Friday 29 February 2008

Singing Home Soul of the Didgeridoo, The Australian, 29 February, 2008.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/singing-home-soul-of-the-didgeridoo/story-e6frg6n6-1111115673576
Includes Tribute to Alan Dargin narrated by John Stapleton.

Singing home soul of the didgeridoo

HEAVEN knows what the tourists thought. As the trains rumbled overhead and the seagulls squawked, hundreds of people gathered at Circular Quay in Sydney yesterday to farewell the Jimi Hendrix of didgeridoo players, the much-loved Alan Dargin.
For more than 20 years, Dargin and his stick, as he called his yirdaki or didgeridoo, were fixtures at Circular Quay, where he was one of Sydney's best-known buskers. But his fame, and the rock'n'roll sensibility he brought to the most ancient of Aboriginal musical instruments, spread much further. Over the years, Dargin had played at festivals, clubs and concert halls around the world, from London's Royal Albert Hall to New York, Paris and outback stations.
The country's most revered didgeridoo player died in hospital on Sunday following complications from a stroke. He was 40.
Yesterday's memorial celebration began shortly after 7am at the eastern end of Circular Quay. With the Opera House in the background, a traditional smoking ceremony heralded a group of Aboriginal dancers who then weaved their way through the morning throngs of office workers to First Fleet Park.
Hours later, a symphony of didgeridoo players "sang" Dargin's spirit back to his tribal homeland in Arnhem Land, a tearful crowd clapping in time to the clapsticks.
In between, speaker after speaker paid tribute to a remarkable man, talking fondly of his musicality, his capacity for friendship, his eccentricities, his wild enthusiasms; the speeches were interspersed with traditional dances and music from his albums, including the yet-to-be-released MRD - named after his beloved daughter, Madi Rose.
Professional photographer Lisa Hogben, who had photographed Dargin since the 1990s, said his prodigious talent as a musician had pioneered a new musicianship, celebrating the collision of old and new.
Among those paying tribute was University of Western Sydney music professor Michael Atherton, who collaborated on Dargin's albums Bloodwood and CrossHatch.
"He was a brother and a friend to me, but speaking as a musicologist, what he could do with the didgeridoo was inspirational," he said.
"He could make classical and jazz players envious. He wanted respect for his instrument. While he was not openly political or an activist in the known sense, he talked through his instrument about bringing people together, about healing."

Thursday 28 February 2008

Parents hope share market won't steal their centre, The Australian, 28 February, 2008.



Parents hope share market won't steal their centre: [N Canberra Edition]

John Stapleton, Additional reporting: AAPThe Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 28 Feb 2008: 6.
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"We worry about what could happen," she said. "We are working parents and we need placements. It is hard to find one you like."
Michelle Mudge, 27, a financial analyst, said her four-year-old son Jeremy loved the centre and she was optimistic about ABC's future. "I am not that concerned about the centres closing, the stock market is so volatile," she said. "I take it all with a grain of salt. I don't think it will filter down to this level.
Marketing consultant Natasha Lisle, 35, who was picking up her two-year-old daughter Madeleine, said she didn't believe the share market problems of the parent company would affect "this level of childcare services".

Monday 25 February 2008

Libs push for reform after sex scandal, The Australian, 25 February, 2008. Additional Reporting.

Lib push for reform after sex scandal: [1 All-round Country Edition]

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"Mr [Morris Iemma]'s vagaries about reform by the end of the year are an attempt to ensure that Labor's fundraising for theSeptember local government elections isn't derailed," he said.
Mr O'[Farrell] said while urgent action was needed to clean up the "web of corruption" within Wollongong City Council, any move taken by the Government should not penalise any of Wollongong's independent councillors, who have been trying to blow the whistle on corruption issues.
"If the state Government sacked Wollongong Council, Morris Iemma must ensure the administrator is independent of the ALP and not associated with any of the figures named at the corruption inquiry," Mr O'Farrell said.

Sunday 24 February 2008

Wollongong Inc, The Australian, 24 February, 2008.

FILED 24 FEB 2008 NOT RUN.
John Stapleton
Former Labor insider Paul Matters says ``Wollongong Inc'', as he calls the corruption scandal which has enveloped Wollongong Council, has been building for years.
The group Wollongong Against Corruption, which describes itself as ``a group of very angry residents'', was founded in 2006 in reaction to concerns over suspect development claims and sexual harassment cover-ups. They say Wollongong Inc has been an open scandal which should have been exposed years ago.
Members and sympathisers, who will be showing up in force at an emergency council meeting called for this afternoon, say Wollongong Inc has revealed close links between the alleged corruption at the council, the ALP and the NSW state government.
This morning concerned residents will be handing out leaflets at Wollongong train stations. They hope to get thousands of signatures for a petition demanding fresh council elections.
Members are fearful NSW Premier Morris Iemma will try to limit the damage of the ICAC inquiry by shutting the council down and appointing an administrator.
Founding member of Wollongong Against Corruption Paul Matters, former secretary of the South Coast Labor Council, said independent councillors, political activists and disillusioned ALP members have been campaigning for years to bring their concerns to light. Many have been villified, isolated, threatened and abused for their trouble.
Now at last, with daily headlines of the scandal rocking the state, they feel vindicated.
He said the group was aiming to put maximum pressure on the Premier to hold fresh council elections.
``Iemma may attempt to cut off any further investigation of the links between developers, contracting companies and lobbyists with the fund raising activities of his state members.'' he said. ``Given that this scandal has exposed systemic corruption in the Wollongong council and systemic corruption in the ALP it would be an outrage for Iemma to appoint an administrator, who would be an ALP government appointee, to run the city.
``The strong feeling in the city is that we don't want business as usual.''
The emergency council meeting this afternoon is expected to call for the last remaining councillor identified by ICAC, Val Zanotto, to immediately step aside. He would join councillors Frank Gigliotti, Kiril Jonovski and Zeki Esen.
Mr Zanotto did not return calls yesterday.
Independent Wollongong councillor Carolyn Griffiths said she had been villified and abused for raising concerns about the council's operations and described the revelations of misconduct at Wollongong council as ``an exorcism''. ``I never thought I would live to see it,' she said. ``We are entrusted by the rate payers to be honest, open, transparent and accountable. That is what the ratepayers vote us in for.''
Trevor Mott, who belongs to community lobby group the North South Coalition, said the evidence now coming before ICAC had been common knowledge. ``People have been raising these issues for years,'' he said. ``These allegations should have come out long ago. It has ruined the credibility of Wollongong.''
Independent councillor David Martin said a number of councillors had been expressing grave concerns about management, interference in the planning process and the quality of judgements, but senior figures had been protected by the ALP majority on council. ``The ALP's role in all this has been abominable,'' he said. ``They have failed to recognise or acknowledge the corruption there; failed to recognise the mismanagement. It's just fantastic this boil has been lanced.''

Friday 22 February 2008

Breakfast before a grilling in the box, The Australian, 22 February, 2008. Page One.












Breakfast before a grilling in the box: [7 NSW First Edition]

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Members of their group told The Australian yesterday "the table of knowledge doesn't really exist" but Mr [Michael Kollaras] later toldthe inquiry he started the "table of knowledge" about 10 years ago.
In his evidence, Mr [Glen Tabak] told the inquiry Ms Morgan was possibly "on a mission for sex" and believed she "wanted to be surrounded by successful people" by liaising with developers.
NSW Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell yesterday renewed his call for Mr [Morris Iemma] to allow ICAC to investigate Mr [Joe Tripodi], labelling him the "tar baby" of the NSW Labor Government.

Thursday 21 February 2008

Grandma 'tried to revive overdosed kids', The Australian, 21 February, 2008.

Grandma `tried to revive overdosed kids': [1 All-round Country Edition]

Stapleton, JohnThe Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 21 Feb 2008: 8.
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"The mother had cut wounds to her arms," she said. "And her two kids -- I reckon they've just been overdosed. The two kids were blue, they were cold. The mother was blue as well, but not as bad as the two kids. There were tablets lying between the mother and thelittle boy."
Reports in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald were headlined: "Mum held after young children stabbed to death." The story went on to claim that "two young children were found with multiple stab wounds in their southwestern Sydney home".
[Inspector Gary Clark] praised [Wendy]'s "brave and courageous" response.