AFTER THE BATS , CAIRNS EXPERIENCES GIANT ANTS AND ANOTHER MONSTROSITY

Part of Cairns Festival .  Abra photographs.  

 Will rum swigging Prince Charles have DTs?



OLYMPUS EXHIBITION PLEASES THE GODS AND MI5

The   Magnetic  Island  Museum's latest exhibition ,  covering the colourful history of  Olympus Crescent   and  its  residents , specifically   honouring  the  late  Margaret Vine,  was   packed   at   the   weekend  opening.



 

Not  many photos of Ms. Vine exist ; here she  was taken  on  her  comfortable   sitting  stone   from  which  she  could  converse  with  nature .

 

As usual,the museum president, Zanita Davies , and her small band of enthusiastic  supporters , produced a superb, well researched exhibition with an  exceptional  array of  interesting  related  items  on display. 

 

Apart from the  wealth  of  information about   Olympus Crescent residents over the  years ,  there are   paintings , books , a  clergyman's  crucifix  (bought  at  a  garage sale )  , tools , jugs, a  hunk  of  wood  from  the  oriental shaped  archway  that   once stood  at  an  early  island  guest  house    but  had  been  knocked  down  in   a cyclone   , bills , an  album of  Olympus Crescent photos damaged by Cyclone  Althea ,  illustrated   wall  panels   jam- packed  with   interest .

Putting  the show together  involved  Ms. Davies   in  many  late  night  sessions  and a  flurry of  pre event  activity on  the  premises .
 

 By  Peter Simon

 

In respect of   Margaret Vine ,  an Australian  art researcher  who  lived in 15 Olympus Crescent  from  1998  until her death earlier this year , there  is     diverse   coverage  ,  a   small  set of  binoculars  which probably were used  by her  to watch opera ,   a  bundle of   green biros she used for editing (one for  International Women's Day ) , a  champagne  flute,  a   tiny  French  Chanel  sample perfume  bottle , the   tea towel  from  her  kitchen   designed  by  cartoonist,  illustrator , writer and  feminist  (Women with Attitude series ) , Judy   Horacek ,  with  whom  she  had   been   on   friendly  terms.

 

Draped across  a   book awarded  to  Margaret as  a school prize was a strange  snake like object which  was  later  identified   for  me as a   green  felt  eel  sold  by the   National  Gallery of  Australia  , used  by its staff  , including  Margaret  when  she  worked  there ,  as  a  book  mark   or  when  dealing  with   documents .

 

A  small  item, above,  grabbed  my attention . It was a  metal spirit  measure  decorated    with  an  Australian wildflower by   the prominent Australian  painter  and print maker , Margaret  Preston  (1875-1963), regarded as one of Australia's  leading modernists  of  the early 20th century , one of the first non Indigenous  artists to use Aboriginal motifs in her works .

 

In  one of  her  anecdotes  Margaret Vine  gave me   , spread  over  several  weeks, she   told of walking  all  over  the  Sydney  suburb  of  Mosman while researching   the  life  of  Preston , who  spent  from  l919  to 1932  living there, the  Sydney Harbour  bridge  and surrounds   featuring  in  her   paintings . She had virtually followed in  the footsteps of  the artist , checking  on  the buildings in the pictures  and  their  owners   who   would  have  been   there  at  the  time .

 

The research into Preston's life   had included  trying  to trace how  the  artist had met her  husband , "Bill"  , accounts  just  saying she  had  met him in 1919 , when she was returning  from an exhibition  at  the Carnegie Institute in America , he  a  returned  second  lieutenant  in the AIF,  a   successful  businessman .

 

 His war record had been  studied  along with  shipping  passenger  lists .  If my memory  is correct , she  had  tracked down the  boat on which they had been  passengers .  A  shipboard  romance ?

 

 In any case, when  they married on December  31   that year  , the  wedding certificate showed  Margaret Preston, nee  Margaret Rose   Macpherson ,  born Adelaide,  wrongly gave her  birthdate on  the  wedding  certificate  , making her eight years  younger  than  her  husband . 

  

 Other items of interest include a   copy of  Ernest Hemingway's  The Old Man and  the Sea  , in  a  dustjacket, one  of  Glenville Pike's books on North  Queensland history  and  an  envelope addressed   to    Captain  Drinkwater . A fascinating   yarn  is revealed  by the  display  in which the Queensland Governor , Sir Henry Abel-Smith  , seen suited  below ,  took a liking  to a brooch  made  in the shape of a  fish , pictured,  which  belonged to  an island resident, and was knocked  back when  he wanted to put it in the  vice-regal  kitbag . 

There are many more  interesting stories which could be  written  as  a result  of  this    fine  exhibition . F'rinstance ,  Margaret  Vine used to have a sign at her abode which could give the impression that it was a retreat for the British intelligence organisation,MI5. It is explained thus.
 

INDIAN TEAM'S MASCOT BANNED FROM COMMONWEALTH GAMES

One jab in the Punjab shock

The Indian team's ceremonial elephant , Punjab, is  at  the centre of the needle  scandal at the  Commonwealth Games  village  on the Gold Coast . It seems  the greedy elephant  became crook after  devouring  thousands of   Queensland bananas   and  he was given a  vitamin C injection  by team medico  Dr Peter  Sellers as a pick me up .  In an exclusive interview with Little Darwin , Dr  Sellers   denied   he had done anything  wrong . "Goodness gracious me , no  !"  he said .

 Disgraced  Punjab has been   confined to the village  coffee  shop where he sadly sits  drinking  endless  buckets of complimentary Newscorp  latte. The whole  Indian team is so  depressed  it will probably not win one  hockey match .

 Prince Charles and Camilla ,  unfortunately ,  will  not  be  able to  ride  bareback round  the stadium on  the  lumbering , lavishly decorated  pachyderm, throwing  souvenir Buckingham Palace  made   Pommie  pork pies to  the cheering  crowd,  as  had  been  planned  by  Peter Beattie  for  the  spectacular  closing  ceremony.

THE EAST TIMOR / EAST JAVA TRAGEDIES AND AUSTRALIA

A  talk scheduled  to be delivered in  the Northern Territory Archives Centre, Darwin, on April 12   by Dr  Vannessa  Hearman   will include  the episode  in which  18 desperate  East Timorese  crammed   aboard   a  small wooden  fishing boat  in  1995 and  sailed to the Territory capital, landing at the  Larrakeyah Naval  Base.  They sought  asylum on the grounds of  Indonesian persecution after the  November  12, l991 Dili Massacre  in which more  than 270 were shot dead  by  the  Indonesian  Army.

The flyer states the talk  will provide  an  insight into the often  turbulent  relationship between Indonesia and  Australia  in the last years of the Keating  Government. Dr Hearman  is a lecturer in  Indonesian studies at Charles Darwin University  and  her  book, Unmarked Graves:Death and Survival in the  Anti-Communist  Violence  in East Java, Indonesia , is to be published later this year by the  University of  Singapore  Press.    

CYCLONE WATCH OFF QUEENSLAND COAST , FLOOD WARNINGS OUT

View from Magnetic Island late  this afternoon , ferry from Townsville encountering rising  sea, torrential   rain  and  damaging winds  predicted    between   Townsville  and   Sarina .

AUSTRALIAN SPACE INVASION

It is written that when Earth is in one  helluva  mess   with  a  spaced out US  president  and a host   of dictators ,  tyrants  and   thugs   oppressing   millions of people  , aliens  from  Planet  Zog  will  come  to  our  rescue . This exclusive photograph  taken over  Townsville , North Queensland ,  is  either  the   arrival of  the advance   Zog Uber  fleet  or  bits  of   Chinese  space station  junk  burning  up .

ON PALM SUNDAY : BUTTERFLY BALLET / LIZARD FAN DANCE

 

 Magnetic island .