Tuesday, July 15, 2008

jetport rail

’10 HOMES IN PATH OF JETPORT RAIL ROUTE’ Broadmeadows and Keilor Observer 6 May 1964 p. 1

‘Ten houses are in the path of a tentative route for the new railway line planned between Glenroy and Tullamarine jetport.
‘Most of the houses are in Langton St. at the Eleanor St. end.
‘A plan showing the “most suitable” route for the jetport rail link was tabled at Monday night’s meeting of Broadmeadows Council.

‘JETPORT RAILWAY PROTEST’ Broadmeadows and Keilor Observer 27 May 1964 p. 1
‘A public meeting at Broadmeadows on Monday night decided to protest against the jetport rail link project.
‘Eight houses in the Langton St., Jacana area, will have to be demolished to make way for the railway.
[…]
‘Establishment of a third track between Spencer Street and Jacana is estimated to cost £2½ million.
‘At Jacana the railway will go under the standard gauge line and Pascoe Vale Road and continue through a cutting into open country beyond Jacana.
‘It is the cutting that will necessitate the removal of houses.’

‘JETPORT RAILWAY “A WHITE ELEPHANT”’ Broadmeadows and Keilor Observer 20 May 1964 p. 9
‘The Tullamarine jetport railway would become a “white elephant” Cr R. Wallace told the public meeting at Broadmeadows on Monday night…His view was backed up by other speakers.
‘Mr. M. Price, of Mickleham Rd., Westmeadows, said the railway would have only limited use by passenger traffic.
‘The expenditure of £1½ million [sic] on the proposed line was unjustified, he added.
‘Mr S. Whight said he had just travelled around the world and businessmen would rather take a taxi from a jetport than a train.
‘Mr. W. Murphy gave the viewpoint of Tullamarine residents when he said people in his area wanted the right to use the train service from the jetport.
‘At present, people had to go to Essendon more than four miles away to catch a train.
[…]
‘A plan exhibited at the meeting showed a proposed station on the east side of Mickleham Rd. south of Western Ave.
‘Among residents affected by the railway proposal at Jacana are Mrs Ivy Porter, and Messrs D. Godwin, Hogg, Brown, J. Heaton, J. Smr of Langton St., Mr M Stone, of Becket St., and Mr S. Laird, corner of Langton St. and Eleanor St.’

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

WWhy do Pretty Girls Sing such Sad Songs?

Recently a friend suggested that women were hijacking the airwaves and the best recent albums were by women. She cited such names as Amy Winehouse, Feist, PJ Harvey, Kylie Minogue, and Madonna. "That's ridiculous," I said. "No one cares who is playing the Music; they just care if they can download it for free." The music industry is collapsing and gender is irrelevant. "Listen Honey," I added. "In 2008, Mariah Carey eclipsed Elvis Presley's record for the most Billboard No. 1 hits by a solo artist with her 18th chart-topper 'Touch My Body' and only the Beatles have more No. 1 hits." Mariah Carey might not be cool, but she is popular, which out ranks cool in 'Pop-Culture' realism. Female artists are no longer disadvantaged; they can afford quality legal counsel.
There have been tidal waves of pretty girls with acoustic guitars singing sad songs that are a continuation of the folk tradition of emotionally direct songs of self-observation with a tendency to gush, fighting for our attention in recent times. I'm talking about Clare Bowditch, Missy Higgins, Sarah Blasco, Holly Throsby and dozens and dozens more. They all sound ok to me, all singing a slightly different version of the same song. What's that song? It's the oldest song in the book, the song of the good-looking girl, backed by major record label, might be gay, and can sing in tune and can write song. What about these gals' male colleagues, how does there position differ? It doesn't. I have no interest in male folk singers all the good ones are dead. Aren't you a folk singer? No, I've always been a rock or pop singer or sinner, as I like to call myself. None of the aforementioned singers can hold a candle to Kimya Dawson, who came to mass notice through her songs in the film, Juno or Joanna Newsom, who operates in a field of her own.
What interests me is a new sub-genre that has appeared since the beginnings of the 21st Century. I'm speaking of what modern theorists refer to as the kooky geek girl with a keyboard. These girls are very cool people. These geek-girls are different; they don't present themselves under there own names but rather through a moniker as though they were a group. As if by adding another layer of artificiality they are even cooler and less frivolous. They are arguably the first responsible generation. Not the 'Angry Ones' but 'The Sensible Ones'. However, I might just be falling into the common trap of imposing my own eccentric idea of what youth and music should be.
Australia appears to be at the vanguard of this new genre. New Buffalo, a.k.a. Sally Seltmann is one the more prominent members of the movement courtesy of her song, '1234' being a smash hit for Lesley Feist, a.k.a. Feist, Canadian pioneer of the sorority, when it was used in various advertisements across the globe. New Buffalo, a.k.a. Sally Seltmann 2004's acclaimed The Last Beautiful Day, was the first recorded work of hers that I bought. I loved it. Well, I loved about four songs and played it to death. I became a fan, a prophesier, and a publicity hack for her. She was big in Sweden and got great reviews everywhere but sold zilch. She released her sophomore album Somewhere, Anywhere' in 2007 and it received rave reviews, though frankly its not as special as her debut. In the meantime she won the lottery writing, '1234' for Lesley Feist, a.k.a. Feist. Incidentally this song bares a similarity to Lesley Feist, a.k.a. Feist's own song 'Mushaboom'. But this might be my incapacitated audible range. New Buffalo, a.k.a. Sally Seltmann obviously has a fondness for Minnie Ripperton and Laura Nyro. I recorded an episode of the television show, Rockwiz with New Buffalo, a.k.a. Sally Seltmann in 2007. It was fun, though I was very nervous and possibly drank too much. I was chatting to her and she explained that she was a huge fan of Fleetwood Mac. I thought of jumping in and explaining my own 'Mac' obsession, but thought better of it. She would think I was just saying it. During the rehearsals I told her that I had been playing her first album on high rotation and that it was weird hearing her voice and mine together in the fold-back boxes. There was a silence. Was it a cold silence? It wasn't good, that's all I'll say. She showed much more interest in Jim keyes, the singer of masters Apprentices and leather pants fame than myself.

The artist currently known as 'Pikelet' from Western Australia is another geek girl on the go-go. They are an interesting pair on a number of levels. Sally Seltmann is conventionally attractive, blond, quiet, compassionate and healthy in a Stevie Nick's pre-drugs way. Pikelet is way nerdier. In her early publicity shots from Perth she's dressed in pearls, twin sets and glasses. She looks like the actress that wasn't Scarlet Johansson from the film Ghost World. Presumably, all Pikelet's travelling and mixing with international nerds has rubbed off. She has now refined her look, infused it with a quantity of irony. Irony is code for I've always been a special person. I'm better than you because, I know this look I'm wearing is twee but I'm still wearing it. HA! I'm all about sincerity in a completely insincere manner. I'm a modernist that looks back. I guess it could be argued that my view might simply be a convenient explanation for something I don't understand. On the other hand, I think not! Pikelet uses pre-recorded tapes that add to setting her scene. I watched her perform at the club Manchester Lane that was packed with reverential fans, dressed like genetic doubles. It was like attending a new-fangled modern church. Tellingly, the eerie silence was broken only by the faint metrosexual cry of "We love you Pikelet." Pikelet has a delay or loop pedal and is not afraid to use it incessantly. Pikelet has a real name, its Evelyn Morris, like in Morris-dancing in English villages in spring. Apparently, her mother makes excellent small pancakes, hence the stage name.

Anonymous said...

Was that the unibomber?

David Nichols said...

what makes you think this person is from a uni

lucy tartan said...

ewwwwnabomber

the early 70s was all juxtaposition

October 1970, everyone had their arms out in the air, from Barbra to, um, whoever that is on the left, to Thumbelina. This is from the Sprin...