Sepia Saturday: 31 August 2013
Our theme prompt for Sepia Saturday 192 features a wonderful 1947 portrait of the jazz musician Stan Kenton by the noted photographer William P Gottlieb. The photograph forms part of the Flickr Commons collection of the Library of Congress - indeed if you are a lover of classic jazz photographs there is an entire Flickr stream dedicated to Gottlieb's work. That is Kenton in the middle of this trio, dressed in typical 1940s style with his striped trousers held high with the obligatory suspenders (or as we call them here in Europe, braces). So there is your first possible direction of travel, but you may also choose to go with neckties, jazz, men sat down or ... anything you want to.
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| From Tom McLoughlin's collection |
Tom McLoughlin was my maternal grandfather.
I think this is him in these photos.
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| From Tom McLoughlin's collection |
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| From Tom McLoughlin's collection |
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| From Tom McLoughlin's collection |
If it's not, it's probably one of his brothers - there were six of them as per this photo....
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| Top to Bottom and Left to Right as per my mother's handwriting on back of photo: Vincent, Francis (Frank), Patrick (Pat) Joseph (Joe), Thomas (Tom) and John (Jack) |
Mateship is pretty important in Australian culture....and it seems my Grandfather had a few mates. Unfortunately I don't know the stories behind these photos but it looks as though they enjoyed good times.
The traditional greeting among Australian blokes is "Maaaate" reciprocated by an equally long "Maaaate" and then a deep silence full of inarticulate deep thought peppered with dry observations on the Herculanean efforts of footballers/cricketers or if desperate, the weather.
Here's another photo aptly titled by my grandfather as Annual Smoko - Christmas drinks I'm guessing. I don't know if these are work colleagues or just friends. No idea where it is taken but I'm guessing an RSL somewhere in the western suburbs of Sydney...probably near Summer Hill.
That's my grandfather on the right with the glasses.
I have blogged about my grandfather a few times. He loved chess and reading...oh and the ponies. Many of my books are from him over the years. He was a big Readers Digest fan and loved doing the Word Power in the back of their little magazines. He bought me many encyclopedia sets and left yet another set of encyclopedias to us....with some money cleverly hidden under M. He liked clever jokes. I remember he particularly liked the movie The Sting with Paul Newman and Robert Redford. He thought that was very clever.
I have blogged about my grandfather a few times. He loved chess and reading...oh and the ponies. Many of my books are from him over the years. He was a big Readers Digest fan and loved doing the Word Power in the back of their little magazines. He bought me many encyclopedia sets and left yet another set of encyclopedias to us....with some money cleverly hidden under M. He liked clever jokes. I remember he particularly liked the movie The Sting with Paul Newman and Robert Redford. He thought that was very clever.
Mateship forges strong bonds between Australian men (and dare I say women) - asking for loyalty that often goes above and beyond the call of duty, as exemplified in the award-winning short film Mate embedded below from Queensland filmmaker Evan Clarry. I don't know what my grandfather would have thought of this. And I don't know what you will think of it either.
Warning: Do not watch this film if you object to strong language or are in the slightest bit squeamish.
It is not for the faint of heart.
But I still find it very funny and Damien Garvey's performance is fabulously under-stated.
The french sub-titles (???) add a certain "Je ne sais quois"!
It is not for the faint of heart.
But I still find it very funny and Damien Garvey's performance is fabulously under-stated.
The french sub-titles (???) add a certain "Je ne sais quois"!
For more Sepia Saturday fun head here....
Comments
I love your insightful comments and photos on mateship, and that video clip is an absolute classic, complete with Ted Egan soundtrack - hillarious!
VERY FUNNY SHORT FILM!!!!
And the film... Thanks for putting it up, I'd never seen it. Having come from the country, I actually know guys that are like that!
I am definitely not offended but I am too serious for my own good. My husband and kids can be laughing their heads off at a film, but not me.
I couldn't watch Jerry Lewis for years. I thought it was stupid but now don't mind it. Yeah, maybe I am the stupid one.
That video... well, weird!!!
:D~
HUGZ
The patterns of the ties show up very well in your photos. I had a hard time selecting pictures because the ties all look void of any pattern.
Thanks for the sepia photos, their great. Your grandfather Tom was my uncle. We were searching for McLoughlin family history and came across your blog.
As to the six brothers photo.
The left to right names in the back row would be Vince, Frank and then Patrick (Patrick was my father).
So the names in the front row may also be reversed?? I'd need to check with uncle Joe and Uncle John's offspring.
Hello!!!! Thank you so much for commenting on my blog. Please do check the names because I would like to have them in the correct order. It was a bit hard to tell which way I should be reading the names so I would appreciate some verification.
I will forward the page to Joe's daughter.
Here I am! I am Joe (Joseph McLoughlin's) daughter. Joe is on the bottom row on the LEFT while Uncle Jack (John ) is on the RIGHT. I have a photo of a very young Uncle Jack looking not unlike Bob Dylan with a smile. It is taken in Sydney Harbour (North Head I think.) In the photo taken by the water I think your grandfather was posing for Jack who became a professional photographer. I think the photo I have of Jack was taken by Tom. The boat "Nymph" was built by Jack and a friend, also called Jack. Tom may also have been in on the project. I have a photo of them rowing it from another angle. I am not sure with which of your mother's cousins you are in contact but I think we are due for a reunion. Aunty Kath (Mary-Ann's gorgeous mum) and Uncle Pat hosted a few at Castle Hill in the past. Uncle Jack's son Kerry has more photo and film records I have been keen to view.