Politics done Gangnam Style, flying barramundi and missing handbags – this year’s SA Mid Winter Ball had it all.
Perhaps there’s a protocol for these events where media, pollies and business types let down their hair, and The Outsider suspects the protocol is “what happens at MWB stays in MWB”.
Given that our despatched correspondent has little or no memory of the evening, as per protocols, the following is a reconstruction of events enabled by several “senior media sources”.
More than 420 guests were packed into the Hilton’s Ballroom, a tad tight for a room that is designed to hold less. That left little room between tables, which perhaps explains how one waiter managed to drop a plate of barramundi, vegies and sauce down the back of the Premier’s media advisor, Chris Burford. “Burf”, as his mates called him all night, spent the rest of the evening with a sticky shirt, no dinner jacket and a distinct smell of fish.
Tweeting from these events is fraught with danger, as a Kate Ellis staffer might have later realised despite accusing cabaret act Hans (Matt Gilbertson) of being sexist and commenting that his being gay was no excuse.
The two leaders performed admirably in their “once-a-year hamming-it-up” moment.
Premier Weatherill took a delightful stab at those journos who had predicted his demise before then taking a solid swipe at Acting Premier John Rau’s efforts in hosting the royals in his absence earlier this year. The Premier then produced a backdrop slide of a classic picture of Rau, whose eyes were firmly focussed on the attractive Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. Lucky her sister, Pippa, wasn’t in town.
Steven Marshall opened his speech by dancing to a video of “Gangnam Style” – a first for SA politics and right up there with Clive Palmer’s twerking. The dateless Marshall said he’d considered asking Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie to join him, but staffers had pointed out that he was perhaps missing one of Lambie’s key criteria in men. Marshall wrapped up his effort with a wish “that in 2018 we get 70 per cent of the primary vote so we’re able to snatch victory”.
A final highlight was the ball’s chief organiser, Sarah Martin, searching desperately for her missing handbag. A fruitless search sparked concerns for missing keys, credit cards and whatever else was in there – until a sharp-eyed colleague noticed the bag on the table in front of where she was seated.
The Outsider congratulates the organisers on a good night for all, with between $25,000 and $30,000 raised for the Smith Family Charity.
Channel Ten’s Brett Clappis with his colleagues from Channel Ten.
Whose gender agenda?
In the ongoing fallout from the Families SA crisis, @alpsa took offence at a tweet this week from the State Liberal media team which said: “After 48 hours in her bunker, Rankine crawls out to play politics”.
“Very classy @SALibMedia. How about toning down your attacks on a female Minister” – @alpsa responded.
The Outsider is wondering just what the relevance of gender is here.
And when it comes to Tweet of the Week, @vibrionic takes the canary for this gem, posted in the wake of suggestions that future submarine-building work might be sent offshore:
Climb every mountain …
Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood was pleased as punch to officially reopen the Three Rivers Fountain this week as part of the Adelaide City Council’s $28 million stage one Victoria Square upgrade.
When The Outsider saw the photo supplied by the ACC, we couldn’t help thinking we’d seen that stance somewhere before …
