The new British anti-smacking law is incredulous. I watched David Dimbleby’s ‘Question time’ last night ( a ‘must see’ for grumpy old men and women who never bothered with politics until their sex life went out of the window) with debate on Parliaments latest ruling on smacking children. Unlike some…
Black Petticoats As youngsters, my brothers and I loved to watch the cane fires when it was cane crushing season in Mackay [central Queensland]. The fires fascinated us children the most. The burnt animals were not a pretty sight though. I recall catching fleeing bandicoots with our mother who gave…
Birds of the Aberdare Ranges Vegetation is a great influencing factor in the occurrence of bird-life. The Aberdare ranges spot a myriad of treetops in forestland, moutane grassland and moorland. The Ranges host an amazing number of bird-life types. Some 250 species to be exact. Forest birding is a difficult…
AUNTIE My sprightly wee Auntie says, “Seventy’s not old, if you’re happy and snugly closed off from the cold, with a cuppa in hand, where others have none, and the quest of your life is just having fun.” The ladies next door (there is one either side) still have their…
A Tree Named Anzac An open and level stretch of land reposes at the foot of Mt Brisbane, and is enwrapped by the Brisbane River bending gracefully around it. In 1942, this became a military airfield destined to be a supply and maintenance base. But the war moved North and…
“A Pocket Full of Rye” So goes the old nursery rhyme, Sing a Song of Sixpence. Perhaps we might be forgiven for applying this use of the word pocket to the pouch of the marsupial animals, for it contains not only the infant but also the food supply of mother’s…
Afghanistan – 1953 Snow and wind were lashing against my face as I sat on top of an oil tanker, the usual mode of travel in Afghanistan. I was completely surrounded by Afghans, all of whom carried rifles and bandoliers of cartridges. We were crushed in together like a tin…
A Friend A friend is one you know and trust Who’ll stand by you from dawn till dusk. It’s wonderful what a friend can do To cheer you when your feeling blue. A friend will say, “I love you so.” Or, “Gee, I hate to see you go.” A friend…
A Midget Raindrop In the hope of Gaining some height, A midget raindrop Hung on to the parapet. To fulfill their Everlasting desire, Some more drops Followed suit. Indeed they were tall, But in a flash Did they all fall Flat on their faces. Grossly mortified Did they quietly melt…
Once the earning potential of freelance writers becomes apparent, many people will ask themselves “How do I become a freelance writer?” The process can be as hard or as easy as you want to make it. Like any process, you have to have a reasonable idea of what the final product is and the ingredients or steps along the way to achieving it. If you give some thought to how many different types of writers there are, you will see that you have discovered the first step along the way to becoming one.
Bathgate Avenue It was 1937, and at nine year of age I was aware, in that Depression year, that my family was poor. When I wasn’t permitted to go out of the house at holiday times, because my parents were ashamed that they couldn’t afford new clothes for me, I…
Ballroom Encounter The day’s unfortunate happenings had led Janie to run to the Mall. She didn’t know why she was there. She just knew she had to get out of that God-forsakin’ school and away from Ellie. Ellie who was supposed to be her best friend in the whole wide…