An Obadiah Slope Column
Helen Garner describes the allure of Australian Rules Football in her latest book “The Season,” chronicling a year of footy practice with her grandson Abby.
For men it is “the codes of behaviour they’ve had to develop in order to discipline and sublimate their drive to violence.”
But for Helen: “The pandemic came. Melbourne copped more lockdowns than any other city in the nation. That’s when footy really got a grip on me. It made me feel lucky to be alive. I learnt that when the chips are down, football rises. I saw that it’s a kind of poetry, an ancient common language between strangers, a set of shared hopes and rules and images, of arcane rites played out at regular intervals before the citizenry. It revives us. It sustains us. In a time of fear and ignorance, it holds us above the abyss.”
That feels like church to Obadiah. Garner attends her grandson Amby’s weekly practice, and community builds.
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The verdict: ‘MyChristianSchools’ sent out a post election update, mourning the loss of friends and noting not many people voted for mini-minor parties. “We have lost some (generally supportive) Liberal MPs such as Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Vic) and Luke Howarth (Petrie, Queensland) although others are continuing, such as Henry Pike (Bowman, Queensland).
“Overall, the Greens performed badly in the lower house, having lost three MPs, including their former leader Adam Bandt (Melbourne)…”
“NSW National Senator Deputy Leader Davey has lost her Senate seat leaving the Nationals with no Senator for the first time since 1998.
“Minor parties performed poorly in the Senate.
“One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts is in a close fight for his Queensland seat.
“Family First underperformed as each of their eight senate candidates reached around 2%, leaving them unable to gain a seat even if the Liberal Senate vote had not dropped as far as it did.
“In WA, the Australian Christians reached 2.9%, up from 2.2% last election, which gives them a realistic chance of reaching 4% by the 2029 WA election.”
The Australian Christians won a seat on first preferences in the WA Upper House at their 2025 election. If the My Christian schools prediction is correct that might mean two members. 5% would get them to two seats on first preferences.
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Shakes: To the Shelbourne hotel to join a sad mass of journps gathered to farewell John Shakespeare, cartoonist and caricaturist, who faces his last days. The Sydney Morning Herald’s Editor Bevan Shield struggled against tears as he read a pre-eulogy. John was one of the rare people in media, someone beloved by all.
And as it turned out also by the Prime Minister who took time out from organising a new cabinet to send a greeting.
Another piece of art revived and passed around is a christmas card from long ago drawn by Shakes of a bunch of his fellow artists.
(Obadiah is down the front)
And, yes, John drew the caricicature that is The Other Cheek logo too!