Tuesday, April 11, 2017

ALL HAIL MACBETH !

Invitation to a  dunking ( one posthumously )  of  two Australian  and  one  Kiwi  witch.

It  is  a rare experience   to  converse  with   a  witch  .   This  lucky blogger, however,  has recently been in  contact  with no less than  two of   these fascinating  individuals.  Just last week    I was engaged   in   diverse discussions  with   an  artistic   witch  on  Magnetic  Island . In years  gone  by , nervous children , she told  me ,  used    to  slip  notes into  her  letterbox  addressed  to  the  Witch.  In  those  days  she  had  long  green  fingernails . 

While she  has never had a  cat as a  pet , she speaks  fondly of  Ponsonby , a  Beagle . And of  course numerous  agile wallabies still  bound  onto  her roof    from  nearby granite  boulders , Kookaburras   with names  from  Shakespeare  line  up  to  be  fed .    

My  Kiwi  wife  lived  near  a  witch  when  she  was a child  in Auckland   and  has just unearthed  further information about the  woman . This  person   had  resided - "like a witch" -  on  her  own , in  an old , overgrown  house ,  with  many  cats ,  at  which  some naughty  children  threw  stones.

A bit of a romantic , my wife  said  the poor  woman  reminded  her of  the spinster   Miss  Havisham  who lived in a ruined mansion    in  the  Charles  Dickens  novel , Great  Expectations. Recent  research   revealed that the  Auckland " witch" , who died  aged  89, had  a   father  who   played   the  organ in   the  Catholic  Cathedral .  
 
While talking  on the phone to Darwin ,  I asked after the health  of  the  well known  local   political   witch - Dawn Lawrie, above,  being sworn in as an Independent .  A  former Northern Territory Chief Minister, Paul " Porky " Everingham , dubbed her  the  Witch of  Nightcliff .


 While I am not sure if  she  had  a cat at the time, she  certainly  owned a  Boxer   dog  which  she  chased  about  the electorate to  prevent it  ending  up  in  the  pound , making   her fit  enough to  compete in the Hash House  Harriers , overcoming dehydration  by  sitting  on  a rock  with  mysterious  recuperative  powers  .
 
It  should be  pointed out that  this  so called Territory  witch  was   also a journalist , a  human rights advocate, became the  virtual Queen of   Cocos (Keeling )  Islands  when   appointed   the   Administrator  and has held many other  important  positions .   Her   daughter  Delia  , another journalist , held  ministerial portfolios in  NT  ALP  governments and  was    Leader of   the Opposition in  more  recent   times  before  resigning .
 Dawn Lawrie  revealed her  wickedly  funny witch side in  1975  when she  posed for this photograph   defending  the  ABC's  little  bleeder Norman Gunston  against  criticism from  some of her  Legislative Assembly colleagues by delivering   them  a  cross-eyed  and  feathered  raspberry . 

The  pith helmet  wearing  , cigar chomping  former mayor of Darwin, Harold "Tiger" Brennan, said he  turned  the television set off when the Norman Gunston Show came on  . "I can't understand the  blinkin' bod ," he explained .

 

Dawn's impressive track  record  and  packed  flight  log  clearly indicate  she  has been a nice witch, still involved  in community activities , a  volunteer  JP , the recipient of  a well  deserved  gong .  When contacted on the blower ,  during  cyclonic  rain , about  to  venture out  into a  dark and  stormy night  for  a meeting of the Darwin Symphony Orchestra , she  joined in  the  frivolity of the moment .

It was  good  to know that  this blog  was  going  to give  neglected witches  in general   much deserved  coverage  as   they  had  had  a   bad image  down through  the  centuries
 

For the record , she said  she  had been  proud to have been called a witch by  Porky Everingham , "glad  to  wear  the  hat " .  Even  now  some Nightcliff  residents , who remember earlier times , address  her  as the friendly  neighbourhood   witch . The  witch , unfortunately , is no  longer available as  a  marriage  celebrant .