IT seems much of Bendigo still has a bit of a buzz after last weekend’s Groovin’ the Moo, which saw more than 17,000 people enjoying the music at the Prince of Wales Showgrounds.
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It also seemed there wasn’t a spare bedroom within five kilometres of the action, which led to one odd event in North Bendigo.
A DTM mate had a house full of young people, and he reported they were courteous and respectful to a very surprising degree.
It included one young bloke who was so concerned about waking the homeowners late at night that he set up his swag on their front verandah, about two metres from the footpath.
Bruce the kelpie liked it too. Especially his wallet and plastic cards, which were found well slobbered and chewed all over the property.
We must try harder
The following information might help you make some big decisions.
Much has been said about the idea of not being able to get a retirement pension until the age of 70 (for men). It is now 65 to 67, depending on how old you are.
It’s worth noting that 70 would be the highest statutory pension age in the world. At 67, we now share the top spot with Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Norway and the US.
And the lowest blokes’ pension age? Belarus, China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam all have the age set at 60.
The lowest female retirement age is China at 50. See, the trouble is we’re all too well and very selfishly not dying off quickly enough.
Pandas can sleep easy
In Great News of the week, we note the federal government is helping to fund an odd Adelaide online cult film series called Wastlander Panda, about a mutant panda in a post-nuclear world.
What is it about pandas?
Still can’t help being stopped in my tracks by a Bendigo firm’s advertisements proudly proclaiming that their flooring is “panda friendly”.
Has my old lino been sneaking out at night and belting the pandas over the head or something?
Superior grapes
The more DTM rummages around in the old Ballarat versus Bendigo issue, the weirder it becomes.
Such as this bit in the Australasian newspaper of May 2, 1868: "More than once have we had occasion to allude to the superiority of Bendigo grapes and Bendigo wine over grapes grown and made in this (Ballarat) or the Geelong district .
“…Upwards of 300 cases of grapes grown near Sandhurst are being weekly brought into the Ballarat market by Mr Antcliffe… who, having heard of the fame of the Bendigo vintage, determined to go and see for himself. Nothing but Bendigo grapes will go down now even with the juveniles.”
The Australasian said that comparing the famed Geelong wines with those of Bendigo’s Messrs Bruhn, Heine and Grieffenhagen, of the Axe Creek, “would be not unlike comparing buttermilk with cream."
Cheers to that, we say.