October 29, 2026 — 9:00pm

“Those who’ve been traumatised by the bogong moth invasion (C8), should spare a thought for some of us up here on the Sunshine Coast tackling a far creepier calamity: lawn prawns,” claims Mary Carde of Parrearra (Qld). “We’ve had so much rain that these land-dwelling crustaceans are fleeing the saturated garden and slinking under doorways onto a much drier surface, then die within a couple of hours due to lack of moisture, leaving a sea of husks to be vacuumed up.”

“Apropos of Michael Britt’s item re price per-unit (C8), my mother taught me to do that, using mental arithmetic, 65 years ago,” claims Sally Deves of Kingston (ACT). “Nothing new!”

On the advice of Rev Dr John Bunyan of Campbelltown, there will be no further talk of an alternative Halloween (C8): “C8 is no place for religious controversy but the idea of honouring Martin Luther is appalling. Luther called for the expulsion of Jewish people and the destruction of their homes and synagogues, with centuries-long consequences. His proposals were implemented by the Nazis to whom he was a hero. Kristallnacht in Germany (and the neo-Nazi demonstration outside State Parliament) coincided with Luther’s birthday. The Lutheran Churches, I think unhappily, retain his name but have repudiated this aspect of his writings.”

VoVogate continues, and Daniel Low of Pymble thinks Ted Richards (C8) “may be right. The company is putting fewer and smaller VoVos in the packs and increasing the plastic spacers to make it seem the same size. However, I’d say he’s lucky if there are less because the flavour has also diminished. I was bought a packet for my 19th Birthday (I’m a leaper) two years ago, and it wasn’t the taste of my childhood.”

Tony Tucker of Leichhardt digresses, but not without credence: “Of course Iced Volvos, er, VoVos, have gotten smaller. Remember what happened to Waggon Wheels? Speaking of wheels, that’s something that has gotten larger. Look at how the size of Raptors, Renegades, Rangers, Rebels, Rams, Ringos and Rongos has grown in the testosterone-infected world of the AWD ute!”

“While enjoying Sculpture by the Sea at sunrise, I noticed a striking rockfall towards the Bondi end, with a plaque saying Gina Rinehart Commemorative Rockfall,” reports Susan Hunt of St Ives. “I’m curious about who made the plaque and the story behind it. A Google search revealed nothing, so over to Column 8 for an answer.”

Column8@smh.com.au

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Source: The Age

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