Looking somewhat moth-eaten , like the presenter of Radio National's admirable Late Night Live, Phillip Adams , AO, this tattered butterfly plonked down on Little Darwin's battered portable radio while Phillip was conducting an interesting interview about the Australian crusades of American evangelist Billy Graham, the first in l959 , which took in New Zealand, attracting vast crowds. At a glance , markings on one damaged wing looked like a wise old owl .
Only last week thought had been given to writing something about a large folder of material from the Australian Billy Graham Crusades , probably the only collection of its kind north of the southern sinner belt . Readers of this blog know many unexpected oddities come our way , this just one of many piling up in the den. Graham , said to have been the most respected man in America , who could have become president, came back to Australia in l968 and 1979 . As Adams is interested in the evangelist , we might send the crumpled bundle to him via his farm -COD.
Some of the extensive promotion and follow up material displayed for the butterfly to peruse in between interesting and informative ABC programs. It shows fashion was used as a way of getting people to sign up for donations of up to $100 to meet the $1600 a day needed to conduct the crusade . The fashion card was attached to the 1968 Billy Graham Sunshine State Crusade letter from the Queensland Council of Churches Evangelistic Committee , the patron of which was G.F.R. Nicklin, M.M., Member of the Legislative Assembly .
UPDATE : Phillip Adams has just had his pacemaker serviced . Long may his lum reek. In the case of the butterfly, being aerodynamically out of shape , it took off and flew like a tottering drunk .
