Friday, June 30, 2023

PUTIN FACING ANOTHER GRAVE MUTINY

 MOSCOW : President  Putin's vast army  of official food tasters  has gone on strike- demanding  danger  money  before  they  resume    duties   in    the  crazy czar's  Kremlin  kitchen . A  food  taster   spokesman , Ivan "Fatty"   Buntervik, soon to   appear in  a  Russian male  shake  weight  loss  TV series ,  said his   tubby  workmates   fear Putin's   rich  tucker could  be impregnated with  knockout  drops  any  day now  due to the  Wagner  uprising  .

Buntervik  revealed that  Putin  gorges   himself  many times a  day  on  caviar, truffles  ,  a drizzle  of   Malaysian  bear  bile  juice  and a  huge side   plate of   polar  bear   pickled   testicles , washed down  with 10 litres of vodka , which explains why he  looks  blotto and cross-eyed  while  raving  on  TV.  With a  bit of  luck , Putin will be starved out of  office and buried with his  weapons of mass  destruction  , according  to   the  CIA.

Thursday, June 29, 2023

GHOST FLEET HEAVY TRAFFIC

 Our Shipping Reporter   says it is surprising  how many   large  vehicle  carrier  vessels-like the above Jasa Murni -flying under the Malaysian  flag, pass  through Townsville , without  media  mention.  It  gives the  impression , he says , that  North  Queensland  has  a  huge demand  for  cars, Townsville   into V8  racing.

However, many of the  carriers  could have  further destinations  before unloading ,  In  the  case of  the  Jasa  Murni  it is now   bound for  Port  Kembla , New South Wales , which has the state's largest motor vehicle  importation  terminal . 

UP WEIPA WAY , CAPE YORK

 
Photos by  Aeronautical  Correspondent  Abra .


Tuesday, June 27, 2023

BILL DAY'S EPIC SAGA

Spontaneous special tribute by Darwin activist  Robert Wesley-Smith , phographed  below, on  the  left, with  a  friend of many years , anthropologist  Doctor Bill Day, who  has  died  in   Western  Australia . Slightly abridged with  some  additional  material . 


Bill Bartlett Day arrived in Darwin in the early l970s, a qualified teacher , possibly intending to travel further north, but noted the unsupported  condition of the  local Aboriginal (Larrakia ) population , and set  about remedying  the  situation 

It took a lot of courage due to the racism or lack and care attitudes of most of the population at that time, except in football teams.

Also, Bill was single minded, or individualistic in his endeavours.   He found some leaders or older people living at the seaside area towards Nightcliff, and helped formulate a plan to have this area declared a home for these people.  The HQ of the group centred around a little mound/hill supporting some trees, and meetings were held there.

Bill became trusted by this group, including Bobby Secretary as leader, and the land area was called  Kulaluk.I tried to be involved as a helper, as I had been visiting the Gurindji, and was a visitor to this HQ site.   (Later I brought Vincent Lingiari and others to meet with Bobby and the Larrakia elders).  Bill devised some innovative actions to focus attention on their wants and needs, and did not inform supporters in  advance.


One such early event was quite amazing for that time or any time. The group sat down across Bagot Road stopping the traffic.   Sympathetic coverage was provided by the Northern Territory  News editor, the fearless Jim Bowditch.

Another action was to gently try to meet with Princes Margaret and Lord Snowden  and hand over a  petition.  This attracted attention.  I could see this from my window in block one of the set of NT Administration buildings along Mitchell St,  I may have popped down - very briefly!


Another event was to reclaim Darwin as Larrakia land, outside the then Supreme Court. And similar claims when the group climbed onto the Fort Hill hill,  by then the iron ore  heap being  exported .   I was a peripheral on site observer.

Bill included the group that was camping at Knuckey’s Lagoon, but perhaps those Larrakia people who had jobs in the town, probably hard to contact, weren’t!

Bill set up and was editor and chief writer of a newsletter called Bunji which had about  80 issues . It occasionally aroused the ire of many locals as it stridently advocated for Larrakia rights.

Bill was married to Polly, a Kiwi lady, and they had two kids, a boy and girl.  They were living in a little Chinese temple in Manton St that conventions said should not be pulled down, and  they survived Cyclone Tracy.   

After that , Bill opened a very inexpensive travellers rest mainly for young travellers returning from overseas.   After a while Polly returned to NZ.

The government or its water/sewage supply people wanted to build a pipeline through Kulaluk, and did so without proper or any consultation with the people.   The land had wetlands which had to be traversed to get to the HQ mound.  These were mostly an asset providing food and supplies.   The water/sewage people used a bulldozer through this area making a 20 or 24 ft wide gash in order to lay a 24 inch pipeline - this was vandalism of highest order in my opinion, and destroyed the natural water swamp.

When on the plane going down to the Whitlam visit and the ‘handful of sand’ event at Daguragu (Wattie Ck) with the Gurindjis, late 1975, we flew over this destruction, and I was able to point it out to the assistant administrator, Frank Dwyer.  He expressed concern, but for all I know he authorised the action.

When  Marshall Perron was a minister or Chief Minister he handed over the rights to Kulaluk land to the residents.  The controllers were the leaders, like Bobby Secretary, I think five people, I was advocating that some sort of ‘trust' was needed.

But Bobby was already old and soon died.  Control was handed on then to his daughters and their non-Larrakia partners  ,who made life  difficult for Bill.

Bill set up a camp near the sea on sand dunes at Kulaluk, building it gradually from debris washed in from the sea, until it became a wonder to behold.  There was a wet season waterhole nearby.   (During the Dry ,water was short, and I used to drive there with jerry cans of the stuff.   Bill just tipped this into his tank, whereas I thought a drinking supply from a jerry can would have been more economic.)

Many young people found their way there to visit and swing on a rope.  Bill got a grant to hire a small truck to cart these kids to other sites for entertainment.  Tragically one kid who was reluctant to accept control, fell off the back and was killed, putting an end to this endeavour.

Bill was of course depressed by this loss.  Also the new management team of Kulaluk became hostile to him living on ’their’ land. 

 An aboriginal bloke ,Fred Fogarty,from Queensland  who had been a boxer, joined  the  community  and  became Bill’s protector.

One day Fogarty  spotted a  person intruding on the  Kulakuk  land displaying  a sign  which clearly  stated  to keep out .   Fogarty  aggressively  asked  the person , on a  bike , what he  was doing, and if he could not understand    English. Tempting fate, the  fellow  , a  visiting   Pommie, said he   was  looking  for  butterflies !!!,  with a net , and had the right to enter the land.
  
The  story goes  that   the  fellow  retreated with the  butterfly  net  jammed down  over his head by Fred ,  his  buckled  bike thrown after him. 

Another Fogarty story that has  emerged  this very day says he once turned up  at  an official   major  event on  the  Darwin Larrakia Point  military base   with a suitcase   and  threw down beads and other trinkets -shades of  the Dutch  deal  for  Manhattan  - and shouted : "You can have  your  beads  back- we  want  our land!"
 
Another dramatic   episode took place when a group of builders took no notice of the Kulaluk ownership rights, and a  promise by the Federal Minister, and built  two subdivisions on the land.   The  second group  was told to stop - this is Larrakia land- and a big sign was nailed to a tree at the entrance, but they continued with their truck.

  A delegation approached the workers, and Fred Fogarty" deposited" a bottle of petrol into the truck which burned.  Fred went to gaol, and a campaign was launched ‘Free Fred Fogarty’.   I had a sticker bravely stuck on the back and underside of my desk at work!    And  visited  him  at  Fannie  Bay prison .

When he was released, Fred built a camp close to Ludmilla Creek, where he lived with his partner.  The day after he died the so-called owners came and burnt down his house - a criminal act , I reckon.  

The managers signed an agreement to allow a prawn farm to be built on flats close to Ludmilla Creek, which Bill was sure would fail, and it did.  The detail has not been made public.   They also allowed  building  waste to be dumped on their land. It  is now a hill of some magnitude, and I think there have been court orders to have it removed, again one doesn’t know who got  what.    

Bill could see the writing on the wall, as it were, (if these vandals could write) and knew he had to leave.  He prepared to do so, invited media ,at least ABC to observe and film, and he burned his house, then left.   He went to NZ and was pretty depressed for quite a while.

He sorted himself out and went back to home base in Perth, and completed a PhD. to be a qualified anthropologist, and did quite a lot of work in northern WA.  He put together the collection of Bunji's and made them available for purchase.  He also wrote the book Bunji, he was unable to be in Darwin when it came out so I organised a book launch, along with Jack PHillips. And had Larrakia speakers to launch it.  One of the audience was H.C. (Nugget) Coombs, lovely man, and Bill was disappointed we didn’t get him to do the honours.

After a few years the publisher of Bunji the Aboriginal Institute in Canberra advised that they had maybe a couple of thousand copies just taking up space and they would be trashed.   I offered to store them in my container, and it was agreed if I paid the $500 or whatever the transport cost was to be.    Being a bit hard up I asked various politicians et al to proffer $100 towards this cost in return for a carton of books.  

 Eventually they arrived, and I set about distributing them.  Bill insisted on quite substantial numbers going to various outlets, so my stock reduced to one carton.  Bill wanted more copies, so I had to say just go to those groups and politicians and request some back.  Most of the books got sold or distributed I think, showing what would have been a loss to our history knowledge to have them destroyed.

Bill when visiting Darwin would wander through the forests at Kulaluk and do video filming, and advocate for proper management, utilising the resources of this land.    His employment diminished, he was getting older, we needed him to advance certain issues here and had to supplement his costs.   He settled into life in Perth, still researching or tidying up.   He got seriously ill, suffering from brain cancer, was given 18 months to live. When I saw him in October 21 he had been given another 18 months, and was enjoying life with family visiting ,etc. He insisted I take back some documents to  Darwin.

We heard he was not well, was confined to bed, so a third 18 months was not going to happen, and yesterday, Monday 26/6/23, he passed away.  Vale an incredible, courageous contributor to life in Darwin and  Australia.

OUR SHIPPING REPORTER RECEIVES CLIMATE ACTION REPORT VIA DARWIN

Marshall Islands, a nation at the heart of global shipping, fights for climate justice,  rejigged  extracts  from  article  by  Christiaan De Beukelaer,

The need to decarbonise shipping is urgent. Shipping is the most efficient means of cargo transport, but the sheer volume of goods – 11 billion tonnes a year  – puts its emissions on a par with countries like Germany or Japan. Shipping emissions add up to around 1 billion  tonnes a year.

In 2018, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations agency that regulates shipping, set its first sector-wide climate  target : to halve shipping emissions between 2008 and 2050.

This “initial strategy” doesn’t align with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming below 1.5℃. It does, however, require a review of the strategy every five years.

A revision is due to be adopted next month. This follows years of go-slow tactics by several large developing countries and lofty commitments by most IMO member states to “keep 1.5 alive”.

Shipping looks increasingly likely to have a target of zero emissions by 2050. Whether that’s “net zero” or “absolute zero”, and whether it counts only emissions on board or the full life cycle of emissions attributable to shipping, is still being negotiated.

Zero by 2050 sounds like a big win. It will certainly be better than the current target. But emissions must come down a lot faster for the 1.5℃ limit to remain an option.


I went sailing on a bright yellow outrigger canoe in the Marshall Islands in March. On board were Alson Kelen, above, founder of Waan Aelon in Majel  (WAM, Canoes of the Marshall Islands), and a group of youngsters taking part in a climate justice workshop.

Alson’s NGO is a hive of activity. Sailing ships, some finished and some under construction, surround an A-frame building right between the government-owned Marshall Islands Resort and the Ministry of Education on Majuro Atoll. Alson acquired the land decades ago from the country’s first president, Amata Kabua, for a symbolic dollar.

As we sailed, he told us his organisation’s work is about “empowering the young men and women of the Marshall Islands, endowing them with the skillset essential to bring them into the global society”. It’s keeping the traditions of shipbuilding and wayfaring alive, while offering fossil-fuel-free transport between the country’s islands.

As home to the world’s third largest ship registry , the Marshall Islands is a key player in global shipping, while rising seas levels threaten its low-lying islands. This puts the country in a unique position in negotiations on new shipping emission targets .

Although WAM’s yellow outriggers might not make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s cargo ships, these little vessels are a local counterpoint to the Pacific state’s climate diplomacy.

VALE BILL DAY

 Word has  just come through that longtime  activist  , anthropologist  Dr Bill Day , involved in  Aboriginal land rights and other related issues in  Darwin and  Western Australia, died on Monday  in  Maylands, WA.

 A teacher , he   was the founder and editor   in  Darwin   of  Bunji, a  newsletter  from l971-l983,  which  covered  land right  battles by the  Larrakia  for  Kulaluk, a Darwin seaside suburb ,  and other related   issues . 


The  above photograph  shows   Day  and  his  Kiwi  wife Polly  drying out their   possessions    after   Cyclone Tracy  in l974. In 1994  the Aboriginal Studies Press  published  his  book, Bunji: a story of the Gwalwa  Daraniki Movement .

On moving to  Western Australia ,  Day became  a consulting anthropologist . His website  contains an extensive   list  of  issues  and   individuals   with  whom  he   had  been   involved .

Monday, June 26, 2023

ACE PHOTOGRAPHER IN FOCUS

Soon to celebrate  his 80th birthday, photographer  Michael Jensen , above , whose  snaps  helped promote  Australia  , including Qantas , overseas , is  on  a  mission . He  is  planning  to   get  a  group of  veteran  photographers  together  to   contribute  to  a  proposed  exhibition   in   Canberra .

Jensen  was   22 when he came to  Australia   from  Denmark in 1966  with a cousin. "I  was  a  boat person, " he recalls, with  a  distinctive   laugh.  Media  assignments  he  later worked  on  included   arrival  of   Vietnamese  refugees by  boat   in  Australia .

After a short  stay  working  in  a  darkroom  in  Australia, Mike  went  back to Europe and  worked  as  a  photographer on   newspapers  .

Then  it  was  back to  Australia , engaged by  the Australian News and  Information  Bureau  . Over  the  years  he   had   two terms in  Darwin   with   the  organisation .

At one stage , intending to live permanently in Darwin , Mike , accompanied by  another   cousin,  towed  a   boat  across  Australia   from  Canberra to  the  Top  End .

A close friend   in   the  Territory was  German  wildlife ranger  Frank  Woerle ( 1931-2015) , based  at Cannon Hill ,  a  keen  photographer  of  the wildlife  and   country .  He had been a croc hunter, pearl diver  and buffalo shooter  who  rode  a  Harley  Davidson  motorbike  to  the  Territory .

Woerle wrote several books and his photos were used in posters and prints . In  l987  Colin Thiele wrote his autobiography, Ranger's Territory: The story of  Frank   Woerle.

Still in a  jovial frame of mind ,  Jensen points  out  he has a large number of  photographs  he  took  of  the Darwin rocksitters club ,  a  group of  diverse   locals  , including politicians  ,  who  sat  on rocks at East  Point  at  sunset  and  drank  as  the sun  sank into  the sea .  The rocksitters  of   Darwin  raised  much  interest  overseas , New Zealand included .

One sitter , another   renowned  photographer , Barry Ledwidge , addicted to Vegemite, a friend of Mike's, still  in Darwin , has a  large Cyclone Tracy  collection . Bazza  Ledwidge  became  internationally famous  for  leading  the  rocksitters ice hockey team , which had  no ice on which to  play,  and challenged leading overseas  teams to  come to  Darwin  and play the    zany daring  locals. 

 During  Mike's  time in the Top End   he  travelled far and   wide ,  taking  spectacular and unusual   photographs  for   feature  articles written   by  journalists  to   promote   Australia   overseas .The writer of this post  used  to  rescue  and  save  discarded  photos   from   Jensen's   wastepaper  basket.   

MIke   became  the  ANIS chief photographer in   Canberra  , where  he   lives.  

Right  now  he plans to  go   through  his   photographic  collection  and put it into order  with  the help of another   photographer  friend,  Barry Le Levre  , who   also  spent  time in Darwin ,and   is a  Canberra resident . 

FLYING HIGH IN NORTH QUEENSLAND

 


Series  by  Aeronautical Correspondent, Abra .

Sunday, June 25, 2023

WORLD SCOOP : FEARFUL PUTIN DOUBLES SHOOT THROUGH FROM CHAOTIC RUSSIA

 A clear indication that  Vladimir  Putin's   days   are numbered is the fact that  his  two  doubles  have   gone into hiding  - not  wanting to   act on  his  behalf , fearful  they  will  be   rubbed  out . 

One  double  is already  known to have  fled  Moscow   and  has flown to   Australia  under the  assumed  odd  bogus  name , Bob  Menzies Popovich. 

As  such, he hopes to  get  a  job with  the  red-faced  Country  Liberal   Coalition  as  a  spreader of Russian type  misinformation  in  elections ,such  as the Voice  referendum,  and  on  Sky   television . According to  ASIO, the   KGB   regards  the   Coalition  as  the  Nyet   Party .   In  Russian, nyet means no , which  is spot on when it  comes  to  the   negative  Coalition .  

Another  fearful  Putin  double  has undergone  extensive Hollywoood plastic surgery and  is tipped to be a  stand  in for an  Aussie  Senator   who  gyrates  like a  Siberian  rap  dancer  at  media  conferences  held  behind  whiteboards , and  is   obviously  in  need  of  long  rests. 

A touched  up  Putin  double would seem  to  be  just  what the  doctor  ordered .  

 Meanwhile  , another deranged Czar, Ivan  the Terrible , Donald  Trump, has  let it be known that he would cheerfully employ a  Putin  look-alike in his  campaign  to   become  the  next   president .  

CITY TO THE SEA

Townsville  with  Magnetic  Island  in  background . Abra .
 

Saturday, June 24, 2023

ASIO MOLE IN RUSSIAN EMBASSY REVEALS PUTIN FUNK BUNKER NETWORK

 CANBERRA :  Award winning   political reporter Argus  Tuft  today  broke the startling news   that   ASIO  has long had a  mole  deep inside   the Russian embassy . Code-named   Fred  , he  has  revealed  why  the Russians   are  refusing to   move from  the proposed new   embassy site    next  to  parliament   house .

According to  " Fred ", who also  goes under  the Barbie Doll name , "Ken ", the    proposed  new  embassy is  part of  global  Operation  Save  the  Mad  Czar of Moscow ,  which  will  provide    padded  bolt  hole   funk  bunkers   for  Vladimir  Putin when  he  is on  the  run during  the next  Russian  revolution , like  the   current  one  involving  the  Wagner group, which could see  him strung up  like   Mussolini .

Tuft claims the  planned  Canberra   bunker  is similar to the Berlin one  in which   Hitler and  Eva Braun   came  to  an  end . In Putin's case , it will contain a   blow  up  Olga  from the  Volga  doll  as  no  sane  woman  would keep company with  him . 

  

SACRED HOUSE MYSTERY REVIVED

A year  after  the death  of  Timorese  resident   Antonio  Maia , a special memorial  service has  been  held for him   in  the  Holy  Family  Catholic Church  , Karama,  Darwin.   He  is pictured above, right , in 1997, a Free East Timor button  on his turned up hat ,   joking with  John " Paddy" Kenneally , an  Irish  Australian   commando who  had  fought   the  Japanese  in what was  then   Portuguese Timor . 

 A  young boy at the time of the  Japanese invasion , Antonio helped  some   Australians , and  was shot while doing  so , a bullet  still in his body  the day  he  died , in  his  90s .  

He and his wife  went to Tokyo and detailed  atrocities  carried out in  Portuguese Timor .   

At this week's  church service was   Darwin agronomist ,  Robert Wesley-Smith , involved in the  Timor struggle for  freedom  since l975, who  delivered  the   eulogy at   Maia's   funeral  a  year  ago .

Following  the  service ,  Wesley-Smith  told this blog   how  Antonio    helped  build   a   Timorese  Uma Lulik - a sacred house-   on  Wesley-Smith's  rural  property, which  was  displayed  locally and then shipped south  in a  container  and   put  on show  in  Canberra and  Sydney . He supplied  the following  photo  of  Antonio holding a   sacred  house  carving  .


After going on display at the  Sydney  Power House , the  sacred house was  packed back inside a container   and   placed in a council storage area , then disappeared . It  was  supposedly  destroyed  by   a  fire , but Wes was never happy   about  the  explanation  of  its   disappearance. 

He  wondered if  someone  took a fancy to it  , especially the carvings, and  spirited  it  away .  

The artwork of  Timorese , many of them Darwin residents , including  the building of  the   sacred  house , was  showcased in a  publication   launched  by  the Northern Territory  Centre  for  Contemporary Art, which involved  The Cross Art  Project, Sydney .

  According to Wesley-Smith,   Darwin's   Timorese   community  is  a well  organised  and active   one . He also said  arrangements have been made  for   the  Darwin  screening of the   film ,  Circle of  Silence , based on  Shirley Shackleton's  Walkley Award winning book about   the  murder of  the    Balibo Five,  at  the  deckchair theatre,  in  August

 

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

SHOCK , HORROR MARITIME WARNING : MYSTERIOUS USO SIGHTED

 

Our  alert  Shipping  Reporter   discovered the   above  unidentified submerged  object ,on the left , bobbing up against   Nelly's  groyne  on  Magnetic  Island .  The groyne, consisting of  a pile of   sand  filled  bags extending out into the sea,  was constructed  to  prevent  erosion of the beach  and  build up of  sand  under the breakwater bridge  at  the Nelly Bay Harbour..

Our waterfront  roundsman   says  the  USO  could  actually be   part  of   the groyne which has  come adrift . As such ,  it  could  endanger   yachts , wind  surfers , Townsville's  ghost  fleet  and  visiting  nude  Tasmanian  swimmers. 

On the other hand , it could be remains of  a flying saucer , a UFO,  which melted due to the colossal  heat caused  on  entry  into the  earth's atmosphere.

He  even  suggested the USO could be  a  Chinese  spying   device  which has drifted  down  here  from one of the sand- made  South China Sea  military bases !

The Shipping Reporter went  on to say   he thought   Nelly's groyne   looks repulsive   at low tide   due  to  dried , cracked  mud  on the bags  , some of which seem  part  empty . He provided the following  pix to  back up his disparaging  remarks about the state of the groyne , adding that  Nelly should  be  rubbed  down  with  stiff  brushes.


Parts of  the groyne said to be leprous looking .

     

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

LAST DRINKS ON ISLAND

 Temptation  is  on the decline   on  Magnetic  Island  .  Smugglers wine  bar  ceased  trading this very day   and   poker  machines   have been    withdrawn  from   at  least  one  hotel , with talk of more  to  go  from  another. 

Seems  Smugglers , which offered music and a  drop  of   poetry , and a pop up eatery at  the rear of the block ,  has been  bought  by  Magnetic Adventure and  Hire ,known as Fish and Fuel,  of  Mandalay Avenue , who  intend running  its   car hire  business  from  the  site.

WORLD WHISTLEBLOWERS DAY , JUNE 23

 Rally  outside  Adelaide  Parliament  House    

Release  says this powerful gathering will recognise the importance of whistleblower protection, honor the fearless individuals who have exposed wrongdoing, and shed light on our government's response, or lack of . 

Speakers on the day are fearless Whistleblower David McBride, Julian Assange's father John Shipton, Transparency Crusader and former senator Rex Patrick and journalist and SA Legislative Council member Frank Pangallo. The Stay Human Project will provide the tunes and Juan Garrido Salgado will do a poetry  reading .

On  ABC's  Late Night Live  recharged  presenter  Phillip Adams  said he plans to  replay  interview with Pentagon Papers  whistleblower   Daniel  Ellsberg      in which Julian Assange, who once lived on Magnetic Island with his mother,  is mentioned . 

No indication  at  this stage  that   Townsville  media will  mark  WWD  with  special  coverage   involving  Magnetic Island  supporters  of   Assange .

Darwin activist Robert  Wesley-Smith   has been drawing attention to  YouTube item -  Why  Biden  Wants  Assange  in Jail :  Case at the TIpping Point..

Monday, June 19, 2023

AUSTRALIA'S MOST BIZARRE AIR RESCUE RESUMED IN NORTHERN TERRITORY


Broken , exposed  to  water , this  worn  ,  1979  ex  libris   book  was recued    by   one   of  our  Darwin  pickers from the swap  table  at  a  politician's  office 

It is  about  the  dramatic  1932   event in  which  the German  seaplane Atlantis   was  forced  down in the  remote  north-west  Kimberley of  Western Australia   and  two  men  endured  33  days  before  they were   found.

Of  particular Northern Territory  interest is the fact that  a  member of the police search party  was  bushman   Tom  Ronan who became an  author  and  Territory  politician . He  is  buried    along with  his  wife  at Springvale homestead ,  near  Katherine , bought in 1949.  Despite Springvale's well  found  to be  radioactive , they  had  10 children 

While residing  at  Springvale he wrote four  novels , his father's biography, Deep of the Sky , and two volumes of an autobiography, Packhorse and Pearling Boat and Once There was a Swagman

Ronan  won  a  Commonwealth Jubilee  Literary  Competition in l951 with his  novel  Vision Splendid . His wife, Moya , who had written for radio,  helped edit   Tom's books , said to have provided "the most authentic and probably  liveliest  writing about life in the North-West  river country  ."

Tom left school at 14 , went droving  with his father . From 1942 he spent four years as  a ship's clerk and pearlshell opener  at  Broome . Later he helped his father and Mat Wilson run the Victoria River depot on Koonbook Station. 

Sunday, June 18, 2023

NAVAL ENCOUNTER ON RELENTLESS GHOST FLEET , MUTILATED MERMAID PATROL

 Action  scene  on  Townsville  waterfront  captured  by our drifting   Shipping  Reporter   while  checking  flotilla  of  vessels   which  come   and  go  with  almost  no  media  coverage , as is the case with the  poor, mistreated   Magnetic  Island  mermaid . 
No  way  to  treat  a  sea-going  (vessel)  lady . 

Saturday, June 17, 2023

BUTTERFLY COLD CASE

 
Forensic  examination,  from  top  and  underneath, by  Vallis .

KOMBI VAN TREASURE

Following  the   recent  post dealing with  a rude   monkey in a Volkswagen  Kombi , an astute Darwin picker alerted  this blog  to the fact that the above   miniature   collectable , known  as " Kombi  Bomber " could  be worth  as much as  $170,000!!!   

He  stressed it  must have the surfboards sticking out the  back to  collect the fortune . 

Upon receipt of this startling  information, the entire Little Darwin   team rushed off  to the nearest  op shop and ransacked  the  kiddies  toy section   in the hope of  striking  it  rich , alas,  without  success , back playing with their Tonkas .    

SNARK HUNTING RESUMES

Thanks to  climate change,  there have been  sightings  of snarks -long thought  to  be  extinct - in  the  Coral  Sea  .

Several  have  reportedly  been   seen  splashing about off   Magnetic Island . As a   result ,Snark  Hunting , made popular by  that  weirdo   Lewis  Carroll ,  has  been  revived  , an  ancient  painting  of  snark  chasing shown  below.

Just  this  week a  snark expedition vessel  was   photographed  below  by our Shipping Reporter  in the Townsville Duck Pond . It shows an  alert  crewmember perched  on  the  bow   ready  to   jump  in  and capture   one  of  the   creatures  and  then  place it on public display  in the  city's Victory  in  the   Pacific  Fountain , which  often  runs dry , not far from  the  railway   station looking  glass  clock  permanently  stuck  on  11, baffling rabbits and  tourists .

A  Picnic Bay Jetty  fisherman renowned for  telling   wild  yarns,  today said  the  Magnetic Island  surrounding waters  used to contain  more   snarks than  plastic  shopping   bags. These  were  the boojum variety  of  snark , said to resemble   a cross between  hairy  lawyers and  penguins,    which  like   islands  filled  with  chasms  and  crags  and  no  underwater  art  with which to  become  entangled .    

CLEVELAND BAY TAPESTRY BY ABRA

Taken from Nelly Bay, Magnetic Island .
 

Friday, June 16, 2023

BLOWHARD GALAHS WITH TRUMPETS

Queen of  the  Jungle's  heralds .


Thursday, June 15, 2023

NAUGHTY MONKEY GOES BANANAS IN QUEENSLAND HOTHOUSE

Warning to sensitive  readers and maiden aunts  - this  post  contains  material   which   may   shock.  

The goings on  in  VW Kombi  vans    during the  l960s and  l970s  ,especially  in the  hippie era , would  fill   an   Enclopaedia Britannica . 

Little   Darwin  was  recently  given the  rare privilege  of a flashback trip   inside  a  l975  counter-culture  Kombi   taken out of   storage, in   the  process  upsetting  a  resident   possum  or  three . 

Bearing   a   Victorian   numberplate ,  some   interior  items  ,  dangling   from  the   rear  vision mirror , immediately  grabbed attention ,


One -warning, warning , warning - is  a  swinging,   well  hung  monkey   in a vital part of  its  anatomy ,see   below , the naughty  bits  resized and  severely    cropped .

It seems its private part , avert your gaze  again , has a  special gadget  inserted which is influenced  by heat -like mercury in a thermometer -so  if  the monkey  was locked up inside  the Kombi  during a  frequent  Melbourne heatwave ( pathetic joke) the  member  rose , no  doubt stopping  traffic and  startling  passers by . Dare it be mentioned the  van is pea green  in colour?

Also   attached   to the mirror  is a  miniature  leather  boxing glove   and  a carboard    Kombi  van  cut  out . It is a wholesome rear  view of the  monkey ,which is  probably suffering from prickly heat due to  having been locked away  in a  hot garage for  years . 

1967 Hippie Kombi van , from  Wikipedia ,with rude artwork and a welcoming  mermaid which could have been  related  to  the mistreated one on Magnetic Island , perhaps her grandmother  ?