Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- 196211 [2019/10/24 13:21] – tyreless
+++ 196211 [2019/10/28 12:53] – tyreless
@@ Line 354: / Line 354: @@
- S.B.W. XMAS DANCE.
+=== S.B.W. Xmas Dance. ===
-Come dressed as an historical figure!!!! (If you can't do this, at
-least come dressed).: Place - North Sydney Town Hall.
+Come dressed as an historical figure!!!! (If you can't do this, at least come dressed).
-Time -5 Who cares?
-Date - 22nd December onwards. (A Saturday, we think). Cost - A nqystery. (though well worth it).
+__Place__ - North Sydney Town Hall.
-The Sydney Bushwalker November 1962
-MEET MRS.  MeCONISH
+__Time__ - Who cares?
-When the small apparently frail lady rose and moved across to the
-table covered with shells, paper clippings and island bric-a-brac, I
+__Date__ - 22nd December onwards. (A Saturday, we think).
-thought to myself "This will be dull:" I lit my pipe and settled back to pass the time as comfortably as possible.
-Two minutes later, I was sitting forward, pipe out and I stayed
+__Cost__ - A mystery. (though well worth it).
-that way for seventy minutes; Mrs. McComish's Vitality and zest for life belied her admitted three score years and ten - a v. and z f.l, which infected everyone present.
-She told us how her interest in nature began as a girl of five, when
+----
-she kept bugs in boxes under her bed much to her Mother's horror. As she grew, this interest began to centre on the Pacific Isles and to see these became
-something of an obsession with her, later to dominate her life.
+===== Meet Mrs McComish. =====
-. She married in England, but lost her husband soon after in the Great War. Her two brothers having emigrated - one to Australia, one to New Zealand - she set to work to persuade her parents to follow. Those of us who met her and came under the spell of Mrs McComish's vocal ability, would agree her parents had little chance once she'd made up her mind: So the family settled
-in Cairns. Not good enough: Once more she started to drip away on the parental rock - this time to visit the smaller islands - in a lugger. (She has a healthy loathing of tourist liners). Admitting to having nearly driven her parents to drink in the process, she finally got her way, but only on the condition she found a suitable travelling companion, female. Off she took
+When the small apparently frail lady rose and moved across to the table covered with shells, paper clippings and island bric-a-brac, I thought to myself "This will be dull!" I lit my pipe and settled back to pass the time as comfortably as possible.
-herself to the shipping agency where she began tcr drip on the manager - regularly - every morning.
-All she wanted was a travelling companion - now that shn'aldn't be difficult. Only qualification required - female, not to mind travelling in luggers or dugouts, living with natives, sleeping on the ground, travelling light, swimming creeks, collecting bugs ... there should be plenty of them.
+Two minutes later, I was sitting forward, pipe out and I stayed that way for seventy minutes; Mrs. McComish's vitality and zest for life belied her admitted three score years and ten - a v. and z.f.l. which infected everyone present.
-Evehtually- her persistence wore down the opposition and she was off to her South Sea Islands, and there she has spent the rest of her life, marrying
-a second time to an'hitorian and botanist (not bigamy - just one man) whose interests and outlook on life were identical with her own.
+She told us how her interest in nature began as a girl of five, when she kept bugs in boxes under her bed much to her Mother's horror. As she grew, this interest began to centre on the Pacific Isles and to see these became something of an obsession with her, later to dominate her life.
-Over the years la-s McComish has visited most of the Pacific Islands, learning about their people, studying the natural life and in particular,
-painting the indigenous flowers. We had the opportunity of inspecting one of
+She married in England, but lost her husband soon after in the Great War. Her two brothers having emigrated - one to Australia, one to New Zealand - she set to work to persuade her parents to follow. Those of us who met her and came under the spell of Mrs McComish's vocal ability, would agree her parents had little chance once she'd made up her mind! So the family settled in Cairns. Not good enough! Once more she started to drip away on the parental rock - this time to visit the smaller islands - in a lugger. (She has a healthy loathing of tourist liners). Admitting to having nearly driven her parents to drink in the process, she finally got her way, but only on the condition she found a suitable travelling companion, female. Off she took herself to the shipping agency where she began to drip on the manager - regularly - every morning.
-her fourteen volumes of hand paintings of these flowers, and they were really magnificent. It is of great satisfaction to nature lovers therefore to know that these fourteen volumes comprising thousands of paintings and pressed
-flowers will eventually become the property of the Mitchell Library.
+All she wanted was a travelling companion - now that shouldn't be difficult. Only qualification required - female, not to mind travelling in luggers or dugouts, living with natives, sleeping on the ground, travelling light, swimming creeks, collecting bugs... there should be plenty of them.
-November 1962 The Sydney Bushwalker 15.
-. We were given a glitpse of life on Thursday Island (because of the large numbers of empty bottles around, Mrs. M. preferred to think of it
+Eventually, her persistence wore down the opposition and she was off to her South Sea Islands, and there she has spent the rest of her life, marrying a second time to an historian and botanist (not bigamy - just one man) whose interests and outlook on life were identical with her own.
- as 'Thirsty Island). Thursday Island is the centre of an active pearling
- industry, and, true to. form, Mrs. 14:: must know all the intimate details, so she shipped out on a pearling lugger to find out - the hard may. The trughest part was the all pervading stench. The natives open the shell fish, hang the meat in the rigging, and leave the shells on the deck. The sun-dried meat forms part of the natives' 'diet, but a rather high-powered diet to the uninitiated. Despite this she found out all about pearling -with the help of handfuls of sea-sickness tablets.
+Over the years Mrs McComish has visited most of the Pacific Islands, learning about their people, studying the natural life and in particular, painting the indigenous flowers. We had the opportunity of inspecting one of her fourteen volumes of hand paintings of these flowers, and they were really magnificent. It is of great satisfaction to nature lovers therefore to know that these fourteen volumes comprising thousands of paintings and pressed flowers will eventually become the property of the Mitchell Library.
-On Thursday Island, Iffrs. M. first met the whispering natives from Saibai. They literally never talk about a mhsiper. The reason for this was found to be the water on Saibai which damages the vocal,chords. (Visitors now take their own water). It is not difficult to. conjure up some irses for the waters of
-Saibai.
+We were given a glitpse of life on Thursday Island (because of the large numbers of empty bottles around, Mrs. M. preferred to think of it as Thirsty Island). Thursday Island is the centre of an active pearling industry, and, true to form, Mrs. M. must know all the intimate details, so she shipped out on a pearling lugger to find out - the hard may. The toughest part was the all pervading stench. The natives open the shell fish, hang the meat in the rigging, and leave the shells on the deck. The sun-dried meat forms part of the natives' diet, but a rather high-powered diet to the uninitiated. Despite this she found out all about pearling with the help of handfuls of sea-sickness tablets.
-_
-. Near Thursday Island lies Hammond Is. which is owned b:y,the.Catholic Church and used as a' training school for natives.  On Hammond Island thiare is a unique church, built by native labour' for a tqtal cost of Z80. Mrs. M. found the priest on Thursday Island only too happy to show her over, the island with its school' and church. The church walls were made of hand-packed local rock'. make the windows, circular concrete frames of about three feet diameter were cast, and thes were then filled with beer bottles (empty) laid on their sides, bottoms inwards. Mrs. M. (although a t..b.) described the effect inside as inspiring.
+On Thursday Island, Mrs. M. first met the whispering natives from Saibai. They literally never talk about a whsiper. The reason for this was found to be the water on Saibai which damages the vocal chords. (Visitors now take their own water). It is not difficult to conjure up some uses for the waters of Saibai.
-With the sun shining on them, the windows cast a golden amber light in wonderful patterns of circles in circles. The ever-present island breezes blowing across the open necks of 'the bottles produces inside a constant symphonic background of a thousand blending notes,
-An inspectiOn'Of the school activities further amazed Mrs M. Here the native Children were being taught Western Cultures and 'were learning them with enthusiasm and spectacular results'. , On a beat-up old. piano., bare wood keys and all, ill's. M. heard' a, recital' from a 12 year old native girl that would have done credit to  any cohservatorium student.
+Near Thursday Island lies Hammond Is. which is owned by the Catholic Church and used as a training school for natives. On Hammond Island there is a unique church, built by native labour for a total cost of £80. Mrs. M. found the priest on Thursday Island only too happy to show her over the island with its school and church. The church walls were made of hand-packed local rock. To make the windows, circular concrete frames of about three feet diameter were cast, and these were then filled with beer bottles (empty) laid on their sides, bottoms inwards. Mrs. M. (although a t.t.) described the effect inside as inspiring.
-Mrs M. was prevailed upon to entertain the children in return which she
-did by demonStrating the Maori haka. She had her audience gripped until she came to a part where you lean forward and poke out your tongue. When Mrs. N: performed this feat, not" onlyher tongue came out- but her top plate as well: The nuns., were aghast, the native children terrified; the priest helpless with 1aughte. Mrs M. later taught these children the haka, and as you may guess, when they,i came to this crucial part, they all poked out their tongues and frantically tried to pull out their top teeth: She is now as famous on Hammond Is. as a certain shooner captaih who once visited the island. He had a detachable wooden leg.
+With the sun shining on them, the windows cast a golden amber light in wonderful patterns of circles in circles. The ever-present island breezes blowing across the open necks of the bottles produces inside a constant symphonic background of a thousand blending notes.
-The Sydney Bushwalker November 1962.
+An inspection of the school activities further amazed Mrs M. Here the native Children were being taught Western Cultures and were learning them with enthusiasm and spectacular results. On a beat-up old piano, bare wood keys and all, Mrs. M. heard a recital from a 12 year old native girl that would have done credit to any conservatorium student.
+Mrs M. was prevailed upon to entertain the children in return which she did by demonstrating the Maori haka. She had her audience gripped until she came to a part where you lean forward and poke out your tongue. When Mrs. M. performed this feat, not only her tongue came out but her top plate as well! The nuns were aghast, the native children terrified, the priest helpless with 1aughter. Mrs M. later taught these children the haka, and as you may guess, when they came to this crucial part, they all poked out their tongues and frantically tried to pull out their top teeth! She is now as famous on Hammond Is. as a certain shooner captain who once visited the island. He had a detachable wooden leg.
 Mrs. McComish has seen her Pacific Islands, including the Australian continent from end to end - not superficially as a tourist, but intimately as a friend of the inhabitants and a scientist interested in everything that lived and breathed around her.
- When Jack Gentle passed a vote of thanks to Mrs M., he said that this was. the most entertaining talk the club, had had the pleasure of hearing for some time. (He was obviously excluding some of our more vocal members at General Meetings). For once Jaek had everyone present right with him.
+When Jack Gentle passed a vote of thanks to Mrs M., he said that this was the most entertaining talk the club had had the pleasure of hearing for some time. (He was obviously excluding some of our more vocal members at General Meetings). For once Jaek had everyone present right with him.
+----
 REPORT ON FEDERATION MEETING HELD 18.9.62.
 Business ArisinglIaLlanutes,. The vacancy for an auditor will be left open until the member clubs have had time to deliberate on the matter.