Column 8
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday September 4, 2004
Ristin Nichols, a previous resident of Hobart and now of Naremburn, swears on a stack of Bibles that a law firm in Hobart was appropriately named White and Wong.
Knowing their onions. Those cars wheeling into the fruit and vegetable markets at Terrey Hills were lured off Mona Vale Road by the following fruitologist sign: "Low prices are born here, raised elsewhere," says Bob Douglas, of Lane Cove, from behind his armful of green groceries.A Jazz fiend, Dick Hughes, of Vaucluse, will play some of the great favourites of the jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton on his hour-long radio program Speak Easy, Swing Hard. Dick recounts how the Melburnian Bill Rudd, no passionate jazz muso, was asked to buy some of Jelly Roll's music on a trip to America back in 1939. Browsing through a New York music store, Bill inquired of another visitor if he knew the artist. The gentleman smiled and said, "I am Jelly Roll Morton", promptly autographing some records and inviting him to a recording session. Two years later Jelly Roll passed away. Dick will play that record tomorrow on 2MBS-FM from 1pm.Dr Lesley Muir, of the Canterbury and District Historical Society, sheds new light on Campsie's "Poets' Corner", as it is known affectionately, which was brought to our attention by Mark Brooks (Column 8, Tuesday). In the 1880s a developer, Thomas Smith Richardson, owned land in the area, opening his own bank, printing his own banknotes and eventually defaulting, leaving debts of #80,000. Solicitors tried to regain some of the lost fortune by selling his land, naming the new streets after famous poets and using the slogan "Land is a bank that never fails". Perhaps solicitors as sub-dividers have a more refined sense of taste than developers, Lesley suggests.The long way home. Vintage cars keep being resurrected. Rodney Gordon, of Brookvale, recounts how his father brought a 1939 Standard 8 to Australia after it survived the Blitz in Manchester. A wire paper clip inserted in the ignition was enough for it to roar into life. To prevent the old marvel being stolen, Rodney removed the rotor arm from the distributor, recalling ruefully his night out with a young damsel he wished to impress and stopping for a milk shake. Having exhibited his mechanical skills, he lost the rotor and, being penniless after the milk bar exercise, he walked her home.Truth and lies. The current focus on discerning which politician is telling the truth reminded Anne-Marie Heine, of Gilberton, South Australia, of the body language experts' study on Richard Nixon's testimony during the Watergate scandal. Having scrutinised hundreds of hours of video tapes they theorised that "every time he scratched his nose he was telling the truth; every time he folded his arms he was telling the truth; every time he stroked his chin he didn't know the answer; and every time he opened his mouth he was lying".column8@smh.com.au(no attachments please)Phone 9282 3007 Fax 9282 2772(include name, suburb, daytime phone)
© 2004 Sydney Morning Herald