It's All Happening!!!!

When I was a child, growing up with three older brothers in Queensland in the 1960s and early 1970s, summer was cricket on the telly. By the time I was nine years old, I was utterly proficient in the precise art of pouring beer, lighting my second brother's stinking cigars and watching the cricket.

Cricket in the early seventies meant the Chappells, Lillie, Marsh, Thomson and Doug Walters, who usually started his innings with a beer and a cigarette. Bill Lawry's cricket career was in its twilight. Which really was unimportant to me as it was his later status as a legendary commentator that mattered to me.

Phrases such as "GOT 'IM, YES!" and "IT'S ALL HAPPENING HERE...at the MCG, SCG, Gabba, WACA or Adelaide Oval" were two of his signature comments. Along with Richie Benaud, Tony Greig and some notable others, their commentary, over six hours a day during a five-day Test, brought both much laughter and agonised groans from the listeners.

Some of my favourite quotes by the great Bill Lawry include -

 It's all happening here, the tension, the drama, the buzz, the atmosphere.

 I love him, I want to boof him. Get him up here.

Got him! Yes.. Piss Off. He’s Out.

Canary yellow? That's Australian gold my friend and don't you f*ckin’ forget it! Canary yellow indeed...



Now I know that some of these exclamations were a tad colourful, but this was the absolute Golden Age of commentators and boy, did they get excited. However, they were rarely biassed in their appreciation of really good cricketers. Eddie McGuire should take note...

Which leads me, somehow, to the actual content of this post. I was reminded of Bill Lawry's famous cry of "It's all happening here" in the East End Gallery today. One of our artists, Jennie Couper,  brought two new paintings - one pastel and one watercolour - into the Gallery for us to hang. This resulted in a reasonably major rewrite (again) of the catalogue and Michael's skills to hang the paintings straight. 

In between were special visitors - three students and a teacher from Beverley District High School. Kaitlin, Ethan and Brandon were well behaved, animated and eager to see the Gallery and choose their favourite picture. They all trooped out to see Michael working and admired his new sculpture - "Starbirth" - still in progress.

Guests kept dropping in. The afternoon passed very pleasantly with insane bursts of frantic activity followed by tranquil periods of nothing much - rather like a Test Match of cricket.

I'll leave that thought with you...

Bill Lawry in full flight...

A marvellous commentary team...

Test cricket at its best.

Meanwhile at Beverley DHS...

there is fun in the classroom...

and a school that works together, with the students, teachers and in the community.