The Newcastle Song – Daniel Arvidson, 2024

It started with the surf with an Endless Summer movie poster on the top left as well as Nobby’s Beach flag, Cooks Hill surf lifesavers colours and the Sandman surfboard (surely hanging from every tradies’ panel van or ute); a nod to Hunter Street; OAK milk and surrounding dairy farmers of the area; a thermos references the trades, steel workers and coal miners of the area; the radio tuned to Newcastle FM churning out all the best music including their own in Silverchair – also sporting a Mark Richards (world champion surfer) surf sticker; Australia II reference to Ben Lexcen who was schooled in Newcastle; book references to BHP, the areas history, journalist Laurie Oaks (this book seemed fitting as the collection is all about music); Margaret Olley who had a long love affair with the city even though not born there; Trent Parke – Cue the sun seemed very fitting of this surf town; William Dobell – a local and iconic Australian artist; Novacastrian Tales and The Splendour of Newcastle seemed very fitting book titles to sum up the area; John Olsen – another local and iconic Australian artist, his book title also fitting of the area even if not meant to; the final book a riff on Newcastle’s iconic skyline; the frog representative of maybe their most successful export in Silverchair; their beloved Newcastle Knights and Kath’s glove from the most fabulously suburban Jane Turner.