Classic Australia Day in Broome, No Pup Cleft Behind and Premier Mark McGowan’s chosen Fringe World show

Oz to the core Another Australia Day has come and gone and this year’s instalment was notable for what seemed to be growing acceptance among the media and public that a date change is inevitable. At least, it’s inevitable if we want to have a national day that unifies all Australians, and desire a break from the rancour that is increasingly tainting celebrations on January 26. Oz Day was even more divisive this year thanks to Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s fashion edict for citizenship ceremonies, which demanded smart casual attire instead of thongs and boardies. We’re not going to weigh into that debate here, other than to say we’re glad this unflattering and self-serious attitude hasn’t made its way to Broome. The annual Australian Day community citizenship awards in WA’s famous pearling town happened over the weekend, with Deputy Shire President Desiree Male presiding. However, when it came time to present the youth citizenship award, the winner, Jessie Evans, was nowhere to be found. Now, Evans is an accomplished triathlete, so Male told the gathering she thought the young man might have missed the ceremony because he was “out for a run”. The truth was nothing short of peak Broome. We hear Evans arrived as the ceremony was winding up, saying, “I think I won something”. “Sorry, I was late. I was out crabbing.” More than anything, this story is a great reminder that you can take Australia Day away from January 26 but you’ll never take the Australia out of Australians. Liar on fire Last week we brought you our insider tips on what to see at Fringe World, something we’ll continue to do throughout the festival to help you navigate its dizzying program of hundreds of acts. Along those lines, we hear Premier Mark McGowan got in on the action over the weekend, taking the family to see Fuego Carnal, one of the most popular and high-profile circus acts that has appeared at the festival over the past few years. We’ll see if we can get a review from the Premier for tomorrow’s edition. While we haven’t had a chance to see Fuego Carnal yet, we can personally vouch for L.I.A.R. (Life is a Rehearsal), a whimsical circus act from Germany that is what a Mr Bean episode would be like if it was directed by Denis Villeneuve. Deeply affecting — the show’s crescendo, complete with mirror ball and Bowie’s Space Oddity, is utterly magical — this high-concept work wouldn’t look out of place on Perth Festival’s program. Puppy rescue Did you know being born with a cleft palate is, more often than not, a death sentence for a little puppy? We certainly didn’t, nor had we ever heard of a dedicated group of women in Mandurah who have established a not-for-profit to take in and care for such puppies until they are big enough to have lifesaving palate repair surgery. The poor little pups can’t feed from Mum, and many vets would recommend euthanasia after a cleft palate diagnosis is made, but this organisation commits to two-hourly tube feeds until the tiny dogs are five to six weeks of age. At this point they are able to survive a surgical procedure and, in many cases, go on to live happy doggy lives with new families. As amazing as this level of canine commitment is, we’re even more impressed with the not-for-profit’s name, No Pup Cleft Behind, which is bordering on genius. For that reason if nothing else, track them down at nopupcleftbehind.com and make a donation to the cause.

Classic Australia Day in Broome, No Pup Cleft Behind and Premier Mark McGowan’s chosen Fringe World show

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