A SUNBURNT, BUZZING COUNTRY

Darwin  burn off .

Louie the  Fly  and  friends on  Queensland  picnic .

QUEEN CITY OF NORTH QUEENSLAND TURNS BRITISH

Special event  to be held  Cathedral School ,Townsville , early next month .

HOLY CALIGULA ! TRUMP APPOINTS GALLOPING AUSTRALIAN ENVOY

WASHINGTON : After an  early morning gallop , President  Donald Trump  has tweeted he will   appoint  a  Shetland pony  from  Kentucky to  the   vacant post of  US Ambassador to   Australia .  The prancing  plenipotentiary  will be tethered on the  lawn rooftop of parliament  house  in  Canberra and  provide  pony rides for children at weekends . The  nag is  expected to arrive in Australia  in time for the  Melbourne Cup .

 Named  Beetle Bomb,  the ambassador ,shown here in an exclusive Sydney Morning Herald photograph,  has a  striking resemblance to  the president, especially  when  viewed  from  the   tail end .  National  Party  members  who  horse about  in haystacks and sport  pieces of  straw tucked  behind  their  cauliflower ears ,   have   welcomed   the  appointment .

 

Readers of  this  blog  will recall that  the former American  Australian  Ambassador  Designate, Admiral Harry Harris, who  with this blog used his  influence to temporarily  clean up the shamefully neglected war memorials in Townsville , was  scratched   at   the  starting  gate ,   called  home  to  the unstable stables to   help  Donald Trump  geld the  lumbering   brumby ,  Kim  Jong-un .    

TOWNSVILLE GHOST FLEET: LATEST BULLETIN INCLUDES CARGO CULT

Our S(h)ipping  Reporter, the only one  north  of  Kangaroo Island , discovers an unusual   visitor  from  Papua  New  Guinea  and  Harry  Belafonte's yacht .

Into  the sleepy media  port of  Townsville, without being noticed by any  local scribes ,   came   the   above 58metre long, 1995  built    landing  craft , MV  Giluwe , from  Port Moresby , named after the second highest  mountain  in Papua  New Guinea ,4367 metres , 14,327 feet. 

  Last year it was announced  PNG  cargo vessels   had stopped  running to  Townsville. Is this  vessel  an  indication of  renewed  PNG interest in Townsville, a   sign  of a  pick  up   in the economy ?  It is interesting to note that  the  cargo vessel  was  pictured    loading large  dump truck bodies  in Gladstone  some years ago . In Townsville , from a distance,  it  seemed to be loading  large vehicles... for a mine?   Here is  a  news tip for local reporters : could be  a  story  here. 

 

Harry Belafonte's  Banana Boat  Song , Day-O!,  came   to mind  when  the all seeing  S(h)ipping Reporter  spotted  the  nearby  yacht , Banana  Wind . If you are intent on fleeing a  media  Banana Republic , it is desirable to have such a  wind  behind  you .

 

MEDIA  CARGO  CULT  LATEST : The Townsville Bulletin  recently ran a  report   about US Marines  coming  to  town ,  saying they were   expected to inject big bucks  into the  city . This blog reported some months ago that the similar North Queensland  cargo cult  mentality was  reflected   in the Cairns  Post   in respect  of the visit of a  US naval vessel , resulting in a  reader  saying why not just welcome our American Allies  , instead  of  wanting to  empty their  wallets .  

TROPICAL STORM CLOUDS

Cairns . Abra photographs .

CHINESE PLOTTING AUSTRALIAN ISLAND TAKEOVER ?

Mysterious writing near the former main jetty  serving  Magnetic Island  has  given  rise to the suspicion  that  China  is  planning to turn  the  tourist spot into a naval  base like Vanuatu. According to  an anonymous Border Watch spokesman , the inscription   is  a secret Chinese  code spelling  out the message : Foo and  friends were  here , and  will be back  with chopsticks when  the  pubs open  !

"Foo  definitely  was  here," the stern eyed  Border Watcher, wearing  sunglasses , added . This  indicated Magnetic Island , off  Townsville , was about to be developed  like the  sand islands in the  South China Sea   into  a   Chinese  fortress .  He pointed out that fake currency  had recently been found in Townsville on which was  Chinese writing .

 

The growing interference of China and  Russia  in the South Pacific, he continued , was  most concerning . In the case of the evil  Russians, they  had been slipping growing amounts of  the clumsy drug into  water coolers  in the Townsville City Council  and  Coalition  funk  bunkers  in  Canberra   , Sydney  and  Brisbane ,  causing  them  to   continuously  make  stupid  decisions .   

 Meanwhile , down at Horseshoe  Bay , naturally  not reported by the Townsville media,  gangs  posing as  Townsville City Council workers   are  moving  sand  about   just  like  the  Chinese  are doing  on  numerous  sandspits   in  the South  China  Sea , enabling   landing craft  to rush in huge  supplies of  cheap  springrolls  to  capture the  island  tucker market for Chinese interests  from  restaurants  backed  by  French, Italian  and other superpowers.   

THE ART DETECTIVE

A  further insight  into  the wide, wide  world of  Australian  art  researcher  , the  late Margaret  Vine , seen here in  1970  with artist Sir Russell Drysdale , at the Johnstone Gallery , Brisbane .

During the last months of  life  Margaret Vine  occasionally gave  me  snippets of  information about her  wide ranging  research  which   included  combing through old  newspaper  files in a  Brisbane warehouse wearing  a  loose   shirt  belonging to her husband like a  cape   to  protect her  clothing from  dust  and dirt ;  delving into  police files  in  Melbourne ; searching the fascinating Mitchell Library , Sydney; spending  many hours  in   the  National Library of Australia, Canberra  ;  perusing numerous publications   dealing with art and literature , such as  the  Melbourne Age  Monthly Review, The Australian Magazine  , especially of  the  l970s and l980s , each  edition of  the  latter  containing  an arts calendar , all  closely examined , entries of  interest   marked  with   biro. 

 

By Peter  Simon

 

 While helping  her   sort  out  her   book  collection  from  boxes  which  had not been  opened  since  l998,  when  she  moved to Magnetic Island ,  she pointed out   various  runs  of  Australian art magazines,  Queensland  Heritage   produced by  the Library Board of  Queensland , a publication of the  John Oxley  Library, Brisbane , other  sources of  information .

Research  note  pads and  her  editing  style  manual.

Following  her  death , a  small box containing   further  miscellaneous   evidence of  her  extensive research surfaced. It included    two bundles of notes  held  together by  spring  clips covering  early  Magnetic Island , Townsville, Palm Island   and   other  parts of  North  Queensland   ;  many single sheets  on  which she had  written  notes, titles of   books, peoples names , telephone numbers, dates  ; business cards  of   contacts at  James Cook University, Townsville, and  the State Library of  Queensland; a 1996  request from  Kay Truelove of the Art Gallery of  NSW Library seeking copies of  items in  the  Johnstone  Gallery  scrapbooks (Margaret  having been closely associated with the  Brisbane  gallery owners  )  ; a bundle of genealogical information  about  the  Vine family in 19th century  Victoria, connected with  the railways ; a photocopy  of  an early Arthur Streeton exhibition at  which  Dame Nellie Melba  was  unable  to attend,   one of his paintings selling for  four figures, which set  the gathering "agog"  ; a  1993  flyer  for a public lecture at  the National Library of Australia  by  Patricia Clarke  about   Rosa Praed  who   as   Tasma   in the 19^th century was a renowned  novelists , lecturer and  foreign   correspondent  and as Rosa Praed  (l851-1935)  a prolific novelist ; a  1994  pamphlet   for the 1994  National Gallery   conference  On The Line: Rehanging  Australian Art ; requests for early 20^th century   Lloyds Shipping Registers ; a  highlighted  listing for  the  1907  exhibition of  the   first  Australian exhibition of  women’s artwork  in Melbourne ; Annual Army Lists 1856  to  1858

 

There   is  a page from the July  1, l951  Australian Home  Beautiful highlighting The Cake of the  Somerset Bride and other dishes for  winter days in the above  items in the box  . This could have been due to the fact that she had   been  very interested  in  cooking  and   favoured  her mother’s Christmas  cake  recipe .

A 1996  typed  internal notice  from  the National Gallery of Australia  ,  related to   the May 2001 celebrations / exhibitions  to   mark  the  centenary of  Federation  , clearly  illustrates the importance of  Margaret Vine’s   research . A  planning committee  had   already been  set up in Parliament  House. The notice  detailed  six areas  of    art  that would be  displayed , including   some  from  the National Gallery  of Victoria  . The exhibitions  would  be organised  independently , using  each  others  collections  as  appropriate , and "the  research material  gathered  by  Margaret Vine"  at  the  National Gallery  would  be   accessible  to  everyone . 

 Another indication of  her   in depth research is revealed  in a slim 1993  volume  produced by her for  the National Gallery of  Australia  entitled Chronological Assessment of Australian holdings of  British Australasian (London) or Australia and New Zealand Weekly , and other  changes of title , published from the 1880s through to 1960s. On  the  title page she is described as  Australian Art  Researcher.

 As  no library apparently  had  complete holdings  , it  gives the impression she may have  inspected all the copies of  the publications  held   in   major  state  libraries, Canberra  and  the  University of  Queensland ,  detailing  condition  and  contents    (brittle, damaged , badly  bound , missing editions ,  cut outs , some trimmed pages  , mould,  shipping lists missing , suitable for  filming , etc  .)

Further evidence  of  her prodigious  research work  is attested to in the  1977 tome  Documents on Australian Australian International Affairs  1901-1918, edited by Gordon Greenwood and Charles Grimshaw, Nelson, 779pp, illustrated ,   endpaper maps .  The  title  page  states  the   editors were assisted by  Margaret Willis , her   then married name . In  the  preface, Grimshaw  ,  Reader in  History  at Queensland University, penned   this  tribute: "The dedication, conscientiousness and enthusiasm of Mrs  Margaret Willis, my  research assistant ,  have  contributed  greatly to the completion of this work . I  am  most   appreciative of  her   unflagging  attention to detail. " 

In connection with this book, of which she had  multiple copies , Margaret told me she had  arranged for her maiden   name , Margaret Vine ,  to be printed on  a single title  page copy . She went into a room, came  back with a  small plastic   wallet ,  took  out   a  folded  page ,  brandished  it ,  declaring it was the title page  in  her maiden name .  When I  pointed out it  showed    Margaret Willis, she  peered closely at it , became annoyed , threw it up in the air , and  said  she  wondered  what  had   happened  to   her specially printed one .

 In   her collection was  the  1960 reprint of Australia A Social and Political History,  edited by  Greenwood , at the time   Professor of History  and Political Science in the University of Queensland . Bearing her   married  name   penned  on  the  title page,  the text had  been  extensively  underlined,  ticked,  margin  notes  added  by  Margaret .

 Margaret’s  big  picture  view of  the nation, indeed the world , was nourished  during  school years in Queensland , awarded  a number of book  prizes  at  the Nambour  High and Intermediate School , which included one  dealing  with  Greek and Roman  myths and legends;  in  1954, dux of   form V1, awarded  True Patriots All   Or News  from Early Australia as  told in  a Collection  of  Broadsides , garnered and   decorated  by Geoffrey C. Ingleton , the frontispiece of  which  was  the circa 1828  painted   board devised by  Governor Arthur  explaining  to  Aborigines of  Van Diemen's Land  the hope both sides  could live in peace   and  what would  happen if  a member of  either side  killed one of   the  other ....hanging .     

Also in  her collection  was  a special presentation copy  to her  from  the   National  Library  of  the   book ,    Heraldry in  the  National  Library of   Australia .Architecture  was  another  area of  intense  interest,  evidenced by an  extensive run of  the  Australian architecture  journals   in  several boxes.  Out of another box  came a  copy of The Sydney  Morning  Herald  souvenir edition of the 1988 Australian Biennale  A Festival of Art  in which  the  Northern Territory was represented  by   a photograph of Arnhem Land  artist  David Malangi, one of his works appearing on the reverse  side of the  old dollar note,  posing  with  a  burial pole .  

Nothing , it seemed , escaped her  eye  in  the  relentless  research. The Australian Antique  Collector issue of July-December 1982   showed unmistakable  signs of  having been closely read by  her .  Articles within   it  which attracted  underlining, ticks  and comments  dealt with  Federation  architecture ; presentation silver in the Tasmanian Museum ; captions  for  photographs  of  Australian pottery ; the  Hawaii-Australian  architecture  connection ; a comment that an  item about  early garden tiles was  incomplete ; biographical details of contributors  to  the magazine . There was  an  illustrated    page of  so called   Aboriginal  Kingplates  which had been  auctioned  , which  included   the  watercolour  by  B. E.  Minns of  "Cranbukka, King of  Tamworth." 

She mentioned  Russian art  while  going through boxes of books  and I responded by saying my wife, Judith , had  developed  the  desire when she was  at school  in Auckland, New Zealand ,  to see The Hermitage  art collection  , in Leningrad, and  travel on the Trans-Siberian  Railway.  Later , Margaret   rang  and said she had a  present  for  Judith ... books on  The Hermitage  and all  the art  museums  of  Leningrad.

**** **** ****

There were  feminist publications in her collection, some early  prominent  activists  artists ;  an  art magazine  contained   comments  about the first four editions of  the feminist magazine, Lip , of  which she  had a  large  run .

Other interests were  fashion, jewellery, pottery-late in   life  she  paid a plumber's bill  with  some  of   her  prized "pots ." One of  her great loves was opera of which she  had  a large collection of  tapes and discs . Unearthed during the clearance of  her  house was a  letter  to  the  ABC in  which it was said she had  discussed  shortcomings of some  modern  day   opera  singers.

This love of opera explained why she had boxes of  ABC  magazines ,The Australian Listener and  24 Hours , anything related to opera marked  by her , with  added  markers  and  pages of  notes and comments ... (Placido )  Domingo  at  his best !

A slip of  paper  listed  things which had to be done  for a southern  flight  from Townsville   to   an  opera performance   included  clothing  to be packed    and  a  check  on  the  airline   policy regarding her medical condition, she having   to  buy   two  seats  enabling  her  to  spread  out  in   flight .