MUSICAL S(H)IPPING REPORTER TURNS UP FLOTSAM

His  latest Townsville  nautical  find  is  this  LP   which  has a   paper  Waterfront label with a stylised  view of Sydney Harbour , including the Opera House  and the Bridge ,  some   music  by Mushroom .  It  is  ex  the   record  collection of Townsville's community radio station , 4TTT FM, which first went to air in 1982,   since 2006 103.9 Triple T. The   cardboard sleeve is   dated  June  1990 . Inserted is a  printed sheet with words for Don't Call Yourself An Angel, Enemy Mine, Viva Las Vegas  and Cripple Creek .

SANTALAND TURNED INTO CARYARD / MYER BURPS / DARWIN MALL SICK / DUCK LOSES NUTS

Our  store detective  reports on  the  changing  North Australian  commercial   scene.

After Christmas , the lights eventually went out  in  Santaland, in  Townsville's   CastleTown  shopping centre . It remained  closed  for  some time , the large, unlit   Angus and  Robertson Bookshop  sign over the entrance  , long  gone, still visible . Last  week  the  space was  open...occupied  by  cars .  A short distance  along  was  another  space  filled  with  cars .

 

In November , without much  detail , it was  announced   that  the   Myer  store in Townsville's  Stockland  shopping centre would  be  altered to  contain a  Degani Café.This was dutifully reported in the Townsville   Bulletin , along  with    an ominous statement  by Myer  CEO Richard Umbers that 19  stores were at risk of closure .  

 

There  was no media  follow up to  ask  the  management  of the    existing  large café  near  the  Myer   entrance  what  it  felt  about  Myer getting into the tucker business as well .  Umbers  has  just resigned , the company is in dire financial strife , will the   food  business  plan  go ahead ? 

  

Some years ago, it was trumpeted politically  that  Myer  would be opening up in   the second stage  of  Darwin's  Casuarina   Shopping Centre , in the Northern Territory .  Did  not  happen . 

  

However, the  second stage , which  has a  Singaporean look about it , went ahead and many people  say  it  and  other   large  shopping centres  at  Palmerston and  Coolalinga  have sucked   the  life out of the ailing Darwin  CBD , especially  the  Smith  Street  Mall , once a thriving  part of the city.

In December, this was the   closing down sale of  the Aussie Shop  NT  in the Smith Street Mall. There are signs, however,  that new life  is about to be injected into the mall . Word is that  the famous Vic  Hotel , where pioneer  aviators stayed  and  NT News reporting staff  of yesteryear  had a close association, which has been  closed , below,  for a long time , has been bought by a  smart  operator, with  catering  interests   locally   and   Alice Springs.  

The Darwin City Council  plans to move its library into the mall  and Anthony's Arcade, the subject of  planned  major development in the past , has been bought by  a  southern group. This tale   endeth  on  a sad footnote : a long running eatery,  not far from the mall  ,  Ducks  Nuts , closed due to a large amount of money  taking   flight,  instead of nesting  in the till . 

DOROTHY DIX EMBEDDED IN COALITION

Ace political  reporter Argus Tuft  telegraphs new  political  scandal which  will rock  the  nation .

CANBERRA :  I can reveal that  the  entire Coalition is unduly  influenced by a   seductive staff  member  who is  closely linked to   the Manager of Government  Business  in the  House of Representatives, Christopher  Pyne. 

ABC political reporter Annabel Crabb  grilled  Pyne  over  his obvious close   association   with  Ms.  Dix   and  he was  captured on camera  saying  he did not even  know  she  existed !!!! 

 

This despite the fact that he is responsible   for  drawing  up  questions  to be asked of government  during  parliamentary  sittings which  are universally    known  as  coming  from   Dorothy  Dix  and  are  called  Dorothy Dixers .

 

Argus Tuft  says  Dorothy Dix  is rushed from office to office at all hours of the night  and  day. She has the power to  mesmerise politicians  and make them    sound like  robots when  they  get up and  ask a  question in the House of Reps  and Pets. Her frequent  passionate  utterances  refer to  hard  working  Australians who  could  do  themselves an injury  in  a  different  position proposed   by   those  evil   eunuchs  opposite.

YEAR OF THE PELICAN AND DOG

Cairns and its  photogenic Pelicans  are  enthusiastically taking part  in  the  large  scale Chinese New Year celebrations   which  includes  an  exhibition by artist  Hayley Gillespie  of  Chinese zodiac  signs in the new Aquarium   , a  group including Chinese artist Yixuan Ruan  doing paintings of dogs, harbour cruises in   a Chinese  junk ,  an 1880s  miniature display of   Chinatown ,  the  Cairns Temple display.

On February 21  SBS news presenter  Lee Lin  Chin will host  a  Yum Cha  Lunch  for the Central Queensland  University  ;  there will be a street festival  with  lion  and dragon dancing ,   a large market  with  food stalls , a  lantern display .

The recently opened  expanded  Cairns  Museum  has a  special  associated exhibition. Our  Cairns correspondent, Abra,   reports  that  apart  from  there being  many Chinese in town,  there  are  also  large  groups  of  Japanese   tourists, the Pelicans receiving  much  attention .   

SNOW IN QUEENSLAND HEATWAVE

At first glance, this view  could  be  taken as  a dusting of snow on  a  ridge in the Mount Kosciuszko  alpine  region . It is, however, on Magnetic Island, North Queensland , background clouds and lighting   giving  the optical  illusion of  snow.  

TIME PLEASE,GENTLEMEN !

Drunken  looking  clock  tower , with facial tic , at the   Brewery.

Without the Townsville  media noticing due to the fact that it appears to run in an  anti-clockwise direction , the  hands on the  clock  above  the former post  office in the CBD, now the Brewery , were removed   in  recent  days  .  The  clock  has  not  worked  for  years .  After the  Japanese bombing  of  Darwin  in  1942  the   mechanism  was  removed ,  reinstalled  much  later.  Something  went wrong ,   the clock  stopped,  civic authorities  apparently did not care that  a  busted  prominent  town  clock  was  not   a   good look  for  the  Queen City of  the North .

When  British  TV  presenter   Tony Robinson  came to  Townsville on his Australian  Time  Walks  series   a  few years ago he  commented on  the fact  that  the  clock was not working , raised   the  issue  with  a person  behind the bar  in  the Brewery , was  told  the  problem  was  being worked  on .

 On  Thursday  of  this  week ,  the   hands  were  back  on ,  two  faces  almost showing   the   correct  time ! It gave the impression that  the Phantom  of Big Ben  was loose  in  the clock  tower . Could be a  story here .

Tipsy , not  working  clock  from  another  angle .

ADMIRAL HARRY HARRIS ORDERS RAID ON QUEENSLAND

HAWAII FIVE-O : Angry Admiral Harry  Harris  has  ordered Marines   from Okinawa  to storm the beaches of  Townsville  and  raise the Wally World flag  over the Townsville City   Council  bunker in Walker Street  because of  the continuing   shocking   neglect   of   the   Victory in  the Pacific  fountain . 

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He gave this  dramatic  order after our S(h)ipping  Reporter  presented  him  with the latest    report     on   the   bizarre  state  of   the   fountain  which  indicated  one of Cinderella's ugly  , big  footed stepsisters, possibly Drizella,   may have  been skinny  dipping in the polluted  water  in  the moonlight  , losing  one of   her  shoes, see above ,  in the  process. A dead  bird  was  found almost in the same  spot as  the footwear   a month or  so  ago . 

 

Readers will recall that  this blog  recently exclusively revealed that  the  almost completely  dry fountain  had been  converted into an Ocker's  tropical version of  Rome's  Trevi  Fountain , which featured in the    film Three Coins in  a  Fountain  .  In Townsville's case it was three   five cent pieces , a hypodermic  needle , chewing  gum, a  sauce  sachet , leaves  , part of a  palm frond   and   assorted   other  gunk ;  nearby  was   a  pile  of   rotting   bananas.

Well, folks , on February  15 , the fountain still  was not   working , although it had   more water in  it  than previously . Only  two   coins   could  be  seen ... the  needle  had   gone , the chewy  was  still  there , added  were  a feather, two bottle tops , a  straw , assorted   Russian  space  junk .A  round  drink  container with  large eyes  had been floating about  for so long  it  had flattened  out  into  an  undulating   sheet .  A blob of takeaway food on the fountain wall  was covered in ants .    Drink containers and  cans were stuffed in a  cluster of  foliage  . The nearby  bus shelter , daubed with  graffiti , still displaying the rude  remark about  Donald  Trump.   About  three  hours   later , the  shoe   was   still  visible .  

After the  brave Marines take possession of the  council building  they  will convert  the TCC's  stretch limo  into  a Wally World  bus and make a mission accomplished  victory    parade   down  The  Strand  to  hordes of   cheering  ratepayers.
 

Admiral  Harry  says he will  send a signal to   Canberra   declaring   he will not take up  the job as  US  Ambassador to  Australia  until  the  fountain  is cleaned up , working , and  checked  every  day ;  the rusting   anchor off  the aircraft  carrier  Coral Sea  , near the Townsville ferry terminal ,  must  also  be  made  shipshape .