Local talent

 

Back in 2013, the tiny town of Candelo in the Bega Valley just down the road from us came to life for the filming of Tom Cowan’s 1920s-period film "Life Class".

The movie is set in a country town healing from the effects of WW1. A French artist, who has escaped the horrors of the war, arrives and tries to run a life-drawing class. A farm girl puts herself up to be the model.

 

 

Faint echoes of Norman Lindsay's 1938 book "Age of Consent" which is also set around nearby Bermagui, although the 1969 movie was filmed on a small island on the Great Barrier Reef.

Over 80% of the cast and crew of "Life Class" were from the Bega Valley. Pity they didn't have a role for a retired chartered accountant!

 

Talking of a bargain!

Recently a contemporary house in Sproxton Lane with a 20-metre waterfront on a mere 1700 square metres of land sold for $1.7 million. For just an extra $265,000 you can now buy "Riverbend" with a massive two-storey brick house on a massive 30,000 square metres of land with over 300 metres of absolute waterfront to highwater mark. Talking of a bargain!

 

Our prospective buyers are prospective no more - and they're absolutely heart-broken! Their bank simply wouldn't cover them for the missing few hundred thousand despite being well in the money on a first mortgage over "Riverbend".

As she wrote, "It’s a no go! I just don’t know what to say, we are so so sad. We are going to stay here for another two years and get our finances in order. That should get us to Nelligen with money to spare as Nelligen is where we want to live, although I have a feeling you will be gone as will the property. We will find something else but it will never match "Riverbend".

$2m is very cheap compared to what I have seen. Having grown up in Canberra, holidayed and lived in the Bay, and toured most of the towns on the South Coast, there is no place in Australia that has an inlet leading to a big beautiful river like the Clyde. I truly believe you live in the best spot, maybe not on earth but definitely in Australia, and for the life of me - and I keep saying this - I can't understand why your property hasn't already been snapped up!

I realise that in two years’ time the property will have gone. Anyway, we will be moving to Nelligen and every time I pass "Riverbend" by boat I will snarl at the new owners ☺

I don’t like mucking people around and I'm sorry for having wasted your time and I’m sure you will sell soon. I would love to keep in touch with you as I love your stories and the chats. Your friend"

Well, they gave it their best shot. And I've given my real estate advertisement another shot by drawing a comparison to the most recent sale at Sproxton Lane # 27.

Here's the new ad at www.allhomes.com.au.

 

The Shopocalypse is only weeks away

 

Meet Reverend Billy who is a crusader against consumerism, a prophet for social justice, a man who preaches against the poisons in our culture.

Listen to this cross between Billy Graham and Elvis Presley and stop shopping this Christmas!

 

Just like the Clyde River

 

Oyster Farmer is a 2004 Australian romantic comedy/drama film about a young man who runs away to the Hawkesbury River and gets a job with eighth-generation oyster farmers.

The movie was filmed on the Hawkesbury River with scenery very similar to our Clyde River, except that on the Clyde the oyster farmers are still growing as fat as their oysters while on the Hawkesbury River oysters have all but disappeared due to pollution.

Surprisingly, the full-length movie is available on YouTube, so grab some popcorn, sit back and relax before somebody wakes up to the copyright infringements and removes it again.

 

At last some common sense

 

A judge is refusing to hear evidence from a Muslim woman suing police over a terrorism raid on her house because the woman refused to take off her veil.

In what lawyers ­believe is an Australian first, NSW District Court judge Audrey Balla would not let Moutia Elzahed take the stand in the civil case while she wore her veil.

Ms Elzahed, one of two women married to convicted criminal and Islamic extremist Hamdi Alqudsi, still refused to take off her veil.

She is suing the state and federal governments over a search on her Revesby home in Australia’s largest counter-terrorism raids, Operation Appleby, on September 18, 2014. Ms Elzahed is seeking compensation for “assault and battery, wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and intimidation”. She is joined in the lawsuit by her husband Hamdi Alqudsi and her sons Hamza George, 17, and Abdulla George, 17.

Lawyer Clive Evatt told Judge Balla his client could not reveal her face to any man outside her family — for religious reasons. Judge Balla said Ms Elzahed could have the court closed while she gave evidence or she could go to another room and give evidence via video link.

Mr Evatt declined both options because the mostly male legal counsels for both sides would still be able to see his client’s face. Ms Elzahed also ­refused to stand for Judge Balla when the judicial officer entered and exited the court.

Thank you, Judge Balla! I hope other judges will follow your lead!