THE MALONEY SCRAPBOOK

Speech 13 - The Launch of Hepburn Matters    (written and presented by Warren Maloney at the Daylesford Town Hall on Wednesday, 22 June 2022) Friends and Neighbours, A Brief Word from and for our Community before we indulge in scones, jam, cream and a cuppa.   This Evening, we have celebrated a fine Performance by Lyall Brooks in “A Prudent Man”, a Production made possible by our local, distinguished Production Company, Lab Kelpie, under the Leadership of Adam Fawcett.   This Production generously segues into our Launch, this evening, of a vital Community advocacy Group, Hepburn Matters.   When our Community was told that the Vision for the Rex Theatre site of preserving the main street heritage building, delivering an expanded Library, preserving the Daylesford Community Cinema, and providing exciting Community Spaces for our Youth and our Arts were cancelled, we felt more than lost. We felt hopeless in the face of silent Bureaucracy and distant Politic...

 Anecdote 2 -  “CHERRY BOBS” – A UNIQUE BRUNSWICK TRADITION   If you know how to play “cherry bobs”, then you attended St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Hope Street West Brunswick! For over 50 years, and apparently at nowhere else, this game predominated in the enthusiastic activities of Primary School Children.   As the game relied on a constant and consistent supply of cherries, the game was seasonal - a perfect lead up to the Christmas holidays. For when cherries were IN, then “cherry bobs” was the game.   The Rules were simple, although devious tricks had been cultivated by generations of children.   The First Step was to dig a hole in the hard earth of the playground. At St Joey’s, this was under the gum trees near the Hope Street entrance. The diameter and depth of the hole was at the Digger’s discretion.   The little Digger then measured out a similarly discretionary distance from the hole, and with the edge of those school shoes (...

ON WITH THE SHOW, UNCLE DOUG! (Written 11 February 2022 by Warren Maloney) "Uncle" Doug Elliott was born today in 1917. If you ever met him in Theatre, TV, or Politics or down Puckle Street, you had an Uncle Doug story. One I love was at the Northcote Plaza Theatre in 1948, when my Aunt Joan was the "leading boy" in the Christmas Pantomime. One difficulty she had was that she was almost 9 months pregnant, but the black tights and specially fitted jerkin and performing mainly rear-stage helped. Then Nature called and she had to leave the stage hurriedly and mid-song. Doug, who was stage managing, stepped out and did a 12 minutes impromptu singing and comedy routine until Joan could return. It was so good and loved by the audience, Doug reprised it every show until Christmas.

  JANUARY 1st Not only do we lesser mortals fiddle in our sincerity with New Year Resolutions BUT the higher echelons, our Rulers in Government, see the start of a New Year (particularly a New Century, as significant enough to make big changes. 1 January 1801 - Prime Minister William Pitt (the Younger) convinced the Catholic middle-class of Ireland to allow Ireland to join " the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland ". Because the Catholics were for it, the Proddies were against it. But Nevertheless this Union came to pass and lasted until 1921. Not a bad Imperialist time span! 1 January 1856 - The vastly influential business community (read farms & hotels) of Van Diemen's Land were successful in changing the name to Tasmania, still recognising that the Dutch " discovered " the Island before the English, but showing the strength of the English as Queen Vic had to assent to the idea! It is fascinating to think that the good burghers were nearly all ex-Convict...

 NOT POSSIBLE TO LIVE AS AN ISLAND I have been working through a discussion with some Friends as to whether you can CONTROL your life e.g. Is the life of a cloistered Monk/Nun (no matter what religion) desirable or really possible? Can you ignore "Events" and substitute Self-Discipline, Ritual, Repetition, Simplicity?  The discussion began through meeting one of our local bush hermits - a Bloke who claims to have lived in the local Wombat Forest for over 10 years in a reclaimed mud-brick hut and surviving on bush tucker and what he can grow from the seeds he started with. Leaving aside my personal doubts about his total veracity, his lifestyle did open up a discussion which included no conversations, no sex with others, no links by printed or electronics, no electricity, no updating of clothes nor possessions, no need for appearance approval, little channge in diet, and so it goes. My World is so dependent on News cycles, virtual or actual interactions, endless reading materi...

 Anecdote 1 - "If you want a Loyal Friend in Politics ... (Written by Warren Maloney on 27th June 2021) 1989 and the Queensland people had at last voted out the very, very corrupt National Party Government under Joh Bjelke-Petersen. It had taken a Royal Commission to expose the large and frequent bribes and corrupt practices that had ruled Queensland for 21 years, The Labor Party, led by Wayne Goss, was elected. The Nationals were furious and shredded everything (even technical office manuals) in their last few days and instructed Public Servants not to assist the new Government.  My good Friend, Deane Wells, was elected and chosen to be the new Attorney General and Minister for Justice. I flew up to Brisbane to help him as a temporary Chief of Staff for the first few weeks.   Day 1 - Whilst trying to sort out staff and equipment (and keep Deane busy), I received a phone call from " the leading " good guys Legal firm (the ones with the white hats and the white h...

  Snippet of Family History - " We are born with a History, and we live to tell another Story " (Warren Maloney)   Snippet 14 - Memories of Brunswick (Memory pieces written by Warren Maloney during 2020) WHEN YOU ARE A STEP UP FROM THE " HOI POLLOI " IN BRUNSWICK Blyth Street was very much the " significant " address in Brunswick from the 1920s to the 1960s. Doctors, Quarry Managers, Commercial Landlords, and Accountants distinguished their family needs with one of the fine houses in a fine wide street. Flats and too many cars took care of that status by the 70s.The Doctors are long since gone. The Quarries are closed. The Landlords are largely Corporations, and the Accountants   have amalgamated several times over. Such is the passing of time in Brunny. Blyth is still a fine street with the iconic view to Sydney Road at one end and the links to North Fitzroy and Carlton at the other end. Cnr of Blyth St & Sydney Rd, Brunswick – 1979   ANOTH...