Attention all, we have a grand announcement to make.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ahem ... quiet please ... drum roll ... trumpet sounds ... the first square to be revealed for the Monopoly Newcastle board is ... more trumpet ... Blackbutt Reserve.
As for the rest of the squares, they'll be unveiled at a public event at Nobbys Beach at 11am on Thursday.
Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes and a few superfans will launch the board.
The property squares won't be ranked from richest to poorest, like the original London-based game. They'll have themed sections like cultural significance, natural areas and education.
Nevertheless, anticipation will surely be heightened around the coveted spaces occupied by Mayfair and Park Lane in the original game.
Dale Hackett, Monopoly manager for Winning Moves, said the two selected places were "iconic spots of Newcastle".
"I think the two locations will be well received," he said.
All the property and transport squares are themed around Newcastle. Chance and Community Chest cards are also localised.
"Instead of winning a beauty pageant, you'd be winning the surfing competition at Surfest. Or getting free tickets to the V8s on the beachfront," Dale said.
"All parts of the game other than the corner squares are based around Newcastle."
This, of course, means Cessnock jail didn't get a guernsey. Bummer that.
The four corner squares remain to ensure parts of the original game, along with the nostalgia this carries, are maintained.
Dale said sales of board games had been rising for the past seven to eight years.
On one hand, this seems surprising given the way society is going with technology.
But then, board games encourage families and friends to converse face-to-face.
Parents want to ensure their kids develop social skills and spend some time away from the digital world. In this sense, learning to play Monopoly - to win, lose and have fun in the real world - holds value.
Plus, learning how to deal with your opponent owning Mayfair, Park Lane and loads of hotels without flipping the board in a rage is surely one of the key skills to learn in childhood. Err, and adulthood.
And learning how it feels to own Mayfair, Regent Street, Euston Road or Old Kent Road tends to give insight into the nature of society.
Dale said when people think of Monopoly, they think of London.
"They can rattle off five or six different property squares," he said.
"Our goal is to have the Newcastle edition being thought of in the same terms as the London edition."
Anyone can attend the October 10 unveiling of Monopoly Newcastle, which will be on sale at the event.
War on 2019
Just look at ScoMo will you, dressed in high-vis and cuddling a big, fat lump of coal.
The Chaser and The Shovel will join forces to poke fun at ScoMo's love of coal, among other easy targets in a touring show called The War on 2019.
The show, which comes to Newcastle City Hall on November 21, will be an "in-depth analysis of all the highlights of the year that haven't yet been seized by the Australian Federal Police".
Tickets, we're told, cost the equivalent of a day's wages at a George Calombaris restaurant. Oh, and wearing an Australian flag pin is mandatory for entry to the show.
Unpretentious Poetry
The last time we wrote a piece about poetry, a reader rang up and declared poetry to be "pretentious crap".
The reader - who did make us giggle - also said poetry wasn't a very Novocastrian thing.
However, the Novocastrians to perform at the Australian Poetry Slam Final at City Hall on Friday would surely beg to differ.
Anyone who's keen to be in the audience, should go along. They might even get to be a judge, as judges are chosen randomly from the audience.
We reckon the reader we mentioned with the strong anti-poetry stance should go and check it out. He might change his opinion. Or, maybe he'll get inspired and write his own poetry about why he doesn't like poetry.
The event begins at 7pm. Visit australianpoetryslam.com for more details.
While you're with us, did you know the Newcastle Herald offers breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more? Keep up to date with all the local news - sign up here.
IN THE NEWS:
- Newcastle lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes says managers' emails about staff redeployment 'unacceptable'
- Throwback Thursday: Relive the best moments from Dashville Skyline
- Cocaine catamaran trial: Sailor and musician Craig Lembke 'angry' about cocaine on board, court hears
- Victims say it's time for a UK-style inquiry into the Australian tainted blood scandal
- Lockout laws: New research shows Newcastle's night economy performing better than most
- Hunter MPs back NSW government plan for cameras to identify drivers using mobile phones
- Newcastle house prices up as interest rates fall to new record low after Reserve Bank announces cut