Tony Armstrong rise
Tony Armstrong has come a long way from his days at ACK. A boarder from the Riverina where he was raised by his mum – a fine lady – Tony excelled in class and was a talented member of the First XVIII and XI. Beyond school and university, he played some games for Collingwood in the AFL. A career in radio and TV beckoned and he has carved out a splendid working life in this area. His partner Rona, a prominent DJ, is also Indigenous, and the couple are highly regarded. Tony has a real chance to win a Gold Logie next month for outstanding media work.
He and Rona live in inner Melbourne, a big change for a girl who grew up in Alice Springs. In a recent magazine profile, they were described as the ‘hottest couple in Australian media’.
Indigenous Start
Warren Mundine and Jacinta Price (pictured) are outstanding Australians. One is in parliament (Price), and the other should be. Both are brighter than most politicians; indeed, Price might be brighter than all. She has a realistic plan to ‘close the gap’, especially in remote Indigenous regions, based on positive action rather than words and empty gestures. Warren has long been a voice of reason as regards to the plight of their people. Both voted and campaigned for the ‘no’ vote in the 2023 referendum. They saw it as purely a divisive affair wasting multi-million dollars and believed it would be counterproductive.
Jimmy the Great
The man regarded as England’s greatest ever test bowler, Jimmy Anderson, received a rapturous farewell last week from a packed Lord’s crowd as he played for his country for the last time. From Burnley in Lancashire, a former thriving mill town about the size of Shepparton, Anderson began his test career in 2003 aged 21, and retained his fitness and skill for a remarkable two decades. His 704 wickets is the highest tally ever for a pace bowler. He was a key performer in five winning series against Australia. A humble person, devoted to his wife and two teenage girls, Anderson will almost certainly become ‘Sir James’. He already has a statue in his hometown. Jimmy was a high admirer of the late Shane Warne, who likewise regarded Anderson as a ‘true great’ of the sport.
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At the same Lord’s test, the Pom’s debuted a tall genuine expert bowler – Gus Atkinson – who will be part of their Ashes attack in Australia the summer after next. Atkinson, consistently around the 90 miles an hour mark, took 12 wickets to wreck West Indies at Lords. It was the first ‘debut’ ten by an Englishman since the legendary Alec Bedser way back in 1946. England’s first ever ‘10 for’ was by Albert Trott in 1892.
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England has blooded some fine young cricketers who will impact in Australia next year. When is George Bailey and his selection team going to introduce some new young talent into the Aussie side? Right now it is a ‘Dads Army’ XI.
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Varia
Recently, I met with two fine priests – both sincere and devoted to their calling. St Patrick’s Kilmore has just celebrated 175 years of existence and welcomed an overflow congregation of more than 300 at the milestone mass. Chief Organiser of the special occasions was Brian Clancy. At a rough estimate, the historic bluestone church, across the generations, has welcomed hundreds of thousands through its doors for worship, baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Current Pastor Father Prakash is making a real impact in the parish. Father Peter Ferwerda, formerly a doctor, is now a very dedicated priest at Heathcote. He has just returned with a group of Australians to the Marian Pilgrimage site of Medjugorje where six Bosnian teenagers claimed to have a number of visions of the blessed virgin Mary. It is the third most visited holy shrine in Europe behind Lourdes and Fatima, and attracts millions of pilgrims every year. Father Ferwerda says it is an amazing and inspiring place.
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It was nice to meet up briefly the other day with Tim Austin. A good guy, well regarded as a former ‘good cop’, now keeping busy with his rural pursuit. He loves the bush and its people and is also a very talented poet.
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Good friend Michael Connor, who I called by on return from his mum’s funeral in Deniliquin. Fine parents were his mother and father who raised five children. The three sons attended ACK and were prominent in footy and cricket. They were pretty handy in the classroom, too.
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Former ACK deputy Peter Jongeblood, a great all-round schoolman, hosted a gathering of 20 former and present college staff at the Gaol Café last Saturday. All had plenty of reminiscences about their time at Assumption and plenty of happy memories. Sixteen of those present still reside in the local area.
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There have been a number of very arrogant politicians on both sides over the years, but a report recently rated current energy minister Chris Bowen as the ‘gold medallist’ in this category. Popular radio hosts in the capital cities say that when Bowen’s name comes up, angry callers send the switch board into meltdown.
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This is apparently a trivia question to be asked in 2040.
Question: What did Australians use before candles?
Answer: Electricity and gas.
