SCENIC VIEWS OF CAIRNS

 

Abra photos .

SALUTE TO AUSTRALIAN CARTOONIST

The Museum of Australian Democracy named  Sydney Morning Herald and The Age cartoonist Cathy Wilcox  Political  Cartoonist of the Year .She is   shown  here  as  the  rather stunned  looking  guest and co-presenter  in  Talking Pictures  by  Mike Bowers  , Guardian   photographer  at  large , without a keeper , on  the   ABC  top   political  television  show, INSIDERS.

Examples of  her powerful   winning   art  over  the  year   displayed  below  cover the terrible death  toll  from COVID-l9 in aged care  homes and the associated  issue of  casual  workers,  plus the  many endangered  Australian  species . 

DISAPPEARANCE OF LIBERAL LEADER AT SEA REVIVES BAFFLING CASE OF PRIME MINISTER HAROLD HOLT IN 1967

Spooky Shipping  Reporter Christmas Scoop 

Without any public announcement,  the large lifeboat  named after  an early Queensland Liberal leader, Sir Thomas Hiley, has disappeared from the Picnic Bay foreshore  on Magnetic Island, in  circumstances  similar  to  Liberal  Prime Minister Harold  Holt .

 This blog pointed out only days ago  that  Sir Thomas , in company with three  chooks, had  featured  above in an island  Christmas card designed by artist Angie Pollock. Now there is a strange gap in the foreshore   undergrowth from whence, somehow, the  vessel  has  vanished. 

There was a king tide recently and it is possible it lifted the boat, along with the  chooks, and they are now on the bounding main , a kind of Noah's Ark . Any mariner passing through Cleveland Bay should keep an eye out for a floating chook house and cut  the  cackle on the ship to  shore by  raising  the sighting . Please do not upset  the  hens by grabbing  them  as it may put them  off  laying . 

PM Holt , who spent  a lot of time scuba diving  in North Queensland, disappeared  without trace   while swimming at Cheviot  Beach , Victoria, on December 17,l967. A wild British report  years later claimed Holt was a Chinese spy !!!! and had  been taken away in a Chinese submarine !!!! Dame Zara Holt  said it was a ridiculous suggestion , as Harold did not like Chinese tucker . 

Holt  more into spearfishing than fried rice .

Due to the  puzzling disappearance of  Sir Thomas , PM  Scott Morrison has been advised by the AFP  and border security  not to engage in any fancy  Hawaiian board riding stunts  at Cronulla or staging media  photo opportunities at Bondi   portraying himself  as a typical  Aussie beach  bum  over  the  holiday  break .

In the event  that an upturned , prowling , foreign submarine is spotted beyond the breakers on  Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin , about to sink ,  the PM  has been  instructed   to take evasive action , run  like  hell , and  call in  Michaelia Cash  to  give  the unfortunate   submariners   mouth  to  mouth , followed by some powerful Australian  barley  broth  and her  home made   curry  when  they respond. 

NELLY'S GROYNE RELIEF / MUTILATED MERMAID MYSTERY CONTINUES

 

The large dead  tree  jammed  up against Nelly's Groyne on Magnetic Island   for months  has broken free ,according to our drifting  Shipping Reporter, the only  one  north of  Bronte Beach , Sydney . Unless given the Ryobi slashing  treatment it will  surely  become  a  menace  to  Manly and  Mandorah ferries.

High tides and  constant  winds which have buffeted the island  are  thought to  have  dislodged  the  flotsam,seen  above up against  the groyne . During the  year  the  groyne was painfully  impaled by  a  floating frond. 

Our waterfront  roundsman  says the shipwrecked mainland media  has not cracked the story behind  the  life size mermaid which suddenly appeared on the rocks at  the entrance to Magnetic Island . Over the year , it was mistreated-arms torn off, beheaded . Still sitting there, exposed to the elements , a gruesome sight . 

FANCY FENCES ATTRACT ATTENTION

 Build a fence... and  the world  takes notice .  An  extensive fence  built   at  the front of  a  large  block of  land on Magnetic Island ,   recently  cleared of  many old vehicles and pieces of machinery,  has attracted onlookers , many comments . There is speculation that the block is going to become a caravan  park .

In  this  blog's mixed up  files are rare  photos  of  a fence with an ingenious ,  adjustable corner post , designed  by  Darwin agronomist  Robert  Wesley-Smith , to   combat, we think, debris catching on fencing  wire  during    flooding   from   the   adjoining   swampland . The photo  does not reveal the top secret corner post ,soon to be patented,  floated on the  New York Stock Exchange . It  merely shows the netting to prevent crocodiles from swimming   into his adjoining  Lake  Weslee , into  which  Wes  oft  plunges , unless  it  is  bone  dry.  

RETURN OF DARWIN'S KICK ARSE KANGAROO : RIO TINTO , CHINA AND ADANI ALARMED

In lockdown in Vietnam, going through her files ,  former  Darwin resident  journalist , photographer and renowned  cafe  proprietor , Christina  Pas, found  and   sent   three  1982  episodes of  the comic strip about Kang Fu , the angry red kangaroo, run  in  the  independent weekly newspaper  Darwin Star .

The comic  ran  during the  time that  Christina's partner , John Loizou , was  the  editor (it had several ) of  the Darwin Star .

It is said The Star's name was derived from the Hong Kong Star where another editor, Peter Blake , associated with Sydney's Kings Cross Whisper, had once worked , and later went to the New York Post .

The Darwin Star  gave the   Murdoch Northern Territory  News  a  run for  its money, was bought by  South Australian  trucking  magnate and  media owner ,Alan Scott ,who eventually sold  to  Murdoch . 

 Christina and  John  launched the South East Asian Times in Darwin ,which she continued  online  after  John's  death . There  was  talk that Cri , as she is known , was  intending  to  write a  book . She  is hoping to  eventually catch  a  flight  back  to Darwin   or  Western  Australia.  

PLOVERS STILL LIVING DANGEROUSLY

Darting about  Magnetic Island are  tiny Plover chicks , often   running  near  or  crossing   roads . 

Our free  roaming  photographer Vallis  took these  shots  of  a noisy parent  Plover making  alarm calls  with   three  hard to see  tiny puffball chicks  which  ran  onto  a  road  after the other  parent, in  front of  a car . Visitors  to the island  should  always  be  on  the  alert  for  a variety of  birds and  wallabies   which   might  venture  onto  the  roadway .