The fresh moves people: Woolworths worker and Sikh security guard form an unlikely bond and go viral online with their bizarre TikTok dances

• Dance duo Jorja Crisp and Gursher Singh Heer have become TikTok sensations  
• The seven videos since April have gone viral racking up thousands of views each 
• One shows, Miss Crisp dancing to a pop song, then Mr Heer to a Punjabi song 
• Fans praised the friendship for demonstrating Australia’s multiculturalism 

By Tita Smith For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 20:49 EDT, 13 May 2020 | Updated: 20:54 EDT, 13 May 2020

Article by Kyriakos and Ally 

The Eurovision Song Contest has captivated Australian viewers since its first local broadcast on Australia’s national multilingual and multicultural broadcaster SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) back in 1983. 

Over the decades this transcended into an obsessive love for the Contest, and Australian’s had become accustomed to the BBC’s commentary by Sir Terry Wogan.

But after 18 years, from 1983 to 2000, it was time to break away from the British (and Wogan’s) perspective of the Contest and make room for a fresh approach with an Aussie flavour to the Eurovision commentary broadcast in Australia. 

2001 – Effie Stephanides 

Australia’s first local commentator was Effie Stephanides, a comedic character portrayed by Mary Coustas. She depicted a stereotypical second generation Greek Australian and came to fame from the Australian sitcom ‘Acropolis Now’ which ran on the Seven Network from 1989 to 1992. The show earned Mary Coustas a Logie Award for ‘Most Popular Comedy Personality’ in 1993. 

Effie made a return to the Australian television screens in 2001 where she hosted a satirical series called ‘Effie: Just Quietly’, a show where Effie plunges into everyday Australian life, and of course was bestowed the honoured as the Australian commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. 

SBS attempted a different approach to their Eurovision Song Contest 2001 broadcast overhauling the production. Effie as host and commentator was to give the show an ethnic flavour with comedic relief. The Contest was edited removing the postcards, Eurovision hosts and interval acts. Instead SBS produced the show in a studio with an audience. 

The show included segments where “prominent multicultural Australians introduced songs from countries of their own background” performances by queer cabaret performer Paul Capsis, who performed several Eurovision classics, and a panel of Australians discussing the entries. (Carniel 2018, p.36)  

Audience participation was also encouraged, viewers could call or email and nominate things like best song, best/worst costume, best/ worst dance routine etc. (Carniel 2018) 

Unfortunately the Australian audience didn’t quite warm to this approach and SBS ended up broadcasting the full Eurovision Song Contest 2001 unedited two weeks later. 

This experiment had not worked out as SBS had hoped and Sir Terry Wogan’s BBC commentary returned in 2002. 

2003 – 2004 

Des Mangan

For those not familiar with SBS, the broadcaster is known for their showing of foreign films and documentaries and along with that was the ‘Cult Movie’ show presented by Des Mangan. In 2003 SBS took a different approach and appointed Mangan as the Australian Eurovision commentator. 

He stressed the importance of Australia having a voice for it’s Eurovision broadcast since Australia’s love for Eurovision grew. It was time for Australia to distance itself from Wogan’s heavy British references and comments and give itself it’s own identity. (Mangan 2004)

Over the two years Mangan was commentator, the broadcast included preview shows with comments from famous Australians. 

At the 2004 Contest Mangan was a guest on the BBC’s ESC2004 preview show, which was hosted by Lorraine Kelly and Paddy O’Connell, accompanied by Eurovision 1992 winner Linda Martin. In the show, which you can watch below, O’Connell summed it up best, describing Mangan as “Australia’s Terry Wogan” demonstrating the approach SBS had taken. 

That year Mangan ended up publishing a history book about Eurovision called ‘This is Sweden Calling’. It’s rather insightful and a must have for any Eurovision nerd.

As much as the broadcaster’s second attempt at having an Australian commentator received good reviews, the Australian audience still hadn’t quite moved on from Wogan. It was understandable, Australians had become accustomed with Wogan on the Australian television screen.

The BBC Eurovision commentary would make its return for a second time on SBS in 2005 up until Wogan’s retirement in 2008. 

Sir Terry Wogan’s departure in 2008 allowed Australian Eurovision fans to accept that Wogan’s tenure had come to an end and the time was right for SBS to wipe the slate clean and allow a smooth transition to new commentators. 

2009 – 2016Julia Zemiro & Sam Pang 

We first got to see Julia Zemiro “overWHELMED” with excitement over the Eurovision Song Contest when she introduced us to the 2008 Contest before the BBC broadcast. The SBS broadcast also included inserts of Julia during the breaks with quick commentary and flag waving. It’s rather iconic, you can check out the opening here. 

With the departure of Wogan after the 2008 Contest, Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang stepped up and took their spot, travelling to Moscow to cover the 2009 Contest live on the ground and give us an Australian perspective we so needed. 

Zemiro had been working on the TV show ‘Rockwiz’, and had a genuine passion and huge knowledge about Eurovision. She also took part in many Eurovision stage productions which include ‘Eurovision: The Musical’ in 2003, ‘Euromax 7: The Musical’ in 2004, ‘Eurobeat: Almost Eurovision’ in 2006. (Carniel 2018, p.39)  

Pang on the other hand knew little about Eurovision, but had impressed viewers as the host of a history quiz show on SBS called ‘ADbc’. It was a history quiz show which had teams of academics and comedians compete, even Zemiro had featured.  (Carniel 2018, p.39) 

Over 2009 to 2011 Zemiro and Pang gained backstage access to the Eurovision Song Contest giving Australians backstage footage and showcasing interviews with artists. This gave Australia a strong presence in the Contest and viewership of the Contest grew in Australia. This led to SBS being given a commentator’s box in the 2012 Contest at Baku. (Carniel 2018, p.38) 

The commentators’ chemistry just worked along with their humour which they weaved into their dialogue. The Australian audience yearned for more and in 2012  SBS joined forces with their production partner BlinkTV to produce ‘The Road to Eurovision’ where we got to see Zemiro travel around Europe interviewing past and present contestants as she made her way to Baku. (Carniel 2018, p.38)  

Australia’s presence was definitely felt! At the semi final of the 2013 Contest Australia was offered to broadcast a ‘Greetings from Australia’ segment, hosted by Zemiro, celebrating 30 years of SBS broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest in Australia.

In 2014 Australia got the privilege of having a delegation and being the interval act in the semi final 2 in the 2014 Contest. Jessica Mauboy made history and performed ‘Sea of Flags’ to a huge reception and became the first Australian to perform on the Eurovision stage representing Australia. 

Mauboy’s performance along with Australia’s commentary and production of the Contest on SBS made an impression and Australia was invited in a one off, to perform and compete in the 2015 Contest. Zemiro and Pang broke the news to us all. 

After the 2016 Contest, Australian Eurovision fans received the shock announcement that Zemiro and Pang were no longer going to be the Australian commentators. The official reason they both gave for leaving was clashes with their other work (for Zemiro it was in TV and film while Pang also worked in radio), but Julia has admitted the inclusion of Australia changed her perspective on the Contest. (Carniel 2018, p.39) 

2017 – Present Myf Warhurst & Joel Creasey

After the shock departure of Zemiro and Pang, TV personality and radio presenter Myf Warhurst and comedian Joel Creasey took the reigns as the Australian commentators for the Eurovision Song Contest at SBS making their debut for the 2017 Contest in Kyiv.

Warhurst, a radio announcer and television personality, is well known for her work as radio presenter at Triple J (a government funded national Australia radio station that plays predominantly alternative and indie music) , and on the popular long running music-themed quiz show ‘Spicks and Specks’ which was hosted by Adam Hills. Before taking over the commentary role, Warhusrt was actually a member of the Australian jury at the 2016 contest. Fun fact – like three of her fellow jurors, she ranked Belgium in 1st place. 

Creasey is an Australian stand up comedian, actor and television presenter and is a regular at comedy festivals across Australia and even internationally. He has appeared in the Australian soap opera ‘Neighbours’ and even hosted the dating game show ‘Take Me Out’. His witty comedic personality has been labelled as Australia’s ‘Acid Tongue Prince’. 

One of the most memorable moments of the pair commentating came in the 2018 Contest, when after a stage invader invaded the stage during SuRie’s performance, Joel called the stage invader a “cockhead”. The comment even drew praise from author J.K Rowling, who said “Apparently the Australian commentator called SuRie’s stage invader ‘some absolute cockhead’ and I don’t want to hear another word about Australia being in Eurovision ever again.”

Warhust and Creasey have had the honour in hosting Australia’s first Eurovision national final, ‘Eurovision: Australia Decides 2019’. In an epic production where Kate Miller-Heidke was crowned the champion to represent Australia at Tel Aviv. 

Some of the most memorable moments from the pair at the Australian national finals have been the costumes that both Myf and Joel have worn during the show. Who could forget when Joel came out in Dami Im’s ‘Sound of Silence’ dress during the 2019 show, or the bling covered Australian Olympic team style tracksuits both hosts wore at the beginning of the 2020 show!

Don’t forget to catch them on ‘Eurovision 2020: Big Night In!’ which will premiere on Saturday May 16 at 7.30pm AEST and will be hosted by Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey. 

Reference List:

Carniel, J 2018, Understanding the Eurovision Song Contest in Multicultural Australia, Palgrave Pivot, Cham

Coustas, M 2003, Effie’s guide to being up yourself, Hodder Headline Australia, Sydney

Mangan, D 2004, This is Sweden Calling, Random House Australia, Milsons Point

Run by Victoria’s iconic multicultural music organisation, The Boite.

In response to the current crisis, Victorian multicultural music organisation The Boite have been facilitating a number of live streamed concerts over the last few weeks.

Among the successful performances were Cordillera, which flooded listeners to Andean parts of South America, alongside award-winning singer Karen Knowles who performed in collaboration with Earth Hour.

They then welcomed renowned sitarist Sarita McHarg, accompanied by Melbourne Amplified Strings (Anita Quayle on cello and Xani Kolac on violin), in a joint performance that pushed the sonic boundaries of what is possible for stringed instruments.

For their fourth instalment set to take place on Thursday May 7, The Boite presents a performance from Chuei Yoshikawa, Nick Charles and Leigh Sloggett, three artists who reside in different parts of the music spectrum.

The former of the three is one of Japan’s leading acoustic guitarists, while Charles has established himself as “Australia’s virtuoso of acoustic blues and roots guitar music”. The third artist set to perform is the locally beloved Leigh Sloggett, whose music is steeped in blues, contemporary folk and instrumental.

Following this, as part of The Boite’s Matsudo Week, they will presenting a performance spotlighting Okinawa, the southernmost island of Japan. Okinawan music draws from folk and is known for being upbeat and catchy. This performance will take place on Saturday May 9. Then on Wednesday May 20, The Boite will welcome renowned Oud player and composer, Yuval Ashkar, to perform.

Find out more about The Boite’s ‘Adapt, Not Cancel’ live streamed concert series via their website.

Catch Chuei Yoshikawa, Nick Charles and Leigh Sloggett perform live online on Thursday May 7 from 8pm, with tickets available via Trybooking.

Dr Klaas Woldring and Dr José van den Akker argue that embracing principles of multiculturalism is essential for Australia’s economic recovery. 

THE AUSTRALIAN NATION has been severely tested in the last year with massive bushfires, heavy rains and floods and now the deadly coronavirus.

Combined with the lack of trust in the political system what will the future hold? The emergence of political, religious and ethnic enmities in recent years have also concerned many. 

Multiculturalism as a political slogan

As part of the White Australia policy, prior to 1972, all migrants were expected to fully integrate and become “Australian”. This policy changed under the Whitlam Government. Since then, Australian governments adopted more progressive policies to promote multiculturalism.

Multiculturalism, largely considered to benefit the Australian economy, has been presented as a positive model for other countries as well. But serious questions around the sincerity of the Australian multicultural model have emerged. 

Although Australia is an immigration country, internationally developments in Australia are watched with considerable anxiety and reserve.

Kelly Tranter reported in Independent Australia that:

Australians are repeatedly told by our Government that ‘we are the envy of the world when it comes to strong border protection policies’. Yet heavily redacted documents relating to our bid for the United Nations Human Rights Council, released under Freedom of Information laws, suggest that in diplomatic circles the view is that our border protection policies create a reputational vulnerability, resulting in a defensive position against the increasing pressure of the world.

Consecutive immigration ministers and prime ministers confidently assert that Australia has found the solution to border protection issues and proudly spruik this glorious news to all those parts of the world struggling with similar issues. Few take them seriously.

By claiming that refugee and asylum seekers are “illegal immigrants”, far-right policies written by the current Coalition Government undermine the ideal of a multicultural Australia.

They also hinder migrants from succeeding in Australia, although many of them are skilled, have excellent English language skills and would add billions of dollars to the Australian economy provided migrants’ skills are matched with the jobs they hold. 

The development of migrant cultures since 1972

Recent research suggests that women from other than non-English speaking backgrounds remain largely invisible due to systemic discrimination and fragmentation, which reinforces the stigma around migrants’ competencies. Also known as culturally and linguistically diverse (‘CALD‘), many women are skilled or highly skilled, but their skills are largely under-utilised and they often face unemployment.

Political representation of ethnic minorities, although improving, is also still inadequate. Highly skilled ethnic immigrants tend to experience considerable difficulty in reaching executive levels in corporations, public services and not-for-profit organisations. Achievements of post-WWII migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds are sparsely rewarded in annual honours lists.

The policy of social inclusion, promoted by the Labor Party after 2007, was supposed to assist multiculturalism. But further commercialisation of the special public broadcaster SBS reduced its role of achieving cultural diversity through the use of media. Attempts by the Abbott Government from 2013 to 2016 to remove section 18C of the Federal Racial Discrimination Act have been indicative of an increasing trend to accommodate racial prejudice couched under the term of “freedom of expression”.

This trend cannot continue if Australia is to recover from the major economic setback that the coronavirus has inflicted.

When it has been overcome, the economic recovery of Australia will need the maximum input from all its people, including its migrants and so-called “illegal” immigrants. The treatment of political refugees arriving by boats and their management in detention camps in Pacific countries has raised serious questions about the multicultural values of Australian society, here and internationally.

Meanwhile, the Constitution neither reflects the multicultural realities and aspirations nor protects the human rights of citizens and newcomers. The absence of a Bill of Rights at the federal (and in many states) is a further handicap. 

In 2012, a national Expert Panel on the Refugee Question recommended that the Federal Government consider processing genuine political refugees who were camping in Indonesia. Once accepted, they could have been flown to Australia, which would have stopped the people-smugglers trade.

The Panel recommended also that as a matter of urgency, Australia should accept 20,000 more migrants for humanitarian reasons, to be increased to 27,000. In Recommendation 4, the Panel recommended ‘that bilateral cooperation on asylum seeker issues with Indonesia be advanced’.  But this did not happen. Instead, the disastrous treatment of people on Manus Island and Nauru sullied Australia’s good standing internationally.

Lack of diversity in key leadership roles in corporations

The Leading for Change Report of 2016 provided a snapshot of the cultural backgrounds of chief executive officers of ASX 200 companies, federal ministers, heads of federal and state government departments, and vice-chancellors of universities.

It also examined the cultural backgrounds of senior management at lower executive levels and group executives of ASX 200 companies, elected members of the Commonwealth Parliament, deputy heads of government departments and deputy vice-chancellors of universities.

Using statistical modelling based on the 2016 Census, the report listed that 58% of the Australian population has an Anglo-Celtic background, 18% has a European background, 21% a non-European background, and 3% an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background.

This cultural diversity is significantly underrepresented among senior leaders in Australian organisations and institutions. Of the 2490 most senior posts in Australia, 75.9% has an Anglo-Celtic background, 19% a European background, 4.7% a non- European background, and 0.4% an Indigenous background.

Cultural diversity is particularly low within the senior leadership of Australian government departments and Australian universities. Of the 372 chief executives and equivalents identified in this study, 76.9% has an Anglo-Celtic background, 20.1% a European background, and 2.7% a non- European background. There is only one chief executive who has an Indigenous background (0.3%).

Parliaments also fails to reflect multicultural Australia

A comprehensive and detailed paper published by the NSW Parliamentary Research Library sketched the situation in 2006, more than 60 years after mass immigration started. The paper showed convincingly that ethnic and racial minorities remained politically underrepresented in Australia.

In the NSW and Federal MPs by surname, the following percentages showed up in late June 2015:

• NSW Legislative Assembly: Anglo-Celtic names: 80%, Others: 20%
• NSW Legislative Council: Anglo-Celtic names: 74%, Others: 26%
• Federal House of Representatives: Anglo-Celtic names: 86.7%, Others: 13.3%
• Federal Senate: Anglo-Celtic names: 80.1%, Others: 19.9%

The special case of Indigenous people

Constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians has again been given the cold shoulder, following the Uluru Statement from the Heart proposals for a Treaty and an advisory role to Parliament.

In 2017, then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull could not offer a satisfactory explanation as to why the proposals weren’t implemented, other than claiming it to be constitutionally “impossible”.

Constitutional acknowledgement would include Indigenous people’s participation in key leadership roles and their representation as full partners in negotiations. It would also mean an overhaul of Australia’s archaic 1901 Constitution, desirable for this and many other reasons.

The next steps

The potential strength of Australia’s multicultural society lies in the recognition of the skills and capacities of the Indigenous people of Australia and migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds. Given the huge cost of the post-coronavirus recovery, it is of utmost importance that these peoples’ skills are given full reign in the economy and that, to add billions to the Australian economy, migrants’ skills are matched with the jobs they hold.  

But the political system also needs reform. A change to the “single-member district” (SMD) electoral system, which favours male Anglo-Australian candidates in winnable seats, would be highly desirable.

Currently, ethnic minority candidates are rarely elected, unless they represent a very strong ethnic minority group in an electoral district. Proportional representation (PR), especially the party-list system, would end the SMD system problems and present opportunities for individuals of different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, also for women and Indigenous candidates.

This system would serve multiculturalism. The political culture could change completely as a result. 

The PR system can be simply introduced by changing the Commonwealth Electoral Act of 1918. No constitutional amendment is required. Constitutionally, electoral system matters are left to the Parliament. 

Dr Klaas Woldring is a former Associate Professor at Southern Cross University. He is a committee member of ABC Friends, Central Coast. Dr José van den Akker currently works as a Postdoc researcher at CQUniversity’s School of Education and the Arts.

• From The Weekend Australian Magazine

  May 2, 2020

• May 2, 2020

  14 minute read

Jack lives with anxiety and what Glenn calls a “toxic shame” from events that occurred before he knew him. Jack had anger issues when he first moved in. Minor and major explosions, sometimes 30 a day. “It was crazy,” Glenn says. “I couldn’t work out how a four-year-old could go from zero to 10 in a nanosecond. Then his ­psychologist told me he’s actually going from eight to 10 – there was no zero point to speak of. The anger was just bubbling below the surface always, waiting for a trigger.”

Glenn and his wife persevered. They had a wide support network of their five adult birth ­children and their families. And when the explosions came, they had a kind of ­mantra that pulled them through: “We haven’t come this far to only come this far”. Eventually, with the kind of love and trust that can only be proven over time, they helped Jack bring his “eight to 10” down to “three to five” and then down far enough, even, that he found the zero point that, in a perfect world, he would have started out with. But still the explosions would come and Jack’s shame would return with them. “It’s too hard, Dad, just take me back,” Jack would say to Glenn. And Glenn would calmly remind Jack of the mantra. We haven’t come this far to only come this far.

Read Next

“Then came the virus,” Glenn says.

In the last week of school before Easter break Jack coughed in class and was sent home for the day by his teacher. And Jack’s anxiety went home with him. “This virus brought his default back up to seven or eight again,” Glenn says. “A lot of angry outbursts each day.” Once again, he phoned the psychologist, who recommended that Glenn sit Jack down and ask him to express his feelings. “Turns out, he was worried about us getting sick,” Glenn says. “He was worried about us dying and leaving no one to look after him and his sister. Big feelings for this little man who told us that he’d waited a long time to find us.”

For months Jack had been looking forward to an Easter caravan trip to Robe – a glorious coastal town 350km from Adelaide – but that had to be cancelled as the virus made its terrible march across the globe. Then Glenn was struck by an idea. If he couldn’t bring Jack to Robe, maybe he could bring Robe to Jack. He would turn the whole street into a tourist town. A ridiculous notion, to be sure, but one his long-time neighbours embraced wholeheartedly. Glenn turned his front yard into the “Robe Camping Park”. Jack and Anna made a sign: “Welcome to Robe”. No less than nine families in the street dropped by the imaginary coastal camping park to soak up the serenity. “How about them ocean views?” they marvelled, staring out to nothing but brown brick suburbia. “Love the smell of the sea,” they said, smelling nothing but the wine in their plastic cups and sausages on the ­barbecue. And Jack howled with laughter at the beautiful silliness of it all.

“It was almost like we really were away,” Glenn says. “With everyone enjoying a new type of socialising, everyone reaching out to one another… Our street of wonderful people, who all know our kids’ names and always make an effort to befriend them. It really does take a lot of people to raise any child, even more so with children in care.

“We are so much better equipped now to help Jack feel safe and loved. We reset at the end of every day and he sleeps like a log for 10 hours each night. We’re still working out what we can and can’t do, but Jack knows there is a place for him now. He knows that he belongs here. He belongs to us. He belongs to his neighbourhood, his street, his friends and his ­family. He belongs.”

Let me tell you about the best road in Australia. It’s the one Harry and Greta live on in Winslow, a town of 300 people north of ­Warrnambool, Victoria. Harry Holland and his wife, Lonni, moved there in January. Their “bunker” is a home overlooking a lake and rolling fields. For years living in Melbourne, they’d resisted the urge to throw out a homemade letterbox that Harry had constructed on a whim one restless day many years ago. “My wife carefully decorated it with wildflowers and natives and butterflies,” Harry says. “Over the years the letterbox stayed wrapped, but not forgotten, in a black garbage bag in the garage.

But in January this year – 20 years or so later – it came to Winslow with them. And then the world stopped turning. The pandemic saw us retreat behind closed front doors. We turned our heads to our television sets and our Twitter feeds and Harry Holland turned his head to his old homemade letterbox. It just felt to him like the right time to erect a letterbox painted with butterflies in bright yellows and blues and greens.

“Last week I took down the old metal letterbox and put up the painted one on the roadside,” he says. “A bit of a milestone for us: we’re here now. But it sticks out a bit, I thought. Maybe too loud? Maybe it will get vandalised?”

The next day Harry and Lonni returned from the shops to find a piece of paper tucked inside it. “To our surprise it was a coloured drawing with a message: ‘Hello, I love your letterbox because the flowers and the butterfly are beautiful. From Greta.”

Greta’s drawing was a colourful sketch of ­Harry’s letterbox. A tribute, of sorts. “My first reaction was, ‘Who is Greta?’” Harry says. “What a gift. We know Greta is young, judging by her drawing, and must live not too far away. She must have noticed our loud letterbox while going for a walk. I thought I’d like to contact Greta, but how to get her a message not knowing where she lived?”

The letterbox held the answer. Harry wrote a message back to Greta on a card. He described how delighted he was to receive her drawing and how it was currently magnetised to his fridge, where all the world’s finest art resides. “I said I imagined that her letter had made our letterbox smile for two reasons,” Harry says. “First, because it could now fulfil its purpose of receiving mail after so many years in a garbage bag. And second, because it was able to receive mail like Greta’s, which made us feel welcome in our new community. Virus or no virus. But a letter with no address? ‘I know,’ I thought, ‘I’ll put the card in a plastic bag and stick it on the outside of our ­letterbox’.” He scrawled two words on the envelope: For Greta. “Coming home from another trip into town ­yesterday, the plastic bag was gone,” Harry says.

On Good Friday, Harry looked in his letterbox and found another surprise: a handwritten note and drawing plus two Easter eggs in an envelope with an address for Greta. And now Harry has another reply he wants to send to Greta, on spec, via a national weekly magazine. “Now both of your letters are on our fridge, Greta,” he says. “We will write and thank you that in this time of ­shutting down, of bunkers and not touching, you touched us and reminded us of a perfectly good way to keep in touch. So, don’t forget to check your letterbox for a letter, Greta.”

A remarkable concept, really. Lay a strip of bitumen running down the middle of two rows of houses. Find enough strangers to fill those houses and then ask them all to live side-by-side in peace and harmony. For years. For decades.

In a street in Perth, Barbara and her husband organise a “Distancing Disco”. Neighbours spaced out at a safe distance getting their Bee Gees on. Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother, you’re stayin’ alive. That’s not just a lyric anymore from the Brothers Gibb, that’s a directive.

Amid the disco beats, Barbara has a long chat to a neighbour who lives alone and is feeling anxious about the pandemic. Barbara realises the woman is bordering on depression and tells her about Grow, a mental health organisation that’s been greatly assisting Barbara with her own emotional well­being. All of this deep life-and-death talk happening beneath the infectious rhythms of Stevie Wonder and the Jackson Five. Because that’s how we live now. You keep dancing and I’ll grab you that number to my psychologist. Grow’s been offering a series of free online programs, Barbara says, and group meetings to respond to what it calls the “profound impact Covid-19 has had on the mental wellbeing of Australians”. “They’re saving lives,” Barbara says. And maybe Barbara is, too.

Anne-Marie lives in a street in inner-Brisbane with her wife, Nell, and an unwelcome lodger named Anxiety. Her anxiety has been with her so long she decided to give it a capital “A” name. “Anxiety, of course, loves Covid-19,” Anne-Marie says. “In late March when friends, colleagues and family were ‘hoping for the best’, Anxiety was ‘planning for the worst’. Swollen with self-importance, Anxiety pushed me out of bed to ruminate on the couch in the wee small hours. I found the only way to keep Anxiety at bay was to leave no space in my mind – I could hardly keep track of the book I was reading, multiple TV programs I was watching, the true crime podcasts I listened to while running. My head was full of fictitious plots, people and places all mashed together. Anything to banish those scenes of Covid-19 news: people ill, out of work, in body bags. I was alternately manic and paralysed. I was unpredictably and inappropriately tearful. In parallel, our dear friend was nearing the end of her too-short life, succumbing to the aggressive brain cancer diagnosed in February the year prior. Ever generous to the end, she left this world a scant week before the worst of the Covid-19 restrictions were enforced, allowing us to honour her at a large and joyous ceremony.”

Anne-Marie clearly recalls the early morning in April when a single thought cleared everything else from her crowded mind. “For f..k’s sake,” she told herself. “Get a grip.” She developed an action plan that morning. Have tasks to complete. ­Exercise. More family videoconferences, fewer true crime podcasts.

“Now we three – Nell, Anxiety and I – are doing OK in the bunker,” she says. “I have rational fears about what is a truly awful situation, but I am grateful. Grateful that we still have work, that those closest to us are well, that we won the ­lottery of living in this lucky country, that we have each other. Nell and I dance in the kitchen and Anxiety sulks elsewhere. We walk our neighbourhood and Anxiety lags behind. We’ve planted sunflowers, we’ve bought kittens. Anxiety likes none of these things. Especially not the kittens.”

In inner-city Melbourne, Elly Ronk takes a walk through Fitzroy Gardens on a Tuesday. She sees no cars, no buses, no trucks hauling through the CBD. No planes overhead. No double-decker tourist buses. No more weddings in Fitzroy Gardens. Only birdsong. And a father teaching his young daughter how to ride her bike. She’s reluctant at first to sit in the saddle and there are tears but then there is courage and then there is the turning of bike wheels and then there is laughter again in Fitzroy Gardens. Because it gets goods. It always gets good.

Elly pads slowly back home along her street and she sees couples playing cards on verandas, doors open, music on. She sees a woman watering her garden, beautifully dressed and made-up as if she’s going to dinner at a fine restaurant but Elly realises there are no restaurants to go to and the woman has more than likely dressed up to simply step outside her front door to her garden. Elly walks on along her street and sees kids playing in the outdoors, sun shining on autumn trees around them, and it feels like she’s back in the ’60s. This must be the best street in Australia, she tells herself. Something about the light. Something about the peace. She returns home and logs in to an online sketching class with the National Gallery of Victoria. Later, an online Q&A session with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography. At night she tucks herself into bed with a Hilary Mantel and tells herself something she’d already known before dinner. Today was a good day.

In Queensland, Patsy from Caboolture, who told us a fortnight ago about MOH (My Other Half) and his kind-hearted purchase of half a goat from an embattled local butcher, has left her street behind. She’s been travelling around the world, travel restrictions be damned. “A friend invited me to join ‘View From My Window’ on Facebook,” she says. “Well, whoever thought of this needs to be nominated for a peace prize. You take a picture from your window and post it, describing where you live. That’s it. So this past week, sitting up in the comfort of my bedroom, I’ve travelled around the world, read some beautiful words of encouragement from women, some really sad ones who have lost a loved one from this cruel, cruel virus, and I’ve visited every country in the world. Seen the snow falling in Finland, the magnificent colour of spring flowers in Canada, a sunrise in ­Pakistan. I just loved the backyard in Brisbane with the tent and fire burning and the improvisation of a weekend away. The daffodils are all out in Indiana and the cherry blossoms in Japan. It’s raining in East Sussex and it’s blue skies in Dubrovnik. I saw the whole world for nothing. No cost, no politics, and from the safety of my own home. P.S. I did colour my hair lilac this week and MOH said nothing. Week five, I’ll try green.”

Let me tell you about the best street in ­Australia. It’s the one Theresa Stolz lives on. Lohe Street, Indooroopilly, in Brisbane’s western suburbs. A street of only 15 houses. “A relatively well-off street,” Theresa says. “A mix of retirees, families with young adults at home, some uni students and families with school-age kids.” Multicultural, too. Families from Japan, Italy, South Africa, Scotland.

Six weeks ago, when the world was waking up to the spread of Covid-19, Theresa and her family came home to find a roll of toilet paper wrapped in red ribbon with a message wedged in their screen door. A single roll of elegantly decorated dunny paper. No Home Brand cheap stuff, either. “Bear in mind this was when it seemed we as a nation had gone berserk in the shops over this simple but critical item,” Theresa says. It was a gift from the newest neighbours in the street.

“We might live in Lohe Street but we have high spirits!” the message read. “A small gift from your neighbours in #32 to remind you that social ­distancing doesn’t mean social isolation. Do not hesitate to knock on the door if you are in need of assistance. Warm (well washed) regards.”

“It gets better though,” Theresa says. “These same neighbours – with another, even newer set of neighbours – then organised a street catch-up, isolation style.” Theresa’s family ventured to the top of their driveway and conversed at a distance with no less than seven families they’d never properly met before, despite the fact some had lived on the street for 13 years. Now an annual Lohe Street Christmas party is in the works. “And it all started because of a bog roll!” Theresa says.

Let me tell you about the best street in ­Australia. It’s the one I live on. Seven houses in a cul-de-sac. Last weekend we had socially distant driveway drinks to welcome a couple of Estonian backpackers my neighbours have taken in. Across Australia, out-of-work backpackers who can’t get home are being taken in by families with spare rooms and big hearts. One of these cheerful Estonians plays guitar and they’re more than happy to sing for their supper. So the Estonians sing their songs now and the autumn sun shines bright and my daughter tends the vegie patch outside the louvre window of my bunker. She’s started doing this thing where she pretends to be a presenter from Gardening Australia and films herself on the iPhone. “Welcome back guys,” she says. “Today I want to tell you about Mum’s new marigolds…”

Upstairs, her sister is on a Zoom craft club with some buddies. They’re making signs that can hang from her bedroom doorknob: “Tips for entering my room: #1 Don’t come in. #2 Walk away. #3 Never come back.” Her mum, maker of marigolds, is in the kitchen making cauliflower soup.

“What the hell does any of this matter?” A voice from the bookshelf of my bunker. My late dad’s dead pet stonefish in a jar, Keef, talking from his bookshelf perch between Anna Karenina and A Brief History of Time. Keef the dead stonefish who talks to me in private with a voice like Alf from Home And Away.

“Why you writin’ all that flamin’ garbage?” Keef says.

“What garbage, Keef?”

“That cauliflower soup garbage,” Keef barks. “There’s people dying around the world.”

“I know.”

“People losing their jobs left, right and centre,” Keef hollers.

“I know.”

“And you’re writin’ about cauliflower soup and door signs and bloody marigolds? Who gives a stuff about marigolds at a time like this?”

I look through the bunker window to find my daughter again in the vegie patch, her fingers shifting aside a clump of sugar cane mulch to let a crowded marigold feel more sun.

“She does, Keefy,” I say. “She does.”

To share your bunker tales, email Trent Dalton at thebunkertales@gmail.com

Read Next

With the finalists, 30 victors and Reader’s Choice champ revealed, it’s time to meet the winners.

After getting to know the Professional Services winners on Wednesday, it’s time to take a look at the three TMN 30 Under 30 heroes from the Sales & Marketing category.

Congratulations to Michael McGahan from Live Nation, Samantha Kariyawasam from Sony Music and Will Blackburn from Universal Music / BRING.

We asked each applicant to outline the biggest challenges facing the music industry and all 30 entries were unique and worth sharing. Responses were given prior to the outbreak of COVID-19.

This year’s TMN 30 Under 30 Awards are made possible thanks to six incredible sponsors, including APRA AMCOS, Eventbrite, MTV, Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music.

Michael McGahan, Live Nation

The music industry in the internet age is still valuable, but the challenging lies in a better distribution of this value to a wider reach of artists, professionals and organisations.

The social media age has brought with it a saturation of outstanding talent to mainstream eyes and ears.

Music as an art form has become more of a competitive space than ever before – consumers are spoilt for choice when it comes to recorded and live music. Especially when it comes to live touring, artists who want to play for their fans around the world are faced with the challenge of increasing touring costs and a saturated market.

More ‘good’ music to choose from is a wonderful thing, but the challenge lies in identifying ways of generating ancillary revenue in order to make touring feasible. Examples include brand partnerships that help make it possible to bring music to the masses or unique fan experiences curated with the aim of unlocking more value across more consumer touchpoints.

Finally, I believe the live music industry, in particular, is thriving but in a volatile 21st century, external and environmental factors could quickly and easily stifle consumers’ access to live music.

We’re challenged with building a system robust enough to withstand this volatility and uncertainty, because live music has always been, and should always be open and affordable to everyone.

Samantha Kariyawasam, Sony Music

My role at Sony requires me to focus solely on Hip-Hop, R&B and Korean artists.

At present, outside of streaming platforms, there are very few media outlets that will recognise my artists without a tokenistic approach – whether it be radio, online, TV etc.

I am absolutely living for the new social platforms popping up that are introducing the younger generation to songs that might not otherwise be getting playlisting or airplay. I’m excited to see the industry try and keep up with what the kids are into to further the reach of artists!

The workforce in Australia’s music industry doesn’t presently reflect Australia’s multicultural population. It’s important labels, agencies, and promoters make an active effort to be more inclusive as the new crop of talent from diverse backgrounds need to see themselves reflected within the teams they’re working with.

Will Blackburn, Universal Music / BRING

From an agency perspective, one of the biggest challenges are brands that badge artist culture – but do not contribute to the conversation.

But this also presents an opportunity for agencies like BRING to consider new creative approaches to artist and brand marketing which benefits everyone.

This industry is also challenged by brands’ desire for immediate reach over artist relevance. Too often we see artists boiled down simply to their social and streaming numbers by marketers, instead of considering the benefits of a long-sighted, nurtured partnership which may take a bit more time, but will pay off ten-fold for brands later down the track.

A huge opportunity in my work is to better educate brands on the importance of investing in an artist for the long run, not just a flash in the pan once they’re hot.

Streaming goodness ahead!

Here’s the complete schedule of what’s hitting Netflix Australia in MAY 2020…

(Dates are subject to change)

NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES:

Casi feliz (1/5/2020)

Sebastián is a radio show host of modest fame, trying to find a way in the world as he deals with his ex-wife (whom he still loves) and two kids.

Into the Night (1/5/2020) – TEASER TRAILER

When the sun suddenly starts killing everything in its path, passengers on an overnight flight from Brussels attempt to survive by any means necessary.

Hollywood (1/5/2020) – TRAILER

A new limited series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, Hollywood follows a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in post-World War II Hollywood as they try to make it in Tinseltown — no matter the cost.

Workin’ Moms: Season 4 (6/5/2020)

Big changes are in the air as the moms stand up for their children, their partners, their businesses — and more importantly, themselves.

Dead to Me: Season 2 (8/5/2020) – TEASER TRAILER

Picking up in the aftermath of that bloody backyard reveal, Jen and Judy struggle to hide a dark secret. With a surprising new visitor in town and Detective Perez hot on their heels, the stakes have never been higher.

The Eddy (8/5/2020) – TRAILER

Set in the vibrant multicultural neighborhoods of modern-day Paris, The Eddy tells the story of the owner of a struggling club, its house band and the dangers they face from the chaotic city that surrounds them.

Valeria (8/5/2020)

A writer in a creative and marital crisis finds refuge and support in her three best friends. Based on the novels by Elisabet Benavent.

Restaurants on the Edge: Season 2 (8/5/2020)

The experts continue on their international restaurant rescue mission. With a little encouragement and a lot of overhaul, miracles can happen.

Rust Valley Restorers: Season 2 (8/5/2020)

Life motors on as Mike and the gang restore a slew of classics, including some good ole Detroit muscle. Also, Avery takes on a new role at the shop.

Bordertown: Season 3 (11/5/2020)

While juggling concerns about his family’s future and a spate of new crimes, Kari squares off against an adversary who’s been studying his past cases.

Chichipatos (15/5/2020)

A magician hired for a party lands in hot water when he makes a drug boss disappear during a performance — but is then unable to make him reappear!

White Lines (15/5/2020)

When her brother is discovered dead, a Manchester woman leaves her quiet life to travel to Ibiza, where she seeks the truth about his disappearance.

Magic for Humans: Season 3 (15/5/2020)

He’s back to pull a rabbit out of a … piñata? Justin Willman always surprises with frisky magic skills that amuse and charm, trick and disarm.

Dérapages (15/5/2020)

Unemployed and desperate to turn his life around, Alain Delambre is ready to do anything to secure a job at corporate giant Exxya.

La reina de Indias y el conquistador (16/5/2020)

Years after Spanish conquistador Pedro de Heredia betrayed her people and broke her heart, indigenous woman Catalina re enters his life to get revenge.

The Big Flower Fight (18/5/2020)

Teams of florists, sculptors and garden designers push their talents to the limit to create extravagant floral installations in this competition show.

Sweet Magnolias (19/5/2020)

Maddie Townsend has a lot on her plate — including three kids, a cheating husband and one unlikely suitor who has everyone in town talking.

History 101 (22/5/2020)

Infographics and archival footage deliver bite-size history lessons on scientific breakthroughs, social movements and world-changing discoveries.

Selling Sunset: Season 2 (22/5/2020)

The reality series that follows LA’s most elite real estate agents returns for Season 2, documenting their juicy private lives, posh listings and high-profile clients.

Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series: Season 2 (22/5/2020)

The animated series returns for Season 2, with the entire gang transformed into cartoons.

Control Z (22/5/2020)

When a hacker begins releasing students’ secrets to the entire high school, the socially isolated but observant Sofía works to uncover his/her identity.

Dynasty: Season 3 (23/5/2020)

The modern-day reboot of the iconic soap that follows two of America’s wealthiest families returns for Season 3.

Space Force (29/5/2020) – TRAILER

A comedy series about the people tasked with creating Space Force, a new branch of the U.S. military. From Greg Daniels and star Steve Carell.

Mystic Pop-up Bar (Coming Soon)

Wol-ju, the bartender, is not of this world, or the underworld—she is the weaver of dreams between worlds. Though she might seem obscene and unhindered to some, she provides solace and advice to the weary souls whose dreams she enters. After a drink with Wol-ju, one feels spirited and able to turn the page on their own misfortunes. At the Mystic Pop-up Bar, she is able to cross the threshold between this world and the other, between past and present, revealing visions that rectify her customer’s suffering.

Blood & Water (Coming Soon)

A 16-year-old gets herself transferred to the same high school as a girl whom she suspects is her sister, who was kidnapped at birth 17 years earlier.

NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES – WEEKLY:

Rick & Morty Season 4 (6/5/2020) – TRAILER

Rick & Morty will be returning May 6 for ANZ with new episodes weekly. Dates below:

• Episode 406 – May 6
• Episode 407 – May 13
• Episode 408 – May 20
• Episode 409 – May 27
• Episode 410 – June 3

Snowpiercer (25/5/2020) – TRAILER

In this futuristic thriller, the world has become a frozen wasteland, and the remaining humans inhabit a giant train that perpetually circles the globe.

NETFLIX ORIGINAL MOVIES:

The Half Of It (1/5/2020)

Shy, straight-A student Ellie helps sweet jock Paul woo his crush. But their unlikely friendship grows complicated when Ellie falls for the same girl.

All Day and a Night (1/5/2020)

While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.

Mrs. Serial Killer (1/5/2020)

When a doctor gets jailed for a string of shocking murders, his loyal wife sets out to commit a copycat crime to prove his innocence.

18 regali (8/5/2020)

A pregnant mother with terminal cancer leaves behind 18 sentimental gifts for her unborn daughter to receive every birthday until she reaches womanhood.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs. the Reverend – NETFLIX INTERACTIVE SPECIAL (12/5/2020)

Join Kimmy and friends on an interactive adventure!

The Wrong Missy (13/5/2020) – TRAILER

Tim thinks he’s invited the woman of his dreams on a work retreat to Hawaii, realizing too late he mistakenly asked someone from a nightmare blind date.

Te quiero, imbécil (15/5/2020)

After he loses his girlfriend and his job on the same day, a man in his 30s sees his life turned upside down.

The Lovebirds (22/5/2020) – TRAILER

When a couple in the fast lane to splitsville accidentally careens into a murder, they take off on a wild race to find the killer and clear their names.

Rebelión de los Godinez (25/5/2020)

When Omar’s grandfather forces him to get a job at a tech company in Mexico City, he meets a quirky ensemble of nine-to-fivers … and some nemeses.

I’m No Longer Here (27/5/2020)

In the mountains of Monterrey, Mexico, a small street gang named “Los Terkos” spend their days listening to slowed down cumbia music and attending dance parties, showing off their outfits, hairstyles and gang alliances. These different bands of disaffected youth refer to themselves as Kolombianos, combining the Cholo culture with Colombian music. Ulises Samperio (17), the leader of Los Terkos, tries to protect his friends from the nefarious elements of a quickly evolving drug/political war, but after a misunderstanding with a local cartel, he is forced to leave for Jackson Heights, Queens, a diverse immigrant community in New York City. Ulises tries to assimilate, but when he learns that his gang and the whole Kolombia culture is under threat, he questions his place in America and longs to return home.

STAND-UP COMEDY:

Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours To Kill (5/5/2020)

Jerry Seinfeld’s new hour-long special, Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill, reinforces his reputation as the precision-craftsman of standup comedy. Premiering on May 5, 2020, only on Netflix, the special features a spectacular arrival to the Beacon Theatre in New York City, and showcases Seinfeld’s sharp angles on everyday life, uncovering comedy in the commonplace.

Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything (19/5/2020)

Like the ancient grains of Babylon, Patton provides a healthy dose of witticism in his newest Netflix comedy special, Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything. Enjoy yourself as the Emmy and Grammy winning comedian reflects on hilarious existential anecdotes after recently embracing his fifties, which includes attending his daughter’s second-grade art show that cost him the chance to board a full-scale Millennium Falcon or how buying a house is like hiring a suicide squad of superhuman subcontractors. Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything premieres globally on Netflix on May 19, 2020. And stick around post-credits for Bob Rubin: Oddities & Rarities, a bonus one-hour comedy special presented by Patton himself!

Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (26/5/2020)

Emmy and Peabody award winning comedian Hannah Gadsby stopped the comedy world in its tracks with her genre bending show, Nanette. Having given herself her very own tough act to follow, she named her difficult second album after her eldest dog and took it for a walk across the planet, finishing up in Los Angeles and recording her second Netflix comedy special, Hannah Gadbsy: Douglas. You can expect your expectations to be set and met by Douglas: a tour from the dog park to the renaissance and back guided by one of comedy’s most sparkling and surprising minds.

Kenny Sebastian: The Most Interesting Person in the Room (Coming Soon)

Fusing his musical and comedy chops, Kenny Sebastian gets analytical about frumpy footwear, flightless birds and his fear of not being funny enough.

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY:

Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics (11/5/2020)

Celebrities recall their most mind-bending trips via animations, reenactments and more in this comedic documentary exploring the story of psychedelics.

Trial By Media (11/5/2020)

In this true crime documentary series, history’s most dramatic trials are examined with an emphasis on how the media may have impacted verdicts.

Ben Platt Live From Radio City Music Hall (20/5/2020)

Actor and singer Ben Platt performs in a sold-out show recorded at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (27/5/2020) – TRAILER

Stories from survivors fuel this docuseries examining how convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein used his wealth and power to carry out his abuses.

Somebody Feed Phil: Season 3 (29/5/2020)

“Everybody Loves Raymond” creator Phil Rosenthal continues to travel the globe, sampling different cuisines and cultures.

KIDS & FAMILY:

Go! Go! Cory Carson: The Chrissy (1/5/2020)

The Carson kids win a talent show with a dance that Cory created. But when “The Chrissy” catches on, his sister gets all of the attention!

Whitestar (8/5/2020)

When Megan and her new horse Whitestar win dressage competitions after a short training, the owner who got rid of Whitestar demands his horse back.

Chico Bon Bon: Monkey with a Tool Belt (8/5/2020)

This fun, silly series teaches preschoolers about the mechanical world and how things work. Based on Chris Monroe’s picture book series.

The Hollow: Season 2 (8/5/2020)

After discovering the truth behind the Hollow, friends Adam, Mira and Kai must face their fears and tackle even bigger challenges together.

True: Terrific Tales (12/5/2020)

Through the magic of the Story Spinner, True and friends create their own versions of Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood and other classic fairy tales.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Season 5 (15/5/2020)

As the princesses prepare to face Horde Prime and his hive mind army in one final battle, Adora must confront her most elusive adversary yet: herself.

NETFLIX ORIGINAL ANIME:

Scissor Seven: Season 2 (7/5/2020)

Hairdresser by day, freelance hit man by night. The series about an underpaid, scissor-wielding assassin who’s not quite cut out for the job returns for Season 2.

Dorohedoro (28/5/2020)

Amnesiac Caiman seeks to undo his lizard head curse by killing the sorcerer responsible, with his friend Nikaido’s help. In the Hole, that’s a threat.

MOVIES:

Tomorrow, When The War Began (1/5/2020)

Ellie Linton (Caitlin Stasey), a teen from an Australian coastal town, leads her friends (Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lincoln Lewis) on an excursion to a camp deep in the woods, dubbed “Hell.” Upon their return, the youths find that their town has been overrun by an enemy army, and their friends and family have been imprisoned. When the hostile invaders become alerted to their presence, Ellie and her friends band together to escape — and strike back against — this mysterious enemy.

Clash of the Titans (1/5/2020)

Perseus (Sam Worthington), the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), is caught in a war between gods and is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), the god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus leads a band of warriors on a dangerous quest to prevent Hades from overthrowing the king of the gods and laying waste to Earth.

The Edge of Seventeen (1/5/2020)

Everyone knows that growing up is hard, and life is no easier for high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), who is already at peak awkwardness when her all-star older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). All at once, Nadine feels more alone than ever, until an unexpected friendship with a thoughtful teen (Hayden Szeto) gives her a glimmer of hope that things just might not be so terrible after all.

Primal Fear (1/5/2020)

Defense attorney Martin Vail takes on jobs for money and prestige rather than any sense of the greater good. His latest case involves an altar boy, accused of brutally murdering the archbishop of Chicago. Vail finds himself up against his ex-pupil and ex-lover, but as the case progresses and the Church’s dark secrets are revealed, Vail finds that what appeared a simple case takes on a darker, more dangerous aspect.

The Color Purple (1/5/2020)

An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie’s abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing “Mister” Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.

Cracked Up, The Darrell Hammond Story (1/5/2020)

In Cracked Up we witness the effects adverse childhood experiences can have across a lifetime through the incredible story of actor, comedian, master impressionist and Saturday Night Live veteran, Darrell Hammond. Behind the scenes Darrell suffered from debilitating flashbacks, self injury, addiction and misdiagnosis, until the right doctor isolated the key to unlocking the memories his brain kept locked away for over 50 years. Cracked Up, director Michelle Esrick, creates an inspiring balance between comedy and tragedy helping us understand the impact of toxic stress and childhood trauma in a new light, breaking down barriers of stigma and replacing shame with compassion and hope.

Osmosis Jones (1/5/2020)

Mixing live action and animation, the film follows the misadventures of a zoo worker with an unknown malady he contracted after eating an egg contaminated with simian saliva. The responsibility of eradicating this lethal virus falls to a white blood cell cop and a fussy cold-cure pill.

Finding Your Feet (4/5/2020)

When “Lady” Sandra Abbott discovers that her husband of 40 years is having an affair with her best friend, she seeks refuge in London with her estranged, older sister Bif. The two could not be more different – Sandra is a fish out of water next to her outspoken, serial dating, free-spirited sibling. But different is just what Sandra needs at the moment, and she reluctantly lets Bif drag her along to a community dance class, where she starts finding her feet.

The Lovers (7/5/2020)

A man and his wife, each embroiled in an extramarital affair, are sent reeling when they suddenly fall for the least likely person imaginable — each other.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (7/5/2020)

Ethan Hunt and the IMF team join forces with CIA assassin August Walker to prevent a disaster of epic proportions. Arms dealer John Lark and a group of terrorists known as the Apostles plan to use three plutonium cores for a simultaneous nuclear attack on the Vatican, Jerusalem and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. When the weapons go missing, Ethan and his crew find themselves in a desperate race against time to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

Breaking In (14/5/2020)

Shaun Russell takes her son and daughter on a weekend getaway to her late father’s secluded, high-tech vacation home in the countryside, but the family soon gets an unwelcome surprise when four men break into the house to find hidden money. After managing to escape, Shaun must now figure out a way to turn the tables on the desperate thieves and save her captive children.

Kangaroo Jack (15/5/2020)

Two friends from Brooklyn (Jerry O’Connell), (Anthony Anderson) are forced to deliver mob money to Australia. Their misadventures begin when one of them places his red jacket on a kangaroo while attempting to snap a picture. When the kangaroo bounces off, they realize the mob money is in the jacket and are forced to give chase through the Outback.

Human Nature (15/5/2020)

The biggest tech revolution of the 21st Century isn’t digital, it’s biological. A breakthrough called CRISPR has given us unprecedented control over the basic building blocks of life. It opens the door to curing diseases, reshaping the biosphere, and designing our own children.

The Butterfly Effect (15/5/2020)

College student Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) is afflicted with headaches so painful that he frequently blacks out. While unconscious, Evan is able to travel back in time to difficult moments in his childhood. He can also alter the past for friends, like Kayleigh (Amy Smart), who was molested by her father (Eric Stoltz). But changing the past can drastically alter the present, and Evan finds himself in nightmarish alternate realities, including one where he’s locked away in prison.

National Lampoon’s Vacation (15/5/2020)

Accompanied by their children (Dana Barron, Anthony Michael Hall), Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), are driving from Illinois to a California amusement park. As Clark increasingly fixates on a beautiful woman driving a sports car, the Griswolds deal with car problems and the death of a family member. They reach Los Angeles, but, when Clark worries that the trip is being derailed again, he acts impulsively to get his family to the park.

Night School (16/5/2020) – OUR REVIEW

Teddy Walker is a successful salesman whose life takes an unexpected turn when he accidentally blows up his place of employment. Forced to attend night school to get his GED, Teddy soon finds himself dealing with a group of misfit students, his former high school nemesis and a feisty teacher who doesn’t think he’s too bright.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (20/5/2020) – OUR REVIEW

Ten-year-old Lewis goes to live with his oddball uncle in a creaky old house that contains a mysterious `tick tock’ noise. He soon learns that Uncle Jonathan and his feisty neighbour, Mrs Zimmerman, are powerful practitioners of the magic arts. When Lewis accidentally awakens the dead, the town’s sleepy facade suddenly springs to life, revealing a secret and dangerous world of witches, warlocks and deadly curses.

The Little Rascals (22/5/2020)

Mischievous youngsters Spanky (Travis Tedford) and Buckwheat (Ross Elliot Bagley) lead an anti-girl organization, and they pick their buddy Alfalfa (Bug Hall) to represent them in an all-important soapbox car rally. When the boys then find their driver canoodling with schoolmate Darla (Brittany Ashton Holmes), they decide they must break up the couple. Unfortunately, while Spanky and his pals are busy meddling in Alfalfa’s affairs, their prized race car is nabbed by two young toughs.

First Man (23/5/2020)

Hoping to reach the moon by the end of the decade, NASA plans a series of extremely dangerous, unprecedented missions in the early 1960s. Engineer Neil Armstrong joins the space program, spending years in training and risking his life during test flights. On July 16, 1969, the nation and world watched in wonder as Armstrong and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins embarked on the historic Apollo 11 spaceflight.

Halloween (23/5/2020)

On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith’s Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims.

The Kitchen (27/5/2020)

Between 8th Ave. and the Hudson River, the Irish mafia runs 20 blocks of a tough New York City neighborhood known as Hell’s Kitchen. But for mob wives Kathy, Ruby and Claire, things are about to take a dramatic and radical turn. When the FBI sends their husbands to prison, the three women take business into their own hands by running the rackets and taking out the competition.

The Little Stranger (31/5/2020)

During the long, hot summer of 1948, Dr. Faraday travels to Hundreds Hall, home to the Ayres family for more than two centuries. The Hall is now in decline, and its inhabitants — mother, son and daughter — remain haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life. When Faraday takes on a new patient there, he has no idea how closely the family’s story is about to become entwined with his own.

Australian citizenship ceremonies are now joining schooling, doctor visits and music lessons, and being held via video conference.

Melbourne City Council became the first council in the country to trial it today. There are about 90,000 people waiting to become citizens.