LINCOLN BROWN: A Letter to My Grandson. “My prayer for you that is that you will rise above the sound, fury, and utter nonsense that is part and parcel of today’s world.
My prayer it that you will reject the parasites and sycophants who will tell you that because of your skin color or gender you are guilty of crimes that you never committed or, for that matter, never dreamt of committing. My prayer is that you will not succumb to the voices telling you to destroy yourself for a world that cares nothing for you. My prayer for you is that you will not be led to burn, but to create. My prayer for you is that you will grow up to be an honorable, compassionate, and dignified man.”
They Wanted to Foster Their Great-Grandson. Why Did New York Say No? NYT
Long live grandfathers who love iceberg swimming clubs, Bondi, or Mexican …
Like Kate Lillie’s father, Ian, Paul Kelly freely admits he’s become “one of those people”. One of those people who finds solace, even joy, plunging into the freezing winter waters of Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay. “It might be a getting older kind of thing,” he says, wryly, as we walk towards Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. “It makes you feel good if you get through the pain of the first few minutes. I think it’s because the body creates all these things to fight the pain, so you get your natural endorphin high. It makes you high. It’s the best drug.”
By all appearances, the water is working. Kelly is in good spirits when we meet for a walk on a grey Melbourne day that had promised sun. Save for a few weeks of touring squeezed in earlier this year, he’s passed the pandemic at his St Kilda home, content “with piano, books and guitar”, chipping away at a new album.