Nadine Williams

Stanley Cottage – history and homely ambiance

Our brief to Rodney and Regina Twiss of North Adelaide Heritage Group was that we wanted a weekend escape in an intimate memorable environment to celebrate a special anniversary.

And here we are ensconced in Stanley Cottage, a unique, historic row cottage in leafy Stanley Street, North Adelaide. It’s one of 20 apartments, cottages and suites owned exclusively by the Group and are within a few minutes’ walk to the cafes and fashion shops in Melbourne Street.

It offers the homely ambiance of a 19^th century attached single-fronted dwelling and renovations have created a quaint mezzanine above the open plan parquetry floored living area. This is a light and stylish space which leads to a walled vine-clad courtyard.

The two-bedroom cottage is tastefully furnished in wonderful Australian antiques and odd, exquisite colonial pieces, which come together in delightful, gracious décor.  The traditional main bedroom has a corner fireplace, a Queen-sized bed and a mantelpiece stacked with popular books.  Each bedside table has current magazines.

The galley kitchen is dated, but light, clean and self-contained with a breakfast bar and substantial breakfast supplies. I cook up the eggs, tomatoes and Barossa smoked bacon effortlessly, which we take outside in the secluded vine-dappled patio.

The living room has a circular table as a tour desk and more magazines are welcome reading matter. Its setting provides off-street parking, absolute privacy in a relaxing environment and the row cottages create a remarkable, historic streetscape.

“A delightful weekend in a wonderful intimate cottage with many little touches to make our stay pleasant and relaxing’’.

See www.adelaideheritage.com or telephone 61 8 8267 2020 res@adelaideheritage.com.

Conversations With A Sound Man:

Major film sound designer James Currie swirls his favourite wine – a Privee Margaux he bought in the pretty French village in 1998 and ponders on the power of happenstance.

His journey into sound design and his place in Australian film industry history, was pure chance following a few failures.

The multi-award-winning film man recorded the unique sound environment for the current box office hit, Red Dog, and has worked on the sound for more than 250 films in his long 40 year career. Seven were with renowned film-maker Rolf de Heer.

“I am actually a failed composer,’’ says James, who spreadeagles himself across his lounge before nosing and then sipping his wine.

“In Australia in the late 1960 what did you do if you were an avante garde composer?,” he asks. “I was a flautist and I had studied at the Elder Conservatorium under flute maestro, David Cubbin.’’

“One afternoon, he told me if I wanted to pursue becoming a composer I  needed to go to Poland, Japan or the USSR as a musician. I said I cannot possibly think of
that;  I am a poor country boy – I come from Whyalla!

“So David took me to see children’s author Colin Thiele and I said “Should I become a teacher?’’ and Colin answered “ No, not
unless you want to mark books for five days a week and only have weekends for creative pursuits’.

“This is from the man who wrote Storm Boy and all those classics.’’

Whatever was this country boy to do?

“David then said “maybe Flinders University is the place for you. You can do a film course there’ because I had done some writing and live performances at Carclew and I had had poetry
published in Meangin’s Poetry Review,’’ continues James.

“You often hear Flinders University is home for those who don’t know what to do. Well I was one, a very grateful one as it turned out.’’

However, George Anderson, head of Flinders film department  recognised raw talent with a musical pedigree and soon assigned James as a recordist.   “I worked on a documentary, one  of a series of  five-minute government informati films with Don Dunstan, which appeared on the ABC before the TV news every Friday.

“I felt privileged to be sittin and chatting with the Premier, discussing everyday topics far removed from the Government’s business of the day.

“I remember thinking at the time, surely it doesn’t get any better than this?’’

However, he reckons becoming a sound designer was an amalgam of everything that had gone before – and it opened up the world as his workplace.

“I certainly didn’t know it then or appreciate the whole alignment, but my tertiary studies proved vital in my understandings. All the bits and seemingly unconnected pieces pointed in the direction of sound design and creating soundscapes.’’

Back then James quickly progressed through documentaries and after graduation he began recording work within the fledgling film industry. It was the 1970s and he was an absolute novice in an evolving world.

“No-one prepares you for it and in  those days there was no-one to teach you,’’ he recalls’

Happenstance simply had him in the right place to work the recording and mixing of sound of some of the major feature films of the 1970s when the Australian  Film Industry was enjoying its Renaissance.

His first significant film was the epic Australian movie, Breaker Morant and he went on to work on such classic films as Man of Flowers by Paul Cox and Bad Boy Bubby by Rolf de Heer. “When we were filming Bad Boy Bubby, we  never used the term sound design or referred to sound editors; we didn’t even know what the words meant when we started.”

Today, though, relaxing in his unique, new French Provincial home high on a hillside overlooking Carrickalinga and St Vincent’s gulf, James slips the conversation to Red Dog.  At his feet sits his own hound, Maverick, a placid Wrimaraner and it is clear that the film industry has been a fortunate career for him.

James is wearing a nifty cap, emblazoned  with the words “We are On A Mission From Dog’’ and when asked to explain, he laughs as he takes it off and inspects it. He says he wore it while he was making the soundtrack
for Red Dog.  “All the film crew was given one from WesTrac by the producer, Nelson Woss.’’

Perhaps it brought them luck because Red Dog took $1.8 million at the box office on its first weekend, the best this year for an Australian film, says a clearly delighted James.

“The next weekend, they took even more, which is unheard of for an Australian film…and now after three weeks its around $8 million’’

He downplays his role in creating the excellent soundtrack.  “ I must admit that the producer Nelson Woss, from Western Australia knew all the music he wanted for the film before the film was even made.’’

Red Dog, the film on everyone’s lips,  is based on a true story of a Kelpie/Cattle dog, named Red Dog who was well known
for his travels through the Pilbara Region of Western Australia.

Director of the feel-good Aussie tale is Kriv Stenders and he was James’ connection to the film.

“Because I had worked with Kriv on two  other films, Lucky Country and Boxing Day, and he contacted me.’’

“On Red Dog, I recorded the location material and special effects,’’ he says.

“Sound makes place whether it’s the hum of conversation or the rattle and roar of traffic, or that distant call of birds in the bush or that unnerving quiet of an empty stadium, or the buzz of a workplace.’’

The film features Josh Lucas, Noah Taylor, Luke Ford, Rachel Taylor and John Batchelor, but the box-office star of the film is Koko, the KelpieX cattle dog.

However, over his long 40-year career, he has won four  AFI award for The Light Horsemen, and three films with film-maker, Rolf De Heer – Dingo, Bad Boy Bubby and Ten Canoes. He has also
won several overseas awards including the Golden Clapper Award for Artistic and Technical Exc ellence at the Venice Film Festival for Bad Boy Bubby.

He began building his extensive sound library which he uses in building a soundscape or illustrating an event on film.

“Sound should be fashioned to the needs and mood of the film; I did 26 minutes of what I call music in Ten Canoes as an example.’’

He pours a second glass of French wine and takes a breath; he again noses and swirls the deep crimson wine around and around revealing its long legs on the glass.   Perhaps because the sense of smell is so
connected to memory, he diverts the conversation to recollections of the years he lived in France and the history of how he had bought the wine for his planned wedding with partner Olga Kostic.

“We were going to marry in Nice,  but when the wedding didn’t happen, we returned to Australia with all the wine and have been drinking it slowly through the years.’’

James has known Olga since she was an eight-year-old and she was in her 20s when they reconnected and the sparks of passion flew, despite the 18-year age difference. Their home is a testament to their connection to French architecture and culture. (That’s another story, though.)

The vital question “So, what does the sound track offer to a film?’’ brings him back to the moment.

“People like Rolf say that sound is 60 per cent of the emotional content of the film,’’ he says.

“If you are doing a sci-fi film that is certainly true, if you are doing a film on romance, the film becomes the music. It certainly depends on the genre and it also depends on how you play sound. It is hard to divorce the two elements,’’ he says.

“With suspense films, you can close your eyes during the scary bits, but you cannot so easily stop ears listening. Without vision, sound stirs the imagination.

“ I think it is at least half and half. Richard Harris, CEO of the SA Film Corporation makes the point that young people will tolerate a bad picture, but they won’t tolerate bad sound.

“Now in big blockbusters, the sound tracks are huge with three speakers across the front and speakers around the walls. It is a complete envelope of experience.’’

In his long, illustrious career, which film did he enjoy doing the  most?  “Father Damien by Paul Cox, which was shot in Hawaii.’’

He reckons Paul Cox and Rolf de Heer are “neck and neck’’ the best film makers in Australia.

“In my mind they are quite extraordinary and they happen to both be Dutch.’’

He says he worked with “Coxy’’ for 35 years and De Heer for 25 years.’’

“Rolf doesn’t fit a mould, or dance to the usual tunes that are expected of a director. He is immersed in the intricacies of what sound can do, not only in intellectual and emotional ways, but also physical,’’ he says.

“Rolf wandered off by himself in an
operating wool store and found the sounds he wanted aned he then recorded them
from the basement under the floor where the wool presses were. This was then
constructed into trhe various melodies and sound temperaments.’’

“Film-makers do need a big dose of
luck in this industry.’’

Surely so much to celebrate with
the success of Red Dog, yet his
statement has triggered a pensive mood and he repeatedly swirls his wineglass without saying a word.

Eventually he adds:  “It’s hard to celebrate within the state of the Australian Film Industry .

“The industry is run by postcodes now and I am living in the wrong postcode here at Carrickalinga.’’

Despite his vast experience, James has been without film work for 11 months as the film industry languishes.  But he has recently begun location work and post production work for Rolf de Heer’s latest
film, The King is Dead, a local film shot in Croydon, South Australia.

“Picture edit has been approved by Screen Australia’’.

However did he cope without work for almost a year?

“I am coping with it by saying I am going to make a film on the longest golf course in Australia…stretching across the Nullarbor Plain,’’ he says . And his melancholy lifts to a warm smile.

“It will probably be an English co-production. You can co-produce in England, France, Argentina and Spain, Canada and Norway and USA.’’

British scriptwriter. Kit Miller –an ex Fleet Street reporter is presently in Australia working with James  on script development.

His film “downtime’’ has allowed him to produce another passion of his – a primer for young people wanting to enter into the world of sound creation.

He says it is difficult for young people to enter into the world of film sound creation.

“You need pathways to learn recording and mixing, about location recording compared with post production,’’ says James. “Practical sound recording skills have been largely ignored by all
the universities.’’

Which is  one important reason why James has had his biography, Conversations with a Sound Man, by Andrew Zielinski published early this year. The author,who  has a Master of Arts in Film,  captures James’ story and hands on his instruction on how to merge the elements of dialogue, music and sound effects as major tools  in sound design.

Meanwhile, James has much to rue about the film industry today because he reckons the current funding  restricts his contracts to films funded within South Australia.

“Australia has returned to the dark ages where they are selecting film crews by post code .

“It goes like this “We are the South Australian Film Corporation and we are going to put money into your film. We will say there are strings attached. You must spend 70 per cent of that money in South Australia and therefore employ South Australians whether you like it or not’.’’

“Every state does it, but I have lost three film offers because of it, because I didn’t live in the post code where the film is being made.’’

Does he see any solution to the problem of bringing more Australian films to the screen?

“We desperately need a government to re-instate the tax benefits of investing in Australian film and this is the only way we will see and hear about Australian stories, set in our landscape within our own culture up on screen.’’

Another of his sound works  in Dragon Pearl, Mario Andriocchio’s film – the first Australian-Chinese co-production will hit the screen during the school holidays.

“It’s a beautiful fantasy film, but it’s a Chinese myth set in China using Australian actors,’’ he says.

 

Conversations With a Sound Man is available from Olga Kostic on okostic@iprimus.com.au or on www.centretrack.com.au for $34.95 AUDinc. GST.

 

 

 

 

Red Dog – a box office star

 

He has those same copper-hued  coat and magnetic eyes of myriad Aussie
sheepdogs, however, there isn’t another quite as  unique as  KoKo,  the wonder  woofer star of Red Dog.  Here he is with the film’s sound recordist,
James Currie and his daughter  Nikola on location at Globe Derby Park.

KoKo, never camera shy, was only too happy to pose with James
and Nikola  in the name of future publicity. The KelpieXcattle dog, was acquired from a NSW breeder when he was 12 months old and his name was KoKo.

The film captures beautifully the bond between  a dog and his master within the unique setting of an Australian Outback  mining community.  It is based on the true story (if unashamedly embellished by the outback myths surrounding it)  by British author Louis de Bernieres about the  dog who became so wellknown for his travels through the Pilbara region of Western Australia that they built a statue to him in remote Dampier.

“Young Koko did the major work in the film,, but there was also the old Red Dog  and another hound who could run over the big mining pipes better than KoKo,’’ says James.

“They looked at a lot of dogs and Kriv loves to tell he audiences that they died KoKo’s  coat because he wasn’t quite red enough.’’

The British author  Louis Bremieres, spent a few weeks on location during filming.  The blokes yarned on location and Louis told James how  serendipity saw him accept an invitation to go to Writers’ Week  in Western Australia.

“Here was this Englishman with a French name and during the festival someone told him about this dog and they told him there was a statue of the dog at Karatha,’’ recalls James. “ And so he travelled there and met some of the people who knew Red Dog from the 1970s. Louis used everything available to him and wrote a 150 page book.’’

James reckons Louis was thrilled at the well-assembled cast  which reflected the multinational makeup of mining communities and its conglomeration of strange characters.

So much of this great film is uniquely Australian, from the moment a thirsty long-haul  truckie (Luke Ford)  walks into an outback pub.  But no-one is drinking because Red Dog is real crook and  the barman Jack (Nash Taylor) tells Luke how he has been poisoned and the vet had better come real quick.

And so his life story and that of the human who becomes his master,  the fancy-free American, John,  unfolds  in a laconic manner with their recollections laced  with humour, a dash of romance and some heartfelt tears . It’s a classy feel-good film and in the tradition of ”Lassie’’, it shouldn’t be  missed. Because Red Dog mirrors those countless other quirky Aussie KelpieX sheep dogs and cattledogs, we may have known on the farms and cattle stations in our own lives.

The film feaures John Lucas, Noah Taylor, Luke Ford, John Batchelor and bringing a wonderful feminine touch to the story is Rachel Taylor – but Red Dog steals the limelight and is the real star.

Editor’s note: I will be writing a feature on the illustrious career of James Currie for next month’s celebs and culture blog.

 

Mosque and Cathedral create Spanish Masterpiece

By Cathy Portas

 

We are in Spain, walking through the Hall of Columns in the ancient Mezquita mosque in Cordoba, yet I cannot stop weeping quietly. No words are needed to explain my emotional reaction to being here within the magnificent unique Moorish architecture, dappled as it is in soft light. Etheral church music floats through the space creating a rare moment of silent, spiritual reverence.

We have come a long way to find this place.  From the moment I picked up a little book in the Art and Architecture series “ANDULASIA” by Brigitte Hintzen-Bohlen Konemann at our local bookshop in Port Elliott, South Australia, I began to dream and plan our trip.

In 785 Abdal Rahman 1^st began constructing a new mosque on the site of a Roman Temple and excavations here unearthed Roman mosaics dated from the third century. Later, it became a Christian Basilica. The beauty of this place is that his successors continued to expand the mosque until 988.

It wasn’t until the 16^th Century when the Christians conquered Cordoba, that the church fathers built a massive Cathedral in the middle of the mosque, leaving the original structure still standing around it. It is easy to see where the cathedral is joined to the original building;  it encapsulates the unique charm of their architectural masterpiece.

We are deeply affected by the physical and spiritual beauty of the mosque. Against the side wall of the Hall of Columns there are many ornate prayer niches, but it is the exquisite mosaic-covered ‘Mihrab’ or prayer niche with it’s tiled horseshoe arch,  which faces directly to Mecca. Above it is a spectacular dome topped by a magnificent cupola (main picture) and when we look up, the sight takes our breathe away.

The Columns surround the very middle of the space where we find the double-height Cathedral, where everything is very bright, and quite different in architectural style and, consequently, feel.  It is also beautiful to the eye and ornate, but I feel it is a tad ostentatious and intimidating after the simplicity and warmth of the mosque. I spare a moment to be grateful that the mosque was left, at least in part, for us to enjoy centuries later, and not destroyed completely.  Could it be that this structure reflects an era where the two religions co-existed happily and importantly respected places of worship over the centuries?

We sit and linger, so entranced by the beautiful columns that we find it hard to leave.

 

Moving Home

Packing boxes are scattered around our island home once more as we begin to pull up roots after living on Hindmarsh Island for a year.

It has been such an exciting sojourn living the sea-change leisure lifestyle on the River Murray, so close to the laconic historic River Port of Goolwa.

But like migratory birds on the cusp of Spring,  we yearn to move back home to Belair, to the backdrop of gum trees,  the Koalas and laughing Kookaburras and our handkerchief-sized view of the sea.  We will call our home Belle-Vue (French for beautiful view).

Yesterday, one of the last days we will live here, was an amazingly experience.   Kind friends invited us to  join them  a Spirit of the Coorong tourist’s cruise to the Coorong,  from the river port of Goolwa and past the River Murray Mouth to the National Park beyond. It was a trip I had wanted to take during the 50 weeks  we have stayed here and we learnt so much about the delicate ecology of the area where we have lived that I am ashamed we left it until our last week. (I am writing about this separately.)

It will be 12 months to the day when we move back home into our bare, but absolutely beautiful new retirement home.  A few days ago we received the letter from builder, Stellar Homes, advising us that the building project is almost finished and it’s time to re-connect all services and make an appointment to pick up the keys.

Last night, we were intoxicated with joy as we dined at the local restaurant, The Landing, to celebrate and congratulate ourselves that we had pulled off such a huge gamble  – razing our dated cream-brick home at Belair (where husband had lived for 30-odd years of his life) and building an exciting new retirement home on the same site.

This week, Stellar Homes sub-contractors, Gerry the tiler and Derek the stonemason have been busy in their respective corners.   Gerry, working alone, has been tiling the bathrooms, the two studies, the laundry and Al Fresco area for a few weeks, while, outside, on scaffolding Derek is laying sandstone on the large feature wall which defines our entrance porch. We finally chose a coursed ashlar pattern with a washed whitish mortar.

Carpentry is completed, cornices, doors,  architraves and sanitary ware are fixed in place and our glorious new kitchen is installed. Beautiful tongue-in-groove Brush Box timber flooring is down awaiting polishing.   Painters begin next week and then it will be finished.  Oh what a feeling!

 

 

 

 

 

Frilly flower symbolises hope for cancer cure

They  have elegant
fluted blooms and are known for their vibrant yellow colour, although daffodils
come in many shapes and shades of yellow and cream.

I am thinking, though, of Daffodil Day and how it focuses
our thoughts on cancer and our universal hope for a cure.  Cancer is indeed the scourge of contemporary
society and  I believe the Cancer Council
of Australia’s figures that one in two families will be affected by this frightening
disease before they reach 85.

Its impact on our contemporary lives cannot be
under-estimated when one casts an eye around one’s family, friends and work
colleagues and begins to count how many people we know afflicted with some kind
of cancer.

It is alarming how this deadly disease seems to hit so many
people and it is sobering to remember that lung cancer has now surpassed breast
cancer as the No. 1 cancer killer of women. Then there is myriad other cancers
which strike our loved ones.  Breast cancers
strike women at a rate of 1/8 in our lifetime;  Prostate Cancers have the same rate and then
there are the nasty spinal cancers, ovarian cancer and bladder, bowel, stomach
and liver cancers to name a few.

The Big C has hit our home like a loaded truck and I have
learnt in the last six months since Olivier was diagnosed with advanced
prostate cancer, and bone cancer.

So,  I will share the
three Rs of cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The first R on Daffodil Day is, I believe, to Remember that
many researchers around the world are working towards a cure; that there are 11
million survivors of cancer who will celebrate birthdays in 2011.

The second R is Regression, which is what happens when
treatment begins to work.

The third R is  Remission when blood tests no longer show any
cancer cells following treatment.  This
is a big achievement, but with really aggressive blood cancers it may only be a
limited reprieve.

Oh! I have just thought of one last “R”.  We need to rejoice because the vast majority
of people diagnosed with cancer now survive and this is best illustrated by the
figures of children suffering childhood leukemia.  Forty years ago, no child survived leukemia,
but now most children will live into adulthood. And isn’t that great news?