It is now nine months since my paesano and Footscray stalwart Charlie Morabito died. His pizzeria in Droop Street near the Ballarat Road corner has been a Footscray institution since 1974 and I was worried that it was going to close forever. Good news! One branch of the family has taken over management of it …
Author Archives: Ernest Zanatta
The Catering Test – A Hidden Sign Of Economic Downturn
I suppose, as Honorary Secretary of a small Italian group, I probably count as an Italian community leader. Yeah maybe. Sort of. Last year that community involvement bore some fruits. I got an invite to a gala dinner organised by the Italian Embassy. I also had a pass to the VIP section of the Italian …
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Vale Ace Frehley
I’m actually not objective about the significance of Kiss as a part of rock history. I’m not sure whether their impact is that of a true super group, or whether they were just a niche band with a large and loyal fanbase. That’s because they have a large foothold on my childhood memories. Just like …
At the Treasury Wine Estate AGM
As is now my custom, I attended the Treasury Wine Estate AGM on Thursday. This time I planned in advance – a friend got a proxy from his wife to attend and two other friends who are not shareholders simply bluffed their way in. Even though the share price has crashed in recent days, the …
Why Does The Treasury Wine Estate Share Price Remind Me Of A Tom Petty Song Today?
I just checked my share portfolio on the Commsec app and am reminded that my decision to liquidate most of my Treasury Wine Estate shares two and a half months ago was an unintentionally astute move (unlike most of my share purchase and sale decisions). You see, this morning Treasury did a revised earnings guidance …
Australian Rules Football Enters A Golden Age In Queensland
In March 2005, I decided to take a two week holiday and travel around various parts of Northern Australia I had not yet visited: Ayers Rock (my heart skipped a beat when I first saw it from the plane), Alice Springs, Darwin, Townsville and Cairns. I ended the holiday with a few days in Brisbane, …
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Aliens Are Amongst Us In Avondale Heights….
Apparently mental illness is quite common, affecting one in five people per annum. I’m not sure quite how serious such illnesses are, and how many suffer in a way that causes them to lose their grip on reality. Nor can we always tell between delusions based on mental illness or on something else, such as …
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The Death Of Charlie Kirk – Some Reflections
Some 30 years ago I had a boss who was fond of quoting the poetry of John Donne, the first of the English metaphysical poets from Jacobean times. More specifically, she liked to make speeches where she quoted solemnly from No Man Is An Island, which is an important passage in English literature: No man …
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Jeff Babb – An Elegy For A Writer
My friend Jeff Babb died this morning. I will miss him. It is hard to accept that only three weeks ago, we met up for coffee and cake at a café in Keilor Road near his home. How does one measure the worth of a man? In the life that he lived and the people that he …
Council Rates Rise Again
In the past couple of weeks council rates have arrived in our letterboxes. This is, in my extended family, always a source of annoyance. Local councillors are rarely seen except when kissing babies at election time – I only met my local councillor when, during the Federal Election, she was door knocking on behalf of …
Lost For Words! 