OLD CHINESE LINK WITH NORTHERN TERRITORY SURFACES IN DARWIN

 As a result of  Little Darwin's recent  photographic  post on  Darwin's Chinese temple  , local resident , Bob White , with  a swag of  interesting  stories  to   tell ,  sent   an  email  with   photographs   and   details of  a brass  Chinese  joss stick holder  he  inherited from  his father , who  had   been  a   buffalo   shooter. 

Bob said there are two theories about the origin of the  object -that it  came from  the  Darwin  Chinese   temple  that  was ransacked  and  burnt   during WWll,  or  the  Pine Creek  temple  which  might have  experienced  the  same   fate.

He felt it could have come from Pine Creek  because his father had been a buffalo shooter between the East and South Alligator rivers  after the war, connected  with  Jimmy  Ah Toy whose  business interests  included a  well known  store   in  the  town. 

His father had operated from a  depot  with a nearby  Aboriginal camp ,near Patonga, later  said  to have  been sold to  Alan  Alexander Stewart, the so called  Great  White  Hunter, mentioned  in  this  blog.  . 

Buffaloes  were  shot in  the  spine   from  horseback so  that they became paralysed   and  were    later   skinned  for  their  hide.

 In an attempt to  find out information about  the  object,  Bob White  got Darwin's  Chung  Wah Society  to send it  to China . It  was sent back  with the  advice that   it was  ancient, with symbols dating from pre 1700-1800.

 It has what appears to be  a rising sun phallic symbol  between  two  dragons  and  also   a  swastika like  mark. 

The extent of  the Chinese involvement in the Northern Territory, especially Pine Creek ,  is  indicated  in  this  photograph  displayed  in   Darwin .  

 

 NOTE : It is intended to run some of  Bob's  interesting stories  which  include  an  uncle  who  found  the uranium  which led to the   Rum Jungle  mine,  another  relative who worked on a Queensland lighthouse  and   Bob's  memories  of  schooldays  in  Townsville, working  in  the  Northern Territory News  as  a  proofreader. 

WITNESS TO JAPANESE ATROCITIES AND AUSTRALIANS FIGHTING IN TIMOR

 Without  mainstream  media  apparently  noticing , the  death  took  place in  Darwin  recently of  Antonio  Maia , believed to be  in  his  late 90s,  who  during  WWll  helped Australian commandos  in  East Timor   and   later   gave  evidence  in  Tokyo   of  Japanese   atrocities  carried  out  in  what  was   then  a  Portuguese   colony.

He is shown above , a  Free  East Timor button  on  the  turned up  brim of his hat,  joking   with   John "Paddy "   Kenneally,  with  a broad Irish brogue, an outspoken supporter of the  East Timor struggle for freedom ,   who  had  been  a  commando  in  East   Timor .

At  the  funeral service  for  Maia , Darwin agronomist Robert  Wesley-Smith, a  strong supporter of  East Timor since the  l970s  ,  honoured  by the East Timor  regime ,  presented  a  eulogy .

After the service,  held in the Holy Family Catholic  Church , Wesley-Smith provided this blog  with  background  information  on  and   photographs of  Maia ,

The  above photo  shows  Antonio  holding a   carving  for  a sacred  East Timor  house  built  on  Wesley-Smith's rural property in Darwin to  highlight the  East Timor struggle.  It  was transported south in a shipping container  and  somehow  was   eventually lost  in  Sydney , without anyone  knowing  how ,  or  where  it  ended   up . 

 With  the  help of a Sydney doctor, the late   Andrew  McNaughtan, another strong  supporter of  East Timor,  Antonio  and  his wife, Veronica Pereira,  travelled   to  Tokyo  and gave evidence at a War Crimes Compensation Forum, below .

Nobel Peace  Prize  recipient  Jose Ramos Horta  said   McNaughtan , who worked  in the Katherine Hospital  , south of Darwin ,  had played   a  big part  in the  long, bloody  struggle. At great risk to his life, he   had  gone to East  Timor  in the l980s and 90s  with a camera  and captured the   situation under  the  oppressive  Indonesian  army. The film had been smuggled out  to  the  world  . 

Wesley-Smith  has  a copy of an interview  Dr  McNaughtan  had  with Antonio in which he  outlined   how  as  a young man he had   helped the Australian  commandos  in  East Timor  and   detailed the many atrocities carried  out  against  the  people  by  the  Japanese ,often for helping the Australian soldiers.   

On one  occasion , Wesley-Smith  and  Dr McNaughtan  went to East Timor to celebrate  the country's  newly won freedom . Sharing a bedroom there ,  Dr McNaughtan warned  Wes  that  people had  told him ( McNaughtan ) that he snored   a  lot , and   that  he  might  be disturbed.

Wes  was  forced to  flee   the  bedroom  because of  the  deafening  snoring. In the morning , he  told  McNaughtan  that  he  had a  dire medical problem .

 The medico laughed at  his  diagnosis . However, Wes  said  he himself had undergone a  bypass because of cholesterol , and he reckoned Andrew  was   clogged  up   with  the  stuff. 

In any case, Dr McNaughtan  died  soon  after,  aged 50.

ASYLUM SEEKER TRAGEDY / BALI BOMBING

 Shipping  Reporter  makes  unusual   find  

The  above 2004  book  dealing  with  the  2001 tragedy in which more than 400 asylum seekers  set out from  Indonesia  in an unseaworthy boat for  Australia  was   found on  Magnetic Island .   It  contains  various  related inserts   , margin  notes  and  underlining of  text , and  expresses   indignation  at  the handling of the  tragedy , which  included  the controversial  claim  that  children  were  deliberately   thrown   overboard .

A  handwritten  note  at  the  bottom of  a  page expresses the hope that one day a sailor from the Royal Australian  Navy will  tell  what  really  happened . Underlined  on  the  back cover  blurb  is  the author's claim that nothing less than a comprehensive  judicial enquiry into the sinking of SIEV  X will suffice  if  Australia   is  to  regain  its  national  honour . 

 

 

There are  stapled  in  related newspaper  cuttings  , including the  following  article by Laurie Oakes ,  illustrated  with   a  Cook cartoon . 

Another  cutting relating to the  Bali bombing  highlights the fact that  two weeks before the attack , which claimed   the lives of  88  Australians  , Australian authorities  were warned  about  an Indonesian chemist  and engineer  who could  be  involved  in  plotting  attacks  on "sin spots".   It goes on to say that documents relating to that alert  and intelligence authorities '  knowledge of  terror activities  in  the lead up to the October 12 Bali attack  were the subject of an unprecedented action  against   The  Australian  newspaper in Sydney .Three Australian Federal Police  agents  raided  the   offices  of  editor-in-chief  Chris Mitchell and investigations   editor Natalie O'Brien.  

The title page of  the book bears the   handwritten  name  of the  late  Val Noble ,Townsville, 2004, with  a telephone number . A member of the  ALP , very interested in politics,  she  lived  on Magnetic  Island  for  years , and  each day liked  going to a  coffee  shop  with  The  Australian . In  discussions  with this writer, she mentioned her  West Australian connections ,  the  late  Australian cartoonist  Paul  Rigby  and  the  Limp  Fallers'  Association  of   Perth.     

FREE JULIAN ASSANGE CALL GROWING

 

An  Amnesty  International    rally  in  support  of  Julian  Assange , calling for him to be" brought home" to Magnetic Island,  is  to  be held  on the Picnic Bay Jetty  ,3pm   this  Saturday . 

There are  strong supporters of Assange on the island, where he once lived,  as this 2012 photograph  shows , some of whom  have written to  him while imprisoned in  London.

In  Darwin,  veteran  activist and civil rights campaigner ,  Robert Wesley-Smith, calling for the  Australian government to  make strong representations  on  behalf  of  Assange, was  snapped  next  to his  car  bearing  a  free  Julian Assange   sticker.  He is  using  his  considerable network   to   spread   the  call for   action. 

DARWIN BY NIGHT , EARLY MORNING

Smith Street Mall ,CBD.

 

CHINESE TEMPLE DARWIN

 

During WWll the temple  was locked  down and looted, reopened in the late l950s,has  an associated museum  and Chung  Wah  Society .  

PORT ACTIVITY

Townsville .Shipping Reporter photograph.