May 3, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 3 May
The plethora of prognostications surrounding coronavirus are unsettling. While we must not bury our collective heads in the sand, or ignore the...
April 25, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 25 April
“If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders’ fields.”
In...
April 19, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 19 April
It is a puzzlement that some people are not staying at home in self-isolation. Indeed, they continue to carry-on as though nothing has changed,...
April 12, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 12 April
The advent of pop music, catering for teenagers listening on their portable, and later transistor, radios, brought a flood of mixed creativity, which horrified...
April 5, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 5 April
For the most part, I live a blissfully solitary life. Like my late mother, Beria, I have a great capacity for my own company...
April 5, 2020
What is the question – April
For April’s What is the Question Roland spoke with anaesthetist Michael Whitehead. What is your name? Michael Whitehead What is your occupation? Anaesthetist at Anaesthetic Group Ballarat...
March 29, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 29 March
Traditionally, in times of a national crisis, there has been three essentials ingredients for the populace. They needed to be fed; to...
March 22, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 22 March
You would be a hard-hearted Hannah not to be moved by some of the recent pictures of dazed animals in distress during...
March 15, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 15 March
In this materialistic world, where success or failure is measured by an accumulation and public display of wealth, it begs the question: ‘What is...
March 8, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 8 March
While there are myriad aspects to our diverse culture, things do not come any more Australian than ‘football, meat pies, kangaroos and...
March 7, 2020
What in the Question – Wen McLachlan
For March’s What is the Question, Roland chats with Wen and Ware owner, Wen McLachlan. What is your name? Wen McLachlan. What is your occupation? Owner of Wen...
March 4, 2020
A stitch so fine captures a moment in time
MEMBERS of the Ballarat Branch of the Embroiderers’ Guild, Victoria, will be hosting an embroidery and quilting exhibition, Needles, Knots and Threads, at St...
March 1, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 1 March
I was born into that generation which believed, unconditionally, when a politician swore to faithfully serve Elizabeth and Her people of The Commonwealth of...
February 23, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 23 February
I was born at 9.05pm on Thursday, 20 February, 1947 in Agnew, Western Australia, a shanty goldmining town which no longer exists....
February 16, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 16 February
A stress-free existence is what we all seek, so why is everyone so surprised that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have taken the...
February 9, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 9 February
I am convinced: there is a PhD in the connection between humans and animals. It is the most mystical of relationships, and...
February 8, 2020
Chicago full of razzle-dazzle
THE musical Chicago is playing at the State Theatre at the Melbourne Arts Centre, and you will never see a better production anywhere in...
February 2, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 2 February
Almost to the day, it is sixty years since I left Gwalia, the shanty, Western Australian goldmining town where I grew-up, and...
January 26, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 26 January
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - the New Musical - playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Exhibition Street, is a sheer joy to...
January 12, 2020
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 12 January
If you bothered to listen, and analyse what people say in everyday parlance, you would realise we say the oddest things − without realising...
December 29, 2019
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 29 December
What my late mother, Beria, didn’t know about chooks, including roosters, and the rearing thereof, you could have written on a pinhead...
December 15, 2019
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 15 December
Do you ever wonder why we have such difficulty finding tradespeople when the hot water system or the washing machine packs-up? The answer is...
December 8, 2019
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 8 December
The latest employment figures are cause for apprehension. They reveal, 726,100 Australians are unemployed. Many are unskilled and may never find a...
December 8, 2019
What is the Question, with Stewart Greedy
For December’s What is the Question, Roland spoke with vet and talented musician, Stewart Greedy. What is your name? Stewart Greedy What is your occupation? Veterinarian What brought you...
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