CAPE YORK FLIGHT

 

 

RED , PINK DAY DAWNING OVER MAGNETIC ISLAND IN CORAL SEA







NED KELLY IN BRITISH ELECTION REPLAY OF GLENROWAN SIEGE

Prime Minister  dances  with   wild  colonial  boyo !!!

Audacious Australian bushranger Ned Kelly, the figure in black wearing  a suit of Whyalla  armour and ridiculous stovepipe  helmet ,  grabbed centre stage  at the declaration  of  the  vote for the seat of  Maidenhead, Berkshire , retained  by  British PM  Theresa May , who accidently shot herself  in  the  foot with  a Nasty Party  blunderbuss  during  the overall  count .  During the  siege , naughty Ned  forced   the PM and  her  close associates  to dance the latest   Irish jig,   the  Brexit Twist, with   him ,  see  below . 

     

AUSTRALIAN CHALLENGE TO JAPANESE IKEBANA FLORAL ART

 

In Queensland  dry tropics  , fungous clusters with   blossom , weeds  and  pebbles   ,  by  Vallis.

ADANI GASSED UP PARADE : QUEENSLAND INFLICTED WITH PAINFUL COAL-ITIS

During his effusive Townsville speech   welcoming the announcement  by  Adani  that it intends to  go  ahead  with  its  Carmichael mine ,   former  chief  of  staff    to Babbling Barnaby Joyce  ,  ABC   badmouther,  Greens  basher   and  Minister for  Resources and   Northern Australia ,  Senator   Matt   Canavan  , assured  the  gathering that they were   safe   from  protesters  outside , thanks to the police (giggle , giggle  ) , and  said  this wonderful  event  was  taking  place  on  the  158th  anniversary of  Queen Victoria  signing  letters patent  for the separate  colony  of  Queensland  from  New South Wales. A most unfortunate  allusion   in  the  circumstances .

ET  pee(p)ing out  of   crashed  saucer on  dry  planet .

A short  distance  away , at the   Anzac Memorial   Park, the  fountain erected  in Townsville to mark the centenary  of  Queensland breaking   away from   New South Wales   was  not playing  and almost   bone  dry , in this unexplained state    for many months . It is not  due to  water restrictions , pipe  relaying , but a  deep , embarrassing  personal  problem with its   waterworks, like   painful  colitis. Naturally, the  local media  has not  picked up this story, which involves first noticing  the  fountain  is  not  working  and  then  asking  why .

Although the  water  supply has  been turned  off  , it  is  still incontinent  , leaking  small amounts of  fluid.  So  why   hasn't   an expert been called in to remedy this  problem ? Townsville City Council   short of money?  Nobody capable of  doing the job in the  city ?  Waiting for a second  opinion from a urologist  ?     

  

When Little   Darwin  did  an X-ray examination of the fountain  , the      main cistern  was   dry , but  there  was  a  shallow circling  pool   in  the lower  intestine  and  floating  in  it  were three  empty gas  lighter  refills , two pictured . Gas  sniffing  in   the memorial    fountain ?  It could  explain  the numerous  questionable  statements   about the "bonanza " said  to  flow from  the  Adani  coalmine .    

MURDOCH   MEDIA  TREATMENT

The  Townsville Bulletin , of course, gave   the announcement   front page favourable  treatment and  also highlighted  the paper's  "cheeky " bumper sticker campaign   against    coal mining "naysayers" : Don't take my coal job and I won't  take   your  soy latte "...  which included   Senator's Canavan  and  Ian Macdonald  photographed  displaying  a  handful  of  stickers, very classy .   The editorial, however, instead of  going into an orgasm of  delight , strangely ,  was  headed: This could  be  the  spark (hopefully not near full  cans  of  lighter  gas in  the  fountain  ) we've  all  waited for .

 

The Brisbane  Courier Mail  gave more coverage to  the  mayor of Ipswich being   found   by  Australian  Commonwealth Police  with  $50,000  in a bag  at Melbourne Airport  than   the Adani announcement which is supposedly going to benefit not only Queensland , but the  whole of Australia , boost  trade and investment between Australia and  India ,  help  bring light  to millions in  the sub continent , etc. Its editorial  , while getting  into "green activists " , still acknowledged  that  while Adani has given itself  the "green light " to go ahead - that's all - it still  has to raise  $3.3billion    for the scaled back  first stage , which  it stated  would  "be no mean   feat."
 

Was the paper referring  to the fact  that 19 banks   have refused to finance Adani ? if  so, it   should  surely  have said  so .   Over latte, this writer  perused  the Murdoch  flagship, The Australian   on Wednesday  but  nowhere was   there   mention  of   Adani , which  is  hard  to  fathom . 

 

  RAIN   DAMPENS    RAJA'S  PARADE, LITTLE TOOT  

 

 During all the  cork popping , backslapping  , gladhanding and  extravagant claims in Townsville on  the  day ,   Channel 7 evening  local  news  reported  that  an online poll it  carried out  resulted  in  a  majority of   people in Townsville  against  Adani .  There appears to be  a large ceremonial  elephant  in  the  room  which  the  cheer  squad  have  not  noticed , or don't  want to , and  could be trampled underfoot . The  Bulletin , of   course,  did  not  mention   this  poll .  >>>> Correction : The Bulletin did briefly mention  the  television poll , not  by name ,  but in doing so  also  revealed  Adani  Australia projects director Peter  Thomas ,  who questioned the   vote ,    kept a close watch on  protesters  . Those  protesters, he  said,   held up signs asking motorists   to "toot " if they were against Adani  . He  claimed to  have counted  100 cars and only 11  toots-" so  89 per cent   of  Townsville is in favour of  the  project"... a well  based, scientific  assessment  which  shines  through  the  Adani  proposal .  

QUESTION:  Did anybody in the media pack in   Townsville ask  Adani the obvious question : how it is going  to  pay  for  the  project?  If  so , what  was the reply ? Please explain . 

THREAT TO TOP END MONET

 
Artistic  agronomist Robert Wesley-Smith of  Darwin  has had many brushes  with  danger  over the years  and  now   tempts   fate-crocodiles- by   wading  into  the  receding  waters of  the  lagoon on  his  property  at Howard Springs   to  take photographs of   waterlilies , the   latest above . He has  become somewhat obsessed with   the  flowers  since  Little Darwin  ran  a close up  photograph  he took of  one ,  which    resulted  in  him  receiving   messages of  praise  from around  the world ,  even   asking  if  he is  related to  Monet , the famous lily waver. From a distance , on his new ride on  mower, wearing safety monocles ,  he could easily be mistaken  for  another  great French  artist ,  Toulouse- Lautrec .     

A TRULY GREAT TERRITORIAN



With a prodigious knowledge  of  the  Northern Territory's early  history , its public service  over  more  than   half  a  century ,  full of   fabulous anecdotes  ,  a relentless researcher  ,  Vern  O'Brien  is  a  true North Australian  treasure . Now  he  lies  enfeebled  in  palliative  care  in  Darwin .  

 

Vern  is on the extreme  right  of this photograph  at  the  unveiling of a  cemetery plaque  at  Stapleton  , south of Darwin ,  with information  about  people buried   there , the research for it  carried  out by  him .  Closely involved with the Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory (GSNT), where he was  its  researcher   and cemetery coordinator  , he  was  a  regular  face there in his so called retirement  and  when  prevented   from driving  there   because  of his  health ,  caught  the  bus .


Many of his research  books , which  survived   Cyclone Tracy , are  in the   GSNT   library where  Ms June Tomlinson , in the above photograph,  is  the secretary .   

One  of  four young  surveyors, he  came to the Territory and worked in  the  Lands  Department. His contribution to the Territory in so many areas  has been  massive ; his wife Jacqueline  has  been  deeply  involved in  researching  and  gathering artefacts  for the Darwin Nursing Museum  ,  Charles Darwin University .

In 1949,  when Vern  was on leave    from the Territory  with another  longtime Darwin identity , Creed Lovegrove,  the two  described in recent years  as  Territory  elder statesmen , attended  a  performance  of    Sumner Locke Elliott's play , Rusty Bugles ,  based on the playwright's experiences  in  the  Northern Territory  Army   camp    at  Mataranka , which was  censored  in New South Wales because of  the "bad"   language .  

Vern commented the language did not seem  unusual for the Northern Territory .   He and  Creed  also  went  ice skating  in Melbourne and there is supposed  to be  a  photograph of  that event somewhere  in  Darwin . 

During the  war  Communist  author Frank Hardy   also served  at Mataranka  where he contributed to  the subversive   Troppo Tribune with  wild yarns  and jokes  .   Sumner Locke Elliott  went to America after the war and  was  successful  in  television drama  production ; he came back to  Australia  , with an American accent , when his autobiographical  book , Water Under the (Sydney Harbour )  Bridge , was made into  a television series . 

 Melbourne journalist  Kim Lockwood, who spent time in the Territory , today described   Vern  O'Brien  as a  walking  encyclopedia   who  had provided him with  helpful   information .