Thursday, June 27, 2024

FROM PARIS AND BALI WITH LOVE

                                        

Our Shipping Reporter thought Santa had come early when an odd package addressed to him arrived from Darwin containing the above made in Indonesia luminescent mermaid ,with accessories, in recycled  wrapping paper from  a visit  to France. 

It was a  delayed birthday present  from  a  son who knows his  barnacle- encrusted father is  obsessed with mermaids  , especially  the  mutilated   one  on   Magnetic   Island , off  Townsville .

Readers of this blog  are aware that the Shipping Reporter  has long  urged that  the  mauled  mermaid  be rebuilt and turned into the centre of  a  regular art  festival, instead   of    the  now brief  part of her  body  remaining     left   to   the  elements  on  the rocks  at  the  main  entrance to  the island. 

He suggests the Townsville City Councii and the Perc Tucker Gallery should strongly examine  this  proposal, first  made by  a  visiting Darwin artist.  

Named Isla, by island residents  shocked at her treatment, she could , he claims, become  as  big  an attraction  as  the  popular  Little Mermaid of Copenhagen , Denmark .

It was exclusively  revealed in Little Darwin that  the mermaid  had been  bought in Geelong, Victoria, and  transported  to the  island  strapped  next  to the driver of  a car , attracting  some  strange glances  along the way , including   from   police  .

During the  trip north, the  Queensland  police   pulled the driver over , and when  the  door  was opened   out fell  a  whisky  bottle. The gendarmes immediately thought they had a case of driving under the influence of demon grog  and  a  fibreglass  mermaid .  However, the driver explained he makes his own kickapoo  juice  , the  dead marine  that fell out  one of about  24  empties  to  be  filled   carried  onboard.