Category: Uncategorized

A small collective has started a new multi-use space in Coburg called Feminista Vinyl. The store is a bright, colourful space with a shop front primarily dedicated to vinyls, underwear and art.

MEDDLER: Can you give us a bit of background?

KIRSTY: Cindy and two others are counsellors who were looking for a space for clients, and then this place just so happened to have a shopfront. It was just a casual ‘how cool would it be to open up a record shop?’. So, we’re not business people or anything. It’s a not-for-profit, so it’s more like a hobby. Filling a hole that we recognised. We’ve had this conversation in the past — but even I’ve felt intimidated going into record shops… Here, you don’t have to sift through all of the crap to find what you’re after. It’s just really fun. The space can be used for a bunch of other stuff as well. Like, the women’s guitar sessions, and we’ve got an acupuncturist out the back.

CINDY: Three of the counsellors on the lease have all worked together at various places. Working in sexual and reproductive health, and sexual and family violence. We wanted to make this a really safe place to connect with people in the community; with women and non-gender conforming people. And Kirsty has connections from Girls Rock.

MEDDLER: I haven’t heard of that…

KIRSTY: It’s so great. It’s a camp for female and female identifying teenagers. They form a band, write a song, and learn an instrument. It’s run out of Brunswick. They also get people from the community to do workshops and lunchtime gigs. So, Courtney Barnett has come along, Jen Cloher, Cable Ties, Georgia Maq, G Flip…they literally just come and chat to the kids and run workshops.

MEDDLER: Are you in a band?

KIRSTY: Not really anymore, but when we were organising a fundraiser for here at the Tote, my old band got back together and we had three rehearsals and then COVID-19 hit. But we’re going to try and get something together again.

MEDDLER: You could play here…

CINDY: We’ve had a few people come in who have seen the instruments set up in the back and asked when we’ll be getting things happening!

KIRSTY: Yeah, we’ll get there. And even just safe open mic nights for the younger people that don’t want anything too overwhelming. And we’re even thinking of starting geeky boardgame afternoons. So, this space is just for us to pursue our interests. The fact that it’s not-for-profit also removes the pressure.

MEDDLER: How do you choose and source your records?

KIRSTY: We’ve got new local things coming in from distributors, but then the second hand stuff is fun too. So, you’ve got the classic Nana Mouskouri and Joan Baers…I think it reflects our age group – you’ve got the 70s and 80s from our childhood, and then the cool stuff from the 90s, and we’re trying to connect to smaller labels like Roolette Records and Psychic Hysteria to get the local bands as well.

MEDDLER: What was here before?

CINDY: It was a florist, and then apparently before that it was a tiler! When we saw the space we had a really good feeling. It felt perfect. You can have dogs come in.

KIRSTY: If you go to our insta, every time a dog comes in we have to take a photo. We give them so much love.

CINDY: When we see them outside we tell them they can come in!

MEDDLER: What are the flags?

KIRSTY: We’ve got the rainbow, trans and non-binary flags. We had someone come in and say that they hadn’t felt so comfortable in so long. It’s not a big deal, but it does make a difference. We’re looking out for what else we can run down the track to try and make opportunities for people to feel safe and out.

MEDDLER: Yeah, I felt really comfortable walking into this store. If it had just been records in the shop front, I might not have. But you have undies hanging up in the window!

KIRSTY: You know how popular these undies have been? We only have one size left!

MEDDLER: Anything else you’d like us to mention?

CINDY: We have space to advertise for locals.

KIRSTY: If there are plumbers are electricians who are women or gender non-conforming, then we’ll happily advertise for them; they just need to get in contact.

Feminista Vinyl

134 Nicholson St, Coburg

Un-phở-gettable: Pho My Tho

When ways of life are upended by the whims of a highly contagious virus and concomitant government mandated privations, restaurant dining has a transformed cultural role and enhanced social responsibility. This is a sharp break from an emerging societal trend that valorised celebrity chefs and ultra-bespoke cuisine, where food and eating is no longer the primary object of attention but rather the purpose of dining becomes the spectacle and novelty of the experience itself.

Although advertising and marketing is part of any industry, the fundamental shift to emphasise dining as an event subject to the caprice of any customer with a mobile phone has had significant consequences on the nature of dining out and on hospitality as a whole. For instance, this has been evidenced by a string of trends and fads that have popped into being, with many quickly disappearing — like boutique high-end 24-hour donuts (liquidation), share plates (hit and miss), saganaki martinis (weird), brioche burger buns (overrated) and, nouveau meals served on strange objects (very bad). This reviewer can recall eating a deconstructed salad off a garden trowel, which would have made even Jacques Derrida, the implacable inventor of deconstruction, blush.

In contrast to the vagaries of this aforementioned previous era, Vietnamese restaurant Pho My Tho offers an earnest and comprehensive menu that is grounded in quality ingredients, straightforward service and genuine hospitality. Their eponymous phở ($12.40) is delicate and its depth of flavour is well-rounded. It comes with ample sprouts, fresh chili and herbs. Perhaps the menu has been adjusted for a western palate, in that the proteins used are not unanticipated and the level of spiciness is not sweltering. Yet the sensations of umami are layered and textured, particularly as one savours their generously portioned broth. Also, the vegetarian (and vegan) Phở comes highly praised. With this in mind, Pho My Tho declares itself as a comfortable local restaurant that would be at home on Victoria Street, Richmond or, with a little imagination, on the backstreets of Hanoi.

Although the Phở is a highlight, it was confirmed by the Chef that customers regularly return especially for the Calamari with Special Sauce ($16.90), to which many are devoted. This reviewer can also recommend the Vietnamese Noodle Soup in Chicken Broth with Rice or Egg noodles, generously priced at $12.90 with a broad selection of protein and vegetable selections, including BBQ Pork, Wontons, Vegetables and Seafood. Entrees are well-portioned and include typical Vietnamese specialities including Rice Paper or Spring Rolls ($9) as well as fried and steamed Wontons or Satay Skewers (all $9).

The comforts of consistency against the ever-present forces of gentrification on top of our ongoing pandemic restrictions make this restaurant and ones like it extra special. Perhaps it is the sentimentality of this reviewer who recalls too many years working in family businesses, but it remains very easy to be impressed by the two siblings behind the counter, who with politeness and calm wait tables and tend the till with a minimum of fuss. Needless to say, even the most scrutinous would find their current COVID-19 precautions of an excellent standard. Also, depending on your aesthetic persuasion, one is naturally charmed by the handmade posters on the front window – including the sign that reminds the takeaway customer to bring their own bag or pay a surcharge (10c). The atmosphere of the restaurant is quiet and with a large pot of Green Tea ($2.50) to add to your Banana or Pineapple Fritter with Ice-cream ($5.50) it is very easy to dine, reflect on simple pleasures and feel our current attention-driven culture drift away.

By Henry Gardner

Pho My Tho
136 Sydney Road, Coburg
9383 1409
EFTPOS minimum $20 with cash discount of 5%
Delivery available

Both birds were captured in a front yard in Brunswick West by GB

There once was a hopeless old locust
Who didn’t know quite how to focus
He tried doing magic
But his act was so tragic
That his hocus was worse than his pocus.

---

There once was a penguin named Steve
Who didn’t know what to believe
He was through with religion
So he followed a pigeon
From Antarctica to Tel Aviv

By Cheese Dreams

Local clown doctor answers your medical questions.

Q. Is it better to air or cover a wound?

A: When managing a wound, it is always important to know the wound first. Is it a big wound? Or a small wound? Did you suffer the wound from a wizard wielding a wand? Or a whale whirling a whip? Is the wound bound round and round in a torn-off gown? Or splayed, greyed and laid upon a glade? Hmm? What is this wound? Do you even know this wound?! Ask it its name at least, get to KNOW it before covering it up!! Or airing it for all to see!! For heaven’s sake.

Patrick Brainchime was born in Coburg in 1947, the youngest of two parents, and lived his entire life in the suburb, aside from his first death in 1999-2003. His parents, Belle and Furnace, were recent emigres, having fled the 1932 War of Balwyn, which saw Balwyn and Balwyn North separate into two suburbs. They settled in Coburg and had two children – Patrick and his older brother Paragon.

Mr Brainchime’s early life was as initially idyllic as it was later tragic. When he was six, he and Paragon were playing in a field (an idyllic field) when his brother collapsed suddenly. Townsfolk came to their aid, and Paragon was rushed to hospital, where he was quickly pronounced dead. Preliminary reports suggested death was caused by the lightning bolt he was struck by, but doctors decided to keep an open mind due to the bellyful of pistachio shells.

Unfortunately, life became difficult for Patrick after this. His mother, Belle, who held an idealised image of Paragon in her mind, always compared Patrick unfavourably to his brother. She also blamed him for Paragon’s death, suggesting he could have pushed him into a rubber thicket, or perhaps used a hand mirror to deflect the bolt.

Conversely, Furnace Brainchime had never liked Paragon, but thought that Patrick was too similar to him, and didn’t like to be reminded of his least-favourite son. As such, Patrick assumed that role and his father was cold and distant to him from then on.

Like many people in the situation where their older brother has been struck by lightning and their parents dislike them for opposing reasons, Patrick retreated into a world of imagination and fantasy. His creativity led to him being offered a job designing celebrities for the government when he was 15 – this was in the days before celebrity design was automated.

It was here that Patrick flourished, starting off as a junior, designing necks and pelvises of celebrities, before eventually working up to designing his own. For the fans of old Coburgwood out there, you may remember ES Carpment, the crooner with vertigo, or even Juanita Juan-eater, the bawdy Chilean vaudevillian. Despite his personal success, Patrick struggled with the trauma of his childhood and low self-esteem and made few connections with people at work.

This changed, though, when Patrick fell in love with a shipping clerk named James. Their affair was passionate and developed quickly. Patrick had someone to emotionally open up to and share things with. For James, Patrick provided stability and security, which he had been lacking in his life. Everything was perfect…

..until James was tragically transferred to Bangladesh in the Great Clerk Swap of 1999. At the same time, the government announced that celebrity design would be privatised and automated, so Patrick was also made redundant. With no love, no job, and no connection to the world, Patrick simply faded into non-existence.

In 2003, though, an old co-worker in a pub said, “Who was that guy who used to design celebs… Patrick something?” and Patrick found himself back in Coburg, existing again four years later. Having experienced the land of undead phantoms, Patrick resolved not to make the same mistakes twice. Not needing money (people who’ve seen the other side understand that money is just an illusion), he continued to design celebrities for his own enjoyment, and did some of his best work. However, because there was no system to place them, he simply released them into the Coburg community. If you’ve ever met an unusually charismatic and good-looking Coburgian, there’s a good chance they’re a Brainchime Design. He also spent more time among people, sitting outside the Coburg library and smiling at people as they came in. More importantly, though, he forgave his parents for the unfair judgements they made of him and absolved himself of that guilt. Patrick Brainchime died in his sleep in January 2021, smiling because he knew what was to come.

By Henry Matheson

During the first three weeks of February, you may chance to spot an alpha-Centaurid passing through the night sky. The alpha-Centaurids are bits of discarded comet appearing to fall from the region of the two Pointers in Centaurus in the southern sky. While they are not as plentiful as some meteor showers, at no more than 6 sightings per hour, their occasional pyrotechnics are worth a wait: yellow or blue fireballs, sometimes brighter than stars, and with trains lasting up to minutes long. These can be seen at any time of night, but chances of a sighting are best after midnight.

The February dawn sky will reward the planet-spotter. On the 11th, rising at about 6am, Venus and Jupiter will be separated by only 1°, with a thin sliver of New Moon close by in the eastern sky. On the 12th, their separation will only be 0.5°. But you will need good visibility of the eastern horizon for these viewings, as the planets will be still very low before they fade into the morning twilight.

On the 14th, Mercury returns to the morning skies to make a striking quartet of planets with Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn – but this is another difficult viewing, very low on the eastern horizon soon after 6am. Mercury is, as usual, being elusive and making only brief appearances. However, after the 20th, it can be found more easily and viewed for longer in the eastern dawn sky between Jupiter and Saturn.

February evening skies show up the Moon: on the 19th, in First Quarter phase, only 5° from Mars and the Pleiades (Seven Sisters); on the 20th, close to Aldebaran and the Hyades (who were, in Greek mythology, half-sisters of the Pleiades); on the 23rd, near Castor and Pollux, the twin stars of Gemini.

March provides more spectacular dawn views of planets – including the best of Mercury this year. Look in the east anytime after 5am until twilight (about 6am).

On the 5th & 6th, Mercury and Jupiter are only 0.5° apart, with Saturn above.

On the 10th & 11th, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn line up, with a very thin waning Moon beside them.

The 2021 Autumn equinox falls on March 20th.

Full Moon, at 5am on March 29th, is a supermoon, i.e., the Moon, in its elliptical orbit around Earth, is relatively close, and typically 30% brighter than at its furthest distance.

By Vlack

The announcement of the new Moreland Council in early November was tainted by the revelation of suspected electoral fraud in the form of vote tampering in the North-West ward.

The main areas affected were the suburbs of Pascoe Vale, Fawkner and Gowanbrae, where, at the time of ballot counting, a number of residents reported having police at their doors warning of mail being stolen in the area. A large number of residents had previously contacted the VEC with requests for ballot papers which they had never received in the mail. When the ballot counting commenced, workers reportedly discovered hundreds of ballot papers that had been returned twice, with non-matching signatures.

Allegations that a Labor candidate was offering certain individuals $500 for every 50 ballot papers stolen from mailboxes in the North-West ward have since been made, and some Councillors have said they believe they know who is responsible. However, there is still much conjecture surrounding the case, and the Meddler can’t afford a defamation case right now.

This version of electoral tampering– the acquiring of ballots and forgery of votes — demonstrates a flagrant disregard for the will of the people. It is also surprising in its reckleness.

The Meddler is not in the business of handing out tips to electoral fraudsters, but surely a prospective ballot-pincher would contact the VEC and enquire: ‘what happens if I don’t receive my ballot paper?’. They would invariably have been told, as many Gowanbrae residents were, that they would simply be issued a new ballot paper.

The election results have, at the time of writing, been referred to the Victoria Police and the services of expert handwriting analysts have been engaged. The election results will likely be contested in VCAT in the new year. This means that the Councillors from the North-West ward, who were sworn in to office in mid-November, will likely need to recontest their seats.

Whether one of the current sitting Councillors was responsible for the crime hangs over the new Moreland Council. The tension was certainly palpable in live swearing in ceremony, as each elected Councillor took their turn to announce their commitment to serving the people of Moreland. Unfortunately the aspirational new Council is stymied by this, the most sordid event in Moreland’s electoral history.

By SAS & BB

REFUGEE WEEKLY ACTION
Every weekend Refugee Action Collective have been showing up outside Mantra Hotel in Preston to protest the 65 men being imprisoned whilst their refugee status is being determined by the Australian Government. The men have been held in Mantra Hotel for more than a year. Many of the men inside the Hotel have spent over 7 years waiting to be processed in off-shore detention centres. The men were originally brought to Australia under the Medivac Scheme, mainly for mental health treatment.
Refugee Action Collective gather outside the hotel at 3pm on Bell St every Saturday.

For more information, contact Refugee Action Collective over Facebook.

ANTI-EVICTION PROTESTS
The $150 million ‘Homelessness to a Home’ program that was established during the pandemic to provide housing support to people experiencing homelessness in Victoria saw around 2000 people in hotel accommodation. The plan was always meant to include a pathway from hotel accommodation to sustainable, long-term accommodation either in social or public housing.

In mid-November, the Renters and Housing Union (RAHU) were informed that DHHS were withdrawing the hotel support to people who were refusing ‘suitable’ alternatives. People experiencing homelessness have explained that some of the accommodation deemed ‘suitable’ by DHHS includes returning to perpetrators of family violence or private accommodation that takes up too much of their Centrelink payments.

On 30 November, RAHU organised a snap protest outside of the IBIS hotel in the CBD where people are beginning to be evicted from their emergency hotel accommodation.

If you would like to get involved in the anti-eviction movement or follow developments in tenancy laws in Victoria, visit the RAHU website.

DJAB WURRUNG
The Djab Wurrung Embassy have called for more assistance from supporters following the renewed attempts to fell the culturally significant trees they have been fighting to preserve. On Monday 26 October the Directions tree was cut down. The Directions tree was considered to be roughly 350 years old. The Embassy started in early 2018,although Djab Wurrung elders have been attempting to protect the trees since early-2017 when VicRoads reapplied for the highway upgrade to be approved by the State government. The approval was originally granted Aboriginal Victoria, who were advised around this time by Martang, the then-Registered Aboriginal Corporation in the area, who concluded that there were no trees of cultural significance. Since this finding, archaeologist reports and Djab Wurrung elders have been advocating for the significance of the birthing trees to be recognised and respected.

The current embassy at the site has been specific about their request; change the path of the new roads to protect the trees.

With the felling of the trees in the Gandolfo Gardens in Coburg still fresh in the mind of Coburgians, consider assisting the Djab Wurrung Embassy either with your physical presence, your spreading the word or with your financial assistance to keep the fight going.

IMARC CONFERENCE
Every year, Melbourne is host to the International Mining and Resources Conference. The conference aims to create networking opportunities for major mining and resource companies and investors. The organisers of IMARC claim that the conference is directly responsible for over $46 million generated in business and $100.3 million in investments made in the mining and resource sector.

The conference is also supported by and attended by Victorian and Federal MPs.

For the past 5 years, people from all backgrounds have protested the conference. This year, activists created a week long anti-IMARC conference which included panel events and presentations ranging from the history of extractivism internationally and in Australia, to introductory workshops, such as ‘Capitalism: 101’.

The next IMARC conference is 25-27 October 2021; if you want to get involved in the next counter-conference, or view the content from this years’ conference, visit the Blockade IMARC page on Facebook.

By ES

Jane Routley lives in Moreland and is an award winning author of a number of novels. Earlier this year, Jane released her latest book, Shadow in the Empire of Light.

MEDDLER: How did you come to be a novelist?

JANE: I wanted to be a writer as soon as I could read. Reading is one of the great ways of visiting other worlds and living other lives. If you write, you can create the kind of worlds you want to visit. It’s the most satisfying activity I know except when it’s not working. Then it’s a pain.

MEDDLER What inspired your latest novel?

JANE: I was reading a lot of gritty fantasy along the lines of Game of Thrones and it suddenly struck me that it wasn’t much fun to be a woman in the kind of traditional medieval kind of society most fantasy novels are set in. So I thought I’d create one in which it’s more fun to be a woman. After all I’m writing fantasy. Why not have the kind of world I like?

MEDDLER: What are the biggest challenges of being a fantasy author?

JANE: The fact that it doesn’t count as serious writing is pretty annoying. Its improving but a lot of readers of mainstream fiction still regard it as a childish ghetto and won’t be seen reading it in public. Yet fantasy has lots of serious themes. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings explores the corrupting nature of power. The evils of discrimination are a strong theme in Harry Potter. To do that while still writing a good fun yarn takes skill.

MEDDLER: Is your character of the telepathic cat based on someone?

JANE: No! Unless you count Specky the cat who we owned as a child. But I love cats. Developing an allergy to them is one of the great sadnesses of my life. I love watching the activities of the cats in my neighbourhood. My heroine’s cat is her best friend and also a wry critical voice in the story.

MEDDLER: Are there any local places that are good for helping your productivity?

JANE: I love the Upfield train line. A train journey is great for getting ideas. So much to see on the way. But during the lockdown I’ve also discovered how delightful it is to cycle around the Fawkner Cemetery in the afternoon. There are so many beautiful plants there, it’s wonderfully quiet and I imagine the lives of the people buried there.

Shadow in the Empire of Light.
Magic, Murder, Mayhem : But keep it in the family.
Shine is an orphan without magical gifts in a family of powerful mages, and is stuck managing the family estates with only an eccentric aunt and a telepathic cat for company. But when the family descend on the house for the annual Fertility Festival, Shine is plunged into intrigue; while helping one cousin to find a compromising letter, rescuing another from an unwelcome alliance and hiding a fugitive, she discovers a smuggling ring, stumbles upon a murderous plot to depose the current Family Matriarch, and is forced to run for her life.
Available in paperback in January.

Currently available in audio and ebook formats.
https://rebellionpublishing.com/product/shadow-in-the-empire-of-light/