CURLEWS DROP IN

 

The latest  arrivals at  the Little Darwin menagerie  appeared overnight  .

STRANDED IN THE TROPICS

 

 

Early morning  photographs  by  Abra  during walk along The Strand,  Townsville, Magnetic  Island  in  middle   shot . 

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

Puzzled tourist outside   second hand  shop  in  Alice Springs , Central  Australia , which offers  a wide  range of oddities . Visible are  a holy picture ,  a large religious  figure in a basket  , a  foot  in a   box   and   assorted  cowboy boots . It  offers  a   treasure trove  of  bizarre and unusual items ,  religious icons .  As you travel about Australia  you increasingly  wonder    what  country  you  are   in  due  to the  names   of   shops.

In   mummified  Townsville , North Queensland ,  there is  the  House  of  Egypt  , Liberal National Party   Zombies are  increasingly  seen  screeching  in  the streets , waving  banners , along with the Katter Party  calling  on the government to  shoot  all  Nile crocodiles.  Several  exotically  named   bazaars  and a waterfront  kebab  shop   have  opened   their  doors , bringing  a  touch of  the  mystic  East  to  the  Queen  City  of  the  North .      

RARE EAST TIMOR ITEM

An usual object to surface this very day  is   the  above ham  radio  call  card    from  Dili, capital of   Portuguese East Timor  . It  was sent  in  September  1974    by  Portuguese   Army  sailor  Jaoquim  Cantanhede  who , in a brief message  to another ham  operator, a Presbyterian minister of  religion  in North  Australia,  said  he  had   two children , aged   five and   nine.  The next  year  the  balloon went  up , the Portuguese  retreated  from  the  colony  and   East Timor  was  invaded  by  Indonesia.  

SUNRISE OVER THIRSTY OUTBACK

Abra  safari  snaps .

NOT ROYALTY - CUCURBIT FLASHERS VISITING ISLAND

In an exclusive  report , Agriculture  Correspondent,  Arthur  Fallowfield , in Darwin ,  has  revealed  why Magnetic Island  is  being  tarted up , the  rusty  barricade   near  the ferry  terminal    replaced   to  partially   hide  the  long running   eyesore, "The Hole ."

Fallowfield  says he  thinks  the  answer   to  the  question  about    the  sudden    Spring cleaning on the island   lies  not  in  a pending royal visit  but  the  fact  that  the  Corteva  2018  Australian Melon Industry Conference and  Field Day , run  September 17-20,  will  kick off  with a  "Welcome Event "  on   " beautiful  Magnetic  Island . "

Seminars  will  be  hosted  by   Mercure   in  Townsville  where there will be   30  trade exhibitors.  It  just so happens that Mercure  has  apartments  in  a  block  known  locally   on  Magnetic Island  as  Alcatraz,  just behind  "The Hole ."

Topics covered   will  include  disease and   pest control , melon pollination , post harvest technologies , quality measurement and  food safety , the latter important after the  rock melon  scare.  A  field day will be  held   at  Ayr  where   4000 metres of   the latest melon varieties will be  on view  , with  demonstration blocks of  crop  protectorants  and  treatments.   Fallowfield's  revelation  will  undoubtedly disappoint  the   forelock  tugging  sector of  the  island  and mainland  community, but delight  all  the  in-house  melon  and  golden carrot  growers .

STRANGE GOINGS ON IN PARLIAMENT HOUSE

Desperately  seeking  Paul   Keating in Wedding  Cake  

After  viewing  the  ABC   television  show ,   Media Watch ,  this  tired  old blogger  hit   the sack...Then I found myself inside  Darwin's parliament  house , above,  known as  the Wedding Cake , as  the  newly  appointed   press secretary to the  new Chief  Minister, Paul  Keating  ,  a  former Australian Prime Minister .

 

By  Peter Simon

 

 In  an attempt  to have my first  tete-a-tete   with     Keating ,  I went looking for him . Walking from office  to office, I asked  if  anybody had seen Paul Keating . No . On and  on  I  went .  A public servant suggested he could be on  the roof , so I  went  up  there and  came across  a  bizarre situation - a pile of boulders like the  Devil's Marbles , south of Tennant Creek . (I know , doctor , it sounds as if  I have  rocks  in  my  head . )

Then , like a drone , a  flying  turtle  rocketed into view  among the  boulders . It had no head , arms which rotated like  lawnmower blades  , it's shell metallic looking .   I chased after it , but it levitated , shot  away like a flying saucer. The  tabloid reporter came out in  me  as  I thought of the   fabulous story that could be  written about   Myrtle, the  Flying  Turtle  in the Wedding Cake .

It was now  imperative  that I  locate Keating  and tell him about the turtle , get him to make  a lighthearted  media  release  about  this   odd ,  gravity defying  reptile . It would  make a change   from  crocodiles which  get so much coverage  in  the Northern Territory News.

Galloping from office  to office  , I still could not  find   Keating . Imagine my shock when I pushed open  a  door , and  there  was  a  public servant , standing , feeding  a giant  , feathered  monster   through  a  barbed  wire  fence , like a scene out of  Jurassic  Park !!!( A former speaker of the NT   Legislative Assembly  had  wrestled  snakes  that  tried  to  gobble  her  chooks .)

At this stage I jumped up , wide awake , in bed , picked up the pillows I had  tossed  on the floor  during the night . What would Sigmund Freud  say about this  dream ?  

Was it something  I ate -cheese on crackers -  that caused the dream ? Many moons ago I had been press secretary to the ALP Leader of the Opposition in Darwin, Jon Isaacs  ; just recently I  had  listened  to news  about   fracking   going   ahead  in  the Territory, possibly the  inspiration for  the  rotating  turtle ?  

 I  recall having  written an  extensive  article , above,  in  the    October   1975   edition  of  the   Northern Territory Newsletter    that   young  looking Paul Keating, 31,  had been made the new  Minister   for  Northern Australia . It  got a  run shortly before  the  feathered   and  top  hatted   Governor-General monstered  the  Whitlam  Government .