The Queensland Holocaust Museum in Charlotte Street, Brisbane, opened late last year. Located next door to the heritage listed St Stephens Cathedral, it is surrounded by a calming tropical green-space hidden between the towering skyscrapers.
For architectural reasons alone the museum is well worth a visit. It is housed in what used to be a working mill in the centre of the city and the passage that leads you underground to the exhibits is the pathway that horses used to take. It is rather atmospheric and sets the scene.
You already know that the displays are going to be disturbing and the history horrific. It isn’t helped that the museum space is not open, but rather dark and in a confined area. One room replicates the length and width of a cattle truck which some of our group found too disturbing and had to walk away.
We were lucky to benefit from the personal stories of a tour guide whose parents and grandparents survived the Holocaust. It gave our understanding another perspective and more depth. Even the military tragics gained new knowledge of the history of WW2.
Yesterday was ANZAC Day in Australia, a day during which the nation commemorates the victims of war and recognises the role of our armed forces. The day commences with a Dawn Service at the local cenotaph to remember the ill-fated campaign where Allied troops landed on the narrow beaches of the Gallipoli peninsula during WW1. This is generally followed by a march past, followed by lunch and other “festivities.”
Cleveland, Qld
Australian regional memorials have long been at the heart of community commemoration of our servicemen and women.
When driving through most Australian towns, large or small, you can almost always find a war memorial, often at the town centre. They come in the form of granite obelisks, memorial gates, statues and more. They are found in parks, hospitals, post offices, swimming pools and halls. They include honour rolls found in bowling clubs, schools, town halls and other community buildings. Statues of mostly First World War soldiers, known as ‘Digger memorials’, are also a distinctive feature in regional towns.
I admit to being a total sucker for our country towns. Their buildings, cemeteries, museums and war memorials offer so much more in the way of history than anything printed in the travel brochures or offered at Tourist Information Centres.
During a short road trip last week to see the Dingo Fence, and bonus find the Rabbit Fence which I will share another time, we visited the Miles Historical Village on the Western Downs. Of particular interest was the War Museum loaded with local information pertinent to Miles in which I learnt that the Americans during WW2 established six artillery storage facilities near Miles, one being a current mine site which on occasion has unearthed refuse artillery.
Oh, how this kind of useless information fuels my soul……
It must be an age thing but for the first time in twenty years I was unable to crawl out of bed at 4am to greet the dawn. I set the alarm alright, but just couldn’t face it. Instead, I listened to Vera Lynn for the day and read an article about a newly erected monument in rural Blackall, Queensland, of WW1 nurse Sister Greta Norman Towner, “as a reminder of the significant contribution Australian women in service have made to the nation.” Interestingly, this monument stands in the park opposite the statue of her brother Lieutenant Edgar Thomas Towner, VC MC.
And for those Aussie readers with a few free hours on their hands the AWM is calling for volunteers to help preserve war diaries and records within their collection by transcribing. It’s easy and I failed typing in a business course. Go here:https://transcribe.awm.gov.au/
Australia has around 140 species of land snake, and 32 recorded species of sea snakes. Some 100 Australian snakes are venomous, although only 12 are likely to inflict a wound that could kill you.
Our spiders too have a bad reputation. We have some of the most venomous spiders in the world. Some spider bites can be harmful and need emergency medical treatment. Some too can kill you.
But we’re going to leave those alone and look at the Platypus. These solitary, secretive creatures are nearly extinct and there is a huge push to remedy that situation.
Although not cute and cuddley like the Koala here are my Top Ten Platypus facts :
The platypus is a mammal.
The platypus and the echidna are the only mammals that lay eggs.
A baby platypus is called a puggle.
They don’t have stomachs.
They are carnivores.
They don’t have teeth.
They knuckle-walk like gorillas and anteaters
Female platypuses don’t have nipples. Instead, they release milk from pores in their mammary glands.
Male platypuses have venomous spurs.
Platypuses swim with their front feet and steer with their back feet.
Have I seen a platypus in the wild?
Certainly. In the Royal National Park south of Sydney whilst picnicing, and in a stream on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland. On both occasions I held my breath in excitement.
Lastly, some truly weird information. Did you know that in March 1943 the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, telegrammed Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin, requesting six platypuses be sent to Britain forthwith. There was a strict law in place preventing the removal of platypuses from Australia, but given who was asking, Curtin decided to make an exception, just this once.
The story goes that Churchill kept a colourful menagerie containing black swans, a lion called Rota, white kangaroos and other creatures. Many of these were gifts from individuals or organisations hoping to gain favour or publicity.
Australia sent a sole platypus to England though sadly, Winston the platypus never made it to the platypussary that had been so carefully constructed for him. Though the journey through the Panama Canal and across the Atlantic was risky, the voyage proved uneventful. Winston was always “lively and ready for his food”. But on 6 November, just four days from Liverpool, the Port Phillip suffered a submarine attack. Winston was found dead in his tank immediately afterwards.
Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska was born in November 1920. She was a descendant of the Noonuccal people of Minjerribah. [North Stradbroke Island]. Her totem was Kabool the carpet snake, who could not be eaten by his people.
Kath was strongly influenced by her parents. Mother Lucy was one of the ‘stolen generation’, who was not taught to read or write at the mission, gaining domestic skills instead. Her father, Ted Ruska, was the foreman of a gang of Aboriginal labourers employed by the Queensland Government. Their measley income was supplemented by using the traditional hunter/gatherer skills of the Noonuccal people.
Lucy was determined her children would read and write. Her father said to her ‘Just ‘cos you’re Aboriginal doesn’t mean you have to be as good as most white children – you have to be better.’
Kath attended Dunwich State School which she left at 13 to become a poorly paid live-in domestic servant. In 1941 she joined the Australian Women’s Army Service. [AWAS]. She was promoted to corporal, worked in switchboard operations and later as a pay clerk.
In 1942 Kath married Bruce Walker – a descendant of the Logan and Albert River Aboriginal people – though a dependence on alcohol led to domestic violence and the complete breakdown of that marriage.
To support herself and young child Kath became a domestic servant for the family of Sir Ralph and Lady Cilento who encouraged Kath to write and taught her to draw and paint.
In 1964 her poetry anthology, “We Are Going”, was the first book to be published by an Aboriginal woman. The title poem ends:
“The scrubs are gone, the hunting and the laughter.
The eagle is gone, the emu and the kangaroo are gone from this place.
The bora ring is gone The corroboree is gone And we are going.”
“The Dawn is at Hand ” was published in 1966 and the third collection “My People: A Kath Walker Collection,” was published in 1970.
In the 1960’s Oodgeroo fought for Aboriginal rights. In 1963 she met Sir Robert Menzies, the Australian Prime Minister. When he offered her a drink of wine she told him that if he had done that in Queensland he could have been put in gaol. It was not until 1967 that Aboriginal people had the right to vote.
In 1972 Oodgeroo returned to the birthplace of her people – the Noonuccal. She established an education and cultural centre at Moongalba [sitting down place] on Stradbroke Island. By 1987, 26,500 children had experienced sitting down and learning at Moongalba.
In 1988 she adopted a traditional name: Oodgeroo – paperbark tree – and Noonuccal – the name of her people.
Oodgeroo Noonuccal earned many awards:
• 1970 Mary Gilmore Medal
• 1975 Jessie Litchfield Award
• International Acting Award
• Fellowship of Australian Writers’ Award
• Doctor of the University from Griffith University.
In 1970, as Kath Walker, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to the community. In 1987 she returned it as a protest against the forthcoming bicentenary celebrations of Australia. She stated, “Next year, 1988, to me marks 200 years of rape and carnage, all these terrible things that the Aboriginal tribes of Australia have suffered without any recognition even of admitted guilt from the parliaments of England…. From the Aboriginal point of view, what is there to celebrate? … I can no longer with a clear conscience accept the English honour of the MBE and will be returning to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England.“
Oodgeroo Noonuccal died in 1993 at the age of 72.
Note:
This is very much an abridged version of a life and I recommend reading:
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boil,
You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.”
– Andrew Barton Paterson
So begins Banjo Paterson’s bush ballad “Waltzing Matilda” which has long since become known as the “unofficial national anthem of Australia”.
“The title was Australian slang for travelling on foot (waltzing) with one’s belongings in a “matilda” (swag) slung over one’s back. The song narrates the story of an itinerant worker, or “swagman”, making a drink of billy tea at a bush camp and capturing a stray jumbuck (sheep) to eat.”– wiki
The song doesn’t have a happy ending. After a fine meal consisting of billy tea and lamb cooked over a fire, with remnants safely stashed away in his “tucker bag”, the grazier arrives with three policemen to arrest the worker for stealing his sheep. The worker drowns himself in a small watering hole.
“Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,
“You’ll never catch me alive”, said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”.
According to Paterson’s initial wording of the poem the Swagman wasn’t always so jolly.
So why is the itinerant worker now considered a jolly swagman?
Sydney tea merchant, James Inglis, wanted to use “Waltzing Matilda” as an advertising jingle for Billy Tea, by slipping a copy of the song into the packets of Billy Tea as a promotional stunt. However, the tea manufacturers were concerned that the song ended on a distressing note.
In early 1903, eight years after Paterson wrote the original poem, Inglis purchased the rights to ‘Waltzing Matilda‘ and asked Marie Cowan, the wife of one of his managers, to try her hand at turning it into an advertising jingle. Cowan made a few minor changes to the words and melody , including adding the word “jolly” to the opening line.
The addition of that one word changed the entire connotation, elevating our swagman from a starving, thieving, homeless hobo hounded by police to a happy chappy enjoying life on the land. “Jolly” was added purely to enhance advertising prospects.
Incidentally, in Winton, outback Queensland, you’ll find the Waltzing Matilda Centre, a Museum centred around the poem. It’s an absolute gem. Nearby, I encountered my first Coolibah Tree which I had thought was much like leprechauns, unicorns and mermaids. Winton is well worth a visit.
This National Heritage-listed road stretches 240 kilometres (150 miles) from Torquay to Allansford in Victoria, along the south east coast.
Not only are the coastal views spectacularly beautiful but did you know that the road is considered the world’s largest war memorial? This is because the road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and is dedicated to soldiers killed during World War 1.
The Memorial Arch marks the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. First installed in 1939, weighing in at 50 tonnes, it has been replaced on several occasions due to road accidents and bush fires. To the side of the Arch stands a sculpture was commissioned to commemorate the road’s 75 th anniversary. It features two returned soldiers working on the build. Sadly, some soldiers lost their lives due to the gruelling task of building this road by hand.
This drive has been added to next year’s Must Do List.
Went to the cinema mid-week to see “The Great Escaper“, based on the true story of navy veteran, Bernard Jordan. Ninety year old Jordan ( Michael Caine) absconds from the age care facility he resides in with his wife Rene ( Glenda Jackson), to participate in the 70th anniversary commemorations of the landing at Normandy.
I rarely bother with a trip to the flicks as there are 500 assorted DVDs stashed in my hobby room. It’s much more comfortable I find watching a movie in your pyjamas with a glass of wine and a cheese platter. On the rare occasions that I do make the effort audience numbers are usually less than ten. Really, would pyjamas be that offensive?
In spite of it not being “half priced Tuesday” the cinema was a good three quarters full. I have since read that the latest genre of movie is “Pension-spiration” or those targeting a more “senior” demographic.
Damn that! This is a good story worth telling for all ages with subtle reminders that we are all young, ten foot tall and bullet proof at some stage, and those of us who are lucky enough, age, either gracefully or disgracefully. The flashbacks to Bernard’s and Rene’s courting days during WW2 reinforce this.
There is gentle humour with Jordan describing himself as a “coffin dodger”, despite some sad scenes overlooking the beaches and cemeteries of Normandy. Both Caine and Jackson, the latter passing away before the movie was released in 2023, were absolutely courageous putting themselves out there at this stage of their lives to film this movie. As actress Bette Davis famously said, ” Getting old is not for sissies”.
A friend warned me that the movie was “slow”. I guess if you’re featuring people in zimmer frames and wheelchairs you shouldn’t be expecting Mission Impossible type car chases.
Two things resonated with me in this movie. Bernard, 70 years after the war, confronts his inner demons from D Day and finally talks to Rene about something that has been haunting him for all those years, an incident which forced his focus to attend the commemorative services in France. It wasn’t until my Dad was dying in hospital at 79 years of age that he broke down after downloading about the bombing of Dresden for the first and only time.
Wow, what some of these old boys must have ” hung onto” throughout their lives, hey……..
And two, I don’t want to think about getting that old. It was all a tad confrontational for me. 😫
This month’s favourite book was posted from India by my youngest, Cat Balou.
“For Your Tomorrow, ANZACS Laid To Rest In India” is a labour of love about our fallen, including the nurses. Beautifully done.
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
In 1975, the United Nations officially recognised 8th March as International Women’s Day and 1975 to be International Women’s Year. Activists in Australia took this focus on women’s issues as an opportunity to increase awareness of gender inequality in Australia.
I have a favourite story about a group of Australian women from days gone by. They were an ordinary group of women who rose to the occasion during extraordinary times. I’ve shared their story previously but it is one worth repeating, at least I think so.
Back in the 1940’s, Terrigal Beach on the NSW Central Coast was very different to the tourist mecca that we now know, though tourists continue to flock to the area to enjoy the seaside lifestyle to which we Aussies so aspire.
During World War 2, only four men were left to patrol Terrigal and surrounding beaches from the local Surf Club, when 74 men enlisted for overseas service.
The wives, girlfriends, sisters and friends of these servicemen put their hand up to patrol the beaches keeping them safe for families to enjoy.
Unfortunately, their application to the controlling body to train as lifesavers was dismissed. This however did not deter them. They were trained in surf lifesaving skills by chief instructor Harry Vickery and were assessed by Central Coast Life Saving’s inaugural president Dr E.A. Martin. In two exams some 30 women qualified for the equivalent of the bronze medallion, receiving certificates on Terrigal beach and going on to volunteer to patrol the area over the summer seasons.
These young women, dubbed “The Peaches on the Beaches” by America’s Movietone, undertook their duties with enthusiasm and passion. They even made their own swimming costumes and uniforms out of sheets, curtains and the odd parachute despite not having been awarded their bronze medallions.
At the end of the war 70 men returned to the district to take up their life saving duties whilst the women were expected to return to their pre-war duties.
It wasn’t until 75 years later in 2017 that the women who patrolled the beaches of Terrigal during World War 2 were finally recognised. They were awarded their Bronze Medallions, most posthumously to the families, as well as a special Terrigal Parliamentary Award to acknowledge their contribution to the community.
The Surf Life Saving Association finally admitted women as full members in 1980 and now benefit from more than 80,000 dedicated female members of all ages across Australia contributing in activities from active patrolling, to surf sports, education and everything in between.
Ordinary women doing extraordinary things in extraordinary times. Amazing women.
I’ve previously shared my fascinating visit to MOAD, the Museum of Australian Democracy, in Australia’s capital.
Commencing at a statue across the road from MOAD I followed this adventure by joining a small group on a walking tour to learn about the Badass Women of Canberra – women who had changed not only the landscape of Canberra, but of Australia as a whole. Women who changed Australia’s constitution, including activists, with a spy thrown in for good measure, were covered in detail.
This two hour, three kilometre walk around the Parliamentary Triangle is another Must Do when visiting Canberra. (Fish and chips at The Yacht Club on a balmy Saturday afternoon is hard to beat too).
The information was delivered in a conversational, almost gossipy tone and I’m only sorry that at this stage of the game my ability to retain details is not what it used to be. If it was in book format it is one I most certainly would purchase.
I think my favourite snippet from the tour was that the Coat of Arms on the building of Australia’sHigh Court does not meet standards. The animals are meant to be holding up, or at least touching, the crest.
Also interesting is that the water feature commemorating the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage in the Rose Gardens of Old Parliament House has been broken for twelve months with no date for restoration. I’m no feminazi but have to wonder how long it would take to rectify a fountain honouring male politicians.
For sheer fun I loved this statue in Reconciliation Square. It represents the Bogong Moth which has been the tucker of the local Indigenous for centuries. On either side it has long talons, one side representing white Australians, the other Indigenous, coming together over a meal. The statue gently vibrates whilst making a gentle sound reminiscent of bogongs in the belfry.
Next Tour : the Maternity Wing of Canberra Hospital. We are having ” Paradox Babies” . ( Gilbert and Sullivan reference).
Australia’s bush capital, Canberra, is home to the Museum of Australian Democracy, appropriately situated in Old Parliament House.
Affectionately known as MOAD by the locals, you need several days to work through the displays. If I was a resident I would be likely to visit on a fortnightly basis as the subjects are varied and presented in a manner that makes even the driest of subjects fascinating. Two hours in and my head was spinning! (Read: in dire need of cake and coffee.)
There are interactive displays, political cartoons galore, and the children’s area is loaded with fun and colour so don’t be afraid to take the Little People. The corridors are filled with the ghosts of power from the past. (1927 -1988).
I gravitated towards an exhibition focusing on Australian female “Changemakers”.
What is a “Changemaker”? “They are trailblazers who boldly shape new paths for others to follow. They are not afraid to swim against the tide of public opinion. They see a pattern of behaviour that needs to change and set about finding a solution. For them, the issue is bigger than self. They know collective effort is central to transformative change. They thrive on the power of women and proudly stand on the shoulders of women who have gone before them. They devote their own energy nudging others forward.In the face of patriarchy they are system changers and rule breakers”.
Rose Batty exhibit.
Powerful and inspiring stuff. Sure beats reading about our Prime Ministers , past and present.(oooops).
The other display that held my attention was one devoted to the art of letter writing, from instructions on how to address any concerns with a Minister to open letters to members of the public.
When I was the size of Christopher Robin I was schooled in the process of letter writing : thankyou notes, Christmas letters, a pen friend in Michigan, and even to idols. ( Can a football player be an idol? Waving to Lord Ted.) I still write more letters than most including several each month for charitable organisations.
I just have to say that the view from Old Parliament House up to the Australian War Memorial is just stunning.
Next Up: Brizzy May takes the Badass Women of Canberra Tour.
Brizzy Mays Books and Bruschetta 