Cultural Day Out

Yesterday 11 January I was pleased to go out with my grandson, Jordan.  Our first stop was the Gallery of Modern Art which is a great contribution to the cultural landscape of Brisbane.  We saw the exhibition "Falling Back to Earth", a very large exhibition by Cai Guo-Qiang (pronounced tsai gwo-chang).  This is his first solo exhibition in Australia so Brisbane is very privileged and fortunate to have his work displayed here.  We first looked at one room of the exhibition which had a very large eucalyptus tree on its side, partly suspended.  It was removed from a development site and now as a dead tree, stripped of most of its leaves, the viewer can see close up the beauty of the destroyed tree, its many colours and textures.  We can also think about the environment and the many similar trees that are destroyed and used to make the homes we live in.  Children were encouraged to draw the tree and results were pinned to the wall.

In an adjacent gallery is a magnificent work showing 99 replica animals of many different species shown drinking from one large pond. Our guide told us the animals had been created from goat skins and plastic.  They look very realistic.  There are tigers, lions, hyenas, zebra, giraffes and many others.  There are predators and prey, yet in this display they are together sharing water, symbolising a hope that the world may live in peace despite our differences.  A drop of water falls from the ceiling periodically to break the surface of the pool.  Our guide told us the room was supposed to be a place of quiet contemplation, however, this was not possible as there were very small children making a lot of noise.  I thought they should have been banned so there might be the possibility for quiet contemplation.  The other aspect that would be difficult for small children is that there is no real barrier between the animals and the public.  There is a walkway around the animals but only sand separating them - such a temptation for small children.

We followed our guide to the gallery which housed the installation that gave this exhibition its title "Falling Back to Earth". Here were displayed 99 replica wolves, 1/3 the size of normal wolves, every one different, in a different pose.  Our guide explained the wolves are racing to reach a glass wall and crashing into the wall, falling, with various degree of injury then getting up and doing it all over again.  You can interpret this in whatever way you like e.g. hitting an obstacle on the way in life, but picking yourself up and trying again.  Our guide said the gallery thought the wolves would frighten the children because of the savage expressions on their faces but quite the contrary.  The children were very intrigued with them. It was a thought provoking exhibit.  One of the best things about this whole exhibition was that we were permitted to take photographs.

Our guide told us that Cai Guo-Qiang was a renowned fireworks artist.  Near the GoMA entrance a video was playing on a large screen showing several of the fireworks displays that he had made.  They were dazzling, works of art, not just different coloured lights in the sky.  He also had a work displayed in the Queensland Art Gallery and we went to see that before we had lunch at the Art Gallery cafe.

We then moved on to the Lyric Theatre, though a little early, to be there for the matinee performance of "The Rocky Horror Show".  This was a fabulous musical which I had seen before so many years ago that I had forgotten most of it.  The main role of Frank N Furter was played by Craig McLachlan and he gave a great performance.  It is a timeless classic, Brad and Janet's car breaks down near a strange castle inhabited by even stranger "people".  The audience thoroughly enjoyed the rendition of "The Time Warp", which was repeated in a fantastic finale.  Jordan said it was "brilliant.  That word pretty much sums up the whole day.

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Heat wave - 4 January 2014

Last Saturday, 4 January, we experienced the hottest summer, for many many years.  The whole state sweltered in 40degC+ for more than a week and then it was Brisbane's turn.  We had 44degC here.  I didn't go outside at all but had the luxury of airconditioning to keep me cooler, though the A/C did struggle and kept temperature down inside to 30degC.  We had planned to have a barbecue but postponed it till the next day when the temperature had dropped to a tolerable 30degC.  It was our first barbecue for 2014 and as usual it was delicious.  Terry is great at doing barbecues.

1 January 2014

Today is the first day of the first month of the year 2014 and I've realised it is a long time since I've added a post to this Blog.  I had used it as a sort of diary for a long time but then got lazy and used Facebook instead.  So my absence from this Blog is not because I haven't done anything interesting in my life since June 2012, it's just that I've failed to keep up this Blog.  Last year was a mixture of good times and bad as are all years really.  The two happy highlights for me were celebrating my 60th birthday with my family and friends and then my trip to Italy with my husband, Terry, and my sister, Sharney.  I am still writing about that trip in more detail which will be a new Blog when finished.  I plan to focus on the enjoyment of the trip and also the challenges that arose travelling as a disabled person. We had a good Christmas with all my family, with lunch with Terry's family and then dinner with my family.  We look forward to 2014 and hope that we will have more happy times than sad times.

Centenary Suburbs Historical Society website

I'm a member of the Centenary Suburbs Historical Society and we were very pleased to launch our web site last week which can be found at http://cshsoc.org.au/.  We had our local Councillor Matthew Bourke in attendance as our President, Caroline Hamilton, officially launched our site at the Mount Ommaney Library. It was an exciting moment for members as it has taken a while to organise and will now give the public access to their local history and perhaps boost membership of the society.  Charlotte Young was formally thanked for designing the website and showing me how to manage it, which involved many hours  uploading historical facts and photographs.  Our historian, Meg Gordon, shared her historical research on the website.

My Mum turns 80

A few weeks ago, my mother, Val, celebrated her 80th birthday. The family had arranged a surprise lunch at a new "posh nosh" at Redcliffe with several members of her extended family including spouses/partners. There were three grandchildren who were not able to attend, being interstate or overseas. We had a delicious lunch and then surprised Mum by taking her upstairs to a lovely room overlooking the water, where she would spend the night. There we were able to chat more easily and enjoy the view. My sister Sharney had arranged for the room to be decorated with "80" balloons and streamers and had a beautiful dark chocolate cake ready with candles. Granddaughter, Nicole, from London had sent a bottle of Moet champagne to mark the occasion. My brother Kevin and wife Mary had flown up from down south. So Mum had her three children there, five of her eight grandchildren and her great-grandson there. This was a very happy day for all of us and especially for Mum to have most of her family gathered around her. Photos include Mum with her children, the grandchildren who were there and a "four generations" photo.

Disabled Travel

In October 2011 I travelled without my husband, for the first time, to attend a conference in Melbourne. I had a friend accompany me as my “carer” and fellow conference attendee. This would be my first “adventure” as a disabled person. We flew with QANTAS who assured me they would “look after me” and they did. They have a “sky chair” that they leave on board should I have needed to use the toilet (fortunately, I didn’t). We arrived in Melbourne and got a maxi-taxi with two other friends who were travelling to the same hotel. Unfortunately, the driver had never taken a disabled passenger before in his brand-new taxi. He managed to get me on board then broke open new plastic bags containing the parts used to secure me in the taxi. With some help from me and my friend, we somehow managed to get me strapped down, though I did not feel really confident – should have left and asked for another maxi taxi. Anyway, we arrived at our hotel without incident. I had booked a room at this hotel for two reasons – it was close to the conference venue and they had a “disabled” room available. A porter accompanied us to our rooms with our luggage on a trolley. Before he left the room, I asked to look around. I wheeled in to the bedroom where I would sleep. (They had a sofa bed made up in the lounge room for my friend). The bathroom was off the bedroom and I asked the porter to open the door. It would only open part way before it hit the bed – impossible for a wheelchair to enter. In fact only a thin person could enter. I protested that this was “ridiculous” for a disabled room. His solution was to move the bed further over so I was able to enter. You couldn’t swing a cat in that bedroom, it was so small. My friend had to put my clothes in the wardrobe for me as I couldn’t get to it. I had ordered a shower chair, which wasn’t there, but when I asked, they brought it up later. The bathroom towels were on a high shelf. The kitchen crockery was in a high cupboard. The refrigerator could only be opened part-way. I couldn’t reach the tap or the kettle switch. Overall, this “disabled” room did not pass the test. I was fortunate to have a friend/carer with me. I know disabled people do travel on their own but I can’t see how they would manage in a room like this. We asked the manager to come to our room and politely pointed out the shortcomings and he seemed sincere and appreciative of our feedback. I will follow up with the hotel to see if they made changes. This situation is partly my fault as I should have checked the Spinal Cord Injuries Australia web site http://scia.org.au for what they say is “disabled” accommodation. A disabled traveller needs to do a lot more research, ask more questions to ensure they will have a successful holiday. However, there are varying levels of disability and most able-bodied people have no understanding of the issues we face, so travelling for us will always be a challenge. Anyway, we managed and enjoyed the conference, looking around Melbourne, and eating at some great restaurants.

National Oral History Conference, Melbourne

Last weekend I attended the National Oral History Conference in Melbourne. The theme was “Communities of Memory”. I went there with my friend, Lena, who was also attending the Conference and we both enjoyed it very much. It was good to catch up with interstate colleagues/friends and meet new ones.

On the first morning we attended a Recording Techniques workshop at the ABC which was run by Michelle Rayner. There was a large group and we all talked about our projects and the audio recorders we used. We then went in to a recording studio to see how the radio people edit their work. In the afternoon we went to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Federation Square where we had some practical advice on video recording from Catherine Gough-Brady inside a lecture theatre then we were went outside to practise. Later in the afternoon Al Thomson, Kevin Bradley and Michelle Rayner presented an update on the Australian Generations Project and the expected outcomes.

Day One of the Conference itself began with Keynote Speaker Steven High from Canada whose paper was entitled “Communities of Memory in Practice: A Reflection on the Montreal Life Stories Project”. He spoke about communities experiencing the aftermath of catastrophic change citing the example of a mill which was the lifeblood of a town being closed down. He also spoke about the Montreal Tutsi refugees and the way they are remembering the 1994 genocide. It was a very powerful presentation. The rest of the day we had a number of excellent presentations on a variety of topics including digital storytelling, culture and lifestyle, and artistic approaches to documenting oral history. At the end of the day we had a Welcome Reception to enjoy catching up with old friends and meeting new ones over a glass of wine.

On Day Two we had our second Keynote Speaker Nathalie Nguyen with her paper “Memory and Diaspora: The Vietnamese Refugee Experience”. She said South Vietnamese soldiers were not acknowledged in the now united Vietnam – their cemeteries have been razed. She interviewed three former female South Vietnamese soldiers now living in Australia. Their role has not been acknowledged though they made a large contribution to the Vietnam War but they could only reveal their army life once they had arrived in Australia. Each had a different reason for joining the Army, mainly for adventure and to break free from the “normal” female role in their society. Once again this was the first of a number of great papers presented during the day including one from our own OHAA Qld branch members, Helen Klaebe and Ariella Van Luyn about the workshops we held earlier in the year.

On Day Three more terrific papers culminated in the final paper and third Keynote Speaker Peter Read with his “The Limits of Oral History”. He spoke about the horrors of the Pinochet coup in Chile in 1973 and the following years. He told us about the “disappeared”, the fate of many of whom is still uncertain today. One particular “house of horror” was in the centre of Santiago and is now a memorial place where relatives of the “disappeared” gather in silence, pasting photos of their lost loved ones on the walls. The government seems uncertain about what to do about this building as it tries to hide the past. Oral histories of the survivors are vital in ensuring those terrible times are not forgotten, but then how far do we go with our remembering. Read also talked about Aboriginal Reconciliation and drew similarities with the Chilean experience – horrific past and how we should remember it. Read said he was “turned on by place” and we must hear the voice of the subject – value the voice! Every generation will tell the story in a different way. He finished with a quote (translated) written by a young woman on a cigarette paper to her friend (also imprisoned), that was secreted out of her Santiago prison, knowing she would soon be killed. “I remember when I met you in the house of terror. In those moments in which a light was a dream. Or a miracle, however, you were light in the mist. We were one in one reverse. Today thousands of reverses. Later I see you as you were before, as I know you are today, in some other place, always looking to windward. We will meet across the fog that we will dissolve. Do not forget me.” When Read stopped speaking the audience sat silently stunned. It was the most powerful oral history presentation I had yet experienced.

That night Lena and I had dinner in Greek restaurant, Tsindos, which we very much enjoyed. The food and atmosphere was delightful. There were two Greek guitar players entertaining us during our meal. It was a wonderful way to finish off our days at the Conference.