Queensland's Constitution

Paul Kelly, Kev Carmody, Frank Hardy, Vincent Lingiari


Former Legislative Council Chamber


Stained glass window: Queen Victoria


Inner courtyard of Queensland Parliament House

I spent yesterday at a symposium to celebrate Queensland's 150th birthday: The Queensland Constitution, its origin and evolution.

Lots of speakers, but the two most impressive to my mind were Justice James Allsop, and Pat King, J. (I need to have the documentation to hand to say precisely who they are..) All the speakers read from their papers (to be published) and did an impressive job of skipping pages to fit to the timeline.

Allsop was extremely interesting in his history of the NSW parliament and the various strands of intense feeling, and the forming different alliances, in the efforts of the colonists to rid themselves of the executive dictatorshop of the penal settlement. So I am sort of looking forward to the book.

The conference was held in the old legislative council chamber (the LC was abolished in 1922, after many years of effort), which we reached by crossing from the parliamentary annexe. Hence the paintings, improperly photographed & shown here. Somewhat surprising were the wooden verandahs round this inner courtyard. Odd for such a majestic building (at least from George & Alice Streets.) (I think we were shown the dirty linen. But probably everyone is so used to it, they don't notice it.)

I had paid to go to the dinner, but there was a gap of two hours between pre-dinner drinks and the dinner, and the end of the conference, and my courage failed me. A pity, I had planned to see the strangers dining room.

The Old Man

Rowers on the Brisbane River, March 2008

Well, it's not me on the river. But this morning was the last day of the level 3 rowing and the morning was as perfect as this, and the traffic (rowers) was at least comparable if not greater.

I am a better rower than I was, but still not fit to be let loose on the river by myself, so I'll do another level 3 (single sculls) course with UQBC.

It was a perfect morning, one of those mornings for which the old man used to say "Haec Dies" (This is the day the Lord has made...). And I missed him, looking down the river at the perfect morning.

Miscellany

Kurilpa Street Bridge.


Spilling spoons sculpture. South Bank.


Early morning rowers on the river.

I am trying to document both the Kurilpa Street Bridge and the Hale Street Link. They will only be built once, so each day is a unique snapshot of their progress. Here, the bridge looks to me like a ship.

Sometimes, in the morning, rather than swim at the UQ pool, I swim at Streets Beach and breakfast at South Bank. The morning is a lovely time to be there and the spilling spoons sculpture (who is responsible for this beautiful object?) was spilling water in its lovely random fashion.

And, finally, I am a very lucky person learning to row on the river. Although my last expedition (in a sharpish wind) we cut short because of its hazardous nature.

Talks

Banco Court. Brisbane Law Courts Complex, 304 George St., Brisbane.


Forecourt of the Law Complex

I have been going to a lot of talks. The series at the court above was the most notable. Sarah Worthington gave the UQ T.C.Beirne lectures on equity and property and how it affects, could affect claims after death, bankruptcy. I felt almost a complete clown after the first one, but I persisted for the full three. I suspect that the principles of which she was speaking generally only come into play when the litigants are two banks. In any case, it was clear that you would need to be very well heeled and know that the fight was worth it, that is, that there would be money at the end.

The room was hung with portraits of scarlet-robed judges and outside were historical displays relating to federation: so lots of paintings of the Lucinda, on which and from which our crappy constitution was drafted. And then portraits galore, timelines, people, actually a pretty good display.

I also went to a talk about Israel and Palestine, given by an Israeli peace activist, Jeff Halper. I do not find his position to be rational at all, despite his evident good will. Israel will continue with its program of genocide. However, I did buy his book and am struggling reluctantly through it. The talk was given in the parliamentary annexe of the Queensland parliament. So I am slowly exploring Brisbane. The room used contained four paintings of the one aboriginal prisoner, together with a note of the person to contact should you wish to acquire such an artwork. (I didn't.)

And last and exceedingly least, two appalling talks at the Royal Historical Society's commissariat store: on on Wickham, general administrator (?), just prior to separation, and another on Henry Cape, a sea captain.

Going to Newcastle

Paperbark in the Wetlands.
Hunter Botanic Gardens (just out of Newcastle)


Angophoras & Banksias. Hunter Botanic Gardens.


Wetlands. Hunter Botanic Gardens.


Went to Newcastle on the weekend. It took far longer than I had anticipated to get to Fassifern from the Williamtown airport, and of course a great deal longer because firstly our aircraft was late, secondly having been loaded aboard, the plane was not fit to fly and hence we were loaded into buses, zoomed around the airport and came back to where we started, to an almost identical plane and by this time Qantas was desperate to beat the curfew at Williamtown...... A long, long journey. I left the University at 3.15, got to Rob's by midnight.

On Saturday, in the rain, we drove up to the Hunter Botanic Gardens, which I had wanted to see. They were very different from most botanic gardens, for the most part we were walking on paths which looked to wind through the wilderness. They were lovely in the rain.

(The wetlands almost look to have been specifically created, with all those drowned and dead trees.)

Toowong cemetery

Kangaroo sprawling in the midday sun. CBD Brisbane


Russian orthodox graves. Toowong Cemetery.


War graves


Mayne family grave. Toowong cemetery.

Janie spent the night here on the way to the Tasmanian wooden boat festival. I've wanted to check out the Russian orthodox graves at Toowong cemetery for a while, so that's where we headed before we had to head out to the airport for her flight.

We were intrigued by the fact that the Russian orthodox graves were scattered all over the cemetery. And by the sheer number of them.

And it was also a surprise to see the war graves, forming part of a general cemetery, and in addition with wives and mothers, and fathers interred in the same grave long after the death of the man who had served. Again, despite the bulk of the war graves being in a common area we found those commonwealth war plaques scattered about the cemetery (particularly for those who served in a war, but had died long afterwards in peacetime).

(I photographed the kangaroo the day before on my way to meet Janie at Roma Street station.)

North Stradbroke Island

A Mangrove island in Moreton Bay. North Stradbroke Island in the background.


Pandanus. Cliff face, North Stradbroke Island.


Male pandanus in flower. North Stradbroke Island.


Pandanus & Casuarina. North Stradbroke Island.

Used the satnav to get myself to the North Stradbroke Island ferry terminal, yesterday.

My first taste of ocean water since coming up to Queensland. Swam regardless of the beach being closed, but with great care. I don't believe that there was no safe place to swim on Main Beach. In the end we swam in where it was probably far more dangerous. In a little narrow gorge with a very strong sideways and outwards pull. So I simply lay down in water about a foot deep and let the lovely incoming waves break over me.

Mainly took photos of the beach casuarinas and the pandanus. And saw for the first time that pandanus are dioecious. I find it really hard to find good botanical reference material on the web. So I haven't managed to track down the pandanus species despite it being found on every Queensland beach..

The mangrove island photograph was taken from the ferry jetty at Cleveland, with North Stradbroke Island in the background. Part of what makes Moreton Bay a water-bird refuge. It is truly an amazing bay. (Huge, and that is what makes finding a decent beach close to Brisbane virtually impossible.)