11 Results

The facts which kept me longest scientifically orthodox are those of adaptation—the pollen-masses in Asclepias—the misseltoe, with its pollen carried by insects and seed by Birds—the woodpecker, with its feet and tail, beak and tongue, to climb the tree and secure insects. To talk of climate or Lamarckian habit producing such adaptation to other organic beings is futile. This difficulty, I believe I have surmounted. From a letter to Asa Gray by Charles Darwin, 1857

Professor Karen Edyvane: “With the inaccurate, misinformed and highly partisan, ‘anti-Marine Park’ views of the Territory’s only daily newspaper, the NT News, Territorians are neither being informed of the basic scientific facts, nor the overwhelming scientific consensus and support for Marine Parks – including ‘no-take’ Marine Sanctuaries. The NT News has instead, engaged in gross misinformation, inflammatory and partisan anti-Marine Park media coverage and editorial commentary.”

This is the third and final part in Colin McDonald QC’s thoughts (and perhaps confessions…) on his life at the Bar. Here he talks about some of the characters and colleagues with whom he shared his professional life in the Northern Territory – in particular during his days at William Forster Chambers, the pre-eminent barristers [...]

The best band of the night for mine on the night was the Iwantja Band from the remote South Australia town of Indulkana. They didn’t have the slick moves and showmanship of Papunya’s Tjupi Band but they sure had their musical chops down.

In the Territory the stories are all too common…backpackers in vans swerving to avoid a wallaby of a basking lizard or a stubborn eagle feasting on roadkill, losing control in the dirt, over-correcting, rolling over and over ’til they come to permanent rest in the the scrub…

In the north of Western Australia in May 1946, an estimated 600 Aboriginal stockmen went on strike until they had been guaranteed a minimum wage of thirty shillings per week. Some had previously been receiving food and clothing but no pay; others had been paid up to twelve shillings a week. Though the strike was on the face of it, for better wages, it also had a strong human rights and natural justice aspect, with the demand that Aboriginal workers be paid in cash and not in goods. This strike was organised by an Aboriginal man, Dooley Bin Bin with his friend Don McLeod acting as consultant. The organisation was a mammoth task, requiring communication between stockmen throughout northern Western Australia. The strike did not end until August 1949.

Most of the people working for the intervention are Kardia (non-Aboriginal) – there is not much work for Yapa from the Intervention – most of those jobs go to Kardia people. When they come in with all their flash new cars, flash Toyotas, that makes us feel down. What the Yapa are thinking is that all the Kardia are “moneyfaces” (that they only care about money). And some people think like it was a hundred years ago and is still happening now.