THE SEARCH FOR "LARRY'S" GRAVE

An  outstanding  story  in  the latest  edition  of   Progenitor , journal of  the  Genealogical Society of the  Northern Territory (GSNT )  ,  is about   "Larry  Brunette " ,  a  former  head  stockman  at  the  Brunette   Downs  cattle  station  , who   was  a  woman  .

GSNT  received an email  from  the Central  Australian Aboriginal Congress  in Alice Springs seeking  information   to help  locate  the grave   of  Larry (Warramungu) McDougal, also known as  Larry Brunette .  At  first, it was  thought that " Larry" must have  been  a  male ,  but it was  soon established  otherwise .  The  extensive research , including  listening to a recorded interview with the son of  a  previous  owner  of  the    station ,  once owned by  the American  King Ranch Pastoral Company , soon    discovered   she  was  an "amazing   person" . After  ceasing as  the "head stockman ", she had  been  deeply  involved  in the  day to  day running  of  the  station .  

Progenitor  tells  how  the search for her grave  involved  talking to a  elderly stockman, Tony Green ,   who had lived on Brunette  Downs for   about 75 years . He had  been born  just after Larry   died . Other people, from the Tiwi  Islands ,    with  the same photograph of  her ,   had  come  looking  for  her  grave   in  recent  years . 

 

The    above   photograph  of   a  grave  with  shells  and  stones from the Tiwi Islands  is believed to be  that of  Larry Brunette. The  article   said Larry's  children had been "removed"  about  1915  and sent to Cherbourg , Queensland ; in the  l930s , more children  had been removed and sent to Darwin  and  the Tiwi  Islands . 

 The unusual Larry Brunette  story brings to mind   the  song, The Drover's Boy ,  by public servant ,  singer, songman ,  Ted  Egan , a former Administrator of the   Northern Territory .  A     book  of   the  same name  he wrote   was  set in the l920s when  it was  illegal for  Caucasians and  Aboriginals  to marry , an  Aboriginal" wife"  often   passed  off  as  a  drover's boy . 

Egan  was quoted as saying he hoped the day  would come when the enormous contribution   to the Australian pastoral industry by Aboriginal women  would be recognised and honoured.  Furthermore, he  tried    to  make a  film  about  The Drover's Boy in 1995  but it   failed to gain enough  financial support  after preliminary  shooting   and   had  to  be  abandoned .    

SEA SHEPHERD ACTIVE IN NORTH

Our Shipping Reporter  once facetiously  said  Noah's Ark could sail into  Townsville and  the local media would not notice.  Sailing about  Townsville  of   late , unnoticed   by the Press gang,   have been keen   representatives   of   Sea Shepherd, the  international organisation which has  long   been   protecting  the  world's   oceans  and  marine life , manually   removing  rubbish  from  the city's beaches  .  Last Sunday , Sea Shepherd   had   a  stall on Magnetic Island  at the Horseshoe Bay Market , below, and  members removed   rubbish  from  the  beach .  Again  no  mention by  the  mainland media .

 Whale watching  trips   have been going on off  Townsville recently . Sea Shepherd, of course , took  on  the  Japanese   over   whaling  in Antarctica .

 

 Sea Shepherd's Australian campaigns  include  Operation Reef Defence designed to protect the   Great Barrier Reef    from the  Adani Carmichael  coal mine  , the proposed rail link  and port  which it says will  be one of the world's largest  mines  and will severely put at risk the reef and a liveable  climate .  Under its  Marine  Debris Campaign   Sea Shepherd  organises  beach and waterway  clean ups  all over  Australia . In two years  volunteers  have removed more than two million pieces of marine  debris , 80  per cent plastic . 

 

Sea Shepherd is also working to  highlight  the  destructive shark  netting programs  of Queensland , New South Wales and  Western  Australia   which  each year entrap and kill whales , dolphins, turtles  and other endangered species .

BOUND FOR BOTANY BAY

Postcard from First Fleet

From the Little Darwin nautical  file comes  this shot of the 1911 brigantine  Eye of the Wind   while  taking part   in  the First Fleet  re-enactment voyage   from  England    to  Sydney   in 1988 .  The postcard  was  sent   from a  doctor   as  the  boat , with brown sails , not white as shown in  the photo,   was  alongside at Twofold Bay , Eden , New South Wales.

 The  vessel   had  rescued  a  Sydney to Hobart   yacht   which had been  hit by lightning  when  returning to Sydney  and  was  stranded at sea for three days . The fleet was  re- assembling   at  Twofold Bay  for  the  home run  via  Jervis  Bay  and  Botany  Bay .  A  night had been spent sheltering from a gale in  Oberon Bay on Wilson's promontory .  The  fleet had been  visited by trawlers , helicopters, sharks, seals, whales  and  dolphins .  

NEW VILLE FOR TOWNSVILLE

Now known as  The Village, this is the demountable accommodation  township  for  those  displaced by the  fire  at James Cook University, Townsville .  As there is already a place  on the outer fringe of Townsville known  as  The Village   and  the  Townsville  casino goes under the name  Ville ,  things  start to get a bit confusing for Uber drivers .  Anyway, the local media has  not yet caught onto the fact there  is a new  suburb  in  the city  housing  more  than  100  students.

BENDY BANANA BONANZA

LONDON:  UK Prime Minister  Boris Johnson  has   promised to  import  rejected  Australian   bananas  when  he  pulls out  of  the EU.    This  has prompted a  move  by financially  bent   North Queensland  banana  growers to  erect statues to Boofheaded  Boris  in  places like Tully and Ingham, depicting him  as  King  Twisty  Banana .

In its  brilliant series on waste , the  Australian Broadcasting Commission  revealed that a  large part of the North  Queensland banana  crop  goes straight  to the  dump because  Woolworths and Coles  won't  accept   fruit which they regard  as  being  too  bendy, too big .

 

While banana growers are dancing in the streets  following   Johnson's royal  banana  edict , Canberra    has   got  itself  in  a  twist . It seems   the Morrison  government has plans to give  people struggling on Newstart  and  Barnaby Joyce   packs of  reject  bananas  in  Operation  Let  Them  Eat  Bananacake . 

BLACK AND WHITE AUSTRALIA

Included in the Margaret  Vine  Collection of  ephemera  at Special Collections, James Cook University , Townsville , are several items  related  to painter, illustrator Keith  Looby ,  awarded  the   l984  Archibald Prize  for  his portrait  of  comedian  Max Gillies .

The  above graphic , from a Brisbane  gallery, is for  Looby's distinctive   Black and White  History of  Australia series, he having already done  a pen and ink  history of the  world. The   first  portfolio  of six etchings in the Australian series   included  Macathur's Sheep, Massacre of Tasmanians , an Aboriginal  Family.  A second portfolio offered Kelly, Kelly Hung, Eureka Stockade, Justice, Sportingmen's Club  and  Heidelberg .   

 

Born Sydney in l940, Looby ,  l5 ,  attended the  East Sydney Technical College, fancied cartooning,  took off overseas , spent   several  years in Italy and London , displayed an elaborate  drawing  at the Royal Academy in  1960.

 

From 1972-74  he was  on an Australian National University  Creative  Arts Fellowship and  won the Sulman Prize in l974;  named Canberra Artist of the Year  l992.

 

A quick Google search provided an unexpected early view of  Looby in his studio  made by a Sydney  firm  that  constructed  cabanas ,  garden sheds . 

Historian Humphrey McQueen wrote Suburbs of the Sacred about Looby for Penguin Books in l988.

QUAIL SHOOTING SEASON PASSES WITHOUT SHOT FIRED

Part  of  the  Ghost Fleet , this vessel    flew in and out of  Townsville without any attention from  local media stuffed owls . Photo  supplied  by our  trigger happy  Shipping  Reporter.