THE GLOBAL WAR CONTAGION

 

(War,Peace ,Now.)

DAVEY JONES LOCKER DISGORGES ANOTHER MERMAID ON MAGNETIC ISLAND

Shipping  Reporter elated over  mermaid sighting , again strongly  urges  Queensland government, Townville Enterprise Limited  and Townsville City Council   to   swim  along  with  her  and   start  an  annual major   Mermaid  Festival .

During Saturday's  well attended centenary  celebration  of   Magnetic Island's  state school , the   above   mermaid   was   spotted at  a  market stall . A photograph was  immediately sent to  our  mermaid obsessed  waterfront  roundsman who gave so much publicity to  the  lifesized fibreglass   mermaid  from Melbourne   which  was  mutilated  on the  island.

Headless and armless mermaid . 

In his coverage of the terrible treatment of  the  mermaid , named Isla, he passed on the bright  suggestion by a Darwin artist that Magnetic Island should  use  the outrage  to  sponsor a creative  annual  art  festival which could rival the famous  Little Mermaid   of  Copenhagen . 

The Shipping Reporter  revealed the mermaid had been  bought in Geelong, Victoria,  and transported   to  the island , strapped next to the driver  of a car.

She was  placed  without ceremony on rocks at the main entrance to the  island , an unusual attraction.  Then she  was systematicaly mistreated by  fiends  .  Recently the owner of the   mermaid  expressed his   outrage at  her    treament .  At one stage he was  contemplating  restoring the   mermaid  and  had even discussed  getting  replacement  hair   made  by  a Townsville  wig  maker .  

He had backed the idea of a  Mermaid Festival which would   greatly promoted the image of  the  island,Townsville  and Queensland .  

IT'S THE ENVIRONMENT , STUPID

Warning from Heaven to war- mongering mankind about the growing danger to  the  planet  by  climate  change .

FLYING INTO FIRE ZONE

Aeronautical Correspondent Abra on  scenic Aurukun to  Cairns  flight  detects  fires.

ANOTHER FLY AWAY SKID KID

Keen to hit the  road  Ibis  eyeing  abandoned  scooter  at   subdued Victory in the  Pacific  fountain ,Townsville. Vallis photo. 

 

EARLY HOVERCRAFT IN AUSTRALIA , PAPUA

 

Official souvenir cover  of the  first Australian hovercraft mail, Melbourne, October  8 , l963 , part of  the Melbourne International Philatelic Exhibition. Sent  to  F.G. Gilbert , 28 William Street , Norwood , South Australia .

In l966 John Ford established an electrical engineering  and metal fabrication business in  Launceston ,Tasmania , and  built a prototype hovercraft powered by two Volkswagen engines, which  ran on the Tamar River  in November of that year 

He teamed up with engineer  David Rowell to form Air Cushion Vehicles Australia Pty. Ltd. and over  three years two hovercraft were built , ACV-6 and ACV-10, the  number denoting  how many passengers.  AC-10 went to Papua New Guinea , AC-6 to Melbourne. 

MONTY PYTHON DUO AND MR HISSY

    

The removal of  some  storage  bins  from a  stack  in  a  shed   disturbed  a   python , above , which  had been  residing   in   there  and  it slithered out  into the  garden.

Then the nextdoor neighbour opened the mail box and out popped  another  small  python .

As if that was not enought  reptiles  for one week , out of the  computer crawled  another , an  old  Mr   Hissy email  .

Opened up  , it revealed  this  large  carpet  snake , about three and a half metres long, named  Mr Hissy , because  it  hissed at people, including the  electrician  who got  a helluva    fright  and  nearly fell off  a ladder  while  trying to cut a hole in  the  roof of  the house  at   Arnhem Nursery , Humpty Doo, Darwin , where  the  said  Mr   Hissy  had  been a  longtime resident. 

The  photograph  was sent to us in 2011  by  the late  Kerry Byrnes who, with his wife , Sandra,  ran the nursery, and  he also  gave an ABC  gardening talk. 

He  said  the  frightened  electrician demanded  the  snake  be  removed   before  he  would  resume  the   job . The following  is  an extract  from our  blog  entry about  what transpired .

Kerry, a  tough Taikwondo exponent  and  a  fully paid  up  member  of  the  Australasian  Limp Fallers' Club , Northern Territory  branch ,  chickened out  of  the  eviction  and  called  in  an experienced  snake  handler.  

According to  Kerry , the  hero  herpetologist clambered into the  confined hot roof  space, just  above Kerry’s bed !!!, and TALKED ???  to  the   reptile , obviously a  snake whisperer , for 15 minutes .

Sleepy Hissy  raised his head, as if listening to an Indian snake charmer, sniffed the intruder , then put his head down and appeared to resume Forty Winks . 

Two towels were then gently placed over the somnolent serpent's head so that  the  snake  man  could  get  a  firm hold.

Hissy  literally hit the roof . The aroused snake wound itself around the arm of his captor about eight times and applied the big squeeze, with associated painful Indian wrist burns . It developed into a fierce rumble in the jungle . 

Hissy regarded the episode as a gross home invasion, he having lived there unmolested for at least a decade . The brave snake man sought Kerry’s help to unwind the snake , otherwise he ( by now a shouting whisperer) could have  passed out through loss of  blood circulation!

Kerry manfully squeezed himself into the confined wrestling ring , with an atmosphere like a Turkish bath, and helped drag the powerful critter out. To make amends to his star boarder, Kerry is planning a special luxury pad for Mr Hissy in the ceiling to atone for disturbing his sleep. He may also present him with a brace of possums stuffed with a secret recipe of herbs and spices from the nursery’s kitchen garden .

Mr Hissy  subsequently took up residence in an old car body and  fed on tasty a la carte  possums .