Magic Minute Dozer Danger! By Laurie Smale MAGIC MINUTE // What are the chances of being run over by a bulldozer when you’re quietly going about your day? I was nearing the end of my postal run without a care in the world along a sleepy lane way near Melbourne when I noticed some sort […]
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Magic Minute Sensitive to Other’s Feelings By Laurie Smale MAGIC MINUTE // Ever been looking forward to a conversation when another person wedges their way in, takes over, and wrecks the whole atmosphere? When I was young, I went to see Ike Cole, Nat King Cole’s brother, perform in a suburban pub on the outskirts
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Magic Minute Cheese Innovation Changes The World By Laurie Smale MAGIC MINUTE // Here’s a cheese that revolutionised the global dairy industry! In 1916 James L. Kraft, invented the iconic blue box of pasteurised, bacteria-free cheddar cheese that didn’t spoil in hot weather. Wrapped in foil, it stored safely, and for the best part of
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Magic Minute Standing Up For Yourself By Laurie Smale MAGIC MINUTE // For most of his early years, James lived in the bullying thrall of his older brother, till one day it all stopped. He’d just sat down in the armchair to watch a bit of television when the dark pall of his brother filled
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Magic Minute London’s Amazing Parrots By Laurie Smale MAGIC MINUTE // In 2001, I was wandering through the magnificent expanses of London’s Hyde Park when I stopped in wonder. A flash of bright green parrots whizzed over me and settled noisily in a big oak tree. ‘Parrots,’ I thought, ‘how strange. What on earth are
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Magic Minute Not Every Headline Rings True By Laurie Smale MAGIC MINUTE // The end of the platform was whizzing past and our daredevil challenge was about to go horribly wrong. My little brother and I were about to step off the moving train ‘the man’s way’ because Melbourne’s old trains had a running board
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Magic Minute The Shaky Truth of a Headline By Laurie Smale MAGIC MINUTE // The platform was approaching fast and our daredevil challenge was about to go horribly wrong. My little brother and I were about to step off the moving train ‘the man’s way’ because Melbourne’s old trains had a running board to stand
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Speaking Busybird Publishing Open Mic Night #121 By Laurie Smale On Wednesday 17 June 2026, I attended the Busybird Publishing Open Mic Night #121 Special thanks to Kev Howlett for providing this opportunity and Les Zig for being the Facilitator of the Open Mic Night. My segment is also on the full Busybird Publishing Open Mic Night video and starts at
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Magic Minute Raking in The Eels! By Laurie Smale MAGIC MINUTE // We whacked the ripple in the muddy swamp water with the rake, and to our surprise up came a stunned eel! “It worked!” We cried, then waded in and got six more! We couldn’t believe it! Kiethy Dowler was right. We’d just seen
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Magic Minute Wild Horses Took Me Away! By Laurie Smale MAGIC MINUTE // I was perilously perched on a branch 3 meters above Peter the baker’s son, leading Dolly, a massive white Clydesdale horse directly beneath me. “Don’t worry, she’s quiet and knows what to d0,” he said reassuringly. Each day it was Peter’s task
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