MAGNETIC ISLAND SNIPPETS : HUNGRY BIRDLIFE , HERMIT TROVE

Due to the dry conditions on Magnetic  Island, seen in the distance from Townsville  , there is  very  little food  available  for  the island's  birdlife .  And  whenever the  Queen of the Jungle  ventures  outside  to feed  " her  birds " it   is  like   a scene  from  Alfred   Hitchcock's  natural  horror movie ,  The  Birds .

Flocks of   noisy  Cockatoos  are   on  the  hunt  for tucker   as  are  Lorikeets and   Curlews.  A few  Torres  Strait  Pigeons have  also   flown  in from  way up  north. 

OYSTER  FARMING  PIONEER  

The Magnetic Museum is collating   a great  collection of  material, including many letters and  cuttings , about  the  late  island resident  , Keith Bryson  ,  described  as a hermit  who lived in a shack at White Lady Bay , got  about in his  underwear , and  scared  off  strangers with a wooden shotgun .

From Sydney , where he was involved in the fishing industry, he  became  secretary of the Townsville branch of the Queensland Commercial Fishermen's  Association .

For more than 20 years he conducted oyster  farming   experiments  on  Magnetic Island  and  also nearby Palm Island .  A   l977  journal  article  he wrote  about  tropical   oyster  farming   mentioned    the   Northern   Territory  where a  government  trial  had  been  cut  short  by  Cyclone Tracy in  l974. 

Bryson also campaigned strongly to protect the Great Barrier Reef.