Category Fringe Chats

I meet Peter on a hot November morning at a popular north side coffee shop. If you were to walk past us you would see him as an ordinary seventy one year old, engaging in quiet conversation. He chats easily…

Have you noticed that people sometimes finish a conversation with the phrase ‘Stay safe?’  Maybe this is a thing that people always did and I just didn’t notice it. Maybe it grew out of the worst of the pandemic. Either…

John is a large man who makes himself small by being quiet. There is nothing wrong about being quiet. Introversion and extroversion are equally valuable. I have no doubt there are plenty of times when he can make some noise.…

I have a few minutes before I meet with Karen Johns at Dare Formal wear in the suburb of Strathpine, just north of Brisbane. Dare is a not for profit that provides support, education and awareness for women and children…

There is another world that lies just beyond our northern shores. It is a vast green land populated by a multitude of tribes and language groups. We know it as Papua New Guinea. The gentleman sitting opposite me knew it…

Looking back will only give you a sore neck. I’ve heard plenty of variations on that phrase. They all mean the same thing. Regret for the past can hamper what you see looking forward. But a little regret can also…

I am not a cook but I know my way around a kitchen, sort of. I know how to open a fridge and stare into it slack jawed and glassy eyed. I can press the buttons on a microwave. Ok…

A smile can cross the boundaries of language, ethnicity and culture. It has the potential to disarm and charm and soften any circumstance. It can be its own language in a way more powerful than any traditional dialect for it…