Fun stuff Archives - Page 6 of 36

Art in translation: Murray Garde and John Mawurndjul

One of the most troublesome subjects for interpreters who work with Australian languages is finding acceptable ways to refer to the concept of a sacred site. In Kuninjku, these are known as Djang. In central Australia, the term Tjukurrpa is becoming more well known by non-Indigenous people. These terms involve more than just a location, but also ideas about deep history, the period of creation and the association between specific groups of people and totemic aspects which have their historical focus in these places. The term ‘Dreaming’ is so inadequate and misleading and so many Indigenous people are starting to reject this term, although others continue to use it.

By Bob Gosford|2018-07-30T15:17:06+09:30July 30th, 2018|Aboriginal & Islander Art, Art, Fun stuff, Some places I've been, The Arts, The Northern Myth|0 Comments

Reforming Northern Territory self-government – Reconciling the Two Towers of Power – Part One

The Territory government and land councils each have significant real world authority over the same land mass, and therefore real roles in important decisions made about land use, tenure and development on half of the Territory’s land, which in turn comprises twenty percent of Australia’s land mass.

By Bob Gosford|2018-07-03T19:39:16+09:30July 3rd, 2018|Australian politics, Fun stuff, Northern development, Northern Territory politics, NT local government, Some places I've been, The Northern Myth, The NT Intervention|0 Comments

Bird of the Week: Pilatus PC-21 at Alice Springs, June 2018

Thanks to my mate Mitch Chip Childs over at the Aviators of Alice Springs Facebook page for the tip that a couple of brand spanking new Pilatus PC-21s would be passing through Alice Springs this morning en-route from their base in Switzerland to the RAAF Roulettes home at RAAF Base East Sale in Victoria. [...]

By Bob Gosford|2018-06-24T13:53:47+09:30June 24th, 2018|Bird of the Week, Fun stuff, Photography, Some places I've been, The Northern Myth|0 Comments

Jo Best on the public realm, an energy ponzi scheme and resilience at Resilient Darwin

Cultural recognition & sensitivity, jobs, affordable housing (including during occupation), tourism opportunities, environmental protection, identity, community, and the much touted “liveable city”. We live in a town that is being moulded by traffic engineers instead of strategic thinkers like urban designers, demographers and economists.

By Bob Gosford|2018-06-10T04:27:39+09:30June 10th, 2018|Art, Australian politics, Fun stuff, Northern development, Northern Territory politics, NT local government, Some places I've been, The Arts, The Law, The Northern Myth|2 Comments

Mark Basil Butler – A Life in Books. Book 8: My Family and Other Animus, by James Jeffrey

For James Jeffrey, it is not about the politics, but the people, which is probably why he has managed to survive for so long in the toxic political environment at the Oz, stuffed as it is with Liberal Party operatives and conservative thinkers (forgive the oxymoron). He is genuinely (not, unlike many News Corpse writers, unintentionally) funny. Deeply funny. The kind of funny that leaves you in tears, but not always tears of laughter.

By Bob Gosford|2018-05-04T20:34:47+09:30May 3rd, 2018|Animals, Art, Australian politics, Fun stuff, The Arts, The Northern Myth, Writing and writers|0 Comments

Goanna of the Week – arlewatyerre or aremaye?

The generic gloss (non-Arandic & non-scientific) term for these brightly-coloured and drop-dead gorgeous (as food and on the eye) monitor lizards is Sand Goanna. Not very helpful when the landscape is dominated by rock and and lots ... biggest mobs in fact ... of red sand.

By Bob Gosford|2018-04-17T19:42:07+09:30April 17th, 2018|Animals, Fun stuff, Indigenous land management, Photography, Some places I've been, The Northern Myth|0 Comments

Doing the Darwin Shuffle. The Northern Territory as a tax haven. Part One: 1971 to 1982

Graeme Lewis was part éminence grise, part bagman and part trouble-maker—as often within as without—for the NT's Country Liberal Party for more than forty years. Lewis passed away in early April while speaking from the floor of the 2018 annual conference of his beloved CLP. For all his apparent successes and failings—I'll leave the hagiography and excoriation for others—Graeme Lewis never held publicly elected office but nonetheless deserves respect as the Northern Territory's long-term political player par excellence. Lewis was also a prominent player in the Darwin Shuffle, the avoidance scheme that operated in the NT from at least the early 1970s through to the 1980s.

By Bob Gosford|2023-07-01T21:35:42+09:30April 15th, 2018|Australian politics, Crime, Fun stuff, Northern development, Northern Territory politics, The Law, The Northern Myth|0 Comments

“We’re all eccentrics here!” Andrew McMillan on getting shickered in Larrimah, NT

But, hey, this is Larrimah. One expects things to go twirly. A decade ago, the blokes behind the "Highest bar in the Territory" were Graham Doyle and Syd Worrell. Syd had a French girlfriend, Jacquie, who liked a drink, cooked when she damned well felt like it and had such an aversion to the heat she'd shower fully clothed and return to the bar wringing wet. She and Syd were married at the pub in a ceremony the celebrant will never forget. The bride wore black and had to be assisted down the aisle. The best man, Mad Mick from Maryfield, was so shickered he couldn't find the ring.

By Bob Gosford|2023-11-11T20:09:53+09:30February 2nd, 2018|Camp Dog of the week, Crime, Fun stuff, Some places I've been, Stupidity, The Law, The Northern Myth, Writing and writers|1 Comment

Lawyers, beer and busted boats – Stewart O’Connell remembers the Katherine floods of 1998

A tinnie, chockas with evacuees, stalled in Giles street in the flow of the fourth street river. The force of the river smashed it into a light pole. The light fell just missing the occupants. When the dinghy flipped and everyone went under the festive mood immediately evaporated.

By Bob Gosford|2023-07-02T14:38:23+09:30January 28th, 2018|Crime, Fun stuff, Mississippi, Northern Territory politics, Some places I've been, The Law, The Northern Myth|0 Comments

“Donald Trump never fit in here” – Richard Stark on Trump, Mar-a-Lago and Palm Beach

'Donald Trump never fit in here' ... 'I should be pleased Mr Trump took over Mar-a-Lago,' Lesley said, 'I think we should all be pleased, because we didn't want it to turn into Miss Havisham's wedding cake out there, but to be honest with you, I think a place must be just a little déclassé if Donald Trump has even heard of it.'

By Bob Gosford|2017-12-28T10:10:54+09:30December 28th, 2017|Crime, Fun stuff, Some places I've been, The Northern Myth, Writing and writers|0 Comments