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2025 FEBRUARY Hogarth:
Downstairs at Jolley’s Boathouse Thursday, February 20, 2025.
Clockwise from top left: Milton,Wilf,Neville, Ian Lister, Ian Henschke, Andy, Leo,Ghil'ad, Bones. LEO:
Whenever I leave home I always forget at least one of, in order
of importance, eye drops for the blind eye, wallet, phone, GPS/pen/note
book/water (if heading out orchiding), but never, until today, my
social crutch, my camera. WAYNE: You'll have to try harder, Leo. No matter, I took some photos, as did Milton, so we will survive.
This
led to discussion of the lifestyle of church leaders. It was claimed
that Pell dined every night at The Australia Club, that he lived walking
distance from and of which he was member. Wayne described the living
conditions of priests, compared to that of their flocks, that he witnessed
while travelling with a troupe of clowns, yes, in South America. Pell’s
conviction, gaoling and subsequent acquittal and release were discussed.
The two formally qualified legal scholars at table were at one in
agreeing that, at Law, Pell should not have been convicted on the
available evidence.
The
imminent arrival of The Lady Boys of Bangkok stimulated excited conversation.
Ian ‘Bones’ Owens told of them being a regular annual feature at the
Edinburgh Festival to which he took his Kids Circus, as performers,
several years. As a rite of passage on turning 16, kids were allowed
to go to the show. Ian told of rowdy drunken audiences of mainly older
women and of extraordinary beer sales. Leo brought in about 40 images taken across 1970-71 that he’d promised to show to Ghil‘ad. Most, about 60 cm x 40 cm, were shown in a History Week installation in May 2021 (intended to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Moritorium protest in May 1970 it was delayed a year by COVID19). Three Hogarth lads turned up to view the show. (Wayne: I was one of them.)
And a then Leader of the Opposition with the SA Governor (hat and mackintosh) tucked under his right arm. WAYNE:
Ah Gough, where are you when we need you! Ghil‘ad
was especially interested in seeing images of his friend Lyn Arnold
and repeatedly photographed images that included Lyn and texted them
to him. Bewildered replies came in ‘Yes that’s me but where did you
find that?’ Lyn of course has copies of all my images that include
him. Ghil'ad noted that on the day when these photos were taken by
Leo, he was about ten days old.
Ghil'ad and Wayne. In the background, Andy and Leo who spent much of the afternoon in deep conversation, about which we know nought.
At meal's end lads were puzzled by an entry on our menu;
Clearly Mr Trump had ended both wars and there was nothing more to worry about so we spent perhaps 10 minutes mulling over how to motivate and or punish lads who do not send an apology when the rally call goes out. Banning was deemed pointless given that Pegge has ignored his. A 25% tariff was considered.
Wilf, Neville, Ian Lister, Ian Henschke
Andy, Leo, Ghil'ad, waiter plus intriguing view of the otherwise empty restaurant.
There was general approval of the meal served and some found themselves over filled. Ir was agreed that it was far better than served at Christmas and individual rather than shared puddings were served. For almost all the afternoon we were the only patrons. A table of four began around 3:30. All in all it was another robust occasion, with subjects of all sorts being discussed, though mercifully little time wasted on the loathsome Trump. The world once again set to rights.
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Wayne
gave a ludicrous explanation for this picture, which he noticed was
on not one but two toilet doors of a famous restaurant in the Coonawara
region, where he travelled recently.He surmised that they must be
toilets for one-legged women, though he had not seen any of these
in the area. He expanded on this in an article for the February edition
of his popular humorous magazine, Just For Laughs.
APRIL 2025
Hogarth: Downstairs at Jolley’s Boathouse. Thursday, April 17, 2025.
Attending: (7 persons): Leo Davis, Ian Lister, John McGowan, Rob Morrison,
Ian Owens, Chris Waterman, Milton Wordley.
Apologies:: Wayne Anthoney, Tony Brooks, Mark Coleman, Rob George, Ian Henschke,
Andrew Hill, Robert ‘Red’ Hodge, Michael Jacobs, Paul Kolarovich, Andy Ligertwood,,
Tony Parkinson, Ed Pegge, John Potter, Wilf Prest, Neville Sloss, David Thompson
(Singapore), Arwed Turon, Ghil‘ad Zuckermann..
Milton Wordley, Chris Waterman, Rob Morrison, John McGowan.
Conversation ranged over the long gone Willunga Almond Blossom Festival, eradication
of blackberries (goats were recommended), the virtues and monetary values
of ribbed flagons with their narrow bore corks, the wines of Slovenia, optimal
child birthing practice, jewellery making, Terowie and so Douglas McArthur
and of course John Patterson McGowan, the only Australian ever made Life Member
of the Directors Guild of America, who was born in Terowie. Further to this
last, recommended reading is J. P. McGowan: Biography of a Hollywood Pioneer.
McFarland, 2005, written by the unrelated John McGowan.
Milton Wordley, Chris Waterman, Rob Morrison, Ian Lister, Ian ‘Bones’ Owens.
Main course (steak and kipfler potatoes; NO GREENS) is finishing. An array
of tasty titbits had previously been well accepted and filled time and tums
well. Pudding, roundly enjoyed and as good as anyone could have asked, was
only taken by four, early commitments having taken three chaps off by 3pm.
‘Hello, Possums!’
An extraordinarily diurnal and slightly confused Trichosurus vulpecular (no, not Chris) moved up and down the tree till retreating out of our vision. But it must have still been in sight above the frame because a waiter went out and placed a fruit of Punica granatum from his own garden, at the foot of the tree and could be seen speaking upwards at the planned recipient. The well designed backward pointing toes on back legs were noted.
Milton Wordley, Chris Waterman.
Other conversation ranged over sometimes once more prosperous towns in northern
SA and western NSW and reasons for the change in fortunes; Silverton, Broken
Hill (short discussion of Pro Hart and an apocryphal story), Quorn, Burra,
Terowie (see above), Woomera (gun barrel highway and a history of British
V-bombers were discussed and Ian Owens recalled being woken at 3am to stand
outdoors, at Orroroo and see the flash of a nuclear test at Maralinga) and
a history of railways in the region was sketched. A tragic Wilpena Pound story
was new information to younger members. Performances and attendance at The
Catacombs, in the basement of now derelict Romilly House were recalled. Rob
Morrison described performing jazz there, late 1960s, with Robin (then Smith)
Archer and being paid little more than the price of a single drink in the
notoriously smoky establishment.
Ian Lister described a successful horticultural enterprise conducted by his
family. A bird seed supply business, it dispenses with middle men (whoops;
persons) and retailers by having the grove of almonds picked, free of charge,
by the customers, various species of Cacatua.
Naturally Konrad Lorenz’ work, across 1930s and 1940s, on imprinting greylag
geese (Nobel Prize 1973) came up again. Both Rob and Leo had stories of things
going wrong when students (tertiary for Rob, secondary for Leo) attempted
replication.
Surprisingly absent from conversation, perhaps deliberately avoided, were
Trump’s tariffs and other initiatives and the forthcoming Federal Election
(May 3) here.
WAYNE ANTHONEY ADDS:
I was unable to attend this month's lunch because another event took precedence, namely, a celebration lunch for our granddaughter Poppy's graduation from Flinders University with her Bachelor degree in Creative Arts (Dance). She is now a professional dancer.
Poppy Anthoney is congratulated by the Chancellor of Flinders University.
On the day before this, (Wednesday) our grandson Oscar also graduated from Flinders with a Bachelor degree in Medical Sciences. Oscar is among other things a keen surfer and marathon runner.
Oscar Anthoney with his girlfriend Tyla.
It
is perhaps unusual to include photos of grandchildren in these pages, but
what the hell, I've been maintaining this website for twenty five years and
if that's what I want to do, then that is what I will do. WA.
JUNE
Hogarth:
Downstairs at Jolleys Boathouse. Thursday, June 19, 2025
Attending: (15 persons): Bob Adams, Wayne Anthoney, Leo Davis, Rob George,
Ian Henschke, Robert ‘Red’ Hodge, Andy Ligertwood, Ian Lister, John McGowan,
Rob Morrison, Ian ‘Bones’ Owens, Ed Pegge, John Potter, Mick Wordley, Milton
Wordley.
Clearly much conversation occurred but very little was shared with the whole
table, except for Wayne reading a message from Ghil‘ad (see below) and a brief
mention of the passing of dear good man Paul Kolarovich.
Vale Paul Kolarovich.Good friend for many years, wonderful gentle and talented soul.
This photo, taken by Leo, shows Paul at his last visit to the Hogarth Club, December 2024.
From left front: Andy Ligertwood, Milton Wordley, Ian Lister (standing), Robert ‘Red’ Hodge, Wayne Anthoney, Ed Pegge (standing), Bob Adams, Rob George.
Rob Morrison, Ian Henschke, Mick Wordley.
Mick Wordley came as guest of his brother Milton. He established Mixmasters
recording studio decades ago and is a highly regarded record producer as well
as instrumentalist. You might check his history at www.discogs.com/artist/469225-Mick-Wordley?srsltid=AfmBOor9BMd1vWRPzUmcS5aE_6PX7U00cXdgyBwma6MRUD_23LDDiRU7
A small part of his work was recording a onetime Hogarth guest of Ghil‘ad,
(Sep 2013 at Jolleys), Eric Bogle (The Band Played Waltzing Matilda).
Rob Morrison gave advice on how to bluff your way with limited expertise in French. Tips were taught him by his French teacher for fooling the examiners in oral examination. He gave examples of it working in France. Not all of school was wasted of then. He told of making jewellery for Stephen Henschke (cousin of Ian) and suggesting being paid with something Stephen had made and was rewarded well with many bottles of Keyneton Estate,
Ian Henschke, had many tales to tell, some he’d told before. Mme De Gaul, asked for the secret to life replied ‘A penis’. A diplomat or leader, when asked what his hobby was, replied ‘I fuck horses’ where fuck means breed in his native tongue. A story was told of the trial of footballer David Kantilla.
Milton Wordley, Robert ‘Red’ Hodge, Wayne Anthoney.
I invited Ghil‘ad Zuckermann to attend Hogarth back in Chesser St days, in
February 2012. It was not expected that he’d be interested in a gathering
with an average age around 25 to 30 years more than his. Following a Hogarth
‘Rule’, I invited him three times to qualify for membership (a rule now abandoned
and observed as strictly as a ban on some members). Since then he has attended
on every occasion he could, in between extensive overseas travels to lecture,
delivery of local lectures and tutorials (that sometimes led to late arrivals
or early departures) and travels to do with his recovery of Barngarla language.
Wayne read a message he had sent to Ghil‘ad who is currently in troubled Israel, and the reply.
Dear Ghil'ad,
I do hope you are safe. Here in faraway Adelaide we have Hogarth lunch tomorrow,
with a good number of attendees. If you could give me a little bit of information
about how you are faring, and any other news that I can pass on to the company,
I am sure they would appreciate it. We all care for you very much.
Ghil'ad responded:
Wayne.With
pleasure. You can say something along the following lines:
Professor Ghil'ad Zuckermann is in Israel, assisting his sister, brother and
friends. He enjoys travelling all over the country because there are no traffic
jams and because people (Jews, Arabs etc.) are particularly lovely in these
dire times.
His only problem is lack of sleep due to sirens throughout the night. Ghil‘ad
enjoys free pyrotechnic shows and takes spectacular photos of Iranian missiles
landing (see WhatsApp for photos).
He adds: As we say in Israeli (reclaimed Hebrew): We've survived Pharaoh,
we'll survive this too.
Woody Allen might modify it to "We've survived Farrow, we'll survive
this too."
Warm wishes, Ghil‘ad
(Ghil'ad annoys some by insisting that the language spoken in Israel is not Hebrew but a constructed reclaimed language).
John Potter, John McGowan, Ian ‘Bones’ Owens (inspecting archival photos).
Robert ‘Red’ Hodge, Leo Davis (breaking long habit of not drinking when out), Wayne Anthoney (likewise!)
It was a treat to have ‘Red’ with us again after his last attendance on September
21, 2017, this being his 63rd attendance records since began in in 2000. Extensive
travels (WA, Ireland), health problems (largely resolved) and living at the
tip of Fleurieu Peninsula have contributed to his absences.
AUGUST
Hogarth:
Downstairs at Jolley’s Boathouse. Thursday, August 21, 2025.
Attending: (14 persons): Wayne Anthoney, Leo Davis, Rob George, Ian Henschke,
Peter Hunter, Andy Ligertwood, Ian Lister, John McGowan, Ed Pegge, Wilf Prest,
Neville Sloss, Arwed Turon, Milton Wordley, Ghil‘ad Zuckermann, Gianluca Gadi
Yuèyáng Zuckermann (non dining).
Ian Henschke, Andy Ligertwood, Ian Lister.
Ian Henschke circulated what looked like a miniature copy of a brass cannon,
about the size of a box of matches (remember them?) that has some association
with the Potts Family Bleasdale Winery at Langhorne Creek. The story was hard
to follow from the other end of table but in the image, while he points at
the device being examined by Ian Lister, he is holding a bottle of Bleasdale
Second Innings Malbec, the label of which honours Frank Potts II.
Somebody informed the table of The Golden Mile, a film about Herb Elliott,
directed by Ian Henschke, (previously mentioned in Hogarth report of August
2024) being awarded ‘Best Sports Report’ at the 2025 South Australian (SA)
Media Awards and being an official selection of the RunNation Film Festival
2025. Ian told of opportunities to view the film.
Wayne Anthoney, Rob George, Arwed Turon.
Wayne read us a comical piece, suggesting that it needed to be read in North
Country English accent. Later in the month it was found to appear in the August
edition of Just for Laughs.
A CLIFFTOP PICNIC BY THE SEA - By Les Barker
It were a sunny summer's day on this clifftop by the sea.
I'd made meself a picnic, just some sandwiches and tea.
I'd only been there half an hour, when I heard a sort of moan,
And gradually it came to me that I was not alone.
He were hangin' by his fingertips, from the edge of the abyss,
He'd been there quite a while, now let me tell you this.
When it comes to clifftop picnics it pays to be particular.
Always go for the horizontal part, never the perpendicular.
He'd already lost his tablecloth, his condiments as well.
His teapot too was missing; he were upset, I could tell.
There was no long preamble or extended explanation,
He limited himself to “Help” by way of conversation.
Now it is a very English thing, but as he hung above the sea,
I knew by his fingertips, I said, “Would you like a cup of tea?”
And I poured him out a cup. He seemed quite elated,
He took it from me straight away; perhaps he should have waited.
Clingin' by his left hand, in his right a cup of tea,
He hadn't many options, his fate were up to me.
And in light of his position, my next move was not as smart.
I said, “Do you take milk?” and I handed him the cart.
I thought that we had lost him to the crashing waves beneath.
But as he passed an overhanging branch, he grabbed with his teeth.
In his left hand still the milk, in his right hand still the cup.
I peered over the cliff edge. I looked down and he looked up.
Sometime later, they asked if it were my fault..." Nay"...
Though I must confess to great unease,
'cause I did call down and say, “Do you take sugar?”
And he looked up and said, “Yes please.”
Pegge spoke to the whole table about his concerns for the legacy of Hogarth
and its records.
Neville Sloss had given notice of a discussion about revising of the Rules
of Hogarth, mostly lapsed, including that a person needs to be invited three
times to qualify for member ship. Arwed, drawing upon a life in legal practice,
proposed that all rules be abandoned. These would include Pegge’s long term
banning, Wayne not being allowed to drink Port wine and cold soup being served
to certain members.
Milton Wordley, Wif Prest, Ghil‘ad Zuckermann, Wayne Anthoney, Rob George.
Ghil‘ad gave a report of his recent visit, of some weeks, to family and friends in Israel, during the conflict with Iran. His sister’s residence had been destroyed with all possessions but she survived unharmed. He spoke of courteous relations between Arab and Jewish residents and of a civil war proceeding between the citizens of Israel that is barely covered in the media. On a lighter note he informed us that he had been profoundly touched by his latest visit to a proctologist.
Wilf Prest (just), Ghil‘ad Zuckermann, Ian Henschke, Andy Ligertwood,
Ian Lister, Neville Sloss, Peter Hunter, Ed Pegge.
Ghil‘ad’s jokes often gently mock various Abrahamic religions, especially
the Jewish. He told of an imam, a priest and a rabbi being asked what they
would like to hear being said at their funeral. The imam recited text from
the Quran, the priest a blessing in classical Latin while the rabbi said he
wanted to hear ‘Look, look, he’s moving.’
Wayne Anthoney, Arwed Turon, Ed Pegge, Ian Henschke, Andy Ligertwood.
Pegge read us his rewritten version of ‘All the World’s a Stage’, delivered
by a woman I think; memory fails. Further, he expressed his concerns for the
legacy of Hogarth and its records.
Rob George.
Rob George spoke with enthusiasm about recent developments and renovations
at the Marino Community Hall, the committee of which he leads. He acknowledged
assistance and support from the former local member David Spiers.
Milton Wordley.
Milton told us that he and partner Anne-Marie visited our sometime member,
Philip White, now some years into his battle with prostate cancer, and found
the house silent and locked. After a key was located, they found Philip unconscious,
on the floor, in just his underpants, where he had lain for six hours. Five
days in hospital revived him and, quite extraordinarily, his GP (who today’s
guest Philip Hunter shares) has taken him into his house; bulk billing taken
to the extreme.
Ghil‘ad’s youngest son, Gianluca Gadi Yuèyáng Zuckermann made a non-dining visit to table, though he did bring his own nibbles.
Wayne concludes this report (written of course by Leo) with the following: I try to remember to take a photo of Leo at our lunch, because he never takes one of himself, but I forgot again this time, so I'm including one that I took in August 2024. Leo looked much the same this time.
OCTOBER
Hogarth:
Downstairs at Jolley’s Boathouse. Thursday, October 16, 2025.
Attending: (7 persons): Wayne Anthoney, Leo Davis, Ian Lister, Rob Morrison,
Neville Sloss, David Thompson, Milton Wordley.
With only seven at table it seems that meeting every second,
rather than every month has not boosted attendances. It is likely that the
regulars would turn up month by month. A return to a monthly gathering would
suit interstate and overseas chaps, such as today’s David Thompson (Singapore)
and Trigger's. .(Melbourne) and the peripatetic (Ghil‘ad, Tony) who sometimes
are in town during the off month.
Acoustics, at least for those with old ears, were very poor, but the tucker
was very good.
Wayne
Anthoney, David Thompson, Neville Sloss, Milton Wordley, Rob Morrison.
Since
the brain bleed, after his awful fall, Milton must drink alcohol-free wine.
He happily displayed his bottle from which few were interested in drinking.
Neville told an amusing tale of working, in 1975, as a TV journalist covering
the official opening of Maslin nude bathing beach. Some footage of the team
was only suitable for the end of year office party.
Wayne
proudly told of the success of his dancing granddaughter and also explained
that though Lichtenstenstein is one of the smallest countries in Europe it
is the world's largest supplier of sausage skins and false teeth. Well it
was in 1990. According to Bill Bryson.
Milton Wordley, Rob Morrison. Fish is served; others chose chicken.
This cautious observer was surprised by the enthusiasm expressed by some for
AI. One was happy with chapter 11 of something he is working on that AI produced.
Payments
for use of materials was discussed. Rob receives regular payments for his
past works, though this is likely unrelated AI.
Drawing
on his Curiosity Show days, Rob spoke of the strength and shapes of eggshells.
Birds that nest on rock ledges have eggs that roll in circles rather than
off the rock ledge. Many empty egg shell halves glued to a board can hold
surprisingly high loads.
Rob
spoke highly of the results of good planning in Singapore.
Advice
for young folk was discussed. One idea was ‘Make yourself an expert in something
that doesn’t matter.’
Following on the success of Wayne's recital of a whimsical poem by Les Barker entitled "A Clifftop Picnic by the Sea", at the August lunch, he favoured us with another one on this occasion.
HAVE YOU GOT ANY NEWS OF THE ICEBERG? - LES BARKER
In the years before the Great War
The world was in shock at the loss of Titanic
So proud had they been days before.
Relatives gathered for news of their loved ones,
To read through the list of the dead,
When into the throng came a sad-eyed Polar Bear,
And to the clerk at the counter he said...
Chorus:
Have you got any news of the iceberg?
My family were on it you see,
Have you got any news of the iceberg?
They mean the whole world to me.
My wife and children were coming from Greenland
To be by my side in the zoo.
Belinda's my wife and the eldest's called Bernard,
And Billy, well, he's only two.
I know on the ship there were hundreds of people,
And I know the iceberg's not yours,
The Polar Bear's eyes held the start of his teardrops
He covered his face with his paws.
It's been over a year since I last saw my children,
I left home to build my career:
I've worked very hard, I'm a star in the circus,
It's all been for nothing I fear.
There's my face on the poster, We're in town this week.
My Children were meeting me here.
Everyone watched as he struggled to speak
And his paw pushed away one more tear.
By now all the people had gathered beside him,
His grief was one they could share,
The people around him in silence and sadness,
Listened to the sad Polar Bear.
I wanted my children to see me performing,
And Belinda, she would have been proud.
At last, lost for words and his tears flowing freely,
The question was asked by the crowd.
Chorus:
Have you got any news of the iceberg?
My family were on it you see:
Have you got any news of the iceberg?
They mean the whole world to me.
Wayne prevailed upon David to recite the last chorus with him.
The awful situation in Gaza could not be ignored. Wayne said he was surprised
to find himself agreeing with conservative political commentator Chris Kenny,
in his judgement that Hamas has won. Hamas, wrote Kenny, has succeeded in
once again building worldwide hatred against the Jews and they don't care
how many Palestinians they themselves kill in order to futher this objective.
David expressed support for the Palestinian cause.
Ian Lister, Wayne Anthoney, David Thompson.
The views are better downstairs than up.Those familiar with the harsh ways
of the Natural World will understand why some might see this scene (there
are, were, 22 ducklings!), observed when leaving Jolley’s, as a sad one.
No Hogarth Club luncheon report is complete without a photo of Leo, who never takes one of himself.
Leo
DECEMBER
.
Attending: (22 persons): Wayne Anthoney, Mark Coleman,
Keith Conon, Leo Davis, Andrew Hill, Robert ‘Red’ Hodge, Andrew Ligertwood,
Ian Lister, Bob Lott, John McGowan, Rob Morrison, Ian ‘Bones’ Owens, Tony
Parkinson, Ed Pegge, John Potter, Wilf Prest, Tass Schmidt, Neville Sloss,
Arwed Turon, Chris Waterman, Milton Wordley, Ghil‘ad Zuckermann.
We start this monumental report with a tribute to Leo Davis, who joined the club in 2000 and since then has photographed almost every monthly gathering, written excellent reports and also distributed hard copies of photos to members at subsequent lunches. It has been an awesome effort. THANKYOU LEO!
Leo takes up the reins:
A combination of geriatric hearing and very poor acoustics made keeping track of conversations between 22 participants difficult. The sample following therefore is unbalanced and unrepresentative.
After the winter menu reprieve ($60), some were startled by today’s asking
of $110. An alternate venue was suggested by at least one.
. Chris Waterman, Robert ‘Red’ Hodge, Wilf Prest (standing), Rob Morrison, Neville Sloss (standing) John Potter, Ian ‘Bones’ Owens, John ‘McGoon’ McGowan, Andrew Hill, Mark Coleman (standing).
Neville had decided to cheer us up by having Wayne read the roll of those
Hogarth Club members we know have left us. Wayne compiled the list with help
from Pottsie Potter and Leo..
DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE HOGARTH CLUB as at 4/12/25
John
Mitchell about 1997 Original member (OM)
Tony Short. Dec 23, 2007.
Lindon Owen. Feb 17, 2008.
Tony Colebatch. Feb 15, 2015.
Paul Lloyd. March, 2015.
Graham Doug Craig. May 2015.
John Bannon. Dec 21, 2015.
Bob Ellis. April 13, 2016.
Bill Kay. June, 2021.
Philip Satchell. Aug, 2021.
Phil Grummet. Nov 3, 2021.
Mike Norman. July 8, 2022. Founder and OM
Terry McEwen. March, 2023.
Michael Johnston. May 29, 2023.
Geoff Shepherd. Aug 3, 2023.
Malcolm Elliot. Oct 29, 2023. OM
Ian Sando. Nov 5, 2023.
Ian Bidmeade. May 2, 2024.
Primo Caon. June 24, 2024. Manager of the Chesser Cellars
Rod Wicks October 2024 OM
Paul Kolarovich. June 11, 2025.
ORIGINAL MEMBERS STILL EXTANT
Keith Conlon
Sandy McLeay
Don Riddell
Those
who were originals were noted along with the three who are still with us.
One, Don Riddell, who last attended in February 2015, sent an apology as well
written as one would expect of the onetime Editor of The Advertiser, in days
when it was a more reliable source.
Don
Riddell, February 15, 2015.
My
dear Sloss
Yes, near my mid-90s, but still keeping the dreaded nursing homes at bay.
Jill and I have downsized to a few blades of grass looking up the West Lakes
rowing course.
I don't come to Hogarth or any other pit of argument because I can't hear.
Still have voluminous and accurate opinions about everything - why don't we
have a Treasurer who understands economics - why have we allowed education
to be so useless - why have we become anti-Semitic - why don't we support
Defence - what's become of men and women – etc.
But it is no use talking about these or anything else if you can't hear the
answers and have a decent fight.
Being one of the few originals still going I miss the younger people like
Brooks, Anthoney, Pegge and my Potter cousins.
Happy Christmas. Keep it going.
Don
Meant to add ... I would have loved to tell you the real story of how Charlie
Perkins and I held a two-man demonstration against John Laws.
Don
Wayne reading the list (see above). Keith later detailed the four rarely observed ‘Rules’ of the Club
Detail of Keith’s 1954 Royal Visit tie, found in a second hand shop
Some whose busy schedules and travels only allow one visit per year, or less,
were here today, including Keith Conlon, Tony Parkinson, Bob Lott, Mark Coleman,
Robert "Red" Hodge and, for her third Xmas gathering, Neville’s
guest Tass Schmidt (Bumpy Two).
Tony Parkinson, Keith Conlon, Bob Lott, Ian Lister.
Wayne Anthoney, Tass Schmidt (accepting confirmation as a full member), Milton Wordley.
As we were settling in news came that Ghil‘ad Zuckermann was then flying in
to Adelaide and so he arrived a little late..
Ghil‘ad Zuckermann and Arwed Turon.
Clockwise: Ghil‘ad Zuckermann, Arwed Turon (hidden), Tony Parkinson, (hidden), Bob Lott, Ian Lister, Ed Pegge (hidden), Andy Ligertwood, Keith Conlon, Wayne Anthoney, Neville Sloss, Tass Schmidt, Chris Waterman, Robert Hodge, Rob Morrison.
Milton Wordley, Chris Waterman, Robert Hodge, Rob Morrison.
Andrew Hill, Mark Coleman, John McGowan, Wilf Prest.
Neville had invited each of us to reveal to the group one personal achievement
from 2025. Few could come up with one. Bob Lott had to be strongly pressured
to tell of significant progress and initiatives of his various theatrical
endeavours.
Ghil‘ad Zuckermann was proud of having shed 1/5th of his body weight.
Tony mentioned having withdrawn from life as a restaurateur then segued into
a retelling of the Port Turton turnoff.
Pegge has been organising his extensive archives in preparation for lodging
them in the State Library. He took the opportunity to complain about a number
of favourite matters to do with dramatic arts, proper use of language and
more.
Bob Lott, Ian Lister, Ed Pegge, Andy Ligertwood, Neville Sloss
Ron Morrison read us a witty poem he’d composed outlining his concerns about
the assaults on our language, mounted by mainly a younger generation. Here's
the poem, which Rob was happy for us to record...
COUCH POTATO GRAMMAR - Rob Morrison
Lord help the hapless teacher who's required to teach the rules
Of simple English grammar to the students in our schools,
Addicted to their mobile phones, where TikTok for the young
Is full of crass examples of our murdered mother tongue.
How can they teach of pronouns such as 'they' or 'he' or 'she'
When students simply nominate which one they want to be?
Or tolerate the writing of some half-illiterate clown
Who can't discriminate between an adjective and noun?
A teacher of today could not do anything to curb
The use of 'fun' as adjective and 'summit' as a verb?
And students aren't the only ones. Today we must accept
That journalists are equally grammatically inept.
Their prepositions don't escape this literary rout
Especially in the USA, which simply leaves them out!
A text or blog or article from one of them today,
While peppered with emojis, would be written in this way:-
'So write me; see you Monday; we'll talk sport about half four:
I should be ready lunchtime;' I could offer many more
Abandoned prepositions, but one has to wonder why
You'd want to cancel 'to' and 'on,' 'about' and 'past' and 'by!'
John Potter entertained us again with John Clarke’s ‘A Child's Christmas in
Warrnambool’ with his usual practised style and flair.
John Potter, Ian ‘Bones’ Owens, John ‘McGoon’ McGowan, Andrew Hill, Mark Coleman, Wilf Prest.
Keith Conlon spoke with enthusiasm about a recent project. Along with Leigh
Radford, he’d been commissioned by the Royal Agricultural Show people to prepare
a presentation marking the Centenary of the current Showgrounds.
Keith had to leave early to bus home for a change of clothes before being installed, later that afternoon as a Fellow of the soon to disappear, University of Adelaide. Someone suggested that Keith would make a Jolly Good Fellow which naturally led to a rousing rendition of that thorny old song.
Wayne recalled his days as a project manager for Nyangatjatjara Aboriginal Corporation in the NorthernTerritory, and having a visit in 2000 by Anthony Albanese who was at the time a shadow minister.. Albo spotted the name of the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations on a certificate of incorporation on the wall. The name was Nouredine Bouhafs.Albo said, "Nouredine Bouhafs. What a bastard he is." Then theprincipal of the school that Wayne had been superintending came and whisked Albo away for an inspection. So alll Wayne learned from the visit was that Nouredine Bouhafs is a bastard.
.
Wilf was asked of any recent work and said that he’d recently published another
paper. Asked if there was anything he still did not know about his primary
research target, Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) he has indeed. Recently
he has found records of the good judge and Tory politician’s wine purchases.
Wayne adds: It was agreed that this had been an excellent lunch and the food superb, but there is still disquiet about the ever-rising cost, so this matter remains a subject for discussion'
AND THUS ENDS 2025, HOGARTH CLUB WISE.