Stories, poems and other projects by John Holton

That Shrinking Feeling

2011-10-14T11:42:00.007+11:00

By Lauren Mitchell (Bendigo Advertiser Sat Oct 8, 2011)

Little words go a long way for author John Holton.

Photo by Jim Aldersey, Bendigo Advertiser

Some of life’s most important things happen at the kitchen table; family meals, lazy Sunday breakfasts, publishing...

   For Bendigo author John Holton, the toast crumbs have been pushed aside for the time being for the production of his latest book, Cowness, a follow-up to The Little Book of Nowhere. Both titles are teeny tiny collections of John’s poetry, hand made with a needle, thread, and plenty of soul.
   Since John began writing in 1997, his short stories have appeared in every literary journal in the country, he has had more than 10 books published, and now he writes a weekly column, Between Here and Home which appears every Tuesday in the Bendigo Advertiser.
   John says although his latest books fit in the palm of his hand, he is as proud of them as any other achievement.
He says the shift from short stories and feature articles to poetry happened partly by accident.
   “A few years ago my stories magically began to shrink,” he says. I wrote a whole batch between 2005 and 2007 that, at their longest, were only around 400 words, but the shorter ones were as small as 80 to 150 words.
   “I started to question whether they were stories or not and how they might translate to poetic form. The Little Book of Nowhere has several poems that began life as stories. It was an interesting transformation from prose to lines and stanzas. Many became something else all together.”

   John says his little books are a conscious decision to move away from mainstream publishing to something unique and handmade.
   “It’s funny – when I started writing, almost 15 years ago, my aim was to see my books in bookstore windows – I wanted to be Tim Winton and Peter Carey rolled into one,” he laughs. “Somewhere along the road that all changed. When I wrote short stories, they were published widely – that was my measure of success back then. It’s been a different approach with poetry.
   “Those that have been published appeared in more unusual places.”
   For example, his poem Crescent Moon appears on an art billboard in the Long Gully Linear Park, while another, Stationery Shop Girl , is touring venues around Melbourne as part of the Moving Galleries exhibition.
   A whole batch of John’s poems have also been transformed into songs by Steve Lane for his band Steve Lane and the Autocrats. They appear on a recently released album titled The Romance of Communication.
   John says there’s something about hand making books that makes him feel very connected, both to the process and his readers.
   “ I often hear that people carry The Little Book of Nowhere around in their handbag,” he says.

“On a real estate writing job recently I walked into the kitchen of house and saw The Little Book of Nowhere stuck to the fridge with a magnet. It was an amazing feeling – strangely, better than seeing my books in a shop window. I’m lucky to have experienced both. “

   The most recent book, Cowness, is a collection of 27 new poems. The title came from a Billy Collins poem. Billy Collins was the poet laureate of the US from 2001 to 2003.
   “I hadn’t heard of him until the beginning of this year when my friend, poet and novelist Cate Kennedy, told me about a dream she’d had where she walked into a smoky bar and saw Billy and I drinking beers together and laughing,” John says.
   “When I read his work it was a real ‘ah ha’ moment. It was like a bit like – wow, this could be me writing this.
   “It’s not like you try to mimic another poet, but his writing gave me a reference point – a kind of context for my poetry. And like any discovery of new writing it kicked off a whole new trail of writers to explore.”
   Bendigo readers would do well to explore John’s work. The Little Book of Nowhere and Cowness can be found exclusively at bob boutique, 17 Williamson Street, Bendigo, or online at http://www.bob.net.au/

Those outside of Bendigo can contact John via email at john@burrenpublications.com

Cycling story - bendigo magazine

2011-03-25T12:30:00.004+11:00

The bendigo magazine continues to commission inspiring stories. Editor, Sarah Harris, knew this one was right up my alley. Along the way I met some passionate, obsessed, and downright zany bike nuts AND, as a bonus, got to pedal a few laps of the Tom Flood Sports Centre, home of the Bendigo Madison. This whopping eight-pager was beautifully photographed by David Field.

My first bike was a hand-me-down … from my sister.
It was mauve, and it had the name ‘Pam’ printed in script along the frame which my father had hastily disguised with a dash of white paint. There was no hiding the fact that it was a ‘girl’s bike’. I rode it to school once – only once.

The first serious relationship I had with a bike came a year or two later when Santa parked a brand-spanking-new Repco dragster beside the Christmas tree. It was metallic orange, with a slick, white-walled back tyre, a three-foot-high sissy bar and a t-bar gear shift leaver on the crossbar. It was my dream bike and I loved it.

Bikes get under your skin. For some people their relationship is purely born of necessity – getting from A to B. For others it’s the need for speed. Some are at their happiest when they and their bike are defying gravity or moving at high speed. And then there are the tinkerers, the collectors, and other obsessives for whom bikes are simply a way of life.

I bought my first serious bike at the age of sixteen with my first pay cheque. It was a 10-speed Apollo racer – also bright, metallic orange. It still is. I’ve had that bike for 30 years – rode it to the newsagent this morning to buy the Saturday papers. There have been other flings along the way – a $99 mountain bike from Cash Converters for negotiating those rough sections the O’Keefe Trail – a replica 1950s Cruiser bike I inherited from a generous friend; great for springtime jaunts or when my back’s playing up. But it’s my trusty 10-speed (these days18-speed) that I turn to most days. With its reassuringly wonky front wheel and heavy steel frame it’s definitely not built for speed. But when I cycle I’m in no hurry; there’s no wind-resistant lycra, or shoes with cleats. It’s just me, my bike and the world.

I hope I’m still turning the pedals of my trusty Apollo when I’m eighty. Hey, I might even have that wheel fixed by then.

Justin Harrick is someone who knows what it’s like to go a little nuts over bicycles. As a kid he was always around them, either riding out in the bush around East Bendigo, or at home in the shed tinkering. He still tinkers, it’s just that these days his tinkering is a little more sophisticated and the results a little more ingenious and artistic.

Six years ago he found a kindred spirit in his friend Dean Stanton. Like Justin, Deano has an appreciation for the potential of bikes – not just as a form of transport, but as an artform. Deano is a musician, visual artist and sculptor working in metal. Justin has been welding since the age of 16 and, as he puts it, “always loved making weird stuff out of metal.” Creatively they clicked, and the result is Starrick bikes.

To try and describe the early prototypes is not easy. But you could say they’ve raised the bar when it comes to bike construction.

“I’d talked to Deano about making some art bikes,” Justin recalls. “He was over in the US at the Burning Man arts event in Nevada, saw these big bikes, and was totally blown away by the idea.”

A crude way to describe the bikes would be to say they are two frames welded one on top of the other. But to make them comfortable to ride and safe to steer requires more than just welding skills.

“There’s a lot of trial and error,” Justin explains. “Finding bikes that fit well together – trying different configurations – the more we experiment the easier they’re becoming to ride.”

You might have seen Justin or Deano out on the road. You’ll certainly remember if you have. With bike names like Little Satan, and the Silver Trollop, you’d be right in thinking that Starrick Bikes is first and foremost about fun. For Justin, the main motivation is to make people happy.

“You get plenty of attention when you ride a bike that’s so ‘different’,” he says. “I love seeing the look on people’s faces. They invariably smile or laugh and that just makes you feel great.

“People pay thousands of dollars for new bikes these days, but there are bikes literally everywhere – at tips, recycling yards, rusting in people’s sheds. It feels good to give them a new lease of life and turn them into something unusual or beautiful.”

If the sight of a two-metre tall bike doesn’t turn your head, then you probably wouldn’t blink an eye at the sight of Kristen Rule pedalling through the central Victorian landscape with her cello and sound desk in tow.

The Unconventional Cellist, as she’s known in musical circles, has always been slightly avant-garde when it comes to her transport choices for touring. A couple of years ago she undertook a 20-week tour toting her cello on a motorbike with a solar trailer.

For the release of her most recent album The Slow Ride, Kristen has been touring again, this time by bicycle, assisted by a solar-powered, electric-assist trailer designed by her partner Andy. The 30-watt solar photovoltaic panel on the trailer stores electrical energy in two 12-volt batteries. Not only does it act as an electrical assist booster for riding between gigs, but it can also provide power for the street or bush gigs that Kristen regularly performs – sites where power in unavailable.

The huge panniers on Kristen’s Yuba Mundo bike are crafted from recycled canvas by Ron D Swan. Not only do they carry the usual camping gear and clothing, but also the mixing desk, microphones and a custom-built stage.

“I was delighted when I discovered the Yuba Mundo cargo bicycle,” Kristen recalls. “I’d been looking for a more environmentally sustainable form of transport that would enable me to keep performing as a cellist. Nothing beats a bicycle for efficiency.”

But with energy efficiency comes a very different sense of time and distance. With each leg of the tour, Kristen is discovering that “bike miles” definitely influence the way a person experiences the world around them.

“I’m learning to enjoy life in the slow lane,” Kristen says. “Taking my time, not getting too puffed, living in the moment. On the bike, every day is an adventure, difficult at times, but very enriching. I have time to think and reflect and so my creativity grows as a result. As a musician, that has to be a good thing.

“Through cycling, my awareness of energy and all things in life is increasing. I feel ever more connected to the beauty and wonder of nature. I feel alive.”

The slow lane is definitely not where you’ll fine BMX freestyler and self-confessed adrenaline junkie, Ash Slattery. For Ash, feeling alive means defying gravity. In cycling terms, there’s nothing quite like the relationship between a freestyler and his bike. When Ash is in full-flight, the bike is an extension of himself. But what goes through a person’s mind when they’re soaring metres above the ground?

“I’m already thinking about the next jump in front of me,” Ash says. “Sometimes you think, ‘am I going to make it over the gap’, but mostly it’s an awesome feeling, especially when it's over something big. For me it’s about how stylish it looks and how smoothly I land it.”

Ash was sixteen when he first tested his nerve with freestyling. As a kid he’d raced at the Bendigo BMX Club, just a stones throw from his now thriving BMX business in Eaglehawk’s High Street, but it was freestyling that eventually captured his imagination. It’s been under his skin ever since.

“It was a great time, back in the mid-nineties when my mates and I were first getting into it,” Ash remembers. “There were no skateparks in Bendigo, so we created our own. We made do with what was around us. I remember making ramps with my mates down by the railway line.”

These days Ash competes all around Australia, but admits the real motivation is “just getting out there and riding with your mates.”

“It’s definitely about being part of a bigger culture,” Ash says. “That was the main reason I opened my BMX business. For most of us it’s a total lifestyle, right down to what we choose to do for a living. I know a bunch of young guys who became bakers just so they could finish their day’s work by lunchtime and have the rest of the day to ride. In summer, I can be out of the store by six and still have three hours of daylight to ride.”

For Ash, BMX is very much about connections. On a 2010 trip to Salt Lake City, he met one of his idols, pro-rider, Matt Beringer.

“We got in contact with him and he was like, ‘Yeah, come and visit’. That’s what the culture is like. And when you meet a pro like Beringer, it makes you feels like you’re a kid again.”

Ash isn’t the only one who feels that strong connection to childhood through riding. If the whoops and laughter coming from the Norwood Hill Netball Courts in Castlemaine on a Sunday arvo are anything to go by, there are blokes everywhere getting a buzz from throwing their bikes into a spin.

But these guys aren’t freestylers – they’re playing “bike polo”.

To the uninitiated, it looks as crazy as it sounds, but this game has been around for more than a century and was even a demonstration sport at the 1908 London Olympics. It’s been in Australia for around three years, and is being played on basketball courts, carparks and other available surfaces all around the country.

It’s fast and furious action, so it’s no surprise to hear the Castlemaine combatants referring to each other by their polo tags; Mr Dangerous…The Gardener…MacGyver…The Toastrider and the unforgettable Irondog, with his spiked leather helmet…just to name a few.

The bikes come in every shape and size, from regular mountain bikes, to hybrid BMXs and custom-made classics suited to the individual rider. (MacGyver’s bike, for example, has the right side of handlebars removed to allow more space for swinging the mallet.) Players wield a mallet usually made from an aluminium ski-pole with good old poly-pipe for the head.

The rules are uncomplicated. There are three players per side and a goal can only be scored by hitting the ball with the narrow end of the mallet. If a player’s foot touches the ground they must "tap out" by riding to mid-court and hitting a designated area with their mallet.

When your team scores a goal, you wait back in your end of the court for the other team (player or ball, whichever comes first) to cross halfway before engaging in play again.

There are three simple contact rules: body on body, bike on bike and mallet on mallet. Etiquette demands that you only play others as hard as they play you.

There is great camaraderie between the Castlemaine players. As MacGyver explains during a rare break in play, “It’s a very democratic group. We’re just a bunch of middle-age blokes with kids who like to get out and have a bit of fun.”

He also tells me that at last year’s Nationals in Melbourne, these unassuming blokes from Castlemaine came fourth out of 18 teams. Not bad for a bunch of dads from the bush who play every second Sunday!

Tony Russell greets me at the door of his workshop with a wheel in one hand and bike grease under his fingernails. A self-confessed “bike nut”, he has cycling in his blood.

“I guess you could say I lived and breathed bikes from day one,” Tony says. “My father raced bikes fanatically, and then had four different bicycle shops on the Mornington Peninsula with his own brand name ‘Ramon’. Dad had me fixing bikes from an early age and I worked full-time in the bike shop for 14 years.”

Tony raced bicycles at junior level, then competed in triathlons until the age of 18. But then cars entered his life - Italian cars to be precise. At 22 he completed his motor mechanic apprenticeship with Alfa Romeo and Fiat and the next 12 years disappeared in a haze of exhaust fumes. It was a few years later, when Tony was working as a roadside patrolman for the RACV, that his “love/hate” relationship with cars came to its inevitable conclusion.

“I was the RACV man who would tell people to sell their car and ride a bike instead…clearly my days were numbered.”

As a thirty-something, living in Fryerstown, Tony developed a business selling pedal-powered fruit juice and smoothies at markets and festivals. Regular visitors to the Wesley Hill Market in Castlemaine will recognise Tony from his weekly stall over the past seven years. In many ways, Juice Bikes was the beginning of his personal bicycle renaissance and led to his latest venture, The Bicycle Garden.

“It’s about putting family and lifestyle first,” Tony says, “and keeping things local. We hope people would rather buy a beautiful restored or custom-built bike than a cheap new bike manufactured in China.”

For Tony it’s also about offering something “outside the box”; bike trailers, electric bikes, heavy duty trikes for kids, and purpose-built bikes like his Little and Big Bicycle (pictured).

“The Little Big Bike is a lot more stable than a 'tag-along', and much lighter than a regular bike and tag-along combined. It looks fantastic, and is great fun to ride.”

The kids and (in the case of Tony’s rig) the dog are seated at the front, so the rider can keep an eye on everyone’s safety. And, as Tony points out, “the bike has quite a presence on the road, so drivers tend to take notice and give you a wide birth.”

Tony’s approach to cycling is very much a holistic one; inseparable from his sense of family and community. Bikes and cycling is how he connects. There are many examples in our short conversation, but the one that has stayed with me is an image of a recent funeral for a local artist; Tony’s four-wheel trailer carrying the coffin, towed by a tandem bicycle on its 15km journey from the Castlemaine Art Gallery to the Chewton Cemetery. I can’t imagine a better way to make my final journey.

Back by popular demand

2010-11-22T11:45:00.001+11:00

The Little Book of Nowhere is a collection of 34 original poems.
Written, edited and published amongst the toast crumbs and tea stains of the author's kitchen table, this is a 'shifting' collection of poetry. Every book is an edition of one. Small enough to slip into a shirt pocket or handbag, The Little Book of Nowhere is accessible poetry 'to go'.

The Little Book of Nowhere: 36 pages, paperback with hand-stitched binding , 105 x 80mm

To find out how you can order your signed copy, email the author.

Moving galleries

2010-11-18T16:59:00.004+11:00

After many years of trying, I'm excited to announce that I've had a poem published by Moving Galleries. Stationery Shop Girl will be coming to soon to train carriage near you...if you live in Melbourne, Australia. I'm hoping it'll get a run on the Broadmeadows line - my old stomping ground. Here's a sneak preview (well, actually it's the poem in its entirety):

Stationery Shop Girl

after they made love
(instead of smoking a cigarette)
she would whisper sweet nothings about stationery
like how the average pencil could draw a line
35 miles long
he didn't know whether to move to the next town
or write "I love you' in pencil
25,000 times

© John Holton 2010

bendigo magazine features No Fear Circus

2010-11-17T13:50:00.001+11:00

I love writing for bendigo magazine as it allows me to share in so many inspiring local stories. For the Spring 2010 edition I met the young performers from Bendigo's own No Fear Circus. You can read the article in full below...

Remember the excitement we all felt as kids when the circus came to town? Well, Bendigo no longer has to wait in anticipation. There is a circus in town, and it’s starting to make a name for itself with its stunning performances and exquisite skills. And the most amazing part? There’s no one in this troupe over the age of 18.

It’s five pm on a Friday afternoon and the hallways of Bendigo South East Secondary College (BSE) are all but deserted. But venture a little further – past the cleaners with their floor polishers and the odd teacher making a getaway at the end of the working week – and you might hear the strains of music and laughter coming from the school assembly hall.

It’s not where you’d expect to find a group of teenagers on a Friday afternoon with the weekend beckoning. But this is no ordinary gathering; it's a regular rehearsal of Bendigo’s own No Fear Circus, a troupe of young performers who have been impressing with their unique skills and spectacular performances for the past two years.

What began as an initiative by a small group of circus-obsessed students from BSE and one committed mother, has grown into a Bendigo-wide circus program, fostering initiative, building a vast range of skills, and encouraging young performers to take control of their own creative destiny.

Judy Hall, who co-ordinates what she describes as “the organised chaos” that is the No Fear Circus, stresses that it is an entirely youth-run initiative, with the young troupe driving the process from the creation of routines to the final performance.

“My role is simply to co-ordinate,” Judy explains. “To keep the performers on track. But all the creativity comes from the young people themselves. They’re a very self-motivated bunch.”

The range of skills on display is something to behold. Among this small troupe of about 20 performers are acrobats, contortionists, unicyclists, aerialists, jugglers, illusionists and clowns. But what sets this circus apart is that the cast also play their own music, with instruments including violin, guitar, flute, cello and ukulele. And, as if that’s not enough, they sing and dance too, making them a versatile ‘showbiz’ outfit.

“We perform everywhere from local kindergartens to festivals and parties,” says 15-year-old juggler, Chris. “The kindergarten gigs are always great. The kinder kids just love to be entertained and appreciate everything we do. There are always lots of oohhs and aahhs. One kinder even sent us drawings the kids had done of us, which was pretty special.”

Acrobat and unicyclist, Chloe remembers last year’s Kids Character Carnival in Rosalind Park as a stand-out performance.

“We came on to perform straight after Dorothy the Dinosaur and Captain Feathersword, so there was a huge crowd of completely overexcited kids. It was a very responsive audience. We had great feedback too. Lots of people said we upstaged Dorothy.”

Even in the rehearsal room, the passion for performance shines through. But it’s clearly not about the accolades; rather a genuine desire to improve their skills and, even more obviously, to enjoy each other’s company. There is painstaking attention to detail behind even the most straightforward routines, but plenty of laughter as well.

Contortionist and acrobat, Lauren, one of the oldest members of the troupe, agrees. “I especially love acrobatics because of the amount of trust you have to have in the other performers. You can’t help but become really good friends in situations like that. I also love the challenge it provides and that there are always other people enjoying it with me.”

Developing new routines is an ongoing process for the No Fear Circus. But ideas are never hard to come by when you’ve got up to 20 young people already passionate about circus, theatre, comedy, music and dance.

As contortionist, acrobat and one of the founders of No Fear Circus, Nina, says, “We come up with some of our best ideas just by mucking around, then realising that what we've been doing is actually really good. The good thing about circus is that it doesn’t have to be completely ‘right’ all the time. Often the mistakes end up becoming the best part of the act.”

And there have been some memorable ones. Most often they involve one performer dropping another, but one ‘blooper’ that came up time and time again in our conversations featured acrobat and part-time illusionist, Philip, at a BSE circus showcase. Chloe explains:

“Philip had planned this spectacular exit where he ran across the tops of the flip-up seats, through the actual audience. It worked fine in rehearsal, but on the night itself he slipped on top of the first row and went head over heels into the audience. The whole thing was captured on video, too. It might have been an accident, but it was a hilarious finale to the performance!”

Judy Hall has overseen the development of the circus for the past three years and sees it as a vital program for the region, not only in providing an environment where young people can foster their performance skills and channel their creative energies, but also as a platform for social acceptance and the breaking down of stereotypes.

“The great thing about circus is that it’s a performance art that celebrates what’s quirky and unique in an individual,” Judy says. “Society is so homogenous these days – to the point where it often excludes people for being themselves. No Fear Circus tries to be the opposite of that. To see young people develop their natural leadership skills and genuinely care for one another is fantastic.

“These performers work incredibly hard behind the scenes. Admittedly, sometimes rehearsal can be a bit like Alice In Wonderland – trying to play croquet with moving hoops – but the fact that it always comes together in the end is a huge credit to the group.”

And the hard work is definitely paying off, with a string of performances already booked for the remainder of 2010, and plans to take parts of the show to the streets of Bendigo as busking performances, this town’s best kept secret won’t remain a secret for much longer.

Those interested in joining the No Fear Circus or booking them for a performance should call Judy Hall on 03 5443-8951. No gig is too big or too small.

Stories of the Bendigo Winegrowers

2010-06-16T10:10:00.001+10:00

The great joy of being a freelance writer is the unexpected places it can take you. Every day brings new surprises and challenges, new people to meet, new stories to tell. My latest project, for the Bendigo Winegrowers Association, brought all of these things and more.

When Lauren Mitchell and I embarked on the journey of exploring the Bendigo wine region and telling its many and varied stories, our intent was a seemingly simple one – to unearth the essence of the Bendigo winegrowers; to search out the stories beyond the cellar door and delve into a rich heritage that continues to produce some of the finest red wine in the country.
Over a period of six weeks, in the lead up to the 2010 harvest, Lauren and I travelled the region – from Yandoit in the south to Kingower in the north – interviewing winegrowers at kitchen tables, cellar doors, on the backs of tractors and utes, along the rows with a pair of snips in hand, or among the oak barrels in wineries. Our notebooks often rested on a convenient gate post or car bonnet – I even came back from one job with a particularly memorable quote scrawled on my wrist. Like the winegrowers themselves, it was often a case of rolling up our sleeves and embracing the moment.

The result is Mixed Cases - Stories of the Bendigo Winegrowers, a book rich in story and featuring the incredible photography of Bendigo's Kate Monotti and Anthony Webster. The stunning production and design is by Jacqui Lynch from Preloaded Design.

It was such a pleasure to collaborate with Lauren Mitchell on this project. Lauren and I began our journeys as writers in the same short story class some 14 years ago and our professional writing paths continued to cross over the ensuing years. When the chance came to tender for a major book project together we both jumped at the chance. I have a feeling it won't be the last.

So, what is that essence we sought to unearth in the book? Both of us agree, it’s a hard thing to pin down. But we came to the same conclusion many times during the project – there’s a lot of love goes into Bendigo wines. And I know the stories all reflect that sense of commitment to people and place.

Mixed Cases was released on 17 June 2010, and is available for purchase at Bendigo Tourism and cellar doors across the region.

John Holton and Steve Lane - Songwriting collaboration

2010-03-30T21:37:00.002+11:00

In 2008 I began a songwriting collaboration with renowned Bendigo musician, producer and engineer, Steve Lane. For the past couple of years we have written songs that reflect the conflicted nature of everyday life – songs of memory and longing – songs that explore the aha moments as well as the lingering melancholy.

Those songs are now being well-received by live audiences as Steve Lane and the Autocrats play their first gigs and work towards the release of their debut album, Ghost Trains, in mid 2010.

The Autocrats features Steve's co-conspirator Jimmy Williams (Paul Kelly and the Dots/The Shedshakers) and his soulful guitar and piano playing; longtime buddy and rhythmic axeman Pete Slater (Dalriada); the metrical and distinctive Earl of Bass, Edmondo Amendola (Augie March); and the refined and gentlemanly purveyor of beats, Mr Dave Williams (Augie March).

A limited edition demo CD is currently available for $10 and you can check out music videos and lyrics by clicking on these links. What a thrill it is to hear my words interpreted by such a talented bunch of musos. I'll keep you posted on the progress of the album.

Colour the Gully

2010-03-21T14:53:00.007+11:00

Crescent Moon

A hammock slung
between Venus and Mars
leaves you plenty of
space to dream.

Colour the Gully is a community arts project in response to the Black Saturday fires in Bendigo. It’s aim, as the name suggests, is to bring colour back into what was a grey and ravaged post-bushfire landscape.

The project began in November 2009 and is facilitated by Ben Winspear, a professional artist based in Bendigo who has worked extensively with community arts programs particularly in local primary schools.

It consists of 30 wooden panels, designed and constructed by members of the Long Gully and broader Bendigo community. Each panel reflects a person's impression of the area or their response to the fires. Many thanks to Ben for the beautiful design he applied to my poem, Crescent Moon. I'm honoured to be part of the project.

Raining Embers

2010-03-10T13:10:00.013+11:00

Bendigo's Black Saturday Experience

Compiled & Edited by John Holton, Designed by Jacqui Lynch

On 7 February 2009, Bendigo experienced its worst natural disaster when the Black Saturday bushfires tore a path of destruction through the municipality. As news broke of fires erupting across Victoria, few Bendigo residents could have imagined their own homes and lives would be at risk. The Bracewell Street fire, which started on the forested north-west edge of the city, swept quickly and with little warning into urban areas, taking one life, destroying 58 homes, countless sheds, outbuildings, cars, boats and caravans, and burning through 354 hectares.

The process of collecting the stories for Raining Embers has been a humbling and life-changing one for me. Over a period of three months I interviewed almost 60 people who were directly affected by the events of Black Saturday, but also had dozens of conversations with members of the wider Bendigo community. It seemed everyone had a story to tell about their experience of the day, whether they lived within the fire zone or on the opposite side of town. A catastrophic event of such magnitude leaves a lasting impression on all of us.

Raining Embers tells the stories of that fateful day – the days, weeks and months that followed – and the long road to recovery for a proud yet devastated community. These are the voices of the people who experienced Black Saturday in Bendigo.

Raining Embers is available from Dymocks or Collins Booksellers in Bendigo. Or you can send a cheque or money order for $30 to Burren Publications, PO Box 464, Strathfieldsaye, VIC 3551 and I'll mail you a signed copy.

Coach the Coach Manual

2010-03-10T12:44:00.008+11:00

Written & Edited by John Holton, Designed by Jacqui Lynch

I was honoured to be involved in the publication of the Coach the Coach manual as the writer and editor.

Coach the Coach was the brainchild of staff at FamilyCare in Shepparton, Victoria. It's aim is to address the high levels of suicide in rural communities by taking mental health first aid (MHFA) to country football and netball leagues. Coach the Coach provides MHFA training to influential members of established sporting clubs such as coaches, club officials, trainers and others.

By recognising the early signs and symptoms of mental ill-health, individuals are more likely to receive the support and advice they require and can be referred to the appropriate service or mental health professional. The program is evaluated by the University of Melbourne and, to date, has been rolled out over seven different sporting leagues. The bottom line is - it works!

To find out more about Coach the Coach and how instigate the program in your region, contact beyond blue on 1300 22 4636 or visit www.beyondblue.org.au

Home

2010-03-09T17:10:00.001+11:00

(for Twigs)

When spring arrives

all hope and feathers

suitcase spilling

warm breeze and blossom scent

we build our nests

stick by stick

in the thickest bramble

or tallest tree

weaving bracken

and stories sung

by our mothers' mothers

and fathers' fathers

all our feathered ancestors

darting through time

twig-hopping

to the same destination

home.

Hello

2010-03-09T16:31:00.003+11:00

His suitcase sat

packed

behind the front door

it came as a shock

that everything he valued

could fit within its

cardboard confines

she arrived home

on time

as always

a peck on the cheek

hello, he lied.

Word of moth

2010-03-01T16:37:00.000+11:00

In the marketing report
someone had written

key marketing strategy
goodwill
– word of moth

and though I knew
it was a typo
I wept
to think of moths

whispering kind words
into the ears of
strangers.

Surfacing

2010-03-01T15:40:00.001+11:00

(for Cath)

I will breathe for
you if you will breathe
for me

and we will be like scuba
divers in a sea
of false idols and broken
promises

if you will bring the flippers
I will bring the snorkel.

The hairdresser’s confession

2010-03-01T13:33:00.000+11:00

The hairdresser shaved the
back of my neck
and told me her recipe for
chicken vol au vents

it was the strangest thing

like nazis were
waiting for her in the carpark
and the future of
chicken vol au vents was in jeopardy

I didn’t need that sort of
responsibility

just a trim.

Best Australian Stories 2007

2007-11-08T12:23:00.001+11:00

What a thrill it is to be included in The Best Australian Stories 2007, alongside some of this country's most accomplished short story writers: Cate Kennedy, Paddy O'Reilly, Frank Moorhouse, Peter Goldsworthy ... just to name a few.

It's particularly satisfying for me to see that a micro-story (only 470 words) can match it with more traditionally structured stoires. Anyway, I'll let you make up your own mind. Here is Hemingway's Elephants:

Hemingway's Elephants

I suppose I should have been more shocked to meet Ernest Hemingway on the Broadmeadows train — not least because he blew his brains out in 1961 — three years before I was even born — when Broadmeadows was just paddocks of Scotch thistles. You could tell he was embarrassed to see someone reading Men Without Women. This was 1988 — sixty years after its publication. It was published the same year my father was born on a kitchen table in Coburg. It reads like it was written yesterday.

‘I’m reading the elephant one,’ I said to Hemingway. ‘Do you remember the elephant one? We all read it at school. I bet you never dreamed they’d be reading it in schools after you were dead.’

Hemingway looked confused for a moment and then said, ‘Hills Like White Elephants?’ His voice was much higher than I’d imagined, but that could be a symptom of death.

‘Yes that’s the one. I’ve always liked stories about elephants. I especially like Kipling — The Jungle Book. There were several elephants in that one.’

‘I shot an elephant once,’ Hemingway said with a certain pride. ‘But it’s not really about elephants.’

‘But, it says here about the colour of their skin through the trees.’

‘Yes, but she’s talking about the hills. It’s about relationships. Not elephants.’

‘But hills don’t have skin,’ I said dubiously. ‘Why mention the skin if it’s not about elephants?’

‘Because it’s suggestive of elephants,’ Hemingway said. ‘It’s symbolic, don’t you see?’

‘Well, why mention elephants at all then? It seems a little strange — if they’re not real. Aren’t you just disappointing all the people who like to read about elephants?’

‘Quite,’ was all that Hemingway said.

‘Quite, indeed!’

It was quiet for a moment, apart from the rhythmic clickety clack of the train. Hemingway looked at his watch and scratched nervously at his beard. ‘What about The Killers?’ I asked, not letting him off the hook. After all, this elephant fraud was a man who’d won a Nobel prize for literature.

‘What about The Killers?’ Hemingway said, sounding agitated.

‘Well, is it about real killers? It seems to be more about sandwiches. Are the sandwiches the killers? I mean are they symbolic?’

‘What sandwiches? Hemingway was being downright aggressive now.

‘He orders sandwiches. You wrote it — how can you forget the sandwiches? Are they like the elephants? Are they just symbolic sandwiches — is that what you’re saying?’

Hemingway was wiping his brow with a handkerchief as the train pulled into North Melbourne station. He was out of the door in a flash — swept up by the rush hour crowd — his camouflage hunting jacket fading into the jungle of commuters.

I didn’t see Hemingway on the Broadmeadows train again. I looked for him everyday, though. I had some serious questions about the opening page of A Farewell To Arms.