Book review 

Treasure and Dirt.

Chris Hammer.

Treasure and Dirt is the fourth of Chris Hammer’s five novels written since his debut ‘Scrublands’ in 2018. While this may seem like production line writing, it is far from such. Treasure and Dirt is very well written with a carefully thought through plot. This is not surprising given that Chris has a Bachelor Degree in journalism and a Masters in in international relations. He has been a journalist for thirty years, including as senior political journalist for The Age, and foreign correspondent for SBS TV.  … Continue Reading

Blue Earth Olive Oil Notch up Top Awards in International Olive Oil Competition

Martinborough’s Blue Earth Extra virgin Olive Oil has taken out top awards at the 2022 New York International Olive Oil Competition. With a record of more than 1200 entries from 28 countries the New York competition is considered to be the most prestigious in the world. For six weeks, the results have unfolded in real-time as the judges’ findings were verified progressively. It was the largest olive oil competition ever conducted, thanks to a team of 21 expert tasters in eleven countries who adhered to a remote-judging protocol developed by the NYIOOC. … Continue Reading

Did You Know

A NEW VERSION of Jazz in Martinborough will be returning this year in the first weekend of September. 

Mark your calendar to keep the weekend clear.

OUR CONGRATULATIONS to Ray Lund on his 94 th birthday. Ray has been (and still is) delivering the Martinborough Star to the residents in the Western Strasbourg Street area since the first issue. 

AMERICAN SOLDIERS have presented an Italian woman with a birthday cake to make up for one their predecessors stole as it was cooling on a windowsill 77 years ago. The soldiers had arrived in her village of San Pietro to fight against the German soldiers, and one of them helped themselves to the cake. The woman, who recently turned 90, said she was not expecting the cake, but clearly remembered the moment the one baked for her 13th birthday ‘disappeared’.   The Guardian … Continue Reading