SIR LANCELOT INVOLVED IN QUEENSLAND HOLY WARS !!!

As promised , art  correspondent  Ponsonby  Willis  has  produced  a  most unexpected   Brisbane  connection  with   legendary  King  Arthur   and the  Knights  of   the  Round  Table.

The above bookplate portraying  Sir Lancelot in  an assignation with Queen Guinevere is  from the    great art  library  of  pioneering  Queensland  medical  practitioner   James  Vincent  Duhig (1889-1963)  , nephew of   former Catholic  Archbishop  Sir  James  Duhig   of   Brisbane .

 

During   WWl  James  served  with  the  AIF  in field ambulances and  general hospitals , demobbed   he  became the  first medico to set   up  as a pathologist  in Queensland .

With a brilliant mind , he attacked all forms of  hypocrisy , supported  free speech  and  opposed  book  censorship . Despite having been brought up as a Catholic , he became president of   the  Queensland  Rationalist   Society. It was  said  he  delighted in publicly baiting  Archbishop  Duhig,  saying  religious  beliefs  frustrated  honest   thinking .

 

 During the Depression he took part in "radical causes " and led deputations demanding help  for  unemployed . He advocated prohibition and said reform of military drinking should  take place in officers' messes. 

 

He  campaigned strongly  for a medical school to be set up in Queensland   and became the Professor of Pathology  at the University of Queensland    from 1938-l947. Poisonous Queensland  fish were  one of his many interests, especially the highly venomous  stonefish .

 A president of the  Royal Queensland Art Society for 10 years , much of his art collection was  left  to the Queensland  University .  (The  Archbishop, who   also  had  a  large  art  collection  and  loved  literature  ,  spoke out against  the Chifley plan to  nationalise banks  and supported the  vote to  ban the Communist  Party .)

The bookplate  is  in  a well illustrated  book  by Robin Ironside  about   Wilson Steer , a painter in the  British Artists series by Phaidon Press, 1943.  It was  drawn by  New Zealand  born  painter , commercial artist , Albert  Collins (1883-1951 ) , a teacher in New South Wales  secondary schools  (1906-1916 ), director of an advertising company and also conducted  the   popular  ABC children's  radio show , The Argonauts .

 

DR GILRUTH: A BLOODY GOOD TERRITORY THINKER

In a  just released book , former Northern Territory  Administrator and   entertainer , Ted Egan , gives  a  reappraisal  of  the controversial , dogged by  bad luck   Scottish  veterinary scientist ,   Dr  John  Anderson   Gilruth ,  the first  Commonwealth Administrator of  the NT ,   forced  to  flee Darwin  in 1919  after   the  so called  Darwin Rebellion .  Gilruth went on to become a  founder of   the  CSIRO.  One of  Egan's better known songs was  about  bloody good drinkers in the Territory . He will deliver  a  talk on Gilruth in Darwin on  September  8.  

STRANGE JOYCE TALES FROM ACROSS THE TASMAN

WELLINGTON :    A  surprising  number  of  people  claiming to be long lost relatives of  the   Kiwi    Deputy  Prime Minister of  Australia ,  Barnaby  Joyce,  have   contacted  New  Zealand   newspapers  .  They and  others  are prepared to  supply  exclusive   information  and   anecdotes for   a   fee, deposited   in  a   Bank  of   Nigeria  account.

 

One of  the most  intriguing   stories  to come to light  is   about a person  only known  in records  as    J. Joyce ,   head  gardener   for   a  member of  the  landed  gentry in  the South Island , Sir  Heaton Rhodes  ,   on  the Elmwood   estate  at Otahuna  , near Christchurch .  It  became one of  the most famous  private  gardens in  the Dominion ,  with  vast  areas  of  daffodils , more  than   excited  the  poet  William    Wordsworth . 

 Gardener  Joyce  was mainly responsible for   planting   the   daffodil   bulbs and  as a result  was   supposedly  nicknamed  both  “ Daffy” Joyce  and  “Bulby” Joyce. It is suggested that  Barnaby may have been so named  after  old "Bulby"...the  Kiwi  accent  responsible  for  the  error .
 

 Heaton  was a  member of a  prominent   family which at  one stage   dabbled in  alpacas   which  were  found  to  have antisocial habits-kicking ,  spitting.  Readers of   this  blog   know that   Barnaby  is   also  wary when  dealing  with   alpacas .

      

Not  only did   Heaton serve  in the Boer  War , he  turned to politics, held  several ministerial  portfolios  : Postmaster General , Railways, State Forest , Public   Health , Tourist  Department , Defence ; even Deputy Leader  ... Nearly as many  jobs  as  Barnaby  Joyce . It is interesting to note  that  Sir   Heaton   had a   massive , rare stamp collection  and   swapped  part of   it   for  a   red  poll  bull .   

 

Another dubious would  be informant  ,    Keith Holyoake  , above,  has   been  convicted  numerous  times   for  making   Hokianga Hooch - moonshine -   from   illegal  stills  out  in  the  hills where  members of the All Blacks run about with   bags of cement  on their shoulders .  Holyoake,  who  claims he is related to  a  former  NZ PM  “Kiwi Keith” Holyoake  ,  insists   the   Joyces   bred   like  rabbits and possums  when  they moved  to  New  Zealand  from  the  Old Dart in the l9th century  and   muscled  in  on  his  great-grandfather’s  market   for   rotgut .
 

“There was a lot of a feudin’ and a fussin’ between the Joyces  and the  Holyoakes, '' he  claimed . It  only ended when  the   pioneers   drew   straws ,from behind their ears, to  end  the   war - the  Joyces   got  the  South Island , Bondi  and  New England ,  the  Holyoakes , the  North  Island, Wagga Wagga   and   the   Gold  Coast .

TOWNSVILLE GOING TROPPO

Things may well  be crook in Muswellbrook, but   Castle Hill , above,  overlooking  the Queen City of the North , is looking  glum,  down  at the mouth , as if  suffering  from  toothache ,  epitomising  a  feeling  afoot  in  the ville .

There  are  clear  signs   that  Townsville is  going bonkers , cracking under  the  strain  of  water restrictions , the  Cowboys being smashed by  Mexicans , Thurston's shoulder  refusing to  heal despite the laying on of many hands , the coal fired Murdoch  Townsville  Bulletin  rabbiting  on   about  the  same old issues ,  more yapping    dogs  being  abandoned  , unemployment  high , signs of  an  early  trying  build up to the  Wet season ,  not one  of which  has    filled the   city's dam catchment  area  since    the   crossing  of   the  Red  Sea  by  the  fleeing  Israelites .

Evidence of  the  stressful situation   is  the  action of  a prominent , well respected   resident   we  know  who punched  his  Epson  copying  machine , only two months  old,  and then  threw it into the wheelie bin  because it would not work  properly.  This is more drastic behaviour than Mr Fawlty belting his car with a branch for not working .


 Another person , who shall remain anonymous for obvious reasons , was  seen  parading  about  wearing an imported, expensive  replica of  Napoleon Bonaparte's  cocked   hat .  He is expected to be  dragged off  soon by men in  white  coats. There are indications of an early mango crop , so the annual outbreak  of   Mango Madness  can  be expected across  the entire  north , not only in Townsville , so medical  staff  will have to  cancel  drug company  skiing holidays .  


 On reading  that  the  Townsville Bulletin  had  once more  gone to  The  Strand  to photograph  and  ask  a  curvy  piece  of   visiting  eye candy in a  bikini ( didn't Rupert  declare  P3 girls  old  hat?  )  if  she felt  there  would be rain ,  a  woman  yelled,  threw  her arms  up in the air, said she would never buy the   bloody paper  again .   What would  a  backpacker   know  about  predicting  North   Queensland  weather ?

Exactly . And while on the subject of aliens  from  another planet , the  Bulletin , Bully  for short , has started  running   the    column  of  bombastic Paul  Murray  who anchors another fair and balanced   Murdoch owned  television  show  in Sydney ,  joining   the  array of  southern  syndicated  ear-bashers writing   for  the  paper , and  other Murdoch publications  ,  the price of  which  has  gone  up  more  than  14 per  cent . 

Murray  came to  Townsville   during the recent  V8 Supercars , his pending   visit  written  up  in  the Bulletin  as if  news of  the   Second Coming . The reaction  to the   Murray column   is like that of  the   tragic event when  freezing locals  at  the opal mining   town of   Coober Pedy , South Australia ,  were induced  on  an  early  morning  television  show  to  sing happy birthday  to  Ray Hadley , another  Sydney  babbler  : Ray Who ?...Why do the gods  and  the crumbling  Coalition   punish  South  Australia so much  ?  

Instead of rain , an indication of an early , trying build up to  add to the misery .

MORE EXCITING THAN EXCAVATING THE TERRRACOTTA WARRIORS

In  recent   months our peripatetic art correspondent  Ponsonby Willis has been in  an  absolute  seventh heaven.  Lucky fellow  was  given  the rare  opportunity to   peruse  the contents  of a long line of   Ansett Wridgways  storage  boxes, a small number   above,  which  had  not been opened  for   30 years , containing  a  treasure  trove of   books , ephemera , journals , magazines .

 

Subjects  covered  in  the  eclectic  collection included  world  art-Australian , British, French , Canadian , Chinese, Japanese, Russian-some  presentation copies by authors of  books  on famous  artists  ;  Australian  and  American  architecture ;   antiques , silver , Oriental carpets ;   Australasian  and  American  art  journals ; Australiana , including a  tome dealing  with  documents relating to Australian international affairs  1901-1918 ; feminist literature ;  a  box  of  Melbourne  Age monthly reviews  from  the  l980s and several containers of  ABC radio  guides  for  the same period ; a run of Australian  National  Gallery Association   journals .  When   Ponsonby  comes down to earth from this thrilling experience , he promises   to knock out  a  swag  of  offbeat  posts   for  the  blog  , inspired  by  the grand  contents of  the  boxes .       

CURLEWS LAY MORE EGGS



Littledarwin  resident  Curlews  spring surprise in  Ikebana  class .



BISHOP WITH UNEXPECTED HIDDEN TALENT

Dressed in black  like a  mourner at  the imminent  funeral  of   the   Turnbull Government ,  Foreign Minister  Julie  Bishop revealed  the  little known  fact that  she  is a  polished  stand up  comedian , as  shown by  the above reaction when  she  accused  the  subversive Australian Labor  Party of  colluding  with  a  foreign  power  to  bring down  the  Coalition. The  popular  image  of Ms. Bishop is  that  of a hard nosed , gimlet  eyed   person  with a fierce  glare  that  melts  garden  gnomes,  captured  in  cartoons  with  unfunny fly in the  ointment Tony Abbott , a   former   Pommie .  

Yet  her   hidden giggly  side  came  through in the House of  Representatives/    Canberra  New Zealand Tourist Bureau   booking office and departure lounge  when she went on about   the perfidious Bill Shorten  conspiring  with   the  Kiwis   to despicably  prove  that  Deputy PM   Barnaby Joyce , an admitted  New Zealander , is  a  New  Zealander, not  related after  all to  the  swaggie  with a penchant  for  getting  up  close  to  sheep  , who   fell  in the water , as in The Goon Show ,  and   inspired   the   great Aussie patriotic   song , Waltzing  Matilda .

  

It is tipped that  Bishop will   head  the  ( Bill)ing  at the  next Comedy  Festival in Melbourne along with another Bishop  who performs acts with  assorted barnyard  animals .   

 

The very next day, by popular demand , FM Bishop was  back entertaining the  troops with her  zany patter  , accusing  the  guffawing  ALP  of  conspiracy  and   other  treasonable  plots  with   the   puha and  pakeha   eaters  across  the Tasman to undermine  the  sovereign government of Australia . On  that occasion , she wore  a nifty sackcloth outfit , below , in  readiness for  the  inevitable  Coalition  burial  ,   the  following  wake  a  real  hoot , like  the smashing  party  held  when  the Mad Monk was booted out  by   his colleagues  and   Malcolm  Turnbull   foolishly  took   the   helm .

The cheeky  New Zealand Herald  joined in the  fun by  depicting   Barnaby Joyce , who overnight  no longer calls Chateau Tongariro home , sitting in  parliament , arms  folded,  his  head  a  sliced  in  half  Kiwi  fruit .

BREAKING NEWS : Two non-nuclear vessels  from a New Zealand  invasion  fleet were this morning sighted  in the  Magnetic Island marina . One was  flying a pennant indicating  all out war on Australia-an All Blacks   flag , the  other  a  fern or an  extinct  Moa  feather , below .