Almanac Melbourne Cup Eve Beers: Three Nation Turf Talk

Join us for Three Nation Turf Talk: the Almanac’s Melbourne Cup Eve drinks and chat to pic The Cup trifecta.

Grand Final Preview – Melbourne v Western Bulldogs: Random thoughts before the Grand Final

John Harms is thinking out loud.

Almanac Basketball: When the Toowoomba Mountaineers (and John Rillie) were on top of The World

John Harms still has this sporting contest in his Top 10 of all time – any sport, any level – on the night the Toowoomba Mountaineers were on top of the world. It features John Rillie.

Almanac E-newsletter – July 23 2021: Peanut, Lord North.

This is today’s Almanac newsletter. If you would like to receive the newsletter contact us here at [email protected]

Almanac Books and Lunches: The Brilliant Boy: Doc Evatt and the Great Australian Dissent by Gideon Haigh

Gideon Haigh will be our guest at lunch on July 23 where he will chat about his new book, about Doc Evatt. In this piece he discusses the gestation of the book. [All welcome at lunch of course – Ed]

Round 13 – Port Adelaide v Geelong: A good game of football

John Harms finally got to see some live footy and was treated to an open, entertaining contest between two pretty good footy teams.

Almanac Rugby – Old Collegians v Barossa Rams: `Appy Birthday

The day the Barossa Rams came to town to take on Collegians, a celebration of South Australian Third Division rugby (and other things).

Almanac (Footy) Poetry: When Tom Papley Beat The Whole World

John Harms observed a rare moment of (footy) purity from Sydney’s Tom Papley.

VAFA – Fitzroy v Ajax: ANZAC Day at Brunswick Street Oval, then, and now.

John Harms spent ANZAC Day 2012 at the Brunswick Street Oval helping with Auskick, having lunch and then watching an exciting match between the Roys and the visiting Ajax side. [Reprised]

Almanac (Pure) Art: Badly Drawn Rugby League’s ‘Nev Hornery (with Brian Davies)’

John Harms recently discovered the artist known as Badly Drawn Rugby League, and requested he draw him an old favourite.

Almanac Country Footy – Tanunda v Kapunda: Does this make me a Magpie?

John Harms attended the opening match of the Barossa and Light Football League season, Tanunda v Kapunda, at Tanunda Oval. It seems he’s become a Magpie.

Round 1 – Adelaide v Geelong: An afternoon of fine theatre

John Harms went to the Adelaide Oval to see Geelong open its 2021 account, but the script went a different way.

Almanac (Bush) Footy: The Mighty (Tanunda) Magpies

John Harms now lives in the Barossa. He once wrote about footy there. (First published in The Age, July, 2009)

Almanac Life – A Year in the Barossa: “Glory to the Barossa!”

John Harms and his family have moved from The People’s Republic of Northcote to the Barossa Valley. He hopes to write regularly about their year. This is his story about the Declaration of Vintage ceremony.

Almanac Life: Quick hands at Uncle Stan’s in Grantham

On the tenth anniversary if the 2011 floods, we reprise John Harms’s story about his Uncle Stan and Aunty June who survived the Grantham devastation.

“My wonderful, wonderful uncle, Stan Schulz, died in 2015. He was a great man – a truly great man. He and Aunty June survived the catastrophic Grantham flood in January 2011. At the time, I wrote this story about him.”

Balcony Banter: Fifty years on

John Harms recalls the first summer of Test cricket he can remember properly. (This piece is from the MCC’s Balcony Banter blog)

Almanac Rugby League – 2020 State of Origin, Game 1: (Unlikely) History repeats

John Harms reports on State of Origin I, which reminded him of 2001.

Grand Final – Richmond v Geelong: Rain at 2.45pm (Queensland time)

Photos of the rain, at Camp Hill, three kilometres from the Gabba at 2.45 Queensland time.

The Footy Almanac Tip the Top 8 Count and Grand Final Eve Lunch

The Grand Final Eve Lunch is on again, from Melbourne, via Zoom. Ambitious? You be the judge.

1931 Grand Final – Geelong v Richmond: Cats shine in hard times

John Harms’s account of the 1931 Grand Final – between Geelong and Richmond – was first published in Grand Finals Volume 1 1897-1938 (published by Slattery Media Group). It tells the tale of a memorable match where one of the smallest players ever to pull on footy boots, Mickey the Mouse Carney, was the star, all at the height of the Great Depression.