A brainwave

My writing wasn’t progressing very well today. I couldn’t get a clear perspective on assimilation. The politician’s were out of synch with grassroots immigrants, too many different issues. I couldn't focus, too many contradictory discourses. My daughter wanted me to bake some cakes with her.

We were creative and made a marble cake in three colours: white, pink and brown. Just to be different we put them in mini muffin tins instead of one large round one. Baking clears the mind. It’s a form of meditation, very relaxing. All that is required are slow, gentle movements in a fairly confined space in the kitchen listening to Green Day’s rock songs and ballads. The smells of vanilla, butter and chocolate intoxicated our inner senses.

The music was interrupted by the radio announcement that Al Grassby died. He was the Labor Minister for Immigration from 1972 to 74. I was going to cut him out of my second thesis draft, too much detail, irrelevant to my topic. I felt sad that he died just when I decided to reject him. We licked the spoons and started laughing. Then we dipped and licked our fingers into the mixture, once for each finger so as not to double dip until we had chocolate tipped pussy cat claws. We licked the spatula and the bowls.

The news broadcaster said Al Grassby made the most significant contribution to multiculturalism of all the immigration ministers. We put the cakes in the oven and set the timer. People remembered him for his colourful ties because they were symbolic of the colourful cultures in the multicultural community, said the radio voice. His ties? A man deserved more dignity than that upon death. If they remembered his ties maybe I should include him in my chapter.

A sudden ringing in my head – I’ve had a brainwave. The oven timer just rang. The cakes are ready. I will trace the evolution of assimilation and multiculturalism through the main ministers of immigration: Arthur Calwell, Harold Holt, Al Grassby. They are the ones who made the most memorable public statements. I can juxtapose the covert and overt ethnic activities of my research subjects to coincide with precisely the same eras of each minister. The perfect snapshot of the move from assimilation to multiculturalism and how ordinary people responded to the policies.

The cakes were over-baked. I should have checked them when the timer rang. Daughter said she likes them crisp. We didn’t enjoy eating them. It was more fun making them.