Play Me, I'm Yours, Toronto

The idea of art, music and a sense of community scattered all around the city of Toronto totally enchanted me about the Street Pianos installation around town. I first heard about it because one such piano is sitting in the hallway downstairs at work, and news of it's arrival had been broadcast within the internal news.

With the tag line "Play Me, I'm Yours", these 41 pianos have each been painted to represent a different country competing in the Pan Am Games here in Toronto in 2015.

The website is full of stories of people sitting down to play, and the hidden musical talents of the random public. But also, what captivates most are the tales, and sights, of a couple of strangers chatting as they play, or standing listening to an accomplished player having a go on the keys. One evening I saw an older gentleman sitting with 2 younger girls, figuring out how to play the parts of Heart and Soul together. Right there on a busy Toronto street. Making a connection.



I captured a few pianos with my camera, namely the one at Sick Kids and the one at the main airport, and also the one along University Avenue that I pass on my way to work every day, over the last couple of weeks. But as the end of July is approaching, I was keen to make a dash around the city to spot a few more.

Tonight at the end of work, Tara, Natalie and Arielle joined me for a 'Piano Crawl', where we managed to see 7, including the baby grand which is painted to represent Canada. Oh, and 2 pub stops along the way, in The Annex and then along King Street West! Much needed, and definitely added to the crazy adventure!

The detail of the artwork on each piano is also very impressive, with the pink Bermuda, the faces of Barbados, and the notes of the national anthem for Nicaragua, all adding colour and diversity to the discoveries of each piano. The baby grand is also pretty special, and this was a pretty cool find, after being disappointed at a few spots on our map with the removal of a few prematurely today for our Crawl. (More photos.)

Pianos have been in Sydney, and are due to be in Perth in October. These pianos in Toronto are set to move up to Stratford for August. There is also due to be a group of pianos in Cambridge, UK, later this year. What a great event, bringing people together all around the city!

Americas Wars Memoralised

Along the Mall in Washington DC is not only the iconic monuments that the world is pretty familiar with, but each of America's past wars also have a space of remembrance - each pretty impressive in their own right.

The first as you walk towards Lincoln from the Washington Monument, is the World War II Memorial. This oval water feature is surrounded by columns representing each US state, and the Pacific and Atlantic efforts. This memorial also features the Freedom Wall, which 4049 gold stars and has the marking "the price of freedom", each star representative of 10 American lives lost or missing during this battle.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is on the North side of the site of the Reflecting Pool, and stands as black granite with about 58000 names of the men and women fallen to this war, also with a little cross next to the names missing in action.

The names listed across the two sides of the wall are done some in chronological order, and marks the vast waste of life. The design of the memorial is aimed to give no political statement about this battle, but the sheer size and volume of names speaks for itself.

It brought to mind that speech former Australian Prime Minister gave at the Gallipoli Dawn Service in 2005, about how war not only robs the world of these people who have died, but also of their potential. Their feats at home, maybe academically, scientifically and within humanitarian achievements, their potential loves and children leading to future generations, all lost because of war.

On the South side of the Reflecting Pool is the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and is the most eeriest and surreal monument. It is a section of garden, with statues placed through it decked in true equipment as they would have been during this era, and a wall showing faces etches from actual photos from the National Archives of the personnel of this war.

There are 19 soldiers here, representing a ratio of ethnic cross section of the numbers lost in this battle. The men are staggered in formation, and yet quite alone in each one's stalking of the jungle - it's such a real sense of what it may have been like to be on patrol like this. So powerful.

So many of these sites include words from great beings at the time, talking of protecting freedoms and human rights, and upholding justice and world peace. It's really quite sad taking these in, when considering the state of the world at the moment.

The most powerful wording for me was found at the FDR Memorial near by, etched on these stones:

Atlas

I am surprised by the experience of little pangs of homesickness, creeping in every now and then at this point of my time in Toronto, now 2.5 months of being away from home, and with one month remaining till I start the process of heading back to Australia.

The old Qantas ad with the Aussie boys and girls choirs singing I Still Call Australia Home all around the world, would always make me home-proud regardless of where I was, where I was planning to travel next, or where I had just been.

This new one, just released, pulls me home too!


The footage of the backyards, the farm-scapes, and even the car washing scene, feel like the quintessential Aussie Summer life to me, with the fresh and everyday aspects that I miss when I am away. This ad makes me crave vegemite and a roadtrip through a few states!

Isn't it great to see Daniel Johns looking so well! An Aussie musician I feel like we have grown up with. A great musical piece.

This is a sponsered post.

Pockets of Toronto

Following on from our quest to get to as many of the different Toronto neighbourhoods and tastes as possible whilst I am here, I have found a handful of gems in the last month.

We made the trek out to the Danforth, or Greek Town as it's also known, where Kylie and Natalie and I had pints for a catch up, before grabbing a table at Mezes Restaurant for a feast. Having cheese brought to the table, and having the waiter splash brandy on it and set it on fire was almost as impressive as it tasted! The dips were to die for.

Coming out onto the street from our delicious meal, we stumbled upon a "candy" store, which delivered loads of fun and gadgets - and points of marvel for the Aussie girls. Despite our full bellies, there is always room for ice cream on a night light this, and we found Docle Gelato. The watermelon sorbet was the hero of my selection!

That same weekend I took a streetcar and bus up north to meet Arielle, and she took me to her local ice creamery. Dutch Dreams is the type of local legend where people line up down the street to get their chance at the front of the line, and make their cone choice. The waffle cones, made onsite, are coated with treats, making them too good to pass up!

The interior of the family run business is decorated with trinkets from Holland, giving the experience of eating in a very European feel. Again, the sorbet choices were sensational.

Kylie and I met up along Queen Street West the following Friday night, and put our names on the list for Kao San Road. Always a good sign when the restaurant is full early on a busy night, and that the line moves fast. This Thai delight was one I sampled as part of 1000 Taste of Toronto, and having the full menu selection this time was mouth watering.

The meals were fresh and delicious, as was the atmosphere within this busy canteen style eatery.

Then, the following Tuesday was Natalie's birthday, and I encouraged an outing to her favourite bar in Toronto. She nominated Three Speed along Dufferin, on a very very hot evening. We managed to survive the dash from the subway into this cute little front room, and settled in with refreshing cider and wine, and impressive meals from this tiny kitchen. The vibe in this space was very chill and casual, perfect for a week night out.

Arlington Cemetery

A visit to Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC, technically in the state of Virginia, is worth the cross over to the other side of the river, to complete your visit and understanding of US history and military significance. It is also a stark reminder of the sheer numbers of lives lost at war.

This cemetery of rolling hills, lush green spaces and well kept gardens is the National Military Cemetery, and reportedly holds around 100 funerals every week. Veterans and their partners and children can be buried here, alongside their fellow US service men and woman. As such, the range of dates along the sections and along the rows include the full range from war dates, to present day passings.

There are sections for higher ranked personnel, but in the end the honoured here are really equal in their sacrifice, whether as the serving member or indeed their supporting spouse at home.

Of course, among others, Arlington is the final resting place of many of the Kennedy's, including JFK. The eternal flame above the plaque for the assassinated President, and his wife Jackie O, pulls the biggest tourist crowd, playing their respects and remembering his contribution to American way of life.

The most beautiful part of the cemetery visit for me, however, was the reflecting arches of the Women In Military Service for America Memorial, just at the gates before we left to walk the bridge back to The Mall.

Wedding of Nicholas and Vincent

When I was putting my Washington DC weekend together, I sent Nick a message to see if we could catch up for a beer. Upon confirming dates, it turns out that the very weekend I was coming to check out his current city, he was getting married!

I followed the directions to Fathom Gallery, and met up with Nick as he was arriving, and then also met the other groom, the lovely Vince. The space was gorgeous, so light and bright, and soon the gathering moved upstairs for the formal part of the night.

A perfect and individualised service by the celebrant, which touched on the enormous amount of love in the room of family and friends, and with each groom's mum speaking, and then the lads giving their vows to each other. It was a really sweet and moving service, a challenge for everyone to keep dry eyes!




Once the formalities were over, I got to catch up with Dan, and his wife Rachael. I also met up with many people who had come to visit our sharehouse in Phnom Penh as they travelled through.

It was very much a united nations in the room, which many people from the various places Nick has worked over the years, including Sydney, Cambodia, PNG, and now the US.

The invite had stated that headwear was encouraged, which made for an interesting addition to most outfits. One couple had travelled from PNG for the wedding, and had brought over traditional tribal headpieces from the village where they are working, and were going to give these as wedding gifts.

It was such a bonus to get to catch up with Nick and Dan, and be present for Nick and Vince's special day. I am so glad I got to be there for it, and be witness to such a special wedding.

Iconic Monuments of Washington's Mall

Taking in the sights of The National Mall in Washington DC could well take you weeks, if you explored all the amazing museums in addition to taking in the iconic sights. Over two afternoons this weekend, I managed to see all the outside sights along this massive space along the river in the US capital, and take in so much American history along the way.

Selena and I started by arriving at the back end of The White House from the metro, and peered into the green, manicured lawns through the gated fence. The residence of the President of the 'the home of the brave, and the land of the free' was pretty impressive with it's white marble, and it's strong columns, before walking around to the other side and taking in that iconic lawn and larger columns known from all the news footage and movies!


After gaining a good perspective of the lay out of this important area of town, and indeed the country, from the Old Post Office (which is a whole other post, cos it was pretty impressive!), we walked down to the great lush strip of green that runs from Capitol Hill all the way down to Lincoln in his massive seat.

The Washington Monument is in the centre of this, and rises above everything. Flags rimming the monument were at half mast this weekend, we assume for the horrible tragic shooting massacre in Colorado.

Normally, you can take a trip to the top of the monument for the view from the windows in the peak, however since the earthquake last August this has been closed due to structural fears and repair work. Although I think the view from the monument would be missing the very vantage point you would be looking out from, and thus a major sight of the area.

The east arm of the Mall has museums all the way along it, including the beautiful Smithsonian Castle. The National Gallery, the Air and Space Museum, the National History Museum, the American History Museum, and the American Indian Museum are also hear, and given their size and vast content, a day's outing each of their own, surely!



Walking west on our overcast day, Selena and I took in the war memorials along this arm of The Mall (again, a post for later), and used our imaginations for the beauty of the Reflecting Pool. This pond is also undergoing restorative work, a massive tasks, and this space was dry and empty. The Pool is an iconic piece of this space, from protests, marches and speeches - Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have A Dream" being one of them, delivered to the crowd around this water feature.

This stretch of water leads right up to the Lincoln Memorial, another famous and iconic feature of this strip in DC.

As you get closer to the massive rectangular house for the fourth president of the USA, you can see him in there, seated in his white marble glory. This structure of columns is such a strong monument, and to find the statue of the man sitting in there after climbing the stairs is quite remarkable. A sight you know about from pictures, but is still amazing to be standing at Ab's feet!

A mass of people were here when we got here, as there was all along The Mall, as Americans visited their forefathers, and visitors alike took in the monuments that make up this world power nation.


All the way to the other end of The Mall is another working building, being the United States Congress. We reached this on the second afternoon, completing our lap of the Mall sights. Managing most of this on foot, getting around on bicycles would have been a great option, if it was not for the rain on the first afternoon for this less than confident rider!

This grand, white marble structure is impressive and pretty in real life, with the manicured and perfect gardens all around, and the exquisite detail in and around the dome.

Raspberries Are My Baseline

I remember getting home from the UK after my 2 year stint over there, and being horrified at the price of raspberries at home in Australia. Like, stop in the shopping aisle dead, stunned. $7 in Safeway compared to £1 at Sainsbury's...and I don't think I ever bought any anyway - I mean, they don't go in Pimm's right?

But it stood out, the marked difference, the comparison.

Here, in Toronto, Canada, they are about in the middle of this price difference. I get to take in the look and smell of them as I walk by the Farmer's Market every Tuesday in the front garden at work. This array of colours, for which I have never seen in raspberries before, are from an Ontario farm.

I guess it's my gauge between countries. I don't remember what a coffee was in London, but here I can get a good take away coffee at Tim Horton's for $1.57. The same size in Melbourne or Ballarat is $4. Come on!

Taxes, and then tipping, does me in over here, though. Nothing is really the price that is posted. So annoying!

Flights here in Canada are expensive, that surprised me. We are pretty lucky with our fare wars in Australia. And Europe and the UK have it made, no matter how much you hate flying with EasyJet and RyanAir. The rates posted here look good, but then they add about 10 itemised extra taxes, and suddenly you wonder if you selected a city on the other side of the world instead of just an hour away.

There are so many similarities between these three nations, all born of the same monarchy, and yet little quirky individualisations that reveal themselves at random. But damn, Australia is expensive!

The sun is milder here in North America so far, too. I got what would have been a crippling, careless sunburn two weeks ago, and was fine the next day. Back home I would not have been able to move for days! So stupid! It has the heat, but clearly not the sting of our depleted section of Ozone layer.

The UK would have a 4 day period of hot and humid days like we are having here, for the whole Summer. Toronto is having the fourth humid heatwave right now since I have been here. Although when it's hot enough outside with the humidity that you cannot breathe, there is no fear of bushfires like back home. Lucky Canada!

Man, it sure is strange living in a city where people hose down their driveways in the middle of a heatwave! You don't see that at home anymore!

Characters of The Village, Montreal

There are many faces and people that catch your eye as you wander down Rue Saint Catherine in the section they call The Village, but these characters are the most enchanting! These ones (above and below) are above a patio of a restaurant on the corner of one of the intersections within the strip of street currently adorned with pink baubles.


Our drag queen was a little harder to find, cos she was slightly hidden from view by a tree along the street from the other faces, but here she is in all her glory!

Capture The Colour

As the new travel blogging meme started to circulate I have been loving the posts around the interwebs, and the collections of amazing photos being posted. I was delighted to be nominated by Karin and Kieran over at K and K Adventures.

Travel Supermarket are running a competition called Capture The Colour, where they are encouraging bloggers to share photos from their travels featuring 5 colours, being blue, yellow, green, red and white. A grab of the story behind the photo is encouraged!

Looking through my photos from around the world to pick out some possible inclusions for this post, it turns out that colour is not a major feature to my eye. Perhaps something I will have to add more of in the angles of my photography.

Blue - in the streets of Havana, Cuba


Once the rest of my travelling group had moved onto the next place, I had an extra day in Havana on my own which I took to wander around the streets and grab some images of the enchanting streetscapes. The vintage cars were such a beautiful and irresistible feature!

Yellow - sunset in Sydney


This sinking sun behind the city of Sydney is captured from Watson's Bay, at the end of an amazing lap around Australia to see the Ashes in 2006. I feel like the warmth and brilliance of this shot welcomed me home to Australia after being away in the UK for a couple of years, and cast a final lasting spotlight on an awesome summer of cricket!

Green - tuk tuk in Galle, Sri Lanka


One of the many shots of these colourful modes of transport, zipping around Galle, and all of Sri Lanka. We took a tuk tuk to the ground most days when we there for the cricket just last August, which made our experience all the more authentic and adventuresome!

Red - the Moulin Rouge in Paris


The vividness of the seedy Moulin Rouge is so strange in a blazing sunny afternoon, given the goings on in there at night! This was taken at the end of my walking tour of Montmarte.

White - in Old Quebec City


The white of the roof of this building in a square within Old Quebec, along with the silvery-white church spire and the cloud coverage above, all captured on my recent long weekend trip to this part of Canada. I think my best entry for this competition!

I love that the 5 photos are all from such different parts of the world, and different trips and times in my life.

Nominations to bloggers I would like to do see do a post...

Carly from Tune Into Radio Carly
Natalie from Journey To London
Kristi from A Quick Succession Of Busy Nothings
Jess from Fushmush
Amy and Kieron from Don't Ever Look Back

How to enter

1. Publish a Capture the Colour post on your blog with images for all 5 colours if possible. Bloggers who don’t have photos for all 5 colours will still be in with a chance of winning the iPad category prize but to be eligible to win the £2000 overall prize your blog post should feature photo’s for all 5 categories.

Within your post, be sure to mention the Travel Supermarket competition page http://www.travelsupermarket.com/c/holidays/capture-the-colour/ so that your readers know what Capture the Colour is.

2. Nominate 5 fellow bloggers to take part in Capture the Colour at the end of your post and notify them via Twitter or Facebook.

3. By 29th August 2012, let the lads at Travel Supermarket know you’ve entered by either:

- Linking to your blog post on your Facebook wall mentioning Capture the Colour and tagging the TravelSupermarket.com Facebook page or…
- Linking to your post via Twitter including @travelsupermkt and #capturethecolour in your tweet or…
- Email your entry to capturethecolour@travelsupermarket.com, including your name, email address and phone number.

4. The best Capture the Colour entries will be shared throughout the competition by the expert judges and Travel Supermarket social accounts…

5. Each judge will select their own colour category winners. The judges will then combine to select the overall winner of the £2,000 travel prize. For further information about the judging and the prizes see the Terms & Conditions here.

Want to know more?
If you want to know more about the competition or if you have any questions please get in touch with Travel Supermarket via either Twitter (@travelsupermkt) or email (capturethecolour@travelsupermarket.com).

Constructing MIFF in Toronto

People in Melbourne are currently planning out their Melbourne International Film Festival sessions, with tickets going on sale yesterday. This is one of my favourite things about Melbourne during the Winter, and gives me a momentary pang of homesickness that I will miss it this year. I will also be heading home before the Toronto Film Festival is on, so I will miss that one too!

I saw Marley, thinking that it would be included in the Festival as it had been one of the docos for the Sydney Film Festival. It's not part of the MIFF list after all, but it is an amazing documentary worth seeing. Working through the life, beginnings and the rise of the music of Bob Marley, in addition to the story of his life and loves, his finding of religion and his activism, it features very frank interviews of those close to him, and spine-tingling footage of his liver performances. Such a treat to see these!

The tragedy of a man in his prime, struck down with a cancer that was essentially untreated....the pain in his daughter's interview here is heartbreaking. A toe! Ignored! So, so sad!

This photo of Toronto street art was taken at the bus station at Bathurst Station.

Beasts of the Southern Wild is on the festival schedule, and I happened to see it with Tanya as a preview screening here in Toronto. This is a stunningly shot film about Hushpuppy and her relationship with her father and their home. The story is narrated by the amazing Quvenzhané Wallis's Hushpuppy, and the view is through her eyes - hand-held camera at times, and all.

Cute and quirky, magical, sad and heartbreaking all at once, this is a film that stays with you long after the credits finish rolling.

Safety Not Guaranteed is also part of MIFF, which is pretty exciting cos I have been recommending it to everyone since seeing a preview screening. I have one other MIFF listed film lined up for next month here in Toronto, which I am also looking forward to. But I will have to keep my eye out for any other releases from my would-be MIFF list!

Shiny Ottawa

Ottawa city is a place of such contrasts, with the grand traditional government buildings, and then the mirrored, gloss of the corporate section.


Coming from the bus station, this area was my first impression once I had hit the CBD, all shiny with the glass and steel of business buildings.

I think this could even qualify as a Big Thing in Canada - the Big Tea Kettle, perhaps? A little web searching has led me to learn that the space at this intersection is Minto Place’s and the kettle is Northshore by Noel Harding. That is indeed a tree growing out of the top of the kettle...


Across from the outer building of Parliament Hill, over on Bank Street, the halves of the city come together with this reflection from corporate Canada of the grand past...

Ottawa's Parliament Hill

As I walked around the beautiful gates of Parliament Hill in Ottawa, after my early morning bus from Montreal and a quick breakfast, I happened to reach the lawn in front of the grand building just in time to catch the changing of the guards. Rows and rows of red coats, with full black fluffy hats, all playing a part in the band and marching in unison. Very much like the display in London, Canada's political motherland!

There were so many similarities to Old London Town in and around Parliament Hill, with it's iconic clock tower and many of the Queen's markings around. Of course, like Westminister, this is the building that houses Canada's government workings, both houses of parliament, and the wealth of history of the country right here.

The day I visited was the day after the Canada Day celebrations, and so the process of dismantling the massive stage in front of the Centre Block was going on. I walked all the way past the main building and along the river's edge behind it, to take in the view across the water, but also of the Library and statues of Parliament Hill.

I signed up for a free tour through the interior of the Centre Block, and then joined the queue for the security process into the building to ride the world's smallest elevator for such a public monument, to the observation level of the Peace Tower.

From up here the view was amazing, but the detail and beauty of the Tower was also fascinating. The gothic structures along the line up for the elevator were also very impressive, and worth the prolonged time standing within this space.

I joined my tour at the time of commencement, but inside after seeing the Peace Tower, and joined a group who were taken around the most important building of Canada by a volunteer college student. She took us through the halls, the House of Commons and the Senate, and pointed out many details, features, and tributes to Prime Ministers past.

It was actually pretty interesting, and I really enjoyed this glimpse into Canada's history and function. As it was a public holiday, we had additional access to areas not always open to the tours, which meant we saw as much as could be on display. It was certainly a worthwhile time investment to do the full tour.

Once I had completed the tour and the wander around the front gardens and the West Block outer, I walked across the canal and along the waterway to get to Major's Hill Park for a view of Parliament Hill from across Ottawa River. A spectacular view, given the sunshine and blue sky as the backdrop to these beautiful buildings.

Visiting the University of Toronto

Today marks the halfway mark within my placement here in Toronto, a step closer to finishing my Masters in Social Work, and sadly, also for my time over here for the Summer. A bittersweet milestone, really, given how much I am learning, the great people I have met, and how much fun I am having!

During the week I went up to visit the University of Toronto's Factor—Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, and meet the people who helped put my exchange placement together from this end.

Touching base with them, I got to relay all the great things I am experiencing in terms of the work, the exploration of the city and my recent long weekend travels. All is well, in fact really great, so it was a fun meeting for me!

At the end of our meeting, and after gaining recommendations about what to see on campus on the way back to the hospital, I managed to see many of the gorgeous buildings of the university.

Walking down the Philosopher's Walk, between the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Royal Ontario Museum, both amazing buildings in their own right, I took the path that led me to the Soldier's Tower. This honours the university students who died during the First and Second World Wars, and is impressive.

Walking under the arch of the Tower, I reached the Hart House Circle and was treated to a mini tour into the stunning building that is Hart House by my U of T placement sponsor. She took me to see the Music Room, the Debate Room and the Great Hall, which looked like something straight out of Hogwarts!




I was impressed that this beautiful space is the student centre - who wouldn't want to tuck yourself away to study in here!


Back out into the sun, I crossed the grass to the big King's College Circle, which is edged with the Medicine building, one of the big colleges that make up the undergraduate portion of the university, and the Convocation Hall, where several of my current colleague will graduate over the coming year.

Twenty six years older than the University of Melbourne, I was struck by the familiar feeling and look about the grandness of the old buildings of U of T. I was also amazed that here in Canada the Social Work faculty has a building all of it's own...maybe Uni of Melb will get that sorted one day... There is actually a 102 year difference between the establishment of the two Schools - I hope it doesn't take that long to catch up!

I am so grateful to both universitys for the opportunity to complete my practicum at an international setting, and fully recommend to everyone to grab such a unique and varied experience whenever you can swing it within work and schooling. An amazing glimpse into another city, another culture and country, and another excuse to travel as much as you can!

Aussie Rules in Toronto

One of the only things that will give me pangs of homesickness when I am away is missing the footy season, particularly when the Hawks are doing well.

When my Toronto plans were coming together, I discovered that one of the teams playing in the Ontario AFL was the Broadview Hawks. And sure enough, they wear our beloved brown and yellow striped guernseys.

This morning Kylie and I grabbed a streetcar down Queen Street West to Humber College, and managed to find the match between the Broadview Hawks, and the Toronto Dingos, who were wearing Essendon colours.

It was pretty cool to see our amazing fast paced game live, and enjoying to sounds of the match - the contact, the calling out to teammates, the whistle. The handheld siren made me jump every time, with the horn at half time finding the Hawks up by quite a lot, as the scoreboard here reads.

We delighted in the Aussie accents, and nicknames floating out of the match, as orders, encouragement and congratulations were dished out on field. There was also a bunch of hybrid and mixed up accents running around out there, which added to the unique feel of the game.

We overheard a discussion about the need to have a set amount of Aussie players in each team, which means that this league is sharing our great game with all sorts of Internationals here in Canada.

The game got fairly spirited, with a variety of skill level across both teams. We were even treated to a hint of biffo, as is expected in a match between these two jumpers!

The Hawks ran away with a 61 point win for the day, maintaining their stake in the top 2 of the Division 1 season ladder, and gathered to sing the song....which was the Richmond song with substitution!

The match was totally accessible to anyone who wanted to watch, and I read that getting involved in a team is possible for anyone who wants to play. There is also a women's league. Getting to a match is a treat for Aussies who are missing some real football!