Cinema

Gadfly 270 By Robert Macklin It is now clear that Peter Dutton has joined the Nats’ leader, the eponymous David Littleproud, in a de facto campaign against the referendum for an Aboriginal Voice to Parliament. It is no coincidence that they both hail from Queensland. I say this as a born and bred Queenslander. Indeed, I jackarooed on a property in Littleproud’s Maranoa electorate. There was even a moment as press secretary to his predecessor, John ‘Black Jack’ McEwen when the idea of a political career in that very region passed its way through the juvenile cerebellum. It took me as far as forming a Canberra branch of the Young Country Party and recruiting Peter Nixon (McEwen’s preferred successor) and the Boss himself to address a meeting of the group at the Party’s Barton headquarters. And I still recall the drug-like thrill of applause from a (smallish) group of enthusiasts at a Harden Branch meeting. Thankfully, with the help of my much more sensible wife, I kicked the drug before an addiction took root. The Queensland upbringing has its compensations. Every State of Origin match for the last 20 years sees my two sons and I hook up our mobiles wherever we are in the world and cheer home the Maroons (or blame the ref). And my first novel, ‘The Queenslander’ has been optioned three times for a TV series which the latest American producers have hopefully billed, ‘The Thorn Birds of the 21st Century’. This doesn’t mean it will ever get made, and I hated The Thorn Birds with a passion, but when things look crook – as they occasionally do in a writers’ life – it’s nice to fantasise about that moment at the Golden Globes awards: ‘And the winner is…’ But Thomas Aquinas certainly knew something when he said, ‘Give me the child until he is seven and I will show you the man’. The myths of childhood and the formative years seem almost baked into the young brain; and it takes hard work, emotional grit, and the kind of courage that all addicts bring to their struggle to beat the gloating Aquinas boast. Many don’t make it. Littleproud and Dutton are sad examples. They must know deep down that Queensland was the site of the most - and some of the worst - massacres of the Aboriginal people. But because they know there is a ‘base’ within their parties that remains deliberately ignorant, they pretend otherwise: Queensland is ‘Godzone country’ and can do no wrong; and if there was some unpleasantness with the great ‘pioneers’, it was generations ago and things were different then. Well, they got that almost right. In truth, things are now more different than they realise. It was Queensland that produced Eddie Mabo and Noel Pearson and Marcia Langton; Queensland that welcomed the first Aboriginal Senior Counsel, Tony McAvoy, now central to the negotiations for a Treaty. More recently it’s given us Ash Barty, Jonathan Thurston, Arti Beetson; and it was Queensland that last year elected its first three Greens to Seats in the House and a second Senator. Indeed, it was another Queenslander, Kevin Rudd, who initiated the Apology to the Stolen Generations; and it was Dutton who walked out of the House when he did so. His latest demand for the Voice’s modus operandi is simply a pinch from the Howard playbook to defeat the 1999 referendum on the Head of State: confuse the argument with the fine detail to be decided once the principle has been secured. It’s either pathetic or childish – but either way it’s another win for wise old Tom Aquinas. robert@robertmacklin.com

Reading—A beer with Baz Mick wended his way through the front bar and out to the beer garden. Bazza had secured the favoured table under the big gum tree with his eyes half closed. An Elvis Presley impersonator who missed the train to Parkes, began his cover of ‘All Shook Up.’ “Found you, Bazza…..deep in thought in the beer garden eh?” “I’m not sure why they call it a beer garden, Mick……..it’s not as if they grow any beer here.” Mick opted for a shake of the head rather than a chuckle and they both took generous sips. “Ahhhhh……we have to make the most of these endless summer days, Mick. I’ve had to reconfigure the alarm clock so it reminds me of the weekday rather than the me. My wife had to remind me it was Friday so you are lucky I’m here. January seems to be divided between the cricket or the tennis.” “Or more likely, the fridge or the couch, Bazza……anyhow….the Premier seems to be in a bit of strife, dressing up in a Nazi uniform, at his twenty first birthday party.” The Elvis impersonator had the odd couple up and dancing as he leaned into the microphone with; ‘Oh, well, my hands are shaky, and my knees are weak I can't seem to stand on my own two feet Who do you thank when you have such luck?’* Bazza leaned back and sighed. “Yeah, I did read that, Mick……but I don’t buy the excuse that you know li le about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust by the age of twenty one. I reckon I would of watched ‘A Sound of Music’ fi y mes before I le primary school and then gained a deeper understanding at high school. He must of either been asleep at school or there is something wrong with the educa on system he now presides over.” “He did seem genuinely sorry at the press conference, Bazza.” Bazza took a long sip. “No doubt about that, Mick…..just like your mate, Prince Harry, who did something similar in 2005.” Mick screwed his eyes. “I’ve never really been into fancy dress par es, Mick, but if you must do it; choose someone that is not divisive or controversial. Choose a unifying figure whose life is guided by empathy, responsibility, respect, integrity and compassion. Put a fancy dress on those quali es and it can s ll be fun.” A long silence. “Agreed for once, Bazza…….who would you have in mind?” Bazza pursed his lips. “Ahhhhh…..I don’t know, Mick…….maybe a Cardinal.” *Acknowledge: ‘All Shook Up’ by Elvis Presley.

Beagle le er re Council rubbish issues etc 10.01.23

Eurobodalla Council to receive Local Government Kama Sutra Award? Dear Editor, Thank you for your lead ar cle and editorial last weekend on the Eurobodalla rubbish and public toilet crisis over the Christmas New Year holiday break.. As you note, this annual waste crisis is out of control. While Council may have put out a few more bins, the tsunami of overflowing waste shows they clearly underes mated demand; and as for the closing the public toilets on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day – what are ratepayers to conclude other than that the responsible ESC managers are Missing In Ac on yet again? Coming on top of such Council management fiascoes as the Congo Road nightmare, the Coila Zombie Development, trashing of Dalmeny nature corridors for developers, the sacrificing of community services for commercial developments such as at the Bay Pavilions, etc , our new GM Warwick Winn must surely be wondering about some of the Divisional managers he has inherited On each one of these issues we have been treated for years with so many contradictory posi ons and blame shi ing excuses, it all looks like some Local Government version of the Kama Sutra. The only problem is, while the Divisional heads smile on their $200,000 odd annual salary, ratepayers have no joy. And are le with their mess.. If Council wants to seriously address garbage dumping/ overflows from tourists they need be er managers – and to pay them to work over me in holidays.. They also clearly requires more bins, regular monitoring and backup bins and personnel to deal with overflows. At a strategic level Council needs to install camera monitoring of hotspots, more signage about waste preven on and poten al fines; plus the will to fine people who illegally dump waste. In terms of public toilets administra on and services, our Council has always been a poor rela on compared to neighbouring Shires . As with Waste Management, this area also needs a new management team with new policies and opera onal plans. Good Luck Warwick! Jack Purcell

To Beagle Editor. Welcome to another year. For Beagle readers who may be interested in the weather, tradi onally a staple topic opener for many conversa ons , my rain gauge at Tuross Head recorded 1520mm in our wet and flooded 2022. Going back to 2019, it was only 540mm in that terrible dry and bushfire year. Our local average is around 1100mm so we can only hope for normality and less extreme weather episodes. Sadly though, I believe Climate Change is just flexing its ample energe c muscles worldwide with damaging and costly weather extreme teasers. Paying for floods and fires is a very big hit to our na onal economy, for us at home we can already see the rising cost of food and insurance, pe y stuff so far. I’ve no ced how quiet the Climate Change Scep cs have been in the past year or two. Nearly two decades ago I met Al Gore ( US VP) at the Sydney launch of his film “An Inconvenient Truth”, a mely warning of the Global Warming impacts to come. The Fed government of the day dismissed the message of the film, one high ranking MP saying “it’s only entertainment”. Lost opportunity, lost me. Locally we have new councilors and senior staff at Eurobodalla Shire Council who seem to be more aware of such issues and are , I understand, working on the findings of the Bushfire Royal Commission regarding fire plans, zones etc. For instance, Tuross Head dodged a bullet due to a wind change in the drama c 2019/20 summer bushfires, other towns were not so lucky. Tuross remains at high bushfire risk and doesn’t have an emergency evac shelter. Residents of our shire no doubt eagerly await helpful plans and feedback from Council well before the next bushfires or any emergency. People are becoming less tolerant of lazy arrogant poli cians and bureaucrats, perhaps now is the era of Li le Brother watching Big Brother. This could just be the beginning so hold on to your hats. Gary Smith. Tuross Head.

www.iga.com.au/

MESSRS. R. W. Thatcher and Sons have just completed a fine residence at Central Tilba for S. W. Bate. It is one of the show places on the Coast, and is lit up with the Gloria light. AT 11am on Wednesday there passed peacefully from this world of joy and sorrow Miss Susan McLean, eldest daughter of the late Mr. Archibald McLean, of Newstead. Deceased who was 68 years of age, died at “Bonnie Doon,” the residence of her sister, Mrs. M. Rose, by whom she had been devotedly nursed during an illness of many months dura on. … She is survived by one brother, Mr. Allen McLean (Sydney), six sisters, Mesdames M. Rose (Moruya), Caskie (South Africa), Johnson (Newcastle), Misses Bella (South Africa), Agnes (W. Aus), and Janet (Lansdown), Miss Annie McLean having pre-deceased her only a few months ago in America. … A GOOD fall of rain is needed throughout this district, as the extremely hot weather and drying westerlies of the past month have had a serious effect on the crops and herbage. The fire fiend has wrought havoc in many parts and has le devasta on in its trail. From numerous centres in the state good falls of rain has been reported, but Moruya’s good cheer is s ll to come. A PARTY of campers report having had a deligh ul period of eight days on Broulee Island. Though the spot is difficult of access visitors are well repaid for the tedious journey. [There is] …a wind-sheltered spot for tents, clean and sandless, a supply of deliciously cool spring water, and firewood in abundance. The scene overlooking the bay on a moonlight night, with the red glare of the bush-fire on the farther shore, the silver beams on the water, and the white fringe of surf is a feast for the eyes of a nature-lover. [In the old cemetery] …remains but one gravestone, and that broken. The almost effaced le ering reads: “To the memory of Elizabeth Malabar, wife of Abraham Malabar, who died 1842.” Some traces of the abandoned hamlet s ll remain, here a heap of bricks, there a half visible fence, and for the rest enormous hills of sand which has completely smothered the group of co ages that once faced the bay. … ON Wednesday the only son of Mr. and Mrs. George Patrech, of Bateman’s Bay, was admi ed to the local Hospital suffering from diptheria in a very severe form. Despite Dr. Cutler’s special a en on and treatment when his services were called upon and Matron Constable’s kind nursing, the li le sufferer passed away yesterday morning at the age of 1 year and 11 months. An image of the grave on Broulee Island. Just a comment on the name on the grave: in the Australian convict and later record Malabar is spelt with a's but in the earlier records in England Abraham Malabar's name is spelt with e's.

Extracted from the Moruya Examiner by the Moruya and District Historical Society Inc. h ps://www.mdhs.org.au