South West Life

There are great ways to spend your evening and I’d found one of them. Sitting with my parents who I don’t see as often as I’d like, I was drinking in the ambience of a Cafe’ and talking about nothing in particular. The owner came to check we were enjoying the fare, and we got talking about business. Turns out that as well as a cafe, Chris owns and runs “Rural Cinema”.

In the second half of the nineteenth Century, the industrial revolution was well underway, and while the colonies were not the massive centres of production that were to be found in Europe, and especially in Britain, there was a clear need for sources of energy to be found.

It's kind of neat to find a story of a guy who finds things, distils the essence of what he wants, and then goes about making it happen. I've come round to talk to the guy who basically IS Totally Sound, and found not only a great business story but a few snapshots about the way the guy lives his life.

Western Australian olives are achieving major success at National shows.  That looks pretty good, we said, let’s tell that story. Of course to get to the story it became necessary to speak to a producer, and as you might have guessed, there’s more to a bottle of fine olive oil than meets the eye.

In the early 1950s, Australia became involved in the Korean War. The history is there for those who want it, and the Australian War Memorial will show you a good overview of what happened. You'll note that 3 RAR covered themselves in glory. You'll note that 339 Australians lost their lives, and you'll note that it was neither the first nor the last time that such sacrifices were made.

At the risk of sounding un Australian, I’m not really a beer drinker. As it happens, there are one or two among my acquaintances though, and so there are times when a trip to a brewery is in order, and I’ve decided it’s another of the great moments that can be had around these parts

For years we've been writing about why it's really special living in the South West. Research for this story started in a very different direction from where we've eventually been taken. Where we eventually wound up was looking at an incident that we'd assumed was one of the nastiest in our history.

The Sisters of Mercy were established in Perth in the 19th century and a convent was established at Victoria Square. In 1883, three of the Sisters boarded the SS Otway in Fremantle and sailed for Bunbury, whereupon commenced a very great deal of endeavour.

Sooner or later someone had to recognise the opportunity we have to accommodate people in the South West and teach in our relaxed and attractive culture, and they did. David and Jenny Byatt  opened the West Coast College of English in Bunbury.

Well, well, well. Mostly we don't spend a lot of time recommending a private business in our do this section, but for reasons which will remain secret I was taken by my beloved on a getaway for the weekend recently.