Paul Kelly’s low-key Adelaide show

It’s InSider’s job to know about everything that happens in little Adelaide, so we were surprised to hear Paul Kelly was doing a free show on Saturday at Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga.

For a musician of his calibre and fame there’s been little fanfare about Kelly’s planned show for the ‘Yes’ campaign’s ‘Walk for Yes’ rally.

We receive hundreds of press releases weekly, many of which come directly from the Yes campaign, but not a word about the singer’s headline performance has popped up in our inbox.

The only announcement seems to have come from the organisation’s social media account about a big lineup of artists performing nationally at rallies tomorrow, including the likes of Emma Donovan and MARLON joining Paul Kelly tomorrow in Adelaide.

Interstate, Peter Garrett is playing in Melbourne, John Butler from the John Butler Trio is headlining in Perth, Bernard Fanning is joining forces with Busby Marou in Brisbane and Dan Sultan and Missy Higgins get the Sydney gig.

Talk about a line-up!

This weekend, join tens of thousands of people across Australia as we come together to Walk for Yes.

Head to https://t.co/CXgNXNwNHG now for details on your local walk!#yes23 pic.twitter.com/NZfrAGEbwA

— Yes23 (@yes23au) September 13, 2023

Perhaps a bit more budget for promo could go a long way for the Yes camp, which is falling even further behind in the polls.

Tandanya reopens… briefly

Having been shut since at least July, Tandanya opened its doors yesterday – albeit momentarily.

The National Aboriginal Cultural Institute on Grenfell St has been plagued by issues for some time, with InDaily reporting last month that ageing infrastructure and staffing issues were causing headaches at the centre.

So, InSider was pleased to see the gallery reopen yesterday during the unveiling of a moving public art and gathering space dedicated to the Stolen Generation.

Why was it open though? Simply so attendees at the unveiling could use the bathroom…

“May I record my thanks to Tandanya for opening up for us for this occasion,” Deputy Lord Mayor Phillip Martin said yesterday.

Tandanya is “temporarily closed” once again as of Friday. Believe us, we checked.

Does everybody need good Neighbours?

Neighbours fans around the world felt real grief when the long-running Australian soap was cancelled, according to a CQUniversity study of viewer reactions.

But Adelaide-based psychology academic and study author Dr Adam Gerace said the plot-twist revival of the Melbourne-made drama could have complex impacts on viewers’ emotions.

Gerace conducted his study of more than 1200 Neighbours fans shortly after the final 90-minute episode screened in July 2022, and before the revival was announced in November.

“I found that fan reactions to the end of the series were influenced by the relationships they had formed with characters – and while different to real-world social interactions, these are relationships that are taken seriously by fans, and have real-world impacts in how they live their lives,” he said.

Gerace decided to conduct the study given the significance of the end of the Australian series and the upset he noticed when fans were interviewed about the upcoming finale.

“The end of Neighbours was a once-in-a-generation chance to examine how people react when their relationships with characters, which have been in their lives for years, are coming to an end – in some cases, the characters have been with them for decades.”

Fans completed several measures to understand their reactions to the end of series, including the Parasocial Breakup scale, a 13-item measure of feelings and behaviours, that was originally created by researchers to measure fans’ reactions to the end of the TV series Friends.

Interestingly, Neighbours fans reported greater feelings of loss compared to Friends fans who were surveyed at the end of that series in 2004.

“Fans of Neighbours reported experiencing strong feelings of grief at the end of the series, including sadness and anger,” Gerace said.

Of course, much like a soapie plot twist, the return of Neighbours means all hope is not lost – and to go from mourning a death to experiencing a rebirth, there are complex emotions at play.

“It’s really like a favourite character rising from the dead, isn’t it – maybe Neighbours fans would call it a Dee Bliss moment? There’s something rather poetic about it all!” he said.

Mr Ed says neigh to park lands elites

1960s TV star Mr Ed The Talking Horse has been exhumed and saddled up to run a claim that Adelaide “elites” are to blame for the state government reversing plans to take 8ha of free public park land for a new police horse barracks.

Mr Ed didn’t actually talk and we don’t think wrote any editorials, but apparently the long-dead Californian horse gives a big hooves-up to the Adelaide park lands barracks and a big “Neigh!” to those uppity elites.

The hilarious horse may not be across the details, but you’ll recall the Malinauskas Government got rattled when the Lord Mayor and a gaggle of park lands supporters fired up about permanently fencing off a big slab of it for a police compound to replace the state heritage-listed one being smashed for a new hospital. The Libs happily latched on and it was set to become a huge horse manure sandwich for Adelaide MP Lucy Hood.

Never mind that Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said that a barracks on the free public land would still cost “$80 to $90 million”.

Never mind that the government’s own development arm Renewal SA told police that the old West End brewery site was the best site for a new barracks. Now it’s going to Gepps Cross, and the police – and apparently Mr Ed – are grumpy.

Never mind all that – it was the “elites” wot done it.

The elites-blaming local paper is owned and run by billionaires Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch – the personification of elite.

Rupert attended Geelong Grammar and Oxford, while Lachlan went to Princeton. Both were handed control of newspapers in their early 20s. Rupert last year was ranked the 71st richest person in the world, while Lachlan has a net worth of $2.7 billion. They run a vast media empire. Both are intent on influencing the politics and governments of nations.

The real elites are there to see, and they’re not some locals protesting a lazy move to grab more free public land to solve a problem of the government’s own making. As Mr Ed did actually say (sort of): Oh, Wilbur!

Mad Monday bubbles

Speaking of elites, the bubbles in the leafy eastern suburbs are usually contained by Champagne flutes, but some Mad Monday Redlegs fun saw the fountain outside Norwood Oval froth with excitement (or tears?) after the team’s SANFL season exit.

Second Festival Plaza tower looms large – but details scarce

It’s been more than six months since developer Walker Corporation lodged plans for a second Festival Plaza tower behind Parliament House.

But details of the proposal – like how high it will be – remain under wraps, with neither Planning Minister Nick Champion, Renewal SA nor Walker Corp shedding any light when asked by InSider this week.

Room for one more? Walker Corporation’s 29-storey One Festival Tower could one day have a twin behind Parliament House. Photo: Thomas Kelsall/InDaily

“Renewal SA continues to negotiate with Walker Corporation on its proposal with the best outcome for the precinct and wider community the paramount consideration,” Champion said in a statement on Thursday.

“Our Government has made it clear the former Liberal government’s position to allow a three-storey building to be built – blocking out the facade of Parliament House to Festival Plaza – is not the best outcome.

“These negotiations are complex and we are determined to improve the public realm at an important site for the State.”

A Walker Corp spokesperson echoed a similar line.

“Discussions to ensure we get the best outcome for the people of Adelaide are continuing with Renewal SA and the SA Government,” the spokesperson said.

“We look forward to making public announcements when all parties are ready.”

The site of the mystery tower, previously earmarked for a three-storey retail precinct, remains marked as a “future stage” on Walker Corp’s One Festival Tower website. Premier Peter Malinauskas earlier this year said the second tower would have a “substantially reduced footprint” compared to the previous plan.

Walker Corporation map of the Festival Plaza precinct. Image: One Festival Tower.com

Work on the first tower – a 29-storey, 115-metre-tall office complex on the northwestern corner of Parliament House – continues ahead of an expected completion next year.

Stuff you should know…

A lively discussion started when Reddit user u/theratpaints asked “does anyone know the history behind the Golf sign on the old David Jones building?”

The immediate answer was it used to be “Golf on the Mall” a rooftop driving range. Of course, the laments that the fun police have taken all good things away started in thick and fast and InSider has to agree.

Whacking balls high above the Mall does seem like a lot of fun and InSider knows a good ball washer.