'Blue Sky Mining' 2

   Sometimes it seemed excessive to buy two or more of the alternative t-shirt designs at an 'Oils' show BUT this time around I was very glad I had when I stupidly hung the black version of this on the clothesline way too close to the public street... and predictably had it stolen during the day!! This album was huge follow up to 'Diesel & Dust' and we all queued in a huge crowd inside the old Workers Club in the afternoon for tickets to the Oils two nights of concerts held soon after... there were so many people they began distributing raffle tickets and calling batches of fifty to the counter... as my mates left they whispered that nobody was checking the ticket when you got to the front... I did have to get to Uni so I slowly chatted with heaps of people I knew as I sidled up the desk about 700 earlier than I should have... sorry!!
   I saw this gig at the Sydney Entertainment Centre as well... which is where this shirt came from... I travelled back down and went with a bunch of Sydney devotees...
   It was also a significant album because as a back up to D&D this could have propelled the Oils into U2 territory... but it's been well written about that the band instead took a year off to spend time with family and to set off the round about... the Oils doing what they do... deciding as a band and sticking to that!!

'21' The Most Premierships by any of the Clubs

    One of my favourite stories from this year's NRL Rugby League Grand Final was the tactic of the Bulldogs coach Des Hasler to hold back his team for minutes to leave the South Sydney Rabbitohs out on the field, to have time to reflect on the pressure of expectation that it had been 43 years and some very dark days since the last Souths premiership.
   Instead of this, the faithful and all supporters in the crowd embraced the team, cheered rapturously and both they and the team soaked up the atmosphere of opportunity instead of fear... it was actually palpable at home in the lounge room on the TV and evident in the players faces... even better, after the fact, the Bulldogs copped a fine from the NRL for breaking the rules...
   This t-shirt makes a nice compliment to my 20 premierships one from the Centenary of Rugby League collection a few years ago... Souths may or may not go back to back or win 2 of the next four years BUT this was a special year and special day... the last time I watched this club win was on black and white TV in the lounge room in East Maitland as a ten year old!! Next year's playing jersey will have 21 hoops of alternatively red and green as a celebration!!

'Recognise'

http://www.recognise.org.au

   It's not time to talk about holding off on a vote, its time to bring people together to make sure there's a bipartisan approach, a unified campaign and a clear articulation of the issues and positives in 'recognising' aboriginal people in our national Constitution... a step on the way to an agreement and financial compensation for history. Our history is a scar on 'the soul' of this country and it makes us less than we can be while our story is incomplete... read, ask, act!!

'Waratahs Super 15 CHAMPIONS'

   Yes, and I don't just mean of March... but the whole thing... and this is the newest t-shirt in my collection!! It arrived this week after enough people ordered it for the print run and I guess in case it was a Father's Day order.
   I've been a Waratahs Life Member since they capitalised on thee 1991 Rugby World Cup and the membership categories launched then offered a first buyer 'window' for Test tix when Bledisloe Tests sold out in 20mins to the public!!
   I've sat through 2-4 games a season every year since and whilst I wasn't there with less than 10000 in the pouring rain I was there with 12000 hardy fans who had pre paid tix when the Tahs were really awful!! Often a Brumbies game was a highlight because at least one team would play how the game should be and as long as it was a good game who cares!!
   Under Michael Cheika the Tahs were no certainty in the Final and South African teams still challenged their attacking style... BUT they played really well and deserved the win!!
 

'RWC Final 2011'

   This t-shirt rose to the top of the pile in a draw tidying exercise this week and represents my 50th year celebratory solo trip to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup 2011. I had never been there and was disappointed I hadn't made the trip 10-15 years earlier when I had the chance and could have taken up one of those chalk board invitations to play rugby at the local oval. Instead here I was at the Rugby World Cup third place playoff and Final plus a few days following to explore post RWC sights and sounds!!
   The whole city of Auckland was abuzz with the festivities, including the chance to follow a 'walk' from the CBD to Eden Park with signposting and bands along the way... a cultural festival!! There was a Rugby Photographic exhibit,a the local cinema and 'Burger Fuel' all within a good walk in the city... the harbour rugby zone was OK, best in quieter times with the genuine possibility of conversations with locals or tourists alike!!
   I had worked hard to lose some weight before I went and so I was tantalisingly close to some souvenir wear and bang on for t's such as this...
   I was struck by the nervousness of the All Black fans ahead of the Final v France... fair enough I guess, a two team contest of survivors and the ABs appalling RWC record since that first one in 1987... the French took it to them and didn't actually play their best... and were close but couldn't quite crack it... On Monday morning 30,000 turned out in the main part of town for a Cup Parade... it was a spectacular vibe and celebration of a folkloric win!!
 
 

"Head Injuries"

   This is one of two versions of this t-shirt that I own and is a catch up entry now into the mid 50s of my t-shirt collection!! It's not an 'original' as that went missing at some stage. My second one has the large Oils handprint on the back but this one mirrors the original signature look of the bands early years and the raw energy of a Garrett song delivery... 'Head Injuries' is part punk, part surf rock and certainly an aussie album.
   I am posting this one to be able to let people know that 'The Making of Midnight Oil' exhibition IS COMING TO NEWCASTLE!! In early 2015 BEFORE it heads to Melbourne/Canberra and taking up space at Newcastle Museum. Listen for promotion via ABC local radio as it'll be an interesting intersection between pub rock music in Newie, the earthquake and the Oils!!

The exhibition includes:
- a band merch t-shirts wall
- a full gig list
- original gig posters
- bios
- rare inages
- music
- background videos
- original handwritten lyrics
- journals, itinerary
- custumes
- instruments
- a full pub stage mock up
- the exxon protest banner
- the backdrop from the Black Fella/White Fella tour

And many more trophies, awards, tape decks, magazines and history/anecdote text

   The whole display utilises band road cases to show memorabilia which is a fitting way to show off the bits n pieces as the handprint cases are synonymous with the Oils!! I asked the curator how he broke into my house when I saw the t-shirt wall and magazine collections!! Most of mine don't fit anymore [one day!!] This t-shirt reminds me of seeing a huge band at the Bass, the Palais, Speers Point, the ISC and the old Newcastle Workers Club!! Great days!
 

"Vandelay Industries"

   'Seinfeld' is one of my all time favourite TV shows!! It's setting in New York, the humour of Larry David and the bizarre 'show about details' will make me laugh for years to come!! I also love how life is filled with 'Seinfeld moments' as the stories are so mundane and typical... the low talker, the parking space, the hire car and on it goes....
   Art Vandelay was one of George Costanza's invented characters he used in a number of tricky situations... he was in the import/export business for latex and latex related products!! I bough this t-shirt from red bubble.com but I bought my Vandelay Industries sticker from Kenny [the real] Kramer on his Seinfeld 'reality tour' in New York in 1998!! I visited the man and the stall that inspired 'The Soup Nazi' in 2000 and wow, that soup is amazing, complete with bread roll, fruit and milkshake cup of your choice of flavour... beef, jumbalaya... Everyone in the line trying not to talk or laugh about how similar the real life experience was...
   Art Vandelay was waiting for a call at Jerry's apartment, about a job, when the call came while George was in the 'bathroom' and Kramer had no idea who the caller was asking for... George ends up running into the room, pants around his ankles, spreadeagled on the floor, missing the call as Karmer hangs up!! I believe he does get George out of a tight spot at an open house inspection seeking to use the bathroom during a street parade in Manhattan!!
Vandelay was a legend!!

"Rugby" 52

   I'm too busy at the moment to keep up with t-shirt and PHOTO of the Week but here's a catch up!! This is a redbubble t that keeps my link with my favourite sport in the age of form fitting jerseys. I was complaining to someone at Rugby the other day that I have a significant collection of rugby jumpers at home... that stops at the advent of the skin tight jerseys.
   I suppose any side wants to nail the 10%ers but I'm skeptical about this development... especially as it separates the players from the punters for more than just someone like me... You won't see nearly as many old jerseys down at the pub as everyday wear.
   That said, the collection should probably be on the wall in my study, like the boxes at the old Randwick Rugby Club. Significant ones include:
- 1989 British Lions
- 1980s Steinlager All Blacks
- Ireland Cotton Traders
- ANZAC jersey
- Brumbies original Canberra Milk
- Auckland Blues Ranfurly Shield hooped jumper
- South African Springboks readmission jumper
- Baa Baas
- 1980s Wallabies Adidas jumper
- I even have a lightning strike Wallaby one...
- David Campese 50th Test try jumper

   So this t-shirt just reminds me and anyone who asks, that I love, played and coached "the game they play in heaven."

"Give" more praxis t-shirt

   One of a series of shirts, this is from morepraxis and Age Greenwood's young adult network in the UCA in VicTas!! It's just an attempt to remind people that "it's not all about you" and instead we all have the opportunity to think about others... I bought this and one with the reminder from Oscar Romero that where we invest our time defines our lives... good fair wear reminders!!

'The Gold Brigade'

   The 'Rugby Championship' is just around the corner [after the Waratahs take out this year's Super 15 that is] and you may or may not have noticed that the Wallabies change jersey sponsors these days almost as often as they put them on!! Asics is the current mob, who mercifully fixed up the cow pat socks and the shorts that looked like nappies. This t-shirt is one I bought earlier this year.
   The Wallabies 'gold' is OK infield but ins't always the best look off it... hence the navy option with team colour in a logo or the name!! At least we've had the stylised Wallaby since the 1990's.
   I chose this t-shirt for this week as I am so excited at the brand of rugby the current Wallabies are capable of... with a forward pack chosen on form and with a blend of youth and experience, we have the parity to launch some attack through a stable back line brim full of outside talent....
Folua seemingly able to slice through any defence a couple of times
Adam Ashley-Cooper making line breaks
Kurtley Beale will get more game time and has such attacking outlook [no chip kicks please]
Bernard Foley knows his job and gets the ball to where it should be with good passing
Nick White is learning to run and does have a great kicking game

   In winter who would know you're wearing the Wallabies t-shirt, well the wearer would!! I have no predictions v All Blacks this year but I am genuinely keen to watch what's possible and believe we can compete... let's face it if the All Blacks choose their own blend of youth and experience they are at formidable anywhere!!

"Famous Brand Logo"

   I don't think I've posted this one already? This is a WORD brand shirt bought online from a graphic design themed set of t's!! It's the font that NIKE and others might use but reads like the draft text ready for the actual. I guess the 'humour' is that all you need to do is change from these draft words to a brand and apparently you've changed who you are... just do it! and the like, I suppose it could have said I'm fit, cool and can afford to waste money money on brand name shirts.
   It's a comment about the fact the humble t-shirt moved for being a military utility clothing item and now we pay companies to advertise themselves on our bodies... at a premium price in most cases. Not only that, unlike this American Apparel t-shirt [no sweat shop at least] we pay the shirt maker a few cents, slap on a sports company logo and charge anywhere from $40-100 for the privilege of wearing it around!! Or is that just what I think this one is saying? Of course it sits filed on the draw [or scrunched up in this case] next to my brand name ones!!

"Interpretive Dance"

   Do you need to have been around in the 1980s to truly appreciate the humour of this t-shirt... It was the time when communal singing led by acoustic guitars was replaced by ensembles with keyboard, woodwind, drums... using more grumpy people's gifts and not just leaving all the girls at the weekend camp to swoon over the guitarists... then came dramatic readings, drama, poetry and 'interpretive dance'... teardrops, hearts, arms swept to heaven, twirling circles... and satires of the same at many a concert!! Like many options at that time there was always an element of 'slightly less creative copy.'

Unfair? Either way it is a conversation starter at the shops and at boring meetings!!

'Batman'

It's not the usual colour [black on black] and that's why I chose it...
From the schlocky 60s TV show I watched every afternoon as a kid, to the brilliant Christian Bale reboots [let's just forget about Clooney and Kilmer] and onwards to Ben Affleck, there's something about the interplay between the villainous characters and the flawed hero that makes for great stories...
Christian Bale's movies allowed the story to be told about the alter ego and the way Batman was a divisive character. The late Heath Ledger deserves a mention for his hauntingly evil portrayal of the Joker and the way these stories lend themselves to toys, action, martial arts, intrque, tech and strong characters!! Love it!!

"Midnight Oil"

   This is a long sleeve Oils t-shirt from the second half of their long career!! I share an Oils shirt this week as I was impressed with the wall off shirts that form part 'The Making of Midnight Oil] at Manly Museum & Art Gallery until 7th September!! I asked the curator how he'd gotten into my house, given the extensive collection of shirts, magazines and photos I could have donated to the cause!! Band merchandise [especially the old acme t's] are part of the experience and many a young bloke leaves the venue wearing two or with the one he wore out dangling from a jeans back pocket... the old blokes visiting the museum were wearing their share of old classics and you could even buy some replicas in the foyer gift shop... the barcode, the yellow 'Head Injuries' silhouette and the rare drum pedal gray marle.... Lot's of good memories of Newcastle Workers Club, Selina's at Coogee, Manly Leagues, the Enmore, the Ent Cent and more...

"Event Staff"

   I've had this t-shirt for a couple of years and it never fails to get me funny looks at concerts, shopping centres, the Uni and weekend events!! It's not for any particular event so I can just make up stories of where it's from... or answer people's questions or... just enjoy their double takes while they wonder what the heck the bouncer is doing in the middle of the crowd... simple but fun!!

'Twitter'

   This is one of those red bubble t-shirts that after a while [some 3-4 years] the design wipes off the front, but this speech bubble said "no one reads your stupid tweets" and it has always generated shop counter, pub and friendly conversation with how much people agree when they see it!! It's also a departure from my preferred 'black' t and at a time when I weighed considerably less than I do today!!
   Of course I have been on twitter since before I owned this and laugh at the opinions expressed about what sort of idiots do that... now we are seeing mainstream TV media and newspaper content generated from viewer/reader feedback or input... masquerading as news!!
   I should probably be tweeting my current 'Life's too short' series!!... nobody reads it anyhow!!

'That Band'

   Tired from my t-shirts attracting all manner of U2 'bashing' a couple of years ago I bought one with the slogan "Everything You Know is Wrong" which is a reference to the messages onscreen for ZOO TV!! And this to the informed observer would be the same Irish rockers in 360 pose front stage 'unplugged' but to the average t-shirt observer it's just some band... in fact it's 'that band'!!

Newcastle Knights 1997 GF!!

   What do you say about the gutsy endeavours of a sporting team that united a town and region in celebration of working class success!! No seriously... community groups,businesses, even non sports fans were gripped by celebration of a team with a handful of world class legends, an 'immortal' and the will to be there in the moment the match would be won or lost!! Remember the red and blue weatherboard house that was reclad for free after the celebrations!!
   Sport teaches about life [it just shouldn't be our only lessons]!! Mad Monday, Team partying, Ticker tape parade... but before that 60 Sid Fogg Coaches to and from the game.... a last minute speculator try to Darren Albert, set up by Andrew and Matthew Johns!! People stepped onto the F3 to stop the bus and high five the team... and a few of my mates go to the front of stage at the Workers Club, with thousands outside... when someone standing near them started "New Car sull" New Car sull" and thousand of people chanted a team onstage who stage dove and shouted themselves silly!!
   Pride was the main thing... beating Manly helped!! Lots of surprising people had red and blue hair, bought these t-shirts by the truckload [literally]!!
 

"Spectacles"

   I spent $400 on spectacles last year and both pairs were 'they're nearly right' frame choices in how they 'fitted'... both ended up after repeated adjustments, bendings and frustrations... being no good and leaving me with fuzzy vision around the edges. It wasn't my eyes, the lens sizes, the higher script etc etc... just poor choice from a limited range!! How do I know it wasn't all those things.... this years new frames are great!! Just as well as they were the only choice available to me... they just so happened to my favourite frames of the last decade!!
   They look almost exactly like this red bubble t-shirt [designed by blast from the past FB friend, Steve Dunkley, graphic designer and musician, most likely known to Newcastle pub rock patrons as a member of local band 'Incognito']...
   So, these frames will very soon fall from favour with hipsters everywhere as they realise "if that bloke is wearing them, they are definitely no longer fashionable" which is my mission in life as far as clothes and accessories are concerned... well done Big W Vision!!
 

"I'm BATMAN"

   This week we have a new addition to the t-shirt cupboard!! Another redbubble.com 'no sweat shops' design as a bit of fun... Let's face it if Ben Affleck can get the Batman gig, well...
In all seriousness I think he could be good at it... it's a stunning orange colour and is designed to stand out under a winter jacket or to generate fun conversation at the local coffee shop... It's a small reward for keeping up my swimming 3 or 4 times a week for nearly the last year. It's fittingly arrived as I have a week or two out of the pool because I need to be at home at the moment. You'll see a few others from my latest order in coming weeks!!
 
   
 

U2 'Go Home' Slane Castle

   There's a U2 album due out, predicted and in completion... such has been the standard U2 media machine hype for maybe 12 months... they haven't finished recording it yet, but anyone annoyed by that is no U2 fan!! This is just standard angst from a creative force who strive for music that people want to hear alongside their own drive to tell a story nobody else is telling. They are over hyped, so 80s, and yet find a way to produce songs like 'Ordinary Love' for the Mandela bio pic [albeit with Chris Martin's help to finish it]!! I love this band and the way that despite ample material for lampooning, for people to get sick of them and their classic rock n roll excess... they find a way to critique the times, to share a story of faithful wrestling and speak into the mass population about their 'following' of Jesus and their fallible humanity.
   This t-shirt represents lots of things... on the one hand it's a concert that yielded one of the most moving live DVDs I've seen as they returned to the place they had been a support act 25 years earlier, cranking out their first song and then a stunning album and concert with huge screens, the usual and powerful themes and what some see as a huge ego but I see differently!!
   Alongside that however, this t-shirt was also a favourite as I set about the task of losing weight to better fit into it... actually 32kgs in 2007/8 to be precise... My ruptured kneecap tendons in 2003 were catching up with me and lack of ability to jog/run well, walk downhill really... It's only possible when you have enough energy or desperation to focus, priortise and stay committed... results for your efforts are a bigger part of it!!
   And yep, sadly I began to slip from almost reaching my goal to putting 27 of those back on and have been engaged way less successfully in the ask of turning that around over the last 24 months. I'm swimming 20-30 laps 3-4 times a week and was cycling 45mins a day before that... BUT not quite able to cut back enough of the wrong stuff and apply sufficient discipline... I haven't given up!!
   All that said, this t-shirt is a reminder it's possible... I just don't have a strong enough connection between the action of eating and the consequences... enjoying the food is the burnt out fuse in between.
   This t-shirt shows the four band members much as they were seen on giant screens in their show which included an eliptical heart shape with fans inside and out and an ability to run/walk around that stage, to do 'unplugged' at the front and to change up the tempo and vibe of the concert. The screens allowed images and lyrics, messages and historic clips to augment the songs. Later indoors, whole songs were projected onto the audience as well... eventually leading to the need to invent a staging 'claw' to go even bigger but stay even more intimate...
   You get reminded of all that emotion and theatre, just wearing a  type t shirt. I look forward to U2's new disc... 2014-2015???????

NIKE Store New York

   I've written elsewhere about the dilemma of buying NIKE products... what dilema I hear you say... just don't do it!! The Dominican Republic and beyond, host factories where workers earn a subsistence wage while the Michael Jordan's of the world earn mega millions today even long after a career, in the name of image and brand. At the weight and fitness I was in the late 90s the Nike XXXL t-shirt was about the best fit I could find... I was fit but liked a roomy tough shirt for walking, rugby training etc... I've never worn it for the brand, maybe for the team or the location, but never the brand... The reality is as I sit here today writing, all my clothes are from the developing world, including socks and undies and even my watch was made in Thailand... they're all not such an issue because without a swoosh they aren't paying a golfer 200 million dollars to wear them and their story isn't as visible... they are just as bad!!
   I do at least wear these shirts until they fall to bits and then cut them up for rags and I have many times written to NIKE about fairwear and 'no sweat shops' and it's been 10 years since I've bought a NIKE t-shirt.
   Taking all that on board, this one is from the Nike Store in Manhattan, on 57th St, which is five floors of sports and performance wear that I visited in 1998 when I was running out of t-shirts on our 9 week trip... it did the job and I wore it for the next 4-5 years at least once a week... to remind myself of my favourite world city outside of Sydney... The Nike Store had a whole section of Livestrong gear and an awful lot invested in Lance Armstrong. The New York Knicks baskteball team were due to visit the following day and the store was forever hosting parties and fashion shows...
   With the current female fashion trend of wearing fitness gear as street wear or 'all the time' and I see a cheap range coming into BiG W, I guess the sportswear as casual wear trend will continue...
 
 

"New York Yankees" Subway Series World Series Champions 2010

   "The 2000 World Series, the 96th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, featured a crosstown matchup between the two-time defending champion New York Yankees and the New York Mets, with the Yankees winning four games to one for their third straight championship and 26th overall. It marks, to date, the last World Series with a repeat champion. It was the first postseason Subway Series since 1956. The Yankees were in the World Series for the third straight year, fourth in the previous five, and 37th time overall—the most of any team in the MLB, while the Mets made their fourth World Series appearance—the most of any expansion franchise in the MLB and its first since winning the title in the 1986 World Series." It followed up the series win v Atlanta Braves in 1998 that was another memorable performance. 

   I have enjoyed the baseball since I was a kid and snippets you'd catch on TV in Oz with World Series on Channel 9 a little later on and of course now a staple from March to October on Fox Sports and ESPN. I wanted a Yankees Cap when you only got those from your aunt who travelled in the US or you accepted a trendy Sydney shop snapback... until the advent of the internet meant I could order this t-shirt as the post game interviews were being conducted or in the case of this actual one, on sale from the massive t-shirt sports store in Times Square open virtually 24hrs!!

   The 'Subway Series' demonstrates Americans capacity to find a marketing angle in any contest... in this case recognising that you catch a subway train to the Bronx to see the Yankees or to Flushing to see the Mets [an expansion team bearing two other teams colours]. Both now have new Stadiums on top of and opposite their former ones. The Mets are at the same train stop as the Tennis Centre for the US Open called Flushing Meadows. It's here you'll also see the Unisphere world globe fountain from the World Expo... model for the one in 'Ironman'

   Anyhow, Yankee Stadium was all I expected in 1998 when we went to a game and my fandom continues. Both the Angels and the Dodgers now rival their budget and maybe people will ease up o hating the Yankees?

   Apparently I need to start filling my moneybox for 2018 to see them play at the SCG!!

"Worldwide Pants" The Late Show with David Letterman

   I have already blogged about my 'Late Show' t-shirt and experiences of lining up for standby audience twice in Manhattan but this is the t-shirt celebrating the company that puts the program to air for the CBS Network at the Ed Sullivan Theater [sic] on Broadway!! This was a snug fit even when I was thin enough to wear my whole collection so it's been amongst those ones stored away but no less remembered and valued!!
   Letterman this week [just after April Fools] announced he's retiring next year 'sometime'... and he got it just about right. I think what I've enjoyed about his show over the years is his disdain for 'celebrity' for it's own sake and his poking fun at the whole entertainment industry while asking great questions and leaving some notoriously poor interview subjects 'hanging out to dry.' But this year he has seemed even more tired and distracted and 'ready to go' and spend time with his son and his Indy Car Racing Team!! I'm only disappointed he didn't bring his show here to Oz but other populist trips kiboshed that...
   His silence, looks, support for genuinely good music and his knowledge of the world and politics, while claiming to be 'dumb' are a strength of the format. He has been 'Rolling Stone' magazine to Jay Leno's 'TV Week' all along and his programs around 9/11 were compelling viewing. More than one journo has written about his refusal to ask Paris Hilton about anything other than her arrest/s OR how he laughed when he reminded Selina Gomez that he'd made her ex Justin Beiber 'cry'.... 'that makes two of us' she shot back.... he loved it!!
   Anyhoo, more than one person/family I know have been or are in New York as we speak... an amazing place on the planet to visit!!

MAMBO 'REDNECKS'

   This was a 'Mambo T-Shirts' fundraiser in the hope of combatting the ill considered political stances of Pauline Hanson MP from Queensland [noted as a fish n chip shop operator for one reason or another] following her 'maiden speech' in Parliament. Then came her notoriety, the 'One Nation' political party and the colourful characters such populist movements attract... opportunists, people with strong views that don't feel they've been heard and people with ambition that's been unrewarded elsewhere AND the vocal minority who believe the stuff Hanson stands for

   To put things in context this is also a critical period for Australia's current debacle around asylum seekers. Pauline Hanson's speech was a divisive commentary on indigenous 'advantage' and the handouts culture that means there's preferential treatment for indigenous people. It was a complete misreading of the situation in Australia, filled with common misrepresentations and appealing to a base of people who believe foreigners 'take our jobs,' are part of a welfare culture, threaten Australians way of life and need to "love it or leave it" or put a "f%$# off we're full" sticker on the back of the ute. These are people who celebrate that our soldiers fought and died for our flag by slapping it on boxer shorts, thongs, towelling hats and stubby holders... oh, wait am I unfairly stereotyping?
   Anyhow it's this voter block and movement who mobilised the right of the Liberal Party to find an enemy in 'boat people' and 'illegals' and whose perceived influence has driven both our major political parties to dehumanise people, create severe mental health distress and to once again incarcerate children in the name of 'stopping the boats.' Others assert that when KRudd softened the policies, the 'business model' of the people smugglers was back up and running. Again in the name of common sense or the hope that nobody gets in a boat or because we are unable to offer an alternative solution that's been shown to work... people support human rights abuse as a deterrent. That's crazy... the hope is that cruel processes are the ultimate deterrent... not in my name folks!!

- Spend the diplomatic energy on resolving the conflicts that cause people to flee in the first place
[low chance of ultimate success, but the right kind of energy to spend as a nation]
- Properly fund processing through the UNHCR and genuinely hold Indonesia and Malaysia accountable
- Strike sharing agreements with other than poor small island nations
- Recognise that 98% of those who are in detention are eventually found to be genuine refugees
- Be aware of the 10 Myths relating to these issues here
- As churches offer to billet children so they are not in detention [oh wait, someone's made that offer]

And
While we're at it maybe we could address the aspects of the Northern Territory 'Intervention' that go beyond helping and begin to rob indigenous people of the identity and empowerment to make a different future

 

Randwick "Rolls Royce of" Rugby [Union]

   I'm sticking with the Rugby Union theme for another week... with this prized t-shirt!! It goes along with a Randwick Playing Jersey and Cap from the early to mid 1990s... a golden period for the Club.
   When I first became interested in Rugby Union the Wallabies were beginning to challenge the All Blacks more regularly through Tony Shaw, Greg Cornelson and an array of back line talent. At the same time a stunningly good Australian Schoolboy team under the coaching of Geoff Mould went on an undefeated tour of the UK/Europe and included a number of young blokes from Matraville High School amongst the usual smattering of Sydney and Brisbane GPS School representatives. A striking memory of that tour was the number of games played in complete fog. One on the weekend sports programs showed the team disappearing on field into that fog and reappearing at the end of the match and no footage of the game was available... It was the 1977/78 side which included players like: Glen, Gary & Mark Ella; Wally Lewis; Michael Hawker; Tony Melrose and even local Dominic Vaugh from the Waratahs Newcastle.
   Schoolboy representation is no certain path to the Wallabies but the Randwick club benefitted from a whole generation of talent when you toss in Lloyd Walker and others.
   Then came David Campese, Simon Poidevin and the list goes on... I still fondly recall my day at the SFS in the late 1990s and 'that try' scored by Chris Latham who handled several times in a movement started from a looped pass 'in the tackle' by Campo and stretching the length of the field!! Just too good...
   Thanks to entry courtesy of Tom Towers I enjoyed the Club's post GF celebrations back at Coogee as well!!

   In recent years the Wicks have been up and down, with player equalisation from the Super side, Sydney Uni with degrees and postgraduate studies on tap coinciding with their old boys volunteering to sort the place and some expert coaching... leading to several premierships in a row.

   The Club can also be a bit self seeking as I recall in some years we played Randwick trials that for them was a scouting and recruiting trip as there might be more Stuart Pinkerton's up here!!

   So, in short, the running game, the club history and the characters it creates are all part of fond memories of Randwick!! The galloping greens!! I am still a member of the Club!!
 

Wanderers Fourths "Just Run It"

 
   In the mid 1990s when I started my long and enjoyable stint in Rugby Coaching there were a mixture of things I had learnt [and continued to learn] from my experiences as a player, from playing under other coaches and from everything I knew about 'teaching' and hanging around with a bunch of rugby players in a club with a strong identity.
   Lower grade teams need some extra effort in team building... you have a mix of 'old heads', players who feel they should be playing up higher, youngsters with talent, others just learning and you usually have more than you need any given week, until it gets cold and deep into the season. You have to manage people getting 1/2 games or 20 mins, the fact that it being a game for people of all sizes, some positions require bulk etc etc
   In this particular year I thought 4th grade wasn't particularly valued by other grades and we were all packed into a training ground where 4ths were left with the dodgy corner. One way of growing a unique identity was to strike a t-shirt celebrating 4ths and adding our club philosophy of "just run it"... The cartoon was our 1991 World Cup winning Wallaby front three that I kept from a book or magazine at the time... It features right to left, Tony Daly, Phil Kearns and current Wallaby Coach Ewen 'The Link' Mckenzie and became a sought after item only available to those with our squad for a while!!
   It sits on my trophy/memorabilia shelf with some other cups, shields and mugs...
Our traditional rivals The Slime and Maitland were tough to overcome and Uni gave us grief but it was a rich decade of 4th Grade premiership tilts that we all enjoyed!!
   I share it this week as I sign on to give some time to the Club helping others to deliver on 'player welfare' and the Prez and I head off to the two day 'Mental Health 1st Aid' Course!! I look forward to assisting 'House Captains'  in delivering some significant "Tall Tales" with food and beverages during the season!!

'Ferrari'

   Probably in the top few for brand recognition [alongside the All Blacks, Man United] the red t-shirt is synonymous with Ferrari and motor sport. This is also the simplest 'fancy dress' costume I've ever worn...
   My brother in law's birthday party had a German theme so I chose to go as Michael Schumacher [and so sorry for him and his family and friends that he is so gravely ill]. So to be clear, I wore my normal jeans, joggers and t-shirt which in this case happened to be red with the Ferrari stallion logo on the front. I used to have a Schumacher cap but just had a generic Ferrari one for the occasion... and left it in the car!!
   Since starting this blog it's a reminder to enter this t into the rotation alongside my predominantly black t collection!!

Midnight Oil "One for the Homeless"

   You might add two nights at Newcastle's Palais in Hunter St West to the list on this shirt!! 24th and 26th March 1991 served as warm ups for the 'One for the Homeless' Benefits and the Palais shows were amazing!! Seriously they were up there with Selina's at the Coogee Bay Hotel but not quite Sydney's Capitol Theatre.
   It was a strange venue with side metal rails and the bar along the wall, a former dancehall and later the beginnings of 'The Loft' youth venue. It was run down, hot and uncomfortable, but yet we sat on the floor waiting for the Oils, I can't recall a support act that night, might have been a DJ...
   This shirt reminds me of 'The Oils' whole organisation revolving around a Foundation and a range of worthy causes coordinated as part of their efforts in 'giving back' from Glebe Point Rd upstairs... and it reminds me of the chore that was being an Oils support act. It was an endearing feature of the passionate crowds that a few songs would be tolerated and eventually the mob would begin to chant "Ooooiiills Ooiillss!!" and drown out many a talented performer.
   At the Enmore Theatre for 'Scream in Blue' live album the band even sought applause for 'Tall Tales & True" after their opening salvo, recognising that the chant had started early and even the band tried to placate fans by claiming their own Oils fandom. I think 'Horsehead' heavy rock band were booked for Coogee one night because they might be loud enough to drown it out... instead one punter was so loud and insistant that the lead singer challenged him to take it out to the car park and threatened to throw a beer can at him mid song.
   'Nitocris' did well the most frantic night I've ever experienced at the same venue and 'Diesel' was stunning the last time I saw them live at Manly before Peter left the band [before WaveAid and Bushfire Relief brought them back] His sound was crystal clear and his vocals haunting... it was a celebration of contrast upstairs at Manly Leagues and it was the night I knew it was all over... just something about the vib and the best I'd heard the band for a couple of years.
   Back to the Palais, it was a night with a few friends and a chance to introduce a few mates to the genuine article live... they thanked me by shouting a ticket to the second night!!
 

"Stark Industries" The Ironman

   Tony Stark isn't happy to discover that his weapons and technology are for sale to the highest bidder and he attempts to shut down that part of Stark Industries while needing to maintain his own work to ensure the electro magnetic dynamo in his chest prevents his death... a brilliant acting performance from Robert Downey Jnr makes this corny series of films work!! 'Ironman' is also a great vehicle for Gwyneth Paltrow... Pepper Potts is a great character. As a Redbubble t-shirt this one is a bit disappointing, it's dulled a bit quickly and is not a genuine size BUT I still wear it in between seasons and look fwd to it fitting a bit better this year... It is one that's starts shop counter conversations though!!

'THINKING... Please be patient'

   There's a 'Tropfest' film story in the way I live my life in hindsight!! Part questioning confidence, part focused on listening and taking time to process what's really being said and part only figuring out the BEST response after the fact!! Whichever it is at any one time I thought this was a great t-shirt to sum up what needs to be in front of people when they encounter me... I especially wear it to meetings... things said that annoy, that I know I want to question but am not 100% sure why or how, great ideas that should be encouraged etc etc...
   The main tools to overcome this challenge involve inviting people to say more about their idea, opinion or thought [except in some cases where inviting people to stop talking would be better allround]... things like...

What's you answer/suggestion/worry/thought?
What makes you say that?
Tell me more about that?
If that is the problem, can you hear what others are saying?
If you see it that way, what do you see as the way forward?
What do you think makes the others see it their way?

I would write more, but I'm going to save this post and edit it again later...

Wanderers Rugby Football Club

 
   With the Wanderers Rugby Club celebrating 90 years it's a fitting time to pull out this gem from towards the end of my coaching stint... a highly successful era and year for the Club which prides itself on Club Championship alongside any individual grades success!! Rugby players mostly enjoy running with the ball and we made not only a motto of this but tried really hard to play an attacking brand of footy with the usual 4th Grade blend of youth, experience and dinosaurs!!
   At every opportunity in my player coach days I reminded higher grade players that these Grand Final experiences meant just as much to lower grade players. One Presentation Night I did describe lower grade rugby as being like "sex with one arm tied behind your back... it looks kind of familiar but somethings not quite right" It got the appropriate level of laughter and "what did he just say"...
   It's a sport, a game played by people of all shapes and sizes and it's full of life lessons. Preparation, teamwork, adversity, injury, different personalities, the contest, handling referees...
   I look forward to involvement with the Club again this year in relation to player welfare and helping out with a few aspects of what it means to participate in such a great Club...

Canterbury Clothing Company of New Zealand "Rugby"

   There was a time when 'Canterbury of New Zealand' was the only rugby union jersey to wear. Before fitted ones they were strong, good sizings and the right sized collars and sleeves width and length... there were quality 'uglies', teams jerseys, shorts and also t-shirts. The photo on this t-shirt is a famous All Blacks image the featured in the 1990s in b&w and this harlequin style as a celebration of the brands history. I loved this t-shirt because it was the sport I played and celebrated the best team playing it by a long stretch. In recent times the Wallabies and others have had their moments and Rugby World Cups have been won by others. This was just the perfect t-shirt to keep your mind on preparartions for upcoming seasons through summer and was a great conversation starter so you could share anecdotes everyone had heard before many times, just by some poor innocent asking a question about the photo!!

NFL Gridiron American Football

   Tomorrow is Superbowl XLVIII and yes normally I'm the last person to celebrate over the top USA cultural 'Manhattanisation' BUT this is a celebration of the best and worst of that all rolled into one Football Grand Final.

Yes It's:

- Called 'The Big Dance'

- Classic grandstanding to be called 'World Champions'

- A day of drinking games and heart attack inducing food in the US

- It's a difficult game to follow

- a game worth billions of dollars and top players earn millions

- The advertising spots are the world's most expensive to make and to show

- The halftime shows waver between a huge yawn and amazing spectacles

- The show at which Janet Jackson flashed a bare breast to a worldwide audience

- They stop for commercial breaks

- Concussions and illness later in life are a serious consequence

- Yada yada yada...

   It's a relatively short season of an interesting hybrid game invented from Rugby Union and I watch it all season on Foxtel or free to air and have done for as long as it's been on Oz TV.

My team is 'The Raiders' of Oakland/LA/Oakland though I have cheered for other sides over the last 20 years in lean times for the 'Black and Silver'

   I liked Dallas, Washington and San Francisco of the late 1980s and early 1990. I have enjoyed watching NY Giants, the Manning led Colts and the Patriots in recent years!! I don't know who to cheer for tomorrow in the Denver Broncos v Seattle Seahawks match up. I ill enjoy my beverages and lunch regardless!!

   Both these t-shirts were purchased in the US on seperate trips to NYC. The Jets at a dedicated store, the Raiders at Niketown on sale. I did come back from one trip with 13 new t-shirts... too many!!

   The Yanks love their sports played in regional Divisions and Conferences that date back to seperate competitions that have then agreed to play a Grand Final and interweave games during the year. It builds traditional rivalries and some teams can spend years trying to surpass a rival in order to have a crack at higher honours. It does rule out certain GF match ups as only the top teams from the AFC and NFC can play each other in the 'Superbowl.'

   The game is like chess and has tactics to match. Time in posession of the football is critical amd teams can get out to significant leads but be run down by teams who then keep the ball for several 'drives' into the opposition territory and attempts to score 'touchdowns.' A small number of Aussies have played at this top level, most as kickers.

   The Raiders have built a reputation on a working class image but an ethic of 'excellence' and there is no better sports uniform colour than black. Years ago they sold many times more merchandise than any other team.

   The NY JETS shared 'The Meadowlands' in New Jersey with the NY Giants and now a new stadium which plays host to this years game. Sadly neither team really looked like playing in this game at home.

AND in this years SUPERBOWL it's NFL royalty in Peyton Manning vs a new kid on the block in a Seattle side who will give it a big shove. The media love stories, labels, talk of legacies and key moments and Manning has missed out to close rivals Tom Brady and the New England Patriots when he was at the Colts, but this year has been amazing at Denver post Tim Tebow. So the narrative around Manning will be his comeback from neck surgery and those times he's missed out and whether those misses or this and other successes will be the story after his career.

   Seattle are flashy up and comers with a modern looking Nike uniform, trash talkers and some skilled individuals not so well know here in Oz. They'll play different styles of football and it could be experience vs nerves or one side having peaked and the other bringing surprises. Seattle did a great job to get past the 49ers and into this game!! 

"JEDI" an old favourite!!

   Some storytellers like to start their story in the middle. "Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope" is a defining example of this from George Lucas. It was a timeless tale, an old fashioned western set in a galaxy far away. Through 'the force' and a classic battle between good and evil, Lucas set out in part to explore a faith that would embrace all and offend none.The Sith and the Jedi are engaged in a battle for hearts, minds and power with the unfolding story of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. All the links are there, they just didn't all make sense first time around. I love how the technology didn't exist to do some things and even 'Industrial Light & Magic' had to wait for the remastered versions to have some animals move, to animate Jabba the Hut and sadly to edit out the Stormtrooper who bangs his head in a doorway from Ep IV.
   Be that as it may, like Star Wars itself, my JEDI t-shirt has other layers of meaning. My friends and I have joked for many years that in the battle for the legitimacy of ministry with young people as Youth Workers [and yes I prefer that to Youth Pastor or Youth Minister, but that's a rant for another time] to be ordained a Minister of the Word was to 'turn to the darkside'... then in all seriousness, whether some acknowledge it or not, one path to legitimacy has been to say something different about the nature of same and to invite Youth Workers to explore their call in this way [church speak sorry]. But only Youth Workers could live with the idea that volunteers, lay leaders and ordained folks all have a place... none is junior, waiting to head into 'real' ministry.
   This t-shirt reminds me of mentors and pioneers I know, it reminds me of 25+ years of growing and using my gifts and abilities in doing stuff I love to do and feel 'called' to give time and energy to. Despite the pain, weariness, prophetic push back and disappointments along the way.
   All ministry is at it's heart relational and each of us would do well to focus on the things that give us energy and to collaborate, be honest and seek to "make space for the leadership of others, through serving." In a lighthearted way, that's always seemed to me to be a Jedi kind of thing. I'm no guru and while I can be stubborn and assertive in my own way, nothing is more exciting than seeing someone else do stuff they are good at because at least in some small way you've worked to see that as possible...
   To be fair I'm most stubborn when I'm in modelling or experimenting mode, trying to show by doing that things like: inclusion; different imaging of God; use of many mediums; experiments; listening; learning to think for yourself and engage the wisdom of others and life in your search; and a focus on what the recipient/participant or learner is experiencing/receiving or being taught [to name just a few things].
   I don't believe that the way I learnt about being in a community of faith, what it means to be a follower of Jesus, or how I encountered the story is the best way it'll happen for young people today [but lots of people don't seem to 'get that']. When he talks/writes about relating together as people and seeking to discover who Jesus is in our midst [and words to that effect] Andy Root has helped me to begin to articulate ideas about that I've had since my 20s. If we are the people we've encountered, the stories we've heard and the choices we've made, then this is of huge importance!! This is the stuff youth ministry is about, not the froth of slogans, banners, pick n choose social justice symbolism, single verse theology, best practice, excellence, or clever stuff that'll stick... That's why it's so hard and I still have lots to learn. We need diverse talents and approaches, we have different ways people explore and share their story... I just get sick of having to justify, against the flow...
   My JEDI t-shirt reminds me it's not 'playing' but is about a story with depth, individuality and at the end of the day it's also fun... besides, having turned 'to the darkside' shouldn't it be the iSith one that's available on redbubble?
 
 
 
 
 

"The Cassette Tape" from Redbubble

  

   Whether it's a mixtape, recordings of Monty Python or a bands new album, this was the music buying technology of my formative years. You'll see those memes on Facebook suggesting you're old if you know what these and a HB pencil have in common... when the cassette lost tension or struggled you would insert a bevel edged pencil or biro into the left or right wheel and turn it to run the thin brown magnetic tape from one reel to the other. These were revolutionary compared to the old reel to reel deck on which Dad played endless recordings of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.

   ABBA's 'Arrival' was one of my first bought cassettes but I had been taping TV shows through the audio aux plug for ages. We often sat in a corridor listening to Monty Python to escape school for a lunch break. I also had a lot of tapes of 'Hogan's Heroes' at one stage. By the time I bought Adman's ghetto blaster off him it was all about the music. I first heard Midnight Oil's 10,9,8... on cassette on an early SONY Walkman. Later came the cassette you inserted into your car stereo to play an external audio source in the car!!

   This t-shirt connects me with a bygone era and is about my youth and music but interestingly the conversations I have are not with young people asking me what it is, rather they are older folks speculating whether young people do ask... and yes, I did make a few mix tapes for a few girls over the years...

   One recording I would like to hear again and convert [but no longer have a functioning player for myself] is my competition winning [3-4] question sports star interview taped for ABC 1233 Local Radio in Newcastle in 1994. I spent an afternoon in the studio chatting with former World Cup winning Wallaby Skipper and halfback, Nick Farr Jones, from his law firm offices in Sydney. Craig Hamilton liked the questions someone else wanted to ask Michael Jordan then suddenly realised it might not be possible to arrange so my questions were chosen!!

   

"Roy & HG" This Sporting Life

   I enjoy the comedic work of 'Rampaging Roy Slaven' and 'HG Nelson' aka John Doyle and Greg Pickhaver right from their stint as silhouettes with Andrew Denton on TV and their early 2JJ 'Festival of the Boot' ghost calls of the Rugby League Grand Final. One year I was able with assistance to record the radio commentary with the TV vision to watch the rerun with Roy & HG having being distracted by friends at the party. For some they will recognise the chat show analysis and highlights from 'The Dream' alongside the Sydney Olympics which is part of pop culture history!!

Testament to their influence is the way their comedy has become part of our everyday fun speech...
   Origin league players are known as 'The Brick with Eyes', 'Back Door Benny' or my favourite is Alan Langer as 'Deborah Kerr.' Yes that's right, from playing alongside Wally Lewis you get 'the King and I' starring Yul Brynner and ... that's right, Deborah Kerr!! Then there's the 'battered sav', the 'hello boys'... from Olympic gymnastics.

  I love my sport and so have been subjected to all kinds of commentary for years. Roy & HG struck a rich vein of comedy through the absolute commitment to your view, until you change it... they would praise a player as a world beater until the match tide turned or one small incident and then mercilessly change their rhetoric and be just as passionate with a conflicting view... amplifying what we all hear in any sports match!!

   Add to that Roy's own sparkling career for Orange CYMS, his racing pedigree or HG's expert opinion or spin on a story lifted directly from the Daily Telegraph newspaper [ouch, I've heard plenty of serious sports casters using that authoritative source...].

   This t-shirt has long been part of my collection, bought from the ABC Shop in Sydney's QVB but signed many years on when HG was launching his post Olympics book and we chatted about the Rabbitohs and the Rugby!!

   I spent many a lazy afternoon tuning in [and there was a time people would rive places so as to be able to listen to Roy & HG] as Roy in particular asked callers how they'd put in the afternoon. Uni studies, banana cake icing, plumbing tips or light reading were no struggle for the well read, sharp and ironic humour of John Doyle as he easily slipped from topic to topic no matter what the caller had been up to.

POSTSCRIPT
   It seems Roy & HG have just signed with Oz network TEN to do a show as part of their Socchi Winter Olympic coverage... suddenly I have 'some' interest in them... no wonder it's being announced now as TEN, so enthusiastic about their coverage, were just about the last resort, bargain network. Nobody really wanted to have to do it!!        
   I look fwd to the sporting great 'Rampaging' Roy Slaven [coached by 'Grassy' Grannell] interviewing 'Chumpy' Pullin... gotta love a #nickname