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Newsletter 420

Published December 20, 2021
Things are trending upwards this Christmas

As we get closer to Christmas things only seem to get busier. This week has been madder than ever, so I’m not going to try and write a proper newsletter. The most noteworthy thing may be the stealthy increase in COVID-19 cases, and the growing indifference of government and the general public. As I write, NSW has just recorded more than 2,000 cases for the day, and there’s every expectation those numbers will keep trending upwards as people hit the bars and clubs for their Christmas parties.

At the same time, restrictions are being eased, borders are being opened, people have stopped wearing masks, and the ubiquitous QR codes are being ignored. It’s as if everyone has suddenly decided not to notice the pandemic, and hope it goes away. I don’t believe we should live perpetually in fear of the virus, but it seems rather bizarre that we should go through all these months of lockdown then throw caution to the winds. Will it end in another, even more draconian lockdown? Will new strains keep evolving in remote places starved of vaccines?

I’m looking forward to travelling again, but also starting to feel a bit wary of the way protocols are being relaxed – for political rather than medical reasons. The NSW government is now talking about “hospitalisations” rather than cases of infection, because that sounds a lot better. I wonder what the numbers will look like a fortnight from now? It probably depends on just how merry a Christmas everyone has.

This week the Herald is running my piece on Tarnanthi at the Art Gallery of South Australia. The show managed to defy the lockdowns and come up with a fascinating overview of the state of indigenous art.

The film column is devoted to The Beatles: Get Back – Peter Jackson’s monumental 3-part documentary drawn from previously unseen footage from 1969. It’s not something I can recommend wholeheartedly because this extended jam session and talk fest will bore some viewers rigid and send others into ecstasies. I experienced a bit of both, although boredom probably predominated. It’s only when I think back on various moments that I can see the qualities of this exercise. Peter Jackson seems to be the man who can do no wrong, but he certainly knows how to test his audience’s limits.