The 2025 Melbourne Cup Field and an invitation to Monday evening’s digital (Teams) meeting of the tipping minds

Join the annual Almanac Melbourne Cup tipping round table, via Microsoft Teams, Monday night from 8pm EDST. Sweeps and form analysis to decide on the Almanac Trifecta.

Almanac Weather: The new BOM website

My Weather. Or The Weather. John Harms is wondering about the new BOM site.

Almanac Tributes: Vale Derek Chadwick – 22 lives on

Derek Chadwick, East Perth FC champion has passed away. Les Everett remembers his boyhood sporting hero and pays a fitting tribute to Derek Chadwick..

Kelvin Templeton: On Writing ‘Collision’

We’ll be publishing a number of pieces on Kelvin Templeton and his debut novel ‘Collision’ over the coming weeks. We start today with a few words from Kelvin on his early life as a reader and his progress along the (sometimes rocky) path towards becoming a writer. [Congratulations Kelvin – from your fellow members at The Footy Almanac]

Almanac Horseracing – Confessions of a teenage racegoer Part IV: the 1980 Golden Slipper Stakes and other Yobbo headline grabbers

Wayne Peake provides us with another hugely entertaining excerpt from ‘Confessions of a Teenage Racegoer of the 1970s’ a section of his book ‘Sydney Racing in the 1970s’.

Almanac Book Preview – ‘The Hugamug Club’ by Andy Thurlow

Andy Thurlow provides us with the background that led to the writing of his latest book ‘The Hugamug Club’. See also details of the launch on November 27 in the Barossa Valley.

Sal’s Preview 2025: Derby Day – What will Racing Santa Bring Us?

It’s Derby Day at Flemington on Saturday and Sal Ciardulli presents his thoughts and tips for the meeting.

Almanac Music: Dylan Cover Songs – Every Song Vol.6: November 1963 – January 1964 PLUS ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ album

Karl Dubravs continues his brilliant Bob Dylan series, ‘Dylan Covers – Every song’. Volume 6 covers Bob’s songs recorded between November 1963 to January 1964, a most prolific and successful time for Bob.

Almanac Book Review: ‘Redtails in the Sunset: The untold story of the Central Australian Football Club’

Reviewing ‘Redtails in the Sunset: The untold story of the Central Australian Football Club’ by Darren Moncrieff brought back many memories for Barry Nicholls of his time working in Alice Springs as he recalls in the review.

Almanac Poetry: All Hallows’ Eve

On October 31, for a number of years now, Kevin Densley has posted a Halloween poem on the Almanac website – here’s his latest one, written very recently. The poem offers a take on the spiritual, as opposed to gimmicky, side of All Hallows’ Eve.

Almanac Book Review – ‘Mark Waugh: the biography’ by James Knight

Cricket enthusiast Dan Hoban revisits the 2002 biography of Mark Waugh (since updated in 2023) which sets out to provide an insight into this enigmatic, wonderfully gifted player.

Almanac Rugby League – RITV: The First Ashes Test

Like most fans, Rabbit in the Vineyard found little to enthuse about after watching the Australian Kangaroos defeat England in the First Test of the 2025 rugby league Ashes series.

Almanac Rugby League – The 2025 Ashes Second Test and the Pacific Championships Week 3

There’s still action aplenty happening in rugby league with the international season in full swing. Ian Hauser keeps you up with developments in both the Ashes series and the Pacific Championships.

‘The day the Poms arrived in town…’ by KB Hill

As the 2025/26 Ashes series approaches, KB Hill takes us back to the 1958/59 Tour when the Poms came to Wangaratta to play the Victoria Country XI.

Book Events: Meet Greg Chappell and Ken Piesse for the Adelaide launch of ‘The Chappell Chronicles’ (Nov 18)

Join Greg Chappell for the home-town launch of his latest book ‘The Chappell’ Chronicles’ (with Ken Piesse) on Tuesday 18 November.

Almanac Wrestling: A review of ‘Dark Side of the Ring – Owen Hart’

Callum Quirk looks back at the tragic death of Canadian wrestler Owen Hart.

Almanac Footy Tipping – 2025: Results

And the winners for 2025 are…

Almanac Music: Country Roads, Take Me Home — Again and Again

John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ is a much loved song of many people as Mickey Randall and Claire found out in Bali.

Almanac Book Reviews: ‘Cricket World Cup: A Celebration of the ODI and T20 Games’ by Liam Hauser

‘Cricket World Cup: A Celebration of the ODI and T20 Games’ by Liam Hauser is a comprehensive and appealing account of the development of ODI and T20 cricket and is reviewed by Barry Nicholls,

Almanac (Club) Cricket – West Warrion v Deans Marsh: Cars, cypress pines and Swamp Rats all cop a hiding in the season opener.

After his impressive year as the ACS Scholar in 2024, cricket enthusiast and emerging writer and broadcaster Liam McCullagh returns to the Almanac to tell the story of West Warrion’s opening round clash against Deans Marsh. This has everything from viewing couches to leftover lamb sandwiches, chicken farmers to big-hitting left-handers. As he writes: ‘A picturesque ground, new recruits, childhood mates, massive sixes and a good win. Cricket doesn’t get much better.’ [Great to have you back at the Almanac, Liam – JTH]