THE MALONEY SCRAPBOOK

  Commentary 14 - Perspective (Written 25 August 2022 by Warren Maloney) As bad as the loss to Collingwood was, and as deep as the dark gloom felt, perspective came when I was scanning some old photos and found this one of me in 1952 (70 years ago) in our West Brunswick front yard - sort of learning to "kick a torp". I realised how blessed I had been to follow Dad's team through lots of thin as well as delicious thick. 16 years after this kick, I saw my first blues Premiership and the decades following brought 7 more. Not enough I know...AND the thins were really thin! But from Johnny James through to Crippa, the Perspective feels good! Bring on 2023!

  Anecdote 3 - BLOKES WHO TREAD SOFTLY Maybe it still goes on as frequently, but in the streets of Brunswick post-WWII there always seemed to be 1 or 2 single adult men (sons or brothers) who lived their life out in the back bungalow or rear bedroom.  They smiled and stopped to chat as they passed to or from the factory work or their pub. Sometimes Mum would invite them to join our family tea, or sit on the verandah with Dad on the hot summer nights. They usually had a "party piece" - a song or poem recital for the Sunday nights when we would gather around some neighbour's lounge and entertain ourselves or play cards, and always talk (mostly on boring things to our childish ears). Tommy Tyler was one of those blokes. He lived out the back of his Mum's place in Collings Street for 51 years until Mrs Tyler died. Then he moved into a room at Whitby House, and finally a renovated garage in Rose Street.  Tommy sang "Danny Boy" with a wonderful tenor voice, but he...

  Commentary 13 - NEVER COME BETWEEN CONSERVATIVES AND A GRASP FOR POWER (Written by Warren Maloney on 17th August 2022) It was revealed this week that the former Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, had secretly had himself sworn in as Minister in at least 5 Major ministerial roles without telling the Ministers serving in those roles, hid Deputy Prime Minister, the Leadership of both parts of the Conservative Coalition, Department Heads, Parliament, the Security Agencies, OR the Public. It was agreed to secretly by the Governor General. Morrison said he only used the new powers once but this is still under enquiry. It effectively  moved Morrison to potentially more powerful than Parliament lied/failed to tell Parliament the truth lied/failed to tell his Political and Public Service Leadership lied/failed to tell the Australian People In Australia, and in the UK, the office of Prime Minister does not exist by Legislation or Constitution. It exists by Convention...

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...