In the press
Click to introduce the journalism — decades of reporting, features and photography. Add pieces as normal posts in a “Journalism” category and they’ll gather below.
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Oscar Eliason: magician
Oscar Eliason (1869–1899), known by the stage name Dante the Great, was an American illusionist and magician who died in Dubbo, NSW, after being accidentally shot while kangaroo hunting. Career in the US Oscar Eliason was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 8 July 1869[1] the third of nine children of Mormon pioneers Olof…
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Climate Strike, Melbourne
Tens-of-thousands of people have attended the student-led Climate Strike event in Melbourne. Speakers condemned federal government inaction on climate change. It was part of an international day of action on September 20, 2019, billed as a Climate Strike. Many of those attending were students, some of whom had gone on ‘strike’ by skipping classes for…
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Dictionary with 2515 pages
This is a heavy, Shorter Oxford English dictionary, comprising 2515 pages, published in 1937. The Oxford is regarded by many as the world’s leading authority on English words. (1) When I was young, my grandfather gave me one of these. I was probably aged about 11 or 12, about the age he was when he’d…
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Jaffna fort, Sri Lanka
The Jaffna fort in northern Sri Lanka was originally built by the Portuguese in 1618. Forces under the command of the Dutch East India Company who captured the fort in 1658 renovated it in 1680. It was subsequently occupied by the British, who replaced the Dutch as the island’s colonial rulers from 1796 until independence…
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‘The grim contest between man and nature’
This a sequence of rare audio recordings of eyewitness accounts and news reports from the 1967 Black Tuesday bushfires in Tasmania, the deadliest in the state’s history. They were made by Nigel Bills, of the Hobart suburb of Sandy Bay, on Black Tuesday, 7 February, and the following day, as the extent of the disaster…
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Rasta house, South Africa
In parts of South Africa, there are many followers of the Rastafarian movement, which originated in Jamaica in the 1930s. The movement is deeply influenced by Judeo-Christian religion, but adherents tend to regard it as a way of life. Individuals can make various interpretations of how being a Rasta affects their religious, social, political and…
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Boobook owl, Melbourne
The Southern Boobook owl (Ninox boobook) can be found all over Australia, southern Papua New Guinea, and in Timor Leste. They are usually nocturnal, but this particular bird was photographed in suburban Melbourne during the day. It remained in the one spot for about six hours before flying off, seemingly unperturbed by humans walking past.
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Storks’ nest, Morocco
At certain times of the year, the highly migratory white stork (Ciconia ciconia) is commonly seen in Morocco and other parts of north Africa. The storks are not averse to being close to urban activity, and like the ones seen here, often build their large nests on top of columns.
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Freestyle Australian home decoration
In Australia’s major cities, oppressive local government by-laws can squash the creativity of those with a proclivity for residential decoration. Especially at Christmas time, the rules are often overlooked, as people in the festive spirit adorn their homes – inside and outside. Usually, those adornments last a few weeks leading up to Christmas and beyond,…
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No welcome to Australia
This Australian government billboard in northern Sri Lanka, written in Tamil, is designed to dissuade asylum seekers arriving by boat. It states that people who the Australian government designates as ‘illegal boat arrivals’ will not be granted visas, and will be returned home. Australian government statistics show that the overwhelming majority of people who seek…
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Clever mother, New Caledonia
Have to carry some coconuts, a baby and an umbrella while keeping a hand free to hold onto another child as well? No problem for this clever New Caledonian mother. She seems very relaxed… She’s even taught the next generation the art of carrying coconuts without having to use the hands!
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Sceptical cop, Cuba
The faint smile on the cop’s face says it all: “I’ve heard it all, a million times before.”