GUNNER COPS ROUGH END OF CYCAD

Cycads  featured  in a  protest rally, over clearance of land at Lee Point for a large subdivision, outside the Darwin office of  the Northern Territory  Chief Minister, Michael  Gunner . 

  One of those  in the 50- strong  Save Lee Point  group ,  last  Friday , which  failed to attract the  attention of the local media, was  agronomist  Robert Wesley-Smith , who just happens to be  an expert on the effect of cattle  eating Cycad leaves  . Seems   it  paralyses their  back legs and can  lead to them  starving  to   death .See his treatise , Cycads and Cattle in NT .

A large clump of Cycads, above, being cleared  from the site,in which there are many birds  .Wesley-Smith   said the Chief Minister should stop  the  clearance of the  area, which  has a link  with  Australia's  defence   during the  Konfrontasi  with  Indonesia from 1962-1966, there  being a  sign  there   to this  effect.

During that  period  Indonesia opposed the  formation of  the Federation of   Malaysia,  Australia  was part of  a  Commonwealth  force under British command .

Darwin provided facilities for  Royal Air Force Strategic V-Bombers and Bloodhound  Missiles  were  installed  in  the city .

The  Cycad   shown outside Gunner's office  was  carted away and  placed in a  lady's  garden ,  with strict  instructions  not  to  let  it  be  nibbled  by stray  beef  cattle . 

It is interesting  to point out Wesley-Smith  is  aware  of  Townsville's World Cycad  Garden  in the Anderson Botanical Gardens, after spotting  an illustrated      post   about  the  Cycads  there  in  this  blog.