Mister Brisbane: Losing my 'religion'
I've dropped the Broncos, and it's not why you think. Plus: tackling Covid, drinking beer and mapping culture.
This may be controversial, but I have to get it off my chest: I no longer support the Brisbane Broncos. I don’t want this to read like a pile-on, or for you to think that I’m a fair-weather fan disappointed by the team’s recent bad form. It’s also not entirely because I’ve spent time living away from Australia and become a little more detached from the local game and more interested in the type of football that mostly involves using one’s feet to kick a ball. It’s because I never really was a proper Broncos fan in the first place. And that, in large measure, is because I’m old enough to remember a time before the National Rugby League competition. When the Broncos were magicked up so Brisbane could be represented in the NSW rugby league competition, it was expected that residents of the River City would all get behind “our team”. So those of us who liked Easts or Wests, or Norths or Souths, or Brothers or Redcliffe, or Wynnum-Manly or whatever, were expected, overnight, to become supporters of this upstart club with no history and, as yet, no heroes. Happily for the Broncs, the good times came relatively quickly and it acquired some excellent practitioners of the game and notched up a few premierships. People felt comfortable being fans of this winning machine because, after all, winning is what it’s all about. And now that they’re not winning, only the diehards remain. And I’d wager that most of those are young enough to have grown up after 1988, when the Broncos came into existence and it’s all they’ve known. It’s a relief that I’m not among them, because I can sit in front of the television and watch a game, any game, and appreciate it for what it is without worrying how any result would affect “my” team. I realised this last Thursday when I saw the Storm play the Roosters in a nail-biter that was decided by a golden point (or two points, as was the case). I was able to appreciate the skill of the players and the artistry of the game without any baggage whatsoever. If I go to the cinema, I want to see a good film, regardless of who’s in it. If I watch the football, I want to see a good game, no matter which teams are playing. If I don’t like what I’m seeing, I can always switch over to watch Rick Stein on the SBS Food channel. So, finally, I can say that I’m a free agent. Let the best team win.
CITY SCENES
Academic and former punk-rock bassist John Wilsteed wants to create a culture trail in Brisbane. It’s a great idea, canvassed in this story in InQueensland, and I’ve already begun to think of what should be included. Which places, celebrating which aspects of our culture, would be on your Brisbane culture trail?
COVID CONTROL
Like everyone, I’ve been thinking a lot about coronavirus and what happens now. As we throw about the phrase “new normal” we’re told that we are entering unchartered territory. That’s true, but there is something that’s already happened in my lifetime that is instructive. When I was very young, drink-driving was very much a thing, and the road toll was out of control. Advertising blitzes against drink-driving, speeding and other driving offences actually made a difference. In 1978, the Australian road toll was 3,705. Last year, it was 1,194 — despite a significant increase in the total population. While advances in car and road design and quality have played a part, the lower toll came about largely because people owned the problem and began to behave more responsibly. With Covid-19, owning it means practising physical distancing, being alert to the symptoms, notifying health authorities and isolating ourselves when we are sick. Let’s do it.
BEER O’CLOCK
I had a beer or three with old friends at The Charming Squire in South Brisbane over the weekend. Under normal circumstances that wouldn’t be worth reporting, but in these times the very fact that this is possible and safe (as long as everyone conforms to the rules, which they did on Sunday) is good news.
COMIC CUTS
In the fallout from the recent decision by the West Australian newspaper to drop the Modesty Blaise comic strip because of its offensive content, it was revealed that nobody at the paper actually read the comics page before it was published. Other former editors later admitted on social media that they had never read the comics in their publication or had asked anybody else on staff to read them. This raises the question: why are they there in the first place if nobody who works for the newspaper is interested in them? Presumably it’s due to reader demand, or perceived reader demand. So, readers, if you were editing the paper, would you run a comics page? If so, which strips would you publish and which would you ditch?
SHOW OF SUPPORT
What a line-up! Go online, support the arts and be entertained by Shane Jacobsen, Lisa McCune, Lucy Durack, Alinta Chidzey, Verity Hunt-Ballard, Reg Livermore, Jemma Rix, Hayden Tee, iOTA, Paul Capsis, Esther Hannaford, Eddie Perfect, Kate Ceberano and Genevieve Lemon, with songs from shows including Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Mary Poppins, Billy Elliott, My Fair Lady and The Rocky Horror Show. The show, titled Keeping the Curtain Up, will be streamed here at 7.30pm on Saturday, July 18 from the stage of the Arts Centre Melbourne. You can donate here. Funds raised will be distributed across the Actors and Entertainers Benevolent Funds, Trusts and organisations around Australia.
TOP TECH TIP
If you’re on Facebook, check your Messenger message requests, because you never know who or what might turn up. It might be spam, but it might not. Just recently, somebody sent me a photo of my parents and sister from about 50 years ago, and the son of a late friend tracked me down. In both cases, the messages had been there for weeks before I noticed them.
MEANWHILE…
The Most Wuthering Heights Day ever has been confirmed as an online event this Saturday, July 11. Details here.
Next Tuesday, July 14, is not just Bastille Day, it’s also the night of the latest free Queensland Theatre Play Club reading. The play is After Dinner by Andrew Bovell, directed by Daniel Evans. You can sign up to join the online audience by clicking here.
It may still be (Dry) July, but it’s not too early to start thinking about Movember and the campaign to raise funds for prostate cancer research.
FEEDBACK
I received a few responses on social media to my item about whether a sandwich ought to be buttered, or whether the customer should be given a choice of spreads or none at all. A sample:
Tom: “One would think default would be with butter. One usually has to ask for no butter.”
Deian: “So many allergies these days. Ask for butter, or margarine.”
Nick: “I always forget to specify butter and end up with margarine which is, as is now scientifically proven, horrid.”
Sharon: “Always butter.”
And Nerina introduces a whole new conversation by asking, “When did chicken salt became the default salt?”
I hate those little hard as a rock butter bricks you get in motels. I usually go commando instead of destroying the toast when I get them. Though sometimes I just pop them on top of the toast to melt them a bit and flip them after a minute to soften them up a biy. Depends on my mood I guess ....
Regarding Puppy Love, you’re dead wrong about dogs and love. What you describe is EXACTLY why a cat shows affection, and even then they somehow manage to do it with distain. So, just replace “dog” with “cat” and you’ve nailed it. Disclosure: I’m not a cat person (even though I have one).