HAROLD HOLT SURFACES IN QUEENSLAND

 Shipping  Reporter  makes startling  find  in  Townsville

In his relentless search for nautical memorabilia  and  other oddities, our waterfront roundsman  found  Harold Holt  in   the  form of  a  very weathered  silver  plated  giftware  teaspoon,  together with  another one  for Sir   Winston  Churchill  (1874-l965) .

While Churchill  had been  instantly identifiable ,   the  Shipping Reporter thought the  other  person  might be another British PM-  perhaps Neville Chamberlain, famous  for  waving  the  Munich   October  1 1938  accord  signed  by  Hitler , said  to  guarantee  peace  in  our  time .

However , examination with a  magnifying  glass revealed   it was a battered  and scratched , yet  smiling  Harold  Holt , sporting  a stiff  dickey shirt front with a white tie for evening wear . He   mysteriously  disappeared  on  December   17 , l967, while  swimming  off  Cheviot Beach,Portsea, Victoria .

Three times Walkley Award winner  and former  Northern Territory News  reporter  Keith Willey covered the disappearance  for  the  Sydney Sun  newspaper.

Holt  was  officially declared  dead, many world leaders attended his funeral . Over the years there were  wild conspiracy  theories about his  disappearance   which  included  suicide  and  that the US CIA knocked him off  because he was  about  to  withdraw  Australian  troops  from  Vietnam .

It was even claimed that Holt had been a longtime  Chinese  spy  !!!!!!!and  that   Chinese   frogmen  bundled him into a submarine and  spirited him away.  His wife, Zara, rejected   this  suggestion as  ridiculous , saying  he  did   not  like  Chinese  food . 

Harold Holt was commemorated in various ways - the American navy  named a ship after him  and  his name was  bestowed upon  an Australian    swimming  pool .   

SLIM DUSTY SPECIAL

Sleeve of Slim Dusty Golden Anniversary Album  plus unopened  clear  packet  containing a postcard  of  Slim Dusty  posing  with   a  guitar circa l948 . Offered  at  Kempsey , New South Wales, on January 25, 2001, first day of  issue  of  an Australian  stamp  featuring  Slim  in  the Australia Post   Australian  Legends  series. Unused  45  cent  stamp.  

AMERICAN POSTCARD COLLECTORS

 Townsville  discovery by  our  drifting  Shipping  Reporter who has long  been  interested  in  postcards 

ISLAND TRANSPORT HISTORY / MUSEUM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED / ROYAL VISITOR

Bus named   Nippy Nell  once supplied  scenic tours of  Magnetic Island -a  postcard  produced  by  Murray Views  ,Gympie, Queensland .

Right now  the  Magnetic Museum, one of the island's attractions,  open five days a  week ,  at  Picnic Bay  , is  in need   of  volunteers.  Included  in its latest , always interesting  exhibitions ,  in  a  section dealing with  notable  visitors  ,   Julian  Assange   of  Wikileaks  fame  is  one  of   them . 

Another notable  was  Prince Leonard  Casley who set up the self proclaimed micronation   of  Hutt  River in Western Australia  and  refused to  pay  taxes. The WA Supreme Court ordered him to pay $2.7million in back  taxes; he eventually abdicated ,   appointed a  son the new ruler  , the principality was     dissolved  , and  Prince  Leonard  died   aged  93. 

SHUNTED BACK TO THE 1950S

Used  as   a kind  of   a   diary , this  old  Queensland Government  Railways  notebook  contains  interesting details   of   important  events ,  presents   given   and    received  ,   and   costs    70   and  more  years  ago .   

It  appears to have been  kept by a   girl  who on  her  18th birthday in l952  was given a necklace and ear rings  by   a  person  called    Des ;  he  followed  up  with  a compact set-lipstick, rouge  and  powder- at Christmas. 

He continued to  give  her  presents   for  her   19th  birthday -white   hand painted cloth and serviettes - and  a crystal water  set  at  Christmas. 

In turn, in  1952 , she gave  Des a portable clock  which cost  seven pounds     six  shillings. For his 25th birthday  in 1953  , she gave him a Ronson cigarette lighter  bought   for  four  pounds  seventeen  shillings and  threepence.

That Christmas she  showered  Des with a sports shirt , a wallet and  a monogrammed   D  hanky, for a total  outlay  of  nearly  five  pounds .

It is not clear what she gave  Des for  his  l954 birthday, but it involved  airfreight.

Another  list  contains  more  information about  the  presents she received for her  19th birthday , including  from her mother and father and   girls  at  work- a writing case and icing utensils, white briefs, two souvenir  sweet dishes , summer pyjamas, chef memo  and  a box of  chocolates , a Bambi ornament  and   an  afternoon  tea  cloth. 

IF ONLY REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO

 The   rocketing  cost   of  real estate     in   Australia   was  brought  home recently when  two  former  houses   owned  by  this  blogger  were   offered   at   astronomical    prices.

Way back in 1969, not far from  the  above  Coogee Bay Road, Sydney, intersection with the   beach, the first house , a semi,on a block 186ft long by just  20ft  wide, was  bought for  $13,000!!! with  two  loans !!! Now that property is on the market  for  more than  $3,000,000!!!

It is a  family joke  that  we  did not  sell the   Coogee property  and  it  will be  one  of  several  imaginary  estates  in   the   will  .

Another   former home  , near the sea, at Largs  Bay , Adelaide, bought for $71,000 in l984,  is  now  listed for $2,7000,000!!!

It has been added to  our  if only  valuable   real estate   portfolio  to be shared with  the  children  when  we  depart  for  the  big auction  house  in the sky.

ASSANGE TO BE FREED ?

 If  America does  drop  its  pursuit of  Julian Assange it will be great news for  his supporters on Magnetic Island. One of them is George Hirst, newspaper  editor, artist ,  film maker  and   environment  activist .

At one stage  it  was suggested  an Assange  statue should be erected  on  the island  due to the fact the  Wikileaks  founder   had spent some  time  there  as  a  yougster.

Hirst  responded by drawing   the  following  brilliant  cartoon  depicting such  a   memorial  in  the  form  of   a  drinking  fountain  which did not  stop   leaking.

Since  President  Biden said Assange's case was being considered , there has  been a  report  that   there is   a move  to  have  a  Julian Assange  statue  erected  on  The Strand ,  Townsville , overlooking   Magnetic  Island.