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The Land Before Avocado – Journeys in a lost Australia by Richard Glover: book review

The Land Before Avocado: Journeys in a lost Australia (2018) is a comic review of Australia in the 1970s.  Glover begins in 1970 in Canberra, Australia, when Gus decided to put chairs outside his café so that his customers could enjoy pavement dining. It was illegal at the time, and the police were called. The public debate became known as The Battle of the Chairs, and Gus won. Gus’s café still exists today. This book has a million stories of 50 years ago in Australia, when life was different – Glover takes a look back at what used to be. Some things were serious then: women couldn’t get a bank loan, school canings were regular punishments, no-fault divorce did not exist, women had to resign from their job after marriage, human rights didn’t respect the rights of all humans, sewerage stank, and the life expectancy was 12 years lower. But there was a lot of joy too: kids could play all day – just ‘be back by dusk’ – children played ten different sporting games all...

Bunny Ear Cactus - Opuntia microdasys

MARTINA NICOLLS  is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author   of: Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Replica Statue of Liberty - Pont de Grenelle-Cadets de Saumur, Paris

MARTINA NICOLLS  is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author   of: Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Kea - the parrot

 = MARTINA NICOLLS  is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author   of: Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

J'adore: Felix Potin architecture

MARTINA NICOLLS  is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author   of: Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Luxembourg Garden, Paris, on an autumn day

MARTINA NICOLLS  is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author   of: Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Aldabra Giant Tortoise – enjoying breakfast

MARTINA NICOLLS  is an international aid and development consultant, and the  author   of: Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).