"KOOKY"

With this fourth issue of the Kookaburra we have reached our first chronological milestone.

The well known motif on our cover page has now been a familiar feature on our bookstalls a full twelve months. We are now a well established going concern in our own right. No members of our staff are prouder of achievement than those two newly appointed members of our executive Kooky and his alter ego Maggie Pie, without whose sage advise and initiative we could not have made good our deadline of having this issue on the streets by its due date. Yet having said that and given due credit to these two key members of our work force, we are not without our problems, and thing^have not always run as smoothly as we would have liked. While the unruffled confidence of our new recruits (they work best as a team) has been a great comfort to us in our hour of crisis. Many of us fear that the very success of these two, Kooky and Maggie Pies endeavours in eliminating bottle necks in our editorial department could have gone to their young heads, thereby increasing their youthful tendency to arrogance. While most of us are prepared to overlook this trifling display of callow youthfulness so long as they get on with the job in hand. Others complain that their enthusiasm to get things moving, Kooky and Maggie Pie often decend to down right rudeness in their dealings with some of the less efficient members of our senior executive. "Cut the cackle and swallow a tranquiliser mate" was Maggie Pies rather off hand way in dealing with one of our more senior fuss pots on his expressing some concern about J:he _way in which she and Kooky were handling the petty cash returns and their lackadasical approach to office routine. "There are more ways of gettin' rid of a kitten than drownin' it so just sling us a winfield and we'll call it quits". This^said Maggie Pie^, swallowing the last remnants of her ice-cream cone to.relaxed beside her^Kooky on top of the office desk. Hereupon the gentlemany old fuss pot on sharing out the last of his winfields, beat a hurried retreat and gently closed the door behind him. J Such is life" commented Maggie Pie when this incident was brought to her notice at a later Board room meeting. This flamin' publishin' business is just a matter of confidence and us young'uns have whips of that in our crow, you oldies are now the men of yesterday, why can't you be honest and admit it. Just leave the job to us, me and Kooky, and you'll find every thing is onkydory on publishing day, and herewith Maggie Pie put a proposition to the meeting that hence­ forth and from this day on all the operations in the printing, news­ gathering and publishing department of the Kookaburra be left entirely in her and Kooky's hands and thereby become their sole responsibility. This motion seconded by Kooky was carried by a unanimous show of hands and the first hand to be raised was the hand of the gentlemany old fuss pot who, on doing so, whispered in an agitated voice to the person sitting beside him, "she's a tartar that one, I"d rather walk through a snake pit in my bare underpants than enter the precincts of this printing office^again while this Maggie Pie person is in possession - but she has talent and I'm happy with the arrangement, let me draw my dividends in peaceful retirement. Anticipating any to objection from turned she proposal her me up her beginningSo bringing the with next issue, the the of out Kookaburra eiae t sekorevs r \ hesitated to speak^ourselves. oe and,nose placing shapely her on hand rear portion as agesture her glinta of in malice grey she eye hazel informed Maggies me when Rolling off this sharp information in I staccalto lisp, detected her the ageat of thirty five. Cliqueness. the seminar is banks This held on of Creek,among Merrie PieMaggie justthis has swept into to inform office me moment my of defiance, the out wriggled door. on both these subjects. creasing senility parents of guardians, senility begin anddoes and LATE EXTRA that Maggie taken initiative had Pie the spoken the and that words we that as guest speaker she proposes the herself to take affirmative the subjects many proposed discussed to be thisseminar. in­ at The bygot up the in Romper defence Rights of League Kindergarten Kookaburra regular intervals at began had already to impose heavy a that she and Kooky intend to spend barbecue next attending a week-end burden on shoulders long stooped since andsomewhat we glad were specialist. them each skate board, with a designed by custom a Hindoo .India, has granted them both presented a honaranum handsome jurst In recognition their services of our past of staffhas chief who about it the as gentlemany bringing fuss pot.old The the of out Many of thought the us in same tho way, ugh aggie Pie.

2 beill entirely the in of Kooky girlfriend handss; and devoted his utility we never forgot the fire a Beltana station. a fireBeltana forgot the utility wenever _andinpiled all andwe theutility in, taking goingthey was a sight. Frank the owner spent all day Sunday cleaning up theupcleaning Sunday dayall spent the owner Frank sight.a n Iwn obd nx onn hy a h tlt it sawwastheutility they Itoandmorning nextbed,went two thebrothersthen seatout the totake tryingFrank was and front buckets the with inside throwing others water were someone dropped a butt down the side of the seat. The boys The seat.the sideofthe adownsomeone buttdropped mudguardthe anddented the from itwall to trying werepush tre fgtn. fe hl te iewsotte foundoutthey fire out thewas ahile After fighting.started comingsmoke sawand down rushed they sangvoiceFire A out night we arrived back at the station and went to andbed. stationwent the at arrivedback we night u fte ai fteuiiy s twsb tewl some thewall as itby wasthe cabinutility outof of ewr tBlaaSain oeStra, andtwo Saturday, oneStation, atBeltana were We a fwi atrbiga h pb s tws pn ae inthe late asit open pub theatwas few a after hadin being Mick and Frank saidthereandwasMick the back after we cleaned up after tea. Coming home the boysthehome Coming tea.after up aftercleanedthe back we returned from gathering triptosub the news a of Continent .... a dance in the town of theBeltan town in dance ewr o so outspokennotwewere Roy. brothers JiJfd The Fight For Survival

At one time in the earlier fays of my life, I was camped on the outskirts of a town called Ayr, in North Queensland. They grew sugar cane mainly on the surrounding farms. There was a large mill, Kalamia, about three miles out from the town, which was used for crushing the juice out of the cane, after the molasses had been seperated from the juice, and other processes had been performed, the remaining part was bagged in crystal form, then either shipped or railroaded to the large cities, where it was further refined and dis­ tributed to the shops in the form we all know it as sugar. Now I have just been sweetening you up for one of the most unusual and seldom heard of plagues, of which I had seen.

As I was preparing a meal for myself, over an open camp fire, the twilight was just about to begin. I happened to look up at the sky in the north west direction across a cleared stretch of the land, and above the forest about a mile away, I spotted what looked like thousands of black dots in the sky. Then I noticed some were going into the forest, but masses of them were still coming towards the town. Then I thought to myself must be some sort of birds, so I went on with the job of cooking a meal for myself.

A short time later I heard gunfire in the distance, apparently coming from some farm houses. Then people from some of the houses nearby, appeared outside with guns in their hands. There was still enought light to see several hundred yards away, when the first waves of the flying objects appeared close enough for me to become aware that they were large bats. They were mammals and not birds, which I had at first thought they were.

They were more commonly known as flying foxes, unlike mammals that glide, they propel themselves through the air by flapping their wings, which are formed by thin folds of skin extended by the limbs and tail. They had a body about twelve inches long, and a wing-span averaging about three feet. They normally live only in the tropical regions, where fruit is constantly ripening, and as they had apparently over pop­ ulated and had eaten themselves out of food, which consists solely of fruit and berries. They were migrating in search of fruit to eat, and that is why the people from the nearby houses had their guns ready, because many of them had different varieties of tropical fruit trees in their yards. When the flying foxes decended upon them, they kept firing away with their guns. But it was futile, the flying foxes came in thousands, and with their clumsy alightment on the trees, what fruit they did not eat was knocked to the ground and damaged.

It was not a good night to sleep for me, because the noise of the gunfire went on for several hours after I went to bed.

The next morning it was sad to see the damage, every tree was stripped of fruit, and dead flying foxes lay everywhere. The neighbours told me a lot of the flying foxes had settled .for the the day in the trees, down along the fiver bank. So I went down to take a look at them, like all bats they only fly in the night time, they cannot navigate in daylight.

There was thousands of them hanging upside down asleep in the trees. But once again as the sun set and dusk came on, they became alert, then they started to drop from the trees, expand their wings then fly off towards the forest country in the west.

MOst of us have seen locust, and other insect plagues, and rats, and mice plagues. But as our almighty maker has put all creatures and us beings on this earth, we will at some stage in our lives come to sealise what the fight for survival means, just like the fight for survival I had here in witnessed.

. . . David Meyer.

Once again I have been asked to write a story for the "Kookaburra" so here goes.

When I was a very little girl I loved to eat dirt. Yes, I know that sounds odd, but quite true. Sometimes I would sit in the backyard, and sometimes out in the street and I always had a teaspoon to eat with. My mother tried every­ thing she could to stop me, but nothing worked. One day my Auntie came to visit us, and up came the conversation of my eating dirt. My Auntie said to Mum, "I have a way to cure heri" Next time she goes near the dirt I will put a little mustard in it." Well the next time I went to have my favourite food (I loved dirt) I put in the spoon and put the dirt in my mouth. Well, according to my mother you could hear the scream right through the house. Instead of putting a little mustard in, my Aunt had put nearly half a tin, so guess who finished up with a very sore mouth and throat, and guess who did not come again for a long time, of course Auntie. It did cure me of eating dirt.

Joyce. CRICKET THE BIRTH OF THE ASHES"

Speaking of cricket - quite a few people either young or elderly - know how the ashes first came into being. It all started way back in the late 1800's when the cricket world first began to take shape. England was the dominant ' " > factor during that period and thus became the forunner of things to come. I played with a prominent district team during the thirties and know from experience just what is expected. England no doubt had a similar idea in view which was to be proved as time went by. Down the years however, the world of cricked faced many problems but generally solved them amicably. The forming of cricket board of controls by both England and Australia, as well as India, Pakistan, West Indies, made the game what it is today. England never knew defeat and set about proving this point. They played games in all colonies with almost outstanding results. Australia was envious of this, much so that in 1868 they sent an aboriginal side to England, mainly to find out whether or not there was any weakness in their team. England and her countries defeated them quite easily winning 12 out of 15 played.

Twelve years later the Englishmen visited Australia under the captaincy of Lord Harris, they won everything_they contested. Leaving Australia with many more queries. They decided however, to still use W. Murdock as their sole trump by giving him the . honour of captaincy for the 4th successive time.

The Australian.team of 1882 consisted mostly of ex-schoolboys namely - Bannerman, Turner - the Trott Brothers - Blackham, and Spofforth. All had brilliant sporting records. Cricket however seemed to be their main attributes.

England was also well served by cricketers like Jessop - the Grace Brothers - Peel, Rhodes and Hirst. All were outstanding making their presence felt especially over the last 15 to 20 years. Australia had nothing to equal these type of players, they were far more dominant.

Yet the ashes were originated that year. On August 29th Australia defeated England who was at full strength for the first time. • It was in this match, played at the Oval, that Murdock the Australian skipper decided to use four fast bowlers - Spofforth being his main trump. The ruse proved successful - Spofforth took 9 wickets for 25. According to Grace and company he was unplayable. Australia won by the narrow margin of 7 runs and the following day the 'Sporting Timed' printed a mock obituary notice written by the Editor which read

"In effectionate rememberance of English cricket which died at the Oval 29th August 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowful friends and acquaintances. R.I.P. N.B The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia."

The following winter the Hon. Ivo Bligh afterwards Lord Darnley, set out to Australia to recover these mythical ashes. Australia won the first match by 9 wickets - but England won the next two. And the real ashes came into being when some Melbourne women burnt a bail used in the third game and presented the ashes in an urn to Ivo Bligh. When Lord Barnley died in 1927 the urn by a bequest in his will, was given to Marylebone Cricket Club and it held a place of honour in the Long Room at Lord's until 1953 when with other cricket treasures, it was moved to the newly built imperial cricket memorial near the Pavilion. There it stands permanently together with the velvet bag in which the urn was originally given to Lord Darnley and the score card of the 1882 match. Since this game at the Oval, many stirring games have developed - sometimes England was successful other times Australia, but the battle still goes on for the main prize the Ashes. Many greats have appeared on both sides since then. I wonder who will have the last say this year when both teams will fight for test supre­ macy.

We witnessed the last onslaught when the West Indies, India, Pakistan and New Zealand were here.

I like many others would like to know what really is in store. Will the English men retain the ashes, or will we regain our lost prestige and win. Only time will tell - the answer is not too far off.

Only four months to be exact. On paper it looks an even tussle So nothing can be predicted at this stage but hopes can swing either way. Let's hope it will be a real treat for all concerned.

. R. Aitken. THREE POEMS BY BRENDA KENYON

OLD BENJAMIN

Edinburgh Gardens in the Spring

Trees all hung with diamonds after rain

Balconies all edged with wrought iron lace

Surround the gardens like a picture frame.

Old Benjamin comes to the park to sit. THE LONELY ONE He brings some cake or biscuits every day

And over by the slides and swings and such Living in a single room He feeds the 'sparrows, while the children play. Somewhere in Fitzroy

Up behind the Champion He loves to watch the children swing and shout, Near the old Rob Roy. Envying them as they climb and run.

Young mothers with their long hair swinging free It doesn't have much furniture Pushing strollers, walking in the sun, A table, chair and bed

A gas stove in the corner They remind him of the days that now are gone, And a bare lamp overhead. When his wife pushed the children in the Spring.

He gives a little sigh, and then he smiles An alcove for a wardrobe As his thoughts go oack in time, remembering. where I hang my shirt and pants.

A box for food just by the sink Old Benjamin was missing yesterday. but it's always full of ants. The sparrows looked for biscuit crumbs in vain.

The bench is vacant: no-one's sitting there. The bathroom's down the passage Old Benjamin will not return again. The toilet's in the yard

But I mostly washes in the sink

And shaving's getting hard.

My hand is not as steady

As once it used to be.

And the mirror's getting cloudy

Or perhaps it's only me. ■ ------V * ! I've got a couple of blankets

I w jn jar wn/ c • i 3 3 r 3 n 0 f nins So I’m luckier than most r orgets my j o jy is fortynine And I've got a little radio Tne Drain sa/s uhy jj.it you do tnat? But it doesn't do to boast. Forgets toe r a i l s of /e a rs of fat

I used to have some spectacles 1 Living su't is not a yu.

Once we had a little house i'iy mind i s s t i l l su.eet seventeen Jhat happend so tne years oetuaen Before my missus died. I'm fris k y as a lamb .in spring Then I started drinking heavily

Could a 1 it. ost d j a Highland fling And soon lost all my pride.

out then I eaten a passing glance My son and daughter left me In some shop window, quite oy chance I stopped drinking after that. It makes ms think, can that, o& me I suppose I could have Grandkids, That dumpy figure that I see but I don't know where they're at.

i'iy nund says I am slim and t a il

I sometimes go to Mary’s grave I ’m really not 1 1 k g tnat at all

In the Melbourne cemetery Is it all a great illusion

And I sit a while and talk to her oust a part of lifes delusion

Of the way things used to be. ily husband says I'm still fils honey

But I dont Know, I think i t ’ s funny

T n a t t n i s teenager mind or mine And I wish the Lord would take me ■ orgets I'm really fort y_nine Away from all the grief

Where the days go on forever y Knees are s t if f , my h air is gray,

And the nights bring no relief. my second g ra n d ch ild 's on tne way

■jut s t i l l 1 y thougnts are young a n u o a y

Still, what's the use of grumbling. Hnd so th e re 's 10t ucn else to say

I'll take things as they come,

But I wish it weren't so lonely, y sense of humour still is tnere If I am p I u mo , un-.it do I care In the place I now call home. I may nut look 3 0 d a1 s cart

nut I ’ m s t . l i v s r / •/ j u n c a t n e 3 r t . THE MILDURA HOLIDAY Told By Agnes Burley to Therese Pardy.

It was absolutely lovely and I enjoyed every minute of it. The bus driver Frank Hill was marvellous, he didn't let us miss out on anything. We went off to Coonella club where we spent all out money, also visited Gemstones, a jail, and Orange World. The river cruise was one of the highlights as well with Agnes. Sitting cut on deck enjoying the crisp morning air and the living Murray.

STAMPS ------Other official appearances of the kookaburra motif appear on stamps and coins. It was not until 1913, twelve years after souvenir cover Federation, that the first Australian Commonwealth postage stamps were issued. The Post Office was not responsible for this delay. There was a political disagreement between the Royalists and the Republicans of the day as to whether or not the Monarch’s head should be included. Considerable anti-royalist sentiment existed in the Australian Fisher Government of the time and they decided upon the kangaroo set in a map of Australia for the first stamps. Later in 1913, when Cook led the conservatives to victory over Fisher at the elections, one of the first acts of the newr Government was to introduce a full range of George V stamps, which were used concurrently with the kangaroos.

Recent Australia Post souvenir cover (top) and j corner block of sixpenny ciaret-coioured kooka "ROBERT TELFORD SENIOR" stamps issued in 1914 (above)

Robert Telford, my father was born on Puchelbah station a few miles from the township of Garrawonga on the 18th February 1866.

At the age of twenty two, he and his cousin Tom Rutherford with the assistance of two other men, Jim Lloyd a cousin of the Kellys and Walter Parry, overlanded a herd of six hundred cows from the Murrumbidgee station Tookamby no the Thompson River in central Queensland. Their destination being Ganburra station, thirty- six miles north of the township of Longreach, which at that time was little more than a stock camp on the huge Mount Cornish run.

My grandfather John Barry Gill had acquired Gunburra station in '86 and on delivering the herd of cows my father remained there as manager.

In 1896 he married my mother - Maud Gill.

Engaged in the pastoral business for the remainder of his life Robert Telford died in Townsville in 1952 in his eighty seventh year. GLENRuwajn - THE LAST STAND

3y: Bob Telford {Senior) 1866-1952.

I am prompted to give my version of the last exploit of the Kelly gang on reading an account of that affray at Glenrowan - in a southern publication, in which the writer says the Glenrowan incident was intended by the Kellys to be the first step in a carefully worked out plan to takeBenalla and loot the three banks established there.

_ Benalla at that time - 1880 - had a population of about five hundred and was garrisoned by at least forty police. It was the main depot in North Eastern Victoria from which operations were conducted for the capture or destruction of the gang.

Ned Kelly and his gang, of four or five at the most, were not so foolhardy as to attempt such a hazardous enterprise as to take Benalla, in fact their whole ingenuity and bushcraft were employed in putting as much daylight between Benalla and themselves as possible.

Their attempt to wreck the train between Benalla and Glenrowan carrying a contingent of police and blacktrackers was unthought of and not contemplated when the Kelly- gang set out from their stronghold in the Strathbogie ranges. I have this on authority of two men who were very close to the Kellys, my cousin Tom Rutherford who was in the Glenrowan Hotel throughout the siege, and the "Wild" Wright an ardent sympathiser - and for long a fiiend of the Kellys - and as will be shown as my story progesses what began as a personal feud between Joe Byrne and Aaron Sheritt unexpectedly developed into a major operation and the complete destruction of the Kelly gang.

After their last exploit, the hold-up of the township of Jerilderie - a town with a population of three hundred persons- and the robbing of the bank there from which they took 2700 pounds in gold and bank notes, the Kelly gang went into "smoke" for close on twelve months. They had received word through their "bush telegraph" that a contingent of Queensland blacktrackers under Inspector O'Connor had-been stationed at Benalla - blacktrackers were unkown in Victoria in those days and the Kellys held these Northerners in almost superstitious awe - Ned had remarked on this event in his Gerilderie letter to the press.

Then came the discovery that Aaron Sherritt one of their most trusted bush telegraphs" was in the pay of the police and was about to lead the Queensland blacktrackers on to their trail. Aaron Sherritt a boyhood friend of Joe Byrnes was previously believed by the Kellys to be their most trusted sympathisers. This intelligence so enraged members of the gang, Joe Byrne in particular, that he Joe decided on the receipt of this information to set out for Aaron Sherritt's home to settle the matter with his treacherous one-time

mate.

The gang left their hideout behind them on the afternoon of 24th.June 1880 and arrived at Sherritt's hut, about 8.0clock in the evening. Aaron Sherritt had only recently married a local girl Dolly Rowan. He, his wife Dolly and Dolly's mother,Mrs.Rowan,were sitting before hhe fireplace on this chilly June evening when a knock came to the door "Who's there" called Aaron - "I've lost my way" came the reply, in the voice of a local identity Jim Schute, a man whom Joe Byrne had apprehended on his way and compelled to perform this task "Will you come and put me on the right track Aaron"?

Aaron walked to the door; opened it and stood against the background light, when Joe Byrne stepped forward and shot him dead!

Standing over Aaron's dead body Joe Byrne spoke - "I wanted to kill treacherous hound, now I have got him I'm satisfied . The young wife screamed - "Why did you shoot Aaron Joe-?

Still standing over the body, Joe Byrne answered, "Aaron was in the pay of the police and would have led the Queensland blacktrackers onto our trail", to which Dolly replied between sobs, "Aaron would never have done that Joe, he was only fooling the police, had it not been for Aaron drawing them away on a false trail, Inspector O'Connor and his black police would have' got you two weeks ago". Whether that was so, and Aaron Sherrit while accepting money from the police was at the same time doing his utmost to frustrate their attempts to capture the Kellys will never be known., but having known Aaron and Dolly personally I should say it was highly probable Aaron was always loyal to his old mates, the Kellys, and doing his best to protect them. Joe Byrne and Dan Kelly then galloped off into the night, leaving behind the two women alone with their dead.

The gang arrived at Glenrowan about two o'clock the following afternoon Sunday the 25th.

There was no necce.ssity.for the gang to pass through • Glenrowan township to reach their hide-out in the Strathbogie ranges, but it is probable their enforced seclusion caused by their fear of the Queensland blacktrackers for so many months - a life so intolerable to young men of their habits and spirit had led them to take a risk of a few hours of fraternising with their mates, particularly as they were aware that the greater majority of the inhabitants of Glenrowan were in sympathy with them. V i ■ . Mrs. Jones the proprietor oi the hotel1 received them with 1 > courtesy, if nor with open arms- she had little alternative.. Later Mrs. Jones leading Ned aside informed him that the news of Aaron Sherritt's murder had reached police headquarters in Benalla, and that a special train would shortly be leaving Benalla for Glenrowan carrying a contingent of police and blacktrackers.

Ned's reaction to this information was that it was no news to him and his followers, and seemed inclined at that moment to suggest to his mates that they saddle up their horses and leave the hotel immediately - when Joe Byrne overhearing the conversation, called out "Good, we've got these sons of Irish landlords and these

Queensland cannibals where we want them - Let's tear up the railway line where it enters the cutting, wreck the train and shoot the survivors down as they scramble from the wreckage.

It was at this moment and only then in Mrs. Jone's hotel that the scheme for the wrecking of the train was born in the mind of Joe Byrne.

The Kellys were not murderers - that is to say - murderers who killed for the pleasure they derived from killing. They looked upon themselves as members of an oppressed people warring against the English authority and the lower ranks of the police force who were mostly Irish lead by British Army officers as traitors to the cause - Ned Kelly said as much in his Jerilderie letter.

Ned approved of Joe Byrne's plan to wreck the train carrying the police and Inspector O'Connors blacktrackers to Glenrowan. So they then set about rounding up all the townships inhabitants, about fifty in all, to make sure that no news of their intentions reached police headquater.s in Benalla.

Among those taken into the safe custody of the hotel, was first the two police constables, then the Station Master and finally the school­ master, a Mr. Curnow, all who were considered dangerous by Ned and unlikely to be sympathetic to their cause.

On the town residents being placed under guard in the hotel dining room by Joe Byrne and Dan Kelly, Ned ordered a railway worker named Reardon to come with him and accompanied by Steve Hart the three men set off along the railway in the direction of Benalla.

Some four hundred yards along the line at the beginning of a steep embankment on the Benalla side the party halted, and here Ned ordered Reardon to remove the fish plates from the rails, at a place where the wrecking of the train would cause the most damage. There would have been little prospect of survivors had this diabolical plan materialised. This job completed the three men returned to the hotel.

Cn arriving back at the hotel Ned found everything in order. The fifty or so captives appeared to be enjoying their enforced stay at the hotel. Some had already entered into the spirit of things by organising card games, some sat around tables sipping drinks, while a few of the more high spirited of the younger set twirled their girlfriends around the floor of the dining-room performing the latest dance, which at that time was the "Boston". There was a holiday air about it all.

Ned appeared pleased at this sight that met his eyes as he re­ entered the hotel and walking up to the bar he placed his purse upon the counter and called for drinks and a meal all round.

He then noticed that Joe Byrne and Dan were sitting apart from the rest of the group engaged in a conversation with Mr. Curnow trie Schoolmaster.

Joe Byrne called out " Here Ned this chap is of the same opinion as us, that it is wrong for the police to employ blackfellows to hunt down white men, and he says these blacktrackers in their own country Queensland are cannibals and eat their own children."

Mr. Curnow then spoke. "Yes,Ned,I have heard many stories about these blackfellows disgusting cannibalistic rites - I believe matters have come to a sorry state when blacktrackers are employed by police to hunt down white men in their own comtry - you have my sympathy Ned, you have been wronged. I can see you and your boys are good fellows".

During the next hour or so Mr. Curnow grasped every\opportunity to engage Ned in conversation and so gained his confidence.

"That Mr. Curnow is -a good fellow" said Ned to Joe Byrne, within the hearing of my cousin Tom Rutherford. Later when Mr. Curnow asked Ned to allow him to take his sick wife and child home to bed, Ned consented.

Seeing the Cumows to the door Ned, advised Mr. Curnow not to allow his wife to talk in her sleep. "I'll see to that Ned", replied Mr. Curnow. They shook hands and the Curnow trio went on their way.

As the night drew on Ned entered into the spirit of the thing himself, by playing the mouthorgan - he was an above average performer in this department, it has been said, and doing several rounds of the dance floor with Mrs. Jones'pretty niece ,the night wore on. Later Ned, who had a flair for prolific speaking addressed the assembled gathering. His theme being a tirade of abuse against the police and the wrongs he and his followers had suffered at their hands. His speech being interrupted by the shrill whistle of an approaching locomotive, and the rumbling of the approaching train.

A silence now fell upon the gathering and an air of expectancy pervaded the room. The special train carrying police re-inforcements and Inspector O'Connors blacktrackers, was now approaching Glenrowan.

The outlaws now began to don their armour - Ned was stern-faced, and the festive air of a few minutes past was no more in evidence.

"We've got the coppers where we want them"explained Dan, who was inflamed by the drink he had consumed- but the onlookers observed that Ned's face bore an expression of apprehension as if the event was not unfolding according to plan. "That train should have reached the break in the line by now - something has gone wrong" Ned spoke aloud as if addressing an audience.

His followers standing by were also alarmed when again over the air came the screech of hastily applied brakes - "Close the bar" called Ned "and all the doors - that bloody Cumow has betrayed us".

Mr. Cumow had betrayed them - on arriving at his home with his wife and child, Mr. Curnow took up his wife's red scarf and a kerosene lantern and hurrying along the railway line till he reached the break in the line, stood there as a warning signal to the approaching train - his effort proved successful.

When the train came to this unexpected halt - Captain Hare who was in charge of the police party, unaware of the emergency that had brought about this sudden stop, marshalled, his constables -with..-...- military precision and the entire contingent alighted from the carriage with rifles at the ready, fearing it to be a ruse by the bushrangers, to halt the train and shoot the occupants down before they had time to take cover.. But Mr.Curnow was quickly on the scene to explain the situation and what was taking place at the hotel.

Captain Hare, a retired Imperial Army Officer, but sadly lacking in the quality of leadership this occasion called for, proved hopeless when opposed to such a wiley customer as Ned Kelly, ordered his force to form in line four deep and advance on the hotel at the double. It never occured to him to throw a cordon around the hotel to intercept an attempt by the gang to escape or to approach the hotel under the cover of scattered forest of trees that surrounded it, but led his men up towards the building at a quick march as if storming a Citadel. The outlaws manning the Windows of the building were presented with an easy target. Holding his fire until the police were within forty yards of the Hotel with Captain Hare well in advance of his troops, Ned Kelly walked onto the verandah and promptly shot Hare down.

Fortunately for the Captain, when he saw Ned open the door and walk onto the verandah he had raised his rifle - this act saved his life, the 'bullet struck him on the wrist and arm, otherwise it would have penetrated his heart - the bullet from the Captain's rifle struck Joe Byrne, who was standing beside Ned, on the foot.

At this point the police discharged a volley at the windows of the building, receiving a fusillade from the Bushrangers in reply, but no one was hurt on either side.

Captain Hare retired to the railway station where his wrist and arm both badly shattered were bound up, and his force left without a leader did the most sensible thing they could do, by scattering themselves behind the' gum trees which were there in plenty for anyone with the nouse to take advantage of their cover.

On returning to the dining-room Ned called out "Come on boys there are too many coppers outside for us to handle - I'm off there are no police at the back - lets get our horses".

It was at this critical moment in the engagement that Ned Kelly strode casually into the back-yard of the hotel unchallenged by the police; he could not have done so later, as will be shown. Ned could see that there was no possibility of the four of them defending the hotel against so many police - about fifty all told - but his pleas to "get going" were unheeded by his mates", who continued discharging shots into the night, aimed at nothing in particular.

As was stated earlier, Captain Hare retired to the railway station to have his wound dressed. That attended to, he ordered the driver of the special train to take him back to Benalla, there he could receive medical attention, as he was losing a lot of blood. On leaving his force behind him at-Glenrowan, Captain Hare had neglected to appoint a junior officer to take his place, so until the arrival of Sergeant Steele with his force of eight constables from Wangaratta about 2 pm. the following morning, Captain Hare's force remained leaderless.

Immediately on taking charge and assessing the situation, Sergeant Steele ordered the placing of a cordon of police around the hotel to prevent escape - Steele was unaware that Ned Kelly had already escaped from the building and as it is believed that Joe Byrne had died from a gunshot wound in his groin before Sergaent Steele took cover - this left only two men Dan Kelly and Steve Hart to defend the hotel - but the number of shots still coming from the building seemed to indicate there were more than four rifles defending it. Sergeant Steele said later that he believed that some Kelly sympathisers had joined the gang in defending their fortress at the time of his arrival on the scene.

As dawn began to break,a squad of police on guard at the rear of the hotel observed a figure of immense height, clad in a long grey overcoat stalking steadily towards them and firing bullets from four revolvers he carried with him at any one of them that presented a target. The four men in the squad opened fire in reply - the only effect of their fire being a loud ringing sound as the bullets struck, and the grey clad figure apparently unimpeded in its progress by the bullets that struck it continued moving in the direction of the hotel.

Once or twice the figure halted striking its sides 'with the stock of a revolver, and a hoarse rumbling laugh issued from what appeared to be an inverted nail can covering its head - then it would begin firing its revolvers again at any of the police who dared move from behind their shelter of gum trees and fallen logs. •

There were cries of "he is a madman" and one policeman was seen to make a bolt for it crying out as he fled - "Look out boys he's a bunyip".

The figure paused when it reached a fallen tree, behind the stump of which was posted railway guard Dowsett,armed with a Martini Henry rifle guaranteed to kill at one thousand yards. Dowsett was not more than thirty yards from the figure when he fired his first shot - the figure staggered, but kept moving, Dowsett fired again, the bullet struck but still the figure continued on its way. "It's the devil for sure" cried Dowsett and dropped his Martini Henry to the ground.

At that moment Sergaent Steele appeared on the scene and called out "I'ts no devil but Ned Kelly wearing armour, fire at his legs", and to set an example let drive both barrels of his twelve gauge shotgun at the outlaws legs, wounding*trim in-the thigh and groin. Ned staggered, fell to the ground, whereupon Steele rushed forward and gripped~the two revolvers Ned still held In his “hands as he fell. Removing Ned's nailcan helmet - Sergeant Steele said "I've got you Ned". Replied Ned "If I had got you first, things would have been different". Ned then went on to express his disgust that some of the police, including Sergeant Steele were armed with shotguns. "I am peppered all over" said Ned and you were lucky to bring me down". Ned was stripped of his armour and carried to the railway station. He had two bullet wounds in his left arm, one in his right foot and two in his right leg.

On being laid on a stretcher in the station house Ned collapsed, « those about him believed he was about to die. The only restorative available at the moment was whisky - on a few applications of this Ned rallied.

There was no sign of resistance from the hotel now, their situation was hopeless. As was learned later, Joe Byrne was already dead and Dan Kelly and Steve Hart were both severely 'peppered' by gunshot wounds.

About nine AM. Inspector Sadlier who had now arrived on the scene with'a further contingent of troops from Melbourne, decided to order the captives to come out of the hotel.

There was no reponse to this message which the Inspector had delivered over the lound hailer, so the Inspector took up a position behind a large tree about twenty-five yards distance from the front verandah - all was quiet for some time. Presently the Inspector saw the front door open and an object appeared crawling from the open door on hands and knees. Captain Steele from another direction called out "Who goes there?- answer or I'll fire" The object rose and rushed back through the door - Steele fired and the object fell back into the room - it was then that Reardon, the Fettler, the man who on the demand of Ned Kelly had helped to tear up the rail line on the embankment received a severe wound.

Sergeant Steele later stated that when the door opened to admit Reardon back into the room, a voice which he recognised as Dan Kellys cried "You dogs"and fired directly at him, but the shot went wide of its mark.

About 4 am Superintendent Sadlier's re-inforcements arrived from Benalla and he as the senior officer took charge and ordered that the firing at the blank wall of the hotel should cease as it appeared to have had little effect. Though they did not know it at the time, as the result of tat indiscriminate shooting, three'civilians lay dead in the hotel - Mrs. Jones three year old son, an old man Martin Cherry and one other person whose remains were never identified.

Presently a figure appeared stumbling towards the police lines - it was Mrs Jones carrying in her arms the body of her dead son.

At this moment a Constable Johnston volunteered to set fire to the building - his offer being agreed to by Superintendent Sadlier, Johnston set oat under a heavy covering fire from the police - whi oh was replied to from the hotel, and ran forward carrying a bundle of hay and a tin of kerosene. Placing the hay against the building and emptying the kerosene over it Johnston applied a match and in a few moments the old weatherboard wall was alight and the flames had reached the thatched roof. Just then someone called out "Old Martin Cherry is still in the hotel". A Catholic priest, Father Gibney from Benalla- he later became Bishop of Perth, W.A. - rushed towards the hotel carrying a crucifix in his hands and such is the force of example a general move by those assembled was made towards the building - including in the number was Kate Kelly - crying loudly - "I must save my poor brother Dan".

Not a shot came from the hotel - the building was gutted and so ended the three year reign of the "Kelly Gang'. Official Kookaburras

The next stamp, issued on 26 August 1914, was the sixpenny claret coloured Australian Commonwealth stamp featuring a kookaburra on the branch of a gum tree. No further stamps were issued for another thirteen years. An unused mint condition 6d claret kooka is worth T nev1 re Ttet Be::', Teoole ftaally about S150 today. Other Philatelic kookaburras are: TYicy're not boj psepie really, 1928 threepenny blue I nean, 1932 sixpenny brown Anyone who loves docs, cars and children 1937-56 sixpenny brown That much, - The kookaburra motif of our third national Can lt be all bcid. stamp was not used again until the 1978 National Stamp Week Commemorative Issue They're quite pleasant, Sometimes, reproducing the 1928 threepenny blues. I mean, Recently it was also used on the Post Office pre­ All that classical music, stamped envelopes. Broadens the soul. Talk about your video, contact disc player.

Its all richt if you're not Jewish, P/'C - word processor, Vietnenese, Turkish, fringe benefits tax, (Greek and Italian are almost accepted these days) And Social Security frauds who skim

They treat you like one of the family, Your hard earned dollar, (Nuclear of course,) Let them eat MacDonalds.

-You're accepted-,— — ------.— .------— Working in a respectable job, but decent people, (None of this blue collar stuff, Youself and your friends for instance. 31oo5v trade unions are running toe country, Know what's good for the country; And people from welfare agencies Big business in charge, maximum profits Barely scrape through, And. money in the pockets, Might vote Pinko, Picnko After all, Burning a good set up,) Its their own fault they can't get jobs Let them work for their money like we have to

If you go to church, . Give tre country a bit of backbone, (But acr.'t splash your religion on mol) Send the unenployed off to earn their keep, As long as its C cf E There are no poor in Australia. And you only attend once in a blue moon. (loci: at Ethiopia) Nobody starving here. Don't talk about religion or politics, Although, sen is tetter accepted now, everybody does it- But they're the people who keep this country going,

And you'll get on alright (Wherever that is.) Talk about the job, Trey' re the ones who matter The kids, toe wife and/or mistress, Ask them, And the three beuroor.mdouble-fronted-brick veneer And they'll tell you, In the suburbs They'll help you, with the two care in the garage. They're not bad people really. The story of Possum. told by Agnes Burley, Joyce Drury and Bob Tovey.

On our holiday we came across a bronze monument in honour of Possum, in a park at Wentworth, and this is how the story came about. Possum came over from New Zealand sometime between 1934-1935, before the War. He never got paid work due to some bad luck. The only work he did was going around fixing fences for people. He lived on what he could rumage at the local dump and from the land itself. The bad luck began when he didn't have a ticket for the union so was unable to start as a shearer. Then he tried for "susso" but got knocked back. This caused him to be bitter with the human race and from then he went bush until his death in 1982. He avoided human contact as he felt as he had failed and remained very independent causing himself some alienation. At one stage he got 3 months for vagrancy and the Law tried to make him take the pension but he refused as he said it wasn't owing to him as he never paid taxes. This man had many friends with the wildlife, and animals, but also must have suffered a loneliness. He lived under the canopy of Heaven, with someone up above keeping a watchful eye over him. The story of this man all had an impact on us in that we live in the city and rely on so many modern conveniences and this man found all he needed in the bush along the Murray.

A territorial confrontation with some magpies by Neville Cayley Senior (1853-1903). He was one of the most celebrated painters of kookaburras THREE Cs continued.

Sam took up one ingot and on balancing it in his hand guessed its weight to be about four pounds. He recalled that he had once heard that the weight per volume of lead was very close to that of gold. The Inspector was now explaining what he wished to be done. Sam replaced the ingot on its pedestal.

"You can toss this into the lumber room, Sam", he said, indicating the model. "It is just so much rubbish, no one ever looks at it these days". The Inspector then directed Sam to make a few minor alterations in the layout of the furniture and was about to leave when Sam asked, "What's goin' on here?" "A big shivoo Sam, Dig Amphony will be present, so we have got to make everything ship shape for him. Mr. Digby Amphony is our boss, Sam, so we must put everything in order for his arrival".

Sam, detecting a note of sarcasm in the Inspector's voice as he spoke, continued, "An'I'll bet the booze will be flyin'". The Inspector chuckled, "Reckon so Sam", and walked off.

Sam knew there was bad feeling between Inspector Errol Brassington and his Ministerial head Digby Amphony, that was common knowledge. It was even rumoured that Errol Brassington was already marked for the axe and to be transferred back ro West Australia.

The Inspector gone, Sam first turned his attention to the ingots, testing their weight with great interest and- depositing them apart from the other lumber in the room, close beside the entrance door. In a few more minutes the rest of the job was completed. Sam taking one final survey of his handwork to make sure he had not overlooked one single instruction, blurted out "That will do that bastard Dig Amphony and his fancy mob." He then raced off to clear the chute and collect his bottles. This done, his Combie Van standing close by, he took off in a whirr of skidding wheels to keep his appointment with Emma at her brick veneer home in Fitzroy.

Emma was atanding by her open doorway when Sam's Combie drew up in front of her home. Fossicking through her large open carryall, as though she had mislaid somearticle of importance at the last moment, expressingTflo surprise, not amotion at Sam's approach, she merely remarked with-out looking up, "Cutting it a bit fine, aren't you Sambo, I've been standin'here in all this cold for the last five minutes. Where have you been?"

>V> With these remarks, not waiting for an answer from Sam, who as yet had not spoken, Emma returned through her doorway. A few minutes later Emma was back on the doorstep, still jumbling through her carryall, "I,ve got it" she said I thought I'd done me tram pass, it was in me bag all the time." "Come on Sambo, shake a leg, what are you standin' there for?"

Emma marched off towards the Combie. Sam, who so far had not spoken one word, trailed on behind. Sam was single minded, as they raced along to Emma's appointment there was one thought uppermost in his mind, the fabulous treasure in golden coins he had seen at the Mint that morning and he was dying to tell her about it. The two were well along the road in the Combie van when Sam began to relate his story of the Big C, but Emma was in no mood for listening just then. Always haunted by the fear of being late for any appointment her eyes were constantly glued to the hands of her wristwatch. Towards the final stage of the journey, when Emma had succeeded in grasping a little of the gist of Sam's story, she remarked, "Those Big C's are not yours Sam, why don't you take a pull and get some for yourself? Wake up to yourself Sam, and give them horses away'.'" Sam was a born loser, "It looks as if a bloke can't win" he mumbled to himself once Emma was out of earshot, " but there's never no harm in keepin' on tryin'" Sam drove straight home. Emma's apparent coldness and her trivial remarks about the Big C's had depressed him. Having no appetite for lunch, he again set off at noon to have a few bets. His horse ran nowhere.

Gazing at Emma's enlarged photograph above his bed as he arose early next morning, Sam smiled grimly and began to face a few realities. Emma was beaut, but Emma was out of his reach. That to him was clear, darn it all, he laughed sadly. He might be better off without a woman, if they were all so particular and as hard to get as Emma.

Sam found his display room on C level only a little more disorderly than he had expected to find it when he arrived for his last shift before the weekend, at 4.30 Friday morning. Empty bottles littered the floor, and many stains still damp showed up on the expensive carpet, ample evidence that Dig Amphony and his friends had celebrated only too well. This state of the room concerned him little as bottles to Sam meant money and herethey were in abundance, but there were articles other than bottles to be found in the litter, two ladies monogramed handkerchiefs Sam was quick to spot, then came his discovery of one solutary ladies shoe on the large lounge settee. This caused a raising of his eyebrows when he saw that both cushions belonging to the settee were also missing. His search for the second shoe proved fruitless. ,v «?’ , . ... . , ... , •

Sam's response to these discoveries was, " gosh , I'll bet that that bludger Dig Amphony and his hangers-on had a better time than I did last night."

Sam discoveries had not come to an end. In the course of collecting his bottles, in order to stow in bags separate from the rest of the rubbish ready to be slid down the chute, he came across one bottle of particular interest, it was as yet intact and labelled a most expensive Brandy. This he opened, and on taking two large sips from the mouth of the bottle his eyes began to sparkle. It was the genuine stuff, The hang-dog expression he had been wearing all the morning miraculously gave way to one of cheerfulness. He now set to work with a will to straighten out the mess, and in a speace of less than two hours, had his room once more in order. Glancing round in approval at all he had performed in such a short space of time, he decided he had done enough for one morning and gathering his bottle he sat himself down on the settee, from which the two cushions were missing.

Bottle in one hand Sam had just placed himself in a position of comfort, when his left hand fell on an object that obviously did not belong to the furniture and should not have been there. It was- a man's waTlTetj bearing~TheT'in itlals D.AT~in gilt letters On closer investigation a drivers licence in the name of Digby Amphony was disclosed. Furthermore, in the note folder were twenty fifty dollar Commonwealth bank notes and sixty dollars in lesser denominations. In all one thousand and sixty dollars. There was no question in Sam's mind how the wallet had got there But the disappearance of the two cushions yet puzzled him. Actually, at this moment Sam, was in no frame of mind for the solving of riddles, and lay himself back comfortably recounting the notes again and again, and always coming up with the same total. The liquor in the bottle had now been reduced to below the halfway mark, Sam took one more swig. The problem of what to do with the find now no longer troubled him. "A feller could do a lot with this sort of dough", was his final remark as he placed it in the inner pocket of his jacket and forgot it. There was only one nip left in the bottle now, and Sam glancing at his watch, observed he had yet thirty-five minutes to go before finishing time of 9 a.m. Then began the long weekend, he wondered what he would do on those three days. Take Emma for a drive through the Dandenongs, or along the Great Ocean Road. No, he decided he would do neither of these things. He would take a run up to the Golden Gully and pay a visit to old Jasper and Mum. He hadnot seen them for quite a time, perhaps stay over the weekend. He felt he might be finished with Emma after yest­ erday, He was finding it ever more difficult to get through to her these days. Emma never seemed to be interested in what he had to say. So darn it, what was the use of wasting any more time on Emma. At this point, Sam's reverie was suddenly interrupted. He stood erect on legs slightly unsteady and moved closer towards the display case. There was something wrong here, and why had he not noticed it before. Approaching yet nearer Sam saw that the heavy shatterproof glass shutter remained unlocked and was hanging loosely on its hinges. The shutter was a self-locking type. The last person to open it had accidently neglected to push it home firmly enough to secure the catch.

This person could only have been Dig Amphony or one of his junior side kicks from Security showing off with their girl friends. They were all bloody show offs that lot.' So mused Sam as he' was about to apply a firm jolt to the shutter in order to secure the catch. But, at the last moment, he hesitated, overcome by curiosity he opened the shutter wider. Gently at first, but then wide enough for him to view the whole display without interruption of the thick glass. Presently, reckless with impatience his arm moved in and his fingers closed upon a coin. Withdrawing his hand, he placed the coin in his trousers pocket without glancing at it. But Sam liked the feel - big and smooth - real yellow stuff for sure. There was no going back from here. The signal was right ahead, and do the job properly. Without the slightest hesitation Sam turned sharply and made off in the direction of the lumber room. Returning, carrying four of the gilded lead ingots he had previously placed so carefully beside the door inside the lumber room on dismantling the old model. This exercise he performed several times until he had the entire twenty-five ingots ready placed beside him. "These will do the trick." Sam was quite confident now, though once, on imagining he heard an unfamiliar sound in the passageway outside, he glanced nervously in the direction of the main door. But convinced the sound arose more from his hightined imagination than any material source, he carried on. It was a smooth operation. In the short space of 20 minutes Sam had substituted the twenty-five gilded lead ingots for an equal volume of Big C's, being careful to place the base metal on the bottom of each of the five cases from which he had subtracted the Big C's, leaving each case, to all outward appearance, exactly as it had been when last inspected.

Getting the loot out and away off the premises presented no problem to Sam. It would be all too easy, just slide it down the chute with his bottles. It would add additional weight to the bottle bags, so to make sure nothing went wrong in the execution, he would reinforce the bags by slipping one inside the other, doubling the strength of each bag and every­ thing would be O.K. His final surprise was to discover the security door on the chute to be unsecured.

On peering down, the whole scene of what went on the previous night lay unravelled before him. There lay the two missing cushions right at the bottom and that matching ladies shoe. He now had the complete pair. The appearence of the chute also presented a sight unusual. It bore the appearance of having been recently polished. Sam peered more closely at those cushions wedged closely together at the bottom. He saw that they both bore the distinctive impression of the human posterior upon them. All was plain now, two persons had slid down the chute on those cushions. The most likely to do so would be Dig Amphony and his girl-friend Mercy Glower. Sam reckoned they both must have been pretty well boozed not to have noticed the loss of Mercy's shoe. The operation completed without a hitch, Sam descended below to load his bays into his Combie van. By no irteans nervous, believing he had convered his tracks quite professionally, he stiffly saluted the staff members who were now filing in as he approached the main door leading to the car park, with his usual offhand "Good morning - fine day." Marching on without waiting for a response.

Both bags lay at the bottom of the chute, one wedged tightly against the other. Sam tossed the two cushions aside and tested the top bag, it was pretty weighty. He knew from the position which ir. lay he would have some difficulty lifting it into his van without making a mess of things by spilling the whole contents, the extra weight made all the difference.

Sam was about to commence his struggle with the top bag when he was aware of someone approaching from the father side of his Combie van. It was Inspector Brassington. Sam knew before he saw him. The Inspector was now standing quite close and looking directly down at the bag which Sam was about to lift "Nice haul, eh Sam, having some trouble." he said, observing Sam's efforts to prise the bags free. Sam made no audible reply, just nodded, he was out of breath.

The sudden appearance of the Security man in no way embarrassed Sam, he had forseen this when working out his plan. This was the usual time of his arrival 9.05a.m. The Inspector's routine was to acknowledge Sam's presence, then pass on. Such had been his previous practice, but now the Inspector appeared to be taking an unwanted interest in this particular operation. Sam began to feel nervous and wi,shed he would pass on. Sam stood, the bag resting between his legs, observing a complete silence and staring blankly. "Heavy? I'll give you a heave" and before Sam could realise what was taking place, the Inspector had hold of one end of the bag and into the Combie van it went. "Heavy", repeated the Inspector, "Heavy for bottles, must have them stacked tight 1 "

Sam agreed and the second bag followed the first into the Combie, as it did the flimsy, plastic burst, exposing the inside. Sam did •. £ } jj not flinch, though the Vxtra bhc.containing the Big C coins could be clearly seen bulging outwards like £ green balloon. "Nice haul" repeated the Inspector, as h^S' eyes lit on the label of one bottle that rolled out of the £>aq, it was an expensive imported label. - ’

0 To be continued..

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