VIP BIRTHDAY TABLE SETTING

New Zealand  views  and Papua  New Guinea  Bird  of Paradise place mats  for  Judith  Merlyn's   birthday  party  catered  for  by  imported  ,  bespoke  Darwin  chef  who  specialises  in  lamb shanks .  

GHOST FLEET INCLUDES AMERICAN DESTROYER INVOLVED IN DRAMATIC EVENTS ; SHEEP SHIP

The USS McCampbell , part of the Seventh Fleet , a destroyer ,  based in  Japan , involved in  keeping a watch on  North Korean  shipping in the past  , tied   up  in  Townsville  , North Queensland, this month without  the  landlubber   media  in the  garrison  city  noticing . However, our Shipping  Reporter ,  who keeps a close watch on the  waterfront  , took  the above photograph and others .  The warship is  named after  Captain David  S. McCampbell , the  US Navy's  leading   WWll  aviator  who received the  Medal of  Honor and  Navy  Cross . 

 

Information supplied about  the Arleigh-Burke class  destroyer  says  it maintains an onboard  VBSS  active  team  to  conduct  anti-piracy, anti-smuggling  and  anti-terrorist  operations .

Water police officer  and others  near  destroyer .

In June  2009   McCampbell  replaced  USS  John S. McClean    in shadowing a North Korean  ship, Kang Nam  1 ; in  2011  it    intercepted  another  North Korean  ship, MV Light , suspected  of carrying  missile technology, the ship refused  permission  to  board  , returned  to  port .   

 During January 24  this year, in company with another  US naval vessel , McCampbell  made a routine Taiwan Strait  transit  according  to  international law.

 The ship  was  first on  station to provide food  and  aid  to  survivors of  the  massive undersea  March 2011  Tohoku earthquake , which caused   huge tsunami  waves  up to  40 metres  high , resulting in the Fukushima nuclear  power plant disaster, the loss of thousands of lives and  destruction of  many buildings.    The  quake moved Honshu, Japan's largest island, 2.4 metres east  and is  even said to have  moved the  Earth off  its axis .  

 

Interviewing  the  captain  of  a ship involved in the aftermath   of  this  monumental  disaster  and other  important patrols  would have made  an interesting   and  timely Fourth of  July special.

 

In port at  the same time  was   another  stand out  ship - stock carrier Ocean Drover  which in May was the centre of a  major news  story in which  Animals Australia had lodged a  700 page submission  against  a pending  shipment of  56,000 head of  sheep  from Western Australia  to  the Middle East .   

      

WORLD'S OLDEST OPERATING THEATRE FIND IN TOP END

One of our sharp eyed  Darwin runners found  this  slim  booklet  about  Sun Pictures, which started  showing  films  in the  West Australian  pearling   town  of  Broome  in 1916 .Written by Maria Mann   and  published  in  l991, it  is  a  colourful, illustrated   account of the venture, which at one stage  involved  British  Conservative  backer  Lord  McAlpine.  

During the early boom days of pearling  many Malays, Chinese, Japanese , Koepangers ,Filipinos  and Sinhalese  came to  Broome or were  brought  in  as indentured labour. 

 Sun Pictures, built on the  site of  a Japanese  emporium  owned by the  Yamasaki family , had  its  ups and downs, change of  ownership.  A  movie memorabilia museum was set up in the foyer . It was surprising to read that  a circa  1930 ticket box from the  old  Mareeba theatre in Queensland   was  installed   inside  the front   doors . The  booklet  states the  building  had  survived 75 years of cyclones, floods , generations of jousters , catcallers  and  canoodlers .
 

* The cover photograph shows the  Sun Pictures building reflected   in a flooding high tide.           

INSIDE ROCK WALLABY TERRITORY

Communing with Verne Jack  and  friends

At a spot on Magnetic Island , popular with  tourists,  is  an area   jumping with rock wallabies  , where  the above  plaque was recently   installed   in memory of  island identity Verne Jack .On a recent   stroll to the  seaside  location , our  bounding   photographer , Vallis , took  arty  snaps  .

 

 Wallabies popped up  expecting to be fed by the constant stream of people who came in cars and on  foot . 

 

Use  your  imagination  and  you  can   turn a  rock formation into a  large  rock wallaby , below , or maybe  a  wombat . 

A hairy  young  wallaby hopped  out of the   dark interior, sunned  itself   at  the foot of  the  rock on  which  is  Verne's plaque and was the subject of  many photographs  by  onlookers.  

HOW TO SPIN A YARN

Inside  the  British cotton mills of  yesteryear

In  clever coat of arms format this Lancashire  postcard by Teddy  Ashton  displays the necessary tools of trade  for   a  female worker  in  a textile  factory. Clogs feature at  the top .

A key person in  the  factory was  the Tackler, who supervised  power looms and the  weavers who operated them  . He  quickly tackled  mechanical problems with  machines . In the above  Ashton postcard  such  a  man ,  wearing clogs , poses , flexes his muscles  and   displays his  vest  and  tools . Translated ,   Lancashire  accent  caption is : WHAT MAKES A  TACKLER .

Interior view of textile factory after  snowstorm made the roof collapse  in 1908 .These  postcards  from  an impressive North  Queensland  collection . More later . 

TOPSY TURVY CAMPUS

Not far from the fee paying  Triffids  at James Cook University, Townsville , is this relaxing  nook,  conducive to  study  and  pondering the meaning of  life , which  we  deliberately  turned  upside  down   during   the semester  break  to test  the  observation  powers  of   students .

 The  building , in the background,  is shown right way up , Triffids nearby , one  either suffering from  flu or  emitting steam as it should , the  others  rattling and twitching  according  to  plan . 

SPOTLIGHT ON AUSTRALIAN PRIMARY INDUSTRY

A rare insight   into  life  on  North Australian cattle stations  over the years   is currently  available   at  the  Eddie Koiki  Mabo  Library, James Cook University, Townsville . Books  on  the subject  are shown above  in  part of  a  showcase  at  the  library .  Special  Collections  manager   Bronwyn McBurnie  says  the university  has an  extensive  archive of  pastoral  property  material  covering 40  stations  , some of  which  is  being exhibited  . While  a  large part   relates to  Queensland  , some  prominent   interstate  properties  are   included  .

The pastoral industry has been  the cornerstone of Queensland's economy ever since  Queensland separated from New South Wales in l859. As of  2018, of the 1.7million square kilometres of the state , 85.9 percent  was  used for grazing , with  22  of  the  70 largest stations  in  Australia .
 

Of  particular  interest   are  station  diaries , wage books , personal letters, business correspondence , legal documents.  An idea of the extensive  information   contained   is  revealed   in   the   university  showcases .  

 

 

 

 

Details  of  wages  paid to Aboriginal worker  in l949/l950  shows payment often  took the form of tobacco and  papers , some "drapery", stores , little cash ,  balance  paid  to  the  Protector  of   Aborigines.

 

 

Displayed  above  is a  run of  magazines  from  the  l950s through to the l960s  produced by the London based   Australian Estates  and  Mortgage Company Limited , formed in the 1890s, which was deeply involved  in the  pastoral industry , running large  flocks of sheep,  producing  huge  quantities of wool , with sugar  and cane  farm  interest  , over  the  years  training  many jackeroos .  It also acted as stock and station agents .  Cover photographs  depict  scenes  in   a  drovers'  camp , outback  Queensland,  sugar  production in Townsville ,  the  Melbourne  Show  , Australian   Estates   premises   in  Inverell , NSW ,   and   at  Footscray, Victoria . The company sold  to CSR in l978 . 

 

HERE  COME  THE  BOSS  DROVERS 

 

  Galloping  towards  Townsville from Mackay   is  the  above  exhibition of  200 drawings  by Robert MacPherson  from the  Queensland  Art Gallery of Modern Art collection , which  will be displayed   at the   Perc   Tucker  Regional Gallery   from July 13-September  1 .   

 

 Former Northern Territory News journalist and  author, the late Keith Willey, wrote a book called  Boss Drover, about  Matt Savage  , of  Alice Springs .