July2014_Mt MEE RAMBLINGS

Ian Wells

Winter has come at last!  I write on a very cool evening with the threat of a frost in our bottom gullies.  That is no bad thing though, we need some cool weather to discourage the cattle ticks and buffalo fly – with hopefully no more tick hatches until early August.  And then it will be time for the first ‘growth inhibitor’ pour-on treatment to nip the ‘spring rise’ in the bud.  It truly beats me why some people let tick numbers build in the spring so that their pastures are ‘ticked up’ and they then have to play an expensive catch – up game for the rest of the season.

 

And dear readers, if you are still worried about our pumpkins that didn’t germinate until March, then worry no more!  There is a reasonable crop slowly maturing – and feeding some grateful wildlife!  Meanwhile, thanks to the extraordinarily benign autumn and early winter there is still some grass about.  Good luck with booking your fats into the meatworks!

Our local federal member Wyatt Roy has taken our representations regarding the abysmal local mobile phone coverage very much to heart.  Not only has he put our case to the peri-urban mobile phone review panel currently operating within the Federal Communications Department, he has spoken directly with the Undersecretary.  (Minister Turnbull himself has been otherwise occupied lately, dealing with media leadership beat-ups). 

Go Wyatt!

The Mt Mee concert by the St Lucia Orchestra was another gem.  It is so sad that in recent years these concerts have clashed with Dayboro Day.  This has been unavoidable, because of the orchestra’s immutable annual commitments to a somewhat unhelpful Schonell Theatre.  We hope that we can crack that one next year!

The orchestra was as tightly rehearsed and as sensitive to the conductor as ever.  It was almost a step back in to childhood to hear those old Viennese waltzes again – they were almost invariably ‘half- time’ fare at the pictures, the football and even the speedway.  But there was plenty more, as we moved from Johann Strauss the father to Johann Strauss the son, to Franz Lehar and so to the unrelated Richard Strauss before leaping forward (but still in ¾ time) to Leroy Anderson.  And for variety and to get both feet working equally we did have von Suppe’s Poet and Peasant overture and Fucik’s stirring Florentiner March.

But best of all were the performances of the guest artists.  Trumpet player Ash Moore disposed of the testing Vivaldi Trumpet Concerto and its cascades of triple tongued notes as though it was a simple nursery tune.  Vivaldi always reminds me of our own James Morrison – they both need to cram more notes than possible into any given space.  In contrast, the Richard Strauss ethereal “Morgen” was performed with wonderful sensitivity by soprano Leslie Martin, against a muted and truly beautiful orchestra.  There was hardly a dry eye in the house (as they say).  Leslie has grown into a truly awesome performer who has extraordinary audience empathy and yet is totally unaffected by her success.  We all just love her!

The Savoyard Singers present the next Hall concert – on Sunday 14th September, and yes, we are already taking bookings (ph 5498 2104).

Hall committee is also considering a proposition to run a Celtic night.  It would involve a five piece ensemble singing and playing traditional Scottish and Irish folk tunes, and even perhaps a haggis piped in for supper.  It could be fun!  Watch this space – as they say. 

In further Hall news, a grant application to fund roof insulation has been successful and this work will be undertaken in the near future.  It will make the old hall much more livable – it seems now to alternate between freezing and stinking hot, without any intermediates.  The insulation process involves the injection of chopped newsprint into the roof space and we will be insisting on having Murdoch material – there will be none of that prejudiced Fairfax rubbish in our roof! 

And finally, some of our locals have been all at sea.  To wit, the Squire and his Lady survived a week of island cruising in the good ship “Pacific Dawn”.  They indulged their very healthy appetites without any trace of the dreaded mal-de-mer and generally had a pleasant break from the real world.  Not to be outdone, the Squire’s daughter and son-in-law set off on the same cruise exactly one week later – but at half the price.  This must prove that if you can make a living in 2014 dealing in store cattle, you are capable of swinging a deal on anything!