Lisa Marie Smith

Here’s something I didn’t know anything about.

I walked up to Newtown the other day and saw some street art I hadn't noticed before. The signs are painted on masonite and then fixed to walls with construction adhesive. I found these three in three different locations around Camperdown Memorial Rest Park.

This next shot shows the size relative to the wall in the park.

So when I got home I had a look on the web to see what this might be all about.

From the Australian November 27, 2006.

“TEN years after she jumped bail while facing drug-smuggling charges in Thailand, one of Australia's most wanted fugitives, Lisa Marie Smith, may finally have escaped the law.

Police in Australia and Britain have admitted they have exhausted their inquiries into the 31-year-old, while Thai police privately say they have had no success with their investigation.

Ms Smith, in August 1996, failed to appear in a Bangkok court after her millionaire father, Terry Smith, then the chief executive of the National Mutual insurance company in Hong Kong, paid $75,000 to secure her release on bail.

The first foreigner facing drug-smuggling charges to be granted bail, Ms Smith had been arrested at Bangkok airport in February 1996 and accused of smuggling almost 4kg of cannabis and more than 500 amphetamine tablets.

She briefly spent time in a Bangkok prison and fled the country despite the Australian Government agreeing to negotiate a royal pardon that would have seen her serve less than two years in Thai custody.”

Here are some news links to the story - here, here and here. The last one is a rather stupid opinion piece from Chris Smith from 2GB encouraging Peter LLoyd from the ABC to try to pull the same stunt after being caught in Singapore with drugs in 2008. Lucky he didn't as he was eventually released and is back working for the ABC.

Lisa Marie Smith even has a facebook presence here that gives a good overview of the case.

That's pretty interesting, but what is the purpose of the signs and the cryptic messages? (The Inner West is full of cryptic messages.)

I found a photo of another sign on Flickr, and another at doni dexter photographic. But then I came across a great blog called Darlinghurst Nights which tracks down a whole lot of similar signs apparently made by the same artist around Darlinghurst and Redfern. Go to Darlinghurst Nights and have a look at the images there and read about the bloggers detective work regarding the elusive 'Invisible Man'. While you are there check out the rest of the blog, it's pretty cool.

Suicide Food

I sent a photo of the Butcher at Toukley to the Suicide Food Blog. The have posted it on their site with some over-the-top comments. Take a look here!

Dead bats of the Inner West

Kids are lucky today! In my day one would never see dead bats hanging from the electrical wires (or are they telegraph wires? That's a question for another day). These days one can't go down the street to a friends house or to the shops without seeing any number of the fried critters. Here is a few to keep you amused..

Don't forget you can click on the photo's to enlarge them.

This one is just near Marcella's place. Marcella's dad is Matt Smith - See his blog here!

This next one is interesting. It wasn't until after I had developed the photo's (in my darkroom of course!) that I realised that there were two of them fried together. It's on the corner of Newington and Bright streets, Marrickville.

This next one is a real creepy one. It looks like something from one of Tim Burton's animated offerings. It's in Albert St, Marrickville.

Finally, here are some pics of a dead bat I saw on the footpath in Rosebery. I can only assume that it was fried on the wires and dropped down to the footpath when it had sufficiently decayed.

Some more bat resources for those who may be interested.

Sydney Bats - Bat fans from the Ku-ring-gai area

Flying foxes may drive Sydney 'batty' - SMH article

Bat Noises - From Sydney Bats

Maybe a raincoat or an umbrella? A kind message from Optus

Photos of the Sydney Opera House under construction.

Have a look at these great photo's of the Opera House and Sydney taken in 1965 (I think) taken either by Sarah's Dad (John) or her Grandpa (Jack). John has recently scanned them from some old slides. No higher res available at the moment. It would be a fun exercise to take some photo's today from the same spots to compare. Hmmm, maybe if I get the time.

I love the red phone box in the bottom left of this one.

Absent without leave!

My apologies to both my loyal readers. I have been preoccupied. I promise to post more regularly.

The Plot Thickens!

I found another note. This time on the footpath on Aubrey St.

I don't know what to say. It's a fine little mystery. It contains some similar themes to the other but in a very oblique way.

Let's hope I find another.

Strange notes

The other day someone left this little note in our letterbox. I don't know exactly what it means. I did a search on the tubes but could find nothing about it. Is it a promotional flyer for something? Viral Marketing? It seems too flippant to be some sort of anti immigration propaganda.

It is about the size of a business card.

News Vehicles on Stanmore Road

Here is a few pictures of the news vehicles parked outside the old Concordia Club after the balcony collapse at Newington College.

An interesting aside - Even though now I live just up the road from Newington College, in 1991 I had never heard of it until the 'Stathfield Massacre' occurred and the newspapers made some comment on Wade Frankum's education there. There were also calls for censorship after controversial books were found in his belongings after his death. People have always had it in for Germaine Greer!

Cat Stencil in Enmore

This is one of our favourite pieces of street art in the Inner West. Charlotte likes it because she likes cats, and I think its just a nice whimsical little addition to the streetscape. There are a few around the place, this one is near the carpark at the top of Edgeware rd in Enmore.

Rocket in Enmore Park

This is the playground rocket at Enmore Park. It is one of the few remaining in Sydney. Unfortunately you can't climb up inside it past the first level as the holes are welded shut. One can just imagine little kids up in the top level refusing to come down when their Mum is calling them or an injured kid up the top with Mum unable to get up through the holes to rescue them. I like to imagine a group of stoned Emo's stuck in the top and too scared to come down.

PS I have changed the photo layout to 'centre' if anyone cares!

More Carnivorous fun.

This is the image that AC Butchery in Leichhardt uses on the side of their shop.

It is a bit weird with the cow ready to eat something, but not as weird as it used to be. Here is an photo of the old image they had, courtesy of the great blog 'Suicide Food' which is dedicated to just this sort of thing.

I can remember seeing it on their little refrigerated truck that used to drive around Leichhardt and the Inner West.

The strange relationship between meat eaters and their food.

As promised, from the side of a butcher shop in Gorokan, NSW (near Toukley). There is something weird going on between the sheep and the pig. It does not look like a ram so I guess it is a particularly aggressive and dominant sheep with an infatuated and submissive pig.

Photo Shoot Hijinks

This was at a shoot we did the other day for a TV commercial down at the Buddhist Temple in Glebe. After we shot the motion stuff the stills photographer came in and took some stills. The guy on the left in the jeans holding the bike is the subject of the shot and all the people moving back and forward are the background elements of the shot.

Thank you to Adam at Cheeky Transport in Newtown for the cool black bike on the right. www.cheekytransport.com.au

The weirdest view out of a front door!

This is the view from our front door!

Comic of the Day

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Creepy Childcare Centre Art - Oh Boy, More Kids!

Have a look at these creepy pictures painted on the wall of a now defunct child care centre inToukley, NSW owned by Cameron Waters. The last one is particularly creepy.

There are also some great drawings of happy animals to be eaten on the side of the butcher shop in Toukley. I'll have to remember to take a few shots next time I visit.

Bottle Brush

This is the bottle brush tree outside our house. It is in flower at the moment and is attracting lorikeets during the day and bats at night. This is the first year that I am noticing lots of bats in the area - I wonder why?

Have a look at the little council street sweeper sweeping the footpath.

Charlotte's Birthday

It was Charlotte's Birthday today. She was 7. She is trying to go to sleep but she is so excited and happy that she is finding sleep a little difficult.

Watch 'Altered Images' sing happy birthday!

Or watch a better version on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yXe0GvKq4M that Sony won't let me embed. (Dicks!)

Charlotte's favourite graffiti!

In the lane between Australia St. and Denison St. Newtown.

Interesting Street art in Enmore

Saw this today in Phillip St, Enmore, which is just opposite the Enmore Theatre. It's across the road and down a bit from the now absent supposed 'Banksy' piece. See http://reface.abc.net.au/_Banksy-in-Enmore/photo/2916752/65830.html.

It seems to be some home-made metal hemispheres about the size of half eggshells painted different colours and nailed to a telegraph pole. I am intrigued by the work that has gone into it. They are all quite high up, so the artist would have needed a ladder to attach them (or stood on top of a car). They are very uniform in size and I can't work out if they are things that have another purpose or if they are all hand made in some sort of a mould or form.

Any clues?

Dianne's Haircut - The results!

In front of a crowd of excited children, supportive friends and bemused friday nighters at the pub Dianne had all of her hair cut off. Some photo's follow...

Click on the photo's to get a large image..

Watch the youtube video!!