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melbmemories · 25 days

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This is an excerpt from the book Favourite Footy Yarns, by Journalist, Ken Piesse.

Sir Doug Nicholls 1906 - 1988.

Racial prejudice and vilification was a cruel reality in football in the 1920's.

Tiny Douglas Nicholls had his heart set on a League career but after six weeks at Carlton walked out without playing a game. He’d been shunned by the players and even the trainers who refused to rub-down a black man. One said he smelled and several others said they couldn’t see him because he wore black shorts.

There was no such colour bar as a teenager growing up in Cumeragunga in Northern Victoria, where Nicholls had become known as “The Flying Abo” with his acrobatic leaping and scintillating speed. He was short, but could run like the wind and had exceptional ball skills which were his ticket to a new life.

Joining the VFA club Northcote, he played his first game in late May 1927, prompting one Melbourne Herald writer to comment:

The ten-stone Hercules had the spring of a rubber ball, the speed of an Emu and the strength of a Giant. He could flash between followers, bounce higher than a six footer and squirm through a pack. His kicking and passing on the run, his speed of turn, his spectacular leaps - like a little frog with spread legs - set the crowd roaring. They knew they were seeing as good a footballer as they were ever likely to see.

So impressed were his team mates that they had a ‘whip-around’ for him after the game. He played in the team’s 1929 Premiership at the MCG, being one of the most Outstanding afield. For two years running he was the Brickfielders’ best and fairest player. Despite his popularity among his own, rarely would he play a game without being abused by opposition players and supporters for his colour and race. His brother Dowie also joined the club for a season, the brothers being nicknamed ‘Chocolate and Cocoa’.

After five years Nicholls joined Fitzroy in the VFL where he earned Big V Selection and finished third in one club Best and Fairest behind Brownlow Medalists Haydn Bunton and Wilfred ‘Chicken’ Smallhorn. The club also gave him a job sweeping out the stands.

On his very first night at Fitzroy, Nicholls was changing by himself in a remote corner of the room when Bunton walked over to him, “What’s the idea?” he asked, “Why aren’t you with the others?”

“You know how it is” replied Nicholls.

Bunton bought his gear over and changed beside Nicholls, a ritual he repeated every Tuesday and Thursday.

Nicholls was one of the first Indigenous Australians to play 50 VFL games. Football gave him fresh status he could never have had back at home at Cumeroogunga. “I was quick on my feet and quick of eye”’ he told the interviewer. “I got it from my ancestors, they needed it to get out of trouble”.

For him, football was more than a game, it was his salvation. “How I look forward to each Saturday’s play,” he once said. The roar of the crowd is music , I revel in the tense atmosphere of the game and the preparation for it. So keen am I on football, I’d go anywhere for a game. Once on a football field I forget everything else. I’m playing football and I never take my eyes off that ball. My aim is not only to beat my opponent but also to serve my side. I realise that in football, as in other things, it’s teamwork that tells.”

At just 157 centimetres (five feet two inches), Nicholls conceded height to almost all his opponents, but possessed electrifying pace and could out run them all. Before joining Fitzroy he’d won the Nyah and Warracknabeal Gifts. Embarrassed Carlton officials always claimed it was Nicholls height that prevented selection, but it was purely a smokescreen. A couple of lines in ‘The ballad of Haydn Bunton’ by Ken Mansell and Peter Bell are particularly poignant.

When little Dougie Nicholls came down from the scrub,

Football was a white man’s game, at Carlton he was snubbed,

Just an Aborigine, they would not let him in.

No one saw his blinding pace, just the colour of his skin.

One of Nicholls proudest moments came when he was selected for Victoria in 1935. He was the first Indigenous Australian to be so honoured. Such was his popularity that during his time with the Victorian side, Police in Perth exempted him from the after-dark curfew normally imposed on Aboriginal People.

On the train bringing the Victorians to Perth, Jack Dyer, then just 21, came into Nicholl’s compartment, “How are things going Dougie?” asked Dyer.

“I don’t like you Jack Dyer.”

“Why? What have I done?”

“You called me a N***** on the football field”.

“I don’t remember Doug….”

Fitzroy was playing Richmond last year. We jumped for the ball together. You pushed me , “out of the way N*****,” that’s what you said.”

“Doug, I’ve got a big mouth….I’m sorry.”

Nicholls immediately accepted Dyer’s apology, grinned and said, “Bet I was flying high, when I should have stayed down, Can’t help going after the ball, the coach gets mad at me.”

It was on that long train trip across the Nullarbor that Nicholls saw and met Aboriginal people begging for money and tobacco at several of the stops. Their clothes were filthy and the young wore no clothes at all. The train guards weren’t even allowed to give them water. The Authorities wanted them out of sight and out of mind. Nicholls made a promise to himself that he would do everything he could to improve their circumstances. He wanted black and white to work together and in time he was to become one of the most revered of all Indigenous Australians, a lay preacher and pastor and a champion for his people.

More than any other Aboriginal Sportsmen of his era, Nicholls helped to break through the white man’s colour bar. In 1957 he was the first Aboriginal Australian to receive the MBE and in 1972 the first to be Knighted. He served as Governor of South Australia from 1976 to 1977. He was also Father of the Year in 1962, the first Aboriginal Justice of the Peace in 1963 and even became King of Moomba.

At his funeral in 1988, well wishers lined Bell and High streets almost all the way to Campbellfield. It was a fitting farewell.

#indigenous #aboriginal #football #sport #doug nicholls #racial discrimination

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shopsui · 1 year

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And that was Thursday, done and dusted! #work and dinner with @honeysuckleweeks at @pinopinellipub #pizzas #collingwood (at Northcote, Victoria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqaSVg4Pnwi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#work #pizzas #collingwood

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natsolute · 1 year

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2022 Victorian State Election

As the majority of the election comes to a close for the lower house-- only 9 seats found to be in doubt, which will be decided by the pre-poll and postal votes as they begin to be counted over the coming days, Daniel Andrews has secured a historic third term as Victorian Premier and leader of the Victorian Labor Party. This means that, unless interrupted by a resignation or retirement from Andrews, Victoria will have had an Andrews Labor government from 2014-2026.

This state election was widely seen as a complicated and uncertain one; as typical of Australian elections, widespread media narratives, particularly those posed by News Corp associated orgs, all presented a tight race, which was reinforced by several Liberal Party officials, including opposition leader Matthew Guy, who all spoke positively on the campaign and claimed that they held a clear chance at winning majority government. As the votes came in, however, this was shown to be not only inaccurate, but bordering on delusional-- to put it in the words of the Victoria Votes ABC panel: "The Liberal Party needs to hire a new pollster".

Despite polls and front-cover claims from the majority of Australian news organizations, and the perspective provided by the Victorian Liberals, there was, in fact, a further loss of popularity for the Liberals. As currently standing, it is likely that Labor will retain the number of seats they had prior to the election, at around double the Liberal National Coalition's seats.

Key Quotes of Tonight:

Richard Willingham: "it's a raw moment for Matthew Guy, but he would know his political career is essentially over."

Ellen Sandell: "This shows that the old two-party system is dying, [...] we're seeing Labor get elected on Greens preferences."

Ellen Sandell: "If you look at something like Northcote, if you look at the Green vote, plus the Socialist vote, we're actually over the Labor party, [...] and what this means is that now, the Labor party can't get elected in the inner-city without the Liberal vote."

Kos Samaras: "[Liberals] are possibly a political movement that no longer talks to a significant number of Victorians, full stop. Political parties come and go; it's a historical fact, and I think that the Liberal Party is pitching to a constituency that doesn't live in Victoria all that much."

Major Key Points

The LNP vastly overestimated the presence of anti-Daniel Andrews sentiment in communities after COVID-19 lock-downs.

Matthew Guy will likely not remain Opposition leader for long; two consecutive losses as leader of the opposition will likely be enough to eject him from the position.

The results of the federal election provided an incredibly accurate prediction of how the Victorian State Election would result.

The LNP suffered greatly due to a combination of preferencing far-right candidates and preselecting ultra-conservative candidates for their own campaigns, which made them less appealing to voters.

While Victoria is broadly moving to the left (a ALP government with progressive values, an increasing Greens vote, etc.), voters are leaving the major parties either in the direction of groups such as the Victorian Greens or Victorian Socialists, or in the direction of "alt-right parties", as described by Victoria Votes panelists.

The ALP has largely benefited from their presentation of progressive politics, largely through the adoption of Greens policies; this has been regarded, as said by Ellen Sandell, as a victory for the Greens party.

My Analysis

The results of the Victorian 2022 State Election have compounded a set of pre-existing trends that I had begun to recognize in the federal election; some of these trends had been reported more widely, while others have been more personal evaluations of politics.

Firstly: Australians are rejecting the major parties; in the federal election, only a third of the country voted for an ALP government, yet that government was formed in the majority-- furthermore, these votes are going to three key categories:

Alt-right parties (One Nation, United Australia, DLP, etc.)

Teal independents

Progressive minor parties (Greens, Socialists, Animal Justice, etc.)

This trend, which was first present in the 2022 Federal election, mostly continued into the state election-- the state is now forming a stable majority ALP government currently at around 37.1% of the vote-- the opposition holds a total of 34.6%. The rest is split between an 11.2% Greens and 17.1% Other vote.

Within the Other vote, the first category of minority party voters are clearly present, with far-right parties such as Family First, Freedom Party Victoria, and Labour DLP getting a combined 5.7%.

The second category of minority party voters can be seen through the 6% Independent vote; interestingly, the number of independents in the lower house will have dropped by the end of this election, as two key rural independents were ousted by successful Nationals campaigns. Contrarily, however, traditionally Liberal electorates faced major competition from independents in the east, particularly in the case of Hawthorne, a state electorate within the federal electorate of Kooyong, where independent Melissa Lowe followed the example of Monique Ryan in the Federal Election and is poised to defeat John Pesutto, who was vying to retake the seat after having it taken by ALP member John Kennedy in 2018.

The third category of minority voters can be seen through the 11.2% Greens vote, 1.4% Victorian Socialist vote, and 2.3% Animal Justice vote, totalling to a 14.9% vote.

By looking at the state of Australian politics-- preferences by the LNP towards alt-right candidates, hyper-conservative News Corp biases, and rampaging issues of misogyny, racism, inequality, corruption, and mistrust in each consecutive government, whether it be at the state or federal level, it is easily identifiable how this escape from the major parties has occurred, and particularly through explorations of COVID-19 and the impact of it on working class families, as well as the manipulation of the pandemic by far-right groups to promote fascist ideologies, it is understandable how there has been an increase in the alt-right vote.

While the expansion of the fascist vote in Australia is concerning, there is a hopeful counter-movement rising in the establishment and rapid expansion of leftist organisations such as the Victorian Socialists; while the Victorian Socialists were unable to take any lower house seats, and it is too early to call whether they were successful in their move to disrupt far right politician Bernie Finn's place in the Western Metro legislative council ticket, it is important to acknowledge the success of what could soon be one of the most successful Australian socialist movements in decades.

Founded in 2018, and first running in the Victorian state election that same year, the Victorian Socialists are an expansion of various socialist groups in Australia, particularly the Socialist Alternative; while they lacked major presence during the 2018 election, they packed genuine influence in the 2022 Victorian election. As expressed by Ellen Sandell's previously mentioned quote, the Victorian Socialists were actually responsible for the election of a fourth Greens member through preferences, and if their fight to overtake Bernie Finn in the upper house is successful, they would be poised to put one of the first socialists in Australian government in 70 years.

In a similar vein of recognising the influence of progressivism in Victoria, it is important to acknowledge the key role that progressive movements such as the Victorian Greens have played in influencing the political attitudes of the Andrew's government, and how said part can be key in making the best out of a ALP majority government. Climate commitments and the commitment to re-establish the SEC, for instance, both directly link back to the policy proposals of the Victorian Greens. Additionally, here is hope from Greens members that, despite not succeeding in creating a hung parliament with the Greens holding balance of power, their influence could be key in further strengthening environmental policies, and I am personally hopeful that the influence of the Victorian Greens could result in the expansion and improvement of the current proposed SEC, which is highly flawed and needs major changes before it is able to succeed.

As stated by members of the ABC Victoria Votes panel, it is highly likely that the catastrophic losses experienced at both the 2018 and 2022 state elections by the LNP are symptoms not of a failure to recognise issues within their party's campaign, but rather a symptom of a party that is no longer relevant or necessary within the state.

For progressives, the ALP majority government is not the ideal outcome, but it is one that can be utilised to the advancement of leftist politics, and the success of the Andrews government, even if by an arguably thin margin, is proof that Victoria could remain safe from the far-right toxicity attempting to enter Australian politics through the actions of the LNP.

This post may be followed up on in the near future; for now though, I will leave my commentary as is, because I need sleep. I have just done 9 hours of volunteering for election day, followed by a 5 1/2 hour watch of the election results, and now, the 1 1/2 hours that it has taken to fully write this analysis. Thank you for reading, and I hope my analysis was one of value. :)

#vicpol #auspol #australia #australian politics #victorian politics #politics #elections #voting #democracy #leftism #socialism #victorian socialists #analysis #political analysis

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granhairdo · 1 year

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les mis characters as radical face + family tree things

valjean

album: hidden hollows vol 1

song(s): chains, rivers in the dust

northcote: kyle

javert

album: the leaves

song(s): sleepwalking

northcote: the alchemist’s son

cosette

album: the roots

song(s): mountains, winter is coming

northcote: victoria

marius

album: therapy

song(s): the mute, haunted

northcote: phillip

enjolras

album: the branches

song(s): letters home, we all go the same

northcote: christopher

eponine

album: ghost

song(s): all is well, holy branches, reminders

northcote: genevieve??? got her vibes kinda

grantaire

album: sunnmoonneclipsse

song(s): the missing road

northcote: tom

#les miserables #radical face

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anthonyurl · 1 year

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I think I found Twitter’s employee of the month wall (at Northcote, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClK6YW9P1gb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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qnewslgbtiqa · 4 months

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LGBTQIA+ New Year's Eve Celebrations across Australia

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/lgbtqia-new-years-eve-celebrations-across-australia/

LGBTQIA+ New Year's Eve Celebrations across Australia

Emerging from the Christmas food coma, the question on everyone’s lips is what to do on New Years? From fireworks to bush doofs, there are LGBQTIA+ New Year’s Eve events across Australia to cater to all members of the community.

NSW Events

Poof Doof NYE Party

Held at Arq, Poof Doof NYE has a killer lineup as well as a special appearance from Drag Race Down Under finalist Hollywould Star. Tickets are available to purchase online.

Eden Sydney NYE Party

A new event for Sydneysiders, Eden is the largest touring women’s party in the world. Catering to the lesbian, queer, non-binary and trans community- guests can expect queer female celebrity DJs, live music performances and show stopping dance performances.

NYE at Bernie’s Bar

The ultimate New Year’s Eve party destination is none other than Newcastle’s favourite gay bar! Brace yourself for an unforgettable night filled with an exciting lineup of performers, mesmerizing roaming acts, a dazzling Infinity light-up dance floor, delectable canape service, and so much more.

Bush Magik New Year’s Festival

Tropical Fruits know how to ring in a new year. Held at the Lismore Showgrounds, Bush Magik consists of three dance parties across the 30th (Camp party), 31st (NYE party) & the 1st (Recovery party), renowned Cabaret (NYE) the crooked ‘Next Day Cabaret’ (NYD) as well as an arts & cultural program with panels, workshops & activities. Camping is also available from 27th-4th for up to 1000 people.

Queensland Events

NYE at The Wickham

Was your 2023 heavenly or hellish? Either way, celebrate in epic style at The Wickham! Hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Art Simone and Karen from Finance, join us for a devilish evening of heavenly performances, DJs and campery! Also featuring performances by Shanny T-Bone, Asphyxia, Chocolate Boxx, Abril Latrene & Ivyy Monroe.

Runway: New Years Eve at Sporties

With three bars and a ‘Supermodel Spectacular’ starring an ensemble cast of Dame Liz Taylor, Gina Vanderpump, Katya Lou-King, Liz Anya, Magenta and more- Sporties is the perfect destination for your new years celebration. Limited tickets are available at the door.

Victoria Events

BONEZ Queer Party

BONEZ is Australia’s Alternative Queer party with Punk as F*ck Bands, Drag, Burlesque and DJs. Ring in 2024 at the Northcote Social Club in an inclusive and welcoming enviroment.

Sundaylicious NEW YEAR’S EVE

Sundaylicious, the renowned Sunday event that celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community, will be making its way to the majestic Northcote Theatre on New Year’s Eve. Ring in the new year with community in a colourful and joyful celebration of love and diversity. Doors open from 7:00pm.

South Australia Events

Love Island NYE at My Lover Cindi

Love Island invites you to shake off 2023 and dive into 2024 with friends and lovers. The rhythm of tropical house and all your club favourites from the year gone by heat up the dance floor for an unforgettable celebration of queer joy! Doors open at 7PM for sensory hour with general doors opening at 8PM. Dress code: tropical beach party and paradise creatures.

Silver and Chrome Party at Mary’s Poppin

Say goodbye to 2023, and hello to 2024 with a silver & chrome disco pop party unlike any other. With Adelaide’s best drag & DJs going hard all night to keep the vibes high & the mood right. Dress code: Think chrome couture, silver chains, metallic sparkles, holographic glitter- just be sure to shine brighter than anyone else on the dance floor.

Western Australia Events

NYE at The Flaming Galah

Freo’s first inclusive small bar is hosting a free event to ring in the new year- The Bowery Ball. A night to let your freak flags fly, boogie your shoes off to DJs Kenneltoe & Mama Cass and dress like your life depends on it. In honour of the legendary Leigh Bowery, let your imaginations run wild, get your faces painted for the gods and say goodbye to 2023 in style.

New Years Eve at The Court

Get ready to embark on a journey back to the future as we present the most epic event of the millennium – the Y2K Space Invaders! Brace yourselves for a cosmic collision of nostalgia, futuristic fun, and intergalactic adventures like never before.

Tasmania Events

Judy’s Ruby Slipper Ball

Coming to Altar, Judy’s Red Slipper Ball is ready to help you say goodbye to 2023. Brought to you by the iconic Pussay Poppins, bring your best Judys along for a night of queer communion and celebration.

Whatever the plans, have a safe and fabulous New Year’s Eve.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

#new years eve

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s2z · 1 year

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Northcote, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 2021-01-05 15:29:21 by stuart murdoch Via Flickr: Wanderinfg the back streets of Nothercote* *beer may have been consumed

#IMG_3384 #northcote #melbourne #victoria #australia #crossing #street #sighn #signs #sign #auspctagged:pc3070 #pc3070 #northcote:pc3070 #flickr

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soliloquyepistolary · 10 months

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I am at work and I have finished my shift and it’s time for me to go home and I got gk’s shop which is just across the road and I open his mail box which is like a slide out box at the front of his pharmacy and I am looking at plastic pocket of items that I thought had official pharmacy business inside like his certificates that allow him run but really it is a whole bunch of cards that people have given me their are all kinds people I have known in my life has written them and then I see him approaching from inside his shop. I thought the shop was closed but he is there and I panic bc I don’t pwant him to see that I have been looking thru his mail so I take the whole plastic sleeve and I put it in my bag and I go back to the other side of the road to work and it’s work but it’s doesn’t look like work and I go into a room where Al is and I try to show her I’m trying to tell her about what I’ve got in my bag. I’m scared, I’m freaking out i don’t like that I have this thing in my backpack but she doesn’t seem to understand at all I can’t reach her so I leave and I get into my car and I drive to Northcote plaza and I am walking around in the mall and I keep trying to get the plastic sleeve out of my bag and rearrange the things that are in there into two piles, ones that I will keep and others I will put back into George’s mail box, at first I thought that it was two types of documents, my cards that ppl had given me, and his business documents but then I realise that all of the things in there belong to me I can’t separate them into piles. But I feel like I need to put this sleeve back anyhow so even if it’s all mine, I need to make it look like nothing is amiss I need to give something back for the appearance of it. Now I remember, there is one very important document that is in there that allows him to run his pharmacy but it’s not there that’s why I desperately feel like I need to return this to him asap.

When I am at the mall I keep taking out the pile to separate them but there is no where to do it that is private. I get anxious that people are watching me I keep thinking someone is looking over my shoulder at this mall. I don’t want them looking at something so private and important, things they should be seeing, I keep putting it back, walking somewhere where I think no one is, taking it out to rearrange it but people keep appearing near me and I get really claustrophobic and annoyed by their presence so I have to pack up again this happens a handful of times I am very frustrated

Then I am walking through a section of the food court that is only for disadvantaged people and there is a sign saying if u eat here the you will be reprimanded I see people who look like they are struggling with life, like with kids and stuff, this food is probably at a very reduced price, they are sitting tables and chairs by the food stall and eating but is good all over the ground. I see a lady from work, Rachel Cameron, who is helping out there, saying hello to the people and being friendly but she is very genuine

Somehow I find a gift bag that was supposed to be given to Chloe Fraser from Victoria rowlatt. The gift bag is very nice done, a lot of effort was put into it there are so many decorations in the front and pictures of her. Given to chloe at the end of the course as thankyou. There is no gift in it though, I think she already has the gift but this gift bag probably dropped down as she was walking. But not just that, this teacher is cold/is focused on herself (but in a good way), she is detached from the teaching job, I got the feeling that she didn’t care about the gift that much, or while she did appreciate it, it wasn’t something she completely coveted bc she was careless enough to let the gift bag drop. I put it in my backpack and before discarding of the bag I untie the beautiful baby blue ribbon which was in a box from the top of the bag and I keep it for myself

After walking around in the mall for awhile I decide enough time has passed that gk has probably either left or I can sneak back Without him noticing to put it back in his mail box. I have ended up keeping some cards that were personal to me, like with me actual name on it, but I let him keep the ones that were more general for some reason and didn’t mention my name, although I knew they still belonged to me. I was on my way to put them back

Significantly bigger mall than Northcote plaza is with different sections of people doing different things

Some of these cards are really elaborate, like pop out cards I seek not to care by the end, about the document that groj needs

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