In December 2022, Common Climber's Assistant Editor, Dave Barnes, travelled from Hobart, Tasmania to Sydney, Australia (660 miles, 1060 kilometres as the crow flies) to catch up with family and climb in the Blue Mountains with old friends. One of the climbers that he met up with was a Common Climber regular, Keith Bell.
As I found from my two trips to Australia, although Aussies speak English, they can sometimes be difficult to understand - kind of like the U.S.'s version of the deep-south drawl or a Jersey accent, combined with their own slang. Words are often clipped short by using -ie, -y, -o and -a.
Barbie for barbecue
Brekkie for breakfast
Bluie for redhead
Ambo for ambulance
Relo for relative
Exy for expensive
and
Seppo for American – You’ll have to remain in the dark with this one
But it is not only words but also names that are clipped short.
Bazza for Barry
Shazza for Sharon
Macca for anyone with Mc or Mac in their name
Donny for Donald
Kezza for Kerry
Paddo for Patrick
Barnsey for anybody named Barnes
Some of it I understood, others I puzzled over – to the point where they started explaining their "lingo" to me.
Hopefully you have got the drift by now because the following article by fellow Aussie Keith Bell - which describes a day of Dave’s trip to the Blue Mountains - is told with the assistance of Jimmy Barnes - an Australian singer and rock icon who is known by, you guessed it - BARNSEY.
Barnsey has a vast repertoire of songs with his band Cold Chisel and has sung many duets with Australian and even U.S. artists like Tina Turner. Barnsey's twelve Australian chart-topping solo albums (sixteen including albums with Cold Chisel) surpassed the eleven by Madonna and U2 in the 2010’s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Barnes
Barnsey is not related to Common Climber's Barnsey (aka. Dave Barnes - although, Dave's Dad WAS named James William Barnes - known to all his mates as Jimmy), but Keith Bell cleverly uses song titles to help tell this story, A Day out with Barnsey.
And, if you really want to have fun with this tale - spiral down the hole of listening to these songs while you read and get even more flavor from the land down under.
-- Stef
(Stefani Dawn, Editor)
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Blue: Barnsey’s song titles
Red: Locations and points of interest
Bold Black: Climbs mentioned with grades
As I found from my two trips to Australia, although Aussies speak English, they can sometimes be difficult to understand - kind of like the U.S.'s version of the deep-south drawl or a Jersey accent, combined with their own slang. Words are often clipped short by using -ie, -y, -o and -a.
Barbie for barbecue
Brekkie for breakfast
Bluie for redhead
Ambo for ambulance
Relo for relative
Exy for expensive
and
Seppo for American – You’ll have to remain in the dark with this one
But it is not only words but also names that are clipped short.
Bazza for Barry
Shazza for Sharon
Macca for anyone with Mc or Mac in their name
Donny for Donald
Kezza for Kerry
Paddo for Patrick
Barnsey for anybody named Barnes
Some of it I understood, others I puzzled over – to the point where they started explaining their "lingo" to me.
Hopefully you have got the drift by now because the following article by fellow Aussie Keith Bell - which describes a day of Dave’s trip to the Blue Mountains - is told with the assistance of Jimmy Barnes - an Australian singer and rock icon who is known by, you guessed it - BARNSEY.
Barnsey has a vast repertoire of songs with his band Cold Chisel and has sung many duets with Australian and even U.S. artists like Tina Turner. Barnsey's twelve Australian chart-topping solo albums (sixteen including albums with Cold Chisel) surpassed the eleven by Madonna and U2 in the 2010’s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Barnes
Barnsey is not related to Common Climber's Barnsey (aka. Dave Barnes - although, Dave's Dad WAS named James William Barnes - known to all his mates as Jimmy), but Keith Bell cleverly uses song titles to help tell this story, A Day out with Barnsey.
And, if you really want to have fun with this tale - spiral down the hole of listening to these songs while you read and get even more flavor from the land down under.
-- Stef
(Stefani Dawn, Editor)
+++
Blue: Barnsey’s song titles
Red: Locations and points of interest
Bold Black: Climbs mentioned with grades
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It doesn’t ring all that often but on a fine Sydney day I answered a call on my mobile from Hobart. Barnsey, the voice on the other end said he was coming up for a gig in the Blue Mountains and would I be able to attend. Just so that we were playing from the same song sheet I carefully wrote down the date and time that he had mentioned as such an opportunity does not come around all that often.
As I was no longer a Working-Class Man, I had some free time on my hands. There would be No Regrets as I packed my bag ready for the gig in the Blue Mountains. Soon I was Driving Wheels humming Khe Sanh to myself as I left the plains and started winding up into the mountains. I was On the Road Again.
As I was no longer a Working-Class Man, I had some free time on my hands. There would be No Regrets as I packed my bag ready for the gig in the Blue Mountains. Soon I was Driving Wheels humming Khe Sanh to myself as I left the plains and started winding up into the mountains. I was On the Road Again.
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Working-Class Man
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No Regrets
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Driving Wheels
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Khe Sanh - Cold Chisel
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It was Stone Cold when I arrived at Blackheath but after parking found Barnsey across the road from the Victory (Café) with a phone in one hand and a coffee in the other. I soon joined him in a coffee and when he was off the phone started to plan for Good Times in the Daylight that was left. It was grey with a hint of rain so there is No Second Prize for guessing where we went (Upper Shipley Crag – Blackheath). Our hit list was worked out and we would start the Good Times rolling with the challenge of the Trinity (13/5.5). I thought it was time for me to Stand Up and deliver so I decided to Kick It Up and lead.
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Once supplication was finished to the holy Trinity it was Barnsey’s time to sing a tune and The Answer is Obvious (18/5.10a); and that is exactly what he did. Barnsey barnstormed up it accompanied by light rain, but steepness and wet rock was no impediment to this man. Soon we had both lowered off. I was back on song, and it was my Good Fortune (17/5.9) to do exactly that to complete my set. Encore Barnsey.
Fortunately, it was a Friday as Barnsey launched out on Nude Tuesday (21/5.10b) and decorum was preserved. The rain had split and so had the other climbers who were initially sharing the Greyness with us (Grey Slab Area). It was good to see the Common Climber in Barnsey prevailed and he took photos and exchanged conversations with many of those who had previously shared this rocky stage. Lunch beckoned and everything was Falling into Place – almost. Pompadour (13/5.5) was on the hit list but ended up being The One That Got Away as a family with a conga line of kids on it ushered in Closing Time for us. |
Dave Barnes aka. Barnsey, the Assistant Editor for Common Climber tuning up on The Answer is Obvious (18/5.10a). (Photo Credit: Keith Bell)
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Stone Cold
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Good Times
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Daylight
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No Second Prize
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Stand Up
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Shutting Down Our Town (Closing Time)
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It was also Closing Time for our friends Paul "Frothy" Thompson and Mitchell Stewart on Thrustblock (24/5.11c) at Porters Pass across the way. That tune brought back A Handful of Memories as I had been Down That Road Before. It was a pity that they still weren’t on it as our vantage point had Simply the Best and The Greatest View of their number. After eventually meeting at the car park, we were soon Cruising to a nearby watering hole at Blackheath.
We were Here for the Party as beer coasters had frosty glasses placed upon them. Once seated Frothy and I spoke about Thrustblock which Adam Darragh had freed sometime earlier. We both laughed about its ridiculous steepness and overhanging nature. Ray Lassman and I had put it up in pouring rain some 50 years before (February 1972) and only the last few metres were wet. It had rained that day too and Frothy mentioned that they felt like they were climbing in a cave under an awning. "The steepness of the first two pitches are outrageous at the grade but the desperate, bottomless chimney armbar-thrutching-madness of the third was a unique experience to me". Mitchell and I spoke about the terrors and the pleasures of climbing in the Warrumbungles and decided that there was more of the latter than the former and That Every Day is a Good Day on "them thar hills." Again, things were Falling into Place when Jacques Beaudoin joined our merry crew and we retired to the outside tables at the back of the Gardeners Inn.
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Mitchell Stewart negotiating the initial roof of the climb on the first steep pitch of Thrustblock. It was overcast and raining at the time but the climb remained dry.
(Photo Credit: Paul "Frothy" Thomson)
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At the "Watering Hole." L-R Paul "Frothy" Thompson, the author Keith Bell, Mitchell Stewart, Jacques Beaudoin and "Barnsey." (Photo Credit: Helpful and friendly pub patron)
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Simply the Best
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Cruising
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Ride the Night Away
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He related that he had been working on the first ascent of a crack project in the "Gardens of Stone." When he had come back to Mother Earth (31/5.13d), he then recounted the story of that ascent. Although we would have liked to Ride the Night Away there is Always Never Enough time to swap stories as we had reached The Great Divide (28/5.13c)*; there were homes, families, friends, and dogs that needed attending to.
Jacques on the first ascent of Mother Earth (31/5.13d). Ben Carter belaying. (Photo Credit: Simon Carter)
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Jacques on The Great Divide (28/5.13c} belayed by Sammy Zammit about a week after our pub outing. (Photo Credit: Jared Anderson)
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So Barnsey and I were Out in the Blue heading towards Katoomba and the abode of his climbing mate: Andrew Penney, mostly known for his ascent of Exhibition Wall (21/5/10c) at "Mt. York" and an early developer of the "Cosmic County" cliff. When we arrived in the early evening Andrew was at a local Indian Restaurant with some friends. This was Simply the Best as it gave us some time to clean up and get settled before they arrived back. All was set for a Mindblower (20/5.10C) of a night as it was a special time of year.
The finale to this day was an auspicious one; New Year’s Eve 2022. Barnsey and I thought that this was a Good Excuse to Let’s Make it Last All Night. The others arrived back about 9:30 p.m. and we all got into the swing of Traveling at the Speed of Life. In the Midnight Hour we all raised a celebratory glass to welcome in the New Year. Celebrations carried on but about 1:30 a.m. I was Going Down Alone. Andrew kindly offered me Four Walls and soon I was alone with my Dreams. The others carried on until about 3:30 a.m. The Rising Sun ushered in breakfast and soon afterwards Barnsey and I were Wheels in Motion hurtling down the highway with a Tailwind behind us heading for the airport; Barnsey had to meet his daughter there who was flying in at 11:30 a.m. On a Saturday morning I realised that this was Gonna Take Some Time with Still a Long Way to Go but delivered my passenger Signed Sealed Delivered right on schedule. The drop-off was busy, and I was soon Out of Time as a parking attendant moved me on. As I moved into the line of traffic I only had time to yell out. See you Jimmy, I mean David ... err... Dave. Catch you in Tassie sometimeeeeee! |
Andrew Penney** on an early ascent of Mindblower (20/5.10c) at Cosmic Country 1980. Note the Whillans Harness*** (Photo Credit: Andrew Penney Collection)
Enjoying ourselves at Andrew Penney’s place on New Years Eve. L-R: Barnsey, Nick Krywenko, Marloes van Lent, and the author Keith Bell. (Photo Credit: Andrew Penney)
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Rising Sun
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Gonna Take Some Time
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Still a Long Way to Go
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Signed Sealed Delivered
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Out of Time
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* Jacques had been working on a finger crack that day called The Great Divide (28/5.1313d) – "Disbelief Cave – Gardens of Stone." He successfully climbed it on pre-placed gear about a week later and is currently working on a Redpoint ascent without pre-placed gear.
** Learn more about Andrew Penney at: Andrew Penny - A Blue Mountaineer
*** Learn more about the Whillans Harness at: S- Paul Seddon - From a Nut to a Harness: A Tribute to Paul Seddon, The Third Troll
** Learn more about Andrew Penney at: Andrew Penny - A Blue Mountaineer
*** Learn more about the Whillans Harness at: S- Paul Seddon - From a Nut to a Harness: A Tribute to Paul Seddon, The Third Troll