If you are reading this, thank a Teacher. If you are reading it in English, thank a Soldier
Back at the desk in Brisbane. Unfortunately it’s still only 15 degrees celcius but I can’t insist on perfect weather all the time.
I checked in at A.E.Brain’ site and found a link to London Calling. I have included it on the right hand menu. Go read as it emphasises the fact that we are at war and it could well get worse.
I have a lot of admin to do and Legacy are demanding my presence but I will now post regularly again after having all my batteries recharged.
Currently resident at Fishery Falls, NQ – just 10 odd kilometers north of Babinda at the house of an old Army friend Denis Quick. Denis has a weekly column in the Townsville Bulletin on current and historic defence matters and has agreed to providing guest posts on kevgillett.net and this will commence on my return to Brisbane. Another opinion can only help.
The trip has been uneventful in respect of vehicle or tyre damage with poor fishing (inclement weather) but I have met some very interesting characters and will post on them later.
The Discovery handled the Old Telegaraph Track with ease and in due course I will post pics of the car going vertical into river crossings and climbing river exits that no sane vehicle owner would attempt.
This week promises a few days R & R on Magnetic Island out of Townsville, a few beers with old army mates and then home by the weekend when my leave pass runs out.
Until then.
To cold here in Brisbane – 24 degrees during the day but approaching single figures at night. As happens every June I get the bug for warmer climes and load up the 4×4 (SUV) and head north.
This year I am going right to the top of Cape York Peninsular. I’ve already been up once but this time I’m taking my two brothers-in-law and my elder son Stu with a mate of his, Rocky. We taking my Disco and Stu’s V6 Triton Dual-Cab. It is not a small undertaking as Cape York is very, very remote and there are rivers to ford (and risk the V8 Discovery) and a lot of severe 4- wheel driving through some frightening but spectacular mountain passes.
There is one section of the Old Telegraph Track of about 40 km that took us the best part of two days to negotiate on the last trip.
I will post along the way when there are computers and internet but as I said, very remote country.
If I don’t post much you will know why and if you visit, then here is some reading about the one of the last remote treks in the western world- Flora and fauna, Wikopedia, some pics and an article by another Discovery owner – Cape York
The big trip to the tip.
As you beaver away in your airconditioned office think of me in the wilds….enjoying it.
AUSTRALIAN hostage Douglas Wood is well and undergoing medical checks following his rescue more than six weeks after being kidnapped in Iraq.
It appears he was rescued during a military mission by and Iraqi forces.
Wayne Errington and Peter van Onselen, two Australian academics have a go at Bob Geldorf and his plan to raise more money for Mugabes Dachas in Europe.
As much as we all enjoy lectures on African poverty from musically gifted white multi-millionaires, we should at least consider, just for a moment, the possibility that rock musicians have a limited understanding of the global economy.
I couldn’t agree more but include movie stars as in the same category. Stick to singing and acting guys and let the politicians, diplomats and world leaders sort out the worlds economy.
Well worth the time to read
Michael Jackson has been found innocent but I still wouldn’t recommend any parent let their kids anywhere near him.
The Australian newspaper finally catches up with kevgillett.net. Last June I posted on Gallarway Yunupingu, the Black Prince of Arnhem Land and raised several questions based on what I witnessed at Nuhunbuy in Arnhem Land.
When there, I notice a chopper flying around;
“Who owns it? I ask.
“Well not Galarrwuy. He owns the company that owns the chopper???
The’ve learnt these people, I was told, just like white shonky businessmen, they now set up companies so they can state very clearly that they don’t own certain luxury items but they are reserved for their private use.
From the Australian newspaper
By contrast, Mr Yunupingu is regularly piloted in a helicopter, which cost the Gumatj Association $169,949 in “repairs and maintenance” last financial year. The chopper absorbed $20,592 in fuel and is used to reach one of four houses at Mr Yunupingu’s disposal, at Ninyakay outstation in western Arnhem Land
along with the Range Rover and several other cars. Last year Galarrwuy met us at an outstation driving a 100 series fully optioned Toyota that looked decidedly out of place beside the communities other vehicles in the parking area- mostly tired clapped out fords.
Last year I wrote;
We met one chap who had traveled with the band (Yothu Yindi)for 12 years and I quite liked him (no names- no pack drill) but noticed body language that would indicate that he was not a favoured son. Alcohol, drugs and a murder investigation is cramping his style.
(no names-no pack drill) can now be identified as one of Galarrwuy’s sons who has recently been convicted of kicking a woman to death.
Being chairman of the Northern Land Council, Galarrwuy gets to control allocation of funds but has never been hampered by a sense of fairness.
MORE than $3 million in housing grants controlled by the Northern Territory’s most powerful black politician, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, has funded construction of just four houses in four years for his impoverished Arnhem Land people.
One of those houses was for Mr Yunupingu’s use.
And I personally know that one other is set aside and considered as the private property of a favoured son known by all at Nuhulunbuy as Galarrwuy’s successor. It sits on prime real estate overlooking the bay with no chance of ever being built out. No one occupies it while he is away down south at a boarding school – barely a teenager he effectively owns a house while the rest of his tribe live in squallor.
And this;
Mr Yunupingu’s cousin Dhanjah Gurruwiwi lives at the eastern end of the beach in similarly poor accommodation with her brother Djalu Gurruwiwi, the legendary yidaki (digeridoo) carver and player.
I visited the Gurruwiwis and can sympathise with them on their allocated accomodation. The local white population, including the police, referr to Galarrwuy’s four houses as ‘Galarrwuy’s Palaces’.
We didn’t get to see them.
The question is that this has all been local knowledge for years and nothing has been done about it.
Why?
There is more on my experiences in Arnhem Land in the right-hand menu bar under Travel, The LTD04 Tour.
My eldest daughter, Katherine, is getting married today and as you can well imagine I’m discouraged from following my normal pursuits.
Busy and happy times.
Should be back to normal posting tomorrow.
With the tag “Sabre Rattling” in the corner of the screen the ABC TV carried a story tonight about the joint Australian/US exercise currently underway at Shoalwater Bay near Rockhampton, Queensland. Ever keen to put down on the ADF, the ABC managed to find some weirdos who were just looking for the chance to stand in front of a TV camera and sprout anti-military rubbish.
Greens think the Bay is under threat ecologically and plan a demonstration in Rockhampton. Something to entertain the crowds in an otherwise quite backwater of Australia.
They arranged for a Colonel to deny that the ADF was using depleted uranium rounds during the deployment and in addition, screened a dramatic background video of a vehicle tearing up the sand as the greenie waffled on, notwithstanding the fact that the sand will be smoothed over come the next high tide.
Have to give it to the ABC, they’re consistant – not one positive comment in the whole article.
Find everything you needed to know about the exercise here including Environment Policy documents and Maritime Awareness Defence Video, which, come to think of it, is more than most people need to know.
What they need to know is that the ADF work hard at inter-unit and international training to better enable them to do their job so that the taxpayer funded ABC can dump on them.
Bastards!
From Lateline
MADAME FU: I was asked by the Australian Government about whether he will be – whether he will face persecution if he returns to China, as he said, and I said he won’t.
TONY JONES: How can you guarantee something like that?
MADAME FU: I think there is no reason. I don’t see there is any reason to persecute him, and China doesn’t do it, and he has never been persecuted.
Sorry Madam Fu, I don’t believe you and neither do most Australians .
The full interview with Madam Fu here
Laurie Ferguson thinks Immigration phoning the Chinese Embassy on the matter would have only made things difficult for the would-be defector.
Laurie normally doesn’t get quoted, for good reasons, but gets some some air-time with the ABC (surprise) with this line.
Labor’s immigration spokesman Laurie Ferguson says the phone call may have placed the diplomat’s life at risk.
Can’t see it, Laurie. I’m reasonably confident that the Chinese Embassy staff read our newspapers, watch the ABC and have regular roll calls so would have been aware that Chen had done a runner well before someone called.
Currency Lad has this angle covered.
Last night Lateline found another Chinese chappie who says there a thousands of Chinese spies in Oz. Second Chinese defector backs Chen’s claims.
He may be right but I suggest caution until we can sort out everyone’s agenda.
The Dems, Greenies and Labour must select an ABC item critical of the Howard Government (and there are plenty of then) every day as a basis for a Senate inquiry or a Royal Commission.
The Democrats and the Greens think a Senate inquiry is the right way forward, but Labor says it is still seeking a royal commission into the Immigration Department instead.
A bit over-played, these Senate hearings. While the ABC broadcasts every anti Howard one-liner from said hearings, the public are getting bombarded and subsequently bored with the predictable messages.
Peter crying wolf type of stuff.
Bob Brown invents a role for himself and his party by requesting diplomat protection for Chen saying he has been forced to ask NSW to protect the Chen family.
“What an appalling situation when we have to appeal to the NSW authorities to give the protection to Mr Chen that should have been forthcoming from the Commonwealth authorities right at the outset,” he told ABC radio.
You didn’t have to appeal to anyone, Bob, and your contribution will, as always, do more damage than good.
As I understand it, the ABC has a direct line to Brown’s office and hit him up for a comment on everything, which makes sense as they both start every thought process with ‘Howard wrong, Conservatives Bad”
Howard doesn’t need this shit and neither does Australia. As always it will bubble on the surface until someone finds another “shock, horror, look what the bastards are doing now, lets hold another Senate inquiry, fill Tony’s Lateline agenda, Bob Brown what’s your opinion” type of event