XAVIER HERBERT DISCOVERED

Some   English  friends  who  once  lived  in  Darwin  are  now  holidaying in France in their camper van  at  a  pleasant site next  to  a  pool  in  Pontorson , Normandy . Before  they  left  England ,  an Australian  book  they  had  not  read was plucked from the  bookcase to read  along  the way -  Xavier Herbert's 1938  Sesqui-Centenary  award winning  novel Capricornia, which is about the  Northern Territory . Their  appraisal  of  the  novel : What a  fantastic book! And what a wonderful writer ! At some time soon  this blog plans to launch the serialised  biography  of   Xavier  Herbert.

ACCOLADES FOR ISLAND WRITER OVER TOUCHY ARTICLE

 

The New Zealand   Postcard  Society has  declared the Queensland  writer, keen collector  and  researcher, Gary Davies , above , winner of  the  Charles Lilley Memorial Award  for   the  best  article published  in  its   journal, Postcard  Pillar  

Entitled OFFENSIVE  TO  EVERYONE  , it  dealt  with  early postcards  which  today  are  regarded   as   offensive ,  straight   out  racist , not politically   correct , relating to  women ,  Maoris , Aborigines , even  footballers.

 

Davies   covered  the  subject  with  sensitivity , drawing   on his extensive  research . The  same article  was  run in  a  leading  British   postcard   journal , after  the  editor  was  at  first  reluctant  to  publish it because of  the delicacy of the  subject.  However, after  close  study of  the text , the editor  described it  as  brilliant  and  published  the  article  last month  in  the  Picture  Postcard  Monthly, listed  on  the   cover  as  Rude Aussie postcards.

 

Davies wrote the use of "humour or the attempt at it" was an effective tool to reinforce stereotypes , refresh propaganda , trivialise, attack or demean  the  depicted subjects , while the  purchaser  of the card  could  simply  retreat under  the guise of ,"I didn't write or  draw this-isn't it awful!" 
 

The extensive article , illustrated with  16 postcards, backgrounds the social and political  situation in Australia in the  first  two decades of the 2Oth century. Government policies , newspapers and postcards reflected the  prevailing  attitudes.

He cites  a report in the Sydney Bulletin of  October  27,1900 under the  heading : A policy for the Commonwealth-the federated-Chinaman.  It  said it was  essential to keep out  the " British  nigger  and  the  British  Chinaman"  . The Bulletin moved a resolution that  under federal law it would be  absolutely  illegal  for  any  black , brown or yellow man to settle in this country , whether a  British subject or not.

Davies went on to point out that if you were female or male,  old or  young, over or under weight, short or tall, Jewish, Chinese , White , Aboriginal, a missionary or politician, or had trouble managing money, alcohol, in-laws or  your secretary, you were a perfect  subject for  an early Australian "comic" card. However  offensive or basic these cards  may appear, they were  a  disconcerting  record  of  Australian and  New Zealand social  history.



A man of diverse  interests , Davies   supplied  pen picture details of  the artists  who drew the postcards and  the subjects.

There is a drawing of  a Queensland Kanaka cutting sugar cane  with a  rhyming caption saying  his labor and upkeep is  cheap ; a woman with a 19 inch waist is better than  a smart one with a high forehead ; one shows  a  chaotic Melbourne  scene when trains are abolished on  Sunday , except for those going  to church ; an unusual one put out in  1908  to mark Leap Year  is designed for   Men- the devils- who only want board , beer and cuddles , in  which  salesmen , Cupid and Hymen , set out the kind of men available  for  women, including  suffragettes ; there is reference to the  Maori  land grab by  pakehas  , many postcards of the time maligning  the  Maoris  as  drunkards, greedy and incapable of  looking  after  themselves ; ditto Australian Aborigines .

 Davies lives on  Magnetic Island where he runs a nursery and  landscaping  business .   At the present moment he is trying to identify the artists  who  drew WW11  Australian postcards which were  printed  by John Sands . On a recent  visit to Melbourne  he called  on  a  prominent  postcard   dealer , Lloyd Holyoake , of Abracadabra  Postcards  and  associated  bookshop  at  Kew,   and  swapped  notes . A  book from  Gary's  library , compiled  by   Kiwi soldiers  during  WWl , was  the  subject of  a  recent post  in  Little  Darwin.

DIARY OF A CURLEW CARER # 6

 Making himself  at home standing  on the  Queen Mother’s  bed ,  covered by a    Townsville  artisan made  quilt , which  will  be   part of  the Downton Abbey inheritance ,  Curlew  admires  itself  in  wardrobe  mirror .

If  we  had  a chimney , I am sure  the Curlews  would come down  it  like Santa . Inadvertently leave the back door open  and the family of  four , Dad in the  lead,  head  for the  kitchen . At  times  he  has   entered on his  own and  gone  for  a  stroll  about the  lounge,  the  bedrooms  and been shooshed out .

 

My  wife recently announces ,” There is  a  cheeky  Curlew  sitting on my bed .” Reaching  for the camera , I go to investigate  and  get  the  above  photo. The  two chicks are  growing  like wildfire, have  difficulty knowing  what to do with  their  longs legs , losing most of  their  fluff. 

One night  there is  loud  screeching  and on rushing out  once again discover  another visit by  dreaded  Barking Owl , which makes  midnight  snacks of  young  birds , sitting  on  the  fence. 

Threw  the  strawbroom like a javelin  and  it  fled.  One morning  it is  discovered that  the Berlin Wall built  to  keep the   chicks inside  has  been  breached  and  there is   a  strange  mark like a bicycle tyre –a snake ? Of  course, it could be the tail of  a wallaby. As mentioned  in  an earlier  blog, the strain  of  listening at night for sounds of  danger  is  wearing , causing   bags  to  fill rapidly under  the eyes.

Charge  of  Curlew  Brigade  at  feed  time

 On several occasions I  totter out of  bed  to dong  possums which  thunder along  the roof  and  nibble  plants . A kookaburra causes unease  among the Curlew family so brandish the broom and it goes away . 

AUX ARMES : Mr Curly , Vasco Pyjama pack up teapots , release ducks and take French leave

From bicycle  to charger , Prime Minister Abbott  in  Napoleonic  election mode.  Another  brilliant  effort by  Michael   Leunig.  

SPING? IS IN THE AIR

From Canberra  to the tip of  Cape York, there are signs that  the   joyous time of the year has started when just  about  everything turns,  flipflops  or  limp  falls  in  public .

 Bees, butterflies, blossoms, birds  and  bossoms   are   busting  out  all over .  In  the hotting up, rarefied atmosphere  of  Canberra , a large  butterfly  has  been  seen fluttering   about  the  Foreign  Minister, Julie  Bishop , during  wildlife  parliamentary   debates  in  which nutty  squirrels  and even  harmless   fairies   have   been   badmouthed.

RARE ANZAC NURSES TRIBUTE

Bought from an antique shop in North Adelaide  many years ago is this fine example of trench  art - an engraved shell made into a jug , a  souvenir of France. It  honours   nurses , described on  the shell  as  The SOLDIERS  FRIEND. 

The fine engraving appears to have been made over  a year or more as there is a 1918 date on the Rising Sun badge

 

 If  A.E. Lane made the  jug, he was  a  skilled engraver as  the detail on  the nurse  is superb as it is elsewhere . Several  researchers  are on his   trail . A number of  Lanes have turned up in Australia World War 1  records .

CEMETERY TOUR INCLUDES RESPECTED DEATH ADDER

North of Alice Springs , the    Tennant  Creek Cemetery  , at  the  red  centre  of  Australia , contains  many  graves  of   interest  which  reflect  pastoral  and  mining   days   of   the   district.  One  which  stands  out  is  that of  Edwin Owen  Elmore Lewis , nicknamed   the  Red  Roan ,  and  even   though  a “  Death  Adder” ,  said  to  be  likeable . 

In  the  Northern  Territory , a Death  Adder  was a  term  applied   to   gnarled,   crotchety  codgers, who  could  turn  nasty , but really  weren’t   bad   buggers,  all  generally  having   led  tough  lives  .   At another mining  town ,  Pine Creek , south of  Darwin , there were several  such   gentlemen , one named Cranky  Franky Atkinson , with  whom I went  digging  for  bottles  and  Chinese  artefacts . His complaint  was  that a lot of modern people regarded picking up a shovel and doing some hard  work as being like  taking hold of a poisonous  black  snake.  The   Pine Creek DAs, one  a  Russian ,  used  to   gather  at  Ah Toy’s  famous  store  on   pension  day  and   shoot  the  wind . 

Punched out  of a  piece of sheet metal, this  unusual  gravestone for  Edwin Lewis  is  decorated  with  a  cowbell  and  spurs.

The   headstone for   Keith  Allan  Cowan, only 26  when he died in  1957,  states  he was   the  son of a hard   working , hard  drinking  miner, see  plaque below with  details  of an  unfortunate  but   eventful    life , which included being evacuated  from Darwin before the Japanese   bombing .  It  contains fond  memories  by  brother Ian who   mentions  Keith's skill  at  assembling  Meccano kits.  

 

In  the case of  miner , musician  and painter , William Henry Charles Fullwood , who emigrated from England circa  1912 , he humped the bluey  around  the  nation , including  the  Depression  period,  mining, shooting, wood  cutting,  bore running , boundary  riding , camp cook, rock  breaking.   From 1942-1945 ,  he  was in the RAAF  where he was an  armourer for  Beaufort Bombers, serving  in  New Guinea at Milne Bay, Goodenough  Island , Aitape and  other  places.   

After the war,  he was a   contractor in Tennant Creek, working  on   various  mines in the district including Noble's Nob.   In  the 1956 explosion  and fire  at   Campbell’s garage and  store in Tennant  Creek , which destroyed most of  the business  centre , he  received  bad burns , a  fractured pelvis , leg and internal injuries. Northern Territory policeman  Sergeant  Jim  Mannion  was   decorated  for  bravery  after  he  rushed  into  the  inferno  to  check  that   nobody  had  been  trapped  inside .

Fullwood's tombstone , right , states he was  a  self  taught  musician who could play the  banjo,  mandolin , organ   and  piano accordion. He painted town murals , portraits  and local landscapes. A member of  several community organisations, he was  awarded the Order of Australia Medal. His grave displays a photo of  him  with  a musical instrument  and  a  pathway  seeming to show models  depicting    aspects  of  his life  - the ship that brought him to Australia,  a crossed pick and shovel , the  head of a  mine  or bore  ,  a    plane  from  the  war days  and  what  could  be  an  artist's easel.  

Fish decorate  a plaque for  Latvian patriot, Gunar Bekeris, ex-Peko Mines ,  remembered as  a  wonderful  fisherman   and   friend of  many.  Constantine Perry, aka Khan-Pera , born November  1900 in Tbilisi, Russia, is  described  as a pioneer  miner ,  pastoralist and  mine  host. As  in  most  cemeteries ,  the  tragic  early  death  of children is evident. One  grave simply states  UNAMED  BABY. (By Peter Simon)