ROYAL COMMAND PERFORMANCE

 Grand  show  when  The  Queen  of  the  Jungle  feeds  feathered   flock  of  Cockatoos  and   Galahs .

Line and Canadian barn dancing 

On another stage , below , a show off Cockatoo imitates  a fruit bat, hanging  upside down . Photograph by  Abra . 

SPOOKY SETTING

Vallis photograph.

 

SLOW DELIVERY OF MAIL / IMPORTANT NATIONAL MESSAGE WITH A FIERY TWIST

On January 29, 1975  a  first day cover, below,  was issued highlighting Australian environment dangers. These included fires, weeds, rubbish . The stamps and  cover were designed by Gordon Andrews  (1914-2001) ,one of Australia's leading industrial designers  , responsible  for  the design  of   Australia's  first  decimal currency notes . 

Highly regarded here and overseas , Andrews worked in Britain, France and Italy ,wrote books on designing,  collecting  gems  and  stones , photography.

Unfortunately, a bushfire destroyed his house at Lovell Bay, on the Hawkesbury  River , Sydney, on  his  80th  birthday . 

WHIPPING THE IRISH

 

A November 20,1911 advertising  variety bill  headed by  Fred Lindsay, Australia's famous Whip King, aka Colonel Holman  James , for a  performance  at the Royal Hippodrome, Belfast .  One  of  the  many items of interest in the  latest Douglas Stewart Fine  Books, ,Melbourne, list, for  $680.  

ROSS RIVER REFLECTIONS

Abra  photographs ,Townsville .

 

SHOCK HORROR MUTILATION

 How  much  can  an  island  bear ?

Evidence that there is  a  dangerous   marauding  Drop Bear on Magnetic Island  is this  shredded   nautical sign  with  the  ferocious creature's  own  calling  card  nearby. The  mutilated  sign  is  near  moored  luxury  yachts. 

There is growing concern that  the attack will scare sailors  and  force  the sudden closure  of  the Magnetic  Island  yacht  racing  week now underway. The graphic above  photograph taken  by our armed  Shipping Reporter 

There is speculation that the  Drop Bear is responsible for  ripping off the  arms and the head of the mystery mermaid  that  came ashore on the island without  the  mainland  media  noticing and  following  up  .

Mermaid sans vital bits - Drop Bear and  media  neglect  victim?  

SHIPPING REPORTER'S KITBAG SHOCKS

  There is a  certain sniffing of  nostrils  , a n  outbreak of  the  vapours  whenever  the  Shipping Reporter comes aboard  the  Little Darwin  mother ship ,  lurching  like a  drunken sailor  or  a three-legged  contestant in a  sea  shanty  dancing  competition .Phew!!!   

Of late he has been ransacking dump shops, op shops and ratting through  garage  sales  for  nautical  oddities,  books ,  objet d'art , ephemera  . As a result , he is starting to look  and   smell like B.O. Plenty  from  the Dick Tracy  comic strip .  

His   finds  are   jammed  into  his  smelly  kitbag , often forgotten  .  At   this blog's urging , he  reluctantly   held  a  Spring clean   on    the   premises, which  caused   real  estate  values  on  the  island  to  plummet  .

Out  tumbled  a scrunched up pile of paper which , when examined,  with  gloved hands  , while also  wearing  a  face  mask  ,  included  a  Gaston Renard  Fine and Rare  Books  list,containing  the  desirable   following  1928 volume,  Australian  Steamships ,by  Dickson  Gregory , with a foreword by Brigadier-General Sir Granville Ryrie,K.C.M.G., Australian High Commissioner , with  hundreds of  photographs,  $350.

 

  Our waterfront  roundsman , the only north of  Phillip Island , explained that  the  book  list  had  actually  been  sent  to  him  by  a  friend ,   veteran  journalist  and author , Kim Lockwood ,  now  of  Melbourne , a  survivor  of   a  Darwin  Beercan  Regatta  , the  Darwin  Rocksitters'  Club   and  Cyclone Tracy ,

Then,  would you  believe ?, out  of the kitbag  rolled   a   record  , 30 years old  ,  bearing  the  title  Waterfront ,sung by  The  Black Eyed Susans  , from  Townsville's own  public radio station  ,4TTT-FM , found in a Townsville church op shop . 

The Shipping Reporter said  he had recently found  some nice   New Zealand  first  day  covers  which   feature  early   sailing ships.  These  were kept  at  home ,not in  the grotty   kitbag,  in  a  rusty  English  biscuit tin  bought at a house clearance in  Adelaide .