AFL round 19 (2011) ‘expert’ tips

"The media done it!"

It’s “I’m a victim too” round

Disgraced ex-Victoria Chief Police Commissioner Christine Nixon has provided the perfect title to this week’s round of AFL Footy. Releasing her biography Fair Cop (written with Age journo Jo Chandler, herself not exactly a credible person in my opinion), Nixon has come out all guns blazing claiming that (get this), her fall from grace was all orchestrated by the media and the Police Association, capped off by the Royal Commission into the Black Saturday bushfires that found she failed in her duties on that fateful day.

Yes, poor Christine, who was about to retire anyway but, thanks to the tragic events of 7 February 2009 when 173 Victorians died on her watch, was instead appointed to a brand new job as head of the bushfire recovery task force - a position she then held for a further 18 months or so … on a salary of about $380,000 per year! – has had the audacity (ably assisted by Chandler) to not only write a book that attempts to rewrite history and point the finger of blame at the media, but to also go into the papers (in The Age of course) and on TV (7.30 Report) to basically claim:

“I done nothing wrong. The media done it and I’m a victim of jealousy, anti-women & anti-fat freaks and media bias. Ya see, Black Saturday ruined my life too!”

Well, it was certainly words to that effect. But give me a freakin’ break – Christine Nixon had a pretty good run in the media as Chief Commissioner for about 8 years before her bizarre appearance at the Royal Commission where, in addition to coming across as a complete nong with no idea of what her responsibilities were, she failed to tell the whole truth as to her activities, actions & whereabouts on Black Saturday when she was supposed to be the person in charge of emergency operations during the State’s worst ever disaster.

Christine Nixon is as much a “victim” of the media as what the (possibly related?) cocaine-snorting, 17 yo-bonking, disgraced former AFL footy manager Ricky Nixon is (see, there’s the footy connection!). I just wish she’d retire gracefully, stay out of our faces and off our TV screens. And STFU. Go away, Christine, we’d all prefer to forget you.

So, getting onto the round, it’s over to the footy ‘experts’:

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Big birthday coming up

It's hard to believe they're all the same bloke - click on image to enlarge (if you must)

My daughter, Corinna, is organising a big get-together of family & friends down in Melbourne for my birthday in September and she’s going to a lot of trouble, even putting together invitations that, on the inside, include this montage of yours truly through the ages. I dunno why I’m even putting this up here but I just want to point out a few things:

1. Ignore the ‘Gary Lyon lookalike’ on the bottom right – it’s not me. 
2. I have no idea who that bloke with the moustache is in the middle of the bottom row.
3. The most recent photo of me is the bare-chested one on the bottom left, taken only last summer - yes it was!

Okay, you can ask (or guess) which birthday it might be. … but I will not tell.

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How’s the skiing going?

A topic revisited and, er, what do we find?

I believe I am a fair man. Last month I put up a post ‘sno people @ the snow showing how deserted it was up at nearby Falls Creek & Mt Hotham ski resorts, even though they had great snow cover and were talking it up in their usual PR style.

BUT, to be fair, that was only in late June and not the ‘peak season’, so maybe we should revisit the same topic (and places) now – in late July – in what is the absolute peak of the snow season.

It’s a beautiful sunny day and there’s heaps of snow. It’s early afternoon on a Saturday so the runs must be packed.

I wonder how they are going at Falls Creek (you know, the place where they’re about to have a fire sale of 70+ accommodation properties)?

Let’s look at the Falls Creek snow cams. Please click on “more” below:

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AFL round 18 (2011) ‘expert’ tips

Go Cadel.

It’s Le Tour round

Okay, I know I dedicated Rd 16 to Cadel Evans, but … well, bloody hell, the race is still going and, as it reaches its final stages, the prospects of Australia’s Cadel Evans winning this incredible event looms larger and larger (not to mention nearer – there are only 3 or 4 stages to go). As I write this (Thursday night), Cadel faces his biggest challenge – the incredibly high Alps climbs. But he’s very well placed and has shown unbelievable consistency, courage and endurance to get this far in 2nd place overall, actually the effective leader, considering that Le Frog leader is not a mountain climber. Regardless of what happens now, Cadel Evans has forever cemented his name in our history books as one of our all time great sportspersons and, if he just happens to win the event after twice being a very close runner-up in recent years, that would be the local equivalent of St Kilda winning this year’s AFL flag (see, I knew there was a footy connection). Actually, it would exceed that achievement many times over. Anyway …… Viva Cadel! Here are Les experts:

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Just a reminder

Update #2: Here’s the YouTube video of Stuart Biggins singing Broken Wings.

Watch and be bowled over (ignore the judges’ comments – they don’t understand this man’s talent):

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To watch local resident Stuart Biggins on Australia’s Got Talent tonight on Ch 7 @ 7.30 pm and ….

VOTE FOR HIM !

Update: Stuart was the first up tonight. Great performance of Broken Wings. Vote now by calling:

1902 55 333 1

(only 55 c.)

Please vote early and vote often! (I’ll put the YouTube video up when it’s available. Cheers)

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‘Fire Sale’ in the snow

The fire sale includes a big chunk of the recently completed $50million St Falls project - an overdevelopment if ever there was one.

The Fall of Falls …. (and Hotham?)

It comes as no surprise to me to read (in two separate but linked reports  in The Age) that the property development bubble at the nearby mountain resorts of Falls Creek & Mt Hotham has finally burst. It had to happen and next month it looks like this house of cards will finally collapse when one of the key developers conducts…

… a NO RESERVE PRICE auction of an entire portfolio of 77 properties at the Falls Creek ski resort.

This is a really desperate, fire-sale move. As one independent property valuer puts it:

“With only about 30 sales at Falls Creek this year, offering 77 properties to buyers may cause headaches and a glut for other vendors … I think there will be some really, really cheap properties ..”

Make no mistake, this marks the beginning of the end for these overdeveloped, overpriced, underperforming and, quite frankly, crass developments up there that are a blight on the landscape: 

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AFL round 17 (2011) ‘expert’ tips

Darrel Baldock & Allan Jeans ~ 1966

It’s “Do it for Doc & Yabby” round

I’m sorry to be so parochial. Well no, actually I’m not. This is my blog and I’ll be as parochial as I like!

With the passing this week of Allan Jeans, who coached St Kilda from 1961-1976, including their first and (so far) only premiership in 1966, and the passing of the ‘greatest player ever’ earlier this year, Darrel Baldock, who captained the ’66 side, the Saints could not have more incentive to win what shapes as a make-or-break game against West Coast @ Etihad this Saturday night and (hopefully) return to the form that nearly won them a 2nd flag in the past two seasons. I’ll be going – Medallion Club of course! – and I can’t wait.

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At last … at long last

I let the Bright Observer have 'the scoop' on this story ...

I could take the credit for this but, oh, read on …….

The Alpine council is (finally) set to fast-track the makeover of Bright’s main street and centrepiece – Ireland Street and the ‘dead space’ around the clock tower known as Mafeking Square.

I’ve known about this news for more than a month but, as I’m a member of the Council’s Bright Framework Committee that has driven this project, I thought it best to stay ‘mum’ until the council made it public, as they have in today’s Bright Observer.

It’s great news and long overdue. Works are set to start this Spring and be finished by early next year, although I think the finish of this project will just be the start of the entire makeover and revitalisation of Bright’s CBD. I mean, I hope this isn’t all they plan to do. That’s not a criticism either, just a reminder that there’s a lot more needs doing. 

Please read on (by clicking on “more” below) because there are still a couple of hurdles to jump before the first crews move in and start working on this much-needed project that I have been pushing for years.

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He’s through!

Local resident Stuart Biggins has made it through to the ‘finals’ of the current Australia’s Got Talent competition on Channel 7.  He polled the 2nd highest number of votes from last week’s semi-final. The ‘finals’ are played out over 2 weeks, the first was tonight and then Stuart’s are next Tuesday night. Apparently the ‘final’ is only a preliminary final and there’s still a ‘grand final’ to come after that – so please keep up the support.

Stuart appeared briefly at the start of tonight’s show (recorded Sunday) to be told he was in. But actually I already knew, as Leanne and I bumped into him in Bright today and he told us about it. We had a good talk and he’s really pumped up for next week. He certainly impresses me with his self belief. No recording offers (yet) but plenty of tiling work, according to Stuart. Good luck.

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Le Tour de France 2011 – open thread

Schleck and Contador try to surge away from Evans (centre) in the final climb to the finish of stage 8 - but he chases them down and pulls away from them. Sensational.

Okay, I’m starting to get excited about Cadel Evans’ prospects this year. Especially after last night’s performance in stage 8 – the first serious mountain climb finish – where he saw off the other 2 main contenders, Contador & Schleck, in the final kilometre up the mountain, and went away from them to maintain his 2nd position overall, just one second behind the leader, who is sure to fall behind in the Pyrenees later this week. So go for it – say whatever you like here about Cadel’s final crack at winning one.

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AFL round 16 (2011) ‘expert’ tips

It’s Go Cadel round

Bonjour. I will resist the urge to tempt fate by making any bold predictions that Aussie cycling superstar Cadel Evans will win this year’s Le Tour de France event but there’s no doubt he’s off to a great start, with a gutsy win in Stage 4 the other night and still in 2nd place overall after last night’s 6th stage – just 1 second behind the leader. But the best news is that he’s almost 2 minutes ahead of 3-times winner and nemesis, the very suspect Spaniard Alberto Contador, who actually tested positive to steroids in last year’s win and who (amazingly) has not been suspended or stripped of the title pending an appeal. How long do these things take? Anyway, Cadel has a great opportunity to take the lead soon when they get to the legs involving the more serious hill climbs. Long way to go though. Oh, sorry, this is supposed to be about footy – here are Les experts’ tips:

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Drug bust @ The Alpine

Click on image to enlarge.

It wasn’t me!!!

Oh my God. The other day I made a lighthearted remark to Baldrick about maybe “flogging off’ the remainder of the pretty powerful prescription drugs I was taking – to relieve the excruciating pain that my Torticollis was causing me – for about $30 each down at The Alpine Hotel on a Friday night and then this story appears in the Bright Observer.

It wasn’t me. I’m much older than the bloke who was allegedly dealing. I wonder if the 35 y.o. Bright man will eventually be named?

Oh, btw, I’m not “bringing Bright down” by mentioning this – I’m just letting everyone know that we are not immune to the same sort of social problems that go on elsewhere. There’s just a lower percentage of crime here.

No offence intended to the pub – they can’t control everything that goes on in the establishment.

Vote for Stuart

I urge you to vote for Porepunkah resident Stuart Biggins whose performance in Tuesday night’s semi final of Australia’s Got Talent was sensational – he sang Farnham’s Age of reason. Call now & register your vote (it only costs 55 cents). Just dial: 1902 55 333 2 - it’s that simple. And please have a look at the video complete with intro and the judges’ comments:

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AFL round 15 (2011) ‘expert’ tips

It’s Buggered if I know round

Take a look at this week’s draw. Apart from the Geelong game they could all go either way and you might as well just flip a coin to make your selections. I’m in last spot and this could be a real chance to catch up … or not. Btw, I’m feeling (and looking) a lot better this week as the Torticollis eases up. At least my head is on straight and the excruciating pain has been dulled by the (legal) drugs. It’s a bugger about the synthetic ganja Kronic being banned though – that was my fall back position. At $300 a packet I reckon it was probably worth a crack. 

Here are the experts’ guesses with … you know the rest:

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