SOUFFLES RISE AFTER 50 YEARS

 Poking about in  a  church hall  in  North Queensland , one of  our devout  book  hunters  managed to snap   the   above   stained  cover  of   a  small  1967  cookery book   compiled  by  women   of  Pilton , a  town  south of  Toowoomba , Queensland .  Follow  up  resulted   in  the  online  discovery of   an  embroidered,   small,  lace - edged  tablecloth  bearing  the  names  of   the  members  of  the  Pilton  Womens  Committee  1964.

OUR NEW BRANCH OFFICE

Abra photograph .

 

PEANUTS , LOLLIES AND SICKLY CHOCS WITH A THICK COATING OF SPIN

 ScoMo's   lollyboy   fruitloop    tour  ends   in   messy  meltdown  in  hermetic    Canberra   Bubble   

Scomo  and  British PM  Boris Johnson exchanging  confectionery  and pouring  other  PR   after  dinner mints  into  each other's  pockets.   Boris was  found  to  be  suffering from a severe  scalp infection , which could affect  the   entire  Australian Merino  wool exports  to  the  UK if brought back  to  Canberra  .

It  could also threaten the  emerging  Australian  cottage industry of DIY  merkin  knitting  in  regional  areas  , encouraged  in  the  recent   budget . 

This is the real  reason why Scomo  is  in quarantine in the  national  capital  after  his   multiple  overseas  photo  opportunities ,during which he was given the  elbow in discussions   of  real  importance .  Being locked in the Lodge  also  prevents  him  from  holding  face  to  face  meetings  with  warring  National  Party  members  who  are  spitting at each other , and  Libs , like   Central  Australian   feral   camels  about  to  be trucked off  to  a  knackery .

Our leper .

 Mark  Knight of  the Herald Sun deserves  a  gift pack from  the   Cadbury factory for  this  cartoon likening   the  G7  and a  fringe  group  busker  with  the  WWll  Yalta  conference . 

 

In the case  of the inimitable   David Rowe , of the Australian Financial Review , in a brilliant play on (black)  coals to Newcastle , he  portrayed ScoMo  with  a   Qanon looking  beast , from  the Coalition  think  tank farm , posing  with scruffy   Boris, and  Daisy , not  his newly married   wife, outside  Number 10  ,  in  an obvious   advanced  state  of  foot  and  mouth .  These and  other  cartoons  were  run  in  the latest    ABC  TV  Insiders , in the  wonderful   Mike Bowers  Talking Pictures  segment . 

UPCOMING :  A   secret  French  weapon  to  be used  in  the  next  Australian election 

BURIAL SERVICE FOR A BUTTERFLY

 Ashes  to  Ashes  to   Ants 

Vallis photographs .

BLOOD SUCKING HITCHHIKERS AND ANTEATERS , ONE A FLASH HYBRID

 A  Spiny  Anteater , like  the  one  above , on Magnetic Island ,  was  found to  be carrying two cattle ticks .  Only one  tick  could be  removed  before it  waddled  off   into  the  undergrowth .  Strange  to  tell , a  small  Anteater brooch  has  turned  up   on   the  island  and   was    photographed .

ANOTHER ODDITY IN QUEEN'S PLANTATION

 
Kew   Gardens   Baffled 

During  an  afternoon tea party on  the  Queen's  veranda , attended by a variety of  freeloading birds , and some local yokels  , there  was  yet another  strange  sighting in  her  leafy  estate . In  the  bananas , which badly needed a  trim , there  being many hanging dead  leaves ,  the  above  fungal  growth , like  tiny mushrooms , was  detected . 

 The coloured   beetles   which  had invaded her  Hibiscus last week  seemed to have moved on  to a  warmer  clime .  

However, while the  banana  plantation was being  trimmed by a  serf   , the   above  black  snail was  also  found . The Queen responded by telling  the  illiterate , forelock- tugging  gardener  he could  have  an escargot  supper.

INSIDE A WARTIME NEWSPAPER

 

One of  the  many surprises  in the  wide  ranging  library of  the  Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory , Darwin , is  a    small  holding  of  the  Guinea Gold newspaper produced for Australian and American   troops in New Guinea . 

 The  above  front  page  is  dated  May 23,  l943. A nurse is shown looking after  a  doctor suffering burns , a survivor  from the  Australian  hospital ship Centaur , sunk by a Japanese submarine  off  Moreton Island  on May 14,1943 , with  the  loss of  268 lives  . The  Guinea Gold  photograph was  supplied   by  the  Brisbane Telegraph 

 On of Centaur's first trips  as  a  hospital  ship had been to  take wounded   patients  from  Townsville  to  Brisbane .Magnetic Island once had a holiday resort named Centaur ,in memory of the attack .  Its  sign ,which included a propellor,  became  badly  weathered and  was  removed.  

The  following shots  show the production line  within the  paper from  editorial  to  the  linotype setter   and  the  flatbed  press  being  prepared with  the help of a  Papuan .  Those named below , from the left ,are Major  R.B.Leonard (standing), editor , from  Melbourne , and Lieutenant J.D. Holdsworthy, of Sydney .

Reginald  Byron Leonard (1907-1986), a seasoned  political reporter and  former Melbourne Herald deputy- chief  of  staff  , also  headed  RAAF public relations.

 In 1942,  in Papua  as a war correspondent ,  he suggested  a  four page  paper  be   started  by  the  Army  in  Port  Moresby  for troops cut off from reliable news . This resulted in  him being  made  a major and  given  the task of  launching the paper .  In  later   life  he  was  deeply involved in  radio, television  and  newspapers, eventually knighted.  

The caption said  Guinea Gold  helped keep the morale of  troops  high in New Guinea . Consisting of  two editions - Australian and  American - the   latter  included  one  page  of  home  news  from  the  USA.