Almanac Book Review: ‘Line and Length – A History of the Geelong Cricket Club’

Roy Hay reviews a new book detailing the history of the Geelong Cricket Club

Almanac Travel: Training is the way to go between Tests in New Zealand

Citrus Bob Utber is in New Zealand covering the Test series between the Kiwis and the Aussies. Between tests, Bob discusses his enjoyable trip from the North Island to the South Island and all that involved in preparation for the Second Test in Christchurch.

Almanac Music: ‘We’d Go Down to the River’ – Songs Concerning Rivers

In this Friday’s installment of KD’s ongoing series about popular music themes, the topic is songs concerning rivers. As usual, readers are warmly welcomed to put forward their own contributions.

Vale Bob Speechley

Bob Speechley has died at the age of 81. He was a much-loved member of the Almanac fraternity. We will miss him. [Feel free to add a comment or an anecdote at the end of JTH’s tribute.] Details of his memorial gathering are in this post.

Sal’s Preview: Round Zero and some big Autumn racing

Sal’s back. He previews the first games in the AFL season and the big racedays at Flemington and Randwick.

Meeting The Sportswriter author, Richard Ford

Mickey Randall recounts his “McCartney moment”, meeting his literary hero Richard Ford at the Adelaide Writers’ Week

NRL – South Sydney Rabbitohs v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles: Down and out in Las Vegas

Rabbit in the Vineyard is disappointed with another Souths fade-out as they lose the season opener to Manly in Vegas. But, that hasn’t diluted his enthusiasm for a good report, which features his 2024 innovation: Wine of the Week. [And gets a pie mentioned in there as well – Ed]

Almanac Poetry: Golf 2

Michael Pardy is back on the golf course and pens an ode to his Dunlop Hot Spot Number 2 which survived a complete round of golf without being lost.

NRL Round 1 – Part 2: After the glitz the grind

After the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas it’s back to the home front for the completion of NRL Round 1. Ian Hauser runs his eye over the fixture.

NRL Round 1: You gotta love footy

Prop among the Canefields is 0-2 but that won’t stop his pontifications which include a nice whack for the Rabbitohs and a ridiculously huge claim about Penrith and all of human history.

The Blue Bay Café

Damian Balassone’s latest offering finds him reminiscing about The Blue Bay Café

Almanac Soccer: Harry Souttar and the back-to-front Socceroos

It’s rare for a central-defender to feature among the goal-scorers but Australia’s Harry Souttar has a phenomenal record in recent times writes Roy Hay.

A beer with…Matt Zurbo

Every now and then, Barry Nicholls will have a beer with one our writers and bring us their responses to a series of questions. The first one is with Old Dog.

Almanac Cricket: Marnus Out?

Citrus Bob Utber has a few strong views on the make-up of the Australian side and recent and current selection approaches. [He’s coming at you SPD Smith – Ed]

Almanac Pro-running: The Stawell Gift Monday program from 1961

Swish Schwerdt and JTH help Dips recover from the shock banning of bookies at the Stawell Gift by publishing this gem of an artifact [a holy relic no less] from 1961. Can you help build the story?

Almanac Horseracing: A bad day at the Bell Races (1954)

Damien Morgan from the Darling Downs has been delving into racing history. A Trove search revealed a crazy meeting at Bell in 1954. Here’s what happened.

Almanac Cricket – NZ v Aust, First Test, Day 4: Aotearoa Dispatches

All wrapped up with a day in hand, Dennis Gedling recounts the tail of the Test, beers with the boys and an extra sporting highlight.

Almanac Life: Stawell and the Hand Gluers

Dips O’Donnell is a broken man. The Stawell Gift is on again this Easter, but bookies have been banned. And, worse, you can’t pitch a tent in the camping ground. Dips can see the writing on the wall.

Almanac Music – Wantok Sing Sing: 16 artists from Melanesia and Australia together in one show (Melbourne/Adelaide)

This is a very special lineup of musicians from the Wantok Musik family, playing together for just two dates in Melbourne and Adelaide this coming weekend.

Almanac Memoir: Knowing Hazel

Instead of a poem, KD shares a short memoir about his late friend, internationally renowned writer and biographer, Dr Hazel Rowley, who died in Manhattan in March 2011. Rowley wrote biographies of authors Christina Stead and Richard Wright, as well as non-fiction works about iconic twentieth century couples Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, and Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.