OzCloggie

Just for a few recent days, I have had cause to dig around in a box full of old negatives and boxes full of slides as well as the odd photo album and scrapbook, to revive my memories of the City of Bourke, in North-western New South Wales, to which I was transferred as a young teacher, in 1967 and spent the resto that (school-) year and the next.
Please take a look here. Step into my time machine.
But wait!!!! There's more....... My little part in the Making of Modern Australia.
On April, 11, 1956, we left Amsterdam. The leaving of Amsterdam.
And the reunion? Please get an impression, HERE!

Cheap Tuesday - Great value any way.

Am just home, from a thoroughly enjoyable evening, in the Old Fitzroy Theatre, which is next to the Old Fitzroy Hotel, on the Corner of Cathedral and Dowling St, Sydney.
I’ve never been a pub person but tonight was again one of those evenings, when it felt as though, out here in these perfectly quiet south-western suburbs, life is passing me by and this hotel seemed much friendlier.
I have just enjoyed being engrossed in Belle’s Line, a play by Tamara Asmar and directed by Alan Flower.
It was all so thoroughly enjoyable. I get mocked by certain relatives about the way I pronounce the word: comfortable and the way I always like to be comfortable.
I have also only been in pubs about four times in my life, as an adult. That’s ironic, because my grandfather owned a Dutch version, in Gouda, where I often visited.
The Old Fitzroy Hotel seemed comfortable, to me tonight. The theatre is basic. Not very large or new but lived in. No pretence.
(Had a somewhat of a similar character, to me, as the Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst, where I spent a week, in October.)
..
I was immediately absorbed in the play.
..
I am not a regular theatre-goer. When I have been I have certainly enjoyed myself also. What strikes me tonight is that the casual, somewhat informal feel of the theatre helped, but the skill of the actors, got me in, straight away.
They were funny and there were the poignant moments. They were all so believable. The basic plot’s not new but the production thoroughly entertaining.
I connected with the situations and recognised the characters. You know: they reminded me of people I’ve known.
I laughed a lot. The action was quick and never flat. Felt almost teary, in some spots.
What an inexpensive way, to thoroughly enjoy a few hours of real-life acting, in such unpretentious, comfortable surroundings.
I was not particularly out-of-place, I hope, even though the majority of the audience seemed to be in their twenties? thirties?
I could definitely tell that we all enjoyed that experience.
..
Must do this more often!!

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Was so pleased that Byron Kaye, in the Daily Telegraph has now written the kind of things that I wanted to express about Belle’s Line, at the Old Fitzroy Theatre, Woolloomooloo.
I agree: ...” this lovesoaked relationship drama will bring smiles of recognition and affection, thanks to its cuddly script and appealing performances. "
Hear! Hear!
That’s how it was for me!!

Photo: Cameron Bates

There was such a wonderful variety of friends, family and their friends present, including virtual friends, from the redbubble.com Australian section.

Read more...

Last night, walking down a dark street, between Museum Railway Station, in Hyde Park, and the Tap Gallery, in Palmer Street, for a brief moment, I felt exactly the same, as when being a tourist, in Paris, in December 1971, or meeting school-friend, Hans, in Germany, in January 1972, or on more recent trips to Europe.
!http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/6685/walk2cv3.jpg!
Even though I've lived in Sydney, for 52 years, for about 90 seconds, I felt like a tourist.
There was such a mix of old buildings, interesting people, huge, brightly lit windows of some _posh_ establishment where there were clearly businessmen, arriving for some meeting and a very brief look into an internet café, where I caught a glimpse of a woman, of about my age, intently staring at the pc screen, sitting among, I guess mainly back-packers, reporting to relatives and friends, all over the world, on their impressions of Sydney.

In recent years, I feel so much like a country-bumpkin, coming to the city, when very rarely, I catch the train, into town.
Even slightly disorientated. Had not had any reason to actually walk through there, in many years. I *knew* already that I was going to the street, where best friend, Terry, from Maroubra Bay High School used to live, but now, in the dark, I also remembered being at a party, in that street, a bit further up the hill, in 1969, standing on the balcony, with glass of wine, with colleagues, from my favourite school.
One of these was also Dutch and (as often happened) the topic was the lack of culture, compared to Europe.
(Whenever my parents met up, and that was very, very often, with Dutch friends, in the 50s and 60s, the most common topic was the state of the highway here and the lack of proper signage, on street corners.)
..
I will never stop being surprised, at how your mind is like an iMac that stores certain images and memories, which never get wiped.
..
In my enthusiasm for for this event and the lack of experience with train time-tables, I was quite early.
Steve was still taking care of the snacks and things.
I straightened up a painting that had let go of the blue-tack and was proud to see one of my paintings, as I walked in.

Last night, one of the guests, sat down at the keyboard and played a tune. I rushed up to him an explained that I have *everything* that was ever produced by and about Dean Martin.
This includes, on several CDs, Bob Hope introducing Dean, with the words: I went over to Slapsie Maxie's the other night. As I walked in, that brand new pair of comedians, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were performing their act. Dean Martin was singing..................
....and then you hear Dean sing: Everybody loves somebody sometime......
which is what this fellow played, last night, except that he expressed surprise.

Said he had no idea that that was Dean Martin's tune!
Now I feel like writing........_as I walked in last night, Steve was still cutting up the cheese and arranging last-minute details_.........
[IMG= http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/8295/nibbliesnq0.jpg]
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/8295/nibbliesnq0.jpg
Anyway........
.....I could have a good look around, before the place got crowded, soon afterwards.
The brother (I assume) of the Boy from Bourke (My painting) and Remi and The Girls, I found, around the corner.


After the conversation, with George (at the piano) and the whole experience, I reckon I shall be in the neighbourhood there more often, returning where it more or less began, nearby, in East Sydney Tech and the Art Teachers Conversion Course.
...........
Some time later..............

My son and my daughter came with me, to visit my father (91), in Abel Tasman Retirement Village, on Sunday.
It was Fathers Day. (Celebrated in September, in Australia. Mothers Day is in May, like the rest of the world.)
After we visited my father we drove to the city and had lunch, in Oxford Street, Sydney.

Then we walked around the corner, into Palmer Street, where, in the 50s and 60s, my best friend, from Maroubra Bay High School (Heartbreak High setting, when it was abandoned.) used to live.

We walked into the Tap (Art) Gallery where I showed them the four paintings of mine which are part of the About A Man exhibition.
We had coffee upstairs and then we spoke to Lesley (in-charge).

Before I knew it, we had agreed that a great way to celebrate my birthday would be the opening of my own exhibition, with 65 paintings to celebrate my 65th birthday, on October 8, 2008.
Gosh! Once again, my daughter and my son gave me the push that was needed.

(My son, quite a few years ago, took ME to buy MY car. HE spoke to the salesman because my son knew what was best for me. I just told the salesman I wanted a white one.)

(My daughter, a few years ago, took me to lunch - on Valentine's Day - to Hazelhurst Art and Community Centre and THAT is how I ended up attending a regular, weekly art class there and producing, in less than three years, those 65 paintings.)

Met up with Jeff, earlier this week. Had not seen him since we finished at Maroubra Bay High School, early in December, 1961.
As I did with Terry Turner, we arranged to meet and have lunch at the Pavillion Bachfront, restaurant, on the promonade, at Maroubra Beach.
Just as it had been when meeting up with Terry again, I looked closely (Something which I normally don't do.) at the few middle-aged men who were in the area.
Jeff had said on the phone that he'd changed. So, I had no idea how big the tummy would be. How bald the head, etc..
But he recognised me first. I heard him call out my former Dutch name.
We had a very pleasant lunch. Caught up on a lot of gossip and then took the same stroll as I'd done with Terry, up the main street, to the grassed area, east of the housing complex that has replaced the high school and outside the fence of the primary school.
Again I took the photos at the same spot as I'd done, of myself for the 2003 reunion and of Terry when we were there and now of Jeff.
while I was still teaching, particularly in recent years, I would have had alarm bells ringing in my head, if, while on playground duty, I'd seen two middle-aged men, taking snapshots outside the school's fence.
Really a little sad that it's come to that.
Meanwhile, the contact has been re-established and that's good.
Jeff doesn't remember. Perhaps it had more impact on me, when I arrived practically fresh from the Netherlands, end of the summer holidays, in January 1957, at South Sydney Boys Junior High, speaking very little English.
As I was for the friendship of a boy, called Michael Grieve (I fell for his sister, Laura!), I was grateful for Jeff's friendship because it took a little patience for them to communicate with me.

It strikes me, that after a break of almost half a century, we (Terry, Jeff, me and others....) all still have such strong connections- / feelings connected- with those teenage years at "Heartbreak High" (After MBHS was closed down, the setting was used for the first series of the TV show.)
So much is decided in those years, to shape the rest of our lives!
7th March, 2009 Shannon Room, AJC, Randwick.