The Real Imitation Game – Paul Hannah
Movies frequently misrepresent history, and The Imitation Game made some awful errors in the name of making an exciting movie. However the real story of the years of hard work, genius and secret machinations should be told as well. At the end of the First World War, Arthur Scherbius a German electrical engineer applied for […]
What kind of life could we enjoy? by Fiona Taylor
Royal Commissions into both the Banking and Aged Care sectors have and continue to reveal horrifying abuses in the name of profit. My question is; Why are we surprised? Dr Clair Brown, Professor of Economics at the University of California reminds us that western economics is based upon the belief that all people seek to […]
Welcome to Provence – Richard Carroll
Vaucluse – Vallis Clausa – “Closed Valley” We walked out of the station sniffing the air. It was the end of April and the Provencal sky had a whiff of mistral about it; luckily the cold north wind that blasts down the Rhone valley to assail Avignon was not blowing. It had been 12 years […]
The Battle of Stalingrad by Paul Hannah
What D-Day was for the Allies in the West, the Battle of Stalingrad was for the Russians in the east. The people of Stalingrad suffered two great misfortunes in the Second World War. Firstly they had the poor judgment to be in between Hitler and The Eastern European oil fields and secondly, Stalin named the […]
Fiona’s Musings on National Identity
As confusing as individual identity may seem, imagine a country full of individuals all with their own ideas on how they belong together. What does it mean to be Australian? Is it a representation of our shared history, a reflection of our culture and values, a product of our lives lived in a dramatic environment […]
Angela’s Reviews
Christmas at the Beach Cafe by Lucy Diamond This is pure poolside/ rainy afternoon fodder. Not difficult to read and lovely characters – set in an off-beat place that leaves you feeling happy and content. Evie has inherited her aunt’s beach-side cafe in some lonely spot in the UK. The story follows the compilation of […]
Samford’s Best Kept Secret
© Mary Mageau Whenever the yen for discovery returns, it is time to pack a picnic lunch and be off for the day. Not for us—the freeways with their endless lines of speeding traffic and sterile scenery. Instead we head for the back roads and byways, where many surprises are found. High in the […]
WE’LL BE BACK!
Our lovely little library in the old Blue Building on the old CSIRO site at Samford Commons is closed. We have had the enormous pleasure of sharing this quirky little hut with the most delightful people who have bent over backwards to be of help and who have come to share our amazing collection. I […]
Agent Zigzag by Paul Hannah
Eddie Chapman had told his new girlfriend Betty Farmer, that he was in the film industry. That wasn’t entirely true, yes he had worked as an extra in a couple of films but she had no idea his main income came from crime. Eddie was a career criminal. He began with burglary, graduated to blackmail […]
To Close or Not to Close
Community Library Samford is facing its biggest challenge to date. Will we have to close for a year or can we find a space to keep our funky community library going? So that the much-longed-for Samford Community Hub can be built, we must move 600 plus boxes of books, all our shelving, everything our lovely […]