Smokie Dawson gives his thoughts on Ashley Mallett’s bio of Neil Harvey, an extraordinary cricketer and the final survivor of the famous 1948 Invincibles.
Almanac Book Reviews: ‘Neil Harvey – The Last Invincible’ by Ashley Mallett
September 1, 2021 by 3 Comments
Almanac Music: The Rolling Stones’ Best 50 Songs
August 25, 2021 by 25 Comments
RIP Charlie Watts, the drummer of the Rolling Stones, who passed away in a London hospital on the 24th of August. He was 80. In this article posted earlier in August, Smokie recounted his top 50 Rolling Stones songs, more topical today than ever.
Almanac Life: Pre-Marital Counselling
July 30, 2021 by 17 Comments
The things you have to do to get married during the cricket season! Smokie fondly remembers the lead up to his marriage to Margaret.
Almanac Life: Buses, Trains and Automobiles
June 25, 2021 by 8 Comments
It wasn’t quite as adventurous as the journey Steve Martin and John Candy took in the film ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’, but Smokie’s trip was memorable nonetheless.
Almanac Music: the Top 50 ‘Like A Versions’
June 11, 2021 by 9 Comments
For years, Smokie has been a fan of Triple J’s ‘Like A Version’. In another epic, he reveals his favourite 50 tracks.
Almanac Life: The Rental Car
May 28, 2021 by 8 Comments
Smokie recounts the pleasures and perils of a jaunt with his family in a hire car on the French Riviera.
Almanac Life: The Pelican
May 21, 2021 by 2 Comments
Smokie recalls the day that he and his dad went fishing – and landed a pelican!
Almanac Life: The Painting
May 7, 2021 by 9 Comments
How many Almanackers have associated our regular columnist Smokie with the world of fine art? No? You Philistines! Here’s the tale to set you straight.
Almanac Life: The Grandfather
April 30, 2021 by 6 Comments
As he emerges from the fog of general anaesthetic, Smokie observes a fellow patient trying to cope with harsh reality of life’s wider struggles.
The 19th Man
April 23, 2021 by 5 Comments
Biased? One-eyed? No-one was ever as blatantly unfair as Forbsey, the reserves umpire whose performances bordered on downright cheating
Almanac Life: The Tightarse
April 16, 2021 by 17 Comments
It’s a sticky question, but for Smokie it’s easy to think of one ‘tightarse’ he knows. Enjoy as he humorously discusses the frugal disposition of ‘Ocker’, a former fellow employee with a desperate need to save up.
VAFA Premier B Section – Williamstown CYMS FC: The Ladder
April 9, 2021 by 4 Comments
Having climbed through the lower rungs of the VAFA, this Saturday the Williamstown CYMS Football Club will play its first ever match in Premier B Section. Smokie muses on the notion of climbing ladders.
Almanac Music: Paul Kelly’s 50 Best Songs
February 11, 2021 by 19 Comments
In this epic piece of fan-boy appreciation, Smokie lists his favourite Paul Kelly tracks – from 50 down to 1. (‘Epic’ is hardly adequate to describe this appreciation of PK’s work. – Ed.)
Almanac Music: The Best Australian Albums of 2020
December 23, 2020 by 5 Comments
Smokie has listened to plenty of music this year, much of it Australian. As we approach the end of 2020, he lists his best Aussie albums of the past twelve months.
Australia v India – First Test, Day 1: Heavyweight Bout Begins
December 18, 2020 by 4 Comments
Smokie Dawson presents his Day 1 report of the 1st Test clash Australia v India in Adelaide. The two heavyweights of Test cricket slug it out with the Aussies slightly ahead.
Almanac Life: The Yachts
December 2, 2020 by 3 Comments
Smokie fondly remembers some of his teenage exploits as a budding yachtsman on Hobsons Bay.
Almanac Life: The First Beer After Lock-Down
November 2, 2020 by 4 Comments
The first beer after lockdown tasted sweet. But Smokie explains why the hesitation remains
Adrift
October 31, 2020 by 23 Comments
Seven months ago, in March 2020, ‘Smokie’ Dawson offered these thoughts as we moved into the full brunt of Covid-19. ‘Our generation has had a charmed run, says Smokie. But that is all about to change. It follows that the AFL will also be forced into change when we come out the other side of COVID-19. ‘
Almanac Life: The Glass Highway
September 25, 2020 by 13 Comments
It was to be the Dawson family’s first summer holiday. But it ended in despair on the side of the Cunningham Highway.
Almanac (Footy) Life: Folly In The Goalsquare
September 4, 2020 by 6 Comments
Five years after he’d retired from ammos footy, Smokie Dawson gets the call from TR, the coach of Willy CY’s reserves. Here’s what happened. [This is a piece from ‘Footy Town’, a collection of stories about country, suburban and amateur footy – Ed]
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