HALOING IN ON CASTLE HILL

 Townsville light show 

There was a spectacular   light show over Indonesia  some days ago when a meteorite flashed across the sky followed by an explosion which had seismologists  thinking   there had been an earthquake. 

TRACES OF A LOST CIVILISATION ?

In  his  wide  travels  in  the Australian outback and East Timor ,  agronomist and  long-time  activist ,  Robert Wesley-Smith , of  Darwin , has  built up an impressive photographic   collection of  people, places , animal industry and agriculture , major  events, oddities  . 

 Along the way he  also  amassed  many  wonderful stories , some  of  which  will  be  run  in  this  blog .  

The photos  displayed  here  were   taken   at  Hall's Creek ,Western Australia , in  the  early  l970s , looking  like  the  ruins of  an ancient   African  settlement. 

It  is  the  remains of the old  town hall , built  from  mud  bricks . 

The man in the above photo  is Bobby Widitburu , from  Bulla , on  Auverge  Station,  a stockman who had worked for a member of  the  Durack family . He  had approached Wesley-Smith for help to  obtain  an  Aboriginal  land  rights  claim  over  Bulla ,knowing  he had been involved in the historic  Northern Territory Wattie Creek  land  claim by the  Gurindjis . 

On two occasions , Rob was confronted  by an angry station manager who called him a Commo bastard and threatened to shoot him. On the last occasion, Bobby Widitburu  stepped forward  and grabbed  the   gun . This , says  Wesley-Smith, was  an extraordinary event   in  which  the  all  powerful "boss" had  been  confronted, disarmed.  

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In the above interior view ,appearing to show a fireplace and mantelpiece, are Robert's wife, Jan, her stepfather and mother  from  Adelaide , and  Bobby. 

A Darwin art  teacher , Jan  drew  the name  Bulla on a piece of  cardboard  to  declare   the  land  claim . She  is  pictured below  with  the  first  Gurindji girls   to  attend   Kormilda  College in  Darwin , where  Robert  coached  several soccer  teams.

During his connection with Kormilda, back in the l970s , he met a trainee who became Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann,AM,a teacher, artist, writer, public speaker and activist, just named Senior  Australian  of   the  Year  in  Canberra. 

From the Daly River area,  he said  she had later alerted him to the fact that  there was an invasive weed threatening the waterway, which on investigation  proved  to  be   the  first  sighting, requiring  prompt  action .

He  doubted  if   anybody  at  the  Canberra  ceremony  knew  that  she , now 69,  had  painted  the Aboriginal version of the   12  Stations of  the Cross in Darwin's  Catholic  Church .

On Christmas Day 1885, prospector Charlie Hall started a gold rush when he found  a massive nugget ,28 troy ounces , causing a wild township to spring up, most living in tents. Mining equipment was brought in from as far away as California. On the northern end of the Canning Stock Route , Hall's Creek  had a  population of 15,000, led to the establishment of the ports of Derby and Wyndham. 

THANK GOD FOR DOUG THE DUNG BEETLE - AN INSPIRATION TO THE NATION

 The world would be in an even greater mess  than  it  is  today  but  for the enthusiastic work of  the  tiny , dynamic  dung beetle.  In  Townsville, North Queensland,   there  is  a   monument  (above)  to   Doug  the  Dung Beetle, sculpted  by Cameron Rushton, from Tasmania . 

The above sign contains   Doug's vital  statistics  and  details of the  the  great  ball of  dung ,pointing out  the vital part  played  by  these  tiny creature . It   goes on  to  urge  Townsville  to  imitate  Doug's  work  of   recycling ,reduce the  dung, roll  out  the  barrel  afterwards. 

For some strange reason , a  former Liberal Prime Minister, the late  Malcolm Fraser, nicknamed  the crazy grazier, could not  get dung beetles to  thrive on his  family farm , Nareen .

And when Acting PM  Michael McCormack  aka the Wagga Wagga Wrong Font ,  recently stumbled  into  Townsville and  beyond  , Doug  the  Dung  Beetle  and  his  mates were  kept  busy  moving  a  mountain of  malarkey .

 

In  America , the  vast  dung beetle population is in a state of  total exhaustion  after  four  years of  Donald Trump. Most  of  the  beetles were kept so busy  burying  Trump's bullshit  they  developed  muscles  like Arnie Schwarzenegger   in   his  prime . 

Doug  is  a  much admired  community  art   project  on the  Giant's  water   wise   trail  in leafy Anderson Park , named   after the Giant of  North Queensland sustainability, Billy Bombax,  who was gradually   reduced   to  a pile  of   woodchips  due   to  a  terrible  tree  disease .

Upcoming : The    new   look   Billy  Bombax. 

LIFE IN LOTUS LAND

   

Magpie  Geese, one  nesting in Lotus filled waterway , Anderson Park  Botanic  Gardens , Townsville . Sandalwood  pix.

CAPE YORK IN CINEMASCOPE BY ABRA

AUSTRALIA'S NEW BARBIE DOLL

Shipping  Reporter  on   fashion   trip  

Several puzzling  reports  have been received from women that the  mysterious mermaid at the entrance to Magnetic Island  has  been seen wearing  a  variety of clothing , including  a skirt and  a  bikini . Acting on this intriguing information , our waterfront scribe sailed  to the  island, with  his  camera , expecting  to  find  the  mutilated  mermaid  staging  a fashion parade.

 Alas, she  was stuck up  there on  the hard  rocks - headless  and  armless - showing no sign of any new clobber. However, a close examination of  a  telescopic   photo  taken of  the  mermaid  revealed  a strange  figure in the bottom right corner ,which looks like a mediaeval  wardrobe  mistress.  It is possible, says the Shipping Reporter, that  because of  the recent  cyclone threat to Townsville, the mermaid's  latest French clothing  was  stored in  the  basement  for  safety , no  doubt  becoming  very mouldy  in the process. 

 

When the dry season arrives , he  says ,  it is likely  the mutilated  mermaid will celebrate the occasion  by  prancing  about in an  itsy  bitsy  teenie weenie  yellow  dot  bikini , causing  more  shipwrecks .

TOWARDS A REAL AUSTRALIA DAY

 

Vallis pix