OLD CHINATOWN , SHANGHAI

 

Photos by Aeronautical Correspondent Abra .

(Shanghai. Chinatown. Abra.)

PICTURESQUE SETTING OF TROPICAL CITY , FROZEN IN HEAVEN BY BINGO CALLER

Clock on old railway station tower stuck on 11 .

 

Townsville by Aeronautical Correspondent  Abra. .

(Townsville. Views. Abra.)

RAINY DAY TRIP ON TRENDY LAKE

 

West Lake, Hangzhou,China,is said to have influenced  the garden  design in the rest of  the country as well as  Japan and Korea over the centuries.  Photos  by  touring  Aeronautical  Correspondent  Abra. 

(Lake. China . Gardens.)

GLOBAL FASHION PARADE RESUMES

  World   Cycad  Garden stages another  dazzling  show.  

Anderson Botanic Gardens ,Townsville. Vallis pix.

(Cycads. Fashion. World.)

BUSH TRACK SIGHTS

 

Magnetic Island . Aeronautical Correspondent  Abra  pix.

(Bush. Island. Abra.)

BUTTERFLY MAGIC IN FLORAL PLAYGROUND

Mundingburra. Vallis pix.

(Butterfly. Flowers. Queensland.)

THINGS THAT CROAK BY DAY AND NIGHT

Liberal National  Party's new mascot.  

 

Dead  Green Tree Frog.

Concerned onlookers  thought  Barnaby Joyce , often  looking a bit  froggy  in  parliament,  had  croaked  when  found  flat on his back in Canberra at night .  Looking somewhat groggy, Barnaby was interviewed in the  New England  swamplands tuther day , wearing what looked like a beanie made from a  rare skinned  bunyip ,  and expressed   concern  about  Australia not having  a  defence plan if  the  Aukus nuclear sub deal  "falls flat" , reflecting  his  expertise  and  interest  in   limp  falling. 

Frog , forced out  of  rental  accommodation with  all mod cons  in a nice pond , moving   into  a  dangerous   bird  bath.

Christopher Pyne imitating a  Martian frog.

Cavorting Kermit just before he was  arrested in Melbourne for  jiving and  croaking  under  the  influence of  Kickapoo Juice.  

(Frog. File. Fake.)

VENUS HAS LANDED

Venus, the fibreglass  replica of a traditional  Indonesian  outrigger Jukung  canoe , which  recently  took  Aussies on a memorable voyage ,  being  hauled  ashore to be  put  into  storage . 

Aboard a ferry , the Australians got a friendly reception from passengers. Petros pix. 

(Outrigger. Voyage. Venus.)

ART EXHIBITION SHOCKED NATION

The  first blockbuster art   exhibition brought to  Australia ,by the Melbourne  Herald, in l939, caused an " unprecedented  furore " and  production of  the above  book , on sale for  $50 in   the  latest  wide ranging  Australian  Art acquisitions   list  ,  from colonial days  to  the present , from  Douglas Stewart  Fine  Books , Melbourne.

It Included 215 works of modern French and  British  paintings and  sculptures .   There  were  paintings   by  Gauguin,Matisse,  Dali, Cezanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh.Picasso   and  many others.

 Despiau, Malliol, Zadkine,Epstein and Maurice  Lambert were some of the sculptors .

The exhibition opened in Adelaide before making its  Melbourne  debut, backed by  the  Herald's managing director,  Sir  Keith  Murdoch,curated by the newspaper's  art  critic, Basil Burdett.

Large crowds attended  day and night  sessions . It resulted in lectures by avant-garde critics  and  many  letters  to newspapers.

There were strong responses  for and against in New South Wales and  leading  art writer , Lionel Lindsay, wrote  a reactionary book, Addled Art.

The exhibition was  placed in storage in Australia during  the  war  and  items not  sold   returned  to  Europe  later  on .

It was  said  Australia  missed a  golden opporunity to buy  a   fabulous  collection  for   peanuts. 

The book , written by Eileen  Chanin and  Steven Miler, included an essay by Judith Pugh  and was published by  Miegunyah Press, an imprint of  Melbourne University Press, in  2005. It won a  NSW history award and  was shortlisted  for  the Victorian  Premier's  Literary Award.

The title  was  derived  from a comment by art gallery director  J. S.McDonald  that modern  art  was   " the work of  degenerates and  perverts." 

(Art. Uproar. Australia.)

TEMPTING ODD LOTS

 

Mundingburra  monthly market, Townsville . 

(Market. Stalls. Mundingburra.)

ISLAND SPLENDOUR

Magnetic Island , off Townsville. Aeronautical Correspondent  Abra  photo. 

 

(Island. Queensland. Abra.)

CANADA'S SHAME ; DITTO TERRA NULLIUS

The above unique illustrated   publication, found  at  the  Mundingburra  monthly market  in  Townsville ,Queensland, deals with  Canadian  Indians and includes  coverage  of   the  Indian residential   schools to which many of  the young  were  removed   in  what was  described as  a  bid   to "kill  the indian in  the  child."   

Produced in  l977 by the Muswachees Cultural College ,Hobbema, Alberta,in assocation with the  University of Calgary Outreach, the publication   marked a milestone in  the history of the  Plains Cree People.

It was  produced in the  Native language as  well as  English and  includes  mention of  the  schools ,  some  related   photographs, and   the  Klondike  goldrush.

In 2008 , Canadian  Prime Minister, Stephen Harper , in parliament,  apologised for the treatment of  children in the residential schools ,describing it  as  a   sad chapter in  the country's history . 

He said  that for  more than  a century , these schools  had separated  150,000 Aboriginal children  from their families  and communities  Two  primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and  to assimilate them into the dominant culture.  

These objectives were based on the assumption Aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. Indeed, some sought, as it was infamously said, "to kill the Indian in the child".  Today, he continued, it was recognized that this policy of assimilation was wrong, had caused great harm,  and  had  no place in the  country.

One hundred and thirty-two federally-supported schools were located in every province and territory, except Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. 

Most schools were operated as "joint ventures" with Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian or United Churches.  The Government of Canada built an educational system in which very young children were often forcibly removed from their homes, often taken far from their communities.  Many were inadequately fed, clothed and  housed.  

All were deprived of the care and nurturing of their parents, grandparents and communities.  First Nations, Inuit and Métis languages and cultural practices were prohibited in these schools.  Tragically, some of these children died while attending residential schools and others never returned home.

To speed the transition at Maskwacis, Cree children were taken from their parents and sent to Ermineskin Indian Residential School, run by the Catholic Church. Traditional forms of governance were replaced by an elected band council system on each reserve, with the federal government having the power to depose “unco-operative” elected leaders. Cultural practices such as the sun dance were outlawed and a pass system was established so that First Nations people needed permission from an Indian agent to leave the reserve.

In 1915 a delegation from Hobbema travelled to Ottawa to ask for changes to the Indian Act. They wanted “equal freedom with the white man” and protection for their tradition of collective land ownership. The government, they said, “should cease to treat them like children.”

They also brought a cheque for $1200 to donate to Canada’s First World War effort. But little changed. The Indian Act would not be extensively revised until 1951, to allow for the practice of traditional ceremonies, abolish the pass system and allow First Nations to organize and hire legal counsel.

First Nations in Canada did  not  get the right   to vote until  l960. 

In moving towards healing, reconciliation and resolution of the sad legacy of schools , implementation of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement began on September 19, 2007.

A cornerstone of the Settlement Agreement was  the Indian Residential Schools Truth  and  Reconciliation Commission.

Hobbema was  named  after a  Dutch painter .  

At  the  bottom of  the  front   cover of  the  publication is a  hard to  read name , Jessie  Florence ?, October  1977.  

(Canada. Apology. Schools.)

ON STRUGGLE STREET WITH TOBY

Townsville  op  shop  residents  . Vallis photo.

 

(Struggle. Shop. Vallis.)

BETTER CATERING THAN ON THE BOUNTY

Rings  with a  nautical design worn  as  souvenirs by   three  adventurous   Aussies  who  made   a recent exciting  voyage aboard  Venus, a  custom built  fibreglass  replica  of  an Indonesian  traditional  outrigger canoe, a Jukung , powered by  two  outboard  motors.  A  crocodile was  spotted  along the  way.

Built in Bali, it  was trucked to Jakarta and launched , calling into   friendly places along the  way , sampling  the  exotic  tucker  , including  the mouth watering   variety   shown  below , none of  it  boring  breadfruit. 

Little Darwin received several photographs during the  trip , one showing  work on the outboards.  

The way  coffee  was  brewed  aboard  Venus is  shown  above   and  what seems to  have   been  a  cup  produced  ashore  by  a  barista  skilled  in  the  latte  art.

(Voyage. Indonesia. Venus.)