© 2018 Greg & Sylvia RAY

Author: Greg Ray

This author has written 481 articles
Read more about the article Jack Little, photographer and composer

Jack Little, photographer and composer

John Albert "Jack" Little dined out for the rest of his life on one astonishingly lucky picture he took while working as a press photographer with The Newcastle Sun in 1932. But there was more to Jack and his family, particularly in the field of musical accomplishment. Born in about 1868, Jack started off as a pianist and composer in Brisbane, with a number of published pieces of sheet music including The Wreck (sung by the famous Australian Baritone Peter Dawson), Three Sons of Old England (sung by Carrie Moore) and Lost at Sea. Interestingly his…

Continue ReadingJack Little, photographer and composer
Read more about the article Jim Bradly’s Coral Sea trek in the footsteps of Ion Idriess

Jim Bradly’s Coral Sea trek in the footsteps of Ion Idriess

Like many Australians above a certain age, Jim Bradly was enchanted by the works of author Ion Idriess. In particular, Jim was captivated by the great storyteller's depiction of the lost civilisation of the Torres Strait islands in his father's copy of Idriess's 1933 book, Drums of Mer. I recently re-read that book as a precursor to writing this post, and I can readily understand Jim's enthusiasm. Idriess was a master of "faction", who built racy yarns on foundations of fact drawn from his extensive travels and his limitless curiosity. In Drums of Mer he imagines…

Continue ReadingJim Bradly’s Coral Sea trek in the footsteps of Ion Idriess
Read more about the article Sweden’s shocking Covid-19 mistakes
Sweden's flag, and Anders Tegnell. Photo by Frankie Fouganthin

Sweden’s shocking Covid-19 mistakes

Living in Australia, and with loved ones in Sweden, it’s hard not to be confronted by the extraordinary differences in the approach of the two nations’ governments to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Australia, after a wobbly start and a period during which I thought our government was giving up without a fight (unmonitored airport arrivals, the cruise ship stuff-up, the happy clapper conference that got the nod), knuckled down to take advantage of its island status and keep infections low – so far. Frankly, I still credit the political nous of state premiers…

Continue ReadingSweden’s shocking Covid-19 mistakes
×
×

Cart