•GriffithREVIEW68.indb 1 5/3/20 1:49 pm Praise for Griffith Review ‘A literary degustation... The richness of these stories is amplified by the resonance between them. It’s hard to think of so much fascinating story being contained within 270-odd pages.’ Ed Wright, The Saturday Australian ‘…informative, thought-provoking and well-crafted.’ The Saturday Paper ‘[An] outstanding collection of essays, reportage, memoir, poetry and fiction.’ Mark McKenna, Honest History ‘The Review doesn’t shirk from the nuanced and doesn’t seek refuge in simplistic notions or slogans. It remains Australia’s primary literary review.’ Professor Ken Smith, Dean and CEO ANZSOG ‘Griffith Review continues to provide a timely focus on contemporary topics through its high-calibre collection of literary works.’ Graham Quirk, former Lord Mayor, Brisbane ‘…an eclectic, thought-provoking and uniformly well-written collection.’ Justin Burke, The Australian ‘This is commentary of a high order. The prose is unfailingly polished; the knowledge and expertise of the writers impressive.’ Roy Williams, Sydney Morning Herald ‘For intelligent, well-written quarterly commentary…Griffith Review remains the gold standard.’ Honest History ‘Griffith Review is Australia’s most prestigious literary journal.’ stuff.co.nz ‘Griffith Review is a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in current affairs, politics, literature and journalism. The timely, engaging writing lavishly justifies the Brisbane-based publication’s reputation as Australia’s best example of its genre.’ The West Australian ‘Griffith Review enjoys a much-deserved reputation as one of the best literary journals in Australia. Its contribution to conversations and informed debate on a wide range of topical issues has been outstanding.’ Hon. Ian Walker MP ‘This quarterly magazine is a reminder of the breadth and talent of Australian writers. Verdict: literary treat.’ Herald Sun •GriffithREVIEW68.indb 1 5/3/20 1:49 pm SIR SAMUEL GRIFFITH was one of Australia’s great early achievers. Twice the premier of Queensland, that state’s chief justice and the author of its criminal code, he was best known for his pivotal role in drafting agreements that led to Federation, and as the new nation’s first chief justice. He was also an important reformer and legislator, a practical and cautious man of words. Griffith died in 1920 and is now best remembered in his namesakes: an electorate, a society, a suburb and a university. Ninety-six years after he first proposed establishing a university in Brisbane, Griffith University, the city’s second, was created. His commitment to public debate and ideas, his delight in words and art, and his attachment to active citizenship are recognised by the publication that bears his name. Like Sir Samuel Griffith, Griffith Review is iconoclastic and non-partisan, with a sceptical eye, a pragmatically reforming heart and a commitment to public discussion. Personal, political and unpredictable, it is Australia’s best conversation. •GriffithREVIEW68.indb 2 5/3/20 1:49 pm GriffithReview68 Getting On Edited by Ashley Hay •GriffithREVIEW68.indb 3 5/3/20 1:49 pm GriffithReview68 INTRODUCTION 7 The time of our lives ASHLEY HAY: Senescence, sentience and story ESSAY 10 The invisible arrow HELEN GARNER: How does one stop writing? 18 Magical thinking and the aged- care crisis SARAH HOLLAND- BATT: Utopian fantasies and dystopian realities 34 Things of stone and wood and wool TONY BIRCH: Taking comfort in objects 53 Live long and prosper DAVID SINCLAIR: Short-circuiting the process of ageing 89 Joining forces JANE R GOODALL: When the wrath of age meets the passion of youth 141 Killing time LEAH KAMINSKY: AI and the future of memory 149 Contemporary loss FRANK BRENNAN: The process of personal sfumato 159 One hundred years of sumbiotude GLENN A ALBRECHT: Resisting the extinction of emotions 178 In an unguarded moment GABBIE STROUD: Living with the legacy of suicide 241 System failure BETH MOHLE: Healthcare, economics and looking after the future 260 Experiments in the art of living CHARLOTTE WOOD: Rethinking the mythology of the generations 268 Bold rage INGRID BURKETT: A manifesto for empowering Gen X MEMOIR 109 The ball still swings IAN LOWE: Cricketers in their seventies 122 Solving my medical mystery MARK AARONS: An inner journey into pain, neuroscience and neurology 190 On looking into mirrors ANDREW SANT: Some reflections on the passage of time 198 A life in books KATHY MARKS: From Suez to Salford: a literary love story 225 The human factor MELANIE CHENG: Empathy as a therapeutic tool 253 Old growth AILSA PIPER: On luck, appreciation and acceptance 280 A vapour trail across the sun VICKI LAVEAU-HARVIE: Making order out of chaos •GriffithREVIEW68.indb 4 5/3/20 1:49 pm REPORTAGE 41 Longevity, quality and turning back the clock BIANCA NOGRADY: Getting older better 62 Dying wish ANDREW STAFFORD: Dementia and end-of-life choices 115 Hearing stories of the past LISA FENN and IAN HOLLAND: The repositories of history and the future 134 The hungry years CAROLINE BAUM: A campaign to rescue declining tastebuds 215 The almost homeless THERESE HALL: Single older women with no place to call home IN CONVERSATION 99 Listening to the Elders RUTH ROSS, JAY PHILLIPS and MAYRAH DREISE: Wisdom, knowledge, institutions and the need for change FICTION 78 Death by the book JULIE MACLEAN 169 The elsewheres of Charlie Bolt SAMUEL WAGAN WATSON 206 The town turns over LAURA ELVERY POETRY 60 How the sky stays above us YOUNG DAWKINS 133 Bionic enhancements queue SANDRA RENEW 193 Andrew ANNA McGAHAN 224 Winston ALYS JACKSON PHOTO ESSAY 81 Afterwards ANGUS MORDANT 233 The creative life of Eileen Kramer KYLIE SMITH Anna Di Mezza, Memory’s Persistence 2016 [detail] Acrylic on board, 45 x 60 cm Image courtesy of the artist Griffith Review gratefully acknowledges the support and generosity of our founding patron, the late Margaret Mittelheuser AM and the ongoing support of Dr Cathryn Mittelheuser AM. Contents.indd 5 10/3/20 2:46 pm GriffithReview68 2020 Griffith Review is part of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Engagement) portfolio, and is published four times a year by Griffith University in conjunction with Text Publishing. ISSN 1448-2924 ISBN 978-1-922268-76-1 Publisher Julianne Schultz AM FAHA Editor Ashley Hay Associate Publisher Alexandra Payne Managing Editor John Tague Senior Editor Carody Culver Editorial Assistant Lauren Mitchell Business Coordinator Esha Buch Proofreader Sonia Ulliana Chair, Advisory Board Martin Betts Publicity Brendan Fredericks Publication Text Publishing Text Publishing Michael Heyward, Patti Patcha Typesetting Midland Typesetters Printing Ligare Book Printers Distribution Penguin Australia Contributions by academics can, on request, be refereed by our Editorial Board. Details: griffithreview.com GRIFFITH REVIEW South Bank Campus, Griffith University PO Box 3370, South Brisbane QLD 4101 Australia Ph +617 3735 3071 Fax +617 3735 3272 [email protected] griffithreview.com TEXT PUBLISHING Swann House, 22 William St, Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia Ph +613 8610 4500 Fax +613 9629 8621 [email protected] www.textpublishing.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS 1 year Print edition within Aust – $88.00 incl GST 2 year Print edition within Aust – $165.00 incl GST 1 year Print edition outside Aust – $143.00 2 year Print edition outside Aust – $275.00 1 year Digital edition global (ePub, PDF, Kindle) – $60.00 incl GST 2 year Digital edition global (ePub, PDF, Kindle) – $110.00 incl GST 1 year Premium edition (print + digital) within Aust – $120.00 incl GST 2 year Premium edition (print + digital) within Aust – $225.00 incl GST Institutional and bulk rates available on application. COPYRIGHT The copyright in material published in Griffith Review and on its website remains the property of the author, artist or photographer, and is subject to copyright laws. No part of this publication should be reproduced without first contacting Griffith Review. Opinions published in Griffith Review are not necessarily those of the publisher, editor, Griffith University or Text Publishing. FEEDBACK AND COMMENT griffithreview.com •GriffithREVIEW68.indb 6 5/3/20 1:49 pm INTRODUCTION The time of our lives Senescence, sentience and story Ashley Hay YEARS AGO, I read a book by Douwe Draaisma, a professor of history and psychology at the University of Groningen, called Why Life Speeds Up as You Get Older (CUP, 2004). Draaisma recounts early explorations of this phenomena, including the French philosopher Paul Janet’s 1877 proposal of a mathematical relationship between the proportion of life lived and the speed at which it seems to move. By this equation, a ten-year-old child perceives a year’s passage as relatively slow because it represents a greater proportion of the total time they’ve lived (one tenth) compared with the same duration experienced by a fifty-year-old (2 per cent of their life). The philosopher and pioneering American psychologist William James (brother of Henry) echoes this in distinguishing between the novel and exciting experiences of youth – ‘intricate, multitudinous and long-drawn out’ – and those of later life, where ‘the days and the weeks smooth themselves out in recollection to contentless units, and the years grow hollow and collapse’. No matter the theory, Draaisma concludes, our experience of time is explained by the operations of consciousness. TO TALK ABOUT ageing in Australia today is rarely to talk about the passage of time. In recent months, the subject has been largely framed by intersections between a Royal Commission and its revelations of institutional shortfalls and betrayals; the urgent need for reform; the conditions we place under the umbrella designation of ‘dementia’; an increasing awareness of under-reported ageism; the seemingly intractable gap in life expectancies between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians; the day-to-day experi- ence of some 200,000 older Australians who live in residential-care facilities; and an emphasis on the ‘costs’ of an ageing population rather than any framing of the potential benefits of longevity.