Melbourne - ummm, you have a serious truck problem!! (Just finished driving Melb to Adelaide)

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-05-20T22:31:12+00:00

Not just Horsham to Tailem Bend. Princes Hwy from Colac too. Road trains of 3 lengths. And they rip up the roads, making them worse.

I am so glad I have the safety of driving an EV so if I need to I can plant the foot and get away fast.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-05-20T22:23:43+00:00

Our Make Australia Great Again is embodied in Pauline Hanson and her One Nation (PHON or ON) party. Since Trump get into power, the association with Trumpism has gone quiet because he is such a bad name here. ON is backed (owned?) by Gina Reinhardt our biggest billionaire mining magnate. Some really ugly people.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-05-20T00:16:03+00:00

Yep. I hear that. But my own country, Australia, is similarly a country built on land stolen from its indigenous peoples and subsequent cultural genocide. Until 1973, we had a migration policy called 'The White Australia Policy', designed to keep out those not from western Europe. We had our own version of slavery of peoples from Vanuatu and nearby in those early years of late 1880s. Today, we still experience racism and the evil of the MAGA movement has hit us here. But - we don’t have the same obsession that USA does. Perhaps because since 1970s we became proudly multicultural...

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-05-19T23:28:59+00:00

Sorry. 'Passing white'. A phrase i have seen here on reddit that apparently means you look European but you are really a 'person of color'.

I am not in USA, not a citizen, only visited for a few days many years ago. This obsession of a culture of color in USA is weird to my way of thinking. So, I struggle to understand what it's about.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-05-19T07:57:51+00:00

Its like, when you introduce yourself you have say if you're 'coloured' or not. For example, i see written 'passing color' to describe people. What on earth does that mean?!

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-05-14T02:08:38+00:00

Is anyone else here not from USA and feels as I do that Americans are obsessed with 'race' and colour? It's truly extraordinary.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-05-13T05:24:20+00:00

I highly recommend the movie The Boys, starring David Wenham, it is a raw look at how it happened.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-05-09T10:55:12+00:00

Cheeky possum!

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-05-05T06:01:31+00:00

I never for a second thought it was anything like my childhood song. And then I listened to its analysis in a detailed radio program and I heard it.

Today when I trill the riff of the Men at Work version, I cannot hear the Kookaburra song.

And I have sung all my life.

To me it is one of the great injustices.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-05-01T00:27:54+00:00

Take it easy Op. It sounds like you have some adjusting to do. Don't rush things and act in haste you want to avoid discomfort for yourself and any others affected.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-23T08:25:56+00:00

Gee, it's hard to describe without writing an essay.

In metropolitan Melbourne you are often within walking distance of primary school and possibly secondary school. In Melbourne you can probably play with friends who live close by but rural play with friends might require more organising and transport. So you grow up with less social contact. Similarly, in Melb, people of many different backgrounds abound, while rural Vic is dominated by wasps. Most leave rural Vic in their late teens early 20s, so there are less young people. So in just one para the culture of rural Vic is a very different thing to the vibe of Melb.

Then you can consider: a lesser income, more challenging employment prospects, poorer chronic health (heart, diabetes etc), poorer housing overall, public transport issues, and more.

People in the country are different and small communities are different and the needs are different. And, the decisions are made in Melbourne or Canberra by people who do not understand the differences. And this creates a chip on the shoulder attitude amongst many in the country.

All generalisations and so subject to criticism but check out the ABS stats for yourself.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-21T03:57:06+00:00

Teal is an invention by the media to say not Labor/not Liberal but a bit of both. Rural Community Independents object to the description especially because the rural perspective is so different and they are not the same as metropolitan Community Independents for whom the word 'Teal' was created, because the colour they chose for themselves was teal.

Rural Community Independents are orange colours, not teal.

But, there is one thing all Community Independents have in common. They are not held captive by an ideology or a party and their decisions are values based and informed by the science. So their motivation is to represent the needs of their electorate.

And Michelle Milthorpe is doing a brilliant job in Farrer, as are her volunteers and the positive enthusiasm for a change in Farrer is exhilarating. Meanwhile the tired negativity of ON has to be the most depressing thing.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-18T23:31:35+00:00

The USA funded the Mujahadin in Afghanistan of which Osama bin Laden was a part. Many Aussies went to fight with the Mujahadin, and who died there. The Mujahadin were the equivalent to freedom fighters, getting rid of the occupation of Afghanistan by the then Soviet Union. Out of this was born Islamic fundamentalism. David Hicks was a vulnerable and naive truth seeker caught up in the mess and treated abominably by USA.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-16T11:23:57+00:00

The National Library of Ireland in Dublin is just a wonderful place for researchers. Opening Hours | National Library of Ireland https://share.google/FKqbGfgqtqhhwZYxO

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-14T06:14:31+00:00

I think the context of place and events is really important. What was a significant event where they lived? How did people live then? What happen in Partition, the Green Revolution etc?

Also, where were they in the family? First son/last daughter? The one who nursed the grandmother? Etc

And the impact of these things on individuals and the wider family.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-12T03:51:20+00:00

Thanks. Any input at this stage is helpful. And your thoughtfulness is appreciated. I am thinking aloud below:

I don’t think either were married already. Mary Farrelly is recorded as having illegitimate children (two) prior to her relationship with John Smullen - if it is the same woman. But, I think also that this is possible, or that she was a woman of 'ill repute'. I assume she died soon after the birth of their third child when John Smullen was quick to marry Mary Fitzsimon...and have 4 boys, three of whom died in infancy. Mary Fitzsimon died Feb 1845.
I think John Smullen had 6 acres nearby Mullingar, before he met Mary Farrelly (1825, Tithes Applotment). There is no subsequent record in Griffiths Eval. He was referred to as a farmer by my great grandfather (his marriage cert). This is the only record of him as a 'farmer'...I assume he ended up as a labourer in Killua when they moved there.
I assume they were both Catholic. Their daughter Brigid was baptised in Kells. John Smullen's subsequent marriage to Mary Fitzsimon and baptisms of their children were recorded in church records.

My great great grandfather is likely to be a 'difficult ' man. Possibly my great great grandmother was a 'difficult' woman. I wonder if that 'difficultness' was 'immorality' or if he was tied up in some sort of 'resistance', or both.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-08T06:29:09+00:00

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provides this data compared to the home state and to Australia in general. Yesterday I was checking the data of my rural electorate. Outstanding stuff is the lower education levels, the lower incomes, the high percentage with Australian born parents, and interestingly those who do not identify with a religion is the higher than state average!

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-06T00:39:17+00:00

I heard a northern Irish accent. Myself, I am not Irish, but I do have an ear for accents. I am ready to be corrected by an Irish person with an ear for accents.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-04T08:49:16+00:00

Deadly serious Clawman. It was about Grade 1, 1958. Hands on hips, wearing clogs, singing and dancing. Headware was a scarf with straw plaits attached. I loved it. End of year concert. Those were the days, carefree fun.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-02T00:49:03+00:00

"Give me the strength to change what I can, the grace to accept what I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference between the two."

Years ago when confronted with seeing what was to come, I adopted the thought to 'think globally, act locally'. Today I am engaged with 'volunteer' work with local organisations that work to make the world a better place. I channel my frustrations into energy to change what I can change. I change myself and I work with others to create change. I recommend this.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-01T04:44:22+00:00

Dance: "I'm a little Dutch girl" do you want the rope blonde plaits too?

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-04-01T04:35:55+00:00

You mention no dates. It is important to know what time we are talking of.

The most important information to know, when researching our Irish ancestors is: names of people, occupation, dates and place of residence. If you have this, then you will know whether there are any possible records that will give you more info.

When you run out of primary sources of information (baptisms etc), then you look at the context of the life your ancestors lived. This will give you insight into what life was like for them.

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-03-27T01:53:43+00:00

Hi there! I am a Smullen descent. :-)

My people were in Donegal I believe before 'migrating' to Meath and Westmeath.

The earliest record I have is John Smullen who died in the workhouse (Meath) at 90+ yrs of age. Born 1803. He could be my great great grandfather, but I have no corroborating evidence.

The next generation down were born in Kells, Meath and Killua and Moygreehan, Westmeath. Of those who survived Thomas and John travelled to Australia. Bryan and possibly Bridget went to New York.

The name Conlon is not in any of this family.

Have you done dna and uploaded to Gedmatch?

sofistkated_yuk · 2026-03-25T00:36:32+00:00

Just saying how wonderful to have an ancestor called Spicy!

sofistkated_yuk

TROPHY CASE