Podcast appearances and mentions of Merri Creek

Acknowledgement of Country//Headlines// Vikki John on Tuesday Hometime//Jan Bartlett from Tuesday Hometime, spoke with longtime activist Vikki John with updates from Bougainville. Including, the Class Action against Rio Tinto (and subsidiary: Bougainville Copper Ltd.), as well as the 'Panguna Mine Legacy Impact Assessment' by Melbourne's Human Rights Law Centre. This November marks 5 years since Bougainvilleans cast their ballots in a non-binding referendum vote on independence. The referendum was a key part of the 2001 Peace Agreement that ended the war between Papua New Guinea and the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, which killed up to 20 000 people or 8-10% of the population, and in which Australia played a negative role supporting PNG. Tune into Tuesday Hometime every Tuesday from 4-6pm on 3CR,and listen back to past episodes of the program here.// Professor Mark Howden and Emma Bacon// Last Thursday 31 October, CSIRO and the Bureau of Meterology released the State of the Climate 2024 report, which shows Australians are already living through the severe consequences of climate change and pollution caused by fossil fuel emissions, including a rise in extreme fire seasons, extreme heat events, intense heavy rainfall and sea level rise. To discuss the report's findings and contextualise them within Australia's climate change mitigation and adaptation obligations both at the domestic level and internationally, we were joined by Professor Mark Howden, Director of the Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions at The Australian National University, and Emma Bacon, Executive Director and Founder of Sweltering Cities.// Leon Wiegard, ASU Assistant Branch Secretary// Leon Wiegard, Assistant Branch Secretary of the Australian Services Union, joined us to discuss how employers are attempting to make it lawful for community and disability support workers to be at work for up to 28 hours without overtime pay, and seeks to classify sleepovers at as ‘breaks' between shifts, rather than as part of a continuous shift with the ordinary hours - a move the Australian Services Union has condemned as reckless, arrogant and unjust.// Dario Mujkic, UWU Executive Director// Dario Mujkic, Executive Director of the United Workers' Union, joins us to unpack Woolworths' controversial Coaching and Productivity Framework, currently the subject of complaint to the Fair Work Commission. The Framework, introduced in late 2023, sits within a broader field of workforce management strategies employed in warehousing to drive up worker productivity rates and increase companies' profit margins, initiatives which come at a significant cost to workers' health, safety and wellbeing.// Event: Murnong Gathering This Saturday 9 Nov 11am - 4pmCome along for a beautiful afternoon along the Merri Creek in Coburg for a celebration of Wurundjeri culture.With performances from the Djirri Djirri and Allara.Please BYO picnic to share with friends and family. Care for Country and please take your rubbish home with you.// 

RADIOTHON IS ALMOST HERE! Please consider donating to the Breakfast Teams' crowdraiser, where we're doing our bit to contribute towards the station's goal of $275,000 to stay on air for another year. Don't forget to nominate your favourite brekky crew, i.e. Thursday ;) when you donate. Want to make a donation another way? Head to 3cr.org.au/donate for more options. All donations over $2 are tax deductible. Sound on for solidarity with 3CR Breakfast, Monday to Saturday mornings on 855AM! Acknowledgement of Country// Headlines// We listen back to an interview from 3CR's Doin' Time show with Nina Storey, a formerly incarcerated woman and member of Flat Out and the FIGJAM collective (formerly incarcerated justice advocates based in Melbourne). In this segment, Nina talks about a joint submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission's inquiry into legal responses to sexual violence, prepared with Karen Fletcher (Flat Out), Sohini Mehta and Monique Hurley (Human Rights Law Centre), and including contributions from formerly incarcerated people and other members of the FIGJAM collective.// Bundjalung Githabal and Worimi Saltwater woman Phoebe McIlwraith, Communications Lead for First Nations Futures, spoke with us about the Redistribution Week initiative running across this week from May 27 to June 3. The Redistribution Week campaign amplifies First Nations experts advocating for the redistribution of wealth, land, power, labour and responsibility as the next step beyond Reconciliation, encouraging non-Indigenous people to both learn and engage in material redistribution of resources obtained through colonial violence.// Last week, the NSW Government revealed a secret deal with Origin Energy to extend operation of Eraring power station, one of Australia's oldest coal-fired power plants, for an additional two years past its agreed-on closure date in 2025. Annika Reynolds from the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) joined us to discuss the impacts of this extension. Annika is the ACF's National Climate Policy Advisor, leading the organisation's work on federal climate and energy law reform. Previously, Annika has worked at an international climate think-tank and within the environmental and energy legal sector.// Gamilaraay and Kooma organiser Boe Spearim spoke with us about the Treaty Before Sports campaign's planned Aboriginal solidarity delegation to meet with the Kanak community in so-called New Caledonia as part of building a broader network of anti-colonial resistance. Boe also shared a critical reflection on Reconciliation Week. Donate to the delegation's fundraiser here, and listen to Boe's podcast ‘Frontier War Stories' here.// Community Announcements:NO Northern Incinerator Wollert! are calling for community members to register their interest in attending a public consultation meeting being held by the Environmental Protection Authority on Thursday 20 June to discuss Cleanaway's proposed development of a waste to energy garbage incinerator in Wollert. The facility, which  would be located in close proximity to residential areas and within 1.2km of the Merri Creek, will be used to burn over 1,000 tonnes of garbage per day. RSVPs are required by 11:59PM on Sunday the 2nd of June - register here.//

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) has today urged a suite of actions and investments to protect the future of the Murray-Darling Basin in the face of climate change, which is threatening the river's health and sustainability. In a new essay series A thriving Murray-Darling Basin in 50 years: Actions in the face of climate change, ATSE urges more investment in technologies to monitor the river for climate impacts and in sustained governance with regional and rural communities at the centre, coupled with evolving our agriculture industry in the face of decreased water availability and accepted water-sharing policies. The essay series highlights the vibrant, thriving potential of the Basin if sustainably managed for the benefit of communities and the environment. To achieve this, it recommends reinstating a body to provide independent objective policy advice on national water management, including for the Murray-Darling Basin, to help guide consistent national data-driven decision-making. ATSE President Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE (pictured) said the future of the Murray-Darling Basin is recognised to be at severe risk. That comprehensive action across Federal, State and Territory Governments will be decisive in safeguarding its biodiversity, and social and economic importance to Australia. "Essays address climate change in the Murray-Darling Basin"; "Australia could play a key role: what a key Paris Agreement negotiator thinks about our climate future"; "Poorer nations must be transparent over climate spending, says Cop29 leader"; "Weather tracker: Mexico swelters under season's first heatwave"; "Oil giant plans to move 60,000 tonnes of steel, rig waste to UN-listed wetlands"; "A Grampians town's remarkable recovery after ‘the beast' burnt through"; "Energy Efficiency Council". "YIMBY: Community composting for connection and climate action"; "The Loudest Guys in the Room: How the Fossil Fuel Industry Warps the Information Ecosystem"; "In ‘Silent Spring,' Rachel Carson Described a Fictional, Bucolic Hamlet, Much Like Her Hometown. Now, There's a Plastics Plant Under Construction 30 Miles Away"; "A Plastics Plant Promised Pennsylvania Prosperity, but to Some Residents It's Become a ‘Shockingly Bad' Neighbor"; "Wildfire smoke a threat to already endangered orangutans"; "Why some corals are better off dead"; "Reflections on being an Earthling"; "The EPA's Carbon Crackdown Is Finally Here"; "We aim to call Government and Industry to action . . . . .Charter 29"; "Curious Kids: why do trees have bark?"; "Weather tracker: torrential rainstorms cause death and destruction in Brazil"; "Here's why so many Republicans won't buy EVs"; "Making merry: how we brought Melbourne's Merri Creek back from pollution, neglect and weeds"; "Buddha taught us to be happy with less. How does this apply to the climate crisis?"; "3 energy questions hang over EPA's carbon rule"; "Sometimes, to Make an Electric Car Better, You've Got to Make It a Little Worse"; "Climate Change Is Making Your Seasonal Allergies Worse"; "As the Environmental Crisis Worsens, So Too Does the Safety of Journalists Covering It"; "‘Like wildfires underwater': Worst summer on record for Great Barrier Reef as coral die-off sweeps planet"; "Federal Court hears closing arguments in Torres Strait Islanders' climate change case"; "Floods in southern Brazil kill at least 75 people over 7 days, with 103 people missing"; "‘We're looking at losing 20% of Olympic nations': how the climate crisis is changing sport"; "First ever cyclone confronts flood-hit Kenya"; "Over 100 temperature records in Vietnam broken in April as heatwave scorches"; "There's a soundtrack to our coral reefs and scientists are hopeful it can encourage coral regrowth"; "The cleanest air in the world is at Tasmania's Kennaook/Cape Grim. It's helping solve a climate puzzle" --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/robert-mclean/message

FLOURISHING & RESTORATION IN PLANTING Join us this fortnight as we hear from Emma Payne. Emma has had an incredible diversity of experiences and shares the origins of her formation as a church planter, as well as the things she has had to process and unlearn. As a planter into once held “sacred spaces”, she details the opportunities and stories that have led them to where they are today at Merri Creek Anglican Church. Emma also shares her personal focus on prayer, and being formed into the image of Jesus and flourishing that ministry requires of us as leaders in God's church. Available now on YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS

After a spoken word intro, Val continues with a bike moment in a local park and Faith talks about helping women to ride in Fawkner.News includes springs kicking off, magpie swooping season, especially in regards to Carr Street, Coburg near the Merri Creek crossing, Port Phillip Council voting against bike lanes being included in the Shrine to Sea Project with future public consultation, Inquiry into the impact of road safety behaviours on vulnerable road users, poor road design, lack of political leadership and unofficial offical St Kilda Road bike lanes.

Hear about how the birds along the Merri Creek change with the seasons. This episode is about the Australasian Pipit, Eurasian Skylark and other birds that live along the Merri Merri (Merri Creek).Ann McGregor started birding as a child at her family's weekender in the Dandenong Ranges. She still enjoys watching long-term favourites such as the Eastern Spinebill and Golden Whistler, but also spends time birding around Australia and overseas, always on the lookout for unfamiliar species. Ann has co-ordinated the Friends of Merri Creek bird surveys since they began in 2008 and is here to share her experience with you.Links:* Episode transcript - www.weekendbirder.com* Friends of Merri Creek website - www.friendsofmerricreek.org.au/* Friends of Merri Creek on Facebook - @FriendsofMerriCreek* Friends of Merri Creek on Instagram - @friendsofmerricreek* BirdLife Australia - Australasian Pipit - www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Anthus-novaeseelandiae* BirdLife Australia website - Eurasian Skylark - www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Alauda-arvensisBird calls were recorded by Marc Anderson and licensed from www.wildambience.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Sydney of 1960, a man sings acappella to workers on a building site. In Sydney of 2020, a woman sings acappella to TV cameras. In Sydney of 2022, a man wheels his kayak through a drain under a highway.  This week we're looking at one of the greatest songs of the 20th century, "Ol' Man River", as sung by Frank Sinatra in TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY (1946). Racially, socially and environmentally, this masterpiece of songwriting has meant many different things to different people at different times. But one thing is for certain: it has no possible conservative reading. In the first half of this episode we also dig into other songs from the Jerome Kern songbook as featured in the film. Note: This episode features a discussion of Indigenous deaths in custody - in particular, that of Tanya Day. September 8th is Wear Pink for Tanya Day, as organised by her family. Find out more on their Instagram account, Justice for Tanya Day: http://instagr.am/justicefortanyaday.  We encourage you to donate to the Dhadjowa Foundation, a grassroots organisation who look after the families of Indigenous people who have died in custody: https://dhadjowa.com.au/ or their Instagram account, http://instagr.am/dhadjowa_foundation. Beau Miles' Bad River on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmxKUwB8VFQ The Cooks River Alliance: https://cooksriver.org.au/  Friends of Merri Creek: https://www.friendsofmerricreek.org.au/ EMAIL: suddenlypod@gmail.com INSTAGRAM: http://instagr.am/suddenlypod  TWITTER: http://twitter.com/suddenlypod 

Move the House projesi için kurulan komite , 24 Nisan 2022 Pazar günü saat 12.00 - 15.00 arasında, Melbourne'un Fawkner semtindeki Lorne St ve Sahara Way köşesindeki Merri Creek'de , Gelibolu'da can veren Avustralyalı, Yeni Zelandalı ve Türkiyeli her askerin anısına  ağaç dikme etkinliği düzenliyor. Komiteden Aylin Aras Yurdakul'la Anzak Günü arifesinde Melbourne'da Çanakkale savaşında ölenler için düzenlenecek bu etkinlik hakkında konuştuk.

Christmas Day at Merri Creek

The Environmental Protection Authority is investigating. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Creator and Performer Michelle Myers talks about her solo show ‘And Then She Became a Chair’, playing at Theatre Works in St Kilda. Developed during her four years in Berlin, Myers describes the piece as “a show about death but in a tropical paradise”.Writer and Director Dean Bryant joins Richard ahead of ‘Well, That Happened’, a one-weekend-only event in February celebrating the reopening of the Melbourne Theatre Company’s Sumner Theatre. This stripped-back verbatim performance sees MTC favourites such as Esther Hannaford, Zahra Newman and Eddie Perfect reminisce on the year that was. Finally, Shini Pararajasingham, Founder and Director of Off the Kerb gallery tells of four new upcoming exhibitions supporting emerging visual artists in Melbourne. Simon O’Carrigan’s ‘A Shared Path’ features watercolour landscapes evoking the Merri Creek area, Nicholas Aplin’s ‘Towering’ contains brutalist yet beautiful North Melbourne housing landscapes, Kara Mandell’s ‘In The Beginning’ draws connections between the cosmos and human body, and Sara Deane’s ‘Colours of Jaipur’ is a response to the vibrant architecture of the northern Indian city.

On this weeks 3CR program produced at home due to COVID19 restrictions with one of our talented cats as producer, Chris talks to Juliet Hall and Helen McDonald from The Merri Creek Bridge Group about their story getting a new bridge built between Northcote and Brunswick, what they learnt along the way, getting Darebin and Moreland councils to listen to community concerns and importantly, getting a positive (and built!) outcome that supports local active transport.Local news includes another positive outcome with Yarra Council voting (15 September 2020 Meeting minutes, this is the link to download the pdf) to proceed with 12 month trials with Elizabeth Street protected bicycle lanes in Richmond and the Park Street contra-flow to relieve pressure off the nearby Capital City Trail in Carlton / Fitzroy North during and after Stage 4 restrictions, local bike shops being able to reopen and the Walmer Street Bridge Coalition starting another petition (Change.org: It's time to replace Walmer Street Bridge!) to restart the campaign to replace the no longer fit-for-purpose bridge over the Yarra River between Abbotsford and Kew.

Life's Simple Pleasures to begin, before Sym's got a weird tale about a recent trip down to Merri Creek.We go deep into star signs cos there may or may not be a new star sign in town.Adam calls the real #1 fan of the show, Cathy Densten, who's had some internet purchasing troubles of her own.Then, a quick Bachstreet Boys wrap as things heat up on The Bachelor.Subscribe, rate the show ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, leave a review, tell your friends and read the Bible.

On this weeks program Chris welcomes long term YarraBUG Radio presenter Steve back into the studio after a lengthly break doing bicycle adventures including the 2019 Hunt 1000. Steve chats about the amazing alpine landscape, riding the trails, making his own bikepacking gear and adventures along the way.This weeks interviews are from Reclaim Our Merri Creek walk, a community event organised in response to last weeks alleged assault on the trail in Coburg. Hundreds of locals walked along the Merri Creek trail on Sunday evening in response to concerns about using public space, preventing attacks against women and reclaiming the area for everyone. Interviews included Fiona Patten, MLC for the Northern Metropolitan region and two women expressing their concerns, including dealing with ripple effects from the attack, public perception about safety, changing societal expectations rather than kneejerk law and order responses and confronting microaggressions from men while riding. Expressive Women's Choir sung MILCK’s Quiet as part of the walk that finished at Harding Street Bridge.Local news includes heads up from Glen Eira Bicycle Users Group for Thursday 12th December 8am- 9am "thumbs up" pop-up at a secret location to be revealed Wednesday PM as they need as many people as possible to help bring the message home supporting safe bike paths and the Angry Butcher bikeshop in Sunbury kicks off their Drought relief fund.

Friday 06 December 2019 7am acknowledgement of country and headline news focusing on Far-right extremist Phillip Galea found guilty of plotting terror attacks in Melbourne, PM to sack bureaucrats in a overhaul of the public sector, the repeal of medievac7:15am a interview with Dominic Hale who is a long-time socialist and union activist from Queensland currently living in the UK about the upcoming British general election and the political experiences of campaigning for Labor and his assessment of the social movements and the political situation for the left.7:45am a interview with Rawaa Abdul Jabbar a Iraqi woman living in Australia about the uprising that is happening in Iraq right now in terms of the massive protests against corruption and economic inequality and the repression they've faced from the State which has resulted in the deaths of protesters.8:00am activist calendar including a report on the sexual assault of a woman in Merri Creek and the subsequent community response to it  8:10am a interview with Walden Bello a noted scholar-activist from the Phillipines on the rise in populist and authoritarian governments in The Philippines and India and what this reflects about the failures and limitations of Liberal democracy. 8:28am end of program. 

More Than A Whelan goes live once again at the glorious Merri Creek Tavern. Featuring special guests Maggie Alley, Natasha Johanna, Gabriela Georges, Jessica At Birth and Mitch Power! Please note because I'm a dickhead I accidentally introduced Gabriela by the wrong name surname on stage. Apologies Gabriela!

On this episode we debate whether hummus have hands, the logistics of a goat slowing time, and whether a supersize Spiderman could beat a superspeed Trump in a game of SUPERFIGHT! Make sure you vote for who YOU think won each fight in the YouTube polls! Sorry if this one’s a bit choppy, we were so tired and delirious that we got off topic a looot, or were just sitting there picking cards. Also i could only put 5 options in the final battle poll so sorry trump!!! dont tweet me lol 5:33 Battle ONE Begins Joelle's Cards Spiderman, 3 storeys tall, Throws ninja stars (Wild card) Rochelle's Cards Donald Trump, Can go invisible while singing show tunes, Can run 200MPH but only in a straight line (Wild card) Vote for your Battle ONE Champion 15:17 Battle TWO Begins Joelle's Cards Jason, Everything they touch turns to hummus, Riding a ... (Wild card), Meatloaf (Wild Card) Rochelle's Cards UFC Fighter (Ultimate Fighting Champion, Has jellyfish for hands, In a helicopter (Wild card) Vote for your Battle TWO Champion 26:56 Battle THREE Begins Joelle's Cards A unicorn, Throws fastballs, On a jetski (Wild card) Rochelle's Cards A sharpshooter, Slows time when their eyes are closed, Their top half is... (Wild card) A fainting goat (Wild card) Vote for your Battle THREE Champion VOTE FOR YOUR ULTIMATE CHAMPION All polls can be accessed by clicking the "i" button on the top right of the screen on YouTube. We’d love to hear what you think about this ep of Club Scene CHATROOM and what you’d like to see in the future of this pod so don’t shy away from that comment section! Next episode of Club Scene CHATROOM will air next week, same day, Thursday!! Sending lots of love always, jo + ro — PROJECT OF THE WEEK CERES (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies) is an award winning, not-for-profit, sustainability centre located on 4.5 hectares on the Merri Creek in East Brunswick, Melbourne. https://ceres.org.au/ CERES FAIR FOOD is a grocery run by CERES that offers a variety of local organic & biodynamic produce, wholefoods, and more! Fair trade buying (ensured everyone involved is paid a HUMANE wage), no factory farmed products, no pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilisers, no GMOs. Better for your tastebuds and your tummy. https://www.ceresfairfood.org.au/ Joëlle in particular gets the MINI MIXED FRUIT & VEGGIE BOX, where she receives a mix of seasonal organic fruits & veg from CERES's farmers and market, every week, for $36.95. You can see what you'll get each week on their 'What's in the box' tab, where CERES also notes that "Occasionally because of a storm, a heat wave, mechanical breakdown or even a farmer feeling poorly, we need to swap some items listed below." Which is just the best. !! CERES has no affiliation with Club Scene CHATROOM, this is simply an initiative, service & organisation we enjoy, believe in, and want to promote. — FIND US! Joëlle Thomas https://www.instagram.com/joellewithdots/ Rochelle Oh https://www.instagram.com/therochellefish/ https://www.therochellefish.com/ Got a project you think we should promote? clubsceneletters@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/club.scene/

A CASTAWAY STUDIOS PRODUCTION A live podcast recording at Merri Creek Tavern on the theme of Melancholy. So excited to present our second live show at Merri Creek Tavern with a cavalcade of special guests. They are in order of appearance: writer Jaymee Leyana, musician Amarina Waters, musicians Ben Mastwyk and Patrick Wilson, writer/performer Poppy Sloan, spoken word superstar Caitlin Saunders and comedian/writer Ben Pobjie. I finished the show with a poem written especially for the event and was accompanied with live improvisation by Ben Mastwyk and Patrick Wilson. Special thanks to my generous supporters in Castaway Studios and Luxe Country and to Merri Creek Tavern. This is the poem I wrote especially for this event. Sad is Rad It’s always been a comfort. It’s always been the thing to hang on to. An emotion is better than feeling nothing at all. It carried me through high school. If Melancholy is the pilot, then music is the plane that transports it. The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division, Leonard Cohen, Sinead O’Connor, Nick Cave, Patsy Cline, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. They saved my very soul. It carried me beyond high school. Into shitty employment. Into working at the printing factory directly across the road. 8 hours standing at the end of a printing press, catching the output, putting it into boxes, over and over again. Looking at words on paper, words on paper, words on paper. And thinking, hey, I could do that. I like words, I like feelings, I like the indescribable tangibility between the two. I could do something with this weight, this heavy heavy heart. And I started putting my own words on paper. Machine Gun River. A novel I never finished about a ritualistic break up by a river bed that’s being pelted with run, like machine gun fire. It was dark and stupidly emo, like me. It was to end in blood and catastrophe, except I never finished it. So that’s a least one murder I prevented from happening in the 80’s. It carried me through break ups. And if I’m really honest. It may have even propelled me towards breakups. A certain yearning, towards what Kurt Cobain described as ‘I miss the comfort in being sad.’ But melancholy can be dangerous too. Melancholy can be a gateway drug. A gateway drug to the dark side. Where the goldness of sadness rusts. And it’s always a temptation to drift. But if you don’t. Melancholy can be a gentle fuel. A slow burning yellow fire. A certain longing towards a certain desire to be okay with being alone. And that’s not always bad. Because sometimes Sad is rad. Very excited to announce that the next live show of More Than A Whelan will be on Saturday 13th July, 7pm as part of the Indiepodfest 2019. You can pre-purchase tickets to the show and support the running of the festival with all sorts of rewards through their Indiepodfest 2019.

Highlights from our Good Friday service with the theological theme of blood.

Highlights from our Easter Sunday service with the theological theme: Water

To launch Season 2 of More Than A Whelan the show was recorded before a live audience, for the very first time, at the Merri Creek Tavern in Westgarth. All DOG themed. Last year musician Ben Mastwyk was our guest on the last episode of Season One. I interviewed him in his Collingwood living room and he spoke of his beloved golden retriever Bea as being his co-writer. As Bea would guide him on their walks together to places and thoughts that would inspire the writing of his songs. Very sadly Bea passed away early this year after a long beautiful life, loved and admired by many, especially her guardians Ben Mastwyk and Rhiannon Hardingham. It was Ben Mastwyk who approached me with the concept of presenting the first episode of More Than A Whelan in 2019 as a live show and to dedicate the entire show to DOGS. And I am SO happy he did. And thus More Than A Whelan presents Now I Wanna Meet Your Dog was born! This was truly one of the greatest experiences in my life. Something magical happened in that luscious performance space at the Merri Creek Tavern on Wednesday 6th February. So much show that we plan to make live shows a regular occurrence now. Keep watching this space for details. A raffle was held on the night with very generous support from our very first official sponsor the wonderful Luxe Country! We decided to donate all the proceeds from the night to a wonderful group called Team Golden Oldies who adopt old unwanted dogs and give them all the love they deserve in their twilight years. Please visit them online as they sell wonderful items that help them to pay for the cost of keeping these dogs. Their vet bills alone were over $12500! Through the raffle on the night we managed to raise $200 for them. We are very excited and grateful for the support of Luxe Country, our very first official sponsor. You can visit our online store right here! For the moment you can look pretty damn cool in a More Than A Whelan or Now I Wanna Meet Your Dog cap, more stock including t-shirts will be added soon! And thanks to the generosity of Luxe Country all proceeds from the sales will go directly to More Than A Whelan. So your purchases will help to keep us producing this show. Visit the store now! I began the show by reading a poem by Ted Koozer called ‘The Death of a Dog’. I then welcomed our first guest of the show, Jadan Carroll, author of Definitely the Best Dogs Of All Time, illustrated by Molly Dyson. We focused on just a few of many of the different famous dogs from throughout the history of the world, including the fascinating story of a poodle called Masterpiece, covered in more detail in an episode from a wonderful true crime podcast called Criminal. We also spoke about the story of Hachikō, a dog who spent nine years waiting at Shibuya station in Japan waiting for his master who had died. And lastly we touched on the hilarious dog Riley who is famous for becoming a meme. The wonderful Amarillo were our next guests, who began by performing an exceptionally wonderful song called Lemonade from their album Eyes Still Fixed. Kelly Day (Broads) joined us next for a performance of a song called What Kind of Beast Is This from Broads self titled EP. We are very excited for the impending release of their new album and will have both members of Broads as guests on the podcast in the not too distant future. Following Kel’s wonderful performance I read an incredible poem by a poet recently departed from this world, Mary Oliver. The poem is called Her Grave. There is in fact a collection of all her poems on dogs called Dog Songs. Justin Bernasconi is one of Australia’s finest guitarists. He first performed a song called Puppy Blues from his album Barefoot Wonderland. I was then extremely honoured to have him accompany me, completely unrehearsed, for a poem I wrote especially for the evening called Dogs Know the Secrets of the World. DOGS KNOW THE SECRET OF THE WORLD In the past the present and future, I am a dog. Because why would you be anything else? Dogs know the secrets the world and they try to deliver them to us all the time. We take the secret of the world and we gaze upon it trying to decipher its code but a mangy old tennis ball covered in slobbery spit is a difficult code difficult to decipher. But we do not judge We hold the very secret of the world aloft and fling it back into the world. And then the secret is delivered back to us by the most loyal of creatures. And that’s why to quote, what I believe is the greatest song ever written by Australian band The Fauves, Dogs Are The Best People. They make us involuntarily smile. They make us voluntarily smile. They are they always there at the opening of the door. they return us to the state of a child. In the past, in the present and the future. In my most secret of secret worlds. I am always a dog because why would you want to be anything else. Following Justin Bernasconi I welcomed to the stage poet superstar Emilie Zoey Baker. EZB had the entire room in stitches with a poem she wrote exclusively for this event called 14 Reasons Why Dogs Are Cooler Than People. A clip of this performance is available to watch on the More Than A Whelan Facebook page. Previous guest on More Than a Whelan (Episode 22) was our next performer on the night and delivered an incredibly touching and beautiful tribute to the dear departed Bea, as Golden Firelight was the last song they wrote together by the Yarra River. The incredible Van Walker, accompanied by Mitch Dylan closed the night with two original songs on dogs. The first called Happy Dogs was only just released earlier this year through Green South Records. The second was a song called Timbuktu. I want to profoundly thank all of the performers and audience members, including our two special guests golden retrievers who came along, Stan and Lulu for making this such a night to remember. The inaugural More Than A Whelan show is just the beginning. The next live show will be on Wed May 1st at Merri Creek Tavern. Put it in your diary now! Whelan, out.

Ben Mastwyk is the Liberace of the Australian indie-country scene. He brings the flash and the style but backs it up too with brilliant songwriting and psych tinged arrangements. Sean has a chat to Ben over his dining table about power animals and the inspirational power of flâneuring, among other things. Ben's latest album, Winning Streak, was nominated for Best Country Album in the 2018 Age Music Victoria Awards. Sean begins the show by reading his poem, Suicide Is Never Funny Unless You Dead. Suicide is Never Funny Unless You’re Dead.   I wrote this. I wrote this in chalk on the pavement outside the church at the end of my street. I started at the front door of the church and I worked my around the block. I didn’t know how much chalk I would need so I took a whole bucket with me. I’m not stupid. This is the first lie I have told in this poem. I’m writing this. I’m in present tense now. I’m intensely present now. My script is cursive and considerate across the sidewalk down Rucker’s Hill towards Merri Creek.   I’m writing a letter asking the author to respond. There is so much to be explained. My flow is slow but steady. The air is cold and as sharp as a box. I like this weather. It reminds me of red lampshades, warm kitchens and the comfort in being sad. I’m writing all this from the front door of the church at the end of my street and I’ll go as long as I have to. I have many questions but I have never enjoyed the closing credits of answers. While writing this letter on the footpath I pass many mailboxes. At each mailbox I pause to feel if the heat of a love letter is burning inside. I hold out my hands at a safe distance and feel… nothing. Nobody writes love letters anymore. I remember a letter I wrote once to which I have received no response. A high school crush. Her name was blank blank. It was the last day of high school and it was a now or never situation. I cut my heart out and squeezed it all over the page like a red lemon. Email would have been easier but we didn’t have it in those days. I gave the letter to a friend and asked him to place it in her hand because I knew if I attempted such a thing, I would surely catch fire. She has never responded. But I remain hopeful. When Nick Cave sings ‘Bukowski was a jerk! Berryman was best!’ he’s referring to the two American poets, Charles Bukowski and John Berryman. In 1972 Berryman jumped off a Minneapolis bridge to look at life from a completely different angle. He missed the water, landed in the mud and died from slow suffocation. Take note from this and always check your flight path in advance. The mud sucked the life out of him through underground tunnels and drew it all back into the core of the earth. Suicide is never funny unless you’re dead. And then the core of the earth is a wonderful place to laugh, sit on a box and warm your hands in front of the eternal pile of burning love letters. I’m writing all this on the pavement from the front door of the church around my block and now it’s taken me to the Westgarth Bridge under which I stand. I’ve written several more lies in this poem now but they’re all wearing tuxedos and have the best intentions. I come across Berryman and Bukowski, two serial liars like me, standing under the bridge. I think they live there. I think they’re friends now. I think maybe they haven’t been accepted at the campfire circle surrounding the burning love letters in the core of the earth. And that’s why they’re hanging out in my neighbourhood. I call upon the authors to explain. Bukowski just waltzes over and simply pisses on my chalk written letter on the pavement. This somewhat dilutes the intensity of my presence. Berryman looks at me and says “I feel like getting confessional. I’m scared, but I’m willing. I’m sure this is a preposterous attitude, but I’m not ashamed of it.” By the time I finish writing his quote I’m a block away from them. I look up, I’ve gone full circle. I’m outside my door. I stand beside my letterbox.   I’m intensely present. I hold out my hands, in search of the heat. There’s something coming off the letterbox, like a tiny slow burning star. I reach for the envelope and I’m dizzy with the possibilities of it all. Is it her?   Sean and Ben chat about the benefits of staying busy to stop yourself from going crazy. They talk about Ben's process of songwriting and his constant muse, a beautiful golden retriever called Bea. See the More Than A Whelan Instagram or the More Than A Whelan Facebook page to see a photo of Ben's four legged co-writer. Ben performs a piece of micro fiction inspired by the creative prompt 'Pomade' by Kim Jeffs. And then inspired by the creative prompt 'Silent Songs' by Ian Gostelow, Ben performs an original song especially written for More Than A Whelan. Finally Ben Mastwyk honours MTAW with one more original composition! Inspired by the prompt Love Spy, supplied by a previous guest on MTAW, Malcolm Hill. Thank you so much to our Muses of the Week and their creative prompts for Episode 22, Kim Jeffs (Pomade), Ian Gostelow (Silent Songs) and Malcolm Hill ( Love Spy). Finally Sean closes the show with a poem inspired by the prompt Confession Booth for Dogs by regular prompt contributor George Dunford. Thank you George for being our final Muse of The Week for Season 1! Confession Booth For Dogs (inspired by MTAW Muse of the Week George Dunford) They line up around the block. To get it off their shoulders. That heavy heavy burden. The crimes are plenty. From dry humping the neighbours cat into a state of trauma, to rolling around in shit in the backyard and then spreading out and sleeping on the good couch, to digging that hole in the back fence to freedom and then once having escaped realising that at home you get fed every day so you come back in a few hours while everybody has been trawling the neighbourhood for you and you’re like ‘what’s up guys, you miss me?’ At the Confession Booth For Dogs they enter one by one and address the shadowy figure behind the screen. Every breed, every size. I’m no scientist but to the best of my knowledge dogs are the only animals that exhibit shame. Think about that moment. When you come home to find that Charlie the cocker spaniel has managed to tip the bin over and spread its entire contents throughout the whole house. You turn to him to say ‘what the fuck Charlie?’ But he already knows he’s in trouble. His chin is touching the floor. And his little chocolate eyes are rolled up to you. And his whole face reeks of shame and he pleads you to forgive him. It will never happen again, his face says to you. And who can stay mad at that face. When I was a kid we had a dog called Max. He hated wheels. Not me. He loved me. He hated actual wheels. He especially hated the wheels on the lawnmower,but even more problematic was that he hated the wheels on cars and when he escaped, which was often, he would chase cars and try to nip at their tyres. One of his sins that a typical dog might go to confession for was that he would dig up the garden all the time which drove my parents crazy. So when I got home from school one night and I entered the back gate and Max’s face was dripping with shame I knew he had done something wrong and I assumed he had gotten into the garden again, so I walked around trying to find where, he meekly followed me, head as low as it can get. But I couldn’t find any evidence of garden destruction. We had stopped by the Hills Hoist clothes line. And I turned to Max and I said ‘what did you do?’ And it was only then I noticed that all this time his mouth had been firmly closed. He looked up at me, slowly opened his mouth and suddenly a bird flew out of his mouth. And even though it was covered with dog spit. It somehow managed to still take flight and disappeared over the fence. Stunned I looked back to Max. He looked back at me. And I heard his inner thoughts saying ‘I finally caught a bird with my mouth, but once it was in there, I just didn’t know what to do with it.”

This week Linda Ross talks to Paul West, the star of Lifestyle Channel's (now SBS) series River Cottage Australia, who has swapped his bucolic Tilba home on the NSW South Coast for a city life in Thornbury, in Melbourne’s inner north.The chef-turned-sustainable-farmer married his partner Alicia in 2016 and moved south, along with their young sons, Otto and Bowie. Fans of the show will be pleased to learn that West’s scene-stealing border collie Digger has also made the journey and is busy learning how to behave around busy city roads and make the most of a suburban backyard. “I don’t think he’s super happy but I still get him out and give him plenty of walks,” West says. “And we’re lucky, we live near Merri Creek, so there are plenty of places where he can get off lead.”Since River Cottage Australia finished filming in 2015, the 36-year-old advocate of sustainable farming has been dabbling with television and radio jobs, as well as doing cooking demonstrations and tells Linda he is in the process of writing a book. West says living sustainably begins with cooking at home. Start by eliminating processed and packaged foods and prepare fresh meals from scratch. Then, try growing your own vegetables – start small with some herbs or salad greens in a pot.Ultimately, though, the move to Melbourne is a temporary one with the family planning to move back to their house in Bermagui, NSW, when Otto starts primary school.Paul will be a special guest at the Queensland Garden Show 13-15th July 2018 on the Sunshine Coast (http://www.qldgardenexpo.com.au) where he will be on stage talking about his sustainable life goals.

This week Linda Ross talks to Paul West, the star of Lifestyle Channel's (now SBS) series River Cottage Australia, who has swapped his bucolic Tilba home on the NSW South Coast for a city life in Thornbury, in Melbourne’s inner north.The chef-turned-sustainable-farmer married his partner Alicia in 2016 and moved south, along with their young sons, Otto and Bowie. Fans of the show will be pleased to learn that West’s scene-stealing border collie Digger has also made the journey and is busy learning how to behave around busy city roads and make the most of a suburban backyard. “I don’t think he’s super happy but I still get him out and give him plenty of walks,” West says. “And we’re lucky, we live near Merri Creek, so there are plenty of places where he can get off lead.”Since River Cottage Australia finished filming in 2015, the 36-year-old advocate of sustainable farming has been dabbling with television and radio jobs, as well as doing cooking demonstrations and tells Linda he is in the process of writing a book. West says living sustainably begins with cooking at home. Start by eliminating processed and packaged foods and prepare fresh meals from scratch. Then, try growing your own vegetables – start small with some herbs or salad greens in a pot.Ultimately, though, the move to Melbourne is a temporary one with the family planning to move back to their house in Bermagui, NSW, when Otto starts primary school.Paul will be a special guest at the Queensland Garden Show 13-15th July 2018 on the Sunshine Coast (http://www.qldgardenexpo.com.au) where he will be on stage talking about his sustainable life goals.

The first of a monthly Melbourne Deepcast transmission on Skylab Radio featuring two hours of dreamy house sounds from Project 95 (@proj95), recorded one sunny afternoon over summer down by Melbourne's Merri Creek. skylab-radio.com/shows/melbourne-deepcast-or-project-95-live-from-merri-creek

Joanna Logue is an award-winning painter whose work distinctively reflects her experience of the countryside and bushland. Through her sensual application of paint, she transports the viewer into a dreamlike landscape. She has exhibited in 34 solo shows and her work has been included in over 65 group shows. Her work is held in public and private collections and she has received many commissions. As this podcast goes online her solo show ‘Heartland’ hangs in Sydney's King Street Gallery on William. In this podcast episode, Logue talks about her early life growing up in a small town of NSW before moving to Sydney, she tells of how her relationship with her twin sister impacted her early years, and generously gives many insights into her painting process. She also talks about how she changed her approach to painting from one of seeking perfectionism in the early years to her free and visceral approach today where 'there are no rules'. To hear the interview press 'play' above. To see a short video of Logue talking with Maria Stoljar in the lead up to her exhibition click here. Feature photo:  Joanna Logue with Cinnamon in front of 'Heartland I' (left) and 'Merri Creek' (photo courtesy of the artist) Current show 'Heartland', King Street Gallery on William, Sydney, 18 July - 12 August, 2017 Links to things and people we talk about on the show Joanna Logue Joanna Logue at King Street Gallery Joanna Logue at Anna Pappas Gallery Simonne Logue Guy Warren at Olsen Gallery Idris Murphy Idris Murphy at King Street Gallery Hill End artists in residence Donald Friend Russell Drysdale Arthur Boyd Bruny Island residency Camie Lyons at Olsen Gallery Camie Lyons on Instagram Susan Baird Susan Baird at Arthouse Gallery Elisabeth Cummings Elisabeth Cummings at King Street Gallery Martin Pera Kym Bonython Video of  Joanna Logue talking with Maria Stoljar on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel (below) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fgh43pBbhg   Recent paintings in response to the landscape of Mount Desert Island, Maine, USA    

Could declining insect populations be the reason windscreens don't seem to be as bug-splattered as they used to be? Two recent publications in Science—an article in 2014 and another in 2017—suggest that's the case. This may also relate to the decline in House sparrow populations overseas—see work by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the British Trust for Ornithology.(If you're interested in local bird numbers, you could take part in a survey like those run by the Friends of Merri Creek—see their website www.friendsofmerricreek.org.au).How about social media, is that good or bad for your mental health? Well, according to psychologist Peggy Kern from the University of Melbourne, it depends.Alright then, should you be worried about nematode worms in your sushi? Not as much as you should worry about bacteria such as Salmonella and Bacillus cereus!

On todays program, Chris speaks to Andy Gild and Gary Chan from Melbourne Bicycles For Humanity Chapter about working with local communities in Nambia, their upcoming events and projects, including how you can get involved with fundraising for Cycle for Humanity during March 2017 and win great prizes, Bicycles for Humanity: A Portfolio exhibition on 5pm, 1st March (Please RSVP by 28 Feb via B4HEvents@gmail.com) and a series of Sunday afternoon forums starting 5th March at Magnet Gallery, 640 Bourke Street, Melbourne.Local news includes Change.org petition to keep St Georges Road crossovers closed, after Melbourne Water completes their work, to make the area safer for pedestrians and riders, Pushy Youth Yarra courses starting this week, todays Merri Creek temporary closure under High Street bridge, Northcote, Parks Victoria repair work on Main Yarra Trail at Henley Landing and this weeks Bike Talks and Oil at Burnley Backyard, 5.30pm, Wednesday 1st March, 49 Tudor Street, Richmond.

Andrew and Molly interview Adelaide Fisher, Ariel Cameron and past Art-Smitten host Will Dawson about their brand new community arts festival Happenstance, taking place along the Merri Creek in Coburg North on Saturday February 25.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Single Speed Worlds Carnivelo coming to town! Chris chats to Damian Auton about next months 2016 Single Speed Championships, with a packed week in Melbourne and Woodend, chockers full of bicycle festivities, including My Mechanic Rules at Commuter Cycles, Melburn pub ride, socials rides, early bird drinks, Carnivelo market at Hanging Rock, leading up to the main event on Sunday 23 October. News includes update over Merri Creek to CERES proposed bridge, with Darebin Council approving detailed design funding, in the UK, West Midlands Police to use a cycling officer to target close-passing motorists, Melbourne Bicycle Users Group petition aimed at upcoming Melbourne council elections for additional community feedback and design improvement on proposed Southbank Boulevard protected bike lanes. Also be quick to get tickets to Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville, with Benoît Charest recreating The Triplets of Belleville score live at the Melbourne Festival as the film itself is beamed onto the big screen. 

Aboriginal Christian Leader Brooke Prentis presents an inspiring challenge to us about how we at Merri Creek can respond as Christians to the need for reconciliation between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in Australia.

Guest speaker, Graham Cole, Dean of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Chicago, spoke at Merri Creek on the occasion of the baptism of his grandson. Graham deals asks us if we really know what 'Christian' means in this age when it has been coopted by so many other political and cultural groups.

On today's program Chris talks to Senator Janet Rice about recent leadership shuffles in Canberra, a new Minister for Cities, Greg Hunt trying to reheat East West Link, the Western Distributor and the launch of a Bike Black spot app and Bike Meet up this Saturday 17 October in Carlton North. Local news includes a short Melbourne Brompton Urban Challenge recap, news about an amendment passed at last weeks Yarra Council meeting to get the Wellington St seperated lanes finished and Yarra Ride to Work Breakfasts. Other news includes one-metre passing laws in South Australia, Australia Post launching new stamps with Australian-designed bicycles, "Grinding to a halt: rethink needed on Australian urban transport" report from Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA), parts of Yarra Trail closed for maintenance near Cremorne Rail bridge, a petition to Build a Bridge over Merri Creek between Ceres and Beavers Road and VicRoads Community information sessions on Chandler Highway in Fairfield/Kew. Keep up to date for more upcoming events at yarrabug.org/events 

On this weeks program Chris talks to Tim Goldby about what he's been creating with The Bicycle Channel  and "encouraging cycling with entertainment and education", the character of Murphy Slaw, Australian bicycle infrastructure expert and his perspective on riding in Melbourne. Local news includes Lord Mayor Robert Doyle's kite-flying exercise about banning bicycle riders from particular streets in the CBD and how you can support the Yarra Council proposal to finally link up the Merri Creek shared path, which currents ends at Rushall station in Fitzroy North.

How Should I Give At Merri Creek? by Merri Creek Anglican

On todays program Chris has interviews with George Mihailides, Charlie Farren and locals that Steve recorded at last weeks No Boulie Tacks Protest Ride on Yarra Boulevard,  Adam Bandt speaking at The Fox Hotel to celebrate the demise of the East West Link, plus news of the all new blinky-dink bike glove from The Bicycle Channel and a word from Murphy Slaw on important news about Bicycle Infrastructure - Australian style. I hope to have an in depth interview with Mr Slaw in the next few weeks, and his creator. Local news includes works on the Merri Creek shared path at Northcote, Commuter Cycles Garage Sale, Cycling and Traffic Safety Public Forum organised by Moreland City Council and VicRoads and Cycling and Wrenchworthy Bicycle Shed launch and fundraising tea party.

Merri Creek 1st Anniversary Service - Bishop Philip Huggins by Merri Creek Anglican