Category: Uncategorized

Aussie Rock/Folk music – my picks

Aussie Music
A visit to the Australian Embassy and some fun on the dance floor with my good friend Niki and others form ABS, rekindled my interest – and I found out that YouTube allows you to create your own play list, did’nt know that. For the record we tried starring a band in high school but my mother (classical piano player) put an end to it when Ken Padon played the giant symbol once too often! Never mind I could play all right but can’t remember the words too well!
Anyway you can check it out at
What follows is a little commentary on each song.
AC/DC – It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll, and  the video clip of the band in the back of a truck going down Swanston street is simply the best. It is accompanied by the bag pipes played by a local bunch of Scotts.
Ac/DC You rocked me all night long is a classic.
Jimmy Barnes – so young and the hair, sings with soul. Working Class Man is still as relevant as ever, Khe Sanh, about Vietnam is always close to my heart – but for Whitlam, ‘there for the grace of God go I’ – Whitlam, our single greatest ever PM, kicked Australia awake, aboriginal rights, women’s rights, education, you name it he had a policy for most arears, not his fault he was surrounded by idiots- anyway he abolished conscription one month before my birthday might have been drawn out in the ballot. Like the Turkish, the Vietnamese are now our friends.
Hunters & Collectors and INXS – two of the great Oz bands, and Michael Hutchence certainly had a Devil Inside, and as it turned out did some things to exccess!
Redgum (I was only 19) sang about going to Vietnam as a 19 year old, and Eric Boggle (The Band Played Waltzing Matilda) wrote about the disaster of Gallipole – both wars had emence impact on Australia, 50,000 diggers lost their lives at Gallipole (Churchil the famous cigar smoking, whiskey drinking blue blood is responible). As it turns out Eric’s last line ‘no one will march there at all’ has turned out not to be prophetic, today 1000’s flock to the shores to remember – remember what is a good question I guess,  but I and my family found it a very moving experience. Redgum always reminds me of how lucky I was to miss the draft, I was in a small group of people at Murwillumbah High who was opposed to our involvement. My father spent 5 years in a prisoner of war camp, I also worked with a guy who was a conscientiousness objector in the early 1970’s – these experiences had the obvious end point of me being completly anti anything to do with war.
Kasey Chambers is beautiful with a great voice – True Colours is a Cyndi Lauper song and just tells use to be true to ourselves and be our selves – if others can’t handle that, get stuffed, least that what I think it tells us.
The Seekers – what can I add, simply the best singing you will ever hear.
Kylie – not a fan, but has to be included for her bum alone!
Paul Kelly – taught his son I think at Wesley, this is the first of  a series of songs I have included which deals with recognition of aboriginal rights – the simple fact is that we dispossed the Aborginal population and over 200+ years have made life extremely difficult, still today Aboriginal communities struggle, it is our shame to deal with.
Midnight Oil – brought the attention of a nation again to Aboriginal problems at the opening cermony of the Australian Sydney Olympics, great band – Peter you should have stayed with it mate, Politics is for ……
Yothu Yindi – TREATY one of a large number of great Aboriginal role models and a fantastic musician, just great.
Skyhooks – Horror Movie ‘its the 6.30 news, shocking me right out of my mind’- absolutely, and just read the Jordan Times!
Little River Band, all time great Oz band, beautiful melodies and harmonies. Saw them at Uni before they got famous, I still remember their wonderful songs.
Ol’55 – Franky Holden and Willba on Sax – just a simple band knocking out rock songs – Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry inspired. You also see a very young Daryl Summers – go the Cats.
Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs (Poison Ivy is a Stones song I think)- one of our early 60’s greats, he passed away a few years back, they were our Beatles – and Bandstand was a famous show on OZ TV.
Johnny O’Keefe – Wild One is off a 78 record from 1958, he was a favorite, could sing and had a wild life, RIP!
That is it, hope you enjoy.

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Israel April 2011

The crossing was straight forward as we paid for the VIP service, sounds grand but it just means a private company handles all the details, which you pay for.

We are collected by our driver Ossama and then travel up to Jerusalem to collect out guide Ata, both were terrific, especially Ata who was friendly and knowledgeable.

The travel company is Premimum Global Tours

http://premiumglobaltours.com

Jerusalem was interesting for us, so many religious traditions and names were part of our childhoods that it was fun to see and hear about so many! Here is a slide show – I think I have most of the names correct.

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

The next day we travelled via a small village of Ein Karem, then to the Israel Museum and then to Bethlehem, which is basically next door – it is divided between Israel and the new Palestinian Authority, along with the construction of the so called Peace Highway towards Jordan, it is the first steps towards peace, lets hope so! There is a clear difference between the affluence of the Israel side as compared to the Palestinian one, clearly tourism is vital and Cathie certainly supported their economy. Here is a slide show of some of the highlights.

At the church of the visitation we were reminded of the night King Herod tried to kill all the babies to eliminate Jesus and John the Baptist – Elizabeth hide John the Baptist between two rocks, which can be seen, at least so the story goes!

At the Museum, apart from the fantastic model of the old town of Jerusalem, we saw the sculpture depicting the Essenes idea of the pure world verses the evil one, that will be resolved in one final battle at Armageddon (which is town in Northern Israel). The Essenes were a religious group who occupied the area around Qumran and were responsible for the writing of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

The final day took in the highlight of Masada, the site of the battle between the Romans and the Jews in 66AD and Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found.

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

We enjoyed the hectic tour very much and plan to go back!

Our recent Holiday in Jordan

We started with a long drive down to Tala Bay – staying at the Movenpick resort was just the ticket!

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

After a three day stay we ventured up to Wadi Rum, a fantastic trip into the dessert and Cathie went on a balloon ride, resulting in some lovely pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Cathie’s Pictures

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Cathie’s Balloon Ride

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

After Wadi Rum we ventured up to Little Petra and then Dana, spending a night in each.

Little Petra

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Shoback Castle and Dana

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Um Al-Jimal & Poppies

We set off about 10.30am to visit an ancient basalt city that had fallen victim to the earth quakes around 600AD up near the Syrian border – the place is rarely visited and I can’t imagine why, apart from the fact it is free it is just wonderful.

On route via Jerash to Rehab and then Masraq we passed through some lovely farmland, the whole area had been enlivened by the recent rain and the poppies and other wild flowers where starting to come out – I am still searching for a Black Iris.

Poppies
Poppies near Jerash

Here is a slide show of some of the flowers we found.
https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Umm Al-Jimal is a fantastic – get a car and go take a look.

Here is a pic of the main tower, I think it has been re-built but the walls are surrounded by collapsed ruins.

Tower Um Al-Jimal
Tower Um Al-Jimal

Some of the highlights can be seen in this slide show.

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf