Coulda been a hero.

There is only a couple of seconds left on the clock in the final quarter and your team is down by 3 points. A 50 metre free is awarded and the ball is chucked to you by a back pedalling umpire who is headed off to a point about 25 from goal on a 45 degree angle.

Isn't this the scenario that every kid dreams of? In the dream they kick true and the goal umpire doesn't even have to move. The siren goes and their team mates carry them off the field.

Young Jack Redden had the chance to live that dream tonight for the Lions against Essendon.

Unfortunately for us all he learnt that dreams don't always come true. I really felt for the young fella. He must have been gutted. Hopefully he will have plenty of other chances to be the hero.

Sunday at the pub

Another bit of my Melbourne dream fell into place on Sunday night.

There were two main elements that drew me to these southern climes: football and music.

I spent last football season in despair as I watched my boys battle valiantly but, for the most part, futilely. They always seemed to be missing something, other than the obvious six or seven goals on the scoreboard. Hopefully the kicks up the arse they are surely receiving from Vossy on the training track will put them in good stead for '09. No matter how they go though that part of my Melbourne dream will never be completed until I stand at the 'G, on that last Saturday in September, at full time and sing the club song. May that day come soon.

Music is another matter though. From almost the moment I arrived in Melbourne I have been exposed to great gigs. Billy Bragg, a reformed Weddoes, Arcade Fire, Flogging Molly. Some of my favourite artists but they were all gigs I felt I could have seen in Sydney. Even the absolutely wonderful Still Flyin', who we saw at the East Brunswick Club a couple of weeks ago and Girl O' Sea described as one of the best concerts ever, felt like an event. What I was still searching for was a truly local experience and on Sunday I got that.

Girl O' Sea and myself jumped on the deadly treadlies and pedaled off to The Retreat in Brunswick to see Anthony Atkinson and the Running Mates. I have been a fan of Atko's music since he was in The Mabels and I think his songwriting has only gotten better on his solo albums. The Running Mates comprising half of The Lucksmiths only makes it better.

We walked in to find an unexpected support act playing. Gary Olson from US band Ladybug Transmitter. We had seen him on stage as part of the Still Flyin' musical collective only a week or so before but knew nothing of his Ladybug stuff. We were blown away some beautiful breezy pop music and this wasn't even with his normal band! Just a group of ring ins. A group that admittedly did include three quarters of the aforementioned Lucksmiths and a former member of Architecture In Helsinki. I hope he is able to come back soon with his full band and in the mean time I will be buying everything he has ever released.

As a side note, poor Girl O' Sea unknowingly committed one of the great gig going faux pars by wearing a band shirt that related to one of the acts playing. It is a beautiful, green coloured, head turning Still Flyin' shirt that I am very jealous of and should have been a source of admiration from all and sundry. Unfortunately for Girl O' Sea, Gary's secret support gig meant that there were numerous members of Still Flyin' in the room and when Isabel, in an attempt to show some serious R-E-S-P-E-C-T to somebody in the audience with great musical taste, pointed out the shirt from the stage all eyes turned towards us. Girl O' Sea could not burrow any further into her chair. Poor pet was a touch embarassed.

Ok, so my description so far gives the idea that it was another event. International band plays secret gig. Fair enough call. But Gary finished and left. The crowd thinned out a bit and Atko began to set up. Big, boofy, bearded Anthony. He's a primary school teacher by day. At one of the local schools in these here parts. His "Public and Proud" badge on his guitar strap gives an indication of what sort of school he works at. Atko is never going to have the mainstream popularity of somebody like Paul Kelly or the rusted on support enjoyed by somebody like Mick Thomas or have that wandering minstrel thing that his mate Darren Hanlon has, but he doesn't need that. He writes wonderful pop songs that speak from the heart about relationships and footy and cricket and politics. All of that stuff which means something to me. I don't care if the rest of the world gets him or not, I do. And I saw him play at a local pub on a Sunday night in February with my wife and I had a tear in my eye.

On the treadly coming home it felt as if Melbourne was the only place life could feel this good.

Australia Day

"No occasion in our history echoes the hopes, values and sentiments of Australians more than the day on which our nation rejected the foreign injustices of our past and asserted our own belief that, in this country, we are all born equal."

Above is a sentence from the profile for a Facebook group called 'Move Australia Day to May 27'.

The creator, along with 137 members and AFL legend Ron Barassi, feel that the date of the 1967 referendum should be the appropriate day to celebrate our national pride.

I have two issues with this proposal.

The first relates to the importance placed on the 1967 referendum. There is no argument that it was a significant moment in the lives of Aboriginal Australians. For the first time the Commonwealth government was allowed to make laws specifically regarding them and they were to be included in any future national census. A significant occasion without doubt but still only another step in a long struggle to be recognised as human beings in their own nation. They like all other Australians had been citizens of Australia since 1948 when Australian citizenship became differentiated from being a British subject and their right to vote was confirmed by the Commonwealth in 1949 although it took to the early 60s before they were allowed to vote in all State elections.

Since 1967 there has been Mabo and Wik and Keating's Redfern speech and finally the Apology. All significant moments in a journey that continues. A journey that one day may include proper compensation or a treaty. I don't think we can grab the 27th of May 1967 and say it was the singularly most important day in that journey.

My second issue is that it would seem to be replacing one exclusive day with another. How does white Australia's relationship with Aboriginal Australia affect how somebody of Vietnamese, Lebanese or Sudanese heritage sees themselves in their new country? Yes it is now a part of their common heritage as Australians but does it compare in significance with the abolition of the White Australia policy under the Whitlam and Fraser governments? Surely those reforms could be equally seen as when "our nation rejected the foreign injustices of our past and asserted our own belief that, in this country, we are all born equal."

I must admit that Australia Day in its present form holds little significance for me. I appreciate the chance to burn meat on an open flame and drink beer but I don't do that with any more nationalistic verve than I do on any other day.

If we do indeed need a day to celebrate what is, despite its many failings, quite a bloody good place to live then I have two suggestions.

Either we actually grow up as a nation and become a republic giving ourselves a fantastic opportunity to change the date amongst other things, or we change the date to the day we officially became a nation, January 1st.

But I suspect that would get howled down because that already is a public holiday. And there my friends is the rub.

Down

When Girl O' Sand told me about the phenomenon of post-wedding day depression I laughed. I obviously laughed too soon. I have had a horrible week of feeling sorry for myself. I think that the cases that Girl O' Sand read about were more about the revelation that you were no longer the centre of attention. I can see how that could become addictive but for me it is different.

For a couple of days last week every single person in the world that is special to me lived in Melbourne, but then they left.

As much as I love Girl O' Sand I really need my mates as well. Maybe it is just that I am so tired from the months of preparation. Perhaps it will all be well once we have our week of laying on a beach. Maybe I just have too much time on my hands. Uni going back will fix that.

I hope this doesn't last too long.

Why doesn't everybody want to live in Melbs?

Wife, wife, wife

I am now a husband.

I referred to Girl O' Sand twice today as wife. Both times to complete strangers. I loved the way the word formed in my mouth but still I doubted whether I was able to use such a term. It still seems a touch unreal. The simple gold band on my finger is still foreign and I find myself toying with it often. It is not uncomfortable, just different.

I will comment on the big day properly later but now I am too full of fine Greek food to concentrate. The Hellenic Republic is a new restaurant near us and we took The Father-In-Law there tonight, in part to thank him for a very generous wedding gift. The food was great and the Greek wine was like a fine pinot but just a touch different. Exceptional. A fantastic night was had by all. An interesting man the FIL. I like him a lot.

Do I need to sleep?

I do not want to go to sleep because when I wake up it will be my wedding day. I love Girl O' Sand so much and I do not doubt that we are doing the right thing but I am very nervous about the day itself. We have planned so long for this. What if we have forgotten something? I must find some way of relaxing and just enjoy the day. Sleep might help.

Helplessness

So mother arrived at our house as crook as Rookwood, as they would say in the Emerald City. A severe case of travel sickness laid her very low. A trip to a doctor was required for a shot. We hadn't had to deal with Melbourne's medical fraternity prior to this but I was lucky to find a wonderful doctor in Northcote. She was so friendly and helpful. I can really understand how dramas occur at medical institutions. The sense of helplessness is quite intense when somebody you love is in distress but there is nothing you can do. Luckily for me mother was fixed up quick sticks and today was back to her perky best.

I on the other hand was anything but perky. So very tired. We did achieve a lot today. The assistance we received from everybody around us was incredible. I have some misgivings about asking people to back up again tomorrow but they seem to really enjoy it. The love of friends and family is incredible. We have a new crew of assistants arriving as well. Fresh cannon fodder for the battle which is the marriage of Man O' Sand to Girl O' Sea.

Only 1 sleep. Shit.