Due to a wonky knee , Cyclops , our certified one eyed political reporter , attended the Latitude 19 medical centre on Magnetic Island and stumbled , yet again , on an unusual story in the waiting room . It began when a man came in with a bundle of yellowy looking magazines, immediately identified as American National Geographics. These he exchanged for some already in the waiting room assorted magazines . Turns out he is from the Men's Shed and was swapping some of its National Geographics , a bequest to the shed, for ones in the waiting room .
After expressing admiration for the magazines , first published in 1888, our writer picked up a 1961 National Geographic and was immediately drawn to an illustrated cover article about exploring the wilds of New Britain ," a land of fire" , a former German protectorate, part of the then New Guinea UN Trust Territory administered by Australia.
Coincidentally , the day before , Cyclops had a discussion with his wife about a New Zealand relative of hers , Aunty Lou , who had married on the nearby island of New Ireland in 1905, as her Auckland house, in a commanding position , with a view across the harbour to Rangitoto , a volcanic peak , recently sold for more than $5million .
The National Geographic article was written by ornithologist Thomas Gilliard , representing the American Museum of Natural History , the Explorers Club and the National Geographic Society , who came to the island intent on exploring, collecting and making a photographic survey of the flora and fauna of the high mountain interior. With him was his wife , Margaret , an experienced expeditioner , who mounted specimens , drew birds , recorded chants .
Preparing for the arduous trip into unexplored country involved extensive preparations before they set out with the help of lanky Australian Patrol Officer David Moorhouse and 92 porters .
As part of their wages , the porters received American twist tobacco which they liked to roll into cigarettes with newspaper. As a result , the supplies included 100 pounds of neatly folded newspapers , found to be the same issue of the Sydney Morning Herald . Gilliard wrote that he thought he could recite the contents of the paper from memory , down to the cricket scores .
Cyclops borrowed the magazine from the clinic and promised to return it some day soon ; he does, however, suffer from memory loss and his pad is cluttered with reading material, some lifted from other waiting rooms , including that of an ophthalmologist in Townsville .
Over the years National Geographic has taken on environmental issues such as deforestation , chemical pollution, global warming and endangered species .
Preparing for the arduous trip into unexplored country involved extensive preparations before they set out with the help of lanky Australian Patrol Officer David Moorhouse and 92 porters .
As part of their wages , the porters received American twist tobacco which they liked to roll into cigarettes with newspaper. As a result , the supplies included 100 pounds of neatly folded newspapers , found to be the same issue of the Sydney Morning Herald . Gilliard wrote that he thought he could recite the contents of the paper from memory , down to the cricket scores .
Cyclops borrowed the magazine from the clinic and promised to return it some day soon ; he does, however, suffer from memory loss and his pad is cluttered with reading material, some lifted from other waiting rooms , including that of an ophthalmologist in Townsville .
Over the years National Geographic has taken on environmental issues such as deforestation , chemical pollution, global warming and endangered species .
