RENEWED CLOUD BUILD UP

Darwin  waterfront  after  cyclone  threat 

 

Abra series.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM COROMANDEL PENINSULA , NORTH ISLAND , NEW ZEALAND ,TAKING IN OLD GOLDMINING

Snapper Rock and Sugar Loaf  Point. 

 

Fletcher Bay .

Port Charles.

LIZARDS OF OZ

SUN SETTING ON BRITISH EMPIRE , CRICKET TEAM AND SPIN BOWLERS BORIS JOHNSON AND SCOTT MORRISON

 

VISION SPLENDID : TROPICAL SUNSET

 

Darwin. Abra photos.

WIND IN THE WILLOWS DOWN UNDER

 On a  wet and windy night , our resident  Sunbird , esconced  in its newly built nest on the clothesline on the back veranda ,was   tossed about  like   a sailor  in  the crow's nest of a  sailing ship   rounding  the   dangerous  Cape of  Good  Hope  in   a  tempest .

Cane toads, perhaps escapees from a pub which runs cane toad races for  punters,  were  heard  croaking  neurotically  above  the sound of rain belting  down on the roof .   

Add  to   this  the  rattle  of  the   nearby wind  chime  dangerously swinging  about . As  could  be expected , the  Sunbird was  frazzled after a night of rock and rolling . It  emerged bleary eyed  at sunrise   from  the   nest to  find   the  hood  over the   entrance had drooped, some of the building  material  had   been  blown away ,see  below .  

It  instantly began to  rebuild   the nest , having heard   the weather  girl on ABC television  predicting   further   wild , wet  and woolly conditions .

AUSTRALIA'S FRONT DOOR SHAKEN BY STRONG EARTHQUAKE , ANOTHER CHINESE NEW YEAR APPROCHING

MAKING THE MOST OF AN ILL WIND

 Kite   flying  in   Darwin .

While  Darwin is on  alert for a possible  cyclone, kite flyers there  are  making  the  most  of   strengthening  winds.

Photos by  Aeronautical Correspondent  Abra.

PATRON OF THE ARTS , FIGHTER FOR THE OPPRESSED

                         

Our (unpaid) Canberra correspondent spotted notable Magnetic Island  identity, Lauris Gaffney, making an appropriate entry to the Jeffrey Smart Exhibition at the National Gallery of  Australia over the holiday break.

An active member of the  island's  branch of the ALP , her wide range of interests  includes art , textiles, fashion, music , industrial relations and  the  plight of  refugees-seen at the Amnesty International  Exhibition at the  Louver Gallery on Maggie . In  recent  times  she   has   started   collecting   Australian  coins.

 

As a result  of this  latter  interest, her   friends are often spotted  , as above, going through their purses  , while having  coffee ,  to see if  they  have a  1930  penny , some  spare  two-up coins, which looks like  a  scene  from ancient   tabernacle   money-changers.  

TOP END STREET ART BY FLIGHTY ABRA

 Darwin  on  a  wet  and  windy  day.

ROYAL COMMAND PERFORMANCE BY ACCLAIMED CURLEW CORP DE BALLET

 Keen to become a  ballet dancer  in  her  younger  days  in Germany , the Queen of the  Jungle , recovering  from  a  hip operation , was  treated to  a  special performance  of  Swan Lake  by   Magnetic Island's  talented   Curlew  dancers. 

 

Unable to partake in the dazzling   performance  was   Motley, the  orphaned Curlew famous for mothering many  birds  on  the island . 

She  is  looking  after  a  Curlew  which had been   attacked  by Kookaburras  ,badly  injured  about  the  head and  leg , not  thought  to  live,  but doing well due to Motley's close  attention .    Also in  her  care , is  another  unfortunate bird  which  is  minus a  foot . 

However,  Wrinkles , a friendly,  placid  dog  , saved    from an uncertain future by the owners of  the island's popular  Mexican eatery , Man  Friday, who also  rescued  Motley ,  represented  her   at  the  glittering  event , and   was   personally  patted  and   fed  cheese  by  the  Queen .

FLYING INTO WET DARWIN ON BOXING DAY

Aeronautical  Correspondent   Abra  Special 

 

LITTLE DARWIN WEATHER STATION BAFFLES METEOROLOGISTS

With the   aid  of   Australia's  only  nuclear- powered   weather forecasting device, obtained  at  a North  Queensland  house clearance , and  observing the  activities of  birds  and butterflies , Little  Darwin   proudly announces  it  is    now  able   to  make   a  long  range  forecast   for   2022. 

 By closely  watching   birds,  it  is evident  that there  will be a variety  of  extreme  weather  conditions  in   the  upcoming year .

For  instance, a Sunbird , which has  moved into a  new nest , is gasping due to  the  heat , indicating   a  pending  heatwave  in  parts of  the  country . 

Cockatoos are showing clear signs of   going  troppo , screeching , hanging upside down , nibbling power lines, being deranged by climate change  and endless  ScoMo  photo opportunities , backflips . The   noisy,  dishevelled  Cockatoo  shown  below  is  obviously going  nutty , like a  large part of  the nation , by  listening to the  PM on TikTok and  the mad  rantings  of   some National  Party  members  in  the  bush .

The fact that a young Curlew  was photographed  being shown how to  paddle  in  a dish of  water was taken to indicate  pending  flooding on the east coast . 

There can be no doubt that there will be a return of  drought   conditions   as  a   thirsty butterfly was  snapped  trying  to  suck water  out  of  a  hose .  

WAITING FOR LATEST CYCLONE NEWS

 

With  clouds  building  up  due  to  the   low in the Timor Sea , Darwin , well  known  Mindil  Beach  in  the  foreground , photographed   by  FIFO  chef, Sara .

SKY WATCH

 

Townsville  and  Magnetic Island . Vallis  photos. 

HECTIC , UNCERTAIN TIME FOR BOXED IN IMPORTANT TERRITORY ORGANISATION.

On  the day before   Christmas , the Genealogical Society  of  the  Northern Territory (GSNT)  is  supposed to receive  100 boxes ,  200 more  on order ,  to commence  packing up  for  removal  to a new  location in Darwin, not yet definite .  It  had been  proposed to  move  GSNT  across  the  road  to  new premises  , but  that  is no longer  available . In any case, GSNT  has to be   out  of  the  present  location ,sold  off,  by January   31. 

The  latest   proposal  is  to  share half  a  building in Casuarina, Ethos House,  used  by  the  motor vehicle  registration, but  this  is  not  certain . 

 For many  decades GSNT  has  been providing  a  much used   facility  , in the  process  building  up   an invaluable  Territory  collection   of   files, books,  ephemera, producing  regular informative journals . 

Part of  the  wide ranging  reference material  includes the  personal collections  of  two  late  GSNT  members,   Vern  and Jaci O'Brien , pictured below  on a  research trip in  America .  

Vern   exhaustively  researched  the  nomenclature of  the Northern Territory . His reputation in  this  field  of  research   became  known  internationally .  It  is  said  he  was highly regarded  in  Canada  as  a  result of his  tenacious research  into  place  names  .

In  his capacity as a Northern Territory  surveyor,  in  1961 he came across  the remains of  the    Kookaburra  aircraft  which   force  landed in the  NT Tanami Desert  in 1929  and  its crew,  Keith Anderson and Bob Hitchcock , perished  from  thirst.  They had taken  part in  the search for  Sir Charles Kingsford Smith  and  his crew  in the  Southern Cross ,missing in an episode dubbed the "Coffee  Royal " incident, because of  a  suggestion  it  was  a publicity  stunt .

            

The  tragedy was depicted in the above  drawing by  Virgil , in the Little Darwin  Collection .

In the large  collection of  photographs amassed by  Vern O'Brien  , a small Territory  sample  shown below , was one  which could have  been  a  Cobb and  Co. coach  in  Victoria  and  early  interior  shots  of  houses  in  Darwin . 

Mrs  O'Brien , the subject of a post in this blog,  the granddaughter of the  fabulous   Wolfram  Queen of   the Territory , May Brown,  gathered much material  related  to  the  history of  nursing  in  the  Territory .  

It is  to be hoped that the  Territory government  gets  right behind  GSNT and  helps  clear  up  its  present  uncertain , stressful  situation . The local media  should  also   take  a  close  interest  in  this  worthwhile  organisation , full  of   ripping  yarns. 

ASYLUM SEEKERS CASE RAISED AT CHRISTMAS BY ISLAND SUPPORTERS

Unusual works of  art  displayed  on  Magnetic Island   at  an  Amnesty International  exhibition , entitled Lighting the Dark , at the Louver Gallery , have  been  transported  to  the  central  Queensland  town  of   Biloela   which  wants   a  Tamil family of four , now  in  community  detention in  Perth,  returned  as  welcome residents.

The  items,  by  ceramic and  mixed media  artist  Jenny   Mulcahy ,  is  in  the form of  two  chest of  drawers ,one, above ,  covering  the  life of  the  Biloela  Girls  and   their  parents , each  drawer revealing  their growing ordeal, which  has  included  being  incarcerated   on   Christmas  Island.    

The other  storage  container  , dubbed   Dutton's  (Inequity )  Drawers , displays  the  shirts and  ties   of  former  Immigration  and  Border  Protection Minister , Peter Dutton , now Defence  Minister ,  midst  the  sad  faces  of  many  refugees.  

.

       

The  drawers  were to  be  taken to  Biloela   by a  Townsville member of Amnesty International, but  he could not make the  trip ,so arrangements were made  for  an island couple , driving  to  Brisbane ,  to  detour,  drop  them  off .

It is understood the  drawers will  feature in an exhibition  at  the  Biloela Art Gallery on  March  4  , by  the Home To  Biloela  Campaign , marking the fourth  anniversary  of  the  family  being  arrested  by  Border Force.