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Online dating: a cautionary tale
Listing yourself for even ONE night on an internet dating site can have lasting implications.
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100 Plays in 365 Days
Time flies when you no longer have study and assignments sitting on your shoulders. Ten years ago I completed a distance education degree with the University of New England. I'm 60 years old now, so even then I was what would kindly be referred to as
SIMPLE, TRUE AND LOVELY – Mulwaree High School
SIMPLE, TRUE & LOVELY Mulwaree High School Adapted from "Little Women" by Louise May Alcott Written by Michelle McAleer Directed by Michelle McAleer It's a daunting task. Tackling an oft-told and well-loved story with the hope of finding something new or different in it. That's the assignment taken on by
THROUGH THE EMBERS – Lieder Theatre
DIRECTOR: Cara Robinson PLAYWRIGHT: Cara Robinson Photos: Peter Oliver Imagery [star] One of the most destabilising things about having your world being torn apart by overwhelming trauma, where everything is turned upside down and inside out, isn't just what's happening to you internally. It's also about the world around
THE RIVER – Lieder Theatre Company
Photo: Peter Oliver Imagery Can a place be bad? Can there be a tangible darkness about a place. Can there be a permeable sense of foreboding
NEVER CLOSER – Bladwell Productions
[star] They say that listeners appreciate the Cat Stevens song "Father and Son" in different ways depending on their age and stage of life at the time. When you're younger, it's the plaintiff cry from a misunderstood youth asking to be accepted and not knowing where their
GULLS – Lieder Theatre Company
[star] Photo: Peter Oliver Imagery What if you were locked inside your own mind and unable to communicate effectively with the outside world? What if you dedicated every spare moment of your life to caring for a loved one who is incapable of adequately looking after themselves? What if
Goulburn Dawn Service Address – 25 April 2025
It was 110 years ago today, at about this time, that Australians sat in boats ready to land at Gallipoli. They were cold, they were wet. Most were young and most were scared. It’s hard for most of us to imagine what that was like. When I
RHMTC Act 1 – the company begins
From being the new kid on the block, to now being a key part of Goulburn's performance community, the Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company turns nine today. Put that another way. Nine years and one day ago, RHMTC didn't exist. All that it has achieved,
The paddocks come alive to the sound of music
It’s a little off the track, and a little out of the way, but all roads led to Bannister District Community Hall on Friday night as members of the local community and friends from neighbouring towns and villages converged for the repurposing of the Hall. The
RUBY MOON – Bladwell Productions
[star] Where to start. Wow. So much to unpack. So much to absorb. Or maybe I’m complicating it? But wow. Ok, let’s start that unpacking. This is a wonderful, confronting, complex, absorbing, sometimes dark and utterly engaging play that examines unbearable loss and asks the question (and I paraphrase) “how
An Incomplete Gratitude List
Despite tough times that have knocked me to the ground… Despite a body that sometimes seems more rust than steel… Despite a brain that often misfires and works against me… Despite bouts of anxiety, depression and despair… I… Have lived in the time of Les Miserables and West Wing
THE ALMIGHTY SOMETIMES – Bladwell Productions
[star] Thanks to organisations like Beyond Blue, Headspace and the Black Dog Institute, there is growing awareness of mental health in Australia but all of the stats and increased awareness in the world don’t penetrate in the way experience does. The Almighty Sometimes, a play being performed
THE SECRET RIVER – Lieder Theatre Company
[star] The Secret River, the latest production by the Lieder Theatre Company, will move you, will make you consider uncomfortable truths, will make you think and will stick with you long after you see it. It is a powerful piece of theatre that examines a portion of
The Whale
The Whale is a movie that came with a lot of hype attached. It genuinely lives up to it, but the danger of raving too much about it is that it runs the risk of diluting the simplicity and ramping up expectations.
Wanted: A team to help build a science fiction audio play in Goulburn
I was going to start with my usual waffle about the genesis of the idea… but let’s get straight to the point. I’m putting together a science fiction radio play / audio play. The thing I am most excited about is the opportunity to work within
The advanced procrastinator’s guide to Writing Software
I probably can’t tell you much about writing. Maybe a few things, but you probably already know anything I’ve got to say. What I CAN tell you a LOT about is procrastinating. Is it procrastinating at the Olympics yet? Because I’ve done my 10,000 plus hours that
CHARLOTTE’S WEB – Lieder Theatre Company
[caption id="attachment_1517" align="alignnone" width="750"] Wilbur (Kiesha McMahon) in deep discussion with Charlotte (Serena Weatherall) as banjo-playing Musical Director Greg Angus looks on. Photo: Pete Oliver Imagery.[/caption] You'll be caught in her web Director: Blake Selmes Musical Director: Greg Angus Artistic Directo: Chrisjohn Hancock Photos: Pete Oliver Imagery [star] Charlotte’s Web is one of those heart-warming
AIDA – Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company & Hume Conservatorium
[caption id="attachment_1509" align="alignnone" width="750"] Aida (Ebrentia Brits) and Radames (Shannon Trama). Photo: Pete Oliver Imagery.[/caption] A Timeless Love Story rocks Goulburn Director: Alfie Walker Assistant Director: Alecia Walker Musical Director: Debra McConnell Choreographer: Bella Sylvester Producer: Sarah Trama [star] Once upon a time there was an opera called Aida, set in Ancient Egypt,
MIGHTY PLAYWRIGHTS 2022 – GPAC Thursday 22 September 2022
[star] Mighty Playwrights 2022 finished its run at the GPAC on Thursday night with a captivating show full of surprises, laughs, more than a few celebrity cameos and some poignant moments. Now in its third season, Mighty Playwrights gives an unparalleled opportunity to young people in Goulburn
THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE – Bladwell Productions
[star] The Bladwell Productions Goulburn production of “Things I know to be True” is a powerful piece of Australian theatre that defies even the most stoic attempts to be emotionally unmoved. While there is much to unpack from the production, it’s central focus is family. The affections,
When the media lives down to our expectations
I was a journalist for a couple of different periods, and they were two of the proudest professional experiences of my life. Not only did I enjoy being a journo, I enjoyed being surrounded (physically and online) by other journos… mostly better than me and
Getting there: reliving the journey
I got a strange message from Ant Lewis recently. He asked me when my birthday was. I told him it was some time off, and he replied that I need to change it because it’s coming early. And the birthday present he had for me was
Another day, another massacre
I woke up this morning and was soon in tears. Overnight there’d been a shooting at a school in Texas. At the time of writing, 14 kids were dead. Kids aged between 7 and 9 years old. Holy shit. And you feel like mutely and impotently screaming
ROMEO AND JULIET IN 10 MINUTES – Lieder Theatre
To clarify, Romeo and Juliet in 10 minutes was performed as just one of the segments in the REeNTRANCE event that opened GPAC on 25 March 2022. There were many great segments, and it may seem off to review just one small part of a show,
And the winner is…
I had an idea. It happens sometimes. And I was busting with enthusiasm with this idea so I thought I’d share it on that public forum, Facebook, to rapturous applause (be patient, I'll explain the idea below). But a funny thing happened on the way
Goulburn’s Anthony Lewis to make directorial debut with Jingle $ells
[caption id="attachment_1438" align="alignnone" width="1000"] HEART AND SOUL: Local actor Anthony Lewis performed in the Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company's production, About Time. He will direct the next show, Jungle $ells, written by Chris Gordon. Photo: Peter Oliver.[/caption] When COVID restrictions were first implemented over a year
POLL RESULT: Best gaming character
Hi all. I've already apologised for the long break between posts on my blog so I won't repeat it other than to say sorry. And you can take the title of "weekly" poll with a grain of salt. Our last poll was about who is the
Game Review: Fortnite
[star] Hi again. Sorry, it's been a while, but recently I've gotten back into blogging and I decided that since it's been a while I should talk about a very popular game, Fortnite. There are 350 million registered Fortnite players in the world and it's something like the 10th
The Post and Me (a story in three acts)
This story first appeared online in (slightly) edited form for the Goulburn Post on the occasion of its 150th anniversary. Here is the full version. The story of the Goulburn Post is a mix of permanence and change. It’s been a constant touch stone that has
Hamilton
Lyn-Manuel Miranda is widely and deservedly regarded as a genius and this musical/film adds more evidence to support that.
A Vigilante
[star] There’s probably some sensitivity in taking on a revenge violence film that may seem to glorify or justify violence. Most action films don’t give a crap about sending dangerous messages, and just dish up revenge violence by the bucket loads and it all feels pretty
Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga
This was a a return to form for Ferrell. While he's a very funny man, some of his recent outings, like Holmes and Watson, just weren't funny films.
POLL RESULT: Best gaming console
I know it's been a while since my last weekly poll/blog, (ok, it's b been a lot longer than a week but my dad and I finally got around to it) and
The Kitchen
It sounds like it should be a good film. It has a helluva strong cast, a great concept and a nice twist on the traditional wiseguy story. But it’s not. The dialog starts ok
LORD FOUL’S BANE – Stephen Donaldson
[star] This book is a clever, innovative idea bursting with potential, matched with a slightly disappointing telling. But first some background. I came to this novel a massive fan of two other Stephen Donaldson series - Mordant's Need and The Gap Cycle - but somehow, even though
Game review: Rush – a Disney Pixar Adventure
In the Rush world, you get to create your own character and then choose which Disney world you want to go to. The choices are Cars, Up, Toystory, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Finding Dory.
POLL RESULT: Best modern Dr Who
I started watching Dr Who with David Tennant and then went back to watch the ninth doctor and so on.
POLL RESULT: Most powerful superhero
Well the results are in folks, and the winner is: Iron Man (Hulkbuster armour). That was my choice (it really was, check with my dad). I feel that any armour that can beat the Hulk obviously means the Hulk isn't more powerful. SHAZAM is powerful but is sometimes
Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove.
Do not go gentle into that good night
Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
The Hollow Men
We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Invictus
WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this
Preludes
T S ELIOT I The winter evening settles down With smell of steaks in passageways. Six o’clock. The burnt-out ends of smoky days. And now a gusty shower wraps The grimy scraps Of withered leaves about your feet And newspapers from vacant lots; The showers beat On broken blinds and chimney-pots, And at the corner of the
The road not taken
ROBERT FROST Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better
Not waving but drowning
STEVIE SMITH Nobody heard him, the dead man, But still he lay moaning: I was much further out than you thought And not waving but drowning. Poor chap, he always loved larking And now he’s dead It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way, They said. Oh, no no no, it
AMERICAN GODS – Neil Gaiman
Fantastic book. This is my first Neil Gaiman novel although I've read some of his graphic novels. The concept is clever
Not quite time for About Time: Postponed
Our Musical Revue, ABOUT TIME, came within two days of opening but had to be postponed in line with best practice guidelines from the state and federal governments. Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company apologises to patrons who had bought tickets, as well as to the cast
RHMTC revue About to take audiences on a journey through Time
[caption id="attachment_1322" align="alignnone" width="750"] Time Travellers (?) Ant Lewis and Sarah Trama during the closing number of About Time. Photo: PETE OLIVER.[/caption] If you had a time machine and could go back to any point in time… where would you go? Or should that be WHEN
It’s About Time… for a musical revue
The makeup has barely been wiped off, the costumes collected and the stage cleared from the Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company’s hugely popular and successful production of Oliver, but the company is already gearing up for its next production. About Time, a musical revue that will
OLIVER – Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company
[caption id="attachment_1482" align="alignnone" width="750"] ou Better Pick a Pocket or Two: Dr Rod McConnell as Fagin with his band of young pick-pockets in the RHMTC production of Oliver. Photo Peter Oliver.[/caption] Lionel Bart's Oliver - you'll want some more. [star] "Please sir, I want some more." That plaintive plea
Joker: a cinematic wild card
Superhero movies are a bit like trains these days. Miss one? Wait a few minutes and there’ll be another. As a genre, the vein has been richly mined.
Game Review: Starlink: Battle for Atlas
The game is based in the Atlas star system. The player’s mothership has been ambushed by the Forgotten Legion, and crashes on a nearby planet and the captain has been taken hostage.
Game Review: Titanfall 2
Titanfall 2 is a follow up to Titanfall. In Titanfall 2, players can control both a pilot and their Titans, which are mecha-style exoskeletons. The pilot has a large variety of abilities that improve their efficiency during combat.
Goulburn 2019… huh?
Voters around the world have been making the point for the last few years that they are looking for third party options. Tired of the binary opposites of left and right and the appearance of entrenched elites, voters have been seeking another choice. In Australia, the
A novice bookie’s guide to the Goulburn 2019 election
The 2019 election for the seat of Goulburn is heading into unchartered territory. Since 1965, the seat has been in Coalition hands. Ron Brewer (Nats) held it for around 20 years, Robert Webster (Nats) for about 7, John Fahey and Peta Seaton (both Libs) held it
Game Review: Shadow of the Colussus
Shadow of the Colossus is an RPG (Role Playing Game) where you are the main character, Wander, and you are hunting down the 16 Colossi to save a girl named Mono.
Last weekend to catch Getting There
[caption id="attachment_596" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Photo: Peter Oliver[/caption] Written by Chris Gordon, featuring the songs of Pat and Geoff Drummond, and starring Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company talent, Getting There has two final shows this weekend. It is a gutsy effort to write and deliver a local musical, and Gordon and the
New musical Getting There opens this weekend
[caption id="attachment_591" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Alfie Walker as the irrepressible Isaac. Photo: Peter Oliver.[/caption] Chris Gordon said the idea for his new musical Getting There came to him as a “slow-boiled epiphany.” He used to be involved with the Goulburn Gilbert and Sullivan Society back in the 1990s and
A Musical Soundtrack
In a twist worthy of a Pat Drummond song, this month will see the staging of Getting There, a musical using Pat’s songs to tell a story of its own.
The Media’s to blame
The Media’s to blame. It’s become a catch cry for all of the ills of the world, and you can’t flick through a handful of tweets on #auspol without someone directing all the blame for the state of politics, of the economy, of everyday life… on
Game Review: Destiny
Destiny is an online RPG. In Destiny, you get to make your own character. You have to choose from three different classes (Titan, Hunter, and Warlock), and also from three different races (Exo, Human, and Ewoken).
First rehearsals for new musical – Getting There
There’s a word in Afrikaans that describes how Ebrentia Brits is feeling at the moment. Angstig. According to Ebrentia, it describes a mix of nervousness and excitement. Ebrentia has taken on the role of Musical Director for the new musical Getting There being performed by the Rocky
Say it ain’t so, Steve?
Hyperbole.Potentially one of the greatest shortcomings of sports writing.Once you’ve thrown around “the ball of the century”, “greatest game ever” and “the best tackle of all time” often enough, it dilutes the message. And as a card-carrying former sports journo, I have to plead guilty
WHISTLER’S BONES – Greg Barron
Whistler's Bones is a sprawling frontier adventure that tells the story of an absolute nugget of Australian history, Charlie Gaunt. Gaunt's adventures take him through a number of significant events in Australian and world history - a veritable Forrest Gump of his times. The book
A new musical featuring the songs of Pat Drummond
The Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company will be performing a brand new, home-grown musical, Getting There in August.
Nine days in Mexico
There's a great moment in Dead Poet's Society where Robin William's character tries to impress upon his students that it's important to see things from a new perspective in life. It's the bit where he gets up on a desk, and he obviously made quite an
Are you a villain or a vixen?
[caption id="attachment_1294" align="alignnone" width="452"] Photo: Ila Storrier.[/caption] By CHRIS GORDON Alex Ridley doesn’t describe herself as either a villain or a vixen, although she concedes that villainy, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. “It’s really a matter of perception,” she said. “I can do one thing,
Divine voices fill the old chapel
By DAVID COLE I had the pleasure to catch a dress rehearsal for Villains and Vixens. I had never been in the old Marian Chapel before but I was captivated immediately by its beauty. What a lovely space – and then to fill that space with singing
AFTERMATH – Chuck Wendig
This book was a lot of fun.It is the first part of a trilogy that picks up shortly after return of the Jedi and which fills in some of the gaps between that trilogy and The Force Awakens - first part of the third Star
Ten years later…
We lost dad 10 years ago today. In some ways, we lost him five days earlier when he went into the coma. That was the day we got the call to go to the hospital, when we gathered as they said last rites over him
Villains and Vixens auditions this week
Auditions will soon be held for the Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company's next show – Villains and Vixens. The show pays tribute to some of the less heroic characters in musical theatre and will feature songs from many well known musicals, with two Masters of Ceremonies introducing the songs and
BORN TO RUN – Bruce Springsteen
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is probably no huge surprise as a card-carrying Springsteen fan-boy.Obviously I enjoyed finding out more about Bruce Springsteen, but I was also impressed by his writing technique. It's colourful and even poetic in places and Bruce really loves a
Villains and Vixens at the Old Marian College Chapel
By DAVID COLE Something Wicked this way comes. And not only something Wicked… also something Les Miserables… and something Chicago… not to mention something Jekyll and Hyde. Hot on the heels of their popular Seussical musical, the Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company is now preparing for its second production, a musical revue called Villains and Vixens. Co-director Chris
DAUNTLESS – Jack Campbell
Not a bad read. There are enough good science fiction concepts and questions - such as how do you communicate across a spread out fleet when relativistic speeds affect and delay communications; also the use of a .1 speed of light speed limit is a
ROCANNON’S WORLD – Ursula K. Le Guin
Great story (and at 112 pages, a very quick read). I first ran into Ursula Le Guin back at school when I read the Earthsea Trilogy which was a showcase for her mastery of world building. Rocannon's World was her first novel and that world-building
Fiddling as Goulburn burns
Photo Louise Thrower, GOULBURN POST.When I was a kid, my world was very small. Living at 91 Mundy Street, I kicked around with friends who lived nearby… like Sergio Vigone, Bob Adams and Chris Griffin (and when I was adventurous, some of the guys up
WET GRAVES – Peter Corris
This is the first Cliff Hardy yarn I've read since my late teens/early twenties. The first time I went on an adventure with the private detective I was not long out of school and living in Sydney and it was the first time I'd read
Cinderella Reds make history
Dirty Reds captain and co-coach Mikael Webber holds aloft the ACT 1st division 1st grade trophy.It was a story sixty years in the making when the Goulburn Dirty Reds won their first ever premiership in a full ACT competition, defeating favourites Gungahlin in a nail-biting
BRUCE – Peter Ames Carlin
They say you shouldn't meet your heroes, and that's one of the reasons I put off reading this Bruce Springsteen biography for a while. At the time it was printed in 2012, it was one of the first semi-authorised biographies about "the Boss". While it
END OF AN ERA – Robert Sawyer
End of an Era is a novel variation on a time travel yarn (although I guess every time travel yarn is a novel variation). Thanks to a vaguely described scientific principle and an even more vaguly described time travel macine, the central characters are thrown
Salvaging something from St Patrick’s Day
Today is St Patrick’s Day.Around the world, the green beer will be flowing, corny jokes will be told and ridiculously tall, gravity-defying leprechaun hats will be worn.It’s a day of silliness, froth and frivolity that has transcended its religious origins, and that’s not a bad
Game on
At long last (and boy, it's taken a long time), the Geeks have inherited the Earth. Actually, that's a big call. We haven't inherited anything. We're still laughed at, socially shunned and often excluded but some of our practices are now more widely tolerated, so, you
Roosters come home to roost
I wouldn't want to be Mitchell Pearce just now. And that's not just because he plays for the Roosters (although that's part of it).Imagine the most embarrassing thing you've ever done
A tale of two festivals
Goulburn's George Lazenby at the inaugural Spyfest Ball. Photo Darryl Fernance, GOULBURN POST.Event planning can be a crap shoot.Do you bet big, plan a whole bunch of new activities and hope the people will respond, but be prepared for a few flops and some financial
No use crying over Spill Syndrome
Today Australia awoke to a new Prime Minister.That statement should have a degree of gravitas to it. It should be solemn and profound but the truth is, we get a new Prime Minister as often as we get a new winner of The Voice, or
Six hours…
IRONY? A rainbow appeared as the Coalition ruled out marriage equality.Six hours.It’s a bloody long time when you think about it.If you were to drive to Canberra, turn around and drive to Sydney and then turn around and return to Goulburn … it would take
The stage is set… at last
Tamworth's Capitol Theatre. A preview of what we might expect in a Goulburn Performing Arts Centre?This week, the Goulburn Community of Public School concerts are showcasing some of the amazing talent in Goulburn. REALLY amazing talent. And that shouldn’t come as a surprise.Goulburn’s got talent.
Stadium the obvious
The grandstand at Mudgee's sporting stadium that Goulburn Mulwaree general manager Warwick Bennett was instrumental in having constructed. Photo Mudgee Guardian.They say that when you get a committee to design a cow, you get a camel.The more people you bring into designing anything, the more
Remembering the 1965 Chatsbury-Bungonia Fire
On its fiftieth anniversary, the Chatsbury-Bungonia fire of 1965 remains one of the worst natural disasters experienced in this region. By the time the fire had burned out on March 14, it left in its wake an awful legacy. Three lives were claimed by the fire. Thirty one
THE LONG EARTH – Terry Pratchett / Stephen Baxter
Very much enjoyed this first book in the series. The premise
DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS – John Wyndham
I enjoyed looking back at this book after many years. The device of having the initial cause of blindness (the comet, or whatever it was) and the subsequent danger of Triffids still seems clever, but despite the scifi danger of "the other" the book is
THE PENULTIMATE TRUTH – Philip K Dick
After reading a bunch of PKD short stories before, it was enlightening to finally read one of his novels. There are few better "Ideas men" than PKD
The price of freedom
Attorney-General George Brandis praised the new internet monitoring laws being passed. Photo: Andrew MearesAfter the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, President George W Bush declared a War on Terror.It was no such thing.For those inclined to believe President Bush’s belief
RUOK? I am… today, anyway
Today is RUOK Day… a day in which we reach out to those who may be doing it tough, to those we haven’t spoken with for a while, and even those we see every day, and see how they’re going. It’s not always obvious when
Welcome to the OzGames
The carnival is over. It has dutifully been called the best games ever, Kylie Minogue has sung a song, and the athletes are getting ready to come back home. And what a Games it was for Australia… on the track, in the pool, in team sports and
Springsteen concert a love letter to Australia
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CONCERT: Sydney, Feb 19, 2014 Wednesday night Sydney saw a man once referred to as the future of rock and roll, and some forty years after Jon Landau wrote that now-famous line about Bruce Springsteen, the Boss is still setting the pace for others
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