Plague Locusts - mad use of poisons.

I have written about Plague Locusts before. Article 1 and Article 2 . This is a topic which has attracted a steady stream of visitors and of comments.

1. The most touching comment was from Owen O'Brien who was writing to supporting his brother Eris O'Brien, Eris had earlier written in support of my first Blog posting about the madness of wide-spread spraying of Plague Locusts.
2. Apparently Eris O'Brien has been roundly criticised for his campaigning against compulsory spraying of farmers' lands - that's right compulsory spraying. He has a website now and a compelling 8 minute video.
3. Please take the time to watch it.

The Australian Plague Locust Commission and even the Victorian Premier, "Mr Feral Horse" (John Brumby) is trying to whip us all into a frenzy over this. His best effort was to declare that the Locusts pose a threat to the running of the Melbourne Cup.

Crikey has carried a story about the looming Locust Plague today.
Pretty lame interview, I would say.
Since when is the only measure of "environmental safety" judged by this question: "Are the pesticides used on locusts a problem for humans?"

What about the impact on birds and other native animals? What about the impact on frogs and fish (even if they claim to have "buffer zones" around water courses). What chance there is no spray drift?

Here is the Wikipedia article on the Australian Plague Locust

*****

Tom Cowie writes:

You’d think the heavy winter rains in Australia’s south-east that broke the drought and filled a struggling river system would have been welcomed by all. But the Big Wet, which looks likely to yield some bumper crops for farmers, may also come at a price. The downpour has been the equivalent of mood lighting and a Barry White record for one of our most feared pests -- Chortoicetes terminifera, the Australian Plague Locust.

The widespread rainfall and warmer temperatures have seen large numbers of locusts begin to hatch across wide areas of regional Australia, leaving more than just farmers nervous about the mischief they might cause. Crikey spoke with Chris Adriaansen, director of the Australian Plague Locust Commission, about how a few billion scary grasshoppers might ruin it for everyone.

Why are there going to be more locusts this year than in the past?

It’s a seasonal thing that is a combination of rainfall, aggregation and how each generation multiplies. Australian plague locusts have four generations each season and each generation can multiply on the previous if conditions are good. It’s an unfortunate coincidence of nature that the same conditions that gave rise to a good crop and grassing situation have led to this locust plague. Primarily it’s all about widespread rainfall and good temperatures.

When are the locusts expected to hatch?

There have already been some hatchings and we have seen some significant locust populations in the north-west of NSW. Those locusts hatched 7-10 days ago and have aggregated in large numbers (full predicted locust hatching dates can be found here).

How many locusts are we talking?

How many grains of sand are there on a beach? We are talking literally billions of locusts. Anything up to 5 million hectares of land will be infected by locust eggs, so do the maths if you have a calculator with enough zeroes.

How many locusts are there in a swarm?

According to the APLC, a swarm of Australian plague locusts, covering one square kilometre, could contain anything from 4 million to over 50 million locusts. The size of a typical Australian plague locust swarm is highly variable, from one to over 25 kilometres squared

Which areas are at greatest risk from a locust plague?

We’ve got a number of key risk zones. The central-west region of NSW, the Riverina region of NSW, the north, in particular north-west, of Victoria, and the eastern Flinders region of South Australia.

How long will it take before the locusts begin to cause problems?

Locusts have five stages of development as nymphs when they have no wings, so we won’t see any swarms of locusts for at least another six weeks. The majority of the high density areas in places like Victoria are yet to hatch, so it will be at least eight weeks until we begin to see swarms in those areas. But the swarms are only part of the risk. The nymph’s sole purpose is eating and growing, so they can still do quite an amount of damage.

How far and how quickly can they move?

When they’re at the nymph stage they don’t move very far at all, because they don’t have wings they can move around 200-250m per day. Once they grow wings it’s a different story, they can move around 20-40km per day. Overnight they can fly up to 700km, as long as they get the right wind conditions. So basically they can be here today and gone tomorrow. But I don’t think we will be seeing that this time, there is just too many of them.

Which industries are at greatest risk from a locust plague?

The normal diet of these species is grass and the associated plants. Probably the most significant risk is to grain crops, so wheat and barley and other crops such as canola and the pastures areas where livestock grows.

What kind of damage can they do to crops?

They can completely wipe out a crop. If they don’t take 100% of the vegetation, they can destroy large amounts of plant material so that a crop’s yield is significantly reduced.

Is there a chance they could move from farms into some of the larger regional towns, and even cities?

We do see that from time to time. Certainly the swarm of locusts in April did move into some larger regional centres. In the Mildura area during April we saw a number of community events halted, including sporting events. The local airport was also closed and Virgin Blue halted their flights into Mildura because of the problems posed by the locusts.

What kind of damage can they do to cars?

One is obviously visibility; these locusts are going to be well fed and fat, so when they hit the windscreen the fat will be smeared everywhere. The other issue is the blocking of air intakes, which can lead to an engine overheating.

Who is in charge of the response to the locusts?

It’s a collaborative arrangement. APLC has a role and responsibility; our stated mandate is to monitor and manage locust populations that are found in more than one state. But each of the state’s agencies has a key role to play. What we have done since April is bring everyone together and plan a response so we can have this covered as best we can.

How are you managing the locusts?

There are range of different control agents that can be used to manage the locusts, whether from the ground or air. Landholders and ground control contractors undertake ground-based spraying, while the state controlled agencies and APLC undertake aerial spraying.

Are the pesticides used on locusts a problem for humans?

First of all of these pesticides are registered with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority. Secondly, we leave a very significant buffer zone around human activity, water courses and restricted or significant areas. Thirdly, we have developed a number of techniques in that we don’t blanket spray areas, we leave 90% of land area untreated and then leave it up to locusts to discover the discreet chemical strips we lay down.

This is not a pest eradication program; locusts are a native insect and we are trying to manage the issue as best we can.

*****
End of the Crikey Article.

To show you how lame I think that interview was, take a look at the chemicals which are licenced for use on cereal crops, to help kill Plaque Locusts.

That's right. These chemicals may be sprayed on cereal crops (which you or your meat animals are meant to eat). But the intention is to poison the Locusts which try to eat the cereal crops.

Sure there is such a thing as a "withholding period" That is meant to be a time after which the poison has broken down sufficiently to be "safe".

But do you really want your food, or the food your own food animals eat to be sprayed with this list of chemicals?

Table 2 from the newly revised Plague Locust Control Fact Sheet (page 3) authorises the use of these chemicals on cereal crops.

Table 2 CEREALS
APVMA permits – users must obtain, read and adhere to the conditions of APVMA permits prior to use.

Approvals for all cereals (Including but not limited to wheat, barley, durum, oats, cereal rye, maize, sorghum & triticale)
carbaryl Registered Registered # 1 day 1 day
chlorpyrifos Registered 10 days 2 days
diazinon 14 days 14 days
cypermethrin PER10928 # 21 days 35 days
alpha-cypermethrin PER10927 # 7 days 14 days
beta-cyfluthrin # 14 days 7 days
fenitrothion Registered 14 days 14 days
maldison Registered Registered 1 day 1 day
metarhizium anisopliae Registered not specified not specified
methidathion PER11658 * 42 days 7 days

Approvals for individual cereal crops

Wheat & Barley
gamma-cyhalothrin PER10927 # 14 days 14 days
lambda-cyhalothrin # 14 days 14 days

Maize
alpha-cypermethrin PER10927 # 7 days not specified
cypermethrin PER10928 # 7 days not specified

Sorghum
diazinon Registered 14 days 14 days
fipronil 14 days 14 days
alpha-cypermethrin PER10927 # 7 days not specified
beta-cyfluthrin # 14 days 14 days
chlorpyrifos Registered # 2 days 2 days
cypermethrin PER10928 # 14 days 49 days
gamma-cyhalothrin PER10927 # 14 days 14 days
lambda-cyhalothrin # 14 days 14 days

WHP (withholding period) - Following pesticide application, the relevant withholding period MUST expire BEFORE cutting for hay, windrowing, harvest or the undertaking of any similar operation.

• # Permit not required as Victorian ‘control-of-use’ legislation allows this off-label use in Victoria. For further information contact DPI Victoria.
• ^ The Safemeat Plague Locust Brochure should be consulted for information on managing residues in livestock – www.safemeat.com.au
• * Methidathion, an S7 chemical, cannot be used off-label in Victoria unless an S25A permit has been issued by DPI Victoria.

"S7" is a chemical listed on the Schedule 7 of restricted chemicals:
"Schedule 7s are substances with a high potential for causing harm at low exposure and which require special precautions in manufacture handling or use. These poisons should be available only to specialised or authorised officers who have the skills necessary to handle them safely."

Did you get that?
These chemicals have to be "handled safely" (by specially trained and authorised personnel), but they can be sprayed on cereal crops which you or your food animals will eat. Just as soon as the "withholding period" has expired.

Please enjoy your next meal, as Mr Brumby thinks that it is reasonable for these chemicals to be used on your food, to ensure the Melbourne Cup goes ahead .

Public awareness of water conservation targets

The people of Canberra have been well used to water restrictions, for many years now.

Unlike the Governments of NSW and Victoria, the ACT Government took the people into their confidence, and allowed them to share a sense of pride of achieving low water usage targets. That worked much better than NSW, where the Government panicked prior to the 2007 election, and signed up for a totally un-necessary Desalination Plant, costing us more than 2 billion dollars (and that is just the "published, quoted" price. Who knows what the real cost will turn out to be before it is finished.

I was in Canberra just after the January 2003 fires, which was the peak of their drought. People took it as a matter of civic pride to have a dead lawn. Some went overboard and "dobbed in" their neighbours for so-called illegal watering. These people were quickly dubbed the "Water Nazis". However, six years on the mobile signs are still flashing their message to commuters on the main arterial roads around Canberra. Meanwhile water recycling (draining bath-water onto the front lawn, etc) is still commonplace in Canberra. People feel proud of their kids learning how to conserve water, and more importantly, how to not waste it.

What's wrong with that?

Incidentally, Canberra is a much drier city than Melbourne (normally) but they have a target of 105ML per person per day. Melbourne's target is 155 ML. What's the problem with Melbourne people? Are they 50% dirtier than Canberrans that they need so much more water?

In reality, the actual levels, (in winter admittedly) are well under the target. This was taken on 11 June, so it reports the per person water consumption for 10 June 2009.

Dam levels are published daily, on the main roads - for all the world to see.

Note that with the dam levels holding at 43 per cent, the Canberrans are still being held at Level 3 restrictions - instead of retuning to the traditional wasteful levels of previous years.
Good on them.

This is something which I believe the ACT has managed well.

There are many other things they do with which I do not agree.

Let's give credit where credit is due.

****** ****** ******
The ABC Radio local news service and the Sydney Daily Telegraph report that Sydney Water Restrictions have been eased.

The new rules will also take effect from midnight.

"The community has responded tremendously during the drought to save every drop," Mr Costa said.

"These few simple rules reinforce the importance of using water responsibly and minimising waste. It gives people more flexibility to maintain their gardens and manage water around the home," he said.

Under the old regime, various levels of restrictions were introduced to cut back water usage as dam levels fell.

Over the past five years, Sydney, Illawarra and Blue Mountains residents were forced to live with increasingly tougher restrictions.

Under the existing Level 3 restrictions, hand-held watering could only be done on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10am and after 4pm.

Watering systems and sprinklers were banned entirely.

The new rules allow for the hand-held hoses, sprinklers and watering systems to be used on gardens daily, but in the same time periods.

Children will also be allowed to play under sprinklers on hot days.

Under the old restrictions, businesses such as nurseries and landscape gardeners were required to obtain exemptions for water use. They no longer have to seek them.

Automatic exemptions will also apply to market gardeners, bowling greens, cricket wickets, golf tees and croquet, hockey, tennis and horse-racing surfaces.

*****

Sydney Water's website does not carry this information.

Typical for them to have outdated information on their website.

*****

Current restrictions are now:

• Hand-held hosing of lawns and gardens and drip irrigation is allowed only on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10 am and after 4 pm
• Hosing of vehicles at residential premises is permitted only with a trigger nozzle or high-pressure water cleaning equipment (to a maximum of 10L/minute)
• Hosing residential building structures including windows, walls and gutters is allowed using a hose with a trigger nozzle or high-pressure water cleaning equipment (to a maximum of 10L/minute)
• No hosing of hard surfaces such as paths or driveways at any time
• No other watering systems or sprinklers are to be used at any time
• A permit from Sydney Water is required to fill new or renovated pools bigger than 10,000 litres
• No hoses or taps to be left running unattended, except when filling pools or containers

Source: Sydney Water - as at 21 June 2009, 8:00am.

It is madness - un-necessary madness - to reduce the restrictions.
It simply promotes wastefulness, of a precious resource.

Douglas Park Bridges - possible problems ahead.

Is the Douglas Park Bridge in trouble?
If so, then the likely cause is longwall mining in the nearby coal mines.

Douglas Park Bridge - northbound


























Douglas Park Bridge - southbound


























Drilling Rig - in situ,
under the Twin Bridges



























Official Job Number and description


















Core Sample - trays - various marked depths


















As you can see, the RTA has hired a drilling company to test the rock base under these Twin Bridges, at Douglas Park. Why?

Well, there has already been longwall mining conducted in the area. There is further longwall mining likely to commence in several months time. So, it would appear that they are checking to see if fracturing of the bedrock foundations of the Bridge has already occurred. Has it? I understand that it is very likely that it has occurred - but I am not an engineer.

Alternatively, they are assessing the risk of future fracturing of the bedrock foundations, once the new longwall mining commences.

Meanwhile, from what you can see, in today's traffic flow restrictions, it is reasonable to assume that the RTA is sufficiently worried about its Douglas Park Bridges to limit the traffic loading on the Twin Bridges.

Let us hope that they can exert enough influence on the mining companies to prevent longwall mining in the area. For subsidence, should it occur, could render this bridge unsafe. The social, physical and economic costs of these Bridges, should they need to be to be closed for repairs could be extraordinary. These bridges are an enormously critical part of the Australian road infrastructure.

Do you think I am kidding? You do the sums on how much freight goes over these Twin Bridges, each day, going to and from Sydney from Melbourne and Canberra, and other parts of the country.

Further damage to the Twin Bridges is surely preventable. It just requires the NSW Minister for Transport to step in to prevent further mining in the area. He just needs the balls to stand up to Frank Sartor, Minister for Planning, who is the guy who authorises these longwall mining activities. No worries.

These Twin Bridges span the Nepean River, at Douglas Park. The Nepean River rises at Kangaloon, just south of Robertson

Everybody is stealing water, it seems.

Jonathan Bell sent me a story from Farm Weekly (WA):
"Perth city residents to steal rural water".
<<"After months of debate about environmental and social impacts and strong opposition from South-West residents, the EPA has recommended that Environment Minister Mark McGowan allow 45 gigalitres to be drawn from the aquifer annually for Perth residents' consumption.WAFarmers water spokesman, Steve Dilley, says rural people are becoming more convinced that "what Perth wants, it gets" — regardless of the ramifications to rural and regional areas.">>

Well, you can see how that story is heading. Game, Set and Match to Perth residents.

Sure enough, the story ends up:
<<"The final decision will be made by the Environment Minister after consultation with other decision-making authorities such as the Water Department.">>

We shall see if the environmental caveats recommended by the local EPA on draining that Aquifer have any effect, once the Perth's Water Department has its say.

*****

As I commented to Jonathan, it is a very similar situation in the Latrobe Valley, in Victoria, where Melbourne is taking pristine water from the Thomson Dam (the subject of Bushfire threats in the last week) to supply suburbia, while Melbourne is now pumping treated effluent (recycled water) to the Latrobe Valley, for use as a coolant in the enormous coal processing and electricity generating industries there.

And in Queensland, Peter Beattie is talking about damming the Mary River, (above Maryborough) in order to provide water to Brisbane (well to the south).

*****

As I said, everybody is stealing everybody else's water. Few are doing it as much as Sydney, though, with the huge "water transfers" from the Tallowa Dam, on the Shoalhaven River. It is a disaster for the River, and a severe limitiation upon Nowra's economic development. It is the exact opposite of decentralisation.

More about the Dandenong Creek Parks

This morning I visited the Shepherds Bush Park, one of the linking sections between the Parks I visited yesterday - Jells Park (downstream) and Koomba Park (upstream).

This section of the Dandenong Creek Parks was very well maintained, in terms of pathways, signage, etc. In particular, the extensive wooden "board walks" with their wire netting (non-slip) surface were very impressive. Clearly in such a wet and shady gully this is a necessary precaution, but it is good to see it being used. And obviously the park is heavily used by the public, which is good to see.

In fact it is a pretty good section of bushland, with a nearly continuous canopy of trees and undergrowth. The dominant trees are the Yarra Gum (apparently). The understorey is mostly Silver Wattle, and Melaleuca scrub in the wetter areas. The ground cover is almost entirely composed of weeds unfortunately, "Wandering Jew" (Tradescantia) and Ivy and Honeysuckle, and the ubiquitous Onion Weed. In the warm spring morning air, the smell of the Onion Weed was almost overpowering.

The problem with the dense ground cover is that it excludes small native plants, such as Ground Orchids and small ferns, from getting any light, so eventually they will die out (locally), leaving only the green mat of introduced weeds. Still, I do not envy the "Friends of the Dandenong Valley Parklands" their task of coping with the legacy of over 160 years of of introduced weeds, since first settlement of this area.

The Silver Wattles and many of the tall Eucalypts are showing severe stress. Huge numbers have died, apparently from insect attack (notably the wattles, which all have the obvious marks of moth larvae having bored under their bark, and ring-barked the trees).

There were plenty of birds in evidence: Brown Thornbills, White-browed Scrubwrens, Grey Fantails, Yellow Robins. I also came face to face with a female Spotted Pardalote, who was at least as surprised as I was to find herself sitting just a few metres from me (too close for the camera to focus!) Up in the tree tops, the large Honeyeaters fought it out for dominance. The aggressive Bell Birds (a type of Honeyeater, related to the Noisy Miner) challenging the larger Red Wattlebirds. Then there are the Rainbow Lorikeets. These aggressive birds fly, screaming, through the tree tops, and compete for nesting sites against other Parrots, especially the Crimson Rosellas. However, as they are predominantly nectar feeders, they would compete (for food) with the Honeyeaters.

Large White Egret
Once I had seen most of what I could expect to see there, I crossed over High Street Road (Only in Melbourne would one find such a street name.) This took me into Bushy Park, which turned out to be almost totally devoid of bush (at least in its southern section), which is where the main area of Wetlands is located. Here there was a "Hide" (a "bird hide" is a shelter where the bird watcher can go and sit quietly, and observe waterbirds - without scaring them). Once inside the "Hide", I could clearly see a number of White Ibises, A White-fronted Heron, a Large White Egret (which caught a fish while I was watching it), Grey Teal and Chestnut Teal, and Black Duck. This pool was much more active with wildfowl than a similar facility at Jells Park.

Incidentally, many of the birds I observed were collecting nesting materials. I was surprised, I would have expected them to be have eggs or young at this stage of the season, but their behaviour was very obviously nest building. A White-plumed Honeyeater was raiding the fluffy seedheads of reeds in the creek to line its nest in the top of a Melaleuca overhanging the Dandenong Creek, right beside the footbridge beside Drummies Bridge, on High Street Road. Other birds which were obviously nesting were Welcome Swallow, White-browed Scrubwren, Red-browed Finch, Blue Wren, and all the Parrots.

This was a pleasant morning's outing for me. Congratulations to Parks Victoria for their on-going work in this series of parks, in an important wetland environment.

The Nature of the City of Knox

South from Boronia Road, the Dandenong Creek runs through flat country which was once farming country, but which is now being used as an "easement" for enormous lines of "War of the Worlds" creatures (as Brigid calls them) - huge power pylons, striding towards Melbourne from the coal fields and power stations of the Latrobe Valley, in Gippsland. "Transfield" a huge industrial corporation is a major shareholder in this power supply system. This "green belt" is also being used as a corridor for the "Eastlink" toll road, of which Mr Bracks may yet be brought to book, over a broken promise to make the road a free-access highway (literally a "free" way).

Fortunately, Parks Victoria has at least tried to save some of this environment, by creating a chain of parks running for about 10 Km, from Boronia Road to Wellington Road, along the course of the original Dandenong Creek.

Knox City Landscape Architect, Christine White, posed (1999) amongst introduced weeds beside the muddy Dandenong Creek, in a photo published by Melbourne Water's "The Source".
Why she agreed to this stupid posed photograph amazes me.

It is not all peace and tranquility in these parks. Seldom have I seen such out-of-control weed infestation in a "Park".

I will acknowledge that this chain of Parks is a much better option than it being totally turned into "industrial precincts" as is happening on the east side of the creek, along Ferntree Gully Road. There one is confronted by a solid wall of warehouses. That is a frightening sight. This wall of warehouses, noticeably, starts shortly after one enters the territory of the "City of Knox", whose Economic Development Unit (at Council) is clearly out of control, lacking any sense of balancing economic development with the needs of the environment, or even social development principles. I would bet that most of these factories and warehouses are merely assembly or distribution points for Chinese manufactured goods. The EDU may be building something, but at what social and environmental costs?

Jells Park, accessible from Waverley Road, has been developed as a conventional park and "recreation" area. It is what city people would think of a popular picnic area. But there is also a conservation area, where activities are restricted and people are asked to keep their dogs out. For more interesting bird watching, try accessing this line of parks, from Boronia Road, at "Koomba Park", or the "Bushy Park Wetlands", accessible via Highbury Road.

St Martin's Community Church, Collingwood

This morning I accompanied Brigid to St Martin's Community Church, Collingwood. This is a real church, in a real inner city environment, with real people who have real issues to face. Get the idea?

The Church is the headquarters of Concern Australia, an inner city Christian Mission operation, which strives to focus on mission, advocacy and welfare issues. Read more (at the link above) to find out for yourself. If you are in Melbourne, go along to the Church at 215 Wellington St, Collingwood.

If you are, as I am, from a Catholic background, this is almost too real, too hard core to absorb. These people really believe that Jesus speaks to them, through the Gospel - and they take him very seriously indeed. None of your Gentle Jesus hocus-pocus here!

Fortunately, having had a few weeks introduction, courtesy of Brigid. I was prepared (almost) for this intensity of faith and commitment. Today's service was lead by Ann van Leerdam (and a most impressive person she is). Rev'd Dr John Smith preached the sermon, based upon the readings of the day, especially the Epistle of St James 2: 1 - 10, and 14 - 1 7.

My dear friends, don't let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, "Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!" and either ignore the street person or say, "Better sit here in the back row," haven't you segregated God's children and proved that you are judges who can't be trusted?
Listen, dear friends. Isn't it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the world's down-and-out as the kingdom's first citizens, with full rights and privileges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves God.

John Smith is experienced in the non-wearing of "expensive suits" in his church, for it is directly opposite some of "The Towers" (high-rise apartments) in Collingwood. He is also the founder of the God's Squad - Australia, a Christian Motorcycle Club.

Today the congregation was mourning the loss of Peter Brock, who was the patron of one of their Outreach Services: Hand Brake Turn (HBT), which is a program "giving young people at risk the opportunity to get their life on track through an automotive training program".

*****

It was quite an eye-opening morning for young Denis, in Collingwood.

Teasing the "Wog" in School.

This morning I went down Memory Lane, Melbourne style.

Surrey Hills (where I was born) is unrecognisable. There were a few familiar sights in Box Hill, and Mont Albert. I found a house where my Uncle Laurie lived, In High Street, Mont Albert. I then had a very nice coffee break in the Mont Albert Village. Very fancy indeed.

However, I then set off to go the full length of Warrigal Road, which runs from Surrey Hills to Mentone, and goes past Birdwood Steet, South Oakleigh, where my family lived when I was between the ages of 4 and 9. (1953 to 1959). Those are critical years - the memories of my childhood start there.

Firstly I drove past the dominating facade of the Sacred Heart Church, Oakleigh, and the Sacred Heart Primary School next door. This was a school full of dread for me.

I loved Sister John, my "Bubs" teacher, but how she found time to care for me, as one of 101 kids in her class, I shall never know.

But the Headmistress, Sr. Alexis was a terror. We lived in fear of her.

The School Principal's Welcome Statement on the website proudly proclaims: "Families are drawn from a large range of ethnic backgrounds. We value and respect this diversity." Not in my day we didn't.

In about 2nd Grade (1954 or 1955) we were given a new classmate, a girl from Italy, a migrant, a "New Australian". This girl had no English, so was dropped back to a lower class than her age would warrant, so she could pick up the language - there were no ESL classes then. The population of the school were 99.5% Irish Catholic Australians. We knew straight away that this girl, who was so much older than us, who was already showing a trace of a delicate moustache on her upper lip, was not "one of us". And we teased her unmercifully. Eventually, Sister Alexis stepped in and told us that this girl was not a "Wog", nor an "Eiteye" (however that word is meant to be spelled), but that she was a Roman, and was to be respected for her family's culture and heritage.

Nice try, Sister, but hadn't the Romans crucified Jesus? And anyway, we soon worked out that the Romans had all died out long since. So we went back to teasing the poor girl. My memory fades after that incident. Perhaps her novelty wore off, and we stopped teasing her. I do hope so. We might very well have traumatised the poor girl to within an inch of her life. I hope she learnt some English along the way, other than Wog, Wop and "Eiteye".

I owe her a profound apology, as one of a group of kids who made this girl's welcome to Australia so difficult for her. Welcome to Australia, under Prime Minister Menzies, and Dr Mannix.

*****

I truly hope that the Principal's statement is true, today. But when I look at the politics of John Howard, our current Prime Minister, I see little reason to believe that modern day migrant children are made welcome in our society. Indeed, I know they are not (especially if they are Muslim kids). The only saving grace is that the Muslim kids probably don't go to Catholic Schools like the one I attended. It was a disgrace to the Education System (in 1955).

More from Melbourne

Today I drove into the Dandenongs, from Upper Ferntree Gully. I decided to go to Emerald, a pretty village which is on the Puffing Billy track.

Indeed I drove under a wonderful old wooden railway bridge which is much photographed by steam train enthusiasts (for whom Puffing Billy is the most iconic train in Australia).

The Wikipedia site tells me that it is a 2 foot 6 inch track (ultra narrow), so I am sure that it travels very slowly up the hill, and across this rickety looking bridge.

I wanted to find Menzies Creek, as this is a place where my favourite Daffodil growers, JN Hancock and Co grow some of the very best cultivars of Daffodils available to the general public in Australia. They run a very good Mail Order service. Hancock's range of daffodils completely outclasses the much larger and more commercial and much better known "Catalogue Bulb Nurseries" from the Dandenongs. I don't want to be sued, but if you think of names starting with Tessel... or Broers... you would not be far wrong.

Anyway, I did find Menzies Creek, recogisable by the wonderful fields of golden daffodils, growing on steeply sloping hillsides, with a wonderful backdrop of swards of green grass, and trees. Millions upon millions of daffodils. A wonderful find in the green Dandenongs. My photo will be posted after my return to Canberra (I promise).

Melbourne insults its grey-haired visitors.

Melbourne - it is raining (or rather drizzling). However, I have spent the day on trains. I went from The Eagle's Nest (in "Upper Gully" - such a cute name for a village, not so nice for what turns out to be outer suburbia, however...) to Flinders Street Station, right in the heart of Melbourne.

I spent the day at "Federation Square", a refurbished area built over what used be the Jolimont Railway Yards when I was a puppy.

Melbournians are extremely proud of Fed Square, but they don't have a harbour to sit beside, (or sunshine, in which to enjoy the outdoors) do they?

The complex includes ACMI (the Australian Centre for the Moving Image). I did enjoy the trip down memory lane, watching old TV commercials. Isn't it funny how commercials which generally I cannot abide in their modern form, take on a sacred form as childhood memories. For the record, I first saw TV when it was introduced to Melbourne, just in time for the Melbourne Olympics in 1956, when I was 8 years old. My family did not buy a TV (it was suspected to be an agent of Satan, of course, but there might have been some economic realities involved in my father's reluctance to sign up. I would not have been aware of such niceties, at the time.) Anyway, today I had the chance to relive some of those memories of more innocent times. I managed to by-pass the less innocent images of recent years, especially the entire section devoted to "Reality TV" (a less appropriate name I cannot imagine! There is nothing "real" about "Big Brother")

I also visited the Ian Potter Centre which houses the National Gallery of Victoria's Australian Art collection.

What is it with Victorians and their naming of things? How is the National Gallery of Victoria meant to be understood? Is Victoria a nation? Clearly NO, but they do not seem to have noticed yet. Nice gallery, though. The Charles Blackman "Alice in Wonderland" series is being featured there at the moment. These paintings are suitably weird, to match the seemingly "substance-inspired" original poetry of "Lewis Carroll", the pseudonym of the Rev'd Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. However, I did enjoy seeing them all together for this exhibition. For the record Wikipedia clears Dodgson of abusing drugs. His penchant for photographing little girls is a little more problematic!

*****

For the very first time in my life, I was given a Senior's discount at the door (I paid $7:00, and the listed price was $10:00). I did not even know that I was granted the "Seniors" rate until I saw the full price listed on published notices. I certainly did not ask for it. That is the first time such an insult has been handed out to me. Ageism in Melbourne, working to my advantage. Still, just because I look like a bushie, with my blue tennis hat masking my chemo-therapeutically abbreviated hair, they don't need to assume I am "Old"!

Maybe I need to get more sleep! I shall talk to Brigid about that. Seniors indeed! Little do they know what we "teenagers" have been up to!