An admirable young man, Keanu and his loving mother Sherryle act as role models for society as they embrace and live lives of altruism and compassion through their voluntary work @ Lentil As Anything, Newtown.

Sunny Days, Icy Beginnings

Early starts guarantee plenty of successes without all ‘dem stresses! Hayley, her parents and I hit the road by 8.30am for a day in Sydney to celebrate Hayley's parent's birthdays. A surprise destination for Tanya and Stuart (Hayley’s mum and dad) and a lunch in one of Sydney’s most dilettantish suburbs made for touching memories and hope for the future.

Enjoying the market atmosphere within the Entertainment Quarter over the weekend is a must prior to entry into the exhibition.

For quite a number of months, Hayley and I have been interested in visiting the Titanic Exhibition within the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney. The EQ is adjacent to the Sydney Cricket Ground, which serves as a wayfaring beacon for tourists, and the parking makes for relative ease of access. We’ve come here a number of times – most notably for Aussie Rules footy (we’re sort of Swans fans?) and for laughter of voluminous proportions at the Comedy Store. This day, however brought us to delve into an oceanic depth of history, the subject of which being likely the most prominent ocean-going disaster ever recorded: The sinking of RMS Titanic and the loss of some 1500 lives.

We had to set the mood. Sombre and respectful, yet with ear and eye opened for appreciation of the exhibit itself. Camera at the ready! Although the experience was nothing like (nor was it supposed to be) the Quake City Museum/Memorial to the lives lost in the Christchurch earthquakes in New Zealand, I felt like wielding a camera was a wee bit tasteless. Hopefully the shots you see here demonstrate subtlety and care and at the least, are informative.

Even descriptions of Titanic's enormity struggle to fit within the shot, fading into the distance.

Hayley entering the First Class cabin hallway. Unfortunately, its price was as excessive as its opulence. We settled for working the boilers to pay our way across the Atlantic.

I have no intention of prattling on about every fact and detail of the Titanic and it’s passengers.

You should go and experience this exhibit yourself. The photos I’ve included should just be a taste of what it has to offer. You probably should however, watch James Cameron’s Titanic prior to visiting. It would act as a contextual/tear-jerking (if sort of dramatized and partly inaccurate) primer to your trip into Sydney.

Fast Facts

Cost
From $18 or $70 for the family.

Duration
Give yourself at least an hour and a half. You won’t want to rush through, nor will this be a full day’s activities.

How Long’s it Going to Run?
The exhibition started in April 2017. No end date has been confirmed (at the time of writing) but it’s only for a limited time.

The Part Where I Talk About Gobbling Food

Lentil As Anything provide high quality, hearty vegan food for everyone to munch on.

Venturing out of our humble little city of Wollongong up to the Big Smoke is incomplete without a visit to Newtown. As vegans, this place is a freakout for the tastebuds. The people here totally get veganism. They’re on board and understand this ship’s unsinkable (compassion can’t fail, can it?). There are more vegan eateries than you can poke a seitan stick at and it’s all glorious food. This time last year, I was here with my brother and dad. Dad brought Josh down to check out Sydney Uni at the open day and I came up to meet them. Incidentally, our lunchtime destination was Lentil As Anything. It hadn’t occurred to me until we were driving past the university and it jogged my memory. Freakish!

We made our way up the street and plopped ourselves down within the cosy confines of Lentil As Anything once more. This incredible establishment of enchanting food and dedicated souls has been a place I try to get to as often as humanly possible. This unique restaurant has strong community roots.

The food is all vegan, most of the staff are volunteers and there’s no bill to square up upon completion of the meal (if you so desire).

It’s an awesome experiment in human generosity and social equity. Customers are offered a hot chai when seated, order what they want from the menu, served food almost instantaneously (seriously, it’s lightning quick here) and you pay what you think the food deserves. There is ample signage to explain the process and they clearly show you what the dollar amount you pay equates to. For example, $5 will cover a dessert and drink and $20 + covers food, rent and costs of operation (ideal situation). If you choose to pay more than that you’re subsidising the cost for others who cannot afford to eat properly – there is a large number of homeless people in Sydney and this social wonder is able to help a segment of that community.

Whenever we are in Newtown, I can’t help but sticky-beak around at the colourful characters. Lentil As Anything is a concentration of the eccentricity that is Newtown. I might be vegan and a bit alternative, but we just don't really stick out. People watching is a favourite pastime of mine, especially when we’re overseas and looking for cheap thrills! Tattoos, dreadlocks and body piercings are very common within Lentil As Anything. So is the ‘just got out of bed’ look. This afternoon, however, my eyes met a woman enthusiastically playing a ukulele (teensy guitar thingy) and a young boy, barely ten years old contributing his youthful services to this altruistic venture.

As I was eating my fare, I watched as he carried plates, greeted customers and took orders. I was absolutely fascinated.

The astute young man took charge and accepted a great responsibility. He could easily have chosen to go riding bikes with his mates, enjoying the sun. Fortunately for Sydney (and Lentil As Anything), this young boy is being raised by a mother who is instilling an ethic far more valuable than money. I completed my meal and felt compelled to introduce myself to him and his mother, who was there volunteering also. This young man’s name is Keanu and his mother, Sherryle. We got to talking and I expressed what a terrific job he was doing and that I really admired his willingness to get involved. As a teacher often having to manage less than desirable behaviour at school, I become almost giddy with joy when seeing incredible acts of children when they're away from the positive reinforcement of Dojo Points, merit awards and stickers.

When you’re next out enjoying the sunshine and a meal, be sure to notice the elements of a society that matter. People are the drivers of change. We can steer ourselves into a ditch or grab hold of the wheel, avert disaster and cruise off into the sunset.

And You Thought This Was The End. Enjoy The Photos!

Upon arriving home I decided to check out the paragliders atop Hill 60 in Port Kembla.

Who doesn't love a sunset selfie during a car charging session? The glow at this angle literally lasted about 90 seconds.

Did I mention we WON tickets to an Eagles tribute band this afternoon for the show tonight? It pays to enter Facebook competitions.

We collected the tickets at the box office. Yay!

Excitement before the lights went down. See how much effort I expended to change into fresh clothes?

The show was full of near-retired Eagles-tragics, but the vibe was electric. The show was at Anita's Theatre, Thirroul NSW.

Aren't you glad you stuck around for the juicy photos at the end? Ocean shots, Eagles concerts..who knew?! Or maybe you skipped all the tirelessly thought-out sentences in the middle just to get to the eye candy at the end.. if that's the case, you're not reading this. So why am I bothering?

Please UPVOTE, COMMENT, RESTEEM and FOLLOW me (if you like what you saw). Don't bother if you hated the whole thing. That just wouldn't make any sense at all.

All the best,
Nick

All content is original.

Acknowledgements

Titanic: The Exhibition
http://www.titanictheexhibition.com.au/

Lentil As Anything Restaurant
https://lentilasanything.com/

Anita's Theatre Thirroul
http://www.anitastheatrethirroul.com/

Facebook got a mention, but I'm not acknowledging them.. ner.