It’s all Latin to me

Were you one of the music lovers who came to hear our choir, Tapestry, sing at Lift Gallery on Sunday, but couldn’t get in? Better book next time, eh! One of the pieces we sang was Allegri’s ‘Miserere’, a 17th century piece of sacred music, which, apart from its degree of difficulty (in gymnastic terms a 9.8), comprises 20 verses in Latin. Half the battle was to phonate the Latin words, more so the parts…

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Private interests and national parks

Let’s just imagine going for a bush walk in a national park, say five or ten years from now. As you set off on foot with your smart phone, selfie stick and water bottle, a tribe of kids and adults whiz past on mountain bikes. In the distance, you can hear the throaty buzz of trail bikes traversing the circuit reserved for them on the other side of the mountain. A kilometre or so down…

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Marijuana and free love

A long time ago in a faraway land… So there’s me and 20 other foreign travellers, sitting around a bonfire on a farm in the south of France. We are there for the vendange – the grape harvest. It is well-paid, hard work − dawn till dusk − and only rarely can we find the energy to stay up late socialising. Sitting around a campfire under a sickle moon singing, as you do, the Romanian…

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Wave the flag and all that

What is it about the flag that has us all in a flutter? From the red corner (anti-monarchist, anti-nationalist), it pains me to admit I felt a bit affronted by images of Reclaim Australia supporters wearing the flag like a cape. Fair go, fellas (and ladies), a great many people died in wars on behalf of that symbol. With one exception (Cathy Freeman spontaneously celebrating her epic athletic feat), I reckon people who use the…

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