is it a gripping drama of an early settler’s life. A man’s brave battle with the elements? A bodice ripper even? Gerard and Gloria think you should read it and make up your own mind.
The softback edition is available locally at Mary Ryan's Bookstore and New Farm Editions, both at Merthyr Village, New Farm. The hardback edition is available online from www.boolarongpress.com.au.


Above: Gloria Grant and Gerard Benjamin of Newstead discovered a long-lost manuscript of a Queensland novel, dating from 1865 and written by John Clavering Wood (top of article).

Take a bow wow, QTC

THEATRE .... with Lynette Shannahan

The Little Dog Laughed By Douglas Carter Beane
Directed by Michael Gow Q
ueensland Theatre Company Cremorne Theatre, QPAC Until March 13
Ticketing 1800355 528

Last Saturday night the Cremorne Theatre was buzzing with patrons eager to see the opening play for QTC's 2010 season. Theatre-starved over the annual holiday break, they filled the Cremorne and what followed over the next few hours was a clever and deeply witty expose of show business life illuminated by a harsh and somewhat 'camp' spotlight.
Playwright and author Douglas Cater Bean is a veteran of successful Broadway musical and theatre productions and no doubt has encountered his share of celebrity behavior. His focus is the human person beneath the celebrity who is always sought but never completely captured by the paparazzi or the unrelenting tabloid press. The Little Dog Laughed gives the audience an insider perspective to the demands of fame and the incessant maintenance of the “illusion” that the business of celebrity conceals.
The mask is lifted and we are presented with four dynamic personalities busy being 'themselves'.
Celebrity deal broker Diane (Caroline Kennison) is the arbiter of all that is appropriate and 'good for business'. Her client Mitchell (Tom O'Sullivan) is indulging his “slight case of homosexuality” with Alex (Nick Cook), a handsome hustler who is also in a relationship with Ellen (Melanie Zanetti).
Competing goals aside, all four become meshed in each other’s lives with hilarious and unexpected results.
The entire play is set in a New York hotel room with ancillary performance spaces suggested by placement of the actors and an elevated platform office for Diane. The American accents were a surprise at first but superbly performed thanks to voice/accent consultant Melissa Agnew. Michael Gow's direction is brilliant as always.
There were adult themes and even two naked men kissing, but this is 2010 and Brisbane is very grown up isn't it? Was this risky, difficult theatre? Absolutely not! Just another wonderful theatre experience that I know QTC can deliver.

Shedding light on a shady street

It’s one of Brisbane’s prettiest streets and later this month you’ll have a chance to find out how it came about. The New Farm and Districts Historical Society at its monthly meeting on Saturday afternoon, February 27, will have as its theme “…all about Abbott Street”, one of New Farm’s delightful suburban treasures”.

Brisbane architect Robert Riddell will head up a team of eminent presenters to discuss all of the interesting aspects of this New Farm gem.
These will include the historical, the architectural, the horticultural, the societal and the communal nuances that this address has given to us all over a very long time
The meeting takes place at 2pm on Saturday February 27 at the Merthyr Road Uniting Church Hall. The society says it will be a very stimulating and interesting meeting, and all are welcome to attend.

Brisbane tops for investment: poll

Brisbane has the best property investment opportunities in Australia, according to a poll released by PRDnationwide.

Forty-five per cent of respondents said Brisbane has the best investment opportunities, while Sydney accounts for 25 per cent. PRDnationwide research director Aaron Maskrey (pictured) said Melbourne followed closely with 17 per cent of respondents choosing it as the investment hotspot.
All other capital cities scored very low – Adelaide 5 per cent, Hobart 4 per cent, Canberra 2 per cent, and Perth and Darwin both only getting 1 per cent of the votes. The survey of property investors around the country considered both houses and apartments. Mr Maskrey agreed with the results that Brisbane was a good choice, having been through the bottom of the property cycle, it was on its way up.
“With a massive population growth, the Brisbane rental market will tighten and experience its first real growth in price for the past couple years, as demand surges ahead,” he said.
Mr Maskrey said he believes Sydney has great capital growth prospects, combined with increasing rental rates – proving to be very attractive to investors. The research director was not surprised Darwin, Perth and Adelaide rated poorly by investors.
“None of these cities have reached the bottom of the market yet, and investors aren’t going to jump in while prices could still go down,” he said.
Mr Maskrey said Hobart should be higher up on investors’ lists. “For comfortable long-term capital gains Hobart is a sure safe bet,” he said. Mr Maskrey believes that Victoria is the state which is furthest away from the bottom of the property cycle and is set to experience solid gains in capital growth.

Valley at the crossroads

FROM MY CORNER .... With Ann Brunswick
Seeing I have a certain expertise about such things, I believe I am quite entitled to make the following plea: can’t the relevant authorities do something about the intersection at Brunswick and Ann streets in the Valley.

Having experienced that corner from both sides – as a motorist and then a local businessperson plying one’s trade - it’s a corner almost possible to navigate safely, especially when those tens of thousands of sweet young things have made their way into the entertainment precinct.
As a motorist in my trusty LandRover Recovery, I’ve found it almost impossible to turn left from Brunswick Street onto Ann on the busy nights because the drongo line of inebriated revellers never seems to stop., and here’s my suggestion as to how to fix things.
Change the lights pattern to the same as the other end of the mall: i.e. a criss-cross flow of pedestrians in both directions at the same time for a reasonable amount of time, and then a stern “No Walk” sign while first one, and then the other, direction of traffic is allowed to proceed.
Yes, I can hear what you’re thinking. The young kids who are bullet-proof and unkillable don’t obey the signs any way! Still, it’s just an idea, and I wonder if the traffic-light experts somewhere in our transport bureaucracy have at the very least thought about trying it for a while?

***

Your favourite columnist’s trusty LandRover was up on blocks the other day, so I was forced to take a train to visit a client on the northside. After our transaction had been competed, I returned to Toombul railway station, only to note on a faded information sheet right next to the steps leading down to platform level that the next train inbound was “express from Bowen Hills to Central”.

Of all the inbound services shown Monday to Friday, a number were so designated, including the one due in a few minutes. The next service after that was some time away so I made my way over to the ticket window. I told the earnest young woman behind the window of what the sign said, adding my tuppence worth that I’d never heard of any trains that stopped at Toombul not stopping at such an important railway station as the Valley as well.
“No, dear, it stops at the Valley,” she smiled. “They all do.” “But your sign says....” I stopped and decided, why bother. It’s like talking to a window counter. I took a chance and grabbed that train, and sure enough, it kindly dropped me off at the Valley. Thinking about it afterwards, I suddenly realised that maybe that sign was there from when the Valley station was being revamped: when each half of the station was closed for six months - a time when there definitely were a number of services that were express from Bowen Hills to Central.
Why, then, do they still have the bloody sign right there beside the steps down to the station. Do they like confusing people? Don’t answer that!

***

Now that our new $8 million plus plus Chinatown Mall has been officially opened, I thought I might just share with you a little experience I had there a few months back.

After the entire mall had been blocked off for months, the council made quite a deal out of the fact that a midway pedestrian crossover point had been reopened. Good idea, your Ann thought. Welcome news too for restaurant owners midway along the mall, because up to then it was a long and hot walk to get to their venues so many people didn’t bother trying.
So on this particular day, your Ann followed the pedestrian arrow signs and entered this newly opened walkway. A few seconds later, she was surrounded by heavy machinery doing work on the grand arch overhead. Beyond these machines, the other side of the pathway was sensibly sealed off.
I made my way back to the other side, warned off another pedestrian who had just entered the passageway as I had done, and found a workman inspecting some recently laid tiles nearby. When I explained that I had gotten half way across the mall only to find it blocked, he said that was because they didn’t want the public to get too close to the heavy machinery I had just encountered.
In the sweetest voice I could muster – and you will have to take my word for it, dear readers, that I didn’t lace it with the slightest hint of sarcasm – that, yes, I agreed with him, but wouldn’t it be a good idea then for both sides of the walkway to be sealed off, so any conflict of interest between m-ann and machinery could be avoided.
Making no effort to get up and act on my sensible suggestion to close the walkway off, he continued to inspect his tiles and offered, in a fairly abrupt manner, the immortal words: “Give us a break here. We’re dong this for you!”
Six months late, mind, but can I now belatedly offer this worker my very sincerest of thanks for his attitude that day and everything he and his fellow workers did to ... I mean.... for us over this long and frustrating building process.
In some places in the world, entire skyscrapers were probably built from scratch in the time it took to revamp this funny little mall cum carpark entrance.

Garrett safely insulated from getting the sack

POLITICS ... with Mungo MacCallum

Tony Abbott was Health Minister for three years, and over that period he was warned constantly of the deficiencies of the public hospital system. If warnings from the health officials were not enough, there were almost daily stories in the media of endless waits and intolerable crowding in emergency departments, women being forced to give birth in toilets, patients being sent home to die because there was nor room in the wards.

The minister was told that massive reforms and huge injections of money were needed; but Abbott's response, or that of his government, was to float the idea of a commonwealth takeover and then abandon it, and to actually reduce commonwealth funding as a proportion of the total. And people died - lots of them. So should Abbott have been sacked? Does he have blood on his hands?
Did John Howard fail the people of Australia by failing to dismiss him? Well, yes, if you apply the same logic as Abbott is now seeking to apply to Peter Garrett. There is no doubt that the insulation plan was something of a shemozzle. I
t was basically a good idea, but rushing it out on a massive scale as part of the economic stimulus package meant that there was not, and could not be, adequate preparation and supervision.
Inevitably the smarties and the shonks clambered on board and there was a lot of rorting and a lot of corners cut that should not have been. But it was hardly Garrett's responsibility to check every job in person.
The laws in every state and territory demand that employers provide a safe workplace for their employees, but Garrett was not the employer; the blame for the faulty installations and for the deaths of the employees goes directly to the installers who ignored established safety standards.
Many of them should not have been in the industry at all, they were blow-ins and fly-by-nighters attracted by the flood of work generated by the government rebate, but again, it is hardly reasonable to blame Garrett, or even his department, for not weeding them out; the industry sets its own standards and when the law is broken the states have the task of policing it.
In hindsight, it can be said that Garrett might have reacted more quickly when the cracks started to appear; but the people who were truly negligent and incompetent were greedy bastards who sent young men into the ceiling without taking proper precautions or giving them sufficient training.
For Abbott to blame Garrett is sheer opportunism, And in any case, for a member of John Howard's last government to invoke the Westminster convention and the doctrine of ministerial responsibility at all is the sheerest hypocrisy.

***
The first fortnight of the parliamentary session ended as it should have started, with Rudd's annual report on closing the gap between indigenous Australians and the rest, and it was grim reading. There has been progress, but it has been pitifully slow and at least some of it seems due to more accurate data-gathering rather than real improvement.

It is still possible that the government will meet its ambitious targets, but with statistics like the one that shows only two new houses have been completed in the Northern Territory in the last two years, quite a few fingers will need to be pulled out. The promise of an extra $90 million for pre- and post-natal health care may help, but the problems seem go deeper than money.
Some Aboriginal leaders think reinstating the Racial Discrimination Act, suspended by John Howard for his Northern Territory intervention, is vital; others argue that the intervention has already been watered down too far. The political debate among indigenous Australians is a good thing in itself, and a sign that they see themselves as part of the wider society.
And there are other reasons to hope the despondency of the Howard years is at last starting to lift. The Rugby League at the weekend was an unqualified success. The inspiration came from Preston Campbell, a Kamilaroi man from Tingha who is now the brilliant fullback for the Titans, who had a vision of an indigenous team to showcase the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stars of the game.
An enthusiastic and well-mounted campaign brought the League, the media and the federal government on Board, and on Saturday Rudd and several of his ministers were at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast to see Campbell’s Indigenous All Stars win a thriller against the NRL All Stars led by Kangaroo captain Darren Lockyer.
Rudd said it was all about indigenous pride, and he was right. But all Australians should be proud that we are at last back on track for true reconciliation. There is a lot to do, but at least there is now genuine goodwill and a measure of empathy on both sides of politics. In this area at least we can report genuine progress.

***

And the most extraordinary news of the week came out of the Federal Court, where the Australian Wheat Board is being sued by a number of its shareholders for failing to disclose the payments it made during what became known as the "wheat for weapons affair."

For months before the Royal Commission conducted by Terence Cole, AWB officials insisted that they had no idea the money they were paying to a Jordanian Trucking Company was in fact going straight to Iraq, in contravention of United nations sanctions. But the AWB's outline of submissions filed in the Federal Court case admits that it knew the fees were to be remitted by Alia to the Iraqi State Company for Water Transport. In spite of the recommendations of the Cole Commission, none of the AWB officials who appeared before it have ever faced prosecution. Now it appears that a few of them should be hauled back before the court to explain why they should not be charged with perjury, if nothing else.

Bridges very good as Bad

MOVIES ... with Tim Milfull




Crazy Heart (M)
Director: Scott Cooper
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall
Rating: 3.5/5
111-minutes, now screening

In the opening scenes of Scott Cooper’s debut feature film, Crazy Heart, it’s immediately obvious that Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is at the nadir of a successful career.

He drives a battered pickup truck – Bess – swills whisky straight from a bottle, stands outside his latest gig at a remote bowling alley belt and pants zipper undone, and pours the sickening yellow results of long-haul, toilet-break free driving from a large orange juice bottle onto the bitumen of the car park. M
ention of former protégé-turned-superstar, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) is inevitably by the roadies inside, prompts Blake rapidly to change the subject. When Bad steps up to the microphone, however – adoring crowd before him, and just as star-struck backing band behind – it quickly becomes obvious why the ageing country and western star’s lights haven’t quite dimmed.
He holds the entire room in thrall, even as he slips outside mid-song to heave his guts – and sunglasses – into a garbage bin.
Later, in an interview with much younger reporter, Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Bad is surprised to recognise feelings of desire that go far beyond those towards his normally fading groupies.
But any relationship with Jean comes only with the caveats of Bad’s alcoholism and other demons. First-time director, Cooper, manages to elicit some stand-out performance from his cast – from Gyllenhaal’s understandably overcautious single-mum, and Robert Duvall’s stoic, sober best mate, to the simply marvellous, gravel-throated Bridges as Blake, offering grittier echoes of his earlier, more mellow role as The Dude in The Big Lebowski.
Oh, and there are some excellent songs from Bridges and Farrell to spice up this very good film.




War saga packs a mighty blast

The Hurt Locker (MA15+)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty
Rating: 4/5
131-minutes, now screening

Kathryn Bigelow – often touted as the ex-wife of uber-blockbuster James Cameron – has established a reputation in her own right as a no-nonsense director of mostly testosterone-charged film and television – from tense war thrillers (K19: the Widowmaker) and episodes of Homicide: Life on the Streets, to the pinnacle of Hollywood neo-masculinity, Point Break.

So it’s not surprising that Bigelow’s most recent outing, The Hurt Locker, examines the limits or lack thereof in the ability of men to rein in their confidence and cockiness. The metaphorical realm suggested in the title is where unfortunates are sent in the event of an explosion, and in the lives of US Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit members, such big bangs are just another part of everyday life.
When unit leader Thompson (Guy Pearce in an unfortunately brief performance) is sent permanently to the Hurt Locker, the careful Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and fatalistic Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) initially are ruffled when their new leader arrives, cocksure and dangerously reckless.
Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) is less foolhardy than fearless, to the point of unnecessarily risking the lives his charges. Roaming the streets of Baghdad (with the outskirts of Jordan standing in for the real thing), Bigelow’s film slowly reveals the everyday routine of one of the world’s most dangerous occupations: locating and diffusing improvised explosive devices, all the while remaining wary of a population in which hostiles are virtually imperceptible but frighteningly real.
An exhausting, sometimes bleak experience, this is harrowing filmmaking; and with all concerned delivering superb performances, The Hurt Locker offers a very legitimate threat to ex-hubby’s Avatar in the Oscars stakes.

Troubled times still producing some fine drops

WINE .... with David Bray

The wine industry may be – make that is definitely – in trouble but by gee it is making some ripper wines. Too many vines, changing drinkers’ preferences and some very ordinary weather have not slowed the development of quality, interesting and usually nicely priced wine.

Look here at some of the whites, recently arrived in time for the last (we hope) of our sub-tropical summer. And see some of the interesting people who make them Here, for example are the 2009 vintage of the Wine by Brad semillon sauvignon blanc and an addition to the range, Wine by Brad rosé.
Two seriously good wines that are still a lot of fun. Winemaker Brad Wehr started working in the Western Australian wine industry (Leeuwin Estate and Xanadu) when its youthfulness gave it a feeling of freedom, innovation and fun. In his words, all anyone wanted to do was surf and make “hot wines”. During his career, the calibre of the wines being produced by Margaret River heralded a change and the region became more serious in its approach. Brad wanted to balance this serious quality with the unpretentious sense of fun that wine can deliver, so he left the big wineries behind and created Wine by Brad.
The Wine by Brad labels (based on Lichtenstein pop art from the 60s) convey the brand’s sense of fun and attitude, and the wines inside are good examples of their regional styles… The fruit for the semillon comes out of southern and central Margaret River vineyards.
Brad: “2009 was almost the perfect vintage so we chose fruit from southern vineyards to highlight the aromatics, and offer a fresh, citrus-based style – crisp and lively, yet richly textured.” The new 2009 rosé was made from Margaret River cabernet:
“We’ve deliberately gone for the savoury and dry style of rosé to ensure it is complementary to food. Cabernet made as rosé gives you the ability to highlight the flavours without overpowering the food. Of course you can still sit and quaff it on the front porch too.” Each of these two retails at $17 max.

Big jump eastwards to Orange, where the region’s founding winemaker, Bloodwood have released the 2009 Bloodwood chardonnay. This comes from the region’s oldest chardonnay vines, planted in 1983.
“These vines were propagated from a mother-vine plantation of the original small berried Penfolds P58 clone,” explained Bloodwood owner and winemaker, Stephen Doyle. “This is a very low yielding clone and one highly suited to marginal cooler climates.”
“The challenge with chardonnay in a soft and sunny growing area like Orange is to express the inherent crispness and minerality of this classic variety by being sensitive in the vineyard and gentle in the winery” “The 2009 vintage is a lovely bright, fresh style that reminds us of our 1992 chardonnay which is still drinking beautifully."
This wine was then cool fermented in stainless steel with 30 percent matured for a few months in old Saury French oak hogsheads. There was no acid addition or malolactic fermentation, ensuring that the focus of the wine is on freshness and its quality cool climate fruit. Likely price around $25.

***

Now to one of my favourite districts, Mudgee, where Optimiste is producing a great range of hand-crafted wines.
Optimiste has come a long way since owners and vignerons the Dadd family first planted their vines on the hills just south of Mudgee over 10 years ago and is launching a fresh set of varietals, the first of which to arrive is the 2009 Optimiste Pinot Gris (pictured above), soon to be followed by a semillon and a tempranillo.
The Optimiste Estate grown pinot gris grapes were selectively hand harvested in the cool mornings when fully ripe to ensure maximum flavour and mouthfeel. A portion was also fermented in aged French oak to emphasis the full, rich pinot gris style, with complex sweet spices. It is a ripper wine, drinking very nicely now, hefts 13.5 percent alcohol and will cost you around $20. *** Reckon you know your champagnes? How about Armand de Brignac? It has been named as the best, number one, top of the lot. Apparently late last year some of the world’s leading wine critics and sommeliers ran a serious blind tasting of more than 1000 brands.
The results have been published in Fine Champagne magazine, said to be the only international publication devoted to champagne and a renowned authority on the industry. The top 10included many classic names with the surprise first place going to Armand de Brignac Brut Gold. Its recipe is fairly conservative at 40 per cent chardonnay, 40 per cent pinot noir, and 20 per ent pinot meunier.
The magazine described it as complex and full-bodied, with light floral notes, a racy fruit character, with subtle brioche accents, and a long creamy finish. There’s a bit of presentation here, too. The fizzy stuff comes in a stunning gold bottle originally developed by Cattier for the Andre Courreges fashion house. Labels are made of pewter, polished and applied by hand. You can snap up a bottle for just $495 from Brisbane experts at www.champagnegallery.com.au .

Chinatown Mall Opening Celebrations

Star signs ... with Horace Cope

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 to Feb 19)
You reckon the Oscars ceremony on TV has always been far too long and boring enough, without presenters now having twice as many "best picture" nominations to announce and show scenes from.

PISCES (Feb 20 to Mar 20)
You wonder aloud if you're the only person in the world not currently reading one of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy.

ARIES (Mar 21 to Apr 20)
Having foolishly thought that your family loved you, you are still brooding months later over their Xmas gift to you: the complete DVD set of the Saw movie franchise.

TAURUS (Apr 21 to May 20)
You cleverly trademark the phrases "Five-5" and "Two-2" just in case that's the future of international cricket.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 21)
You're still waiting for a response from the International Cricket Council to your written suggestion that the best way to safeguard the future of Test cricket is to make it tipsy-run.

CANCER (June 22 to July 23)
Gosh, you're happy that the footie season is just around the corner. No, you really are. Can hardly wait. It's going to be grate.

LEO (July 24 to Aug 23)
You wonder how many Grammy awards Taylor Swift could have won if her music was any good.

VIRGO (Aug 24 to Sept 23)
Or if she could sing, for that matter.

LIBRA (Sept 24 to Oct 23)
You wonder if you're the only person around who thinks that car insurance ad on TV where the bloke sings "what about me?" makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

SCORPIO (Oct 24 to Nov 22)
Vowing to devote more time each weekend to keeping up with local, interstate and world news, you cancel your subscription to The Sunday Mail.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 to Dec 22)
You rewrite your will after your family presents you with DVDs of the two Saw movies made since Christmas.

CAPRICORN (Dec 23 to Jan 20)
You find yourself visiting luxury-car showrooms after convincing your family that there'll be no Ekka this year because the entire RNA showgrounds have been sold off for residential development.