‘This story’s right, this story’s true, I would not tell lies to you’.
These are the opening lines of Archie Roach’s song ‘Took the Children Away’ and the poignant introduction used by David Sly, journalist, writer, author and editor, in a compelling interview with the man himself at Adelaide Writers Week 2020.
Every day since taking the chance to begin freelance writing in 2015, has been a learning experience. For everyone who’s had a desire to write, it takes a leap of faith into uncharted waters and everyone’s reasons on how and why they decided to jump into the business of writing are different. For everyone though, there seems to be a common thread which is the satisfaction of having work printed, seeing it in black and white, and in my case an added thrill when photos are accepted for publication and the ultimate accolade, when they make the cover of a magazine. To be able to hold what you’ve written in your hands in the form of a magazine and knowing that possibly hundreds even thousands of other people are seeing and reading your work is quite mind boggling and satisfying.
If you’re looking for a high powered, noisy, exciting spectator sport then make your way to the lower Murray River town of Goolwa for a dose of flat out speedboat racing in April. The Goolwa Aquatic Club is the home of power boating and spectators can watch these fast machines from a grassy river bank vantage point. If you take deckchairs or a picnic rug you can settle in with some snacks and drinks and watch the action unfold in front of you.
The Adelaide Fringe Festival is on again and this year if there is one experience I would highly recommend attending, it is ‘Yabarra Dreaming in Light’. This beautiful multi-sensory experience invites people to learn more about the Kaurna culture, the aboriginal clan of the Adelaide plains, and pay respect to the land.
This is one of my all time favourite markets, with more than 80 stalls and a huge variety amongst them. As the name suggests, it’s situated right next to the Goolwa wharf, in a green park with paths throughout that make it easy to wander through. The market is held on the first and third Sunday of the month from 9am to 3pm, with the next market this Sunday the 16th of February. Goolwa is a popular day trip from Adelaide and the weather is usually a little milder than the city. If the temperature is expected to be hot in Adelaide, then you can cool off by a few degrees in Goolwa.
I’m very pleased to say that I have another story in print, in the current January / February 2020 issue of On The Road magazine. Over four pages you can read and drool over some spectacular old cars that were on display at the Victor Harbor Rock n Roll Festival last year. It’s a fun weekend with something worth seeing for men, women and children and it’s held every September in this holiday playground area of South Australia.
The weird and wonderful d’Arenberg Cube at McLaren Vale in South Australia is currently home to the Salvador Dali exhibition. Salvador Dali lived from 1904 – 1989 and this six million dollar exhibition marks the 30th year since his passing. The pieces have come from the Dali Museum in Montmarte Paris and having the exhibition at The Cube is a match made in heaven. It is on one floor of the cube and entry cost is $25 per adult which includes complete access to all the strangeness of the cube, entry to the Dali exhibition and wine tasting, complete with expansive views of vineyards and landscapes of the McLaren Vale region.
