The Melancholic Seeker

(Last week I attended a community information session in Fremantle hosted by the Departments of Defence and Finance as part of their community stakeholder engagement for the disposal and eventual sale of Leeuwin Barracks. The decade-long seesawing of whether the federal government will sell the riverside property finally concluded with the release of the Defence Estate Audit in February, determining it was one of properties to be sold. I have followed this story since the 2022 general election, when the then-Morrison government announced facility upgrades for cadet units on defence bases, including Leeuwin Barracks, and an expansion of the cadet program should the Liberal National coalition win. They clearly did not, however I suspect it was just another vote-buying ploy, much like the white elephant covid quarantine facility in Bullsbrook to try and save the seat of a disgraced minister and the ‘boat gate’ scandal when the Liberal Party publicised classified information of the interce...

A new university-level micro credential will prepare the local defence industry workforce to support and maintain visiting nuclear submarines to Western Australia, with the initial intake of 40 students completing the course earlier this week. The ‘Naval Nuclear Foundations: Technology and Assurance’ course is being offered at Curtin University and aims to up-skill current defence industry professionals in what is dubbed ‘nuclear literacy’ by the university’s partner H&B Defence. According to a statement in December last year, the company said several places in the initial intake were reserved for small and medium enterprises working in the Henderson shipyard precinct, located south of Perth. Managing director Tim Brown said the course gave participants the technical grounding and foundation to working in a nuclear-regulated environment. “Partnering… with Curtin University ensure(s) the course is delivered to the highest academic and industry standards,” he said. “(And) with Hender...

(The following is an article that was posted on Sunday 5 November 2021 on themelancholicseeker.wordpress.com. Please note that the information contained - including links - is dated and may not be accurate.) And now for something a little different. I seldom get to brush up with fame, but last month I had the opportunity to talk with celebrity entrepreneur Telli Swift about her new fragrance – D’Telli – during fight week.  It’s no secret that Covid 19 restrictions have put a damper on the economic livelihoods of many people around the world. But despite the limitations, fashion model, entrepreneur and actress Telli Swift managed to launch a new product line. In a brief interview leading up to her fiancé’s fight with Tyson Fury earlier this month, she chats with me about navigating some of the challenges she had to overcome and what her hopes are for the future. Nurse, fashion model, reality-TV actress, entrepreneur, Boxing Wags Association founder, fiancé, mother. And as I found o...

(The following is an article that was posted on Saturday 10 March 2018 on themelancholicseeker.wordpress.com. Please note that the information contained is dated and may not be accurate. Photos not included.) After six grueling months of being worked to the bone, I have finally found some time to do a bit of writing about another World War 2 site in south east Asia. This one however was not a forlorn, re-purposed shell of place, but a well taken care of tourist attraction. For those unfamiliar with my previous ‘expedition’, I had written a photo-journal piece about an World War 2 era Dutch seaplane base on the shores of Lake Tondano in north Sulawesi ( here ), which proved to be a very rewarding experience despite running into a few logistical problems. This time I was fortunate enough to be on a well-deserved break and opted to check out Singapore’s ‘Battle Box’. So, a little about the site. In contrast to Tondano, information about Singapore’s ‘Battle Box’ in Fort Canning Hill is ple...

(The following is an article that was posted on Wednesday 20 August 2025 on themelancholicseeker.wordpress.com. Please note that the information contained is dated and may not be accurate.) A Western Australian company hopes to prove the economic viability of hydrogen on an industrial scale with the official opening of its pilot plant in Kwinana, located south of Perth, on Monday. Carbon280 CEO Mark Rheinlander said the A$16 million facility will address a significant bottleneck in the hydrogen supply chain – namely the need to make hydrogen, a volatile element – safe enough to store at ambient temperature and pressure, which in turn makes it easier to transport. “Rather than transporting a highly flammable gas you are storing and transporting a safe, low-cost liquid that stores hydrogen under ambient conditions,” he said. “Low-cost and ease of handling will simplify and speed (up) the implementation of hydrogen projects globally, enabling hydrogen use in applications and geographies w...

Sometimes things need a fresh start, which was especially true when my old platform started feeling more of a burden than a place of expression and public engagement. And the pressure to compete with journalistic peers also left me exhausted. There’s only so much you can do without resources, career pedigree and networks. However, this space on Blogger is my way of starting afresh – not from scratch but getting back to basics by, as Hemmingway puts it, opening my veins and letting myself bleed on the page, albeit an electronic one. Also, I am not built for OnlyFans. I have spent many years moving between journalism, publishing, consulting and the odd detour into places that do not always make sense on paper. What I have learned is that whatever you do in life, nothing beats lived experience, a spirit of inquiry and picking yourself up after being beaten down… literally and figuratively. And no matter what else I did, there is still ink in my veins. What will you find here In a nut...