GO KART TITLES

Go Karting. National titles in Newcastle and then how it was done in the bronze age.

NATIONAL TITLES AT NEWCASTLE GO KART CLUB

Winners pass scrutiny, yesterday. Go Kart events start with the Midgets, about seven year old, on upwards. Some girls compete.
Below is a 'photo' from the 1970s at the same club, naturally the changes are hugh.

RUGBY FOR DUMMIES - LIKE MOI

Rugby League, the easy way, on the big screen at Panthers Club, Newcastle, (formerly The Workers' Club). Heaps of people follow league.
The National Rugby League Grand Final is played in Sydney, Sunday, tomorrow, around 7pm , between Melbourne Storm and Manly Sea Eagles. Newcastle Knights' didn't make it this time.
Every man and his dog was at the Workers' when the Knights' bus returned after winning the grand final some years ago. In the past the Workers' had strong associations with trade unionism in this blue collar town. The building was a scene of disaster in the earthquake and subsequently had lengthy litigation - as was the case with several other buildings in the area.

..Tritons who have long green beards, and hairy breasts, and blow through twisted conchs;
of the palace of the King which is all of amber, with a roof of clear emerald, and a pavement of bright pearl;
and of the gardens of the sea where the great filigrane fans of coral wave all day long, and the fish dart about like silver birds, and the anemones cling to the rocks, and the pinks bourgeon in the ribbed yellow sand...
Redhead Beach

WOODLANDS - A RESIDENCE

Losing one's head outside Woodlands on The Hill. The Corinthian capital on the corner is all askew and a rendezvous is spied nearby.
Woodlands (! ), partly obscured, became a private hospital at one stage and Mr Bill Bowmore, patron of the arts, once owned the property.

FUN AND GAMES

Riding to school like this would be out of the question in Newcastle!
Small twelve year olds, or so, join with the thousands who ride little Hondas on the roads in some countries. There must be a happy medium.
The world MotoGP is in the hands of a lad from our area. As a result of today's race, Casey Stoner (Ducati) can't be beaten on points and the World GP is his!
He probably began riding as a youngster and has done very well.
I see childhood activities in a different light. Even tho we dress tiny babies in army fatigues and dress up little girls like adults and research has shown that tiny children benefit from stimulating activities and their brain developes FAR more than we ever imagined, despite all this, I believe that children are not mini-adults nor should they 'play' like adults with motorcycles or the like. There is a time and a place for childhood.

IMMUNIZATION OR NOT?

Newcastle Jockey Club Racecourse. Deserted. An outbreak of Equine Influenza has occured and the horses in this state have been held in isolation for some weeks now which has caused all sorts of problems for the industry.
This has resulted in several race meetings for the horses and their connections without the punters allowed to attend and for off-course betting purposes. I bet the horses miss the crowd. When will it all get back on track?
The upper Hunter River region is the home of horse breeding and the industry is at a standstill.

IN OR OUT OF THE LOCAL PICTURE?

Climbing just above a city. From here flying involves the longest possible hauls. Not only that, we are the second tallest people, so economy class seating is a squeeze whilst confined to the gas guzzler contrails.

Are you a risk taker? This country is looking for skilled people and a seminar on migration and employment is at Darling Harbour on Sat 29th Sepember or visit www.immi.gov.au/skillexpos.
Along with some other nationals, more recently, visas allow U.S. and Canadians 18 - 30 to work, travel or study.
Opportunities exist for unskilled workers from far and wide: be wary.
Tertiary study is another option with opportunities that lead to residency.
Bad luck for visitors: the Aussie dollar has been very strong against the $US. Getting our own back for a change!

ON THE MOVE

Lamb is on our national menu, in fact, roast spring lamb with mint sauce is a highlight. It is springtime and the spring equinox. (Allergic reaction to pollen is not unknown just now)
A Drover is one who drives livestock to market, usually over a long distance. (Macquarie Dictionary) Saltbush would be broad and remote sheep grazing country where the main vegetaion is saltbush which is drought resistant.

ADVENTURER

Back to Newcastle and Dick Smith opened a chain of stores, here is one in Kotara, specializing in electronics and was very successful.
He sold out to Woolworths whilst he was still youthful and become an aviator and an adventurer and, for a change, appears to spend most of his time enjoying that lifestyle and at last count has had mini-expeditions to various parts of the world.
Dick Smith created the journal Australian Geographic in the tradition of fine publications on natural history.

IN THE JUNGLE

This wonderful animal was larking about near the Orang-Utan Rehabilitation centre in Sumatera. Conservation of jungle habitat is paramount (and conservation is something we can't achieve in Australia either)
The colourful fruit went to us tourists.

As for tourism, among many ventures, some ex-Newcastle folk have a surfing safari out of Padang (Sumatra), despite all the recent natural disasters, have a fast, well appointed, boat to the islands where the waves are awesome and called Tengirri Surf Charters
Another I have read about is a jungle hideaway, the Hotel Rimbo, into eco-tourism and to the north-west of Bukittinggi, Sumatara, and sounding like a fine destination for the adventurer.

ANIMAL CONSERVATION

To the Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre in Indonesia.
These tourists were having the ride of their life. But really, there is no risk involved, afterall, they survived the drive from the city!

In the morning and the afternoon orangutans come out of the forest to be feed (hang onto your belongings) Others can be seen in captivity at the centre.

Accessed by walking path, any backpacker or tourist would remember Jungle Inn right nearby that river crossing in an appealing unsophisticated environment. It's a small world- the owners have connections with Newcastle.

A quaint group of rustic cafes and lodgings hang in there half local and half global in style. Tourism has not overtaken the area and has been slack for several years.

WELL KNOWN STORE

The shop decor is unpretentious! The Kotara branch of Strathfield Electronic gear.
Anyway, I'm on your side, Ol' Man Lincoln, I go along with height restrictions near residential areas.

RETAILING

Westfield Kotara shopping centre has had glorious extensions done and a new look. Previously it was called Kotara Fair and Garden City.
As it is near the surrounding homes then height restrictions could be in place and may have curbed the expansion which is sad news for the consumer society.

ARE CARBON CREDITS JUST 'WINDOW DRESSING' GLOBAL WARMING?

UNDER THE (GREENWOOD) GUM TREE

Once upon a time, in High School, I was reading during class and my book Under The Greenwood Tree (Thomas Hardy) was confiscated - or was it another great favourite writer- Elizabeth Goudge? (btw J K Rowling liked Goudge)
I was mad about those novels set in the picturesque English countryside. Later on it was D H Lawrence (in the midlands I'd say) Or, for something totally different, with migrant school friends, we girls were such 'tomboys' into wartime escape stories and Air force heroes or Biggles etc. Escapism plus.

Now, after years, my own countryside here has finally 'grown on me' for what it is and is truly mine along with the pleasure of enjoying many other landscapes around the world.

MORE ROADSIGNS, EARLIER ON, & ONE PRANK

FERNS AND FINGS

Street signs were the recent topic on CDP. "End Roadwork" is looking bad in front of a large item on the streetscape. Perhaps it is a fern shoot or fern frond. A reminder of our tree filled landscape of the past.
Biodiversity is crucial for our life cycles.

SYNAGOGUE. NEWCASTLE

The foundation stone refers to 1927 on the Synagogue in Newcastle.
I read that the Jewish New Year - Rosh Hashanah - is on the 13th or 14th September and then Yom Kippur on the 22nd September.

CELEBRATION AND TRADITION

High school students, in apparel with certain decorative features and enjoying Independence Day in rural Indonesia.
Several important days occur this week.
Ramadan commences on 12th or 13th September, depending on the sighting of the new moon, and Eid al Fitr is at the conclusion on 13th October, as I understand it.

FISHERMENS WHARF. PEACEFUL HAVEN

We live with the contradiction of world peace at any price.

TOWN OF WOY WOY

Spike Milligan lived in Woy Woy (south of Newcastle). He was a star of the Goon Show (BBC).
From his book of Silly Verse for Kids:
In the Land of Bumbley Boo You can buy Lemon pie at the Zoo;
They give away Foxes
In little Pink Boxes
And bottles of Dandylion Stew....
Puffin Books 1968.

FRAGRANT ORCHID DISPLAY AT STOCKLAND SHOPPING CENTRE

READY FOR THE SOUTH? ITS BEEN A GOOD SEASON ON THE SNOW FIELDS

My mistake, this shop isn't in Newcastle, it is in Sydney, but we have similar shops in Newcastle.

MY THOUGHTS PROMPTED BY TRAVEL IN THE BACK OF A COVERED UTE

I always believe I am very fortunate to live in a comfortable country but one need not be complacent.
World leaders are meeting in Sidney (ie Sydney) and their rhetoric is so 'nice'. They cry: Democracy and liberty for all, to be just like us; the quick fix; no matter what the cost. (Democracy takes time to develope.)
Global warming: the answer is also simple: nuclear power.

I have seen several new democracies where big resources go into the trapping of a sophisticated government apparatus out of proportion to the wealth of the country while a real struggle exists to provide any basic infrastructure, very little goes into health services, roads, electricty, public health, drainage, pollution control, transport and the rest.
Those governments and mine must find it difficult to resists the opulent example set by other 'good' democracies.
What do they see? Leaders for sprout their ideology and behave like dictators rather than servants of the democratic process. Those who romp around the global stage accompanied by massive backup and those who arrogantly come and go from a conference as they please.
Democracy- bring it on!

THE ALCRON

This residence on The Hill was once The Alcron nightclub which opened a long time ago and was then something out of the ordinary and mine host was from the Oberland and Von Rabineau clan.

BLUE CATTLE DOG: POPULAR LOCAL BREED

THE BOLTONS. OFF CHURCH STREET THE HILL

A FATHER. TODAY WAS FATHER'S DAY

DRIVER REVIVER

Orimbah's roadside driver reviver where volunteers provide refreshments to motorists. A network of these operate in between towns on certain days when everyone takes to the roads.
For other signs and wonders check out the following dedicated bloggers. Somehow I did't get my own site on the list!

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