#daniel purvis

Obviously predicting a worlds team at this stage is futile because we have no idea where Max, Dan and Nile are with their comebacks SO LET’S DO IT ANYWAY

Imagining all 3 are back to AA form (lol) Max and Nile are your top AAers. James did an amazing job at Euros but I would imagine a healthy Nile could surpass the score.

Floor: Dom seems the probable choice. Dan could challenge him on top form.

Pommels: Weird year for GB not having an obvious choice of pommel specialist. Joe Fraser scored highest between British & Europeans but a 14.000 isn’t going to set the world on fire. More likely that another specialist will just go up on pommels (Dan also would be OK here).

Rings: Courtney all day long.

Vault: Dom Cunningham.

PBars: With Max and Nile in AA, the next highest score is likely to come from Dan. Sam Oldham would be another potential choice.

High Bar: James has done well this year here. Sam again a decent if unreliable option.

Of course I have no idea how healthy Max, Nile and Dan are. Nile seems to have been back in full training for the longest, but he was recovering from injury while Max and Dan had no injury issues. If Max isn’t ready to do AA, I expect he will make pommels his priority (& possibly floor if he has the stamina). In that case Nile and James or Dan, if healthy, would be your preferred AA team. I think it likely that James’s performances at Euros will be enough to get him a worlds slot: he may not score high enough for AA compared to others but he’s still better than most on HB without that.

Optimistic team: Max, Nile (AA), Dom (FX, VT), Courtney (SR), Dan P (PH, PB), James (HB). 

Pessimistic team: James, Joe (AA), Dom (FX, VT), Courtney (SR), Max (PH), Nile (PB, HB).

Major medal hopes would be Max on PH, and FX and AA if competing; Nile on HB and Courtney could also do something I think.

Why Daniel Purvis is not on the Olympic team.

Daniel is sadly not on the team because the move has been made towards higher difficult at the expense of consistency. The first move was taken by the Russians, not by choice but by merely coincidence that the difficulty was in the guys they wanted to take. There was an article out there that even said difficult won over consistency. I think that’s a bit of a fallacy because both teams were consistent and it wasn’t even a full team against a full team - Max stayed home.

The fact is Brinn made the team because he has a higher d score on most of the events he would need to fill in. I think it’s a risk considering Brinn is coming off a major injury and he’s not doing moves he’s perfected just yet. I think he has a fighting spirit and with the difficulty could tamper any mistake he makes.

That was actually one of the reasons, if you have a higher d score you can still get a higher score than a mistake with a lower d score. That is a move that is sure to be seen among all the top teams vying for a medal. But is it the right move when Dan is so mentally prepared and consistent when he’s called up? We shall never know because he’s going to be watching from home.

I can’t help but think Dan on floor is a rock when he’s on the spot. They’ll have to manage with Brinn or Nile on floor now.

Expected line up for Team GB in team final and qualification round is as follows;

FX: Nile, Kristian, Max   Q: Brinn

PH: Brinn, Louis, Max   Q: Nile

SR: Kristian, Max, Nile  Q: Brinn

VT: Max, Brinn, Kristian Q: Nile

PB: Brinn, Max, Nile      Q: Louis

HB: Max, Kristian, Nile  Q: Brinn

The exhibition The Magpie and the Flames was inspired by the Sampson Flat Fires of early 2015, which destroyed a number of homes in the area and destroyed many hectares of land affecting the local community.

Paul Clark, owner of Kersbrook Hills Wines & Cider, provided many interesting stories which provided inspiration for the illustrations and at first I had intended to write a short story to connect the images. With mounting pressure and the deadline approaching, however, I enlisted the help of friend Nicola Gage, an ABC journalist to write a story with similar inspirations. Nicola often covers fires for the ABC throughout the summer season and even witnessed the Sampson Flat Fires firsthand.

Below is a version of her story 'The Bushfire' which I adapted to perform live on opening night at Kersbrook Hill.

The Bushfire

Adapted for live performance by Daniel Purvis from an original story by Nicola Gage

This was Magpie’s kingdom.  He watched over it from the sky, day after day.  He flew low and fast over the land, and ruled. Every morning, he would fly the same lines: Over endless bushland which burst with life, following winding roads which playfully snaked through twisted gum trees and over the vineyards below the Hill. They were young and strong and rich.  Of his entire kingdom, those steely vines were what set Magpie’s insides on fire.  His heart beat within every grape. He cared for them, then squished them between his beak when grapes were just perfectly ripe.  Those vines had taken him. He would watch over them, keeping them safe, every single day. 

Until it all changed. 

It started with a smell. Magpie loved the familiar scent of his land.  But on this particular Friday afternoon, there was something different hanging in the air. It was strong, and harsh, and insincere.  He peered around and nothing had changed.  The vines were silent, the Australian hills still rolled on with fresh growth.  But there, on the horizon, a black smear was rising.      What is that?  And without another thought he ventured on towards uncertainty. 

There was a dirty thickness to the air and with each breath, Magpie became heavy.  He turned an angry black.      Was this the end of the world?  Faster he flew.

It was hard for Magpie to digest. As far as his stern eyes could see, his kingdom was disturbed.  Trees melted, echidnas raced clumsily from their homes, yabbies roasted on the banks where they were born.  The comforting smell of eucalypts contorted into an acrid and choking wall.  A deep pain worked its way into Magpie.

Below Magpie were two emus stood in a pile, one atop the other, legs tangled in their shock.  All they knew was gone, a bright blue sky and tall delicious grass replaced with another world of muddy colours and confusing smells.  No one spoke.  Magpie flew away. 

Unfazed by the chaos surrounding, Koala relaxed in her tree.  She wouldn’t be moving.  She would not allow the black smear to dictate her world.  But, the smear did not care for her either.  And just like that, the red wall came. Magpie flew away. 

Sitting in front of a dying house was old Kangaroo.      “I’m glad you have come to watch,” he said. “What an awesome sight it truly is.”     “Awesome?!” wurbled Magpie. “My kingdom is on fire! How dare you call it awesome!”     "Why, but it is,” Kangaroo replied. “This is nature. It burns. It rejuvenates.” Magpie’s tiny body puffed with fury and Kangaroo continued, “This land isn’t any more yours than it is mine. Or Koala’s. Or emus’.” Angrily, Magpie flew away. 

Magpie knew it was true.  He had no control.  He couldn’t stop the smear.  Its rage had taken hold and blackened everything before it.  Fast. And terrifying.  Magpie flew down to the charred vines below the Hill and sat on a burnt post.  Kangaroo was right, he thought.  This wasn’t Magpie’s kingdom.