Brisbane

I go to the footy for three reasons. Firstly, I hope to be witness to the perfect moment, that rare blend of the poetic and balletic, when the players channel the ball with an energy and directness which can only be borne of fury’s marriage with grace.

At Brisbane’s affectionately-named Gabba, on this particular night, Carlton managed several of these fizzing instances, mostly at the behest of one Christopher Judd, whilst the Lions’ players fell in their wake like flapping fish churned up by a fast-spinning propeller.

Secondly, I want to be lulled back to my youth, when I too tumbled across the sodden turf in search of that ever-elusive kick to position, handball to advantage, mark to goal.

Continue reading "Footy people are the best kind of people" »

The Punch: In January, you wrote that Wivenhoe Dam levels were “exceptionally high” and provisions for flood management were “dangerously inadequate”. Can you expand on this a bit?

Prior to the Brisbane/Wivenhoe flood in January, the risk and warnings for a flood were quite extreme and the lack of response by the Dam operator was inexplicable. A raging La Nina was in existence, and the authorities had three “test run” flood events to convince them they should be wary. But they did not act.

In the week prior to the floods, the BoM was warning that a very heavy rain incident was imminent, but again there was no apparent response from the dam manager. As the rain incident actually developed there was very little sign of action to release water in a proactive way to keep dam levels down.

Under the threat of losing Wivenhoe (Somerset was also at risk) the operator finally released a deluge into the river system, which history now tells us was rather damaging.

Continue reading "Wivenhoe: Damned if they did, damned if they didn’t" »

Monday is Queensland Day, a commemorative 24 hours that has a history older than most white-man milestones in our country.

It is older than Federation, older than electricity, but undervalued because we don’t quite know how to celebrate the best place in the world and aren’t big on causing a commotion about ourselves.

Queensland Day acknowledges the birth of Queensland in 1859 as a self-governing colony.

Continue reading "Queensland: Best place in the world. Discuss." »

If there is one thing I like about Twitter, it’s hashtags. In case you aren’t part of the Twitterati, hashtags refer to the “#” that allows debate or discussion on particular topics in Twitter between users who would probably otherwise never get in contact with each other.

For example, there is the #AusPol hashtag that discusses Australian politics and the #qanda one that discusses the ABC’s Q&A programme every Monday and a million other hashtags on every topic under the sun. I often use them when I post Independent Australia articles on Twitter to get them out to a wider audience, for instance.

But they can also be on frivolous matters as well — and this is where the fun really starts. Yesterday a hashtag arose called #rejectedbnetourismslogans, which, as the name suggests it is all about creating slogans to poke fun at the city of Brisbane. I’m not sure why or who suggested it, or why, but it has gone viral with thousands of contributions, most of them quite funny:

Continue reading "Brisbane. It’s reasonably close to the Gold Coast" »

As Campbell Newman yesterday outlined one of the more goofy political strategies Australia has seen, there was one stark impression: The bloke himself didn’t come across as goofy.

Newman, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, was explaining to reporters how he planned to be the Liberal National Party (LNP) State Opposition Leader without having to actually be in the Queensland Parliament.

In about a year’s time he would run for a seat Labor has held for 22 years, and in the meantime a surrogate elected last night would be the official Opposition Leader. But actually, the Opposition Leader would be Campbell Newman.

Continue reading "A not-so-goofy plan to rule the state of Brisbane" »

Sometimes people just get it plain wrong. And that goes for me as well.

Often we’ve thought that Generation Y are so preoccupied with themselves that they are not interested in the world around them. Or worse, they’re interested but not doing anything about it.

The stereotype goes along these lines: locked up in their bedrooms, on Facebook 24 hours a day, playing computer games, comfortable in the world of anonymity. And no social responsibility. Well, it’s time to put all their prejudices back in their box. Because what has happened in Brisbane in the last few weeks is the total and comprehensive counterproof.

Continue reading "I believe Gen Y are the future" »

This summer of floods has been an incredible test of character for all the people who’ve faced it.  And through it all, amongst the tragedy, sadness and loss, our Aussie spirit has shone through, brighter than ever.

Stories of bravery, sacrifice and mateship abound.  Friends drop everything to go and help their friends.  Total strangers put their lives at risk to save others.  People wade into floodwaters to save stranded dogs, cats and even kangaroos.

People who live on high ground offered their driveways, their yards and even their houses so total strangers can store their possessions and have somewhere to sleep. 

Continue reading "Celebrating the Australian spirit" »

Through the uncertainty, devastation and loss, Brisbane has finally revealed itself to me.

As the flood waters continued to rise in the city’s suburbs yesterday, so too did its fiercely defiant spirit.

You could almost feel a little tall poppy syndrome settling in.

Continue reading "Brisbane’s spirit defies watery tormentor" »

There will come a time for introspection, but for now we watch the tide.

Before dawn broke this morning much of Brisbane’s CBD will have been swamped by a muddy deluge that will scour and scare the city.

But this is a news story like no other in our history because this story is playing out painstakingly live on at least four channels.

Continue reading "A horror movie, right there on my TV" »

Bathed in an eerie sunlight, Brisbane doesn’t look like Queensland’s next disaster zone.

Small patches of mockingly blue sky mask the overwhelming sense of dread that has settled across the city.

The impending flood is expected to trump the infamous 1974 floods - and authorities are struggling to predict the extent of the damage. The CBD is uncharacteristically silent and calm, the usual morning hum replaced by a worrying stillness. The air is hot and the humidity is stifling.

Continue reading "Brisbane on edge as a city awaits its fate" »

Great music cities don’t just suddenly emerge, although some have their genesis in rebellion or in the emergence of some artist or event.

Brisbane is known as one of Australia’s great music cities mainly by people who’ve grown up here over the last 40 or so years or the lucky blow-ins who’ve come to love the place.

Robert Forster, now an elegant elder statesman of Brisbane’s music scene, closed the 2010 Bigsound conference last week talking about his early connections with music.

Continue reading "Why Brisvegas totally rocks" »

It was this statement that caught my attention: “There’s no band, but I got in there with my sonics. There’s nothing else out there like it.”

This was legendary producer, genius musician and all round studio super hero Daniel Lanois talking about the new Neil Young record – Le Noise – which is being released worldwide on September 28.

Neil Young fans are a tolerant bunch. The crazy, dope-smoking, song-writing and guitar-bending maestro is without peer for those who’ve been following his wandering ways since he first left Canada and headed for California – in a hearse – in the mid-1960s.

Continue reading "There is a guy from North Ontario" »

The people’s forum format is a bit like Twenty20 cricket. A strong start when you go in to bat second is critical.

Tony Abbott got his at Rooty Hill in western Sydney when he walked down off the stage and spoke to the audience from the floor. This week the Prime Minister was taking no chances, warming up the room by mixing it with the audience before her slot and kicking off her time talking about positive economic plans. The intent was clear: she was going to have a go, try a bit of tonking.

Not this time the stool on the stage, far from the crowd. A Prime Minister rolling into a town where the metro newspaper’s front page says the government is set to lose half a dozen seats in the state must, to stretch the cricket analogy, get on the front foot.

Continue reading "Julia and Tony learning the art of limited overs politics" »