I do not imply, for instance, that we should always suppress the utterance of intolerant philosophies; as long as we can counter them by rational argument and keep them in check by public opinion, suppression would certainly be unwise.

I like things with function. The objects around me that best perform the tasks they are designed to do, are the ones that become most cherished. And perhaps unsurprisingly they are often the most beautiful. Olin Stephens, perhaps the greatest yacht designer of the 20th Century said  “Though per se beauty is not a factor of speed, the easiest boats to look at seem the easiest to drive.” 

I had fled Melbourne, escaping to the coastline west of Apollo Bay. At the time I didn’t know it, but it turned out to be a few rare days of freedom, sandwiched between two lockdowns.

A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure in documenting the work on set of a group of highly dedicated young professionals as they went about the complicated business of shooting for an upcoming short film called “Call me Puritan”.  The pleasure was intensified, (pleasure and pride are closely linked) because the director of the film is my son Archie.

The group of 12 photographs below are of my mother and father, my sister and my grandmother and yes, the fat little boy with the worried expression is me. They were made over 50 years ago and I suppose were intended to be shared amongst limited family members. I find them enthralling and not just because they are so personal.

Here he sits in the Styx Forest amongst “Eucalyptus Regnans”, or giant ash. Some of these trees are more than 500 years old, 20 metres in girth and stand 90 metres tall.

The 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959, following the brutal suppression by Chinese troops of the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa. He escaped into exile in Dharamshala, Northern India, where he has been living ever since. Chinese officials have vilified him as a "wolf in monk's clothing" who seeks to destroy the country's sovereignty by pushing for independence.