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TODAY, DTM would like to touch on a couple of “special” things.
Talented pair
First, surely the cleverest comment of the Australian Open so far was the unknown commentator talking about the beaut achievements of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, whom he described as “Australia’s Special Ks”.
Wish I’d said that.
Poring over pubs
And the second concerns some checking DTM was doing on the fascinating subject of pubs.
It started when we drove through the little hamlet of Tarrawingee the other day and noticed the nicely named Plough Inn.
And did you know there really is a Pakenham Inn?
It’s presumably more popular than the Boggy Creek Pub.
City well served
Bendigo is special in the world of pubs.
It used to be claimed we had just over 50.
(A bit of important history here: the inimitable but late Bendigo journalist David G. Horsfall, famous for his pioneering Down The Mall work, used to run a social group called the Septumbral Libators who each year, on one day, had to have a seven-ounce glass of beer at each of the 50-odd Bendigo pubs. Not surprisingly, that’s not well remembered these days.)
According to the publocation.com.au website, we can still hang our heads in pride (?) when it comes to pubs.
In its list of non-capital towns with the most pubs, it says: NSW –Newcastle and Broken Hill 19 each, Queensland – Toowoomba 24, South Australia – Mt Gambier 10, Western Australia – Freemantle 20, Tasmania – Launceston 30, Northern Territory – Alice Springs nine ..
And in Victoria, it claimed Ballarat had 33, Bendigo had 31 and Geelong had 29.
We’ll drink to that.
Wine wastage
Alcohol has been the cause of many downfalls in Bendigo history, even to the local wine industry.
In 1901, the Addie reported “widespread outrage” at the wanton destruction of almost 50,000 litres of prize wine from the award-winning Chateau Dore cellars of Jean Theodore De Ravin at Mandurang.
De Ravin had set the wine world on its ear, winning major international awards – even against the snooty French. Quelle horreur!
Our Government destroyed the wine after Parliament outlawed the use of salicylic acid, a preservative extracted from willow bark, which was then considered toxic in very large quantities.
De Ravin complained that like most other wineries of the time, he’d been using the preservative for years and not once had any ill-effects been reported.
There was little point whining (sorry) as soon after our very helpful Government ordered all the De Ravin vines destroyed just in case they might one day have phylloxera.
And, what, you might ask, happened to salicylic acid? It’s now better known as an antibacterial, antiseptic additive to beauty, medicinal and health products. In some quarters, it’s known as aspirin.
Symbolic sign
It’s funny where you find special things.
Lying in the litter of Maccas wrappings and iced coffee plastic bottles alongside Avery’s Road this week was a pushed-over road sign.
It was an anti-littering sign.