Sam Neill, brilliant films & tv series

Born Nigel Neill in 1947 in Omagh, Nth Ireland to an English mother and a New Zealand father serving in the British army. His family moved to Christchurch N.Z in 1954 where Sam went to school. He became Sam because there were several Nigels at school, saying “I moved more easily as a Sam”.

Sam Neill and Meryl Streep as Michael & Lindy Chamberlain,

Evil Angels, 1988

Sam Neill went on to study English literature and acting at Canterbury Uni. He began acting in Canberbury Uni productions, then moved to Wellington to the Downstage Theatre as a professional actor, being paid $35 a week. Neill acted in some tv films and shorts for New Zealand in the 70s before winning his first lead role in the locally produced thriller Sleeping Dogs 1977, receiving inter-national acclaim in the first New Zealand film to open in the US. Soon after that he landed a leading role in My Brilliant Career 1979 directed by Gillian Armstrong; played the son of the devil in Omen III 1981; in the  1988 biopic Evil Angels, as Lindy Chamberlain’s husband Michael with Meryl Streep; and in The Hunt for Red October 1990. His role in Ivanhoe 1982 boosted Neill in Sweden where the film’s on TV every New Year’s Day for 40 years. In fact he built his career as dashing romantic leads and magnetic villains. He truly arrived on the international film stage as Damien Thorn in Omen III.

 

Sam Neill & Judy Davis on My Brilliant Career, 1979 

Michael Ochs Archives

He soon moved to Australia, landing another internationally lauded role with My Brilliant Career 1979. He was one of the leading candidates to succeed Roger Moore as James Bond and screen-tested in 1986, but lost out to Timothy Dalton. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his spy role in the 1983 miniseries Reilly, Ace of Spies.

He went on to star in some films of varying success for the following 45 years, incl Dead Calm, Hunt for Red October and The Piano 1993. Neill came to widespread international attention in 1993 with his role as the New Zealand settler Alisdair Stewart in Jane Campion’s Oscar-winner The Piano. Neill, well known for his role as palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park 1993, a role originally offered to Harrison Ford. Neill played Alan Grant again in two Jurassic Park sequels. 

My favourite was The Piano. In mid-C19th a mute woman went along with her young daughter and prized piano for an arranged marriage to a farmer in New Zealand, but was soon lusted after by a farmworker. Jane Campion was the director and it starred Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel & Sam Neill.

Dr Alan Grant and Tyrannosaurus Rex, Jurassic Park,1993, 

by Murray Close 

Neill shaped a career playing memorable romantic leads & captivating villains with 150+ credits in 50 years, incl Dead Calm 1989, Jungle Book 1994, In the Mouth of Madness 1995, Event Horizon 1997, Bicentennial Man 1999, The Dish 2000 and Peter Rabbit 2018. Neill also worked on tv, incl miniseries Merlin 1998. The Tudors mini-series 2007, as the corrupt Maj Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders tv drama 2013 and The Twelve miniseries 2022.

Sam Neil and Holly Hunter, The Piano

Sam Neill was the New Zealand actor whose career spanned Oscar winners and famous films, so he dreaded any prospect of retirement. He won Officer of the Order of the British Empire 1991 for his services to acting and a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2007. Years later, the New Zealand’s honours system allowed recipients to convert his Order of Merit into a knighthood, Sir Sam accepted a knighthood in 2022.

Actor Rachel Griffiths, who cast Neill as Michelle Payne’s horse trainer father in her directorial debut Ride Like A Girl, also commented on social media. Two Paddocks is the label under which Neill has been making wine for decades, a pursuit he took as seriously as acting. When not working, Neill split his later years between his Surry Hills home and his farm in New Zealand, where he kept rescue animals and produced wine from his vineyard. Based in Central Otago Sth Island, it created classy pinot noirs and average Picnic range.

Aust Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on X mourned Neill’s passing. “Sam starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts. Wry and thoughtful, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour & conviction that gave strength to his performances.

New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon said “Sam started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For 50+ years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today, one of our greatest cultural exports. His work will be watched and loved long after us.” NZ’s foreign affairs minister Winston Peters said Neill was a Kiwi icon whose work in both local & Hollywood films entertained people globally for decades.

In 2023 Neill’s memoir, Did I Ever Tell You About This? revealed he'd been undergoing chemo-therapy for a year after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma blood cancer. By the time his Memoirs were published in March 2023 his cancer was in remission, but he underwent monthly chemotherapy for the rest of his life; he signed a contract with the drug company that if he was alive in 4 months, the treatment was free. Neill explained it was an aggressive form of blood cancer with fewer than half of those diagnosed surviving 5+ years. But it this was not the cause of death.

He wrote that he later went into remission after undergoing a trial with a new chemotherapy drug. In 2023 he wrote “I’m not afraid to die, but it would annoy me. Because I’d really like another decade or two. We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature. And I’ve got my 6 lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big.”

The extended family group shared the tragic news of Sam’s passing in July in Sydney. Surrounded by family and passing with dignity, Sam was survived by 4 children & 8 grandchildren.

Martin Ferrero, Sir Richard Attenborough, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Laura Dernin Jurassic Park,

Yahoo Life

Capt Scott & his Antarctic team

20th explorers on their way to Antarctica, incl­uding Ernest Shackle­ton, often vis­it­ed NZ. They used local ports and quar­antine islands, and grate­ful­ly accepted other offers of assistance. They also took on New Zeal­ander crew with them, to take part in the Antarctic trips.

 Capt Robert Falcon Scott 

1905, Wiki

Capt Robert Falcon Scott (1868–1912) was born in Devon to a sea far­ing family. He joined his first ship when he was 13, then becom­ing an off­ic­er in the Royal Navy. Later he became one of the first Brit­ish explorers to extensive­ly explore Antarctica in the ear­ly 1900s.

Scott’s plan was to explore the part of Antarctica around the Ross Sea, originally discovered back in 1841 by Sir James Clark Ross. Scott led 2 expeditions to the Antarctic. His first expedition on the Discovery took place between 1901–04, partially Govern­ment funded. Discovery was specially built for the voyage, as a re­search ship to go through icy seas.

Clarence Hare, 1902

ABC News

New Zealander Clarence Hare (1880-1967) began his career as a clerk in N.Z and Fiji. While working in a Lyttelton grocery in Nov 1901 he met the Discovery's stores off­ic­er as they were preparing for their initial voyage south. The exp­edition's steward had been dis­missed at Lyttel­ton and 20-year-old Hare was taken on as the replacement steward. He was the youngest crew member on board.

As steward, Hare was in day-to-day contact with Capt Scott and the other officers on board. He carefully kept a diary which has been widely quoted in accounts of the expedition and biog­raphies of Sc­ott. Hare's name is still recalled in most accounts of the exped­it­ion, for the observations he wrote about and for his mir­ac­ulous story of life and death.

Note this was the first time Antarctic land had been expl­ored extensively, zoologically and geologically. Dr Edward Wilson, for ex­ample, was a keen zoologist on both of Scott's exp­ed­it­ions. Hare's grand-daughter Vir­g­inia Basset agreed. She said grandpa’s personal diary reveal­ed the lengths the crew went to for research, which claimed multiple lives onboard. They went out and collected penguins, seals, shells, whatever samples they could find to take back to England for scien­t­ific experiments. And they had to take part in collecting big ice blocks for the water supply.

Oates. Bowers, Scott, Wilson, and Evans at the South Pole.

UNSW

In March 1902, they wanted to leave directions to the expedition's winter quarters for the relief ship Morning. But after painfully slow progress, Hare's party led by 2nd Lieut Michael Barne was sent back to the ship with most of the men from the other party. During their return jour­ney they struck a blizzard a few kms from the ship. They tried to camp but soon decided to continued on foot. c10 minut­es later Hare was reported missing. Most of the party eventual­ly made it back to the Discovery, or were subsequently discovered by search parties. But Hare and George Vince, who had fal­len into the sea from a cliff edge, were given up as lost. 48 hours later Hare reappeared back at the ship unharmed! Vince's body was never found.

In 1910, Scott sailed on another scientific voyage in the whaler Terra Nova. With Royal Navy Officer E Evans (1876–1912) 2nd in charge, Scott determined to be the 1st explorer to reach the South Pole, but he faced stiff completion from Norwegian Roald Amundsen. Scott achieved his dream and reached the South Pole in Jan 1912, then he discovered that Amundsen had got there first. The 800-mile journey back to their base camp was hideous, and all 5 of Scott’s party died from cold and hunger. A search party was sent out from McMurdo Sound in late 1912 and found the bodies. 

In Feb 1913, the world woke to the headline “Death of Captain Scott. Lost with four comrades. The Pole reached”. The keenly anticipated, privately funded scientific venture off the map had turned to tragedy. When news of the tragedy reached Britain, a huge mem­orial ser­vice with King George V was held in St Paul's Cathedral.

Where was the detailed diary in which he documented the 2 years he spent with the navy crew, scientists and civil­ians in the Antarctic? Hare had donated his diary to the Alexander Turnbull Lib­rary in Wel­l­ington in the 1960s, avail­able for reading only on spec­ial request. And see the whistle he kept blowing while lost in a blizzard for 46 hours.

The diary from Scott's Antarctic voyage was published in 2022. 

and edited by Maureen Lee

In 1961-2 the N.Z Geological Survey Antarctic Expedit­ion named an Antar­ctic peak at the end of a ridge on the Leigh Hunt Glacier after Hare. This was approved by the N.Z Geog­r­aphic Board in 1962. Clarence Hare retired to fruit farm on the Sunshine Coast, dying in 1967. But now the diary has been published for the first time as A Young Man's Antarctic Discovery, Maureen Lee ed., 55 years after his death!! 

Capt Scott's memorial statue, Christchurch

erected 1916

Was Scott of the Antarctic sabotaged by his angry deputy, Officer E Evans? No the final cause of death in each man's case was hypothermia, but dying was a long, slow process with a number of factors: Insufficient food, frost bite and failed protection. Nonetheless read UNSW Newsroom for a conspiracy theory that I had not heard of before.

The Edwardians: Age of Elegance Exhibit

The Edwardian era was always my favourite to read and write about. Health care services improved, mortality declined, literacy spread widely, women’s rights were debated, New Zealand & Australia women were enfran-chised, trade unionism increased and the arts and sports were now widely available. Canada federated progressively, while Australian & South African states unified.

Royal portraits and coronation cloaks

Visit London

So I was keen to see what The Edwardians: Age of Elegance Exhibition in 2025 in King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace focused on. The exhibition went back into late Victorian era to examine the patronage of Albert Prince of Wales/King Edward VII & wife Alexandra of Denmark. The couple married in 1863, soon after Queen Victoria was widowed and withdrew from public life. Thus the young royals were leading taste-makers in society, well before 1901.

Winterhalter portraits of Edward and Alexandra, 1864

the year after their wedding.

jennifereremeeva

Queen Victoria’s son reigned on her death but unlike his very elderly mother, he died too soon 1910. Edward’s son King George V & wife Mary of Teck reigned from 1910-36, but the Edwardian Era will be labelled thus until the Golden Age ended with WW1 carnage. Thank you to Visit London & jennifereremeeva.

Court pageantry was seen in fine art eg Danish Laurits Tuxen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace 1897-9 and Family of Queen Victoria at her 1887 golden jubilee. The theme then focussed on the lavish court world. Note the opulent coronation robes of George & Mary and jewels.

Edward and Alexandra were patrons of leading artists: HE owned works by popular Victorian artist Frederic Leighton, while SHE collected art by Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne Jones. Alexandra also supported Minton’s Pottery Studio in 1870s, patronising women artists. And Alexandra, like many upper-class Victorian women, was a keen photographer.

Laurits Tuxen, Family of Queen Victoria, 

1887, Historian About Town

Global royal patronage was regular. Alexandra’s Danish heritage was seen in Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Co. art, including a huge porcelain cabinet with an ornamental roof. And objects were also collected on visits and in diplomatic exchange with the colonies: India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Africa. In the late C19th, better travel networks made the world closer, so the royal family travelled further and more often. These visits played an important role in Britain’s imperial identity eg in 1875-6 Edward toured India, producing an array of diplomatic gifts.

In 1871 Waverley Ball commemorated the 100th anniversary of Romantic author Sir Walter Scott and raised funds for the Scott Memorial in Edinburgh. Guests were dressed in costumes inspired by Scott’s Waverley literature. Edward went as Lord of Isles, titular character of an old poem, while Alexandra went as Mary Queen of Scots in the novel The Abbot. Emperor Pedro II of Brazil also attended

Edward and Alexandra hosted a Fancy Ball at Marlborough House in 1874. Actors, artists, aristocrats, musicians, politicians and bankers, called The Marlborough House Set, were invited. Named after their Pall Mall home, they were arbiters of fashion and taste, embracing new movements eg Art Nouveau & Arts and Crafts. Artist Godefroy Durand made a watercolour of the event, which showed Edward in fancy dress as Charles I, with Alexandra in Venetian costume.

A great party was the Devonshire House ball to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee 1897. 700+ invitations went out and James Lafayette photographed the guests. Edward was dressed as a Knight of Malta and Alexandra went as the C16th French queen Marguerite de Valois. Daughters Victoria and Maud, together with Maud’s husband, Prince Charles of Denmark, wore the costumes of her courtiers. And an early royal garden parties was at Buckingham Palace in 1897, marking Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, quickly becoming part of the royal calendar. While keeping strict dress codes, the Prince & Princess of Wales surrounded themselves with fashionable society figures.

A group of artists were portraying members of the set. Philip de László was renowned for his glamorous and natural portraits. In one painting of Princess Andrew of Greece-Denmark/Alice of Battenberg, George V’s cousin, he depicted the Princess in an elegant pose. A highlight of C20th royal portraiture was a striking painting of Queen Alexandra by François Flameng in 1908. In her mid-60s, she was presented as a fashion leader, promoting Cartier choker-necklaces. The best-known society portraitist of the era was by John Singer Sargent who painted Edward’s brother Arthur, Duke of Connaught & wife Duchess Louise 1908. And depicted folds of the Duchess’ dark silk and chiffon sleeves.

The social season also included sporting events eg horse racing during Royal Ascot week in June. The royal stables produced some important racehorses in the 1890s, including the famed Persimmon who won the Epsom Derby and the Ascot Gold Cup. And note the yacht racing at Cowes Isle of Wight. A small seal, enamelled in royal racing colours, marked 1896 when Britannia won 14 yacht races! And the exhibition revealed the royals’ loved dogs!

Fans and jewels

King's Gallery

Visit London

Edward and Alexandra watched theatre goers, actors and musicians in their social set. A bronze inkwell self-portrait by actress Sarah Bernhardt was in Edward’s Marlborough House study. Alexandra was a skilled pianist and Puccini's opera La Fanciulla del West of 1910 was dedicated to her.

For the royal family, and everyone, the age of glamour abruptly ended in WW1. By then Edward’s son, King George V, was on the throne. Both George and his wife Queen Mary visited the battlefields of Northern Europe to meet troops and boost morale, the first time a monarch had visited a warzone in over a century. The art collected by the royal family in this wartime period reflected a solemn purpose. George V collected military relics and images of the Western Front, including the bleak landscapes by photographer Olive Edis, Britain’s first female war photographer. She recorded the devastation caused by bombing and artillery to the buildings of France and Belgium

The monarchy which emerged after WW1 ended in late 1918 displayed a strong sense of duty. See Frank Salisbury's image of the first ceremony at the Whitehall Cenotaph Nov 1920, where King George V led the nation in collective mourning.

international gifts to the royals

todaytix

World's most liveable city. Hello Vienna!

The Global Liveability Survey is a measure of urban quality of life, published annually by the Economist Intelligence Unit/EIU. The EIU is a multi-nat­ional media company based in London, best known as publish­er of The Economist 

baroque Plaque Column, Vienna

1679. Bing

Vienna kohlmarkt

The survey assesses 140 of the world’s major cities in fixed cat­egories, stab­ility, education, universal health care, public trans­port, culture and envir­on­ment. Cities were scored out of 100, with the avail­ability of goods and services pushing scores up and pers­onal risk (guns, terrorism) pushing down.

In 2010 & 2011, Vancouver remained in top position. Even in 2014, 2015 and 2016, the top cities have remained amazingly constant, scoring VERY closely:

1 Melbourne; 
2 Vienna;
3 Vancouver;
4 Toronto;
5 Calgary;
6 Sydney;
7 Helsinki;
8 Perth; 
9 Adelaide;
10: Auckland.

Australian and Canadian cities did best, capturing 7 of the top 10 spots. So why did the world’s most powerful cities not score well? Global business centres (cities with 8+ mill­ion) eg New York, London, Paris and Tokyo were victims of their own size, with strained public transport, higher crime rates and crowd­ing. London ranked 53rd! In addition, The Economist Intelligence Unit show­ed Europe scores had been pushed down a bit by the euro-zone crisis.

The report concluded the best scoring cities were mid-sized cities (2-4 mill) in weal­thier countries with a relatively low population density. Cities with a significant proportion of their area allocated to green parkland did well, as did cities with Olympic Games-standard sporting facilities.

But some disagree that the successful cities were equally live­able for all residents eg The Victorian Council of Social Ser­­vice said Melbourne's top ranking failed to recognise the growing disparity between those who can afford to live where the services and jobs are, and those who have to live in areas of high unemployment, expensive housing and very long public transport commutes. [NB aggr­eg­ated stats lose individual differences in overall results].

The same Global Liveability Survey listed Damascus Syria as the least liveable cities in the Aug 2015 index, although Harare Zimbabwe, Dhaka Bangladesh, Tripoli Libya, Lagos Nigeria and Port Moresby PNG were close. But that too can change. Ongoing conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Libya might have been predicted, but totally unexpected tragedies in France, Belgium, Tunisia, Ukraine and Gaza were not predict­ab­le. In Athens, governmental austerity reduced employment and reduced the provision of public services.

European cities dominated the top 10 positions in the Quality of Living Rankings, with Vienna remaining in the No.1 spot and Zurich, Geneva, Munich, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Copenhagen coming in the top 10. How could the Mercer results be so different from the Glob­al Liveability Survey results, in the same year? Because this American global human resource and fin­an­c­ial firm, is more infl­uenced by business concerns eg currency exch­ange regulations, banking services, housing costs and consumer goods.

The Economist Intelligence Unit is a British business providing fore­casting and advisory services through research and analysis, includ­ing country, industry and management analyses world-wide. It has pub­lished an annual Global Liveability Ranking which began in 2004. The Unit ranks cities for their urb­an quality of life, based on assess­ments across five categories: stability, infrastructure, healthcare and culture, education and environment.

With Melbourne winning the world title for the many previous years, it may come as a surprise to Australians that in 2018 Vienna for the first time topped the EIU’s Global Liveability Index. The diff­eren­ces between the top 30 cities in this index were small. Vienna and Melbourne were VERY close in the index of 140 urban cen­tres for years, and are still separated by less than a point.

In 2018, Vienna was the World's Most Liveable City, the results being: 1. Vienna Austria; 2. Melbourne Australia; 3. Osaka Japan; 4. Calgary Canada; 5. Sydney Aus; 6. Vancouver Canada; 7. Toronto Canada, Tokyo Japan; 9. Copen­hagen Denmark and 10. Adelaide Aus. Vienna and Melbourne saw an improve­ment in their score this year, scoring maximum points in health-care, educ­ation and infra­structure. But while Melbourne extended its lead in the cult­ure and environment component, that was out­weighed by Vienna’s improved stability ranking. Os­aka's impro­ved in public traffic, as well as a consistent dec­line in crime rates, contributed to Osaka’s im­p­roved ratings in infra­structure and stability categories.

Osaka, Calgary and Sydney filled the top 5 positions. The EIU be­lieved the survey usually favoured medium-sized cities in wealthy countries, of­ten with relatively low population densities. Larger, more crowd­ed cities tended to have higher crime rates and more strained infrast­ruc­ture.

Australia and Can­ada achieved great liveability results, as expect­ed. Melbourne (98.4%), Sydney (97.4%) and Adelaide were joined by Calgary (97.5%), Vancouver (97.3%) and Toronto (97.2%) in the Top Ten. But apart from Vien­na, only one other European city achieved a great rating. This was Copen­hagen, 9th place at 96.8%. Helsinki and Ham­burg, who held Top Ten places last year, dropped out.

Green spaces are important. 50% of Vienna comprises green areas, parklands and gardens that can be reached on foot or by tram. Mel­bourne has huge public parks and wide, tree-lined boul­evards. Vancouver has its harbour setting, with beaut­iful parks and gardens. Copenhagen has fine Botanical and Tivoli facilities.

Now examine January Magazine's published results of The 2020 Best Countries Report which was part of US News’ Government Rank­ings init­iative, measuring government performance at the state and inter­national levels.

Overall Best Countries results 2020
1. Switzerland
2. Canada
3. Japan
4. Germany
5. Australia
6. United Kingdom
7. United States
8. Sweden
9. Netherlands
10. Norway and New Zealand

Regarding Switzerland, the report emphasised that “Switzerland has low unemp­loyment, a skilled labour force and one of the highest gross domestic products per capita in the world, according to the CIA World Factbook. The country’s strong economy was powered by low corporate tax rates, a highly-developed service sector led by financial services and a high-tech manufacturing industry.”

Citizens painted a bleak picture when asked about nations’ trust­­worth­in­ess. While the US was seen as the most powerful country in the wor­ld, it was not seen as trustworthy. Can­ada was seen as the most trustworthy country, and has been since the first Best Count­ries re­port in 2016. During the same time, perceptions of the US as being trust­worthy steadily drop­­ped to a record low of 16.3 on a 100-point scale. As did UK also fall in this attribute

There was global consensus about climate change’s effects, 87% agr­eeing it was serious. Of the 36 countries surveyed, people in Rus­sia agreed about climate change the least (71%), and Indonesia ag­reed the most (97%) with Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. Only 60% agreed their country addressed climate change.

For Quality of Life in 2022
1. Canada
2. Denmark
3. Sweden
4. Norway
5. Australia
6. Netherlands
7. Switzerland
8. New Zealand
9. Finland
10. Germany

Since 2012 the World Happiness Report has published World's Most Liveable Cities in an annual survey ran by the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The survey ranks global happiness in countries globally and the World Happin­ess Report’s most imp­ortant source has always been the Gallup World Poll, unique in the range and com­parability of its global series of annual surveys. The Gal­lup World Poll prov­ide the basis for the an­nual happiness rankings have always drawn in readers who want to know how their nation is faring but soon become curious about the secrets of life in the happ­iest countries. Right from the outset, we received very favour­able terms from Gallup and the very best of treatment. Gallup resear­ch­ers have also contrib­uted to the content of several World Happin­ess Reports. The value of this part­ner­ship was recognised by two Better­ment of the Human Conditions Awards from the Society for Quality of Life Studies. Although the statisticians typically base the ranking on data from the Gallup World Poll, this year was a bit differ­ent. Since the researchers were unable to do face-to-face in­terviews in a number of countries, they focused on the relation­ship between well-being and Covid-19 in order to rank the countries.

“Surprisingly there was not, on average, a decline in well-being when measured by people’s own evaluation of their lives. A possible explan­ation is that people see Covid-19 as a common, outside threat affecting everybody and this has generated a greater sense of solidarity and fellow-feeling.”

We need urgently to learn from Covid-19. The pandemic reminds us of our global environmental threats, the urgent need to cooperate, and the difficulties of achieving cooperation in each country and glob­al­ly. The World Happiness Report 2021 reminds us that we must aim for wellbeing rather than mere wealth, which will be fleeting indeed if we don’t do a much better job of addressing the challenges of sustainable development.”

Adelaide

Melbourne

Osaka

Vancouver

It's official! In 2021 Finland is the Happiest Country in the world for the 4th year running. So where did other countries fall on the list this year? Norway slipped a bit this year, coming in at #8. Last year, Norway was at #5, and in 2019, Norway was in the top three overall. United Kingdom slipped 4 spots from 2020, coming in at #18, while Germany is at 7—up 10 spots. Another big leap was Croatia, which rose to 23 this year, up from #79 in 2020.

One of the countries that had a challenging time this past year—China—made the top 20 in 2021, coming in at number 19. It was a dramatic leap from last year, when China was at 94. But the researchers, who took a deep dive into the lessons learned in Asia, weren’t surprised. “The East Asian experience shows that stringent government policies not only control Covid-19 effectively, but also buffer the negative impact of daily infections on people’s happiness,” said the Korea Development Institute.

There were similar success rates in Australia, which ranked #12 and New Zealand at #9 “The evidence shows that people’s morale improves when the government acts,” says the editors. Besides the happiest countries in the world, the Happiness Report also looked at the places where people are the most miserable. This year, countries like Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Jordan were ranked as some of the unhappiest countries in the world.

Vienna was named the world's most liveable city in 2024 for the 3rd year running, according to the EIU's latest results. Two Can­adian cit­ies (Calgary, Vancouver) and 4 in Asia-Pacific (Melbourne, Sydney, Osaka,Auckland) completed the top 10. 

The 2020 Best Countries methodology used data gathered from a sur­vey of 20,000 business leaders; college educated individuals; and general citizens who were repres­ent­ative of their count­ry. The goal of the Best Countries report was to understand how global perceptions are related to investment, foreign trade and tourism of a nation. But Best Count­ries should also measure peace for the re­sidents, democracy, universal health care, adequate social housing, unemployment rates, free schooling for all children.

Beyond the essential ideas of broad access to food and housing, to quality education and health care and employment, the Quality of Life measure may also include intangibles such as job security, political stability, individual freedom and environmental quality.

And I have another question. Does cultural diversity add to a city’s overall liveability? If GIU could measure cultural div­ersity (eg the proportion of a city’s population born overseas), Toronto might maximise its score. But then if climate was one of the included catagories, Toronto might go down the list a tad and Barcelona might go up the little.

Crafti's great beach-houses: Australia

Years ago, when our children were young, we wanted a small, cheap holiday home near the beach on Victoria’s coast. It had to be in 2 hours drive of our suburban home.

Basin Beach House with sweeping, curved roof, Sydney
architect Peter Stutchbury, 

in Wallpaper.com

Victorian Coastal Holidays was helpful. Special holiday homes can be found on Phillip Island, Bass Coast and Mornington Peninsular. From spectacular water views, proximity to beautiful beaches, fishing spots, it is all available. From the Island homes, enjoy some of Victoria’s best surf and swimming beaches, and one of the State’s most popular fishing locations. It's Australia’s home of motorcycle racing and is also one of the nation’s most popular family areas, with activities for children AND adults eg famous Phillip Island Penguin Parade, The Nobbies, Seal Rocks, Koala Sanctuary Treetop Walk and other famous wildlife attractions. From the Mornington Peninsular homes, there is easy access to the local beautiful beaches, Peninsular Hot Springs, Mornington wineries and other pleasures.

So finding our cheap, small holiday home was easy, our only requirements being a] 2 proper bedrooms & a kitchen-family room, and b] the back of the house facing the ocean.

Since then, I have found and read books about C21st beach houses, written by Stephen Crafti during the last 25 years. He wrote and featured stunning full colour photography. Australians and New Zealanders are drawn to the coast. Whether it's a fancy abode or a simple fibro shack, the sound of the surf and the feel of sand beneath one's feet are very appealing. The beach house book featured 50 architect-designed homes on the coast. From the simple to the monumental, the closeness to the beach was very appealing.

Family room looking onto the ocean

Even in less than spectacular homes, the windows framed the spectacular views

In Beach Houses: Australia And New Zealand 

While many of the homes were lavish, others simply framed the great views. In this book the author explored the evolution of the once humble abode, from the fibro shack to architecturally engineered homes that now dot the coastline. See 50 beautiful architect-designed homes.

The Beach House book by Crafti featured 50 architect-designed homes along the coast, leaving a lasting impression. While many of the homes featured were lavishly appointed, others simply framed the great views. Filled with photos of well-designed beach houses around the world, Crafti might fill a dream of having one’s own seaside home.

While many of the homes featured in the book are lavish, others simply frame the spectacular views ahead. From the best-selling 21st Century Series, 200+ vibrant full colour pages capture the seaside splendour of over 50 architect-designed homes.

Volume I of Beach Houses showed a diverse collection of Australian and N.Z coastal retreats. The beach house had long played a major role for Australians and New Zealanders’ summer activities, but design was often of secondary importance. Only more recently has the beach house evolved into an architect-designed sanctuary for a family, with breathtaking surrounds and comfortable living.

Looking out to the veranda
In Contemporary Beach Houses Down Under 

In Volume 4 of Beach Houses, Crafti again selected some superb beach homes in a variety of locations. There has never been as much demand among hard working people for places to get away from it all. Once the beach-side site has been selected, architects are the next port of call in the quest for a coastal dream home. Crafti walked the reader through a fine collection of architect-designed beach homes; permanent homes, weekenders, luxury sites and some like the traditional beach shack.

The 5th book of the series was dedicated to beach houses and showcases almost every kind of modern style. This is a great coffee table book with appeal to lovers of architecture and the beach, from an Australian architecture and design writer. Filled with stunning shots of well-designed beach houses around the world, Stephen Crafti's latest tome helped readers dream of having their own seaside dwelling.

A Pocketful of Beach Houses offered 50+ examples of residential beach architecture, including great projects from top Australian and N.Z architects. Superb architect-designed homes, which in many cases have been adapted to harsh beachside environments, were explained and illustrated with beautiful photos, plans and descriptive text. Note stunning ocean views, dune views and impeccable architectural design for beach living.

Another fine collection of beach architecture is Beach Houses Down Under -  stunning ocean views, dunes, seaside flora, and salty air are almost palpable! Crafti again selected some superb architect designed homes, both normal homes and holiday houses, in a wide variety of beach locations.

Many architects were seen: Glenn Murcutt, Harry Seidler, Pete Bossley, Architectus, Craig Moller, McBride Charles Ryan, Kerstin Thompson, Brit Anderson, McGauran Soon, Lindsay Clare, Cox Richardson and others. All projects reflected fine contemporary architecture in a diversity of beach locations: from environmentally sensitive designs, to sumptuous seaside homes and luxurious clifftop residences.

Pole House view over the ocean, Great Ocean Rd Vic

Designed by Frank Dixon 1978

Pinterest

Pole House, minimalist interior

40 metres above the beach

Realestate

Crafti wrote many books for The Images Publishing Group. Full of ideas for the aspiring designer, renovator or builder, they showed lovely locations in Australia and N.Z that complemented fine contemporary architecture. Find many books, including Beach Houses of Australia and New Zealand (2000), Beach Houses (2004), Contemporary Beach Houses Down Under (2008), Beach Houses Down Under (2009) and A Pocketful of Beach Houses (2009).

Great Ocean Road House Victoria, by architect Rob Mills
Est living 

Second Home: A Different Way of Living
Barnes and Noble, 2023

Edna Walling's stunning garden designs

Edna Margaret Walling (1895-1973) was born in York, second daughter of William and Harriet Walling. Edna studied at the Convent of Notre Dame in Devon, enjoying exploring with dad and the practical arts. Arriving in New Zealand in 1912 with her family, she began a nursing course at Christchurch. About 1914 the Wallings moved to Melbourne where William became a warehouse director.

Encouraged by her mother, Edna studied at School of Horticulture Burnley, gaining a graduate certificate in Dec 1917. She then began work as a jobbing gardener around Melbourne. Asked by an architect to plan a garden, she loved the idea. More commissions came and by the 1920s she had built a successful practice in garden design. She developed a sophisticated style,attracting an equally sophisticated clientele, and rapidly became the leading exponent of the art in Victoria at first, then spread to other states. Her regular gardening columns (1926-46) in Australian Home Beautiful and other magazines extended her influence.

Mawarra in Sherbrooke, designed in 1932

Dandenong Ranges Photography

To some extent, Walling emulated the styles of Spanish and Italian gardens and the work of Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll in Britain. The gardens she created typically exhibited a strong architectural character. For clients in the wealthy suburbs of Melbourne and on country estates, her designs included grand architectural features: walls, pergolas, stairs, parterres, pools and colonnades—woven into a formal geometry. And she always found a space for a wild, unstructured section.

For clients with more modest means, Walling's approach was more relaxed, relying on curving lawns and garden beds to give the illusion of greater space. But rarely were there no stone walls or other structural features. Whether the garden was big or small, she created a succession of pictures. Her handling of space, contour, level and view was brilliant. Equally impressive was her mastery of plants and their visual and ecological relationships. Her gardens were clothed by a soft and consistent palette of plants. She favoured greens and used other colours sparingly, mostly in pastel tones or white. For many clients she produced an exquisite water-colour plan of the garden as a means of conveying her proposals. Most of her gardens were constructed by Eric Hammond. Walling often provided the plants from her own nursery and was frequently on site giving instructions and helping with the physical labour. 

Edna Walling's iconic 1920s landscape design, Sherbrooke 

Heritage listed, Facebook

In the early 1920s Walling had acquired land at Mooroolbark where she built a house for herself, known as Sonning. Here she lived and worked, establishing her nursery and gathering around her a group of like-minded people for whom she designed picturesque 'English' cottages and gardens. She named the area Bickleigh Vale village. Some people rather unkindly called it Trouser Lane because of the dress of its predominantly female residents. The village was, and remains, an extraordinary experiment in urban development. In Walling's lifetime, and beyond, it has become a place of pilgrimage for her many followers. She designed several other group-housing estates. One, at Mount Kembla in NSW, was built for Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty Ltd. Others remained on paper.

By the 1940s Walling's was a household name and she capitalised on her popularity by publishing four successful books: Gardens in Australia (1943); Cottage and Garden in Australia (1947); A Gardener's Log (1948); and The Australian Roadside (1952). A further monograph, On the Trail of Australian Wildflowers, appeared posthumously in 1984. Several more manuscripts were unpublished.

Her influence on C20th gardening in Australia was enormous. The visual impact of the hundreds of gardens she created, her extensive writing, and the respect she commanded from those with whom she worked, including Glen Wilson, Ellis Stones and Eric Hammond, had a considerable effect on the next generation. In the 1980s and 1990s she was to become almost a cult figure for many Australian gardeners and a number of books were published about her work.

The Edna Walling Book of Australian Garden Design,

by Anne O'Donovan, 1980

In the mid-1940s Walling had developed a particular interest in native plants; she had begun using them in domestic gardens in the 1920s. An early and active conservationist, she joined battles to protect the natural environment and crusaded for the preservation of indigenous roadside vegetation. She was an outstanding photographer who always took her camera on her extensive travels. Classical music was another of her passions.

Miss Walling was not a person to be taken lightly. On site, dressed in her customary jodhpurs, jacket and tie, with strong, handsome features, she was energetic, determined and demanding. These character traits often provoked conflict, especially with some of her wealthy male clients. Yet she was also generous, fun loving and good company, attracting many loyal admirers and friends. By 1967, tiring of the characterless suburbs advancing towards Bickleigh Vale, she moved to Buderim, Queensland, to be in a warmer climate and near to her niece Barbara Barnes. Always single, Walling maintained a close relationship with Lorna Fielden, a teacher forwhom she had designed a house and garden at Bickleigh Vale. Fielden also moved to Buderim. 

Edna Walling, book cover of

The Unusual Life of Edna Walling, by Sara Hardy

Royal Historical Society of Victoria

Walling died in 1973 at Nambour and was cremated with Christian Scientist rituals.

Phar Lap, Australia's greatest ever racer!

Phar Lap was born in Timaru New Zealand in 1926, a chestnut gelding standing 17 hands high. The yearling was one of those sent by Sea-down Stud owner Alec Roberts to the Trentham sales. Sydney trainer Harry Telford received a copy of the N.Z Thoroughbred Yearling Sale Catalogue in Jan 1928 and was impressed by the colt’s breeding. Telford did not have money to buy the horse and contacted U.S businessman David J Davis who was initially reluctant to commit to the unseen prize. But eventually Telford’s brother inspected the horse and asked a businessman in N.Z to bid.

Although Phar Lap was New Zealand-born and raised, he never raced there. Even in Australia, Phar Lap failed to place in 8 of his first 9 starts. But he went on to win 36 of his next 41 races, including the Race That Stops the Nation, the 1930 Melbourne Cup. Phar Lap often won by several lengths and sometimes even finished at half pace. In the misery of the Great Depression, Phar Lap’s exploits thrilled both NZ and Australia, and became a legend of Australian sporting history. His sensational rise from humble beginnings captured the public’s imagination in those years.

 Jockey Jimmy Pike rode Phar Lap to 27 wins in 30 races!

Phar Lap and his strapper, Tommy Woodcock, 

Australian Geographic

In the 1930 Melbourne Cup, when he was ridden again by Jimmy Pike, the Australian wonder-horse beat Second Wind by 3 lengths to claim one of his greatest victories. To show you how important the Melbourne Cup always was, it’s still a significant public holiday in Victoria.

In 1931 co-owners Harry Telford and David Davis sent the horse to America. Once in California, all Tom Woodcock's efforts were focused on acclimatising the horse. If Phar Lap lost, Woodcock would get paid nothing other than his trip costs, and he really wanted to show the Americans what he was made of. In the weeks leading up to the Agua Caliente Handicap in Tijuana Mexico,  Australians listened to and read whatever they could on Phar Lap's progress. 

In March 1932, Phar Lap and jockey Billy Elliott won the richest race in the world then!! A fortnight later in April 1932 Phar Lap’s strapper Tommy Woodcock, who’d seen the horse in all his races, found him suffering in severe pain and high temperature. Phar Lap quickly bled to death and Woodcock was devastated. In Australia the death was seen as a great tragedy; rumours quickly spread that the horse may have been poisoned. The autopsy showing the horse's stomach and intestines were inflamed, perhaps poisoned.

Phar Lap’s very large heart was returned to Australia for testing after his sudden death. Davis arranged for the heart to be sent to Sydney Uni for examination by thoroughbred expert Dr Stewart McKay and pathologist Prof Welsh. The wall of the left ventricle was removed, to inspect the muscle thickness. Noting the unusually large size of Phar Lap’s heart, Dr McKay asked Telford to donate it to Canberra’s Australian Institute of Anatomy. Although my father was sure American criminals poisoned the horse on purpose, debate continued as to whether Phar Lap died of an acute infection or from arsenic poison. Not surprisingly, the Institute of Anatomy collection became one of the key parts of Canberra’s National Museum.The mounted hide went to the Museum of Victoria in Melbourne, the skeleton to the National Museum of New Zealand in Wellington.

The death prompted an out-pouring of anger and mourning, and the saying a heart as big as Phar Lap’s came to refer to the horse’s staying power, used to indicate great courage. The heart is still suspended in a clear case, an icon of the National Museum’s collection. Letters sent to Harry Telford by the grieving public are now displayed with Phar Lap with other tributes in art and relics. Objects from his life: training saddle, shoes and tonic book tell the story of the wonder horse whose life abruptly ended.

Easily winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup

The Age

The Museum’s Phar Lap Collection includes the personal photo album of Phar Lap’s owner, David Davis. The album has 36 black and white photos, documenting each of Phar Lap’s race wins in Australia, with race details inscribed on the mounts. This is the only photo album known that features each of Phar Lap’s Australian wins. Davis died in 1959 and this album was discovered by his descendants in their California home in the 1990s.

The Museum’s Phar Lap collection also includes:
1. Jockey Billy Elliott’s Agua Caliente Club race programme
2. The 1932 program from Phar Lap’s last race, with personal inscription on the cover from Elliott.
3. Jockey Jim Pike’s 1930s riding boots and skull cap. 
4. An Akubra owned by Pharlap Dixon who worked on a Territory cattle property!
5. N.Z Thoroughbred Yearling Sale Catalogue Jan 1928, showing Davis WAS the buyer (£160).

In the 1983 film Phar Lap, he was as well-known for his mysterious death as for his great life successes. The film started when Phar Lap was bought on impulse by trainer Harry Telford. The horse lost his first races but Telford's faith in the animal was unshakable. Suddenly the horse became a winner, thanks to stable boy Tommy Woodcock. American promoter Dave Davis arranged for Phar Lap to be entered in several top races, where his long shot status resulting heavy losses for the criminal gamblers. Just after winning a major race in Mexico, Phar Lap collapsed and died; they assumed that the horse was murdered by gambling interests. Australia mourned.

Australia's greatest racehorse Phar Lap.

Museum of Victoria

National Mus Aus concluded that Phar Lap’s popularity was not just due to the fact he won so often. Rather in the impoverished Depression, the horse’s spectacular rise from humble beginnings expressed the dreams of ordinary Australians. 80+ years after he first went on display, the champion Phar Lap remains the most popular exhibit.

 

Rhodes Scholarship - wish I won one.

Established through the Will of Cecil John Rhodes of the diamond company De Beers in 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship was a very progressive project in the new century. 120+ years later, the Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and most respected international scholarship programme anywhere, enabling talented young people around the world to undertake full-time postgraduate study at Oxford Uni.

Rhodes House, Oxford

built 1926

The reputation as the world's most famous academic scholarship rests not on the life of founder Cecil Rhodes, but on the enormous contributions scholarship-holders later made to the world. Thus the ideal personal and academic qualities (listed below) remain as important as ever. Not surprisingly, Oxford scored first in the Times Higher Education rankings each year from 2016-24 .

One of the founding aims of the Scholarship was to identify young leaders from around the world who, through being educated together at Oxford, would create long term links of mutual understanding and fellowship for the betterment of the world.

The following criteria were used to select Rhodes Scholars:
1.literary and scholastic excellence, intellectual distinction;
2.energy to fully use one's talents where teamwork is involved by mastery in areas like sports, music, debate, dance, theatre and arts;
3.courage, devotion to duty, protection of the weak, unselfishness and focus on public service; and
4.moral instincts to lead fellow humans.

When students from around the world came together in a shared spirit, the excitement began. The Rhodes Scholarship was a life-changing opportunity, starting when applications (aged only from 18-24) for each Rhodes Scholarship open early in each northern academic year. Today 100 scholarships a year cover all fees and a stipend for 2-3 years, with 300+ scholars in residence in Oxford at one time.

Each year, 9 Rhodes Scholarships are available for outstanding Australians to study at Oxford, each state offering one scholarship, awarded by a formal selection committee. Rhodes Scholars here have achieved distinction as politicians, academics, scientists and doctors, authors, entrepreneurs and Nobel Prize winners. Australia’s most famous winner was Howard Florey (1898-1968) received his medical training at the University of Adelaide and at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. This pharmacologist won a Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine in 1945 for isolating and purifying penicillin, shared with Alexander Fleming and German biochemist Ernst Boris Chain. Other Rhodes scholars became heads of state or heads of government, including Prime Ministers Tony Abbott, Bob Hawke and Malcolm Turnbull, and Deputy Prime Minister Kim Beazley.

Howard Florey

There is a yearly total of 32 Rhodes Scholarships for the U.S, covering the 50 states and its territories like American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. The Scholarships in the U.S are administered by 16 regional selection committees, each awarding 2 scholarships. Three scholars are elected from New Zealand each year; 8 Scholarships every year for South Africans; and 5 scholarships available yearly for India. In Canada 3 scholarships go to the Prairie Region; and 2 each to Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. Israeli scholars have two scholarships available each year, but with one key difference. The maximum age for Israeli applicants is 27, to allow Israelis to finish their 3 years’ compulsory national service before starting university. In 1977, women were finally admitted to the full scholarship and since 2018 students from anywhere in the world can apply; the competition is now more vigorous!

Now for a more detailed look at a specific scholarship winner. After finishing San Mateo High School Cal in 1954, Kris Kristofferson (1936–2024) enrolled at Pomona College Cal, hoping to become a writer. He studied writing under Dr Frederick Sontag, who encouraged him to apply for a Rhodes scholarship. He graduated in 1958 and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, allowing him to study British literature at Oxford earning a Masters. I am not surprised that he wrote stories and examined the works of William Blake. But I had no idea he began writing songs during his time in Oxford. At the same time he began his performing career and he was also awarded a University Blue for boxing and played rugby.

                      

Australian prime ministers: Bob Hawke (L) and Malcolm Turnbull (R)

His studies may have demanded his total attention but Kris continued to play sports and pursue music, all while studying literature. Perhaps he read that the criteria which determined Rhodes Scholars included the mastery of areas such as sports and music.He graduated from Merton College Oxford, in 1960 and returned to the U.S. Followed in his father's footsteps, Kris served in the Army and eventually becoming a helicopter pilot and Captain. He graduated Airborne School, Ranger School and Flight Schools, served in Germany, and volunteered for Vietnam as a helicopter pilot, but instead was offered a Professor of English Literature position at USMA West Point. Disappointed that he was not allowed to fight in Vietnam, he resigned his position in 1965 and pursued songwriting. This surprised me since every male I knew in the last 1960s went into hiding, if they were conscripted into the Australian Army. In '65 Kris was commissioned to teach literature at West Point but ended up choosing Nashville, to pursue a music career instead. He got a janitor job in Nashville studios where he met Johnny Cash, who initially took some of his songs. So I know a lot of the music where Kristofferson changed the face of Country Music back then eg Me and Bobby McGee (1970) (Written by Kristofferson and sung by Janis Joplin)

Freedom is just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no-no
And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues

You know feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.