“They are farming us of our money, not farming the wind or solar.” “Queensland will be covered in glass and steel to meet ambitious renewable energy targets” In a previous post, I wrote about the mad scramble by federal and state governments to force a rapid transition to renewable energy despite insurmountable engineering constraints, costs …
“By members of the Desert Mounted Corps and friends, to the gallant horses who carried them over the Sinai Desert into Palestine, 1915-19. They suffered wounds, thirst, hunger and weariness almost beyond endurance, but they never failed. They did not come home”. Inscription on a monument erected by returned soldiers in Sydney As we stop tomorrow …
The Waler – a remarkable horse and an Aussie legend Read More »
What happened to Bill Reynolds? In Part 1, I provided details about Bill Reynolds’ heroic work rescuing civilians affected by the fall of Singapore aboard the Kofuku Maru, which was renamed as the Krait and played a pivotal role in the success of Operation Jaywick. While Reynolds wasn’t part of Jaywick, he delivered the Krait …
Z Special Unit Part 3 – the fate of the Jaywick and Rimau men Read More »
“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it” ― Winston S. Churchill Introduction One of the great joys I have experienced during my working career and travels around Australia has been the opportunity to walk through rainforests. There is no better feeling. While protected from the heat of the day, or …
The truth behind the rainforest battles in NSW (part 1) – the historical background Read More »
Introduction The first telegraph message in the world was sent on 24 May 1844, using Morse code, a system of dots and dashes representing letters of the alphabet. The system was invented by Samuel Morse, inspired by the fact that when his wife died in 1825, he did not hear of the event until days …
Connecting Western Australia to the rest of the world Read More »
I grew up in a sawmill town on the edge of the buttongrass plain Beside a railway track in the town of Bulgobac Where the locos stop for water from the water tank It also fed the sawmill and the town of Bulgobac Gravel roads were twenty miles away and people very few With mountains …
Living on the buttongrass plain – a history of Bulgobac Read More »
Introduction The south-west forests of Western Australia have a rich history in timber utilisation, being one of the longest traditional industries in the state. Several timber towns that housed the timber workers and their families were established in the Darling Range close to the newly constructed Perth-Bunbury-Bridgetown railway line to utilise the timber from the …
Ignoring the legacy of active management to create a “wilderness” Read More »
While finalising a previous blog with Ian Ravenwood on the evolution of aerial operations on Surrey Hills, I was reminded of the tragic plane crash on Daisy Nolan Hill, near Hampshire, in 1983, which killed the sole occupier, pilot John Lindridge. I researched what I could about John and quickly discovered he had a remarkable …
During our travels to the Top End and following on from my earlier blog, ‘Some War Stories’, I have learned more about northern Australia’s involvement during WWII, particularly the bombing of Darwin in February 1942. Growing up in Sydney, I learnt about the Japanese submarine raids in the harbour. Still, I never heard anything about …
Some more war stories – when war came to Australia Read More »
“I don’t like them [camels]…but from my point of view I reckon they were the best animals that ever looked through a collar”. Camaleer ‘Stockwhip Jim’ Clarke Australia’s outback covers more than six million square kilometres or almost twice the size of India. As the coastal areas were first settled in Australia, questions remained about …
