LOST CITY OF THE INCAS

CYCLONE TRACY SURVIVOR DEAD DUE TO NEGLECT, POISONING ?

In December 2014, Darwin agronomist  Rob Wesley-Smith   posed with a large Milkwood tree  in the  CBD , which he had  succeeded  in having placed  on the Heritage list . At the time of  Cyclone Tracy  in 1974   he was  in a block of flats nearby  which had  the roof torn off and  badly damaged .When he emerged   from  the building   he removed a sheet of  tin imbedded  in the  tree, and walked about the city taking photos , now in the archives, cutting his foot in the process , going to hospital to be stitched up .


 He had  fought to have the tree listed as one of significance  during the reconstruction of the  city .  At the time this photograph was taken , he was  concerned to find  that a  fig tree  was  growing  up against  the Milkwood, bearing a  Heritage plaque,  threatening  to choke it . The empty  block on which it stands was  being used  by  contractors building  a  26 storey hotel across the road .  

This is  the latest photograph of the Milkwood -apparently dead . Wes   says he would not be surprised if the tree  had been deliberately poisoned .  It showed  civic  authorities  were  lacking in  their  care of   Darwin's heritage. He  is also disappointed at the local media's  apparent  failure to  cover this  story and investigate , despite  being   informed .  

HERE COMES THE WET

Captured by Abra , a recent storm sweeping into  Cairns , North Queensland , followed    days  later  by  a  Pelican  in  mauve haze .

Meanwhile , on Magnetic Island, after welcome overnight  rain , two Curlew  chicks  at the  front of the  Little Darwin den peep out  from protective  mother , below , to see  if it  is okay to come out  for breakfast .  

Finding the coast clear, the chicks emerge  for  a feed , following foraging   and clucking  mother . 

HARRY POTTER TICKLES THE IVORIES AT ISLAND PARTY

A birthday party for a boy soon to turn  15   , camping out  with   friends who came over  from Townsville  by  ferry ,  at   Radical Bay , above ,   Magnetic Island , North  Queensland , turned into  an  unexpected  musical event . A  surprise piece of gear  at the   prepared   camp site  was  a  battered   upright piano , which  attracted  much  attention.

One of the  girls in the party played  the  Harry Potter  theme  . Others  picked away at the   keys , the  piano  having been on the island for  many years, at  one stage  thought to  have resided  at  the old dump . 

Naturally, the  piano  provided an ideal setting  for  a  group  photo , a musician searching  for the  lost  chord  sitting  on  top .

HUGE LEGAL CASE LOOMING AGAINST TOWNSVILLE

Another  S(h)ipping  Reporter  exclusive

Captain Cook  is not amused by  this  latest Townsville  stunt ; man facing camera appears to be performing  an  old  sailors  hornpipe  jig, popular  in  1770.  



Furious , famous explorer  Captain  James Cook  has instructed lawyers to sue the jodhpurs  off a number of prominent  Townsville  organisations for changing the name of  Magnetic Island  to Cowboys Island .

 

"I have the naming rights to  Magnetic Island , because I named it in the first  place ," he thundered  , from the poop deck . " Actually, I  dubbed it Magnetical Isle , but  some  dumb colonial   had  the nerve to  change it   to   Magnetic , without   seeking  approval  from  me , the  legal  title holder ."

 

Red with rage , Captain Cook   said he would like to keel haul all those  who recently changed  the name  to Cowboys Island  and   came  to the  island  on a Sealink ferry and   flounced  about the  terminal  like  drunken  Morris dancers ,  waving  flags and  giggling ,  then   fled back to  the  mainland .

 

"I have  instructed   a local hotshot lawyer, Cameron Horatio  Nelson , to  nail a writ to the  mast of  the   Townsville  City Council  chambers , its mayor and councillors  eager , prancing  players in  this  outrage ,"  the captain said . 

The Admiralty Court  writ, he explained, would prevent  any councillors  from  making further overseas jaunts  to  India , Singapore, China , Disney Land , Wally World . Other parties  to be included in  the legal action  include Townsville Enterprise , Sealink , the   Cowboys Leagues  Club , the Townsville  Bulletin .

Captain Cook said he is prepared to take the case to  the powerful  Privy Council in the Old Dart  if  the  Red Brick Dunny  and  the overworked  High Court of  Australia   did not rule in his  favour .

In the meantime ,  he would issue another   writ  preventing Prince Harry from ever coming to Townsville, blockade the  Townsville   ferry terminal with  100 ship of the line , flog members  of   Townsville  Enterprise  and then  place them in stocks along The Strand to be  pelted   by the public with tomatoes and  rotten mangoes  , make  soccer  the  main   code  in  Queensland and ban rugby league !!!

 

 "I did not  endure the  dangers of  sailing along the Great Barrier Reef , without a depth sounder , GPS  and  radar  , to have  my  island , now  annoyingly   abbreviated to Maggie , which sounds like a milk maid suffering from cow pox  ,  turned into a crazy name, Cowboys  Island !"he roared.    

Captain Cook was  scathing  in his comments about the Townsville Bulletin  and its part in  the renaming of Magnetic Island . The paper, he said, spitting on the deck ,  was not worth  the penny it dared charge . In the good old days of penny press in London  editors  could be  dragged off to the  London Tower , hung , drawn and quartered , and left out to be picked over by   ravens .  This kind of treatment , he told me, presiding over a barbecue in Hawaii, would obviously improve  media  coverage and  democracy   in  North Queensland .

WORLD CLASS FLYING (FISH) TACKLE IN NORTH QUEENSLAND

As part of the promotion for  Rugby League  World Cup  matches in  North Queensland , the Cairns lagoon  fish are  sporting  team  jumpers, Scotland and  Ireland  plainly visible .  On October 29 Scotland versus Tonga and Ireland will play Italy  at Barlow Park . Samoa will take on Scotland in November . Other matches are scheduled for Townsville ... Fiji  and  USA, followed by a double header , USA and Italy,  Fiji and Wales .  ( Abra photograph and report ).

A SPRINKLE OF WEE CURLEWS

  

After  a  pretence of  rain-2mm-  two tiny Curlews  hatched  at  the  front of  the  Little Darwin  den  and  were moved out  of  the  open  into  a  cooler spot   ,  the nearby  area  recently the   subject  of   crazed  landscaping  which turned it into  a  repository  for  driftwood , chunks of granite  and  a   beaut   future   holiday  camp  for  termites , an ideal  scratch  patch  for  daily raids  by orange footed  scrub  turkeys . 

 

While  the recent  flowering   of  Rain Orchids  caused predictions  of  wet  stuff  within four days, what  the  harsh heavens  provided  was hardly precipitation  of  any  value , a  fine mist of  short duration . 

Then the  Queen of the Jungle, one of those  who raised the Rain Orchids  furphy , rang and said to hurry down again with the camera   because another   orchid , above, which looked like  something  from the Little Shop of Horrors ,  had flowered   for the  first time   in 20 years ,  another portent   of rain  in  the  near future...two lousy mms.

Meanwhile, the Curlew chick which hatched recently at the back of the Little Darwin den , though small , above,  is still  alive . Hissing and  other  noises   late at night have resulted  in  having to leap from  bed with a torch to investigate , chasing possums ,  searching  for  the  dreaded  Murder Owls , cats  ; during daylight,  a watch has to be kept for  Crows, Currawongs  and Kookaburras .

 

Twice during last night , about 3.30-ish, there  were   loud  explosions  , sounding like  gunshots , then  much louder.  Being Magnetic Island , surrounded  by  water , the  mainland  media  will  probably  not  pick up  this event. An island resident  said she thought it was   fireworks  --- at 3.30am  on the sabbath, what would  the  vicar  say?  

    

The  disruption of much needed beauty  sleep  and  the  wood duck  local  media   makes  one   irritable , bug-eyed, given to  expressing hearty expletives.  While working on this post, hissing was heard at the front  of the residence and on investigation  a Kookaburra  was  spotted  and  chased away.