Always on the look out for different publications, oddities, items a tad strange , the recent Little Darwin safari through North Queensland had no second thoughts about buying a waterlogged copy of Townsville , poems by Harry Cummins . Born Townsville , North Queensland , in 1961 , he had spent most of his life in London , educated there at University College, picking up a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Anglo-American Literary Relations ,working as a teacher , journalist and a civil servant .
The blurb glowingly referred to him as an outstanding new talent, bringing to mind such writers as Walt Whitman, D.H. Lawrence , Ted Hughes , Gerard Manley Hopkins , Stevie Smith and Ogden Nash, yet with an individual flavour which is unique . It went on to say the contents comprised a blend of clear and vigorous language , striking, sensuous imagery, and content which is philosophical and exceptionally original.
On the strength of this high praise , it is surprising that Townsville civic authorities have not erected a fountain in his honour as a reward for his contribution to literature and spreading the name of the Queen City of the North far and wide. Then again, Townsville can't look after its existing public fountains and war memorials ( more later ).
This 1995 William Heinemann book mentions Townsville , hanky panky on Magnetic Island , Zora Cross , the Love Poet of Queensland, artist Russell Drysdale and the Dead Heart .
Discovered in The Book Lounge in Port Douglas , always good for a search , the slim volume, 77pp, could have been through a cyclone as it had been exposed to moisture , as they say in the book trade. As a result , many of its pages are lumpy, stained , mouldy . A good place to wet the whistle in Port Douglas is the rusty looking Iron Bar , below, not far from the bookshop , which could easily inspire a poem, such as The Man From Iron Bar .The man in the photo is a hombre from Darwin .
The modern city of Townsville would not mind being somewhat mouldy as it is on water restrictions . It is located in the dry tropics and is said to also be in a rain shadow .
