A small Buddhi statue which sat for years under trees on Magnetic Island has disappeared. Sensing another offbeat story, Little Darwin went on a pilgrimage , looking for Buddha on an overgrown block once known as the Pope's Land , because it had been bequested to the Catholic Church .
This land, at Nelly Bay, recently changed hands , and the new owners gave notice that it is going to be made into a nature reserve. Letters were sent out to owners of adjoining properties asking them to remove cars, boats , gates and extended boundary fences .
One item removed was Buddha , whose owner said he had placed the holy man over his dog's grave . "The dog was Catholic-," the sad canine owner explained , added -" so I buried him in the Pope'e Land. " A sound suspiciously like a hearty chuckle was detected after this statement .
Buddha is now locked away in a shed . Not far from the grave site is a large mango tree . Apparently Buddha was not keen on Queensland mangoes , preferring the Bodhi for enlightenment and sit ins .
