rats leaving the sinking ship in the Land of the Long Weekend

Comrades,

If the Pinko's think that the next election is a fait accompli then they better watch out for rats in the ranks, of which they have a very long and dirty history. You just never know where they are in the woodwork.

Of course, one they don't have to worry about is PM ScoMo's latest best buddy Warren Mundine - a rattus rattus of long standing - having quit the ALP Presidency, and then the party altogether to become chief of the Mad Monk's ill-fated and toothless Indigenous Advisory Council, that never appeared to do anything at all, and was abolished a year ago. So it was only a matter of time until Mundine fell into the clasping clutches of the Tories as their candidate in the seat of Gilmore, the most marginal Lib-Nat seat in all of NSW. Great idea. Parachute in a Pinko turncoat, against the vote of the local Tory caucus who'd already endorsed a local real estate agent. Good one ScoMo, taking a leaf out of Mad Tony's playbook and making a Captain's Call par excellence [wasn't the Aberrant Abbott's last master stroke giving one of those short-lived and now rare Australian Knighthoods to Phil The Greek?] As some rabid Pinko in an uncharitable mood said to me mid-week, Mundine, "like much of his family", is a "self-aggrandizing self-promoter". He is, after all, an uncle of that well known loud-mouth Anthony "Choc" Mundine; not that you should suffer guilt by association with yr family or anything like that. Oh no. Not by any means. But the skipper's pick remains shrouded in mystery.

As he chugged on beers and stuffed endless sausage sangers into his gobhole under a red, white and blue bucket hat, ScoMo had a great Straaayaaa Day Long Weekend as all of a sudden no less than three Ministers of the Crown cashed in their chips, deciding they had better things to do with their lives like "spend time with the family". Really? They could all see that dreadful day of judgement coming from a long way off, and having got well used to lording over their respective Departments, did not fancy the idea of returning to Opposition and sniping from the sidelines. The Minister for the Poor, Sick, Weak, Old, Halt and Lame, the Minister for the Unemployed and Dead-Beat Layabouts, and the Minister for the Aborigines are all now fed up to here and have left our Glorious Leader to fend for himself. Rats, alright. Soon there will be no one on the front bench left to quit in a fit of pique. In the wake of the Mundine call, it's ironic that the gun-toting former mackerel fisherman and Country-Liberal Party Senator for the Northern Territory, Nigel Scullion, hung on to the Indigenous Affairs portfolio through no less than three Prime Ministers, simply because nobody else wanted that particular poisoned chalice. Anyone want it now? Nigel doesn't.

Never mind public image or anything so superficial; the Govt. is literally falling apart - its shit stinks so much that the rats are leaving the sinking ship, while another notable rodent backs the wrong horse and jumps on board. Go figure?

If all that wasn't bad enough for the ruling classes, it was pleasing to hear Zali Stegall referred to in the press as a "barrister and former Olympian" [Albertville, Lillehammer, Nagano, Salt Lake City] when she made clear her intention of making an independent run for Warringah, voluntarily putting herself forward to head up the well-established "Get Tony" ticket on Facebook. All power to her oars. In the current mood, the electorate has had more than enough of Half-Term Tony. The world has passed you, and yr budgie smugglers, by, son. At long last, all washed up on Manly Beach at age 61 come May.

I was once again mortified at being so rudely brushed for Straya Day honours yet again this year; it hurts, and let's face it, what more do they want me to do? And there was also something quietly disturbing about Olivia Neutron-Bomb effectively being made a Dame of the Realm, as the Companion of the Order of Straya is generally regarded as the colonial equivalent of a knighthood/damehood, while Our Kylie (Minogue) was only made an Officer of the Order at age 50 to add to her 2007 OBE. Cruelly snubbed, she was. To be fair, tho', both could also mount good cases for being appointed joint Strayans of the Year. [Just please don't get me started on Peter Reith and Warren Truss, OK?]

In any case, all this nonsense will come to an end soon enough when King Charles the Turd assumes the Throne and Crown and they "change the date" from January 26 to January 1 [which I have always advocated as Australia's National Day, being the date of Federation in 1901 and a celebration of the Miracle of Democracy]. That way you can have two public holidays at New Year, the 1st & 2nd, then you could roll the old Straya Day, Anzac Day and the Queen's Birthday into Easter for an enormous, huge, massive, tremendous, bloody bewdiful Mighty Mega Long Weekend - no less than five public holidays in a row to celebrate the world renowned and undisputed luckiness of the Land of the Long Weekend. Put that to a vote and see it romp home. You know it makes sense.

a pure unashamed Fascist agenda

Comrades,

You may have got a robo-text from the former Honourable Member for Fairfax, Clive Palmer, or seen one or two of his billboards recently, ahead of the upcoming Federal Election. But the burning question is - where did he get the $50M quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald to fund his "election war chest"? I thought the wack-job was bankrupt, and didn't have two burnt-out model dinosaurs to rub together? Did not Queensland Nickel go down the S-bend, with the loss of hundreds of jobs, and then he wrote it off as a tax loss? His Coolum golf course lies in ruins, abandoned. And that's just the start of it. He's being sued left, right and centre, and he must owe his lawyers millions, as he's also a well known vexatious litigant. He hasn't appeared on the Forbes Rich List since 2014. What makes him think anyone would care two shits about him nowadays? What's in it for him anyway? The Palmer United Party was de-registered in 2017, but he suddenly took an renewed-interest in politics for reasons unknown again last year, re-registering the schemozzle as the United Australia party and threatening to run candides in all 151 seats. So just who is the puppet-master pulling the strings here?

He's most likely turned to the randomly generated text caper and "outdoor", because his social media is utterly hopeless and incoherent. His Twitter account is unintelligible, and he modestly describes himself as a "National Living Treasure". I kid you not...

His Twitter account says he has 80K followers which would ordinarily qualify him as an "influencer" - but how many Twitter bots has be bought? You can purchase fake Twitter followers in bulk for less than ten cents each. He's got 198,840 alleged "likes" on Facebook - same story - but here's the real deal - the great steaming turd has got a grand total of 774 followers on Instagram - the true arbiter of all things important in the Brave New World. And his Instagram account - where air brushing and perfect photo filtering is de rigueur - makes Clive's effort look truly bizarre. If anyone can work out what the hell this is all about, please tell me...

All that aside, it seems the obese demented buffoon is running a pure unashamed Fascist agenda. And why not, when right wing popularism is on the rise world wide? Let's build those very fast trains and run them precisely to timetable just like My Mate Mussolini did, lower land prices will be achieved by expelling all the Muslims and Chinese and offering cheap housing blocks east of Marble bar, and reducing traffic congestion is a simple one - send every old car to the wreckers, with only The Authorities allowed to drive around in swanky vehicles.

Saw this one on the New Canterbury Road in Hurlstone Park the other day; poor choice of location, Clive - the workers on that building site next door have ladders a plenty. And spray cans. Go you good Pinko's...

In the interim, the interesting times that lay ahead are barely warming up in mid-January, with good ol' Uncle Bill emulating the PM by taking the Pinko Bus on a whirlwind tour of the "battleground state" Queensland, while ScoMo last week took a Grand Tour of South Pacific nations to shore up Australia as the 'friend of choice' in the face of "creeping Chinese influence", dropping in on Fiji and Vanuatu. The main talking point in Fiji was some terrorista banged up forever in a Turkish jail who'd just had his Australian passport marked CANCELLED, but he also claims to have dual Fijian citizenship, but the Fijians said they knew nothing about it, cared less, and they weren't expecting the bloke to turn up under the swaying palms on their sandy beaches anytime soon. Your problem, not ours.

A serving Australian PM has not visited Vanuatu since Bob Hawke 19 years ago, but ScoMo - God bless him - made the best decision of his Premiership by announcing in Port Vila that he plans to abolish the current 2kg restriction on the importation of Kava for personal use. It's now it's gonna be open slather. As Our Glorious Leader says, two kilograms is barely enough for "a family gathering in Western Sydney". ScoMo said the decision was made because "the issue is very important to Vanuatu". Der. Of course it is, as Vanuatu is the world's leading exporter of Kava, and for the connoisseur, the debate about whether the best Kava comes from the island of Tanna or from Pentecost will continue for all eternity, as sugar bags of the stuff turn up on the next boat and pile up on the wharves. Oh, to have a nakamal just around the corner. Tax breaks for Kava bars would be a huge vote winner among the Melanesian diasapora. Remember that, ScoMo.

I wonder what the Bislama phrase is for Total Wally: "im belong dikhed"?

how to lose $US145 million selling weed

Comrades,

At the Mid-Term elections back in November, the good burghers of three of the Great States of the US of A voted to decriminalise/legalise in one way or another that time-honoured cure-all - wacky tabaccy...[North Dakota voted down the concept of totally unregulated open slather], bringing to ten the number of states [plus D.C.] where it's now OK, man, to light up a lazy scoob without coming to the attention of the authorities.  

But, here's an object lesson. How to lose $US145 million in just six months selling weed. Astonishing at first glance, but hey, there was no "boom!". The laws of supply and demand are pretty simple Economics 101 and the last thing the neo-capitalist wants is a saturated market. Folks forget c.sativa and c.indica is not for everyone. Surely they could've employed people who can see the unforeseen consequences? They're called policy/market analysts, aren't they...

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/opinion/apple-revenue-china-innovation.html

[Never mind reaching "Peak Tech", you gotta chuckle at the rather naïve reference to the kind of coolness of "rental scooters" even if they are a derivative of the rent-a-car business, when everyone who's ever been to SE Asia in the past 40 years has ridden a step-thru or gone pillion on a motorbike for a small fee, choofing some Buddah Stick along their merry way; it was happening on the Hippie Trail long long before the advent of even the most primitive of mobile phones. Strangely enough, it is still possible to live a perfectly normal life without Uber, Airbnb, Pinterest, Tinder or Spotify].

You would have thought the market for rec. gear is fairly stable with negligible demand growth, as old pot heads begin to drop off the twig, and not enough millennials taking up the bucket bong to replace them...gawd save us, even teetotallin' "start-ups" are all the rage...


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-02/inside-the-new-sobriety-start-ups-shaking-the-12-step-model/10671650


And there's no mention of the black market, which will always undercut the legal market by definition. A large proportion of otherwise law-abiding midnight tokers might be more than happy to stay with their long-time reliable supplier, for cheaper. How many people really want very expensive 100% potent Super Skunk in their mull bowl anyway, when the finest black Afghani hashish is unavailable through legit channels? There are more shysters in the legal caper anyway, trying to sell you CBD, which back in the day used to be called "old rope". Now they want you to pay an arm and a leg for the privilege of rubbing it on yr haemorrhoids while reducing yr anxiety about them at the same time.

Blaming lack of supply is a fine excuse, when just up the road in Oregon there's a major league pot glut; so many people have got into it in the ideal climate there with fanciful ideas of turning a quick buck that they have so much farmed outdoor crop they can't even sell it by the bale full. In fact, they've got truckloads of the shit they can't move at any price - it's all but given away at the fire-sale auctions. Pulling it closer to home - in certain areas of Sydney, there is a lot more money to be made in the unlawful sale of smuggled cheap Chinese cigarettes than there is in common or garden weed. And, like any of the other Fast Moving Consumer Goods [FMCG], it's perishable. Transporting the herbe superbe across state lines is strictly prohibited and while dodging the border wouldn't be hard, that's a federal offence. Profit, if any, can't be banked or moved either. Yr much better off in the sales tax game. Back to square one. "Desperate people do desperate things"...


https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/09/how-oregon-grew-too-much-marijuana-to-sell


So what exactly is the "next big thing", Fawlty? Very good question. Landing a man on the Dark Side of the Moon? Or as Buzz Aldrin likes to say..."get yr ass to Mars!"?

Gonna start a new craze..."who knows what tomorrow's gonna bring?"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KenwZYMgu28

CRAZY CRAVES TOP 100 OBITUARIES 2018

Survivors,

It's that time of year again!

This is a bit outside the bailiwick of this bloggy-blog-blog, but there are nine elected politicians, a couple of statesmen, as well as the odd royal, aristocrat and freedom fighter who made contributions to the Miracle of Democracy who are among the departed.

As a nod to the steady marking of time, for yonks I used to publish Crazy Craves Top 20 Obituaries, but I got tired of it with people saying "why'd ya put him in? why'd ya leave her out?" so I set the editor's pen aside a few years ago and pushed the boat right out with a list of 100 deaduns, arranged in chronological order. Spending a lazy Saturday morning over a slow read of the obituaries in the paper with a glass of cheeky Chablis in hand is pretty much perfect, for mine. Why this lifelong fascination? I am entirely unable to tell you.

In any case, all this bell-tolling is highly subjective and idiosyncratic - these people [and four animals] may or may not in one way or another have had an influence on my life, may or may not have been famous or important folks, may just have led interesting or even very dull lives, or the date, place, manner and cause of death, may have been somewhat peculiar.
Or, all four.

That's the criteria for these simple mentions...so I give you...



CRAZY CRAVES TOP 100 OBITUARIES 2018

† January †

John Young, 87, January 5, Houston, Texas. American astronaut, aeronautical engineer, US Navy test pilot, Korean War veteran. First person to have flown to space six times, twice to the moon. Drove 26km in the Lunar Rover and collected 96kg of moon rocks [Apollo 16, 1972]. First flew to space on Gemini 3 [1965] and retired after 42 years at NASA with the first and ninth Space Shuttle flights. Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross. Pneumonia.

Tandberg aka Ron Tandberg, 74, January 8, Geelong, Victoria. Australian artist, designer, political and social cartoonist. Drew "pocket" cartoons for Melbourne's The Age newspaper for 45 years until his death. 11 Walkley Awards, including two gold. Esophageal cancer.

Dolores O’Riordan, 46, January 15, London. Lead singer of Irish pop group The Cranberries, selling more than 40 million records in the early 1990's, surpassed only by U2 in Irish pop. Accidental death. Drowned in London hotel bathtub after passing out due to alcohol intoxication.

Peter Mayle, 78, January 18, Ménerbes, France. British French-resident novelist and newspaper columnist. Author of A Year in Provence [1990] selling six million copies in 30+ languages. Chevalier Legion d'Honneur [2002]. Brief illness.

Paul Bocuse, 91, January 20, Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, France. French chef, restaurateur, author. Inventor of nouvelle cuisine [late 1960's] which he later disowned. Widely regarded as the first "celebrity chef" of the modern era. Commanduer Legion d'Honneur [1975]. Parkinson's disease.

Graeme "Changa" Langlands MBE, 76, January 21, Sydney. Australian rugby league footballer, legend, and "Immortal" of Rugby League Hall of Fame. Played 45 test matches for Australia including 15 as Captain. One of the greatest full backs and centre utility players of all time, appearing in 227 games for St. George [1963-76], including four Premierships. Alzheimer's disease.

Mark E. Smith, 60, January 24, Prestwich, England. English musician and notorious front-man of post-punk band, The Fall. Only consistent member of the group which featured 60+ musicians over 40 years. Boasted a "difficult" and outrageous persona. Three times married and divorced. Complications of respiratory diseases and chronic alcoholism.

Ingvar Kamprad, 91, January 27, Älmhult, Sweden. Swedish entrepreneur, founder of IKEA, the world's largest furniture retailer. World's 8th richest man at time of death with net worth estimated at $US58.7 billion. Accused of being Nazi sympathiser during WWII, life-long self-admitted alcoholic known for his monastic frugality. Pneumonia, old age.

Ron Walker AC CBE, 78, January 30, Melbourne. Australian politician, property developer, entrepreneur, sports promoter, philanthropist, socialite. Liberal Party Lord Mayor of Melbourne [1974-76]. Chairman Melbourne Major Events Co. Best known for 'stealing' the Australian Formula One Grand Prix from Adelaide, now staged at Melbourne's Albert Park [1993-present]. Metastasised melanoma.


† February †

Fidel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart, 68, February 1, Havana, Cuba. Cuban nuclear physicist and eldest son of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. In charge of Cuba's nuclear power program until falling out with his father. Later restored as scientific advisor to the Cuban Government until his death. Suicide while being treated in hospital for chronic melancholic depression.

Jarrod Bannister, 33, February 8, Netherlands. Australian Olympian [Beijing 2008]. Current Australian record holder in Javelin. Banned for 20 months [2013-14] for evading three drug tests. Suicide.

Sir Nicholas Shehadie AC KBE OBE, 92, February 11, Sydney. Former Australian rugby union captain playing 30 tests for the Wallabies. Independent Lord Mayor of Sydney [1973-75]. Chairman Special Broadcasting Service [1981]. Chairman Sydney Cricket Ground Trust [1990-2001]. 61 years married to Prof. Marie Bashir, former Governor of New South Wales [2001-14]. Old age.

Morgan Tsvangirai, 65, February 14, Johannesburg, South Africa. Zimbabwean politician, former long time-opposition leader against dictator Robert Mugabe. Survived but lost three violent rigged elections, numerous assassination plots, twice dodged jail on trumped up charges, appointed Zimbabwe Prime Minister [2008-2013] in what turned out to be cosy power sharing arrangement with Mugabe based on privilege. 20 years leader of the Movement for Democratic Change until his death. Colon cancer.

Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat, The Prince Henrik, 83, February 14, Copenhagen, Denmark. French-born Danish prince and Royal Consort. Poet, author, sculptor, gourmand and winemaker. Married to Queen Margrethe of Denmark for 50 years. Best known for his long-held public displeasure at not being made King of Denmark. Father-in-law of Australian-born Princess Mary. Brief illness.

Sir Billy Graham KBE, 99, February 21, Montreat, North Carolina. American Baptist evangelist, preacher, and author. World's first fundamentalist Christian television evangelist. Stadium preacher, running the Billy Graham Crusades for 61 years [1947-2008]. Spiritual advisor and counsellor to 12 US Presidents. Author of 33 best-selling Christian tracts. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom [1983] and honourary British knighthood [2001]. Parkinson’s disease.

Steve Folkes, 59, February 27, Moss Vale, New South Wales. Australian rugby league player and coach. Six-time Grand Finalist and four-time Premiership winner in 269 games for Canterbury-Bankstown [1978-91]. Represented New South Wales and Australia at second-row. Coached Canterbury-Bankstown for eleven years [Premiership 2004] after retiring as a player. Coaching district team Moss Vale Dragons at time of death. Cardiac arrest.


† March †

Sir Roger Bannister CH CBE, 88, March 3, Oxford, England. British athlete, doctor, neurologist, academic. First person to run a mile in less than four minutes [3m 59.4s,1954, Oxford]. Won Commonwealth Games "Miracle Mile" v Australia's John Landy [Vancouver, Canada, 1954], both running sub-4 minute times. Master of Pembroke College, Oxford [1985-93]. Parkinson's Disease.

Jeff St. John, 71, March 6, Perth. Australian musician and singer. Three top ten hits in the 1970's. Performed wheel-chair bound in various bands and lead singer of The Id, the first Australian band to be busted for marijuana possession [1967]. Sang Australian national anthem Sydney 2000 Paralympics. Complications of life-long condition Spina Bifida.

Count Hubert de Marquis Givenchy, 91, March 10, Romilly-sur-Aigre, France. French aristocrat, fashion designer and motion picture costumier. "The king of haute couture". 50 year career and founder House of Givenchy, emphasizing "restrained style" for high-profile clients. Best known for "the little black dress" worn by Audrey Hepburn [1961]. Chevalier Légion d'honneur [1983]. Medal l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1992). Died in his sleep. Old age.

Professor Sir Stephen Hawking CH CBE, 76, March 14, Cambridge, England. British academic, astro-physicist, author, film and documentary maker. Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, Cambridge University. Author of A Brief History of Time [1988], selling 30+ million copies. Children's author, science-fiction film producer, television personality. Proponent of "black holes" and the "Big Bang Theory". US Presidential Medal of Freedom [2009]. Complications of a rare form of Lou Gehrig's disease [ALS], from which he suffered for 50 years.

Sudan, c.45, March 19, Laikipia, Kenya. Last of the known world's male northern white rhinoceros. 44 years in captivity. Survived by only two females, his daughter and grand-daughter. Euthanised due to leg infection and old age.

Charles Lazarus, 94, March 22, Washington DC. American toy maker and founder of international retail chain Toys'r'Us. Opened first store in 1957, remaining CEO for 35 years. Company announced closure of all US operations and 735 stores as part of bankruptcy liquidation, one week prior to his death. Old age and chronic illness.


† April †

Jocelyn Newman AO, 80, April 1, Berry, New South Wales. Australian conservative politician and three term senator for Tasmania. Former lawyer, farmer and hotelier. Advocate of women's and children's rights and five years in the Howard ministry in social welfare portfolios. Son, Campbell, former conservative Queensland Premier [2012-15], husband Kevin a minister in the Fraser ministry. Survived breast and uterine cancer while in office. Alzheimer's disease.

Winnie Mandela, 81, April 2, Johannesburg, South Africa. South African anti-apartheid activist, politician, convicted criminal and former wife of Nelson Mandela. Jailed and internally exiled by apartheid regime. Convicted of kidnapping and fraud under ANC Govt. and twice dodged jail on appeal. South African MP for more than 20 years until her death. Chronic illnesses.

David Buckel, 60, April 14, New York. American human rights lawyer and environmentalist. Set himself on fire in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, leaving a suicide note saying his was an “early death by fossil fuel” and “it may be clear that staying in the world is doing more harm than good". Self immolation.

Willow, 14, c.April 16, Buckingham Palace, London. Welsh Pembroke corgi. Described as "the last of the Queen's corgi's". 14th generation descendant of Susan [pedigree name Hickathrift Pippa], given to Queen Elizabeth II on her 18th birthday in 1944. Old age.

Barbara Bush, 92, April 17, Houston, Texas. Former US First Lady. Wife of 41st President of the US, George H.W. Bush and mother of the 43rd President of the US, George W. Bush. Champion of childhood and family literacy. Grave's disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure.

Darrel Eastlake, 75, April 19, Wyoming, New South Wales. Legendary Australian sports broadcaster. Best known for his booming, excitable voice. Popularised rugby league State of Origin series, and revolutionised television commentary of Olympic weightlifting. Complications of Alzheimer's Disease, alcoholism, emphysema and diabetes.

Verne Troyer, 49, April 21, Los Angeles. American film and television character actor and one of the world's shortest men. Born with a rare dwarfism [HCC] leaving him with a stature of 2'8". Best known for the role of Mini-Me in the Austin Powers comedy films. Complications of HCC and chronic alcoholism.

Nabi Tajima, 117,April 22, Kikai, Japan. World's oldest person to that date. Great-great-great-grandmother with 160+ descendants. Credited longevity to eating delicious food and sleeping soundly. Extreme old age.

No.16, 43, April 27, Perth. World's oldest known arachnid kept in captivity. Female trapdoor spider [Giauque Villosus]. Last surviving specimen from collection established [1974] by 89-year-old Barbara York-Main in Curtin University spider longevity study. Extreme old age.

Larry Harvey, 70, April 28, San Francisco. American artist, anarchist, hippie, and founder of the Burning Man Festival. Adherent and promoter of an anything-goes lifestyle. Stroke.

† May †

Professor David Goodall AM, 104, May 10, Basel, Switzerland. English-born Australian academic, biologist and ecologist. Awarded PhD in Biology [1941]. Editor-in-chief of the 30-volume Ecosystems of the World, the definitive text on plant biology. Professor emeritus at Edith Cowan University, Perth, until his death. Travelled from his home in Perth to Switzerland to end his own life through "assisted dying" because of extreme old age. Euthanised.

Ernest Medina, 81, May 8, Marinette, Wisconsin. Former US Army Captain. Commanding officer of company of the now disbanded US 23rd Infantry Division [Americal], responsible for My Lai Massacre [1968] during Vietnam War. Court-martialled on two charges of war crimes, but acquitted. Brief illness.

Tom Wolfe, 88, May 10. New York. American author, essayist and journalist. Leading figure in 1960's-70's "new journalism". Chiefly known for authoring best selling novels Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, and Bonfire of the Vanities. Sepsis.

Tom E. Lewis, 59, May 11, Katherine, Northern Territory. Australian aboriginal stage, screen actor and musician. Best known for leading role in the film The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith [1978]. Cardiac arrest.
Margot Kidder, 69, May 13, Livingtone, Montana. American film actress. Best known for playing Lois Lane in the 1978 Superman motion picture. Suicide by drug and alcohol overdose.

Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, 34, May 19, Denpasar, Indonesia. Australian-Vietnamese convicted drug smuggler. A member of the so-called "Bali Nine", sentenced to life in jail for attempting to smuggle eight kilograms of heroin into Indonesia [2006]. Died in custody. Kidney cancer.

Phil Emmanuel, 65, May 24, Parkes, New South Wales. Australian rock musician. One half of The Emmanuel Bros, a perennial support act for touring superstars of the '70's and '80's. Known as "the best lead guitarist the world never knew". Asthma attack.

Alan Bean, 86, May 26, Houston, Texas. US astronaut and Navy test pilot. 4th man on the moon [Apollo 12, 1969.] Spent 59 days aboard Skylab [1973], a record duration in orbit at the time. Devoted later life to painting space scenes. Brief illness.

Cornelia Frances, 77, May 28, Sydney. British-born Australian film and television character actress. Best known for playing "nasty characters"' in soap-opera's. Played the recurring role of Morag on hit TV series Home and Away for 29 years. Bladder cancer.

Serge Dassault, 93, May 28, Paris. French military industrialist, newspaper publisher, and former French Senator. Chairman of Dassault Group, manufacturer of Mirage fighter jets. Published Le Figaro newspaper for 13 years until death. Net worth at time of death estimated at $US15B. Died at his office desk. Cardiac arrest.

† June †

Kate Spade, 55, June 5, New York. Flamboyant American fashion designer. Principally known for her eponymous 1990's "affordable luxury" handbags. Sold her label currently worth $US2.4B after 13 years [2006]. Suicide.

David Douglas Duncan, 102, June 7, Grasse, France. Former American WWII Marine and photo-journalist. Best known for his stark photographs of American Marines in combat during the Korean War. Extreme old age.

Anthony Bourdain, 62, June 8, Strasbourg, France. American line-chef, author, novelist, journalist, television personality, raconteur. Rose to prominence with best selling profane memoir Kitchen Confidential [2000]. Pioneered modern "food tourism" with No Reservations television series. Suicide.

Eunice Gayson, 90, June 8, London. British stage, film and television actress. The original "Bond Girl". James Bond's 'love interest' in movies Dr No [1962] and From Russia With Love [1963]. Old age.

Deborah Cameron, 59, June 9, Sydney. Australian journalist and radio host. First female correspondent in Tokyo for the Sydney Morning Herald, and later morning host on ABC Local Radio in Sydney. Breast cancer.

Peter Thomson AO CBE, 88, June 20, Melbourne. Legendary Australian golfer. Won five British Open championships [1954-56, 58 & 65], including an unparalleled three consecutive wins. Known for his lazy effortless swing and calm, considered approach to the 'links' game. President of the Australian PGA for 32 years. Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame [1988]. Parkinson’s Disease.

Koko, 46, June 22, Woodside, California. Female Western Lowlands gorilla. Born in captivity. Allegedly taught sign language and was claimed to have known 2,000 words of English in Stanford University study. Well known for her affinity with cats. No descendants. Old age.

Donald Hall, 89, June 23, Wilmot, New Hampshire. American poet, essayist, playwright, literary editor, critic, biographer and children's author. "My ambition was to confuse the hell out of everyone". 14th Poet Laureate of the United States [2006-7]. Old age.

Daisy Kadibil, 95, June 26, Port Hedland, Western Australia. Australian aboriginal woman. Best known for her 800 mile trek on foot to home with sister and cousin after being removed from her family by white authorities. Inspiration for motion picture Rabbit Proof Fence [2002]. Dementia.

Joe Jackson Snr, 89, June 27, Las Vegas, Nevada. American music promoter and patriarch of the musical Jackson family. Creator of the hit-making machine the Jackson Five, featuring his sons. Progenitor of the late Michael, and Jermaine and Janet Jackson. Fathered eleven children. Pancreatic cancer.

Liz Jackson, 67, June 28, Greek Isles. Australian radio and television journalist. Winner of nine Walkley awards for outstanding reporting. Parkinson's disease.

William McBride AO CBE, 91, June 27, Sydney. Australian doctor and medical researcher. Discovered link between anti morning sickness drug thalidomide and birth defects. Later disgraced over unrelated fabrication of scientific results. Old age.


† July †

Harry M. Miller, 84, July 4, Sydney. New Zealand born Australian show business promoter and entrepreneur. High profile celebrity agent. Staged first Australian production of musical Hair [1969]. Promoted Australian tours by major international acts including Louis Armstrong and the Rolling Stones. Convicted of fraud [1982] over failed ticketing company, did 10 months jail time. Dementia.

Sam Chisholm AO, 78, July 9, Sydney. New Zealand born Australian media executive and "star maker". CEO of the Nine Network during Kerry Packer heyday [1975-89]. Survived double lung transplant [2003]. Chronic illnesses.

Peter Carington, The Lord Carrington KG, GCMG, CH, MC, 99, July 9, London. British aristocrat and conservative politician. Longest serving Member of the House of Lords [1940-2018], awarded Military Cross for valour during WWII, last surviving member of Winston Churchill's final Government [1951-55], High Commissioner to Australia [1956-59]. Foreign Secretary in Thatcher Govt. during Falklands War [1982]. Extreme old Age.

Nancy Sinatra Snr, 101, July 13. Beverly Hills, California. American socialite. First wife of Frank Sinatra [1939-51]. Extreme old age.

Adrian Cronauer, 79, July 19, Troutville, Virginia. American radio announcer, lawyer and veteran's affairs activist. News Director, US Armed Forces Radio, Saigon [1965-66]. Famous for call sign "Good Morning, Vietnam!" immoratilised in 1987 Robin Williams film of the same name. Short illness.

Tony Bullimore, 79, July 31, London. Former British Royal Marine, businessman and long distance yachtsman. Nicknamed the "British Bulldog". Best known for dramatic rescue by the Royal Australian Navy, after surviving three days in upturned hull of yacht in the remote Southern Ocean during single-handed round-the-world yacht race [1997]. Rare form of stomach cancer.


† August †

Clive Evatt Jnr, 87, August 2, Sydney. Leading Australian defamation barrister, art dealer and collector. Prominent clients included 'colourful Sydney identities' Abe Saffron, Rob Waterhouse, and Gypsy Fire. Chronic illnesses.

Joël Robuchon, 73, August 4, Geneva. French classical chef, author and entrepreneur. Named one of four "chefs of the century" [1990]. Held a record 32 Michelin stars simultaneously for his chain of Atelier restaurants, established after his "retirement" at 50. Wrote 22 cook books. Pancreatic cancer.

Jarrod Lyle, 36, August 8, Torquay, Victoria. Australian professional journeyman golfer. Beat cancer first contracted at age 17 twice, making a comeback to pro-golf at age 31, before a third and final recurrence. Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Sir V.S.Naipul TC, 85, August 11, London. Trinidadian born British/Indian author, novelist and travel writer. Nobel Laureate for Literature [2001]. Published thirty books over 50 year career. Accused of racism, colonialism, fascism, and misogyny. While married, carried on a sadomasochist affair for 24 years. Short illness.

Aretha Franklin, 76, August 16, Detroit, Michigan. American singer, songwriter, entertainer, legend. Known as "The Queen of Soul". Awarded National Medal of the Arts [1999], Presidential Medal of Freedom [2005]. First woman to be inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame [1987]. 18 Grammy Awards. Released 112 singles, including 17 in the Billboard Top Ten. Pancreatic cancer.

Kofi Annan, 80, August 18, Berne, Switzerland. Ghanian career diplomat. Secretary-General of the United Nations for two terms [1997-2006]. Nobel Peace Prize laureate jointly awarded with United Nations [2001] for humanitarian work. Opposed to the Second American/Iraq war and declared the 2003 US-led invasion "illegal". Devoted later life as a peace broker in Burma, Syria, and Kenya. Noted for his "quiet, patient, and determined" diplomatic style. Short illness.

Charles Blackman OBE, 90, August 20, Melbourne. Australian artist. Member of the "Antipodean" group [1959], rejecting abstract expressionism in favour of figurative art. Dementia.

Spencer P. Jones, 62, August 21, Melbourne. New Zealand-born Australian singer-songwriter, session musician. Lead guitarist with the 1980's bands Beasts of Bourbon and The Johnny's. Liver cancer.

Lance Thompson, 40, August 23, Sydney. Former Australian rugby league player. Appeared in 239 NRL first-grade matches for St George and Cronulla. Best known as a "hard-man" second-rower. Stroke.

John McCain, 81, August 25, Sedona, Arizona. American statesman, politician, author, and former US Navy pilot. Survived the USS Forrestal disaster [1967]. Did five and a half years as a POW in the 'Hanoi Hilton' after being shot down over North Vietnam [1967-73]. Twice elected member of the US House of Representatives, then served five consecutive terms as Republican US Senator for Arizona [1987-2018]. Died in office. Twice ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States [2000 & 2008]. Known as a "principled maverick Conservative". Brain cancer.

Mirka Mora, 90, August 27, Melbourne. French-born Australian artist, author, teacher, restaurateur, raconteur and Melbourne institution. Last surviving member of the "Heide School" of artists. Credited with creating "The Paris End" of Melbourne with husband George [1954]. Officer Ordre Arts et Lettres [2002]. Old age.


† September †

Burt Reynolds, 82, September 6, Jupiter, Florida. American film actor and Hollywood heart-throb of the '70's. Cardiac arrest.

Alan Abel, 94, September 14, Southbury, Connecticut. Notorious American hoaxer, prankster, author, 'mockumentary' film maker. Serial pest. Fooled the New York Times into running his obituary [1980], announcing the next day "reports of my demise have been grossly exaggerated". Complications of heart disease, old age.

Bob Jane, 88, September 28, Melbourne. Australian enduro racing driver and road tyre tycoon. Four-time winner 500 mile Australian Championship touring car race [1961-62 Phillip Island, 1963-64 Bathurst; Ford]. Lost Bob Jane T-Marts [est.1965] empire to son Rodney in protracted legal dispute five years before death. Prostate cancer.


† October †

Charles Aznavour, 94, October 1, Alpilles, France. French singer, actor, diplomat. Superstar crooner known as the "French Sinatra". Sold 180 million records world wide over 70 year career. Performed final concert in Tokyo ten days before death. Commandeur Légion d'Honneur [2004]. Brief illness, old age.

Ron Casey OAM, 89, October 2, Sydney. Australian radio and television broadcaster, sports journalist. The original "shock-jock". Worked on television on Wide World of Sports, and had talk-back programs on three Sydney radio stations in a 50 year career. Repeatedly sacked for racist comments. Famously involved in live television punch-up with singer and Vietnam veteran Normie Rowe [1991]. Chronic illness.

Jamal Khashoggi, 59, October 2, Instanbul. Saudi Arabian journalist, newspaper editor, and noted critic of the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince. Disappeared after entering Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain papers for forthcoming marriage. Body never found. Murder.

Montserrat Caballé, 85, October 6, Barcelona. Spanish operatic soprano. One of the world's leading opera stars during height of her career [1965-77]. Best known for recording pop anthem "Barcelona" with Freddie Mercury [1987]. Convicted of tax evasion [2015]. Appointed a Spanish Dame and a member Légion d'honneur. Chronic illnesses and stroke.

Quentin Kenihan, 43, October 6, Adelaide. Severely deformed Australian author, actor, raconteur, film buff, internet star, hustler, and disability rights activist. Became publicly known at age seven through television interviews with journalist Mike Willessee. Suffered 600+ bone fractures and wheel-chair-bound for life. Was not expected to live past 30. Complications of Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

Paul G. Allen, 65, October 15, Seattle, California. American technological innovator, entrepreneur, philanthropist, pro football and basketball team owner. Co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, with Bill Gates [1975]. Gave away more than two billion dollars during his lifetime, and developed the city of Seattle into a tech-hub. Estimate net worth at time of death $U26 billion. Complications of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Ian Kiernan AO, 78, October 16, Sydney. Australian businessman, environmentalist, entrepreneur, Around-the-World and Sydney-Hobart yachtsman. Finished sixth BOC RTW solo race, and set Australian solo circumnavigation record [1986]. Best known for establishing "Clean Up Australia Day" [1989], and subsequently "Clean Up The World". Former Australian of the Year [1994]. Short cancer-related illness.

Todd Reid, 34, c.October 22, Sydney. Former Australian Davis Cup tennis player. Tennis prodigy at 14. Wimbledon junior champion [2002]. Career cruelled by injury, making three failed comebacks before retirement [2014]. Suicide.
Colin Sylvia, 32, October 28, Mildura, Victoria. Former Australian Rules footballer. Played 163 AFL games at Melbourne and Fremantle [2004-15]. Motor crash.

John Macris, 46, October 31, Athens. Australian gangster and Sydney under-world figure. Prominent Kings Cross identity until self-exiled to Greece in 2009 after having a "contract" taken out on him due to failed murder plot. Murdered. Gunned down outside own home.


† November †

Edward "Ted" Mack, 84, November 6, Sydney. Australian politician. Independent Mayor, two-time local State member and Federal MP for and permanent fixture in North Sydney [1980-96]. Known as "the father of the Independents". Always resigned elected office on principal just before being eligible for a generous pension. Contracted terminal brain cancer two years before death. Stroke.

Sisto Malaspina, 74, November 9, Melbourne. Melbourne restaurateur and city icon. Co-owner of Melbourne's original Italian café and pasta bar Pellegrini's [est.1954] for 44 years. Killed in random stabbing attack in Melbourne CBD while on regular afternoon walk. Murdered.

Bernard Mawen, c.76-78, November 16, Fly River region, Papua New Guinea. West Papuan freedom fighter. Co-founder [1965] Free Papua Movement (OPM). Southern region commander, OPM Revolutionary Army, until his death. The last original leader, known as "the grand old man", of armed resistance against Indonesian occupation of West Papua [1962]. Natural causes.

Nicolas Roeg CBE, 90, November 23, London. British cinematographer and film director. Best known for horror movie Don’t Look Now [1974], outback drama Walkabout [1971] and films starring David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Old age.

Benita Mabo AO, 76, November 26, Brisbane. Australian indigenous land rights activist. Malanbarra woman of part ni-Vanuatu decent. Wife of Eddie Mabo of Murray Island and bore ten children. Known as "the mother of native title". Long time advocate of Australian indigenous, Torres Strait and Pacific Islander education. Chronic illnesses.

Bernardo Bertolucci, 77, November 26, Rome. Italian Marxist film maker and screen writer. Best Director Academy Award and co-writer for The Last Emperor [1987]. Made 1960's political films before moving to Hollywood. Directed notorious initially banned feature film Last Tango in Paris [1972]. Honorary Palme d'Or. Spent last 15 years wheelchair bound after botched spinal operation. Long illness.

Stephen Hillenburg, 57, November 26, Los Angeles. American teacher, animator, television producer. Creator of cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants [1999]. Motor neurone disease.

John Johnston, 100, November 27, Adelaide. Australian businessman. Co-founder with Godfrey Cohen of Godfrey's vacuum cleaner retail chain, after opening first store in Melbourne in 1939. After twice selling the company, bought it back again five months before his death. Extreme old age.

George H.W Bush, 94, November 30, Houston, Texas. 41st President of the United States [1989-93], former US diplomat, Texas oil tycoon and WWII US Navy airman. Eight years vice-president under Ronald Reagan. Authorised First Iraq War [1990]. Presided over final years of the Cold War [1947-1991]. Son George W. Bush 43rd President of the United States. Husband of Barbara, who died in April aged 92. Parkinson's disease.


† December †

Paul Sherwen, 62, December 2, Kampala, Uganda. British professional cycling road racer, journalist, TV personality. Twice British road champion. Competed seven times as a domestique in Le Tour de France for five finishes, and commentated on the event for 33 years with co-commentator Phil Liggett following retirement. Cardiac arrest.

Vincent Greentree, 65, December 3, Sydney. Homeless Australian man. Lived on the streets of inner-city Woolloomooloo for 39 years. Local institution, teetotalling chain-smoker, well known for his small one-word graffiti written on walls with a felt pen. Pneumonia.

Pete Shelley, 63, December 6, Tallinn, Estonia. British musician, singer/songwriter. Leader of seminal punk band, Buzzcocks [1976-81], and one of the few punks to have a successful solo career. Cardiac arrest.

Penny Marshall, 75, December 17, Los Angeles. American film and television actor and director. First came to prominence with starring role in popular long running television sit-com Laverne & Shirley [1976–1983]. Later became first woman to direct Hollywood movie grossing more than $100M at the US box office, Big [1988]. Complications of diabetes.

Paddy Ashdown, The Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, CGMC, CH, KBE, 77, December 22, London. British soldier, spy, politician, diplomat, life peer. Former Royal Marine [1959-72], Secret Intelligence Service MI6 [1972-75], MP [1983-2018], Leader UK Liberal Democrats for 11 years [1988-89], High Representative Bosnia and Herzegovina [2002-06]. Bladder cancer.

John Marshall, 60, December 23, Sydney. Champion Australian jockey. Won 1999 Melbourne Cup on Rogan Josh at age 42. Chiefly known as a long-time stable rider for the legendary Bart Cummings. Won a Sydney jockey's premiership and rode more than 2,000 metropolitan winners. Pancreatic cancer.

Penny Cook, 61, December 26, Sydney. Australian television, stage and film actor. Best known for leading role in more than 1000 episodes of 1980's hit TV series, A Country Practice. Founded Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company [1979], and directed or played in more than 40 theatre productions, last appearing on stage several weeks before death. Short cancer-related illness.