Remember hopscotch from 1950s & 1960s?

Although I assumed my post-WW2 generation invented hopscotch, that seems highly unlikely. The earliest confirmed mention of the game actually comes from Britain in C17th; in fact a manuscript book of games from 1635-72 by Francis Willughby and an entry in Poor Robin's Almanack for 1677 contain the earliest references.

Hopscotch players on side of road

The grid was added in chalk

Te Ara New Zealand

Children all over the world play Hopscotch in much the same way, but the patterns they draw can be very different. Children in Scotland have a game where the pattern is like bananas lying next to each other. In Japan there is a pattern that looks like an old telephone with a rotary dial, and in France there is Escargot, a pattern that looks like a snail. In Vietnam there is a game called Build A House, which has floods, fires and the Mekong River, and in China there is a game with an animal’s head at the top of the pattern. There are clearly many different versions of the game.

In Australian schoolyards, the most common pattern was Aeroplane Hoppy with 8 squares. It was usually painted on the ground although some schools had/have chalk for children to use at lunch time, so they can draw their own patterns. This means that Hopscotch can be changing.

As I discovered in my Melbourne primary school, the boys had a full size football field while the girls were given a smaller area of paved ground for games. So small that only a small number of friends could play girls’ games like yo-yos and jacks. To play hoppy as we called it, the squares were marked out in chalk and therefore used primarily in summer (to avoid the winter rain). It was shaped as a grid of lined-up squares dispersed with blocks of 2 lateral squares, ending in a home base shaped as a semicircle. The squares are then numbered in the sequence in which they are to be hopped.

A game of hopscotch

Dept of Education, Sth Australia

Each player tossed a small flat marker called a taw in post-WW2 Melbourne (eg coin, large button, horizontal stone) into a numbered square, hopping through the court without stepping on lines or the marker, and picking it up on the way back. The player stopped in the square before the marker, reached down to retrieve the marker and continued the course as stated. This had to be without touching a line or stepping into a square with another player's marker.

I know that hopscotch is said to still be popular but I haven’t seen it played for decades. Then this week outside my coffee shop, I saw the chalk grid laid out on the concrete and some young girls playing as if 1958 was still here !

There have been different versions of this game recorded over the years and in different countries, but hopscotch was and still is an effective form of play that teaches children important skills: hand-eye coordination; balance; body control; social development; arithmetic skills; and leadership. Played in most outdoor places it encouraged physical activity because there were no competing activities: no tv, no mobile phones and no computer games back then. So are these skills still crucial in the modern world because they limit screen time?

Hopscotch Beer Bar on South Bank, Melbourne

What's On Melbourne

Hopscotch is beer bar on South Bank in Melbourne, featuring 30 beer taps and an in-house micro brewery, tap cocktails or spiked slushies. Enjoy tacos bao or buns in one hand and balance the drink in the other. This bar is critical now because AFL Football Grand Final is a long weekend holiday starting this Friday, Australia’s most important day of the year. Hopscotch doors open at 9am for a full breakfast, live music from 11am and then the game! 

If you played hopscotch at school in the 1950s and 1960s, I would be delighted to hear from you. If you played hopscotch since then, let me know if your game differed from how I described it.

Archibald Art winners 2026 in Shepparton

Australia’s favourite and most significant art award opened in Shepparton Art Museum for a Victorian showing of the annual Archibald Prize. Judged by the Art Gallery of New South Wales/NSW trustees, the prize is awarded to the best portrait. Since 1921, it has highlighted figures from all walks of life, from famous faces to local heroes of our times. Australia’s most significant art award is annual Archibald Prize is eagerly anticipated by artists and audiences alike. This touring exhibition is a chance for Victorians to see the 59 finalists, the exhibition's only destination outside NSW.  From 5 Sept–1 Nov 2026, open 7 days a week.

Archibald finalists in NSW Art Gallery, 2026

 
This leading Australian regional art museum is recognised for its Australian nationally significant collection of Indigenous art, its programme designed to be locally relevant while engaging with global contemporary ideas. Via exhibitions, collection & programmes, SAM’s art helps an understanding of ancient cultural Australia AND multicultural Australia.

The Museum announced that it was hosting the Archibald Prize 2026, one of the country’s most beloved annual art events, the first stop after the exhibition closed at the Art Gallery of NSW. From celebrated cultural icons and bold contemporary figures to the artists and activists who shape our national story, the Archibald Prize brings together a compelling portrait collection. They spark talk, reflect identity and invite audiences to look through the eyes of Australian artists. SAM’s commitment to presenting high class art experiences for regional audiences amplifies the cultural vibrancy and creative energy of Central Vic, delivering significant economic impact as well.

SAM Artistic Director said: “We are honoured to be the exclusive Vic host of the Archibald Prize 2026. We are celebrating the extraordinary talent showcased in this iconic exhibition and we’re thrilled to be bringing such an event on the nation’s cultural calendar to the Goulburn Valley.”

NSW’s Gall Director of Collections & Exhibitions said: The Archibald has a long, proud history of connecting audiences over Australia with the best in modern portraiture. Shep AM is an remarkable cultural partner, having hosted the famous Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio touring exhibition in 2025. See the Archibald Prize 2026 celebrate the extraordinary diversity of artists & sitters from everywhere.”

Shepp City Council Mayor said: “This nationally recognised exhibition is one of Australia’s most prestigious art events. It is attracting visitors from across Australia, boosting local tourism and show casing everything Shepparton has to offer, from our thriving arts scene to our hospitality and culture.” The programme of public events incl artist talks, guided tours, workshops, educational and community activities.

The Museum serves as a dynamic cultural & community hub and houses one of the nation’s key collections of Australian regional holdings of South Eastern Indigenous Art. Through its programmes, events, collection and temporary exhibitions, SAM creates opportunities for creative souls to engage audiences with the stories of our country’s ancient cultures and contemporary multicultural Australia.

Celebrate the Archibald Prize 2026 at SAM with talks featuring artist Richard Lewer, six-time finalist and 2026 Archibald Prize winner, and curator Beatrice Gralton, Senior Curator of Contemporary Australian Art at NSW Art Gallery. Enjoy insight into the artistic and curatorial sides of the celebrated annual prize.

portrait of Iluwanti Ken 

198 x 198cm.

Archibald Winner Richard Lewer.  Iluwanti Ken is an elder, senior artist & traditional healer. I spent time with Iluwanti at Tjala Arts in Amata, Sth Australia. Although we have known one another for several years through shared exhibitions, being on Country together deepened my under-standing of her presence and the responsibilities she carries. Iluwanti paints with an urgency I recognise. Her work depicts the story of the eagles. Birds are in her drawings, paintings and ceramics as teachers of care, protection, provision and resilience, particularly for women and children. These lessons shaped how I approached this portrait. I wanted to convey her strength and attentiveness, and reflect the way she watches over others. Illuwanti is a small woman, but she carries immense, quiet authority. I painted her life‑size so her presence meets the viewer directly. The yellow ochre background holds the intensity of the heat and light we worked in. She loves bright clothing which feels inseparable from her spirit, and the traces of paint on her arm acknowledge her as a working artist.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke. 

oil on board, 114 x 150 cm

 Art Gallery NSW

Packing Room Prize by Sean Layh. This portrait is actor Jacob Collins. It arose after Layh saw him in the title role of the 2024 production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in a Melbourne theatre. It was performed by candlelight in a tight physical setting and blended Hamlet’s dark brooding with the plot’s spooky supernatural undercurrent. Layh paints compositions influenced by classical literature and theatre. He asked if Collins would like to repeat the role for a portrait, depicting Hamlet’s death scene in Tragic History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. But they decided that the final painting, stripped of its obvious props eg poisoned chalices, captured more of the character than his final moments.

Peoples’ Choice Winner Michael Zavros said A while ago my mother thought she saw me on tv, but it was Alex Ryvchin. Then a few friends also observed that we looked alike. Following the attacks on Israel in Oct 2023, Alex was often in the media. As CEO of Exec Council of Australian Jewry, this natural leader spoke passionately about his community’s pain and the changes he feared would emerge here. When two gunmen attacked Jewish people on Bondi Beach in Dec 2025, Alex led the nation in a way our elected leaders failed to do. I found common ground with this man-father. When we met earlier this year, I knew I wanted to paint Alex in the sea, symbolising much for all Australians. His tefillin symbols are so important in contemporary culture.

Michael Zavros, Alex with his tefillin in the sea 

oil on canvas 205 x 138 cm

Art Gallery NSW

HandleBar Adelaide - pub on wheels

The HandleBar Adelaide uses vehicles devised by brothers Henk and Zwier Van Laar in Amsterdam in the 1990s. The four-wheel, open frame vehicles, the size of a family car, have allowed fans to take in dozens of US, European and Asian cityscapes, beer in hand, since the vehicles were first tested. Americ-an Stephen Lindsay and Australian Jason Seris operated 9 of the Amsterdam-manufactured vehicles in the U.S since they took up the venture in 2012. The vehicles were brought to Adelaide in 2016 by Lindsay & Seris because the 2 men found the project has most positive impact in smaller cities. The two men chose Adelaide because they liked the size. From experience in the USA, they found that a somewhat smaller city was generally more receptive

Driving down Franklin St

Experience Adelaide

The men met extensively with Adelaide City Council and State Government agencies to ensure compliance in safety, food and alcohol service, waste disposal, suitable city routes and stopping points. The final stages of securing a liquor licence for the vehicles was critical.

Australia’s first pub on wheels in Adelaide is an open framed, pedal-powered mobile music, fun and drinking experience, offering two-hour tours of the city centre. The bike allows 16 customers to book a tour, pedalling around the CBD at 10 ks per hour, and the company provides the driver. They are tot-ally powered by the pedalling passengers with the driver-bar handler guiding its braking and direction. Each side also has a seat over the wheels, which means they don’t have pedals. Each bike also has a bench in the back that seats 3 people who want a rest and is perfect for those who don’t fit the height (5’3” min) and weight limitations (136 k max).

The HandleBar is great for pre-wedding parties, birthdays, corporate team building and Christmas parties. Australia’s only pedal pub ride includes beer, Adelaide wine, pre-mixed spirits and cider that can be pre-ordered and prepaid online while pedalling around Adelaide’s city centre. Wear sunscreen and hat in summer, comfortable clothes and avoid high heels! The pedal-power exercise is VERY energetic!

 

The driver controls the steering wheel and brakes

Adelaide Mums' Group

Though the vehicle’s speed is provided collectively by the pedalling drinking passengers, steering-braking is the sole responsibility of the driver/bar handler. And while they’re cruising around the city, the bike itself the license making it legal to drink on. So the designated driver  maintains control of the vehicle at all times and the riders don’t have control of steering or braking. And the Adelaide City Council controls vehicle compliance and safety, food and alcohol service, waste disposal, suitable city routes and hotel stopping points en route have been satisfied. Lindsey, who drives one of the vehicles, says he and Seris were in discussion with local bars about stopping off during the tours, choosing handpicked, small pub-crawl stopping points for their customers. For comfort onboard, drinks are pre-organised and paid for online before leaving the starting point, so there no need for cash. If a customer thinks that pedalling tends to make him peckish, he can bring snacks on board. If the whole group pre-books food, everyone can enjoy progressive dinner sampling at some of Adelaide's favourite eateries.

The HandleBar Homebase

Tripadvisor

While the tour drives around,  the customers pedal the streets of Adelaide, enjoying a drink to remain hydrated. Making 2-3 stops along the way, and waving to pedestrians, it is heaps of fun! Sip and sing through Adelaide's vibrant WestEnd aboard a giant party bike. HandleBar trips are Adelaide's most talked-about experiences.

A vehicle can operate with as few as 6 people, people who can decorate the bike, and play their own tunes for a personal touch. There is only one thing I, Helen, cannot find i.e confirmation that the bikes feature electric assistance so groups can pedal less and party more if they choose. I hope it is true. I broke the bottom of one leg 2 legs ago and could not pedal even some of the time.

An organised tour filling two vehicles

Adelaide Mums' Group

Bookings for groups cost $400 Sun-Thu, $500 Fri-Sat. The minimum number per bike is 6, the maximum per bike is 16. Larger parties can rent multiple bikes, the price per party bike remaining fixed regardless of party size. Get details and start planning the adventure at The HandleBar.

Canadian history, Hudson’s Bay Co and furs

The C17th fur trade became a major commercial growth in Nth Am­erica, due to Eur­ope’s dem­and for beaver hats. Two French trad­ers pl­an­ned a trad­ing com­pany to reach the inland via Hudson Bay and to gain access to the int­er­ior fur resources. Af­ter not win­n­ing French sup­­port, they went to Prince Rupert in Britain in 1665 where Rup­ert sw­ay­ed cousin King Charles II, mer­ch­­ants and noble men to back the ve­n­ture. Two ships were sent mid 1668 and the royal charter for Rup­ert’s Land. Hudson’s Bay Co./HBC was pr­o­claimed May 1670. The Gov­ernor and Co. of Advent­ur­ers of England received ex­clusive trading rights in Hud­son Bay Terr­it­ory.

Original charter of the HBC, declared in 1670

HBC shareholders at Annual General Court Meeting elected a Governor and comm­ittee to organ­ise fur auctions, order trade goods, hire workers and arr­ange shipping. The London-based Governor set all the basic polic­ies implem­ented in Rup­ert’s Land, using annual reports, journals & accounts supplied by the Bay of­f­icials. 

Prince of Wales and Eddystone, Hudson's Bay Co. Ships

Canadian Encyclopaedia

After trapping beaver pelts when they reached their best quality (win­t­er), Indigenous Peoples trav­elled to the trading posts in sum­m­er. These traders were middlemen, bringing furs from inland communities and trad­ing furs for manufactured goods eg tools, guns, text­il­es, food.

In 1713 France agreed to England’s claim to Hudson Bay with Treaty of Utr­echt. For 60 years, the HBC erected posts largely at major rivers flowing into the bay. This hesit­ance to establish posts in Rupert’s Land all­owed comp­et­itors to out­do the HBC by travel­l­ing into the in­ter­ior to trade with Indigenous peoples. In return, ind­igenous trad­ers extracted greater ret­urns for their furs. 

 

Timber wolf fur sales, Fur Harvesters Auction in North Bay, Ont.

CBC

Until 1763 HBC struggled with the French for control of fur trades in south­ern Rupert’s Land, and naval battles erupted on Hud­son & James Bays. In the Treaty of Paris 1763, the Montreal overland trade network was taken by the British. By 1774 HBC trade had been undercut enough that the Governor designed an aggres­s­ive policy of inland expansion, be­ginning with building facilities on the Saskatch­ewan River.

Intensive competition with the North West Co. spil­l­ed beyond Rup­ert’s Land into the Pac­if­ic slope, combining economic conflict with occasional physical viol­ence. In 1821 the parties merged, and the British Parlia­ment extended the Co.’s monopolies to include the N.W Territories.

Bringing together the different business traditions of the North West Co. and HBC required changes in the new Co’s administrative structure. British North America was divided into trading depart­ments and dist­r­icts. District managers met annual­ly in depart­mental council meetings presided over by the Governor in North Am­erica, Sir George Simpson. Th­ese coun­cils passed reg­ul­ations governing local trade, det­er­mined work­ers’ deployment and established the log­is­tical requirements. The offic­ers also had a vested interest since they shared in the profits, accord­ing to the 1821-71 deed polls. But Sim­pson had considerable power, and the London Governor overruled local decisions. Post-merger, the HBC closed many unprof­itable trading posts, adv­ersely damaging Indigenous groups whose survival relied on fur.

After 1821, independent free Métis traders at the Red River Colony opp­osed the Co’s monopoly rights, which had been renewed in 1838. The issue ended in the famous 1849 Sayer Trial, where Métis man Pierre-Guillaume Sayer was tried and convict­ed of trading with Indigen­ous groups, violating the Co’s legal privileges. The court’s decision to free him effectively opened the trade of Rup­ert’s Land.

To standardise trade between posts, HBC introduced the Made Beav­er as the currency (1857). All furs were valued according to the equivalent of one prime male beaver skin. Hud­s­on's Bay Co. fur trade im­pacted on Indig­en­ous peoples, many of whom ab­andoned th­eir life-styles and economy, and relied on Europ­ean manuf­ac­t­ured goods for survival.

Although the Co.’s primary concern remained the fur trade, it increas­ingly provided government for settlers in Red River Valley and Vanc­ouver Island. Only in 1849 did Britain grant­ the Van­couver Island col­ony to the HBC, to be used as an agricultural sett­lement.

During the Fraser Gold Rush in 1858, the mainland colony of British Co­l­umbia was created out of New Caledonia. Governor James Douglas was requ­ir­ed by the British govern­ment to resign his HBC commission before bec­om­ing Governor of BC. Thus the Co. began to relinquish its colonial res­ponsibilities. It was then Canada’s growing expansionist movement saw the ann­exation and settlement of the NW as essential to Canada’s future.

Expansionists portrayed the HBC as delaying Canada’s growth; they cl­aim­ed that to protect its fur trade interests, the HBC had proclaimed that the NW was a barren waste­land, unsuited to agricultural set­tlement. But this belief was challenged by reports of the Palliser and Hind expedit­ions in 1857-60 which encouraged westward British settlement.

In 1863, International Financial Society bought control in HBC, signal­l­ing a shift in the Co: most new shareholders were less interested in the fur trade than in real estate and economic development in the West. Negotiations held with the Colonial Office and with the Can­adian government DID result in selling Rupert’s Land to Can­ada in 1870. In the agreement the Co retained title to the old trading lands.

Fur trader in Northwest Territories, in the 1890s

Wiki

See the post-1870 growth. By retain­ing large land­holdings on the prair­ies adjacent to its posts, many of which were loc­at­ed in growing ur­ban centres, the HBC became a most im­portant dev­el­opers in western Canada.

As Prairie economic development accelerated post-1870, the Co. expanded retail business with settlers. Initially most of this act­ivity occurred at its trading posts. Since it differed from the trade with Indigenous groups, separate sales shop accounts were kept. Then the HBC’s retail and whole­sale divisions emerged, with outlets separate from fur trade. In 1910 the Co was divided into 1]land, 2]fur & 3]retail. In 1913 HBC helped build new retail shops, recog­nising that this had a greater fut­ure potential than land and fur sales. The first of the 6 stores op­en­ed in Calg­ary and the last in Winnipeg in 1926. From 1965 the shop em­braced the short form of its name, The Bay, and its logo featured the B. And its historic coat of arms nodded to its rich role in Canadian history.

Hudson's Bay Montreal, department store chain acquired by HBC in 1960.

 In 1970, 300th year in HBC history, the Queen formally transferred it from U.K to Canada, with new headquarters in Winnipeg. The Co. owned 239 dep­art­ment stores in Canada and U.S then. But  after failing to secure new financing or buyers, the historic 355-year-old retailer permanently closed its last doors in 2025 and completed liquidation.

Thank you to Canadian Encyclopedia