lifeasdaddy

Tag you're it.

 

 

My friend Diane has asked me to answer a few questions.

1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals or are the members of your family?

No pets here.  Although I'm not a fan of anthropomorphism, when we did have a dog he was allowed to sleep in the house.

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?

To have my father happily live closer to us in Sydney.

3. What is the one thing most hated by you?

I try not to hate.  Today I'm succeeding so there ain't no such thing as my most hated thing. Today. Tomorrow my answer might be different.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?

Pay off the mortgage on the house. Buy a new car. Get some training in how to wisely invest and use the rest of the billion.

5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

 A few things. Playing with my son. Cracking a joke. Spending time with my wife.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?

 I don't know.

7. What is your bedtime routine?

 Brush teeth. Set alarm. Read book.

8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?

 She came to work in my department.  I was her boss. Sparks flew. Dated. Loved. Married.

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?

Picasso 

 

10. What kinds of books do you read?

Books.  How quaint.  Detective fiction by Robert Crais or Robert B. Parker or Lee Child. Non-fiction history.

11. How would you see yourself in ten years' time?

 I've ceased trying to look into the future since I accepted my inability to do so accurately. 

12. What’s your fear?

 Incapacitation of,or death of my son.

13. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?

 No.  Not because I love junk food so much but because although I've had a lifelong fascination with space travel I have never wanted it for myself.

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?

 Married but poor. Do I really have to be poor?

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Check the time on the clock to see if it's close to alarm time or I can safely have some more sleep.

16. If you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?

 You're kidding, right?  If I wanted to change her I wouldn't still be happily married after 17 years.

17. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?

 I like the one I've got, thanks. I chose to be called Bob rather than my given Robert when I was around 16 years old.  Works for me.

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?

 Yes.

19. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?

 Breakfast cereal with milk.

A monument to Bernard Bede (aka Barney) Kieran, champion swimmer of the world

Barney Kieran had a brief and brilliant career as a competitive swimmer in the years 1904-1905.  In that short time he swam world record times in every distance from 200 yards to 1 mile.

His induction citation at the International Swimming Hall of Fame explains his dominance during that brief period:

"Had he lived to swim in the 1906 and 1908 and 1912 Olympics, there is little doubt but that Barney Kieran should have won more swimming gold medals than any Olympian before or since."

In 1986 he was also inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

 

Although Barney Kieran has little fame these days, he is being honoured this year with a tribute by the New South Wales State Archives.

He died at 19 years of age after an appendix operation.  Beloved by the public, a public subscription was raised to create a monument to be rasied over his grave in Gore Hill Cemetery.

 
It is generally better kept and tidier than most graves in the cemetery.

 

Here's the close view of the inscription.  The memorial was paid for by public subscription.

 

Photos by Bob Meade.

 There is also a pretty good Sports Illustrated story from 1985: Australia Had A Wondrous SwimmerIn The Star-crossed Barney Kieran.

Barney's brother, Joseph Patrick Kieran died in 1933 and is also buried at Gore Hill Cemetery. However in the burial records of Gore Hill Cemetery he appears under the name of Joseph Francis Kieran - and also appears to be intered in the same or a contiguous plot as Barney.

A further check of records show that Patrick John CONLON is also buried in the plot. Barney's father was Patrick Kieran, however after Patrick Kieran's death it appears his mother married Matthew Conlon.

 

Sunrise over the Med

I'm going to write a few blog posts here about our recent trip to Barcelona and France. 

In Barcelona we stayed at the AC Barcelona Forum hotel next to the convention centre.  The hotel has a sleek, hip design which was a visual pleasure.  I was unfamiliar with the AC hotel chain which has a significant presence in Spain, Italy and Portugal.  I found the guest room size slightly on the small side compared to rooms in Australia and the USA but I'm told this is normal for Europe.

There was a problem with the air-conditioning: it would only heat, not cool.  This suggests to me that the hotel has the technical limitation of only one set of air-conditioning pipes running through the hotel and must choose for the whole hotel a date to switch from cooling to heating.  There was a saving grace however, the windows would open to permit fresh, cool air into the room:

That's what the sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea looked like.  Barely visible in the dawn light at the sea shore is part of the ongoing urban renewal of the area which is either reclamation or demolition/reconstruction.

The hotel staff were generally very good. The room attendants did a great job keeping the room clean. 

 

Strangely, for a hotel which is mainly aimed at conventioneers and the business traveller there was no electrical power point at the desk top to permit laptop and electronic device charging.  Instead we used the television power point.  This is not an unusual fault, but an unforgivable one in a recently built hotel.

One aesthetic feature of Barcelona is the architecture.  The 'culture-led' approach to urban renewal has dictated that great care is taken with the design of new buildings and this hotel precinct is no exception with cantilevered building segments on display.  The wedge shaped building standing by itself in the photo below was a transparent glass tower held up by the concrete floors and an exoskeleton.

Above: photo of AC Barcelona Forum hotel from across Passeig del Taulat.

 

Below left: AC Barcelona Forum hotel

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My best meals ever.

Some were great because of the food.

Some were great because of the time, place and people.

Some were great because I was introduced to a new culinary experience.

I was inspired to write about my best meals ever by Leonard Lopate's interview with James Oseland, Jane Stern and Michael Stern of Saveur Magazine.

Chicken with orange sauce.

My cousin Julie had been married the previous day to then-husband Phil. I guess I was about 9 years old. They were flying out of Melbourne to their honeymoon.  In those days it was unusual to take an international honeymoon.  Most of the extended family, including my parents and I went to the airport to see them off and it was decided by the adults to have lunch at the fancy restaurant at Tullamarine Airport.

There were lots of things on the menu which seemed unusual to me and I finally decided on Chicken Maryland with orange sauce. When my meal arrived I recall my wonder that there was a sauce other than tomato, that there was a sauce you could make from a fruit and how deliciously piquant citrus was with chicken.

Kill a lamb one day, eat it roasted the next.

My Uncle and Aunt ran a dairy farm and I was a regular childhood visitor. There was also a small flock of sheep on the farm which were reared for eating. One day when I was 12 or so it was time for me to see how the sheep was killed and butchered.  One of the lambs was tied up and killed by having its throat slit, then my Uncle went through the butchering process until it was a bare carcass.  The carcass was covered in a cotton bag and hung overnight in the big tree.  The next morning after milking-time the lamb was brought down and my Uncle cut it up.  Roast leg of fresh lamb for dinner.  No illusions about where the food comes from. It was delicious with a fresh mint sauce.

 Chateau de Troja, Prague.

June. Prague summer. It was at a corporate function for dinner. First there was a tour through the Baroque chateau, including the magnificently frescoed stables. Then, on an evening of beautiful weather, down the sculpted staircase to the parterre where tables were set for about 200 people.  We sat at a table with some Finns who could not speak any English.  I can't remember what we ate, but I remember eating it in the garden of a palace.

 

.(photo by Guillaume Cattiaux. Used with his kind permission)

 

More details about the Chateau de Troja here.

 

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Victor's Cafe 52, New York.

We were on our way to New York.  A friend recommended Victor's - which specialises in Cuban food.  Never had Cuban food before.  It was July.  New York is HOT in July.  The streets smell as the garbage rots.  I telephoned for a reservation and the restaurateur told me that the air conditioning was not working and the restaurant would therefore be hot, but if we still wanted to come we would be very welcome.  Seemed fair enough to me.  If it was too hot, we could leave. Walked past Gallagher's Steak House and the window of their cold larder filled with gigantic cuts of beef. Got to Victor's.  The door was propped open and large electric fans circulated the air.  Our friend told us to order Mohitos and Champagne empanadas.

Had my first Mohito. Tick the box. But there was no sign of Champagne empanadas on the menu. We asked, we got. They were exquisite.

Street view of Victor's.

Le Café Marly at Le Louvre.

Here, position is everything.

(Photo by Kwong Yee Cheng on Flickr under a CC licence)

 

When you sit down with your lovely wife at Café Marly , in the Richelieu wing of The Louvre you look out at I.M. Pei's pyramids. You sit on stylishly covered chairs and are attended by waiters who speak English. You drink an expensive, though excellent cup of coffee and take a pastry. You are not dreaming. You are a lucky man.

 

I have a few more memorable meals to write about.  Soon.

 

There are no atheists in foxholes: A World War Two soldier's Bible.

Here's an interesting pocket Bible.  It was given away to soldiers across the British Empire during  World War Two by the British and Foreign Bible Society. This one to a soldier in the Australian Army.

It cannot be rare, however I am unable to  find any identical in the online catalogues of the usual Australian cultural institutions.  If you know of any similar examples - please let me know.

This one bears the symbol of His Majesty King George VI.  It is 120mm high and 76mm wide.

 

Inside the front cover is a tipped in presentation page plus a stapled Bible Reading hints insert.  The slightly corroded staples have created a slight brown stain. Otherwise the bible is almost unmarked after 70 years:

 

His Majesty's message to his loyal troops is also included.  The message is dated just 2 weeks after the start of World War Two:

 

Interestingly it was printed at the University Press, Oxford:

 

I just checked the Integrated Catalogue of the British Library and cannot find it there either.

Regalia of an I.O.O.F. lodge member

The man I wrote about here was once a member of the I.O.O.F. Talbrager no. 74 lodge in Dubbo, New South Wales.  He was initiated in 1934.

The International Order of Odd Fellows was a fraternal organisation which also provided welfare and insurance such as sick benefits to members.  There was also an associated organisation for women named The Rebekahs.  Here's the wikipedia entry about the North American organisation which gives a good overview of the general structure and flavour of the organisation. 

His ceremonial I.O.O.F. lodge collar looks like this:

 

It is adorned with a flannel flower motif. This flower has a close association with the State of New South Wales. The background is red coloured silk velvet and the flowers are embroidered in silver bullion wire, and the fringe is also of silver bullion.  The edge of the collar is trimmed with  repeating I.O.O.F. and triple link motif in silver thread embroidery.

Here is a close view of the embroidery.

 
 

The rear of the collar is lined with red coloured leather.

 

And it comes complete with a lockable leather carrying case.

 

Some empheral items are also contained in the case including two I.O.O.F. hospital cards:

 

and usefully a copy of the Triple Links magazine for January 1, 1940. 

 

The magazine includes some advertisements for ceremonial collars, one from David Jones department store:

 

and from Hordern Bros. Ltd.:

 

Here's a photograph of some I.O.O.F. lodge members in California wearing their collars.

There do not seem to be many of these types of collars still in existence in Australia, but here's one in the collection of the National Museum of Australia.

Suicide plane hits HMAS Australia.

On October 21, 1944 HMAS Australia (II) was deliberately struck in a suicidal attack by a Japanese dive bomber.  There is some modern day controversy as to whether or not this was the first true Kamikaze attack of World War II.

Nevertheless, it was devastating - killing 30 and wounding 65.

A couple of years ago I visited the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre and saw this:

 

 

Today I was referred to a recently created Flickr photo stream by Jeff Penberthy who is preparing for the 1911- 2011 Centenary of the RAN.

I came across this gem:

Circa Oct 22, 1944: Officers muse on the engine of a Val bomber on HMAS Australia [II], the first of her six hits in the Philippines - Photo The Argus, SLV., originally uploaded by Kookaburra2011.

Photo: The Argus, held at Argus Collection, The State Library of Victoria [LaTrobe Library]

Which of course shows the exact engine from which the museum piece engine cylinder block came.

The 1944 photograph would look good in the RAN Heritage Centre sitting beside the piece.

Today is Anzac Day.

Today is Anzac Day, one of Australia's national days of remembrance for those who served our country in time of war.

When I was a little boy in the 1960s I remember watching Melbourne's Anzac Day marches on television.  There I saw the elder World War One veterans, dwindling in numbers, unable to walk the route  and conveyed in open cars. When I was in my teens they were already almost absent.  World War Two veterans were robust in numbers, but the crowds lining the march route along Swanston Street, St. Kilda Road and up the Shrine of Remembrance were sparse indeed. 

I thought Anzac Day would eventually die out as vets expired and the public lost interest.

But in fact the opposite is the case.  Anzac Day enjoys renewed vigor throughout Australia.

Geoffrey Blainey has said of Anzac Day that.

"It has risen and waned and risen, and it will wane and rise again."

Some, like Professor Marilyn Lake, think there is too much vigor around Anzac Day which has led to a diminution of other chapters in Australia's history and increasing militarism.  It is becoming a minor battle in the history wars. 

This time last year I had an exchange of emails with Professor Lake about her views.  I have great respect for her views and found her a gracious correspondent - and I think much of what she says is correct. 

This morning I was at our Sunday morning swimming club which is held in the premises of a large registered club. A club which was originally established by returned service people from World War Two.  Today is a big day at the club.  Recognition of Anzac Day includes games of two-up played for gambling stakes and a dawn service had already been held.

I saw old men and women wearing their service medals and having a quiet time of reflection over a cup of tea or coffee mixed in with younger people in their finery come for a day of gambling and drinking.

It does not insult my sensibilities to see returned service people wearing their medals, proudly, for one or two days a year.  Nor does it insult my sensibilities to see people downing rum and coca-cola at 10 o-clock on a Sunday morning.

This is a great country to live in.

And the war dead?

Their name liveth forever more.

No matter what people say or do.

H.M.A.S. Canberra 1940

I've recently come across these two photographs.  They appear to be of the same ship and the upper photograph has "HMAS Canberra 1940" written on the reverse.  The other photograph seems to be of the same ship.

Some other photographs in the set were taken in Sydney Harbour from the Manly Ferry, so I think it's likely that this was taken in Sydney Harbour too.

 

I'll check with my friend Mac Gregory who served in HMAS Canberra and see what he thinks.

A swagger stick from the Lachlan-Macquarie Regiment, the 54th Battalion

Between the First World War and the Second World War the Australian Army comprised two elements; the Militia (part-time army) and the Permanent Military Force.

One of the New South Wales-based units of the Militia was the 54 Battalion (The Lachlan-Macquarie Regiment).

An ornate swagger stick has come to hand which bears the  emblem of 54 Battalion.

The emblem is also the same as the hat and collar badges for the Battalion.

Here it is pictured with a 40 centimetre ruler.  The stick measures 69cm from top to tip. The pointed bottom tip is a hollow bullet and shell, the shaft is wood (possibly mulga wood) and the sphere at the top is of a silver coloured metal.  The light coloured tape wrapping 10cm from the top was, I think,  there to assist placement under the arm.

 

This close up of the top sphere shows the regimental insignia.  It bears parts of the New South Wales Coat of Arms including the southern Cross in the middle with a sunburst behind. The number 54 appears just above the crest with the words "AMOR PATRIA" either side and "LACHLAN MACQUARIE REGIMENT" below.

 

A comparison of the insignia at the Australian War Memorial appears here.

[ Photographing the swagger stick and the decorative heraldic elements was difficult.]

Here's the owner of the swagger stick in traditional pose. Swagger stick  under his right arm and the head held by the upturned right hand.  You'll notice too that the blackboard outside the room behind him bears the sign "HQ 54 bn".

I estimate the year to be around 1939.

 

Here's the owner earlier, as a corporal.  This photograph clearly shows the hat and collar insignia of the 54BN

 

The man here later became a lieutenant in the Australian Army and served during World War Two in the New Guinea campaign.