BLUE FUNNEL LINE ODYSSEY TURNS UP A FEMALE FIRST IN AUSTRALIA

Researching  the   above  faded   shipping  ephemera , a  single piece of  writing paper  bearing  the letterhead  of  the  British  Blue Funnel Line's  TSS  Anchises, below,  resulted   in  some  interesting discoveries.

 

One   being  that  the   company ,  which  gave  its  vessels  names  from  classical Greek legends   or   history , was  the  first   one  to employ a  female marine  engineer, Victoria  Drummond (1894-1978), aboard  the liner  Anchises, named after the   father of Aeneas , rescued  by his son from the fires of Troy, from 1922-1924, in which she made  four trips to Australia , one to China . It was not a case of smooth sailing as some men  gave  her  hell , as  did  several female passengers . 

Her  position with the company  was  as  the 10th  engineer  aboard ship ; then as  refrigeration engineer on  the  cargo ship  Perseus , ( son of Zeus and  Danae , who slew the Medusa  and saved   Andromeda  from  a sea monster ) ,  in 1943;  then in  1946  as resident engineer at the Caledonian Shipbuilding  yard, Dundee, supervised   completion of  Rhexenor and Stentor,  two new ships  to replace  Blue Funnel vessels lost in WWll, numbering 41  in all ,  16 in  WWl .

Serving in the British  Merchant  Navy during  the war , she  was  awarded the MBE  for  bravery under fire  and also was the  first female member of  the Institute of Marine Engineers. It is not possible  to say this  letterhead  is from the Anchises  on which   Drummond  served  as   over  the  years    Alfred   Holt and Company, trading as the Blue Funnel Line , had  a  number of  vessels of  the  same  name , one  bombed  by  Germans   and   eventually  sunk.

A 1947 built  vessel  bearing  the  same  name  Anchises  was attacked and bombed twice  on the way from  Woosung to Shanghai  on the Wangpoo  River  in 1949 by Chinese Nationalist   planes ; it was  towed to Japan  for repairs  and renamed Alcinous .   

Another of the  Blue Funnel   vessels , Nestor,   carried  Australian  Expeditionary Force   troops  in WWl ,   evacuated  British children to Australia in WWll  and after its final voyage to Australia in  1950 was scrapped .

A November 1931 newspaper advertisement  offered  special first class  round trips  to  China , Japan and Australia  aboard  the TSS Anchises  for  145 pounds; There was a  similar  special rate to Australia  via  the Canary Islands and South Africa  for  125  pounds  aboard the  TSS  Nestor.

The  letterhead was  found  in Adelaide along with other nautical items, including the  Bass Strait 41 ton ketch    Leillateah , owned by the McDougall Brothers  of Recherche, a pioneering sawmilling  family  that  battled bushfires that  destroyed  working  men's huts , poor  loading  facilities  which they overcame by building a large landing stage for  interstate ships .

A member of the family , Stanley Robert McDougall  (1889-1968), won the Victoria  Cross and the Military Medal   for extreme bravery at Dernancourt in WWl, his uniform,  medals  and  a Lewis gun  he used  on display in the Hall of Valour , Canberra.


 Shipping records show the ketch  was involved in a collision with another ketch , John  and Margaret , off Woody Island , in the D'Entrecasteaux  Channel, July 14  1899 ;   carrying   timber   from Devonport ran aground  at Nine Mile Beach  in 1901 ;  still  sailing , to Melbourne , in mid 20th century . 

CURLEW HOME INVASION CONTINUES IN PECKISH WEATHER

As there is no chimney, the  Curlews cannot come down  it like Santa.They are, however,  making  entry into the  house  through the  back door  and  the re-arranged , disorderly den ."Daddy", a  frequent  intruder, father of the chicks ,  this morning  began pecking at the back door  wanting   food   for  the family. Then he  came into the den  and  , below,  like  a  Kiwi Cossack (see   background )  and  demanded  seconds , chicks  visible  outside , waiting for Dad  to bring home the bacon .

 Told to go away, he  went to the back door, strolled into the kitchen and took up a position near the frig , where the  Curlew  tucker is  kept . Ordered out, he refused to budge until  the raucous call of a Currawong , a threat to the family, was  heard outside. Hissing,  he walked out  and looked  about  for the  Currawong .  

TAMIE FRASER'S GUIDE TO SPOTTY TOWNSVILLE HISTORIC SPOTS - HOW LOW CAN YOU GO ?

You  just about need  to  be  as low as  a snake's duodenum  to read  this  slightly above  ground level  Heritage Trail  sign  surrounded by unsightly  black spots  on  an uncomfortable  concrete  seat  in  the  Flinders Street CBD. Standing erect,  especially if you are  as tall as was  Malcolm ,  you  will not be able to read the  information  .   If  you get down on your stomach ,with a magnifying glass or lorgnette  , you will discover that  the plaque  relates  to  general merchants  , Cummins and  Campbell Limited , formed in  Townsville 1899 , a dynamic  partnership between  John Cummins  and  Alymer  Campbell .

It had  branches in the booming  mining town  of   Charters Towers ( where Campbell died  soon after )  , Cairns, Bowen, Innisfail and Ingham ; agencies  in Hughenden , Yungaburra, Cloncurry , with a  depot in  the mining town  of  Mount  Isa ,  the  latter dealing  with  Territorians  as well. 

An  important aspect of  Cummins  and  Campbell  is  that it also produced  a monthly magazine   jampacked  with interesting  articles and photographs  about the early Queensland mining  towns , items of  information  about  people who had been involved   in   various  Northern Territory ventures  and even extensive pieces  on  New Zealand   subjects,  including the   1932  Napier earthquake .

Bound  in  copies of  the  magazine  dating from  the  l930s through to the l950s are held in  the great treasure house  of invaluable information -  Special Collections  at the   Eddie Koiki  Mabo Library, James Cook University , Townsville .

That Cummins and Campbell was  a large business playing an important part in northern commerce  is shown by the above  flashlight photograph of  its staff dance in the   Townsville  School of Arts , May  1931 .  The tall, white-haired man at  the front , near the centre,  is almost certainly John Cummins, described as  big and bluff , who  allocated  shares  in  the company to  employees.
 

A member and  chairman of the Townsville  Harbour Board , president of the Chamber of Commerce and  chairman of the  Turf Club , Cummins was  said to enjoy " ebullient  companionability" in later years . Flags  flew at half mast in Townsville when he died August 1,1934.

 

Browsing  through   the company's monthly magazines  , described  in  the Australian  Dictionary of  Biography   as having  been the  sole repository of  writings  on  North Queensland at  one stage  ,   is  like scanning  Glenville Pike's  North Australian Monthly  which kicked  off  in  the 1950s , published in Townsville ,  and  covered the  top of  Australia   from WA  through  the Territory   to   Queensland .   

ART IS BUT NATURE BETTER UNDERSTOOD-STATEMENT ON EXQUISITELY CARVED NAUTILUS SHELL AT ANTIQUES ROADSHOW

 

Cyclops , disguised as a  frightening , one eyed   Nautilus , about  to pounce on  unsuspecting  world surfing  champ  Mick Fanning in Queensland   waters ,  speeding up  his  desire  to become a landlubber for a  year.

Vallis Photographs. Nautilus  carved  with  penknife  by  G.H.Wood.

RAINING CATS AND DOGS , CANE TOADS , CURLEWS AND PUMICE

Curlew rain dance .

As  this  was   being written , a  bedraggled , rain-drenched  Curlew  was  standing at the  front  door of  the den, obviously intent  on coming in ; later it did , walked in, had a good  look  about, then strolled out  into the  tempest. On  another wet  day, one of the Little Darwin resident  backyard  Curlews  walked  right  in , inspected  the books in  the  enclosed  front  verandah , which bears  the impressive title,  Judy's Salon.

 

The  welcome rain  and high tides  in  recent weeks  has resulted  in  interesting observations and  many photographic  subjects .

Low  cloud across Cleveland  Bay  is  looking  like  erupting  geysers  from  the  Bay of Plenty volcanic region  in  New Zealand . 

 

Close to 200mm  of rain  has fallen in the  past 24 hours  and during the night the Curlew chicks were  seen  darting about in the  deluge , occasionally  taking shelter  under their  mother, who sat  out  in  the  open  like a glistening  Christmas  pudding .

At 2am, cascading  runoff  near sheltering  resident  ghost .   

Down at Horseshoe  Bay , a family interested in  wildlife protection  caught nearly 200  cane  toads , which  kill so  many  native creatures ,  in  a  billabong  and put them in  the  freezer . Large numbers of flying ants were  brought out by the  rain.   Last night , a Barking Owl , a threat to young   Curlews, was   heard  in the  distance.  

 

 

At popular  Alma Bay , mentioned  in  an article about Magnetic Island  by   novelist  Romy Ash  in  the latest edition of the Saturday Paper ,  the  runoff  from rain and  high tides produced  these  early morning  views of  the   beach  and  sea  with  vast  amounts of  pumice visible  in  the flotsam  , said  to  have been  from  volcanic activity  in  the  Solomons  years  ago .

 

 

CAKE SNATCHING CELEBRITY GRABS LIMELIGHT AT RIGHT ROYAL ISLAND BIRTHDAY PARTY

Cussing lorikeet , Larry , sizes  up   apple and raisin  cake  before hopping in and having  a quick , naughty   nibble   at  preparations   for a   birthday  party  at  Queen of  the Jungle's recently extensively pruned   island   estate.  BELOW : Impatient Larry  grabs a serviette  so that he can  get into the tucker , which included German biscuits,  with  gusto, one of  the  guests  having  flown  in  from  Cambodia .

 

 

While the humans drank various  beverages , Larry  sipped milk from a spoon near one of his teddy bears and seashells   and guzzled  honey,which he likes to mix with yoghurt , from  a  special container. Then he entertained  one and  all  by  dropping a bugger  from time to time , whistling , imitating the sound of a telephone ringing , dragging his  favourite teddy bear along the  ground, inspecting  and  counting  other  teddies and soft toys  in  a  basket .

 

The party was   for wildlife carer ,  Bev ,  from Man Friday , the Mexican restaurant  on  Magnetic Island. At the end of  the  exciting party , extrovert  Larry, who survived but was injured in Cyclone Larry ,  was  put to  bed  in a  cage , his favourite teddy bear, which really  looks like a  Noah's Ark reject, a weird cross between a unicorn and  Daisy the cow ,   placed inside with him ,  its ears  attached to the wire  by  pegs to prevent his buddy falling flat on its  face... as a result of   partying   all  day  and  most  of   the  night  

 

 

 

SPICE ISLAND ADVENTURES : ANYBODY FOR SNOKELING ?

Public notice  boards  on  Magnetic Island offer many and varied items for sale, job  positions , University of Third  Age  courses ,  well read  garage sale  dates. Lots of tinnies and outboards  and cars  are  offered for sale ,  occasionally  a   yacht. Missing  birds, musical tuition , hair braiding , dancing lessons , the North Queensland  home brewing  contest.

 

 

 From time to time  crew is requested for  a Pacific  cruise.  One   nautical  notice   placed  by a seemingly self described  "Cool  Skipper " , not very strong in the  spelling department  ,  has   attracted  the   attention  of  backpackers  and others at  Horseshoe Bay .  It reads :

 

There are two self contained  cabins and   for  some three to four hours work a day   aboard   this  desirable  " mulitlevel  vessel", perhaps a deep sea  mullet trawler ?, you could partake in a  sunset cruise , fishing and  " snokeling " equipment  provided . It  is  also OK  to  smoke  onboard ,  thanks to  the  cool  skipper.   

 

A  room  to  rent  notice  at  Nelly  Bay  clearly stated no meth user  need  apply.