Facebook’s news ban – what was that all about?

Nothing better demonstrates the irrelevancy of  Facebook’s news ban than this tweet from elder statesman Everald Compton. “My friends in Parliament tell me that meeting between #CraigKelly and #Barnaby was to create new #conservative party with Barnaby as leader. They will be joined by Christensen and Canavan and sit on the cross benches. #Morrison will lead minority government. Happy Days.” Compton, who many would know through his long-running blog, Everald at Large, posted the 45-word…

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Motorbike nostalgia

By Laurel Wilson Dad didn’t talk much about his war experiences, but he did mention that he had been a dispatch rider at one stage – roaring through the English countryside at night on an Indian motorbike without lights. Fortunately for him (and us, his unborn children), he soon decided that riding dispatch was not a healthy occupation. Perhaps his tales of riding that big thumping motorbike sounded exciting. Perhaps it was because several of…

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Long live the Green Man

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Today we’ll be talking about death, grief and hypochondria (mine). So if any of those topics catch you at a bad moment, look away. We lost two good friends last week and, to misquote Pink Floyd, we’re feeling uncomfortably numb. Many FOMM readers would have either personally known or known of the renowned Australian folk-singer, John Thompson. John had been battling cancer for several years until his death last Wednesday, aged 56. Mr Thompson packed…

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When Rome Counted its Citizens

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You may not immediately deduce from the headline that we are about to embark upon a discourse about the Census, which will happen in Australia on or about  August 10, 2021. I say on or about because the online version of the head count can be filled in electronically on or a few days after August 10. You just have to declare where you actually were on Census night. As you will recall, the Australian…

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