DUBIOUS CLAIM TO YACHTING FAME

Due to our  Shipping Reporter's age and  medication-especially the  kickapoo  steriods- he  is  prone to  making   startling   statements  .  

After recently discovering  washed up in Townville the  above profusely  illustrated  The  Official  Record of  Australia   11 , which won the  America's Cup  at Newport , Rhode Island , on September  26, 1983, described as the   sporting triumph of the century , he   made the  astonishing  claim  that he played a  part in the victory.  Please explain!!!

It seems that when  he was a pimply copy boy on The Sun , Sydney, in the l950s, he used to work weekends  at  Halvorsen's  Boatshed,   Bobbin  Head,  among  the  fleet  of  hire  boats and  cruisers. The Halvorsens were Norwegian  boatbuilders who  competed in  Sydney Hobart Yacht  Races    from  1946  to  l965.  

Once our waterfront  roundsman  was given the important  and smelly  task at Bobbin Head of cleaning  with creosote  the bilge of the  large yacht, Lauriana , built in l938 for a member of the  Arnott  biscuit family , which    was   a  radio vessel   from  l952 to l964  in the  Sydney Hobart Yacht  Races.   

So he claims his sloshing about in the bilge  helped  develop  the  yachting  skills  that  led  to  Australia  blowing  the  Yanks out  of  the water  in  l983.

The Shipping Reporter  said  he  also mixed with  veteran   sailors  when he  and  other young journos  used to  imbibe in  a Sydney  establishment  which catered for  Norwegian  seamen .

The first Aussie  12 metre yacht to  challenge  for the American's  Cup was Gretel ,designed by Alan Payne  and built by the  Halvorsen Brothers,owned by Sir Frank Packer, who sold it to Alan Bond . 

It only won one race against the defender Weatherly .The yacht was also used for Gretel ll's  challenge in 1970 and was later sold to Europe and went into  disrepair.

There is now a  Save  Gretel Campaign to return her to Australia  and  restore   part  of   the  nation's  maritime  history. 

 (Yachting. America's. Townsville.)

EARLY AUSTRALIAN ISLAND INVESTMENT GUIDE WITH SLAVE LABOUR CONTENT

Discovered  tucked away in Brisbane decades ago  was  the   l912  12pp  booklet , A Few Impressions  of Portuguese  Timor , compiled by the   Timor Development  Syndicate, Somerset House , Moore Street, Sydney . It contained a  short summary of  the products  and  investment  possibilities .

The cost of  labour , it pointed out , was so  low, if paid  to a seven year old boy in white Australia, he would immediately go on strike . Photos  included one of a  Timorese  planter with  his " boys."

There was mention  of  Port Darwin  and Australia's lack of knowledge about the  island , some Portuguese Timor stamps from Little Darwin collection . It seems there was a government run vessel  named "Dilly",  the capital  Dili. 

There was talk of exporting  buffaloes to the Philippines , said to be better than Australian bullocks. Tests had been carried out in Sydney on a  native  fibre plant regarded  equal in quality and strength to  the  best  Manilla hemp. Malaria was  rare .

Tied with chord, the  booklet  stated  there was evidence of ethnic tension  and that coffee, timber and  cotton  were produced . People were shown on Timor ponies ,  with cattle , and at  a military station. Women wore dresses with interesting  patterns  

(Timor. Portuguese . Slaves. )

CLIPPER SHIP ON AUSTRALIA RUN

Our Shipping Reporter  spotted  this  scarce and attractive clipper card in the latest list from  Douglas Stewart Fine Books, Melbourne , for $750.  It advertises a sailing of the Mindoro, an Australian Line ship, from Boston to Melbourne  with  United States mail in June 1873. She arrived in Hobson’s Bay, Melbourne on  November 5 ,1873 (The Australasian,  November 8, 1873).

(Clipper. Boston. Melbourne.)

BIRD WATCHING

Kookaburras . Vallis pix.

(Birds. Watching. Queensland. )

VOYAGE TO TREASURE ISLAND

In  his relentless search for  oddities, interesting books  and collectables , the  Shipping  Reporter  sailed   into  Australia's  largest Vinnies op shop   at  West End, Townsville, which covers 1900 square metres  of  floor space.  

Not interested in  the wedding  gown  and  smart  male attire section  near the  entrance , our scruffy waterfront roundsman pulled out his camera and snapped  a  small part  of  the  huge  emporium.  

In the past, the Queen Mother  was spotted   inside   a showcase  along with a copy of  Poor Fellow My Country by Xavier Herbert,  Maori  carvings.  On this trip  there was  evidence , below,   that there were many  collectors of royalty in  the north , Lady Di tucked away,  plus  souvenirs of  overseas  travel  to the South Seas , Britain  and  Asia. 

A  stand out    below  was  a 19ll  Wolseley  car , the firm founded  in 1901  by  Vickers armaments and   Herbert  Austin. 

Large carved trunk followed by jam-packed  showcase .

Further  on there is a  large book area , a  collectables section,  an  old sheet music, records and  vinyl   display ,CD and  DVDs , paintings and  prints ,  a  huge  clothing  offering  and  glassware , new  and  used  furniture  . There is a wide  range  of  British, Japanese  and   New  Zealand  china. 

Books the Shipping Reporter   came away with included two about  WWll in New Guinea and   one  dealing with  the  quest to recover an English pirate ship and its treasure  which sank off  the coast of Cape Cod in a  storm in  1717.  

(Treasure. Vinnies. Pirate.)

NORTHERN BOOK NEWS

About to be launched soon is the much anticipated  book about the  Northern Territory high profile barrister , Jon Tippett , who spent more than 20 years at the bar .The book has been written by Darwin  reporter  Paul Toohey , former chief northern correpondent of the  Australian. 

 He was previously a senior writer at the Sydney  Bulletin and is the author of three books: God’s Little Acre, Rocky Goes West and The Killer Within. He has won the Graham Perkin journalist of the year award and a Walkley award for magazine feature writing. 

Toohey also won a Walkley Award for his first Quarterly Essay, Last Drinks: The Impact of the Northern Territory Intervention.

Magnetic Island , off Townsville, features in the recently launched book , The Washup , by Nicole Crowe, which deals with a woman going back to the island after her parents' death in a car crash two years ago .

 Crowe grew up on Magnetic Island at Nelly Bay and it is said the beauty and strangeness of the island , combined with her brother's former profession as a skydive tandem master provided the inspiration for the book. 

(Books., Darwin. Island.)

WOLFING DOWN EXOTIC TUCKER

At a recent visit to  Darwin's popular Mindil Beach market ,our correspondent  Petros took time out  from  partaking of  the  great  array  of  tasty  food on  offer, including the  renowned   pawpaw salad ,shown being  made above  , to  photograph   an odd   cloud formation  which looked  like the head of  a  wolf. 

(Mindil. Salad. Wolf.)