Lights, Camera, Action

Look hard (above), and your faithful correspondent is part of the action!

A film crew spent the day recently filming at the coffee shop in my work building. Actor John Malkovich spent much of the day inside, but by the time I heard about it and poked my camera in the general direction, he didn't appear to be there.

The film is called Disgrace, and is based on the Booker prize-winning novel by J.M. Coetzee, who migrated to Australia in 2002, and who received the Nobel Prize for literature in 2003. It is set in post-apartheid South Africa, and is a pretty disturbing and bleak and cheerless portrait of contemporary conditions there.

Interiors are being shot in Surry Hills, and the rest of the film in South Africa.

Chester Hill Community Garden

You don't see a scarecrow very often in the populated suburbs of a big city, but here on the corner of Hector St and Waldron Rd, Chester Hill, Bert the Muppet is doing a fine job.

Carp Catching at Birrong

Sometimes serendipity leads you to be in the right place at the right time!

Yesterday I was working at Birrong, a south-western Sydney suburb. I decided to check out a green patch on the street map called Maluga Passive Park. As I neared the duck pond, I saw a boat on the other side. One of the fellows waved at me, and I waved back. They headed over to where I was standing. I asked them what they were doing, and they told me to lift the lid on one of the bins by the side (Picture 2), and it turned out they are contracted to clear the pond of the noxious fish, European and Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio), and goldfish (Carassius auratus). Koi carp, which are an ornamental strain, revert to their natural colour in the wild.

They then demonstrated their technique, and held up the "victim" for me (Picture 1). Then they headed out again (Pics 3 & 4)

Home to Google, and I found out from the council website that introduced noxious fish can severely impact the health of aquatic ecosystems by increasing water turbidity and nutrient concentrations, destroying aquatic plants, and potentially causing the recurrence of toxic blue-green algae blooms. They also breed rapidly, eliminating native fish, tadpoles and other small lifeforms. They use electrofishing, which involves passing a small electric current through the water to stun fish. Native fish are released unharmed and exotic fish are euthanased. Electrofishing took place in in 2003 and 2005. In November 2003, native Australian Bass (Macquaria novemaculeata) fry - they are native to the local area - were introduced to re-establish a healthy breeding population that are predators of introduced fish - they eat nuisance algae and carp eggs.

European Carp are mainly bottom feeders and tend to stir up sediments, increasing turbidity and releasing nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus into the water. In this way, carp contribute to toxic blue-green algal blooms in freshwater.

Bankstown Council continues to monitor and remove carp to ensure that the Bass survive and water quality is not further degraded. And that's what these blokes were doing!

Butt Busting

Smoking is already banned in workplaces, and many smokers congregate on footpaths outside buildings. Often to get into a building you have to walk past a small gaggle of cancer-stick puffers and their smoky fugue. It can cause problems for air intake vents, which may recirculate smoke through air conditioning systems.

From July 1, there will be a ban on indoor smoking in pubs and clubs. City of Sydney staff and City Rangers will be out and about today accompanied by City of Sydney Butt Busters talking to people about the pollution caused by cigarette butt littering.

Squads of butt busters will target litter hotspots handing out 10,000 free personal ashtrays and encouraging business to join the City of Sydney's Clean Harbour Partners program where they can apply for a free wall-mounted ashtray valued at $350.

City of Sydney Acting CEO said: "We're reminding people that cigarette butts littering Sydney streets get washed down the stormwater drain and end up in Sydney Harbour or on Bondi Beach.
"What seems like a small piece of litter is the most commonly discarded litter item in NSW and is a massive environmental issue."

A City of Sydney study in the CBD, Kings Cross and Glebe found there were more than 15,000 butts thrown away every day - which is about 5.4 million butts potentially going straight into Sydney Harbour.

The City of Sydney has also warned that its plain-clothed City Rangers will step up their operations in late July targeting litterers.
The City Rangers have the power to issue $60 on the spot fines for littering and $200 on the spot fines for littering a lit cigarette butt.

Can you see a time when smokling will be banned in all but your own home? Even then, some people in apartments complain about cigarette smoke entering their space from others' smoking on balconies. It seems evident to me that restrictions on smokign will continue to increase. Which, as a non-smoker, I don't mind at all!

We're Happy Little Vegemites

When too much vegemite is barely enough. (And yes, it is winter, but never let that stand in the way of fashion!)

We're happy little Vegemites
As bright as bright can be.
We all enjoy our Vegemite
For breakfast, lunch, and tea.
Our mother says we're growing
stronger every single week.
Because we love our Vegemite.
We all adore our Vegemite.
It puts a rose in every cheek!

-1950's advertising jingle. Listen to it here.

There was a report, later reduced to urban myth status, that the US had banned, yes, banned, the importation of vegemite, allegedly because it has added folate. We can cope with the finger-printing at the border, cope with being grilled on vias applications about our Nazi pasts, or moral terpitude, but being BANNED from taking in a jar of salty axle grease (actually a yeast-based spread, a by-product of brewing) to spread on toast - what an outrage! Fortunately NOT TRUE.

Glass, Cactus and Gargoyle

Rooftop terrace of Cydonia Glass Works in Newtown. They are a custom art studio, specialising in textural glass. (Taken Saturday morning as the sun appeared for the day- back to rain yesterday and today!)

The Wharf Theatre

We went to the Wharf Theatre at Walsh Bay to see Sydney Theatre Company's production of The Art of War, based on the 2500 year old "manual" on war by Sun Tzu. It was magnificent, and wove together themes around the invasion of Iraq, business practice and personal relationships.


To get to the theatre, which is in a renovated finger wharf, you walk down a long corridor lined with hundreds of posters from previous STC productions. The inky black waters of Walsh Bay, and the Harbour Bridge appear through the windows every few metres...

Here's an earlier post, taken in the daytime from ground level.

Catching some sun

These two women (mother and daughter?) catch some lunchtime winter sun in one of my favourite places, The Chinese Garden of Friendship at Darling Harbour.

Architectural hodge-podge

Corner Foster Lane and Elizabeth Sts, Sydney. The c.1930s cream building on the right, the c.1930s red brick, and the Victorian (1880s-1909ish?) Edwards & Co building are all apartment conversions. There is an ultra-modern apartment building behind the red brick. Edwards & Co has a grey, curved extension - see photo below). The boring blank brick wall is the back of something in the lane.
This photo illustrates the conversions and gentrification taking place in the former warehouse and garment factory district of Surry Hills, right on the fringe of the Central Business District.

Taken lunchtime yesterday. After a brief spell of sunshine, the grey skies of the past 2 weeks returned. The good news is that Sydney's main dam, which was down to about 32% capacity, is now at 50%, with more to come from runoff.

By the way, The Illustrated Man is a tattoo shop which featured in an earlier post - click here.

Cast iron drinking fountain

Canopy of a cast iron drinking fountain (1883) in Macquarie Place. It reminds me of one of the Wallace fountains in Paris.

Click on the link for an interactive panorama of Macquarie Place by Peter Murphy. You can see the obelisk (Monday's post), cannon and anchor (Tuesday's post) and drinking fountain all in relation to each other.

More of Peter Murphy's Sydney panoramas.

World Refugee Day - 20 June

Villawood Immigration Detention Cente, in suburban Sydney.

Today is the United Nations World Refugee Day. Not that you would know from the media in Australia where it isn't mentioned.

Originally a migrant hostel in the 1960s and 70s, now a detention centre for people who over-stay their visas, and people who have had their applications for refugee status turned down, and who are awaiting appeals to be heard, or deportation.

Unlike other Western-style democracies, Australia has a policy of locking up all applicants for political asylum who have arrived in Australian territory without documentation. Some remain in custody for years while the government decides their fate.

Those locked up include children, and doctors worry that the long-term confinement of children in facilities where they frequently witness violence and are denied adequate schooling is causing serious psychological harm. Some children, they fear, will never recover. Several children have attempted suicide. Others have gone on hunger strikes. At least three teenage boys have sewn their lips shut to protest their incarceration and treatment, according to detainees.

Due to vigorous protest, some women and children who make it to the Australian mainland to seek asylum are allowed to be housed outside detention centres whils awaiting their fate. Others, who only get as far as territories offshore are not so lucky. The Australian government cut many such places out of what they deem to be the "Immigration Zone" and lock up the asylum seekers offshore, on Manus Island, Christmas Island or Nauru.

Mandatory detention was introduced in 1992 under the previous, labor, government. It has continued, and hardened under the present government which has been in power since 1996. Australia does take in about 12 000 refugees a year; the government prefers that they make their way first to another country where they apply for asylum, and are then processed in those countries, rather than arriving in Australia and claiming asylum. The government prefers an "orderly queue", which for desperate people in desperate circumstances, in places where there is no Australian mission is not always possible.

The vast majority of people who do make their way to Australia territory are ultimately assessed to have genuine claims for asylum and are admited as refugees.

For more information, an organisation specifically concerned with getting children out of detention is Chilout.

Other organisations include A Just Australia - Australians for Just Refugee Programs and Australians Against Racism.

Refugee:

International law defines a "refugee" as a person who has fled from and/or cannot return to their country due to a well-founded fear of persecution, including war or civil conflict.
A refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country…"
Article 1, The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees

Asylum Seeker:
An asylum seeker is a person who has left their country of origin, has applied for recognition as a refugee in another country, and is awaiting a decision on their application.

Anchor and cannon

Anchor and cannon from the Sirius, Macquarie Place, Sydney.

The Sirius was one of the ships in the First Fleet. She was wrecked off Norfolk Island in 1790. The cannon was salvaged in 1791 and displayed in 1880. The anchor followed, being salvaged in 1905.

You can see the milestone obelisk shown yesterday in the background.

Mile (now Kilometre) 0

This stone obelisk, erected in Macquarie Place in 1818, is still used as the measuring point from whch distances from Sydney are calculated.

Do you know where distances are measured from in your town or city?

For anyone interested: more about Macquarie Place and the obelisk from the NSW Heritage Office website:

"Macquarie Place was the first and main town square of colonial Sydney. . .

Macquarie Place and the Obelisk are rare surviving evidence of the transition of the Colony from a rough penal settlement to a planned town during the early 1800s under the direction of Governor Macquarie. This transition is demonstrated by the function of the Obelisk in the expansion of the Colony, by the establishment of a formal centre to the Colony, by the first formal layout of public space, and by the quality and design of the park and monument. The Obelisk and Macquarie Place are fine examples of the layout and ornamentation of Sydney town and its public spaces in the Georgian style, and rare surviving remnants of Macquarie's Georgian town plan for Sydney, together with the Hyde Park Barracks, St James Church, and First Government House Stables (now the Conservatorium). The Obelisk was designed by one of the most celebrated architects of the Colonial period, Francis Greenway, and was built by stonemason, Edward Cureton, with convict labour.

These qualities of the Obelisk and Macquarie Place symbolise Macquarie's vision for a permanent planned settlement, which provided the genesis for the development of the nation, and which far exceeded the views of the British Government of the Colony as simply a penal settlement. When the Obelisk was first erected in Macquarie Place, Commissioner Bigge, representing the British Government, found even this simple monument too grand for a penal colony. Governor Macquarie defended the expense and design of the monument with indignation as a "little unadorned Obelisk...rendered at a trifling expense, somewhat ornamental to the Town" which in his view did not "merit any censure". It was this difference of opinion that contributed to the resignation of a disillusioned Governor Macquarie, and meant that many of his plans and Greenway's designs for an elegant Georgian township were not realised. Macquarie Place and the Obelisk are rare surviving evidence of the transition of the Colony from a rough penal settlement to a planned town during the early 1800s under the direction of Governor Macquarie. This transition is demonstrated by the function of the Obelisk in the expansion of the Colony, by the establishment of a formal centre to the Colony, by the first formal layout of public space, and by the quality and design of the park and monument. The Obelisk and Macquarie Place are fine examples of the layout and ornamentation of Sydney town and its public spaces in the Georgian style, and rare surviving remnants of Macquarie's Georgian town plan for Sydney, together with the Hyde Park Barracks, St James Church, and First Government House Stables (now the Conservatorium). The Obelisk was designed by one of the most celebrated architects of the Colonial period, Francis Greenway, and was built by stonemason, Edward Cureton, with convict labour. These qualities of the Obelisk and Macquarie Place symbolise Macquarie's vision for a permanent planned settlement, which provided the genesis for the development of the nation, and which far exceeded the views of the British Government of the Colony as simply a penal settlement. When the Obelisk was first erected in Macquarie Place, Commissioner Bigge, representing the British Government, found even this simple monument too grand for a penal colony. Governor Macquarie defended the expense and design of the monument with indignation as a "little unadorned Obelisk...rendered at a trifling expense, somewhat ornamental to the Town" which in his view did not "merit any censure". It was this difference of opinion that contributed to the resignation of a disillusioned Governor Macquarie, and meant that many of his plans and Greenway's designs for an elegant Georgian township were not realised. "

Air grate

Nicely weathered (brass?) basement vent in granite. Central Sydney (Department of Lands)

Rainy day weekends

Been getting a lot of rain lately; no doubt you've seen the terrific flood pics from last week by Nathalie (Central Coast) and Julia (Newcastle) on their blogs. Instead of looking out my front window, which on 1 June, Theme Day, presented a sunny view to the world, when I'm not on the computer, I like to retreat to the back of the house, curl up on the squishy sofa, read a book, watch the rain fall outside, and ponder the clothes drying. Every so often I stir to put another load of washing in the dryer, but the woollens demand more respect!

Happy weekend to all!

Malek Fahd Islamic College, Greenacre

Sydney is home to a number of mosques and about 12 Islamic schools. The largest Islamic school in Sydney is Malek Fahd, established in 1989 with a $12 million gift from the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia.

While the topic is hotly debated in other countries, all religious schools in Australia receive federal and state government funding, be they Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Buddhist, Hindu, Scientologist, Exclusive Brethren, Mormon, fundamentalist Christian, Baptist, Sunni, Shi'ite, Wahabi. . . to start receiving funding you have to have the grand total of one student enrolled.

Malek Fahd at Greenacre received $ 8,560,571 from the Australian governmment and $ 3,560,571 from the NSW government in financial year 2005-06. That amount goes up every year. This school is categoriosed as one of the poorest in Australia, receiving the highest grants from Australian governments. How private schools are funded in Australia.

Malek Fahd is academically selective, and students not achieving a certain academic level are asked to leave.

These boots were made for golfing

I couldn't help but be intrigued by this choice of footwear for practicing your golf when I went to pick up my son at the local golf driving range.

Foggy Canberra

I woke up in Canberra this morning, where I'm working for a couple of days, to a foggy start. These shots were taken around Lake Burley Griffin (the artificial lake on which Canberra is located) as I took my morning walk. Lots more photos, including the Australian National Museum, and the view with and without fog can be seen by clicking here.

The Enterprise (above) takes you on cruises around the lake.

Sydney Film Festival

Fancy spending two weeks in the dark? Sydney Film Festival began on the weekend. Many of the screenings are at the beautiful, elaborate 78 year old State Theatre. This is a glimpse at the foyer and box office.

Happy Birthday, Queen.

Not Queen Victoria's, but I don't know of any sytatues of the current Queen. It's not Queen Elizabeth II's real birthday either (that's 21 April). And many argue that having the British monarch as our head of state is an anachronism as dated as the social mores of Queen Vicky's age. But noone is protesting about the long weekend holiday we get to enjoy today! And they don't even get a public holiday to blow out the candles in Britain, so we are very happy and grateful little colonials!

Why "celebrate" the Queen's anniversaire today? Well, I found this in a parliamentary speech:

"The concept of marking the King or Queen's birthday with a public holiday in Australia dates from 1788, when Governor Phillip declared a public holiday for convicts and settlers on the birthday of King George III on 4 June. Until 1936 the actual birthday of the reigning monarch was observed, but after the death of King George V it was decided to retain the day of his birthday, 3 June, or the nearest suitable day for the public holiday."

That may be so, but in Britain it's just a far nicer time of year to entertain the proles (and tourists) with a bit of colour and movement. In Britain, it is also celebrated in June, though not with a holiday. Her official website says:

"The Queen celebrates her actual birthday on 21 April. She also celebrates her official birthday on either the first or the second, and sometimes the third, Saturday in June. This year's official birthday will be celebrated on 17 June 2006.
The tradition of having an official birthday for the Sovereign was begun for practical reasons. Monarchs who had their birthdays in the winter months often encountered problems due to cold, wet weather spoiling parades and other outdoor celebrations.
King Edward VII, who was born on 9 November, was the first Sovereign to mark his official birthday on a separate day to his actual birthday throughout his reign, holding celebrations in either May or June.
Subsequent Monarchs had birthdays which fell at convenient times of the year, but the tradition was revived by The Queen's father, King George VI. He was born in mid-December, and so also 'moved' his birthday to June, when fine weather was more likely, and thus the tradition of the official birthday was established.
The Queen continues the tradition by celebrating her official birthday in June each year. Her Majesty usually spends her actual birthday privately at Windsor with friends and family whilst her official birthday is always marked in the same way with the Trooping of the Colour ceremony and a fly-past over Buckingham Palace."

Snap!

Yesterday when I "tuned in" to the City Daily Photo Blog portal, I saw this photo from Kate in St Paul. I realised I had a very similar photo in my collection, and posted it to Sydney Daily Photo Extras.

Then I saw Brian's New York City Bleeker Tower shot, and couldn't help but be struck by the similarity between it and this photo I took in Hay St, Sydney.

Which reminded me that widely-adopted trends are not just a phenomenon of recent globalisation. It isn't just modernist architecture which swept the world after WW2, or curtain-walling/glass architecture resulted in look-alike skyscrapers after the 1960s.

Lunchtime, Queen Victoria Building

Amazing rain and wind storms along the NSW coast from the Hunter region north of Sydney to south of Sydney. Tragically, a family has died after their car went into a huge chasm carved out of a road through subsidence. Julia's DP site from Newcastle, shows you a beached coal ship which people fear will now break up and spread ship's oil all over Newcastle beaches. The area around Newcastle and the Hunter has been declared a natural disaster zone.

Nathalie's stamping ground of the Central Coast (the coastal area between Sydney and Newcastle) has also been hard hit.

I stayed indoors, and intend to do so again today...and indoor spots like the cafe in the Queen Victoria Building are just the places to be.

Not fog, rain

I was driving through driving rain yesterday. Visibility was as if there was fog, but it was just rain. Gale-force winds (no umbrellas!) and more storm rain is predicted for today, and possibly the next few days. The rain is good news for a drought-affected country, and at least in the city thirsty gardens are getting a good drink.

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The cult of celebrity

The posters for this week's editions of the "big four" in Australian gossip mags, at the newstand at my railway station. I always travel with a book, and don't buy these, but sometimes they're fun to leaf through when at the doctor's waiting room! Especially if they are a year out of date, and all their fabrications are patently not true!

Do you have magazines like these?

Condell Park: In Your Face

Can't miss this shop on the busy roundabout at the corner of Eldridge Rd and Edgar St, Condell Park. Condell Park was named after Mr Ousley Condell, an engineer who was granted four 50-acre adjoining lots in 1830 that was called Condell Park.

Chullora: Recycling industry

Today is World Environment Day.

Chullora (an Aboriginal word meaning 'flour', apparently) is a mostly industrial suburb.
Just off Rookwood Rd, in Muir Rd, is the Chullora Waste and Recycling Centre. You can't miss the entrance, with this huge bicycle sculpture, presumably made of waste materials.

The suburb of Chullora was originally part of the area known as Liberty Plains, which was land given to the first free settlers who arrived in Sydney Cove on the 6th January 1793. Chullora was the name used for one of the estates in this area. It used to house large railway workshops.

Whilst still industrial, it is home to a host of new factories and warehouses, including brand new Tip Top bakery, and the printing works of the two major Sydney newspaper groups, Fairfax (publisher of the Sydney Morning Herald and Sun-Herald) and Rupert Murdoch's News Limited (publishers of the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs and The Australian)

Bankstown: Stevens Reserve

It is quite rare to see such a lovely display of autumn colour in Sydney, where evergreen trees prevail. This reserve, on a busy corner (Stanley and Stacey Sts) is beautifully kept.

What kind of tree is this?

Bankstown is a middle distance southwestern suburb which is home to very large Vietnamese and Middle Eastern communities. It has a "bad image" in the popular imagination (well amongst suburb snobs, anyway) but I really like it. I taught at the girls' high school here for several years, and my husband still teaches in another school in the suburb. The students are just great, and Bankstown is a lively place, popular for yum cha lunches on weekends!

The suburb is named in honour of Captain Cook's travelling companion, Sir Joseph Banks. Revesby, (another suburb in the Bankstown area) is named for Banks' father's estate, Revesby Abbey , in Lincolnshire, England. Banks inherited it and so he was known as the Squire of Revesby.

A night at the drive-in

Last week I showed you the back of the screen at Bass Hill Drive-In . And as I promised our son we'd go to the drive-in, last night was the night. We saw the 3rd instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean. The first part was much too long, but the action got going in the second half. Intermission was a chance to stock up with more junk food at the snack bar....mmmmmm choc-top ice creams!
Some things don't change either...little kids still get taken to the drive-in dressed in their pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers. And some people park their station wagons backwards, open the back and lie down to watch the movie.

Come fly with me!

This is a Short Skyvan, made in Belfast. It is used for taking passengers sky-diving from Bankstown Airport.

Here's some more about the Skyvan. And here.

Have you ever been sky diving? Would you like to?

And below: an Artist Trading Card (a 3.5 x 4.5 inch or 69mm x89mm) tiny work of creativity) I made. I wonder if these people would like to "Fly with me, come fly with me, let's float down to Peru..." as cranky Frankie exhorted?

Out of my bedroom window

To look out my double sash bedroom window, first you have to look past the reproduction mini Tiffany window (View of Oyster Bay) I bought in 1986 at the Metropolitan Museum of New York. It was made in about 1908 (the real one, not mine), and my house was built in 1909, so they fit together rather well. Now the Met has a shop in Sydney where you can buy them. I think it's a bit weird having a NY museum shop in Sydney, but there you are....globalisation! (PS The window is OPEN - it was just too filthy to photograph through!)

Here's a fragment of the tesselated tiles on the verandah and path.

To take in the views outside bedroom windows around the world, click on the links below.
Seattle (WA), USA - Manila, Philippines - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Toruń, Poland - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Vantaa, Finland - Madison (WI), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Cleveland (OH), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Omaha (NE), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Stockholm, Sweden - Grenoble, France - Lubbock (TX), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Arradon, France - Hyde, UK - Joplin (MO), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Kansas City (MO), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Manila, Philippines - Sydney, Australia - Stavanger, Norway - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - London, UK - Chandler (AZ), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Singapore, Singapore - Hamburg, Germany - Sydney, Australia - Tenerife, Spain - Moscow, Russia - Lyon, France - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Villigen, Switzerland - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Evry, France - Hayle, UK - Mumbai, India - Kitakami, Japan - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - La Antigua, Guatemala - Paderborn, Germany - San Diego (CA), USA - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Madrid, Spain - Lyon, France - Selma (AL), USA - Shanghai, China - Baziège, France - Cologne (NRW), Germany - North Bay (ON), Canada - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Stayton (OR), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Austin (TX), USA - Hong Kong, China - Trier, Germany - Joensuu, Finland - Paris, France - Greenville (SC), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Cork, Ireland - Bastia, France - Vancouver, Canada - Brookville (OH), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia