The passing parade of PMs

We have a new Prime Minister. There was a time when this was an era changing event. In 1949 when I was only six months old Robert Menzies became Australia's Prime minister for the second time. He resigned the position in February 1966 when I was sixteen years old.

Robert Menzies speaking to striking miners

Imagine that. I was sixteen years old and for all but six months of my life I had known only one Prime Minister.

In the past eleven years of my life there have been six changes of Prime Minister. Six! John Howard lost at election replaced by Kevin Rudd. Rudd usurped by his own party replaced by Julia Gillard. Gillard usurped by her own party replaced by the returning Rudd. Rudd lost at election replaced by Tony Abbott. Abbott usurped by his own party replaced by Malcolm Turnbull. Turnbull usurped by his own party replaced by Scott Morrison.

In my lifetime I have twice been a constituent in the Prime Minister's own electorate. First I was a constituent of Prime Minister William McMahon in the electorate of Lowe.

William McMahon talking to Corporal Colin King

McMahon was 'a confirmed bachelor' until he married at the age of 57. No conclusions drawn from this photograph.

Lately, indeed until today, I have been a constituent of Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull in the electorate of Wentworth.

Malcolm Turnbull

By coincidence McMahon, Turnbull and I all attended the same school; Sydney Grammar School.

Aussie music

Feature wall at the ARIA Awards exhibition in Melbourne

Not so super Saturday

For weeks, the Political pundits told us that at least two electorates in the 'Super Saturday' by-elections were too close to call.

They weren't. The ABC's Antony Green called the results well within two hours of the respective poll closures.

Winner (NewsLocker)

Loser (The New Daily)

Forget News Polls.

Water feature

The water feature facade at Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria is a constant fascination for adults and children alike.

Winter sun

Melbourne's winter sunshine over the Arts Centre

Lest We Forget

Anzac Day

The Hydro

Photos from a day trip to the nearby Blue Mountains; in particular the Hydro Majestic Hotel where as a child, more than 55 years ago I spent a number of holidays with my mother and grandmother. The hotel seems have gone through various boom and bust periods. I believe it is currently under foreign ownership.

Steam and Sail on Sydney Harbour

Oz time

Today is designated Australia Day. Whether you are happy to celebrate it as such or to mourn it as Invasion Day and whether or not you prefer to mark a different date and event I hope that local readers feel that they can still take a moment to thank our stars that we live in a 'lucky' country. I know that I do.

Home sweet home

Flying into Sydney after spending Christmas in Brisbane

Summer Christmas

Day's end on Queensland's Sunshine Coast at Christmas time.

Mooloolaba Beach, looking north at day's end

Mooloolaba Beach, looking south at day's end

Brisbane River sights

Showboat

A showboat berthed on the Brisbane River

On top of the world

Heavy cloud flying between Sydney and Brisbane

Christmas travel

Queues at Sydney Airport for pre-Christmas travel

'Oh, you are cacky-handed!'

As a child I was often the target of this comment. For those unfamiliar with the term 'cacky-handed' it  meant 'left-handed'. (Indeed Apple spell check is clearly unfamiliar with the term autocorrecting my typing each time to 'cocky-handed' which I have had to manually over-ride.)

Nowadays, even though we 'cacky-handed' ones still represent little more than about 10% of the world's population, it is very rare for anyone to make that observation to me.

Today Australia's Governor General gave Royal Assent to Parliament's legislation allowing Marriage Equality. It is now the law of the land. Australia is the 26th country to legalise Marriage Equality. It has been a long and difficult road to reach this point.

I am aged 68 and life for me as a gay man is very different now from when I was teenager and my orientation was not only shameful but criminal and needed to be kept secret. Indeed as a teenager I was referred by authorities to a Psychiatrist who, I guess, investigated my 'deviance'.

It would be nice if Marriage Equality was the final step to complete equality for gays, lesbians etc. But still we are exhorted or encouraged to 'come out'; and having 'come out' we continue to 'come out' again and again. Yes, life for us is much better today but there is still a way to go.

Australia 2-0

It has been a good day for Australia.

This morning the announcement that the Government decreed voluntary survey which few Australians felt was necessary had returned a 61.6% vote in favour of marriage equality effectively committing the Australian Parliament to introduce the necessary legislation; something that should have been done without an expensive tax payer funded process.

Australia 1 win.

This evening Australia's soccer team, the Socceroos, defeated Honduras in the last chance play off match to qualify for the World Cup Finals 2018 in Russia.

Australia 2 wins.

Bride Wars?

It is not unusual to see wedding ceremonies occurring in Sydney's magnificent Centennial Park. Indeed the Park's website has an entire section on reserving space in the Park for a wedding ceremony, scheduling wedding photographs in the Park and even on staying in the Park in connection with a wedding.

So when I was driving through the Park yesterday and saw this sight at the Belvedere Amphitheatre in the Park my first thought was that a wedding was about to occur.

How fancy. An orchestra in place!

But then I took a closer look.

A lovely setting. Sweeping views towards the South where upper right you see the upper levels of the main Grandstand at Randwick Racecourse. The buildings upper middle belong to the University of New South Wales. The domed building in the centre is Federation Pavilion constructed in 1988 to mark the place where the Proclamation of the Commonwealth of Australia occurred in 1901.

But back to the wedding. The orchestra appeared to be a youth orchestra. Unless the wedding party involved teachers and/or students a Youth Orchestra seemed an odd choice for a wedding. And then the Orchestra started to perform; apparently in rehearsal. The first few notes were very much the sounds of young musicians. Not only that but the first few bars of music also clearly were the Star Wars movie theme.

Now, that is an odd choice for a wedding.

When I returned home hours later I checked the What's On section in Park's website. My more considered reactions proved justified. The orchestra was not preparing for a wedding yesterday. They were rehearsing for Classics in the Park; an outdoor family concert performed by 'Sydney Youth Orchestras'.

Interestingly the website advertises the price for this event as $20. I could see and hear the Orchestra perfectly well from my vantage point beyond the loosely roped off area which surrounded the white plastic chairs. Had I attended the concert I think would have joined the early gathering hoi polloi on their blankets and fold up chairs beyond the rope.

Sydney's Harbour Bridge

This Government produced video about the construction of Sydney's Harbour Bridge has some fascinating images from 1920/30s Sydney.

Hot and cold

Yesterday Sydney's temperature reached 34ºc (93ºf). The hottest day the city has experienced at this time of year (Spring) in 158 years.

Today the forecast top is 18ºc (64ºf). A short time ago the temperature had reached 15ºc (59ºf) but the apparent temperature was 6ºc (43ºf).

An effective variation of 28ºc. Crazy.