‘We swear by the Southern Cross, to stand truly by each other, and fight to defend our rights and liberties’
So said Peter Lalor in 1854 at the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat. The Eureka Stockade resulted from resentment.
On 30 November 1854 miners from the Victorian town of Ballarat, disgruntled with the way the colonial government had been administering the goldfields, swore allegiance to the Southern Cross flag at Bakery Hill and built a stockade at the nearby Eureka diggings. By the 3rd of December, 22 diggers and six soldiers were dead.
Read more: Eureka Stockade - a time when Australians had guts and passion
The oxygen thieves of life—your life!
I’m a positive and tolerant person, so I tell myself—although many would argue.
Until that is, I have to deal with any institution, corporation, government department, shop assistant and the vast army of wastrels that yearn to wield power and make what should be simple things impossible.
A railway toilet cleaner, for example, who spies you urgently running for the loo, so they stick a “closed for cleaning” sign just as you get there.
As my reporting to the Big Guy Upstairs draws closer,I thought I would set down more of my old memories.
When I started school at the Norseman Convent in Western Australia in the late nineteen-forties, there were no such things there as pull-the-chain sewerage. There was a wooden lavatory (dunny) situated on a lane at the back of each property, on which the collection truck (night cart) attendant (dunnyman) would change the full pans weekly through a hole in the back of the dunny. We sometimes pushed thorny leaves through the hole onto the bums of kids sitting on the dunny seats during playtime.
Read more: The Rollercoaster of Life - It's Been a Hell of a Ride!"
On December 9, 2019, tragedy struck New Zealand as White Island, an active stratovolcano located in the Bay of Plenty, erupted.
The eruption led to the loss of lives, severe injuries, and left an indelible mark on the nation's history.
White Island, also known as Whakaari in Maori, is an active volcano situated about 48 kilometres off the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors with its otherworldly landscapes and unique geological features.
Back in December 2019, White Island erupted. My heart reached out to those who were caught up in that very frightening and dangerous situation.
A place that used to be known for tourists taking selfies and the harvesting of sulfur suddenly gained worldwide attention as a scene of horror and terrible suffering.
Tomorrow. we will have an article about that terrible day. But for now, I would like to share my memories of the time my parents, Redhead and my late Dad, went fishing. Off White Island.
It might be a family failing that we always try and see the good in bad situations but that is the way we are. For me, just because a place is now remembered as the home of tragedy, I cannot help but remember when it was a place where my Dad could have ruined a perfectly good fishing trip.
Read more: A Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor, a Volcano and a Good Day Out
The old saying of " don't let the truth get in the way of a good story " is now pretty much the mantra of the Main Stream Media.
We are living in a time where so many have become the foolish young oysters eagerly walking with those that seek to consume us. The old oyster knew the trap was being set but could not do a damned thing to stop the massacre ahead.
It is clear to me, when reading the poem again after so many years, that the Walrus and the Carpenter were speaking rubbish, yet the young oysters hear without listening to the actual words and ignore the warning signs that everything the Walrus and Carpenter were saying was a sinister trick . As Simon and Garfunkel sang years ago “ They hear what they want to hear and disregard the rest. “
Her rags to riches story is tied inextricably to politics. She loved to be close to power; the more she had of it herself, the more she felt entitled to another dose of it. She craved attention and adoration so much that she once admitted, “My biggest fear in life is to be forgotten.”
She demagogued her way to a cult following among those who depended on the favors she dispensed and stepped on anyone who stood in her way. A law which obstructed her ambitions was, in her view, a law to be bent or broken. Any fair assessment of her must note that she delivered numerous vapid harangues and gave away lots of other people’s money, but she never invented, created or built anything.
No, I’m not talking about Hillary Clinton. The woman I have in mind, however, was sort of the Hillary Clinton of Argentina. Her name was Eva Perón, known affectionately by admirers as “Evita.” She is not yet forgotten, a sad fact that requires a refresher on just who she was and what she stood for.
Read more: Evita Perón - the woman who helped bring Argentina to tears?
Our family has a long history of a practice known as " pissing in your pocket. " Before you get all in a tizz, it is not what it seems. It ultimately means to deliver praise in a rather over-the-top manner.
First things first, no, we Aussies aren't advocating for peculiar methods of personal irrigation. Instead, this idiom is all about telling someone how bloody marvellous they are and praising them for a job well done.
If someone says that you are pissing their pocket, it means that you are exaggerating, but it is well received.
Our family actually and actively piss in each other's pockets as a form of compliment and praise. In fact, up until recent years, pissing in each other's pockets was widely practiced by most Australian families. It is to compliment and praise on steroids.
Warning: Reading this could ruin your life!
I first noticed the bastardisation of English diction on Mark Scott’s ABC Radio National a few years ago. Never imagining anything could be more annoying than Aunty’s extreme Left bias—a condition they deny, but worse there is, much worse. Akin, perhaps, to the Black Plague which spread by the hour, consigning the innocent to squalid gutters, and so to should follow all practitioners of the infuriating fad called vocal fry. And to think that taxpayers’ have funded this dreadful croaking noise that occurs on the last word of a sentence and most ABC presenters have deliberately absorbed this hideous affectation.
Most believe this nonsense started in the US by glamorous airheads like the Kardashians and other idolisers of foolish fashion. Anything to be different these days, no matter how damned ridiculous it may be. Glottal fry has been mutating in the porridge-brained trendoids for a few years now. Most people don’t notice it right away and if they do it is passed off as an unfortunate speech impediment worthy of sympathy, as would be a foot growing from your ear. But such nonsense should not be passed off with indifference; it’s a bloody annoying abomination of the voice. It makes me, a normally passive sort of bloke eager to commit evil upon the cretin in practice.
The world's rich and famous, plus an army of publicists, hangers-on and mendicants, are attending the COP28 meeting in Dubai, the ostentatious 7-star play-ground capital of United Arab Emirates where even the police drive luxury sports cars.
We peasant classes sitting at home note that climate royalty, including King Charles from UK, John Kerry from USA and Blackouts Bowen from Australia, are all flying there burning vast amounts of carbon fuels. Fittingly, these hypocrites chose to meet in the richest and most wasteful artificial city in the world wallowing in wealth derived from oil, gas and air-travel tourists.
I recently watched the Netflix Mini series " The Railway Men. " What a great tribute to the Railway employee who saved thousands of lives during the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
The incident, one of the most devastating industrial disasters in history, occurred on the night of December 2-3, 1984, in the city of Bhopal, India. The incident not only left an indelible mark on the affected community but also raised critical questions about industrial safety, corporate responsibility, and the environmental impact of chemical disasters.
The catastrophe unfolded at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant when a lethal gas, methyl isocyanate (MIC), leaked into the atmosphere. The gas quickly spread across the densely populated city, affecting thousands of residents while they slept. The immediate and severe health effects included respiratory problems, blindness, and various other life-threatening complications.
Read more: The Bhopal Gas Tragedy: A Legacy of Pain and Environmental Consequences
When I tell people I’m a beek, inevitably the first thing they say is, “Yes,…
218 hits
When we look back at history, we often speak of "the old wise men" who…
298 hits
When dreams turn to infrastructure, who controls the future above us? In 1957, a lonely…
354 hits
Without a genuine love for our forbears, how can we truly love - or even…
389 hits
They didn’t storm the gates. They waited. While revolutionaries burned flags and shouted in the…
552 hits
RATTY NEWS EXCLUSIVE Operation Downstream: The Rise of the Feathernet Underground By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
115 hits
By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Chief Correspondent, Fence-Sitter, and Eyewitness to History When the world teetered…
553 hits
Once we debated. Now, " they" accuse. And who are they? Talk about diversity.…
625 hits
Solar generators won’t run on moon-beams – they fade out as the sun goes down…
637 hits
In the 19th century, steam trains roared into history, their unstoppable might revolutionising travel and…
620 hits
There are stories we tell because they’re funny. And there are stories we remember because…
588 hits
As told by Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Chief Correspondent, Fence Sitter & Marmalade Analyst Before the…
518 hits
A few weeks ago, someone broke into my quiet little corner of the internet and…
494 hits
By Ernest ‘Ember’ McTail, Special Correspondent. Serious News Division of Ratty News The world watches. There…
473 hits
It began, as such stories often do, in silence and snow. Kananaskis, Alberta - a…
462 hits
As Australia faces economic collapse, and leaders like Donald Trump and Javier Milei take bold…
379 hits
In an age of civil unrest, burning cities, and bitter political division, the words “Give…
394 hits
Today, I am featuring an article written by our dear blogger Malcolm back in 2021.…
333 hits
June is Gay Pride Month. Flags fly, parades roll out, corporations update their logos, and…
418 hits
Written: 24 February 2025 This is a true story, about PP’s cancer journey. PP will…
339 hits
By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Chief Correspondent, Ratty News Dusk in Alice Springs. I, Roderick…
413 hits
The LA riots and Derren Brown's Remote Control (an episode from Trick or Treat where…
532 hits
An exclusive editorial investigation by Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Chief Correspondent, Ratty News Dusty Gulch - To…
441 hits
On June 6, 1944, the world witnessed an extraordinary event that changed the course of…
461 hits
Canberra's finest fall from grace... and altitude They came, they posed, they plummeted. In what…
518 hits
Anarchy often gets a bad rap. Images of burning buildings, rampant lawlessness, and a general…
433 hits
Part 2 of the Cane Series I’ll admit, before diving into this series, I hadn’t…
447 hits
Counting the Uncountable: What the Census No Longer Wants to Know – And Why That…
424 hits
There is no climate crisis Chris Bowen. There is a crisis in stupidity and lack…
477 hits