WHEN AUSTRALIA RODE ON THE OLD SHEEP'S BACK

The December  1936 edition of the National Geographic  Magazine, recently obtained by this blog,  contains   several  well  illustrated   articles  dealing  with  the  Australia way of  life , especially   the   importance of   wool  to the nation .
 

Of  particular note is  an  aerial photograph [above]  of  Anlaby  Station , north of Adelaide , home of the  wealthy  and  influential  Dutton  family , who   hosted royalty and many prominent people, including  Lady Spencer, Princess Diana's paternal grandmother .
 

 Anlaby  is  mentioned  in connection with the  fact that  a  fifth of the nation's wealth was   carried on  the back  of  sheep . The author wrote that the  merino  was   the "uncrowned  King of Australia, " supplying between a quarter and a third of  the world's wool .  Above the mantelpiece of one  sheep station  study  , like an  ancestral portrait , was " old David," an Australian merino ram bought for  more than  " US25,000 ! "

This sounds as if he was referring to Anlaby ,  as it was the oldest  merino  and  Clydesdale stud in South Australia , shearing more than 70,000 sheep  a  year , the homestead  employing  14  gardeners   in 1904 . Then there was the steam yacht . A member of the clan, Francis Dutton , shared in the  copper find at Kapunda which added to the  family  coffers; he  became the SA Premier  and the   SA  Agent- General in London, where  he died in 1877. 

 

 Known as   "Squire  Dutton, " Henry   Hampden  Dutton    made the first car crossing  from  Adelaide to  Darwin  in  1908  with Murray Aunger . He died, aged 53,  in his  bed  at Anlaby,  the  large house  filled  with  antiques, books , paintings ,  in  1932.  

 

Over the years , the Dutton  empire shrank along with its  fortunes  until there was a closing down auction  of contents  during  the   time of  author and poet  Geoffrey  Dutton . At the sale   was the  now  Magnetic Island  researcher and postcard  enthusiast  Gary Davies who bought  some ephemera and   a  footscraper , the latter now outside the entrance  to  his  stately  home, the grounds  of  which include part of  the Magnetic Island  old  jetty next to  a man-made billabong , the  venue for  well attended  jazz  festivals in the past  .  During the  auction , he recalled the top of  the Anlaby  fountain , which had  played before  many prominent  visitors, including  local and overseas literary  identities,   fell off , symbolising  the  end  of   a   dynasty  and  a  golden  era .  

WEST PAPUA FLAG, CAIRNS

A float representing the oppressed people of West Papua, displaying the separatist  West Papua Morning  Star flag , the same flag the centre of  a controversy in Darwin recently  , took part in  the Cairns Tropical Wave Festival .  The  flag  is  wrapped  about  a  marcher.

 Children  decked out to look like  jellyfish  and  other marine life ,below, took part in the Cairns Tropical   Wave  Festival  with  floats and  marchers  representing a  wide   cross section  of  the  North  Queensland  community .  

 

 

Strolling ukulele  players  added  to  the  colour  and  entertainment . 



WHEN TURNBULL GOVERNMENT TURNED TURTLE , MAN FROM TURTLE BEACH PLUGGED BREACH

Exclusive  report  on  Pearl Harbour like  attack  on  Canberra  Aquarium by  our  award winning   political  pundit , Argus Tuft

While the Turnbull Government  was  bobbing  belly up in the House of Representatives , the  National Party  Whip , George  Christensen  (LNP , Queensland ) ,   stripped  down  to  his  true  identity as  a  thwarted  Great Barrier Reef  turtle patron  to  help  get  the  numbers  that  finally  saved  the government from being turned into  fish  fingers  by the  ALP.  He is that large  white  figure  in the  above  dramatic  photograph , the worried looking PM about to don a made in China life jacket , Christopher  Pyne  ready  to fire soggy  Titanic  distress  flares . 
 

Before  the ALP  hit  the  government ship of state  with a  Japanese whaling  harpoon , just on closing time , corpulent  Christensen  was  dressed in  a  suit  which made him look like  a shellback  turtle . There was a frantic  call for all hands on deck as the ship began to list , so  Christensen threw off his coat, rolled up his sleeves  and threw himself into the large hole in the side of  SS Turnbull .

During  the  recent election campaign those  wretched  GetUp! activists tried to chuck  Christensen , above ,  into a  huge boiling vat  of  mock  turtle   soup  when he promised to donate $12,000  to  a Whitsunday turtle rescue  group-if  he  were  voted back in . GetUp!complained to the Australian Electoral Commission  that  this  could be seen as   buying  votes, the matter was referred to the Australian Federal Police , the outcome of  that  investigation  not  yet  known . Of course ,the  AFP  is  run off its feet  of  late , invading  parliament  in a  search for  those  subversive  fiends  upholding  democracy  and  freedom  in  this country .

After the sneaky ALP attack , Immigration Minister   Peter Dutton , missing   during the   count, and  turtle teller  Christensen   drew up contingency plans to  counter  any  further  enemy attacks .

SPRING SNAKING IN UP NORTH

With  weather  supposed to be warming up , there are  increasing indications  that  Spring is here . Snakes are on the move , one  pictured left   in the Townsville suburb of Mundingburra  , where it had  taken  up residence  in  a  planter  box . Residents  have been alerted  to  watch  out  for  snakes .

 

On nearby  Magnetic Island , a harmless  green tree snake had a snap at a handyman who disturbed it  and   Coucals  have been spotted  fluttering about in the bush  and  heard  calling at night. Larry the  cussing  Lorikeet  is  also  frisky  and has been exceptionally naughty .

In fact, the Queen of the Jungle  may lodge him in the Tower of London  if  he  continues to misbehave . While she was  in Townsville  having  her  bones  realigned   because  of  injuries received when she  came off a motorbike  on a German  autobahn when  she was much  younger , Larry , home alone , went on a rampage . 

Unable to  fly because of injuries received   in Cyclone Larry , he dragged each and every one of his five  teddy bears , all much bigger than he , into his cage in which he sleeps at night . Once they were  in there , he tore to shreds the fresh newspaper  lining the Queen had  placed on the bottom . Then , over  hours, he pooped on the  poor  teddies and the new  Purple People Eater  triangular shaped  nest in  which  he snoozes .

 

Imagine the scene  which   greeted the   Queen  when she  limped through the door. Larry made  things worse  by impatiently rattling two empty food dishes , demanding  they be   filled .

Well, dear twitterpated  reader, the  Queen let fly. Larry was  abused , threatened. He joined  in  the  tirade  by  muttering , "Bugger!Bugger! Bugger !"The  bears were  rescued, cleaned ; the Purple People Eater  washed  and  hung on the line , pecked  by   those rascally  Currawongs .

During the week, the sluggish beating  hearts of  patients entering the Latitude  19 Health Medical Centre  on  the island raced  when  people   were  greeted  by  this mutilated octopus just inside  the front door . It  was not a case of an unusual   medical emergency , it was an  objet d'art  for  Dr Claus  Bader , who has  filled the  premises with  a soothing  piscatorial  theme , a  huge print of  a  crown of thorns starfish  munching away  on  the  Barrier Reef  dominates  a  wall  in  the reception  area . 

LONGTIME ACTIVIST AT TOP END LAUNCH OF WATTIE CREEK BOOK

Sans gumboots , Darwin agronomist, Rob Wesley-Smith , speaking during the launch in the  Northern Territory  Library ,  NT Legislative Assembly,   of the book, A Handful of Sand, by Charlie Ward , about the walk off by Gurindji stockmen   from the  English  owned Vesteys  Wave Hill   cattle station  in the Northern Territory  50 years ago . Ward is  next  to Wes ; Murray McLoughlin , left , Northern  Land  Council  media  officer ,  a former ABC reporter, was  the  MC .  

 

As reported  previously in this  blog, Rob   was  present when PM Gough Whitlam in 1975 handed  over the Gurindji land  to Vincent Lingiari , the historic moment   captured  in  a  famous photograph showing the PM pouring sand into the  hand of  Lingiari . What is more , Rob took the original photograph of the event , below, which  was  restaged  for  the  travelling  media .

More  details  about the involvement of  Wesley-Smith  and others  in the Gurindji  struggle  will  be  included  in  an  upcoming post .

CHALLENGE TO HERBERT ELECTION RESULT OUT OF THIS WORLD

TOWNSVILLE, Planet  Earth : Leaked liberal Party  correspondence indicates the desperate Coalition  plans to  lodge a Court of  Disputed Returns appeal  based on the claim that Martians missed out on a  chance  to vote. The startling correspondence ,  viewed   by  Little Darwin through a keyhole  , reveals  the Liberal  National Party   will  table  this secret photograph of  a giant  flying  saucer  which had been hovering over Townsville for more than a year, its occupants, keen supporters of  the  Cowboys ,  therefore  eligible  to   vote  in  Herbert .  

 

True blue Catfish

A leading player calling for a  challenge to Cathy O'Toole's  37 vote win  is Senator  Crusty P.  Catfish ,   left  , who  nervously snapped the gleaming large  UFO ,  near the Lavarack Army Barracks ,on  his  Box  Brownie. There are only seventeen  days  left  in which  to  lodge  an   appeal.

 

With  Prime Minister Malcolm  Turnbull facing the War of the Worlds within  the Coalition , Tories  believe they have nothing to lose by challenging the  Herbert  result  using superior beings  from  another  planet  .

Down  to  earth   private  eye report on  Ewen Jones
A  roaming, latte sipping correspondent yesterday spotted  vanquished  Ewen, back in town after a holiday ,  entering SpecSavers  at  Castletown  shopping  centre .  Is  this  an   indication  that  he  wants  to  see  (boom,boom)  a  challenge  to  the  election  result ?

Re that claim  that  some  Townsville based   soldiers taking part in  an exercise in  South Australia   were not  given  the opportunity  to  vote,  the troops, on May 13, nearly two months before the election ,  were given a  step-by-step  instructional  letter  on  how to vote  if they were going to be away on polling day . 

BUSHRANGER MUSICAL PROJECT GALLOPS ALONG

Magnetic Island  filmmaker and history  buff   Gary Hunn  in early September will  take  Sydney based  songwriter, musician   and  producer    Paul  McDermott to  key places in  the  life  of  Irish  bushranger Andrew  George Scott  (1842-1880)  , known as   Captain  Moonlite  ,  as  part  of  the   plan  to  produce a  musical  about his  fantastic life   which  saw him   hanged  in  January  20,1880 .

Hunn has  done extensive research into Scott's life , as he has on other  Australian bushrangers, and is convinced he was  framed   for  a bank robbery in the Victorian town of   Edgerton  in 1869 , which  subsequently saw him  jailed for  10 years.

In addition, Gary has  been in contact with a  descendant of the Scott  family in  New Zealand . There are many intriguing   aspects of Scott's   life ...it is 'legend" that  he  fought with the  Italian   patriot  and  general , Garibaldi. An American  soldier came to  Australia  to follow up a suggestion that  Scott had  served in the American Civil War , a visit which  had an  astonishing effect  on  the  saga , to be explained in  an  extensive  Captain   Moonlite  post .