August 6, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 6 August
The decision to re-open the Bridge Mall to traffic is to be applauded, but will the $18 million investment help to eradicate the anti-social...
August 6, 2023
What is the Question – August
This month for What Is the Questions, Roland Rocchiccioli talks with Prue Bentley. What is your name? Prudence Bentley (but only my mum calls me that....
July 30, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 30 July
You cannot have it both ways! Had the Victorian Premier gone ahead with the regional Commonwealth Games the ensuing criticism would be equally strident. WHILE...
July 23, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 23 July
Some people are so ridiculous, one has to wonder how they manage to clamber from their beds and stumble through the day without doing...
July 16, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 16 July
Like most, I was perplexed about the forthcoming voice to Parliament referendum until I viewed an enlightening video of explanation from Shelley Reys. BY way...
July 9, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 9 July
There was a time when dog-eared customer service manuals decreed the shopper was right, always - even when they were wrong! Times have changed,...
July 9, 2023
What is the Question – July
FOR July’s What is The Question, former classics teacher-turned apiarist Keith McCallum talks with Roland. What is your name? Keith McCallum. What is your occupation? I garden and...
July 2, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 2 July
Has the time arrived for household wood heaters to be banned? Research shows they are the largest source of air pollution in many Australian...
June 30, 2023
The Sound of Music continues to charm
BALLARAT Lyric Theatre has mounted an inspired production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music to mark the company’s sixtieth anniversary. It’s the same...
June 25, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 25 June
The anguish of losing your money to a scam is beyond compare. The obvious question is: how many times must we be told to...
June 18, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 18 June
The stage musical, The Rocky Horror Show, is a theatrical phenomenon. It has enjoyed the kind of success for which most dramatists would trade...
June 11, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 11 June
No-one should be abused for doing their job. While the temptation to ‘rattle someone’s cage’, or to lob a personal jibe in a blistering...
June 4, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 4 June
You watch; you listen; then shake your head, incredulously, asking of yourself: “Are the lunatics in charge of the asylum, or am I hallucinating?” ALWAYS,...
June 4, 2023
What is the Question – June
For June’s What is the Question award-winning actor Lisa McCune talked with Roland Rocchiccioli. What is your name? Lisa McCune. What is your occupation? Actor. What brought you to...
May 28, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 28 May
Once upon a time, in another life in another land, when the people of Victoria wanted to watch an event of national importance they...
May 21, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 21 May
If he cut a solitary figure at the coronation of his father, King Charles, Harry has no-one to blame but himself, and his wilful...
May 14, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 14 May
My brother was an inveterate shooter. It was how he and his mates filled their time on the weekend. They took the jalopy into...
May 7, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 7 May
I remember the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II - 2 June, 1953, as if it were yesterday. It was broadcast live by the ABC,...
May 7, 2023
What is the Question – May
For May’s What is the Question owner and operator of The Farmgate Shop on the Midland Highway at Elaine Mark Dunne talked with Roland...
April 30, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 30 April
Comparisons are odious, especially between Melbourne and Sydney, which is tantamount to comparing apples and pears; or asking a parent to choose a favourite...
April 30, 2023
Barry Humphries was, indubitably, an international star
PARADOXICALLY, alcoholism proved to be the turning point of his career. In Melbourne, 1970, after a protracted drinking binge, Humphries was found bashed and lying...
April 23, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 23 April
It is said the Etruscans taught the Romans; they taught the French; and the French taught the rest of the world how to cook. MY...
April 16, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 16 April
It is Newton's Third Law of Motion: Action & Reaction: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. IN short: if object A...
April 9, 2023
From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 9 April
Easter is one of the two most important dates in the Christian calendar. It marks the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Nazarene. He...
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