lifeasdaddy

Eating out in Ko'Olina. Roy's restaurant.

When I was in Hawaii a couple of years ago I took note of the very good reviews that Roy's restaurants were getting.  Hawaiin fusion cuisine. The word was pretty good, but I was a bit skeptical.  How good could a chain restaurant be?  So we did not  go.

A few weeks ago we returned to Hawaii for a holiday and stayed at Ko'Olina.  We ran into famous Hawaiian singer and ukelele player Moon Kahele.  He told us that he plays at Roy's on Wednesday nights and encourged us to go. The  Roy's restaurant there is located at the Ko'Olina Golf Club just across the road from where we were staying. So we decided to give it a try.

The restaurant is approached via the golf club's roadway, so it's through manicured gardens.  The restaurant is comprised of two main seating areas;  one indoors, and one outdoors, although roofed.  We were switfly seated at a table large enough for our party of 4 adults and 3 children.  

Our server was a woman who I rate as the best soft-upselling restaurant waitress I've ever seen.  She sized up our table and guided us towards menu choices which would not only be pleasing to us, but in the American way be a little bit more than we actually needed to eat and drink.  In the nicest possible way she maximised the check for the restaurant by suggestive selling and attentive service.

If I ran a restaurant I would want her to train my wait team.

We sat in the outdoor section, which here meant that the roof is enough to withstand a tropical storm but there are no walls.  Open to the air, the Island breezes, and fragrance from the tropical gardens.

I didn't take notes about the food, but I can tell you that the fried sushi roll was wonderful.  The roll was about 5cm in diameter, and about 15cm long cut into slices, perfect for sharing around the table which is how all enjoyed it.  In the style of cooking it reminded both Gabrielle and I of Tetsuya's famed crusted ocean trout.  Not in taste nor texture of course - but in the sensibility which informed it.

With 33 restaurants to run it seems unlikely that Roy Yamaguchi was at the stove himself that night, so the achievement of excellence is a managaerial credit too.

The other dish I'll comment on was the steak I had.  I rarely cook beef steak for myself at home so sometimes I like to order it out.  This was a fillet mignon, perhaps the best beef steak I've ever had.  The chef had mastered the skill of minimalism.  Not too much intervention, a plain  steak full of flavour perfectly cooked.  This restaurant does not quote beef marbling scores like Australian restaurants do, but this would have been very high.  

Even if the food had not been so good it could have been forgiven on the strength of the atmosphere.  A nice night, in open air surroundings with a fine entertainer singing crowd pleasing covers.  

As part of the pitch our server gave for the menu was that there are "Roy's Classics" on the menu which are there every night (these comprised about 20% of the menu) and the rest being daily dishes based upon fresh market ingredients.

When we returned two night later, this proved to be true with the a la carte menu being 80% different.

If you're near a Roy's, you should go.

Far, far better than expected.

Researching an Australian soldier of World War One. Part 2.

Part 1 was here.

Some of the resources we can use to learn more about Joe Cox's military career and particularly his death and commemoration are:

1.  His military record of service held at the National Archives of Australia.  As a gift to Australia, the National Archives of Australia has scanned and made available online all existing World War One service records.  Joe Cox's service record runs to 48 pages.  

His full name: Joseph Christopher Cox

Date of enlistment: 27 September 1916

Place of birth: Orange N.S.W.

Age on enlistment: 26 years, 9 months.

Height: 5 feet 10 inches tall  [ which is tall by the standards of the era ]

Weight: 176 pounds

Chest measurement: 38 - 40 & 1/2 inches

Complexion: Medium

Eyes: Grey

Hair: Brown

Religious denomination: Methodist

Distinctive Marks: scar over right big toe

Trade or calling: labourer

Next of Kin: father - Francis Cox of Dubbo, NSW; mother - 

Unit: Initially the Dubbo Depot Battaion and then the 17/22 Battalion ( which means the 17th Reinforcements of the 22nd Battalion, First Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.)

His "Casualty Form - Active Service" 

Shows that he embarked on the troopship Argyllshire at Sydney on 30 October 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth (U.K.) on 10 January 1917.

31.3.17 - Taken on Strength in France

5.5.17 - Wounded in Action in the field

5.5.17 - Gun Shot Wound to Right Lower Extremities

17.5.17 - Embarked for England on ship Warilda.

18.5.17 - Admitted 4th Southern General Hospital, Plymouth

20.6.17 - Discharged from 4th Southern General Hospital

4.7.17 - Reported to depot at Perham(?) Downs

26.7.17 - Departed Southampton, England

31.7.17 - Arrived Havre, France

14.8.17 - Rejoined unit

18.9.17 - Missing believed Killed - Belgium

18.9.17 - Killed In Action - Belgium

"Field Service" report states

Died 18 September 1917, Killed In Action, Belgium, particulars not yet to hand.

2. Red Cross records from the First World War held at the Australian War Memorial.

  See explanation here.  See direct link to search function here.  WARNING:  These files often contain graphic descriptions of violence and killing.

Using that search function and entering Joe Cox's service number 6063, 4 results are returned.  Two of them relating to Joe Cox.

Clicking on the 2 relevant results, they yield the same digitised record.  A five page file from the Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau.

Sergeant Cooper gave this information (WARNING graphic):

"He was tall, dark, and came from N.S.W.. He came over with the 17th to 22nd as reinforcement.  He was killed with 6 others by a shell in a Dugout at Ypres, near Westhoek Ridge on 18th September, 1917.  We left that night and did not find them till three days afterwards when we went back to the same place.  I saw the remains that had been dug out; Cox's head was blown right off; we could only recognise him by his disc.  They buried them near the Dugout.  Lt. Tyles of the 22nd was in charge of the burial party.  Nothing was put on the grave at the time as far as I know.  We left the next night day."

3. Collections Search at the Australian War Memorial sometimes yields photographs or relics relating to a serviceperson.  Let's search for his service number "6063" and select from the conflict drop down menu as "First World War 1914-1918.  There are no results.

Next I tried searching for "Joseph Cox" during the First World War - again there was no result.

4. Australian Army War Diaries at the Australian War Memorial.

We know that Joe Cox was of the 17th Reinforcement for the 22nd Battalion.  At the AWM we find an index of units from all service arms here, and a brief summary of the 22nd Battalion's service here.

We learn too that 22nd Battalion was part of the 6th Brigade of the 2nd Division.  Useful facts to keep in mind if ever reading some of the larger histories of the war. 

Now to the war diaries of Joe Cox's unit.  The listing of First World War war diaries it here.  Infantry units' war diaries are here.  And the ones for the 22nd Infantry Battalion are here.

Reading the war diaries gives a very good idea of the day to day activities of Joe Cox and his fellow infantrymen.  It mentions their movements, actions and in particular detail their training.

Let's look at the one for September and see what it has to say about 18 September 1917, the day of his death.

Citation [ AWM4, 24/38/25 - September 1917 ]

 

18/9/17

PLACE: In Line WESTHOEK RIDGE - In Camps and Bivouacs as Div. Reserve.

 

Summary of Events & Information: In the line during the day. Relieved on night 18/19th by 18th Bn. A.I.F.on left portion of Bn. sector and 25th Bn. A.I.F. on right portion of Bn. sector.  Bn. moved back to HALIFAX AREA H.14.b. (Sheet 2.[?] N.W. 1/2000) Bn. occupied huts in VANCOUVER CAMP.  Casualties 1 Off. (Lieut. G. O. GREIG) 20 O.R. killed and 49 O.R.'s wounded by shell fire.

So that's it.  Joe Cox was one of 21 men of the 22nd Battalion killed by shell fire that night.

5. Collections search at the State Library of New South Wales.

The SLNSW holds an enormous amount of information about people who were born in or lived in New South Wales.  This includes a large collection of photographs of Firs World War service personnel.  It's often useful to search their collection to see if there is anything relevant there.  I searched for "Joseph Cox A.I.F." and "Private Joseph Cox" but there was no result in either case.

6. The AIF project.

The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) hosts The AIF Project:  "Its major activity is the construction of a database that draws on a wide range of sources to provide details on the 330,000 men and women who served overseas in the (First) Australian Imperial Force, 1914-1918."

and searching the database we find that there is a page for Joe Cox. 

It repeats much of the information we now already know, but adds the detail of his burial gravesite in Belgium and also that he is

"Commemorated in Dubbo (Old) Cemetery, New South Wales. Headstone states place of death as 'Westhoek Ridge, France [sic]'. Parents: Francis (d. 14 April 1918, aged 64; bu. Dubbo [Old] Cemetery) and Martha COX (d. 13 November 1948, aged 93; bu. Dubbo [Old] Cemetery), Dubbo, New South Wales"

7. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Back to where we began our search for "Joe Cox - died in first war"

The Commonwealth War Grave Commission commemorates the war dead of British Commonwealth Nations. (Defining this is a bit tricky, but Australian service people from 1914 onwards are certainly included.)

We can search their records to find the exact resting place of Joe Cox.  His CWGC record is here. A certificate of the record can be printed thus:

 

In Memory of  Private JOSEPH CHRISTOPHER COX 6063, 22nd Bn., Australian Infantry, A.I.F. who died age 28 on 18 September 1917 Son of Martha Cox, of Dubbo, New South Wales, and the late Francis Cox. Born at Orange, New South Wales. Remembered with honour HOOGE CRATER CEMETERY Commemorated in perpetuity by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

And here is an aerial view of the cemetery:

View Larger Mapp>

Lest we forget.

Can you help identify this mystery painting? 17th Century by painter Claude Lorrain??

"Mystery" painting - LARGE FILE, originally uploaded by Eva_F11.

The Goulburn Regional Art Gallery (GRAG) wants your help to identify this painting.

It is oil painted on a piece of oval-shaped wood and possibly by Claude Lorrain.

It appears to be 17th Century.

What do you think?

Any ideas please let the Gallery know on +61 2 4823 4443.

Here are some guides and clues:

Collections Outreach Australia blog post about this appeal for info.

Images of this painting on Flickr here, here and fine detail here.

Other works by Claude Lorrain, the currently purported author.

[ tip from State Records NSW on twitter ] 

Did Flickr scoop the Washington Post and the New York Times on the Obama-McChrystal meeting?

Early today I saw at Flickr's Whitehouse Photostream that President Obama had a meeting with Army General Stanley McChrystal, the Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan.

I was just checking Google news a short time ago and the story from the New York Times about this secret (or at least previously unannounced) meeting has the Google News time stamp " 8 hours ago" and the Washington Post story has the Google News time stamp " 6 hours ago".

The Flickr entry for the photograph is not precisely time stamped, but as I'm writing this now, the first comment below the photograph is time stamped 23 hours ago.

Now, I don't know how accurate the Google News time stamping is in relation to when the story actually appears on the home newspapers website.

And I don't know if the story was offcially embargoed (perhaps for war or Presidential security reasons); and if it was embargoed will the news outlets be a tad upset that the pics were posted on Flickr way before their stories made it to the internet?

ADDED:  There is this comment below the photograph time stamped "12 hours ago"

which states "Saw this pic on ABC news this evening!"

So I think more likely than not that the Google News site time stamping is a problem.  More input from Google News afficionados needed.

Just saying.  A few unanswered questions.

ADDED:  There's this comment below the photograph on Flickr which is timestamped "12 hours ago":  "I just saw this pic on ABC news!"

Which leads me to think that either there is a wide error in the Google News time stamping, or the two grand newspapers of the USA's fourth estate are lagging so far behind TV news (and Flickr) it is not funny.

#CommonGround @ the Powerhouse Museum. Part 3. Where did the Ashfield bandstand come from?.

I'm celebrating the generosity of the National Library of Australia.  

The people in the Pictures Branch of the NLA have sent me a high resolution copy of an image to use during my talk next Saturday night.

It's not this one, but here's a photograph from the Powerhouse Museum's Tyrrell photography collection of a bandstand in Ashfield:

It is an extraordinary structure.  I've never seen anything else like it being used as a bandstand in Australia.

Significantly it is topped by a crown showing some sort of Royal connection.  This is an important clue.

Notes online at the Powerhouse Museum only date the photograph between 1859 and 1917.

Now, the suburb of Ashfield in New South Wales is certainly a grand place however it seemed unlikely to me that it had been the scene of a royal visit in the early part of the 1900s.  So the crown on the structure is therefore out of place.

A while back I decided  to find out more, and eventually tracked down a pamphlet issued by the Ashfield Council which stated that the bandstand had been used in Federation Celebrations as a pavilion for the welcome of Lord Hopetoun, Australia's first Governor-General.

It was recycled as the bandstand in 1903!

But what did it originally look like?

The best place to find out was to try and locate it on Picture Australia.

If we search for "Lord Hopetoun 1901"  the first result returned is "Landing of Lord Hopetoun, Sydney 1901", and we find out the image is at the National Library of Australia.

Going direct to the website of the National Library of Australia, we find an even better photograph composed of two images side by side to create a panorama:

( Landing of Governor-General, Farm Cove, Commonwealth celebrations, [1901] [picture])

The State Library of New South Wales also has a good view of the original pavilion here; and at Ashfield here.

An architectural mystery solved.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you.  You can't find this bandstand in Ashfield anymore.  It was demolished in the 1940s due to terminal decay.

My talk @ the Powerhouse Museum's #CommonGround event. Part 2: Requests for images.

I ain't too proud to beg, sweet darlin'

As I said,  I've been asked to speak this coming Saturday night at the Powerhouse Museum's piece of the global Flickr Common Ground event.

There's going to be an outdoor image slideshow using giant projection onto the outside of the Powerhouse Museum's mothership building in Ultimo.  See the test projections here.  It's going to be big in every way.

I've been selecting images to project during my talk, which are from The Commons on Flickr.  All except for four images.

The images I want have to be in high resolution format so that they can make a reasonable showing on the giant screening surface. 

As you may know, the custodians of the such iconic photographic images usually licence the images for use at a fee.  Sometimes the fee is high, sometimes less so.

Since my speaking fee for this engagement is a big fat zero, I'm going to try to get the images I need for a commensurate sum.  Also zero.

The first two images I need are of Roger Fenton's iconic 1855 Crimean War photographs usually known as The Valley of the Shadow of Death.  Lots of institutions have a copy of one of his photos, but only one that I know of has both images with cannon balls on and off the road.  The photos I'm talking about are shown near the top of Erroll Morris's blog post for the New York Times here.

They are credited to the Harry Ransome Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin.  So I've sent a begging email to the Curator of Photography for high resolution electronic copies of the two photographs.  And I politely  requested expeditious consideration due to the time constraints.

Secondly, I need to use a wonderful image of 1901 Federation Celebrations.  This one held at the National Library of Australia.  So I've asked them to come to the party too.

The last non-Commons image I need is held by State Records New South Wales, our state archives.  It's one of Bennelong Point seen here on Flickr, and here at their Photo Investigator site.  And I ain't too proud to beg.  I know that State Records NSW is very interested in becoming involved in social media, so I'm quite hopeful they'll help spread the joy.  Check out their very fine blog, Archives Outside, including an example of dating a photograph by the length of shadows in the photograph.

Let's see how far the love spreads.

I'm tagging my blog posts on this topic here as #CommonGround.

You can also follow progress on twitter at #CommonGround.

Here's how the image projections are going to look in the forecourt of the Powerhouse Museum:

(Above image used with permission of Paula Bray )

Researching an Australian soldier of World War One. Part 1.

Let's have a look at how we identify an Australian soldier of The Great War from a photograph.

Here he wears a typical World War One soldier's uniform of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).  Complete with fur-felt slouch hat, rising sun insignia on the collar tabs and puttees on the lower legs.

This portrait has been taken in a photographer's studio in front of a painted backdrop.  Typical of the period, such portraits were often taken after basic training was completed, and before a soldier was sent overseas.

But which one of the more than 375,000 Australians who enlisted for service in WWI was he?

Let's look at the back of the photo.

A relative has helpfully written "Joe Cox killed in first war"  and at the bottom is printed "A J Vincent Talbragar St., Dubbo"

Ok, that makes sense since the photograph came from one of my distant relatives in Dubbo, New South Wales.

That makes Joe Cox one of the 2055 who enlisted at Dubbo.

Since we believe he was killed in the War, he is almost certainly commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

We can use the CWGC's record search function to find out more about him.

On the Debt of Honour Register we use the following search terms:

Search for Casualty

Surname Cox

Initials J

War First World War

Year of death From 1914 to 1919

Force Army

Nationality Australian

Then click on "SUBMIT"

This yields 13 results.

Of these we can see 4 have Joseph as their first name.

We then can take note of the names and service numbers:

a. Joseph Cox [ 2160 ]

b. Joseph Christopher Cox [ 6063 ]

c. Joseph Claude Cox [ 1661 ]

d. Joseph Cornelius Cox [ 11935 ]

The service numbers are important, because they make it easier to do what we are about to do, search the National Archives of Australia.

We go to the NAA Recordsearch function. And search as a guest.

In the General Search page we use as a keyword the service number of candidate a.

searching for "2160" gives us 120 results.  Lets narrow it down. try "cox 2160" as the search parameter instead.  That's better.  Just one result.

Cox Joseph : SERN 2160 : POB Northfield SA : POE Adelaide SA : NOK W Cox Annie E

That means: Place of Birth, Northfield South Australia; Place of Enlistment, Adelaide South Australia.

Probably not him since those places are not near Dubbo..  I'll click through to have a quick look at the digital copy of his service record.  I'll be looking to see if his Next of Kin has a Dubbo address.  Nope. One down.

Try candidate b.  I'll try to search for "cox 6063".  There is one record:

Cox Joseph Christopher : SERN 6063 : POB March NSW : POE Dubbo NSW : NOK F Cox Francis

Looking good!  Place of enlistment, Dubbo NSW!

Scanning his digitised record, I see his original Next of Kin is listed as "Father Francis Cox Dubbo N.S.W. which was later amended to "Martha Cox mother P.O. Dubbo N.S.W."

But just to be sure, we had better check the other two J. Cox candidates.

Candidate c. Try "cox 1661":

Cox Joseph Claude : SERN 1661 : POB Wilcannia Rd NSW : POE Broken Hill NSW : NOK M Cox Grace

Probably not, but we had better check the address of his Next of Kin, who turns out to be his mother, Grace Cox of Milparinka N.S.W.

I must admit that I don't know where Milparinka is, so I had better check with Google Maps.  Nope, Milparinka is nowhere near Dubbo.

Candidate d.  Try "cox 11935"

Cox Joseph Cornelius : SERN 11935 : POB Mudgee NSW : POE Lithgow NSW : NOK F Cox Edwin I

Ok, Mudgee and Lithgow both have some directional proximity to Dubbo.  Better check out the Next of Kin's address.  Father lives at Lawson Street, Mudgee.

So, that leads us to conclude that the Joe Cox in the photograph is Joseph Christopher Cox of Dubbo, New South Wales service number 6063.

Let's double check. 

There's an old family bible with the photograph.  It was common in the olden days to inscribe family bibles with important dates.  Births.  Deaths.  Marriages.  I wonder ...

Joseph Christopher Cox.  He's our man.

Rest In Peace, Joseph Christopher Cox.

We'll find out more about you in the next few days.

 

Part 2 is here:  http://lifeasdaddy.typepad.com/lifeasdaddy/2009/11/researching-an-australian-soldier-of-world-war-one-part-2.html

Aunty Rae wearing her patriotic costume during World War One.

During patriotic festivals during World War One many young (and not so young) women in Australia wore patriotic dress to show their loyalty and fervor for victory.

[ Added 20 Sep 2009 : I've been thinking about what I wrote here earlier today.  It may be that this photograph was not taken during World War One.  There are other photographs on record in Australian cultural institutions showing similar costumes worn outside the World War One period.  I'll nedd to check more to narrow it down.] 

This is a photograph of a very distant relative wearing one such costume. Here wearing the Union Flag instead of the flag of Australia.  The riband on her left lapel says "FRANCE" and on her right lapel "ENGLAND".  The colours would have been red, white and blue, emblematic of the flag colours of all three allied countries.

The border of the photograph bears the handwritten caption, "Aunty Rae."

I have seen photographs elsewhere of women wearing similar costumes, but at the moment I'm unsure what it is called.  One scholar has told me it is related to the French Marianne - a symbol of the French Republic - but I am unsure at the moment how it came to be so popular as a patriotic display here in Australia as opposed to say, Brittania.

There is a photograph held by the Mortlock  State Library of South Australia of a group of women wearing patriotic fancy dress during World War I, (circa 1917) which shows some very similar costumes. 

Although you cannot tell from the view on this blog, Anty Rae is wearing long white gloves of very fine material - perhaps silk.  Her shoes are covered in material and have a bow on the top above the toes.  The bracelet around her left wrist has a motif in the middle of each disc. 

Below is a photograph taken, I would say, a few years later, of the young woman getting married.

The reverse of this photograph bears the handwritten dedication, "To alma & Jack With love from Auntie & Uncle."

I have another photograph dedicated by Aunty, where she calls herself "Ray", so there was some discrepancy within the family about how her forename was spelled.

Some Australian history for you...

ADDED:  

1.  The Australian War Memorial blog has a very interesting bit about a patriotic costume made for, and worn by, Mrs. Ratigan during World War I.

2.  The Queensland State Library has an outstanding comparison photograph of this patriotic fancy dress here.

sdf

Do you know what a Forest Devil is? Clearing trees on rural land in the 1800s.

I was looking at an unusual original picture the other day.  It seems to be mainly watercolour, possibly with some pen an dink drawing.  A large picture, it's hard to capture properly in a photograph for here.  

It shows an archaic method of clearing trees.

I'll show you some close ups in a minute so you call better see what is going on.  The horse is harnessed to a long pole or log at one end.  The other end orf the pole is chained to the base of a tree.  A second much longer chain extends from part of the pole near the base of the tree up to a fixing point on the second tree about 6 or 7 metres above the ground.

As the horse is driven forward the mechanical advantage, or leverage pulls on the chain with the objective of pulling down the second tree.

A Forest Devil is a device to pull down a tree by mechanical advantage, sometimes with a winch, as a method of clearing trees from land.

There is very little information available about a forest devil, and the picture you see above may be the only one showing a forest devil at work in existence.

In the Channel Museum  located at Lower Snug in Tasmania there is a mechanical forest devil log winch, and you can see it here and a larger view here.  The one in Tasmania is described as a "large drum winch on a double hatchet and extended lever handles for operation of 2 to 6 men." Of course the word "hatchet" there should be "ratchet".  

Now, back to the picture above.

Here's a close up of the harnessed horse:

and here's the other end of the pole where it's chaned to the base of a tree:

You'll also see one worker quenching his thirst and another using a pick to hack into the base of another tree.

Here in the next closeup you can see the chain extending up to the tree which is to be pulled down:

To the right of the tree to be pulled down, we see another worker at the top of a high ladder readying another tree to be pulled down.

In the field being cleared we can see many tree stumps, some apparently clear-sawn, others jagged from the effect of being pulled down with the Forest Devil.

It is also apparent that the Forest Devil was not an entirely efficent means of felling the trees, as there is also evidence of parts of trees and branches which have been pulled off, yet without pulling down the whole tree.

It's unclear at the moment, but the picture is thought to date from around 1860.

Anyway, just a bit of Australian rural history for you.

The Binishell is back!

As you know Binishells, a famous construction method of the 1960s and 1970s are the coolest buildings ever.

Looks like they are making a comeback as a green building method.