Holden and Ford are two Australian car manufacturers. To the untrained eye, they appear to be the same but make no mistake, they are very, very different.

When you arrive in Australia it is almost mandatory you chose between Holden or Ford, someone at the airport will ask you and you must answer, even if you don’t know what they’re talking about. If you aim to become a top aussie bloke you will need to choose one or the other, you will need to swear by your choice and you will have to prepare yourself for many arguments and even fight to the death. Yep, Holden and Ford have an intense rivalry in Australia, probably the most intense rivalry this country has ever known, there’s even an n race called Bathurst that celebrates this rivalry

In the case of chosing between Holden and Ford, it’s more about being less dislikable than more likeable and because this is the case you should always choose Holden, they seem to be more popular through sheer weight of numbers or maybe just because Holden fans usually have more teeth.

Either way its an important choice that you will need to make if you are to move forward in your quest of becoming a top aussie bloke.

fruity, originally uploaded by sizzled.

i swear this fence reminds me of painted novelty easter decorations like a house made of popsicle sticks or something.

I have no reason to have a great love for Tony Cochrane, the head honcho of V8 Supercars Australia. In my mind, he and his organisation have done a major disservice in the bigger picture of motorsport in Australia. Instead of the mixture of makes, models and years we used to have in the Australian Touring Car Series (ATCC), we have a bunch of purpose built beasts that have as much in common with their namesakes as Honda Formula 1 cars last year had to an Accord, a Mercedes McLaren with an “S” class or a Toyota F1 with a Corolla Seca. (I accept this is MY opinion and not necessarily that of anyone else. I appreciate tens of thousands love the V8s and think F1 is as boring as continental drift and that’s all that matters in real terms).

In case you didn’t know,  a V8 Supercar is a custom built hybrid American NASCAR – no more and no less. The only part that is from either marque is the engine and the shape of the lightweight body panels. As Dick Johnson once remarked earlier this year, “to make it a Holden we change the motor and the panels”. And even that is debatable in comparison as to what the public can buy.

Compare this to the UK and European Touring Car series where any driver can win on any given day, and the entrants are an assortment of everyday cars suitably homologated from a whole bunch of manufacturers – Vauxhall (Holden), Ford, Honda, Peugeot, Seat, Renault, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes, Toyota, Nissan and more. Rivalry is just as intense between fans and the racing much, much closer, and to me, more exciting. I could BUY one of these cars, but not a V8 Supercar sadly.

I also don’t agree with Cochrane’s almost blackmail approach to the fans and Government in Western Australia by demanding the Barbagallo circuit (nee Wanneroo Park) be upgraded by figures approaching $27 million dollars. This is the man who personally makes millions out of V8 Supercars as a business. Nice if you can get it; everyone pays to be a part of his circus – fans, teams, drivers, sponsors and promoters. It’s no secret Cochrane models himself on F1 supremo Bernie Eccleston. Apparently he even owns the TV rights and has on-sold those to Channel 7. As I say, nice if you can get it. Technically, if I as a journalist go to a V8 meeting, I cannot shoot video and use it.

But this piece is not intended as a hate case against Cochrane or V8 Supercars in general. Please read on.

I have been to most of the circuits in Australia many, many times. I have represented my own magazine Australasian Camcorder, as well as other publications including The Australian, The West Australian, The Sunday Times, IBM magazine, the Gold Coast Bulletin, VideoCamera magazine, PixelMag, WISH and many others at Eastern Creek, Oran Park, Sandown Park, Lakeside, Bathurst, the Gold Coast, Winton, Symmonds Plains and of course Barbagallo. In fact I was the WA correspondent for the publications Motoring Reporter and Auto Action for over 8 years in the 70s and 80s. In short, I am an “old timer” of the motor support photo/journalistic world and been freelance ever since.

Back then, I had a season media pass and could go anywhere on the circuit I wanted. I had signed a disclaimer saying I accepted that motor sport was dangerous, and if I got hurt, or there was damage to my equipment, that was my problem. These conditions were cheerfully accepted as this was a part of the job. It was exciting.  There were risks that got the adrenaline running and you worked hard to get the ‘money’ shot that could pay handsomely. And give major kudos and credibility. I got my fair share, and it was a fun living. In WA, after the meeting on a Sunday, you’d have a few drinks with the drivers at the Espana Tavern down the road from the circuit (now THERE were some stories that will never be told), get some quotes from them and team management, head home, bang out the story on a Remington typewriter, and get to the airport by midnight to get the story (on paper in duplicate) and photo negatives in an airbag to Sydney on the red-eye midnight flight.

I have also been involved over the years in the production of many events in my capacity as the PR Manager of CBS Records (now Sony Music), a director of an import company with product launches as part of its day-to-day running and even motor sport events on a National scale. One of my (to me) major events was actually a motor sport event at Barbagallo in the early 80s which as I understand it, has still the largest spectator crowd achieved for a local event involving no Eastern State or International drivers.

Because of this, I believe I can look at the Barbagallo situation with its potential loss of the V8s reasonably impartially as a spectator, but also critically as a journalist and someone with experience over 30 years in these matters.

Two years in a row, I have walked out of the V8s at Barbagallo in disgust. Not at the V8 Supercar’s organisation handling of the event, but the local handling. Last year (2008) it was agreed that I would pick up my accreditation pass at the circuit. To those not aware, media personnel need a special pass allowing them to have privileged access to areas of the circuit for interview and photographic rights. This also involves wearing a special vest so that you are immediately identifiable by the marshals (who are volunteers) and security personnel (privately contracted for money). Sadly and somewhat amazingly, in 2008, no-one at the circuit knew where I had to go, talk to or where to park to obtain these items so after two hours of wandering from official to official, I gave up and went home. Without this specialised access, you simply cannot do your job as a journo.

This year was a bit different. V8 Supercars kindly sent me a season pass (to circumvent the above situation) so problem solved in that area as I didn’t have to pick anything up. Except at Wanneroo today. Oh it was no problem getting into the circuit and parking. Even access to such places as the grid before the start was not an issue. Once the race had started however, every 10 metres or so, some security grunt or another (who oddly all look alike – you know, big, brawny, bald, wrap around black sunglasses and beard/moustache combo) would demand to see the plainly obvious pass around my neck, and of course I was wearing the highly identifiable special media vest/bib. This can be seen at 100 paces. So effectively, it was a case of give someone a uniform and they have to prove they have earned it.

But wait. To park my car, I had to go through three checkpoints showing my media pass. And then be directed by another person as to where to park. Imagine my surprise then when over the circuit –wide PA system, my registration number is called out saying the “black Monaro rego number such-and-such is illegally parked and unless moved immediately, will be towed away”.

With a recently purchased hotdog in hand, I raced back to the car, explained to the security person I had been told to park there, and then waited for a higher up security person to come and say I still needed a special windscreen sticker. Remember I had passed three check points to get to this point.

This higher up security person directed me back to the main office to get this pass. No. They don’t do this, and don’t know who does. They directed me to an accreditation office. This was closed. I checked three more officials and they all shrugged. Parking elsewhere was full apparently.

As an aside, let me tell you about the hotdog. It was so bad as to be inedible. Seriously, I swear it was left over from last year.  Or possibly the year before. And at $4.50 not exactly a bargain. And cold.

It was all too hard; after a wait in a queue of about 20 other blokes to go to the toilet, I went home. 140km away.

Let me give a comparison. At the first ever A1GP race in Australia at Eastern Creek, the media, who after all are the people who actually promote these types of meetings, write about them, praise them, supply images, TV shows, magazines and generally give the public who can’t get there all the information they are hungry for, were treated like kings and queens. We weren’t a bother, we were an asset and to be looked after acordingly. Security gorillas weren’t a hassle; they were there to help in fact and drive us around in golf carts to get the best shots, bring us drinks, umbrellas if it rained, open doors when we were weighed down by heavy equipment and more. All done cheerfully and with a smile. The PR Company in charge were UK based. All the staff was from the UK. I wonder if that was the difference.

Marshalls were also looked after. After all, without these tireless volunteers, race meetings cannot function; these guys and girls wave flags, drive rescue trucks, provide medical aid, supervise traffic and much, much more. They were fed and watered, special shelters were designed and built by the promoters to keep them out of the direct sun and rain, and rosters made up to give them breaks.

This was, out of hundreds of motor sport meetings of all classes I have been to, the very best. And the way it should be.

I have also had excellent experiences at Oran Park (now no longer on the V8 Supercar calendar sadly), Eastern Creek, Sandown, Symmons Plains and of course Bathurst. Not to the level of that A1GP, but at least, making life reasonably comfortable. But Barbagallo seems, for some reason, to be different.

The left hand doesn’t seem to know what the right hand is doing. One person says “park there” and the next says “you can’t park there”. You can’t access the inside of the circuit without a marshal’s say so – and only at two points and when there is no racing on. Even when you can, access points are extremely limited, so it is almost impossible to get any unique shot. And the latest innovation – accepted it is series wide and not just Barbagallo – you cannot go into the pits without wearing a full blast driver’s suit for fire protection. That’s worth $1800+ and of course, must be purchased from V8 Supercars.

The catering is horrible, circuit access is dismal, circuit viewing point navigation difficult and a whole bunch of people wearing hi-viz jackets say continually, “you can’t do that/you can’t go there/where is your pass”.

So in the context of one Mr Cochrane wanting extra facilities to bring his – admittedly popular – V8 circus back to Barbagallo, I feel it goes a damn sight deeper than simply upgrading the pit facilities. Yes Barbagallo has done an amazing job since the halcyon days of the late 70s and early 80s. Old timers will remember the Marlboro Holden Dealer Team of Brock, Harvey and Negus getting a 1-2-3, Jim Richards breaking the lap record in the rain in the Big M Falcon, Peter Williamson locking his keys in the Toyota Celica and just making the start, Alfie Constanza and Johnnie Walker in the F5000 race, locals Dick Ward in his amazing Fiat Abarth, Graeme Hooley and Tim Slako in Torana A9Xs taking it up to the factory teams and the staggering Lotus Elan of Trevor Hines walloping Toranas and Falcon Phase IIIs under braking into the last corner before pit straight (we were allowed to stand there then to take photos – and that was the very best spot on the circuit and no-one was EVER hurt). And I still somewhere have a shot of someone rowing a boat down the pits after a spectacularly heavy downpour!

But the mind set of the management/committee/promotions people seems to be on the wrong track. Pardon the pun. I do remember – and here’s a scoop – a company I worked for in the late 70s seriously, SERIOUSLY thinking of putting a major long distance race on at Wanneroo Park, as it was then, with over a million dollars prize money. I was sent to Bathurst to see how that was done, as it was the pinnacle in Australia of motor sport. Drivers were interviewed (and they loved the idea and the circuit), sponsors were attracted, but in the end, it died.

Why?

Because my bosses decided that the circuit management couldn’t handle it. They were amateurs in a big boy’s world. I have to say, 30 years later, despite all the best intentions, it still seems the same. I don’t blame them. This is BIG business. And being so close to Asia it could be HUGE business – bigger than any Eastern States circuit could even dream of, but they simply don’t seem to have the acumen, the will or the nous to pull it off.

Any influx of Government funds as suggested will not help in the long term. With correct thinking, Barbagallo has the opportunity to be a major player in world wide motor sport if it is done right, but it has to be looked at as an overall picture with a five year and ten year plan + and not as a bandaid package just to make sure the V8s come back each year.

Are we too far from the mainstream? Is Bahrain? Abu Dhabi? Shanghai? Singapore? Even Adelaide or Darwin? Of course not.

We need to start from scratch with the original circuit as a template and build from there. State of the art access, parking, accommodation, camping, driver training facilities even an entertainment precinct should all be considered. Why not include a velodrome, rallycross circuit, BMX track, motocross, drag strip and so on. There is enough land.

So in principle I agree with v8 Supercars and Tony Cochrane. Barbagallo is a fabulous layout, but is let down by an infrastructure that is old and tired. I suspect a smidgeon of the old West Australian “we know what we are doing and the East should keep out of our business” attitude, but the same problems and the same questions and lack of answers were being asked 25 years ago!

Is anyone prepared to accept the vision of the possibilities and get it fixed once and for all? Or will this go the way of the World Rally Championship and countless other events?

Well, as I haven’t done too much for the blog since I joined in a couple of weeks ago I tough I might be able to pull something off by stitching together some slow-mo videos of various motorsports. After 2 weeks and big technical difficulties, it’s ready. All of it is motorsports except for the Top Gear shots with the Exige, Mustang, Aston & Ferrari. I was inspired by another bloke called Mattzel who some of you might know, has his video featured on TG’s website.

Please note there may be some problems at first due to the fact that the video is still new and click that HQ button!

The Sunday after my embarrassing encounter, I’m sitting in church and trying desperately not to yawn through the sermon. Then I catch sight of something that fixes the yawns right up. Over the other side of the church, in the very front pew, is Mark. Mr Let-Me-Pretend-I’m-Manly. Paying attention, and NOT yawning. My stranger with a sense of humour is stalking me?

After church, Mrs Catrick pulls him straight over to me and starts to introduce us.

“Don’t worry, Auntie, we’ve already met.” he says, and holds out a hand. I take it uncertainly and shake.

“Oh, lovely!” she says, smiling – not picking up a hint of awkwardness, “at school, dears?”

“No, on the street!” Mark says, grinning at me, “a man tried to steal her bag and she -”

I cough and raise my eyebrows, hoping to God he’ll take a hint.

“ – asked him so nicely to leave her alone that he ran away!” he finishes, smirking at me.

I can’t help it. I laugh, and Mrs Catrick looks bemused but happy to see us getting along.

I grab us a few bikkies and slices from the morning tea spread, and we sit down on the steps of the church, a bit away from the adults.

“So…” I ask, trying to make sense of him turning up here and now, “Mrs Catrick’s your aunt?”

He nods.

“And you’re living with her because…?”

“My mum and dad are divorcing, and ducking flying crockery made studying hard.”

I sober. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be – they’re both arseholes. I’m happy to get out of there.”

I put a hand on his arm.

“So – Mrs Catrick thrown anything yet?”

He snorts.

“Give her time – I’m still on good behaviour, remember?”

“Wow – when do we see the real Mark?”

He shrugs.

“So,” I ask, “why didn’t you out me to Mrs Catrick? Burst of altruism?”

“Pure self-interest,” he says, “Aunt Rosie would never let me associate with such an unfeminine girlie if she knew!”

I sigh.

“I am a bad influence,” I say seriously, “I’m not sure I’m such a good person for you to be hanging with, you know.”

He laughs.

“Girl,” he says, “at my last church, I found out that half of my goody-goody mates were really on speed and pot and other stuff… all behind their parents’ backs. And most of them were having sex with boyfriends and girlfriends their parents didn’t even know about. So come on, tell me all the horrible things you’re into!”

I goggle at him.

“Drugs? Fuck! I mean – oh crap, see what I mean?”

We look at each other and laugh wryly.

“So,” he asks, raising an eyebrow, “where’s the happening joint?”

“What, for drugs and sex, or just hanging out?”

“Wow, you are a forward young lady! Aunt Rose’d have a coronary!”

I smirk.

“Well, there’s the beach…” I say, grinning slyly at him.

He frowns.

“I’m 400 k inland, and there’s a beach? Geez, and I thought the drug scene was intense in Sydney!”

“Come on, city boy.”

I take him down to the river beach. It’s autumn now, so the only people there have fishing rods and focus.

“I know it’s lame,” I say, “But… it’s my favourite spot. I come down here and watch the birds, and… chill, you know?”

“I like it!” he says, and lies down on the grass. “I need a straw hat, and I’ll feel just like Huckleberry Finn!”

God help us. Huck Finn?

The theme for this issue of I Smile For The Camera (hosted by Shades of the Departed) is Travel so I’ve decided to share this image of my mother and one of my uncles in the late 1940s near West Bathurst, New Brunswick. At that time bicycles were an important form of transport for families in many rural communities – especially large families like that of my grandparents Adelard Lagace and Eveline Luce who had 14 children in all!

Golda Lagace & Clifford Dick Lagace in 1948

Related Posts:

In Living Memory: The Twentieth Century

• Home Sweet Home:The Lagace Homestead in 1950s Bathurst
• Wedding Belles, Edouard Theriault & Golda Lagace
• All Creatures Great And Small, Marie Eveline Luce

Vintage Postcards of New Brunswick

• Vintage Postcard: Bathurst and the Twist!
• Vintage Postcard: Bathurst Pulp & Paper Mill – New Brunswick, Canada

In my first two posts I described some of the steps I had followed in trying to determine who my great-grandmother Elizabeth Doucet’s parents were. After comparing data on all the “Elisabeths” that she could be, I’d arrived at the conclusion that she was probably the daughter of a certain Alexander Doucet of Robertsville and that was as far as I could get.

I also left a note asking anyone who knew more about these Doucets of the Bathurst, New Brunswick area to contact me. Well – as so often happens when we share our family research online – I got lucky and was contacted by someone researching the same lineage – Janice Cushman. Janice is building her son’s line and he descends from Elizabeth Doucet through her son Arthur Legacy, one of my grandfather Adelard Lagace’s brothers. Janice told me that Arthur Lagace immigrated to western Canada – something which was a complete surprise to the hundreds of Lagaces living here in Montreal and back in New Brunswick!

Coming back to Elizabeth – while researching this line  independently, Janice had also arrived at the conclusion that Elizabeth was the daughter of Alexander Doucet of Robertville, but she had one more piece of the puzzle – a copy of Elizabeth Doucet’s death certificate which  proved that Elizabeth’s parents  were Alexandre Doucet and Marie Roy. She’s given me permission to share it with you, so here is an extract with the crucial detail:

As Janice commented in one of her emails “this is still a work in progress“. I agree.  As we try to reconstruct Elizabeth’s life, we have family lore, documentation, tombstone photos, census data etc. from various sources that all seems to fit together – and in fact we have a tentative line all the way back to Sieur Germain de la Verdure.

On the other hand, there are many discrepancies and in particular, I have not untangled what seem to be two Alexander Doucets – one married to a Marie Roy and the other to a Marie Doucet.  From personal experience I know that this is the moment to stop, take a step back and re-evaluate all the data that I’ve collected. This is a major research project and I’m afraid it’ll have to wait till next summer.

Attention:

If you have information on any 19th century Alexander Doucets of the Bathurst area, please contact me!

Related Posts:

Desperately Seeking Elizabeth(1)

Desperately Seeking Elizabeth(2)

A Canadian Family Headstone: Alexandre Doucet (1931) Marie Doucet (1920)

What I learned, saw, heard about the city in the last 24 hours
By Kris Scheuer

Missionaries, zombies and mentally ill
Toronto is a diverse and quirky city. Want proof?
In the course of 15 minutes last night around 8:15 pm I met and saw the following people:
While waiting for the Bathurst 511 streetcar, I was approached by two missionaries one visiting from Vancouver and another originally from Utah. They were nice enough lads and we spoke about Toronto and other cities on the ride up towards Bloor.
At Yonge and Bloor I saw a group of teens standing on the northwest corner dressed as zombies for the seventh annual Toronto Zombie Walk.
As I walked  towards Bathurst subway I saw a man standing in a boxer’s pose with his arms bent and fists by his face taking punches at a mailbox. I wanted to approach the man, who must have been in distress as he repeatedly punched the red Canada Post mailbox with his bare hands, but I have to assume he was mentally ill. And thus perhaps picturing an imaginary enemy that he was doing battle with.

Hi all I’m back I took my good buddy Daniel Capobianco for his first Bathurst 1000 experience last week end.  Did I mention that motor sport was my other passion??  I think Daniels words at the end of the day were “I’m addicted”.  Not the result the ford fans were looking for but there is always next year for the Lowndes & Whincup Fans!!

The Board of V8 Supercars Australia is set to decide whether drivers should remain in their respective cars for the 2010 enduros.

It will Even up the playing field for teams without two gun drivers and also raise the stakes of accomplished V8 Supercar steerers lacking a full-time gig.

Such a move would be detrimental to teams like of the Toll Holden Racing Team, which won last weekend’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with their stars Garth Tander and Will Davison paired together.

Those in favour of the concept also believe that it would give more cars the opportunity of winning Bathurst.

Tony Cochrane, V8SA Executive Chairman, confirmed the Board would discuss the item at a meeting, which is scheduled over two days next week.

“Personally I favour it but I don’t know what the Board’s feeling is yet,” he said.

“(And) I truly have not seen the feedback yet from the teams.

“That is on the agenda for the October 21st board meeting.

“It’s a two-day board meeting because it’s also our budget board meeting on the Wednesday/Thursday before the Gold Coast event.”

Warren Luff and Jonathon Webb drove for Jim Beam Racing in the enduros, experiencing a disappointing Bathurst, but they surprised many with a top six finish at the L&H 500 at Phillip Island.

Luff said he would rather an endurance drive with a strong team than a full-time drive with a weaker one, which is sure to be music to the ears of the leading teams if the proposed rule change goes ahead.

“I’ve found a really good home here; even though it’s only an enduro drive I’m sure there’s plenty of other guys that would love to have this drive,” he said.

“Who knows what the future holds, but it’s good to have a competitive car and be with a competitive team.

“There’s definitely a core group of us that are probably the better of the enduro drivers and given the right opportunity I’m sure we could all hold our heads high if given a full-time drive again.

“But it’s getting a drive, and getting a drive with a good team, that enables you to show what you can really do and that’s probably been the big thing for me this year with these guys and their new cars and stuff; I’ve been able to show that I’ve got some good speed.”

David Besnard and Greg Ritter proved their mettle at Bathurst paired in the second Garry Rogers Motorsport Commodore.

On a similar strategy to Sprint Gas Racing’s Greg Murphy and Mark Skaife, the part-timers would have been in contention for a podium – if not the win – but an ill-timed safety car stopped them in their tracks and they had to settle for a top 10 finish.

Besnard was far from surprised that he and Ritter did well at both of this year’s enduros.

“It’s definitely harder when you’re not in it all the time but I think if you ask any decent race car driver they’ll be confident in their ability and that’s why we do it.

“I get asked the same question every year especially at Bathurst. I’ve been on the podium twice and each time people say ‘oh are you amazed to have the pace to be on the podium?’ and you’re like ‘no, I’m not’,” he laughed.

“I’ve had good cars the last couple of years and I have been able to show what I can do.”

We’re not quite dead, just really concentrating on finishing off our respective studies. With only 2 weeks left before I have my study week for final exams I’m sure the blog post rate will increase with a more sedimentary lifestyle. Meanwhile know that we’re trying to get our creative juices flowing to try and knock out something tangible for the 3 people that actually read the blog.

On a follow up note, the Bathurst 1000 was once again a fantastic race. Congratulations to Garth Tander and Will Davison. Although I’m not a particular fan of G.T. it’s nice to see Davison get a win at The Mountain, I’m sure he has big things ahead of him. I was cheering for Jason Richards and (one of my favourite drivers) Cameron McConville who made a real charge for the lead HRT car after being released from behind the Kelly Racing Jack Daniel’s Commodore. Commiserations to Triple 8’s Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, they looked set to take a record 4th win straight for a while but clutch problems really put a stop to that run. Roll on next round at the Gold Coast! (A field trip may be in order)

In the mean time you can waste countless hours by reading Eye On Springfield.

- t

How is this for Australiana. At an event where lots of blokes turn up, pitch tents in the dirt and watch cars go around really, really fast in circles, police are planning on keeping fans on the ‘straight and narrow’ with a strict alcohol limit of 4 litres of wine, or 24 cans of beer per person, per day.

This is quite possibly the loosest definition of ‘limit’ that has ever been employed by a nation’s law enforcement department. In keeping with Australia’s strict moral code – drink till you drop or die trying – the police are doing a proud job of upholding great Aussie traditions.

I thought I had heard wrong on last night’s ABC news report, until they cut to a tubby bloke in a black beanie saying, “if you’re gonna drink more than 24 cans of beer a day you’ve got a problem, eh”. Um…Do ya think?

The police have made very clear of their commitment to maintaining peace and order, with Assistant Commissioner Alan Clarke saying police will not tolerate alcohol-fuelled violence. In attempt to magically remove alcohol from this equation (rather than the conventional tactic of imposing a sensible limit) the police have gone experimental, investing in bush-mechanic-like training that can extract copious amounts of alcohol from possible offender’s bloodstream, using just a pair of scissors, a piece of garden hose and the officer’s mouth, should the threat of violence occur post 42^nd beer on the 48^th hour. Tax payer money well spent.

And leaving no stone unturned in this quest for alcoholic peace and quiet, police checkpoints will be set up to confiscate any “excess alcohol” (once again using the term in the loosest possible sense, I mean, we’re an easy going country that just likes to paint our faces black with shoe polish and ‘have a laugh’) before it will be stored away in a safe place and made available for collection the following day.

For next years event police are looking into the possibility of doubling up as bartenders, putting to use a still in the pipelines invention that can funnel alcohol directly from a tube in a keg straight down a punters throat.

In 2003 Greg Murphy annihilated the lap record around Bathurst in the Top 10 Shootout. With the cars hitting the track for first practice today I though I would share this brilliant video with you before the competition heats up. Tomorrow Channel 7 will televise qualifying, whilst Saturday is the Top 10 ahead of Sunday’s race.

- t

Thirty-three years after it won the Bathurst endurance event outright, a new Mini Cooper has returned to victory lane at Mt Panorama.

Not since 1966 when the Morris Cooper S of Finn Rauno Aaltonen and Aussie Bob Holden won the Gallagher 500 mile event has a Mini won an event at the famed home of Australian motorsport, but last week, a special Mini conquered its own lofty goal.

A showroom standard Mini Cooper D completed the race distance of 1000km ? 161 laps of the 6.2km circuit – on a single 40-litre tank; a remarkable achievement given the circumstances and parameters of the challenge.

The target was to achieve 1000km around the Mt Panorama circuit during a normal public day, negotiating the typical rigours of the public day, such as residential and tourist traffic, wildlife and, significantly, the 60km/h maximum speed limit.

Devised by Tarmac magazine, the test involved driving the Mini Cooper D around Bathurst?s hills and dips on a single tank. With a combined city/freeway fuel consumption figure of 3.9L/100km, the theoretical range of 1025km meant the biggest question hung over whether the 174m vertical climb each lap would greatly affect the consumption.

Starting at 7am and finishing almost 17 hours later, the Mini Cooper D remained below 2500rpm the entire day, and used its gearshift-suggester and instantaneous fuel use gauge to good effect, helping to refine driving styles throughout the test and stretching the single tank to the absolute limit.

Two drivers rotated through the pilot seat three times during the endurance test, limited by their bodies fuel systems rather than the car?s. And during every stop, the Mini?s stop-start technology ensured there was no wasted fuel.

National manager for Mini, Justin Hocevar praised the efforts of the Mini Cooper D, and the feat, saying:

“Bathurst holds a significant place in MINI history and this recent achievement is yet another victory for Mini. Whilst the Mini Cooper D is all about maximising efficiency this does not come at the expense of performance, which is very unique in the small car arena.”

Tarmac magazine editor Dean Evans was also enthused about the project:

“Though Tarmac is a performance magazine, we wanted to prove you can still have fun with eco cars. The Mini Cooper D combines the two ideally. Its history at the track was simply a bonus.

“We also knew the Cooper?s handling would help a lot and though 60km/h was our maximum legal speed, we held 60 through even the tightest corners of Mt Panorama, maintaining corner speed and minimise throttle input. Many people thought we were crazy, but we just like to do things a little differently ? a bit like Mini itself.”

The Mini Cooper D achieved a remarkable 161 laps of Mt Panorama at a distance of 1001.7km on the single 40-litre tank.

For a full review click Mini Cooper D review.

With Tarmac Magazine and BMW Australia.

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MINI Coupe Concept at Frankfurt Motor ShowBart Gordon tort reform amendment gets a closer look

With the V8 Supercars resembling their road-going counterparts in silhouette alone – although even that is arguable – the Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro is quickly earning a reputation as one of the highlights of the Australian motorsport calendar.

Now organisers have tweaked the rules in order to increase the range of eligible vehicles which will compete in the 50 strong grid at Mt Panorama over the weekend of February 12 ? 14.

These new supplementary regulations have already been provided to all potential competitors with a number of new cars already under construction.

?There are no major changes to the overall philosophy of the Race. The class structure has been tweaked to reflect that of the Australian Production Car Championship with some additional models eligible for the Race. An Invitational Class has also been added for vehicles that do not strictly meet Group 3E Production Car Regulations however are within the broad philosophy of the Event. They will add some flavour to the Event without making any of the existing front running cars uncompetitive.?

Among the list of new eligible cars are the 2010 SS Camaro, Ford Mustang GT, Audi S4, S5, Lexus IS-F and the Nissan 370Z.

?Both the Camaro and Mustang are now sold new under licence in Australia, and can be road registered with full new car warranty. When you consider much of the design work of the new Camaro was actually done by Holden, it?s a perfect fit to take up the challenge to the race winning BMW 335i and Mitsubishi Evos.?

With last year’s competition largely dominated by a fleet of Mitsubishi Evolution X’s, these new entries are sure to upset the balance and create an even more exciting racing experience.

Holden and Ford fans are still catered for with the newly released HSV E2 GTS likely to be a popular entry thanks to its significantly larger brake upgrade, ready to compete alongside the FG series from FPV.

Nine classes will make up the field with the outright honours expected to be fought out between the BMW 335 and 135, Mitsubishi?s evergreen Evolution, the Nissan 370Z, Subaru WRX STI, Ford, Holden and now the new Camaro.

Organisers are also hoping to turn the event into a much more family-oriented affair by offering all school students, primary and secondary, free entry.

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gymnasts is doing group routine

antibes rhythmic gymnastics

antibes rhythmic gymnastics toronto

toronto antibes rhythmic gymnastics

That was really hot day in Toronto and all GTA, September 5, 2009

we have been invited to participate in the “Barbie and The Three Musketeers”

DVD pre-launch in Casa Loma. Our gymnasts were peforming with ribbon,

rope, hoop and ball routines for kids and adults auditorium inside the

beautiful Casa Loma hall. At the very end of the show Barbie herself

took a picture with us)))

There was so exciting!

Musketeers` fencing

A Saskatchewan-based mining company has signed a letter of intent with Toyota to explore an area near Bathurst, N.B., for elements used in hybrid vehicles.

‘What we’ve seen so far from the surface sampling we’ve done is quite promising, which is why we are involved there and it’s certainly one of the reasons why Toyota liked the project.’? Gary Billingsly, Great Western Minerals Group

Saskatchewan’s Great Western Minerals Group is exploring the Benjamin River area for deposits of rare earth elements, which the company hopes can meet the growing demand for the minerals as more companies are producing hybrid cars.

“The heavy rare earth, which this Benjamin River project is enriched in, are very important for the permanent magnets that are used in the electric motors that go into hybrids,” said Gary Billingsley, the executive chairman of Great Western Minerals Group.

He said the elements are now produced mainly in China but there are concerns the country could block exports of them in the future. That fear has companies, such as Toyota, seeking secure supplies elsewhere.

Great Western Minerals is one of the groups Toyota could partner with to secure these elements in the future for their products.

Billingsley said his company is still in the early exploration phase but the initial signs have been encouraging.

“What we’ve seen so far from the surface sampling we’ve done is quite promising, which is why we are involved there and it’s certainly one of the reasons why Toyota liked the project,” he said.

Even if that sampling project is successful, an actual mining operation would still be several years away.

Geologists aware of elements for decades

Geologists have known about occurrences of rare earth elements near Bathurst for decades.

But there wasn’t much interest in drilling for them until now, according to Jim Walker, a geologist with the Department of Natural Resources.

“People only get excited about it when the value goes up to make it worth mining,” Walker said.

“We’ve known about this occurrence for a long time, but it’s only with the advent of battery-driven cars, where they need these super-efficient batteries to make it worth their while.”

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What: B-Boy Battle Featuring: DJ’s, MC’s, Live Percussion & Street Art over 2 Days.

Music: Soul & Funk Breaks, Disco, Hip Hop

Date/ Venue: Day 1- Friday 18th September (21 May St St Peters) 4:30pm – Late

Day 2- Saturday 19th September (Street University: Cnr Speed St & Newbridge Rd Liverpool) 3PM – Late,

DJ’s : Sageone, Mathamatics, Matt Fernandez,Dizcipl

Judges/MC: MENNO(DEF DOGZ/HUSTLE KIDZ/MZK), KID DAVID(BREAK DISCIPLES/RENEGADES) Hosted By MC TRIXX from BOTY

Tickets: $20-25 @

Links/Info: Facebook Event

Email: soulofsydney@gmail.com & bboy_rusha@hotmail.com

Also previewing  of ‘Seven Shadows 5′ & “Turn It Loose”

‘Shadow Wars 5′ B-boy Battle

Day 1: Pre Party @ ‘Candle Factory’ at 21 May Street in St Peters (Fri 18th September,5pm – Late.

Cost is $20,

Most importantly it will be the prelims for the last 2 spots for the ‘ShadowWars’ one on one battles….there will be ciphers all night and an alcohol tab so peeps can get pissed for free!

Day 2(The Main Day) @ ‘Street University’  CNR Speed ST & Newbridge Rd (Saturday the 19th of September) 3pm -Late,

It will be full crew battles and one on ones & Judged by MENNO(DEF DOGZ/HUSTLE KIDZ/MZK) and KID DAVID (BREAK DISCIPLES/RENEGADES)

MC Host: MC TRIXX

Also:  live Graffiti Art,

Price: $20-25for

E-mail: bboy_rusha@hotmail.com

CREWS

1. JUSE CREW ROCKERS (SYDNEY)

2. CUBAN LINX (NZ/AUS)

3. ZOUROC/FRESH FOOLS (PERTH/ADELAIDE)

4. REAL ART WORK (INTL)

5. FEEL SOUL GOOD CREW (TASMANIA)

6. BURN TROOPS (MELBOURNE)

7. SKB (SYDNEY)

8. ZEALOUS (SYDNEY)

9. KO CREW (MELBOURNE)

10. CRAZY IMMIGRANTS (QLD)

11. INSTANT RAWKUS (NSW)

12. HFZ (SYDNEY)

13. 143 LIVERPOOL STREET FAMILIA (SYDNEY)

14. NOMADS (MELBOURNE)

15. FIST OF THE NORTH STAR (MELBOURNE)

16. FLOOR PIRATES (CANBERRA)

1 ON 1 TOP 14!

Edit (ZouRoc)

Lowe (SKB)

Watto (BATHURST CITY BREAKERS)

Julez (FLOOR PIRATES)

Falkon (KO/JUSE)

Knoxy (ROBOTEK/MOBB)

Gaetano (QLD)

Fongo (SKILL@WILL)

Natty (ZOU ROCK)

Badger (NOK/FF)

Wildroc (STYLENATORS)

Yeahummin (SKILL@Will)

Brian Joseph Spillane

Le prove contro gli ex sacerdoti accusati di aggressioni a sfondo sessuale avrebbero «dipinto un quadro di pedofilia violenta».

A sostenerlo è il procuratore Beth Walker, durante l’udienza tenutasi lo scorso 2 Settembre nella quale uno degli imputati, l’ex sacerdote Brian Joseph Spillane, veniva citato per altri 29 capi di imputazione relativi all’abuso sessuale di 11 ragazzi di sesso maschile e femminile.

Il caso è scoppiato un anno fa, con l’arresto di quattro uomini, tra cui Spillane, dopo la denuncia di 13 ex studenti del St Stanislaus e uno dell’All Saints.

L’ex sacerdote è ora accusato con un totale di 146 capi d’imputazione per indecenza e abuso sessuale su 27 vittime, tre delle quali erano ragazze. Inoltre, molti testimoni hanno accusato Spillane di averli molestati nel confessionale della Parrocchia di St Anthony.

Anche un ex-insegnante del “college degli orrori” si è fatto avanti, come testimone chiave per i presunti abusi sessuali subiti dagli studenti. Conosciuto solamente come “Testimone A”, l’insegnante sostiene di aver visto Spillane abusare sessualmente e molestare numerosi studenti durante le sessioni di preghiera. Ancora, ha affermato di averlo visto ingaggiare una «breve attività sessuale» con gli studenti nelle docce.

Le prove del “Testimone A” hanno apportato un “potente supporto” alle altre accuse, ha detto alla corte il procuratore Beth Walker prima di opporsi fermamente alla libertà provvisoria voluta dall’ex sacerdote.

«Nella mia richiesta, vostro onore, il riassunto delle prove dipinge un quadro di pedofilia violenta,» ha affermato Walker. «L’accusa – prosegue – non ha ritenuto che il “Testimone A” avesse “un conto in sospeso” con Spillane o con altri insegnanti.»

Secondo un altro testimone, Spillane lo obbligò a sottoporsi in pratiche di sesso anale e “violenza di gruppo”. Quando lo raccontò a Peter Dwyer, preside all’epoca dei fatti e sacerdote Cattolico, fu mandato a Rivendell per un controllo psichiatrico.

Lo scorso anno, il Cardinale George Pell fu accusato di aver coperto Peter Dwyer, che si è sempre dichiarato innocente dalle accuse di abuso sessuale.

Spillane è anche accusato di aver molestato due sorelle nel letto di casa loro in occasioni diverse, simulando o tentando un rapporto sessuale con loro. Alla corte è stata presentata anche una dichiarazione firmata da un ex sacerdote del St Stanislaus College, in cui ammetteva di aver “ipnotizzato” i ragazzi nel 1967 per costringerli ad avere rapporti sessuali con gli insegnanti.

Nonostante questo, la Corte Locale di Downing Centre ha rilasciato Spillane su libertà provvisoria, con cauzione di 20mila dollari, ponendo come condizione vincolante che l’ex sacerdote si presenti giornalmente alla polizia e che non si coinvolga in attività che lo portino a contatto con bambini al di sotto dei 16 anni.

L’indagine, svolta dalla Strike Force Belle, squadra allestita per investigare sulle accuse, ha portato allo scoperto e accusato 9 sacerdoti.

Fonti: The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, News.com.au

The theme of the September Canadian Carnival of Genealogy is Home Sweet Home, so I thought this would be the perfect occasion to share a black and white photograph of my mother’s childhood home near Bathurst, New Brunswick.

My maternal grandparents Adelard Lagace and Eveline Melvine Luce had 14 children in that house:  7 boys (Cleophas Clifford, Patrice Alderic,  V.J.L., D.L., R.L., A.L. and Adelard “Sonny” Lagace) and 7 girls (my mother G.L., Bertha,, .L., M.L., B.L., L.L. and Lorraine). After my grandfather’s death in 1959, my grandmother headed to Montreal with her threee youngest children.

Eveline Luce was following in the footsteps of her older children and many other New Brunswickers who had formed a large Acadian community in the heart of Verdun, Quebec. The Lagaces are actually of Quebec French Canadian stock but those who settled in the Bathurst area intermarried over many generations with Acadians and many of their descendants identify with the Acadian community.

Nowadays, the Duggars are featured on their own television show for having 14 children! What a change in attitude in only 2 generations from big families as the norm to big families as objects of fascination!

Related Posts:

Mignier dit Lagaces – French Canadians of Quebec

Vintage Postcard: Verdun, Quebec – Church Avenue (rue de l’Eglise)

Canadian Carnival of Genealogy at LOOKING4ANCESTORS