Things You Discover Walking #2

Roy 'Mo' Rene (1891-1954)

Image: Roy ‘Mo’ Rene statue

It just goes to show how rarely I walk down Adelaide’s Hindley Street. The statue of Roy ‘Mo’ Rene had been in place for at least four months in 2010 before my round the world trip, but if I had been on Hindley Street during those four months, I was completely oblivious to this wonderful statue.

Created by the South Australian artist, Robert Hannaford, to commemorate one of Australia’s most famous funnymen, the statue stands on the corner of Hindley and Leigh Streets.

The plaque set into the pavement at the foot of the statue states: “One of Australia's greatest and most loved comedians, Roy Rene was born Harry van der Sluys (or Sluice) in Hindley Street, Adelaide.

The son of a Dutch cigar merchant, and one of seven children, he loved to perform from a young age. His first professional job was at the Adelaide markets and his stage debut was as a singer at the Theatre Royal in Hindley Street.

The young Roy moved to Melbourne with his family to continue his acting career. He performed around Australia and New Zealand, eventually moving to Sydney where he joined the vaudeville circuit. Roy Rene became famous for his superb timing and funny gestures and for his distinctive make-up - a painted white face and black beard.

Later, by then known as 'Mo', he teamed with comedian Nat (‘Stiffy’) Phillips and the duo became the renowned 'Stiffy and Mo' comedy act. In the 1940s he turned to radio and his show McCackle Mansion was a huge success.

Some of 'Mo's' favourite catchphrases are still part of Australian vernacular. For example: "Strike me lucky," "Fair suck of the sav," "Don't come the raw prawn with me," and "You beaut!"

The Australian entertainment industry's annual 'Mo Award' for excellence in live performance is named after him.

Commissioned by the Adelaide City Council, the sculpture was created by Robert Hannaford, and installed in Hindley Street in February 2010.

Learn Languages For Free

Image source: www.mables.com

Surfing the Internet recently, I discovered the website of the US Foreign Service Institute (FSI).

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the United States Federal Government's primary training institution for employees of the U.S. foreign affairs community, preparing American diplomats and other professionals to advance U.S. foreign affairs interests overseas and in Washington. [Source: Wikipedia…]

The Foreign Services Language Courses site bills itself as “…the home for language courses developed by the Foreign Service Institute.”

The amazing thing about this site is that over 40 languages are represented here, with hours and hours of free, downloadable lessons on offer to anyone who has always wanted to learn a language other than their native tongue.

“These courses were developed by the United States government and are in the public domain.

“This site is dedicated to making these language courses freely available in an electronic format. This site is not affiliated in any way with any government entity; it is an independent, non-profit effort to foster the learning of worldwide languages. Courses here are made available through the private efforts of individuals who are donating their time and resources to provide quality materials for language learning.” [Source: ForeignServices Language Courses website…]

Along with the most popular European languages (German, French, Spanish, and Italian), you will also find: Amharic, Arabic, Bulgarian, Cambodian, Cantonese, Chinese, Chinyanja, Czech, Finnish, Fula, Greek, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Igbo, Japanese, Kirundi, Kituba, Korean, Lao, Lingala, Luganda, Moré, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Shona, Sinhala, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Twi, Vietnamese, and Yoruba.

This site is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to ‘dip their toes in the water’, and learn the rudiments of a new language before they travel to the country or countries of their choice.

The fact that the lessons are available for free, makes it hard to pass by and ignore. You can at least download and try one or two lessons before deciding whether to continue alone, or go on to paid language classes – which give you the opportunity to actually talk to other students, and put your training into practise.

More InformationThe Foreign Services Language Courses…

Friday Photo: Swimming Prohibited

Image: Coney Island, New York City. Click image to enlarge.

The sign on the fence running along Coney Island’s famous boardwalk couldn’t be plainer. I don’t know if locals swim outside the hours stated on the notice. Nor do I know if lifeguards patrol the entire length of the beach in the area of the boardwalk. However, I do know the beach at Coney Island is officially closed between September and May each year, which for most Australians would be beyond belief.

Of course, it wouldn’t happen in Australia. The idea that swimming could be prohibited at a major suburban beach for whatever reason would invoke howls of protest amongst swimmers, surfers, jet skiers, boaties and others water enthusiasts.

Occasionally – and I do mean occasionally – a beach might be closed temporarily due to the dangers presented by roving sharks, large numbers of blue-ringed octopus, box jelly fish, or other such hazardous marine life.

Other than that, why would you stop people from enjoying an early morning swim?

More importantly, why would you stop folks heading to the beach after a long hot day at school, the office, or other place of work? In Australia, over summer, the beaches are well patronized in the evenings when the heat of the day has dissipated somewhat, and families have an opportunity to share some time together relaxing by the ocean or cooling off in the sea.

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