BALIBO FIVE ANNIVERSARY

 Unlike the monstrous Bali bombing recent  anniversary , which received  extensive  coverage  , Sunday's  47th anniversary of the    murder of   two  Australian media teams  in    Balibo , Potuguese Timor,,   by  invading  Indonesians , appears  to  have   been  almost  completely  overlooked .

Darwin   had  many reasons to   mark  the  tragic  Balio   event  which claimed the  lives of  Greg Shackleton, Gary Cunningham and Tony  Stewart of  Channel Seven and Brian Peters and Malcolm Rennie   of  Channel  Nine .

Journalist   Jill  Jolliffe , who once lived in Darwin , wrote extensively about the Balibo Five,   her  book about them-  Cover Up-  later   updated, became   Balibo-the definitive, true account of  a  major  picture , starring  Anthony LaPaglia.

The film was screened in  Darwin , at  which  the following  copy of  the book  was  signed  by Jill Jolliffe   and   Australian  filmmaker   Rob  Connolly .

LaPaglia  played  Australian freelance  journalist  Roger East  who came to Darwin with the  head of the   Darwin  Reconstruction Commission after Cyclone  Tracy .  He  later went  to  East Timor to  investigate  the  Balibo Five  episode  and  help  Fretilin , and was himself   shot and   thrown into the  sea  at  the  capital  ,  Dili .

On the  20th anniversary   of   East's  murder , Darwin  activist  Robert  Wesley-Smith  re-enacted  the   shooting  and   was  himself  thrown  into  the  sea. 

The above  poster  , advertising  a  play about the  Balibo Five , on display in the  Darwin  Press  Club, sparked  an international incident   when   an Indonesian  television   film  unit  , passing through  the Territory capital on the   way  to  the Brisbane Expo ,  spotted  it , and  went   back   home  . 

 Balibo  featured  in   T-shirts   turned  out  during  the  East Timor struggle for  freedom . 

RENOWNED HIGHWAYMAN BACK IN ACTION

 A former   well -known  Darwin  activist  who changed his name to Stuart Highway -the main  Northern Territory north / south road -when campaigning against  uranium mining,  lobbed back in town from Sydney   recently , went   into  campaign mode , attracting  police  , and  left town   without   the  local  media  picking  up  a good story .

                                

Years ago , Stuart Highway  had a stall at the Nightcliff  Sunday market, above ,  in Darwin, at which he  highlighted  many    causes  locally, nationally and  some  overseas ; also   offered  were  a wide  range of  books, pamphlets  and  magazines. 

During a  demonstration  against  the Indonesian  occupation  of East Timor, he was   arrested  in Darwin  with  veteran  East Timor  campaigner, agronomist Robert-Wesley  Smith. They  shared  the  back  of  a  police paddy  wagon .

During the  recent brief  visit  back to Darwin ,  Stuart Highway  had a  session with Wesley-Smith  in  the Roma Bar . He  told  Wes  that  he  had    stood  outside  the   Indonesian embassy  in Darwin   with a sign  highlighting   the  plight of  West  Papua  under  repressive  Indonesian  rule .  Police  had  arrived , but  said he was not  doing   anything  wrong .

He also  told  Wes that he intended catching a  bus and  staging a  demo outside   the  Don Dale Detention Centre ,conditions at which had  sparked the recent  damning  inquiry .      

Back in the l980s  , Stuart Highwy  contacted  the   Townsville   activist  Ruth Rebel , dubbed the Queen of Punk  in  North Queensland ,  who   carried a pet rat named Woof  ,  sang in a band , Noise,  its members    Ned Kelly,  Stew  Spew , Dennis T. Menace   and  Andy  Anarchy .

Known also as Rebel Ruth she  wrote poetry,  was  anti- war  , religion  and   cops . Some of her  poetry appeared in American  punk zines. For a time she delivered a  controversial programme  on Townsville's community radio station , 4TTT FM . At first called  Slash Slamming  and  Safety Pins , it  was  renamed  Punk and Disorderly 

 The October l993 magazine APITO ,produced in Rockhampton, Queensland,  highlighted  a Ruth Rebel poem on sexism on the cover. Other subjects included  freedom  for East Timor and a  call  for Tibetan independence . She was also concerned about  the  treatment of  women in Papua New  Guinea .

 

THIRSTY AMERICAN BOMBERS DRAINED TOWN , INSPIRED FAMOUS AUSSIE SONG

 An unusual  sight   in   Ingham , North  Queensland .is  this  man mounted on a  horse  displayed on a  building , with  a nearby  banner  drawing attention to  the fact that it  is  the  original  hotel which inspired   Slim Dusty's  famous  song,  The  Pub  With No   Beer.

In the summer of l943 , the  USA  22nd   Bomb  Group , known as The Red  Raiders, travelling  in convoy , set out from Brisbane for Townsville  , their eventual destination  Port  Moresby , New Guinea, where  they intended to  fly  Marauder  aircraft  against  the  enemy.

On the  way  to     Townsville    the   convoy  averaged    50 miles per  hour  (80km).  Leaving Townsville  for  Ingham ,  they expected to be   there in about  one  and  a  half  hours.

However, it is said they were not aware of  the  about 70 rivers and creek crossings ,only two bridges, and it was the  wet  season . It took  them 14 hours to fight their way through the mud  and terrible road conditions  to   what  was  then  called  the Day Dawn Hotel , Ingham ,  now known as Lee's. 

The  story goes  the  exhausted and thirsty Americans  arrived at 2am , woke up  the publican  , drank the pub  dry .

The next morning, a  local resident,  Dan Sheahan  ,  an Irish  poet,  that's him up there  on  the horse, rode   20 miles to the pub , found it had been drained  by  the  Americans.  He  was  forced to  drink  a  glass of warm wine , penned a  poem, A  Pub  Without  Beer ,destined to become famous. -

Singer  composer   Gordon  Parsons  wrote  a  version of the poem in 1954  for   a  50th birthday  party in a pub  near  Windsor , NSW. 

 

Later ,  Parson's  adapted  Sheahan's  poem  and  wrote  The  Pub  With No Beer  for  country singer  Slim Dusty which  was released in  l957. It   became the first Australian single to  become  gold , a  big hit  in  the   UK , Canada  , USA  and elsewhere .

COMEDIANS/ COWBOYS / CHOCOLATES

 

Entertaining children in the  innocent  l950s 

Distributed throughout Australia and New Zealand  by Gordon and Gotch, this well worn  l954 Film Fun Annual  once belonged  to  Neville Pearson , Ayr Street , Morningside , Brisbane. In  comic  strips it covered madcap adventures of comedians   Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy,  Joe E. Brown , Red Skelton  ,Frank Randle  and Old  Mother  Riley.     

                               

The first photograph in the  book  shows  Dean  Martin and  Jerry  Lewis dressed  as  sailors. 

                                                       

The back cover is taken up by a  Cadburys Car Race   dice  game  in which the  instructions  say it is hoped "Mummy will make you a big cup of  lovely chocolately Bournville Cocoa to  drink  while you are  playing ." 

The Annual Crossword asked  the name of a film about Australia - KANGAROO  . Another clue was for the  place where   William Boyd -Hopalong Cassidy ,  went -  BOTANY  BAY!!!

There is an exciting adventure by an ace reporter named  Risko King, a detective mystery , a war story  and  a lagoon full of  gold  in  the  Pacific . 

DARING DESIGNS IN CAIRNS

 

Cairns  Art Gallery  exhibiion  of   Brisbane  fashion  house  run  by    Pamela  Easton  and  Lydia  Pearson . Abra  snaps .

ENDLESS SUNBIRD GALLERY

 

Vallis.

STRANGE OBJECT SIGHTED NEAR MERMAID

 Our Shipping Reporter, the  only one north  of the South Pole ,    received   intelligence  that  a  large, black  triangular shaped  object  had  been  seen    near   Magnetic  Island's  mysterious mutilated Mermaid   early  one  morning  this week  .  However,   the  waterfront roundsman's  drone  was only able to pick  up  a   yacht  in  the  background .