‘Encounter’ appears in print on the last page of The Monthly magazine with an illustration by Chris Grosz, the Picasso of the Pacific. As the title suggests, these are snapshots depicting a connection, relationship or meeting between famous or notorious Australians or, occasionally, an Australian and a famous foreigner. However unlikely they sometimes appear, all are real – and as accurate as I can make them, based on historical documents or interviews with the people concerned.
As well as people, I have described a number of Encounters involving specific military units (such as the decisive battle at Milne Bay), inanimate objects (Skylab meeting Esperance) or human/non-human exchanges (like Helena Rubenstein’s dealings with the merinos of Casterton).
Most of the forty-odd that have been published so far can be found here. These ones are free. To see the most recent, you’ll need a subscription to the magazine.
Suggestions for future encounters are welcome.