Flying Fish Point

The above photo was taken looking towards Ella Bay, you may be able to see it in the background. A beautiful beach largely unspoilt by loads of tourists. I cooked my first damper on a campfire at Ella Bay...what a disaster. All burnt and crusty on the outside and soft and gooey in the middle. Apologies for the darkness, but hopefully you can tell where the rainforest meets the beach...all this 10 minutes from my door.


Taken at approximately 5:45pm from the boat ramp at Flying Fish Point looking up the Johnstone River which winds its way back into town. This river was named after Robert A Johnstone who was an explorer and a policeman. The river abounds with many different species of fish including the much sought after barramundi. Many times I have been drag netting in here for bait, I was the one who stayed on shore holding one end of the net, be buggered if I'm going to be the next meal for the freshwater crocodile which inhabits the river. To the left of the photo is Coquette Point..that's where lots of posh people live, good for fishing but you get eaten alive by sandflies ..repellant doesn't work so you coat the legs and arms with river mud. Worked a treat then, am sure it still would !

Prisoner Work Camp

Since Cyclone Larry came to town, so did a group of low risk prisoners to help in the clean up. A base was established right next to sports grounds that is frequented by adults and children alike.There has been no break ins at the sports ground since the temporary camp was set up, every week hundreds of kids play and practise right next door, including my own. The camp has its prison supervisor onsite , you do not see them outside watching the sports being played, they have rules that they have to abide by or its straight back inside.The prisoners are screened for eligibility and only those who are imprisoned for non violent crimes and are close to release are accepted into the camp. Rapists, murderers,drug related criminals, child molesters and those who are deemed violent or are a risk are never taken into the camp.
Now, the Queensland government is attempting to establish a permanent prison work camp and the site for this is close to the residence of the superintendent of the Innisfail hospital. The proposed permanent camp will be 150 metres from the doctor's house.
Peter McKenna has stated that he is being forced to live in fear for his children's safety and that of his own and his wife with the camp being so close. He has also stated that he will leave town, therefore the hospital will be one doctor short which will have an impact on services.
What part of "the prisoners are carefully screened, extremely low risk, non-violent offenders" does Dr McKenna not understand? You have more chance of an everyday member of society committing an offence against you than those at the work camp. It is time that this town moved ahead with the times, accepted that there are things in life we may not like but it is all part of progress. The prisoners performed clean up duties and maintenance work around the town and still do. Many sat on their ass and collected donations and relief money and the prisoners as part of their work and rehabilitation went ahead sometimes in atrocious weather conditions.
Yes prison is for offenders who break the law, but come on, unpaid fines, petty crimes, does that make you less human? Our local MP, Bob Katter had the following to say:

"If I was the superintendent I would not want my wife and young family left alone while I am on night shift near these criminals, so I would leave too."
http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2008/05/16/13113_news.html

If the prison work camp was to be situated near my house, I would still sleep easy at night. Like I said before, we are at much greater risk from a "free" member of the community. Better the devil you know than the one you don't. A thousand signatures were collected in protest of the camp, yet this district has over 25,000 people.
Dr. McKenna may be a valuable staff member of the hospital, he however is not indispensable. He is holding this town to ransom with the threat of resignation if he doesn't get his own way. Pity he wasn't so passionate about gaining speech pathologist services that have been lacking for months. Pity he wasn't so passionate about the lives of babies Jaimi and Lorraine.

SECRET AGENT ORANGE TESTING !!

I am at a loss for words over the following article, will wait to see what further develops but I have to admit, a knee jerk reaction makes me want to move my children away, yes I am scared for them.

THE Australian Army tested chemical weapons on a town which now has deaths from cancer 10 times the state average.

Military scientists sprayed the toxic defoliant Agent Orange in the jungle that is part of the water catchment area for Innisfail in Queensland's far north at the start of the Vietnam War.

The Sun-Herald last week found the site where military scientists tested Agent Orange in 1966. It is on a ridge little more 100 metres above the Johnstone River, which supplies the drinking water for Innisfail.

Forty years later the site - which abuts farmer Alan Wakeham's land - is still bare, covered only in tough Guinea grass, but surrounded by thick jungle.

"It's strange how the jungle comes right up to this site and then just stops. It won't grow any further," Mr Wakeham said.

Agent Orange was sprayed extensively in Vietnam to defoliate the jungle and remove cover for North Vietnamese troops. It contains chemicals including the dioxin TCDD, which causes forms of cancer, birth defects and other health problems.

Researcher Jean Williams found details of the secret Innisfail tests in the Australian War Memorial archives.

"These tests carried out between 1964 and 1966 were the first tests of Agent Orange and they were carried out at Gregory Falls near Innisfail," said Ms Williams, who has been awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her work on the effects of chemicals on Vietnam veterans.

"I was told there is a high rate of cancer there but no one can understand why. Perhaps now they will understand."

Ms Williams unearthed three boxes of damning files.

One file showed the chemicals 2,4-D, Diquat, Tordon and dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) were sprayed on the rainforest in the Gregory Falls area in June 1966.

The file carried the remarks: "Considered sensitive because report recommends use of 2,4-D with other agents in aerial spraying trials in Innisfail."

Ms Williams said: "It was considered sensitive because they were mixing together all the bad chemicals, which just made them worse. They cause all the cancers."

Ms Williams claims a file which could indicate much wider testing in a project called Operation Desert had gone missing. The contents were marked "too disturbing to ever be released".

"Those chemicals stay in the soil for years and every time there is a storm they are stirred up and go into the water supply," Ms Williams said.

"The poor people of Innisfail have been kept in the dark about this. But these chemicals cause cancer and deformities that are passed on for generations. It is shocking. I am just an 83-year-old war-weary battler. I don't want any more medals, I just want justice for the people of Innisfail."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/agent-orange-town/2008

Banjo, Chris and The Light Horse Brigade

On my way to work today and running late, looking over I seen a man with a horse. Nothing unusual about that you may say. This was a soldier and his horse. Still nothing unusual? I parked the car and quickly made my way to the park, said hello, and asked if I could take some photos of this soldier and his horse. Delighted when he said yes, I opened my camera phone which was at the ready anyways, and took a few snaps. This was not just any soldier and his horse.

Meet Chris Iseppi and Banjo the horse from the Innisfail R.S.L Lighthorse Brigade. I'm no journalist but Chris was very accommodating in answering the questions I asked of what he was doing and about Anzac Day parade coming up on Friday 25th April.

Chris and Banjo along with two other horses were going to do a practise run through the town in preparation for Friday. Banjo was retrieved from a station near Chillagoe Queensland , he is 15 years old and took part in his first parade only two years ago. According to Chris, Banjo lead the parade and never put a hoof out of place, he stayed in step the whole time.

It was truly awesome to see Chris dressed as a soldier from The Light Horse Brigade, the uniform itself looked as though it would of been difficult to wear comfortably.... thick, and it felt very scratchy to touch.



I spoke to Chris again after lunch after tracking him down to the R.S.L (Returned Serviceman's Leagues) Club and he informed me that the practise run with Banjo and the other horses went without a hitch. Once more, Banjo stayed true to form and was never spooked even when an ambulance came up behind him in an emergency with sirens blaring.

I look forward to seeing the parade on Anzac Day, watching Banjo, Chris and the rest of the team, the local school children and various clubs from the town march and commemorate a day of great reflection.

At Federation, Australia was at war. 838 Officers 15,327 Other Ranks and 16,314 Horses saw service in the South African conflict by the time it concluded in 1903. New South Wales had sent Lancers (New South Wales Lancers), Heavy Cavalry (The Australian Horse), Mounted Infantry (New South Wales Mounted Rifles), and Light Horse (Australian Commonwealth Horse); other states had sent Mounted Infantry (Queensland Mounted Infantry, Victorian Mounted Rifles, Tasmanian Mounted Infantry, South Australian Mounted Rifles, Western Australian Mounted Infantry) and Light Horse (Australian Commonwealth Horse). However, it was recognised in this conflict that horsemen exposed and at the gallop with short range "shock" weapons (swords and/or lances) were no match for rapid firing smokeless weapons particularly if channelled by obstacles into murderous killing zones.

Thus when "The Mounted Service Manual for Australian Light Horse and Mounted Infantry" was authorised for publication by Major General ETH Hutton, Commanding the military Forces of the Commonwealth of Australia in July 1902, Mounted Troops were divided into two categories:

Light Horse, required to:

• fight on foot in the offensive and defensive;
• perform duties classified as information gathering and denial, reconnaissance and screening; and
• afford "protection" from surprise for all bodies of troops both halted and on the march.

Mounted Infantry, required to perform only the duties pertaining to infantry who are temporarily provided with increased means of mobility.

All Australian mounted units were Light Horse, there is no record of Mounted Infantry units being raised. The proud colonial titles and traditions of the colonial units were from this point used for ceremonial only. Light Horse units used horse-holders to enhance mobility, in order to engage the enemy, the lighthorsemen would dismount, handing their reins to one of their number who would move the horses out of the combat area. A trained horseholder could handle up to five extra horses.

You can read more on the Light Horse Brigade here:

The Australian Light Horse