LOVE CHILD ABANDONED



Holy smoke!

 CANBERRA : A novice nun , Maria  Monk , has  found  a baby boy  wrapped in  brief swaddling clothes  in  bulrushes in  the water  feature outside the High Court , the  stark  edifice known  as  Sir Garfield  Barwick's Mausoleum . The kind  nun said  she  would  bring  the  babe  up as if  it were   her  own  and give him the  surname Monk. She  plans to  conduct  a  vote in  her  Order of Persil  White  Nuns  to  decide his Christian  name, perhaps  Monty,  Moonie, Manfred  or  Monseigneur.

PIANOLA PALACE POLITICS

So Long , It  has been Good ( sob) to  Have Known You, Tony .

Queensland  Conservative senator Ian Macdonald, above ,  injecting  a touch of  the blemished  mango into  the running  musical comedy  surrounding  the  future of Prime Minister  Tony  Abbott . Behind him  in  a tropical setting is   an attractive green upright  honky  tonk  pianola . Tunes played on  it  in coming days will   undoubtedly include  the Defrocked Monk,  by Niki  Savva ; the  Stuffed  Goose ,  by  ABC Cabinet Kitchen presenter,  Annabel Crabb ,  and Malcolm  Farr's popular  drunken  footy club  ditty ,  Roll Me  Over  in  the  Clover.  Adding to  the sing along, Communications  Minister Malcolm Turnbull  , whistling the old love song  popular 37 years ago , Come into the Garden, Maude, invited his  beloved  Lucy  to step outside for  a  morning stroll, just in  case the media  are  there .  Meanwhile there  are unconfirmed  reports  that  former ALP Prime Minister Julia Gillard is being treated  for  hysteria   and   incontinence, a condition known in  medical jargon  as  pissing  yourself  laughing , keeping tonsorial Tim busy with the  mop .

TOWNSVILLE WATERFRONT MYSTERY REVEALED BY OLD SALTS

A large  number of  demountables, fitted  with  air conditioning , worth a  tidy sum, have been spotted  on  a wharf  often used  by   naval vessels in Townsville . Are  they  bound  for  Manus, Christmas?  Could  even be  a  mining camp  here  in  Queensland.  Several  old  journo  hacks  with  feeble eyesight  and limited  brain capacity  travelling on  the Magnetic Island  ferry  have  noticed  the  demountables  and   instantly recognised  that  there is a story here . Any local  journos reading  this  are invited to  follow up this news  tip  from our  roaming  shipping  reporter .

HEAVEN AND HOME CRASH

Further  indication  of   tough  trading conditions   in  North Queensland  is the closure of  three  shops in  Townsville's  large  Castle Town shopping centre .  Heavenly Fragrance  has  evaporated ; Homeart (Copper Art ) , administrator  appointed , was in  the  midst  of  a  closing down  sale  on  Thursday  and   the shutter  had  come down  on  House.

THE MAGIC OF AGATHA , ANARCHISTS AND ALGORITHMS

Web of  intrigue

The BBC documentary about crime writer Agatha Christie and  actor David Suchet, who magnificently  played  Poirot ,  sent  this  blog  searching  through several  boxes, drawers and filing cabinets for associated items  of interest . One  is  this  1950s grubby copy  of  Christie's play, Spider's Web, bearing the  Sydney trade sticker  of  Will Andrade , dealer  in  plays, stage make up, novelties , magic and  books , a  family  firm with  trading links to  America . William Andrade (1863-1939) , bookseller, anarchist and anti-conscriptionist, was born in Collingwood, Melbourne   as  was his older brother, David (1859-1928) . In 1886 David helped form the Melbourne Anarchists Club .Inspired  by the American Liberty magazine , David was committed to ProudHonest Anarchism , a  libertarian  doctrine of  individual emancipation, rather  than mass revolution .

It was he  who first became a bookseller ,stationer, newsagent  and printer. An active speaker , he wrote several books  on  economics, the social system  and two utopian novels ,The Melbourne Riots  and  How Harry  Holdfast and his friends Emancipated the Workers . In 1890 he was made secretary of the Unemployed Workers' Association ,eventually  falling on hard times, he  went  bush .

His  brother Will represented  the Anarchists' Club at the Australasian Free Thought Conference in Sydney and  tried to influence the  newly formed Australasian Socialists' League.  After  spending some time in Mackay, Queensland,  Will returned to Melbourne, opened a grocery shop and indulged  his interest in acting , stocking theatrical  supplies, novelties   and books on conjuring  and magic. The shop also became the centre  for  socialist and free thought  movements in Australasia. During WWl books ordered  by left  wing organisations were stopped from  entry into Australia .  

Will Andrade made three trips to Europe and the US during 1910-l935 . Returning from one in 1935, he strongly criticised Australian censorship of literature , saying it savoured of   persecution . Most of the books banned  in Australia were being openly sold in England ."Censors may be fine fellows , but officially they are  dunderheads ," he was quoted as saying . In London he had contacted publishers and suggested they should  engage  visiting Australian Prime Minister Lyons in a discussion about censorship. In  Italy he noted that the average pay of workers was less than  the  dole in  England . 

Having  moved to Sydney in 1920, Andrade  was  dumped  on  his head  while  surfing   at  Manly and   died  in  hospital, survived  by his second wife ,their  son, and two daughters from  his   first  marriage .

A stamp on the  title page  of  the  play  states  the play may not performed in Australia until permission is first obtained and a licence issued by Messrs.Samuel French (Australia) Pty. Ltd.,  Elizabethan Theatre Trust Building , to whom all  royalties  first  must  be remitted. 
 

The play, first produced in 1954, was specifically written  for actress  Margaret Lockwood.  She and Agatha Christie  met in the Mirabelle restaurant, in London's fashionable Mayfair , and discussed  the   play . The character eventually written for Lockwood  was named  Clarissa , after  Christie's  late  mother .  A part was  also  written   which could have been  performed  by  Lockwood's 14 year old daughter . 

POIROT BAFFLED :  After  Agriculture Minister  Barnaby Joyce explained the answer to  the  nation's housing problem,  based on algorithms and betting on who will be the leader of the Federal government at the next election  ,  David Suchet   seems  mystified  on the  ABC Q and A  television show, .

COLONEL CUSTER’S LAST STAND TWIST IN QUEENSLAND ELECTION

Warlike  Anna  in
Annie  Get Your  Gun pose .

BRISBANE . - Trembling , pale-faced LNP survivors of  the  election  night  slaughter have made the astonishing claim  the  ALP was  actually led by  the fierce Apache  warrior  Geronimo -certainly not that deceptively  demure  and harmless looking  Polish mission  girl,  Annastacia    Palaszczuk.
 

They even  produced this  startling   photograph  claiming  it  shows her , armed , in  full  Gucci  battle dress , creeping  up  on  the  unsuspecting  LNP  campaign  wagons  which  were  handing  out  beads  and  mirrors to the suckers ,  intent  on  scalping men , women  and  children  at  the  polling  booths. In an exclusive interview in  her election headquarters wigwam, Annastacia  brushed  a stack of scalps , plucked a  Scrub  Turkey feather from  her  hair ,  threw  another  bison on  the  barbie  and  tried  to make  herself  heard above  the whooping  union  members , bikies , revolting  doctors , unwashed  Black  Foot tribesmen allies , all obviously  under the  influence  of  fire water  , dancing  outside.

THE MICHAEL HUTCHENCE TRAGEDY

The  eventual troubled mind of  INXS rock band  founder and lead singer   , Michael  Hutchence , who suicided  in  a Sydney hotel  in  1997,  could  be  reflected  in  the above   sleeve  on  a  not  for   sale  promotion  record   found  in  a Townsville , North Queensland ,  op shop.  Hutchence  spent  time on  nearby  Magnetic Island  and  on  one  visit to a  café  gave a  staff  member  a  $20 note   to get  him a packet of cigarettes, then told her to keep the change . Another Townsville  discovery is  the  1983   INXS , Dance,  see  Sabotage cover  art below , a  45  recorded  at  Emerald City Studios , Sydney ,  manufactured  and distributed by WEA Records. A former  boyfriend of  Kylie  Minogue,  Hutchence   fathered  a  child,  called  Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily,  with the  former  wife  of  Bob  Geldof, Paula Yates, who later died from a heroin overdose. Tiger Lily was the subject of  a bitter  custody dispute at  the  time of Michael's death and  he had a wild telephone  conversation  with Geldof  the  night  he suicided . Tiger  Lily's half sister , Peaches Geldof ,  also died of  a  heroin overdose  in  April l ast  year . Tiger Lily vowed to look  after  her sister's two children ;  Michael  Hutchence's sister  issued  an open letter urging  Tiger Lily to return to Australia. *4TTT-FM is Townsville's  pioneering  community radio station  which will  be  the subject of  a  series later  this  year .