Good to hear that a large collection of unique photographs dealing with Northern Territory animal industry and agriculture compiled by Darwin agronomist Robert Wesley-Smith is in the process of being catalogued. In recent days he has been in the basement of the parliamentary library going through the invaluable collection of colour slides , started in the early l960s , which runs into hundreds of images .
Over the years, at one stage , he was in charge of three experiment stations , involved with Aboriginal communities, early rice growers, buffalo farmers (even owned 400 young buffs himself ) , attended many field days .
One of his important photograph shows Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pouring soil into the hand of Gurindji leader Vincent Lingiari , at the handing over of the Wattie Creek land title. Wes was closely associated with the Wattie Creek band who walked off the British owned Lord Vestey cattle station , made the historic land claim . The symbolic passing of soil had to be restaged for the southern media , won an award , and became the cover pic for the Charlie Ward book , A Handful of Sand .
Wesley-Smith was involved with the late Australian pioneer rice farmer, Jack Turnour, with prior experience in California, America .Turnour, a strong ALP supporter, who died in Noosaville ,Queensland , in 2016, aged 84, had been hired by a former NT Director of Agriculture to grow grain at government research facilities at Beatrice Hill .
Out of this evolved the Upper Adelaide River Experiment Station, named Tortilla Flats , after the Steinbeck novel , with three pilot farms . Mrs Joan Turnour wrote a book about Tortilla Flats in which Wesley-Smith was mentioned .
Out of this evolved the Upper Adelaide River Experiment Station, named Tortilla Flats , after the Steinbeck novel , with three pilot farms . Mrs Joan Turnour wrote a book about Tortilla Flats in which Wesley-Smith was mentioned .
Other Wesley-Smith photographs, not yet catalogued , were taken when he attended the l974 International Grasslands Congress in Russia , taking in Moscow ,Tashkent, Samarkand . He was so impressed by the extensive layout of cities , with magnificent gardens and boulevards , that he drew the attention of the Australian Minister for Cities, Tom Uren (ALP ) , to the features , hoping to influence capital city development here .
Recalling that trip , he told Little Darwin one of his many memories included being taken to a deep area where there was a quarter circle slate paved double track where the wheels of a giant telescope were said to have run . There were also spectacular areas connected with the Mongol leader, Tamerlane, conqueror of most of southern and western Asia, ruler of Samarkand 1369-1405 .
On his wide travels in the Australian outback , at times calling at early Aboriginal outstation settlements , Wesley-Smith photographed trees marked by explorers. He was photographed below on a visit to Magnetic Island during which he examined vegetation , koalas and commented on noxious plants in the Townsville area .
