Cooper - Basketball

 Cooper and his mates are in a basketball team that always play late Saturday afternoon.  This week it was 6.30pm.  They got beaten.  I wonder if they were all starving.  Cooper was given a tagging job that he did well.  He also converted a foul with two clean baskets.

Jack - Soccer

 Jack and the Ringwood City team were up against it last night as they met the top team in the competition.  They had been crushing opposition so hopes were not high.  However, although they were beaten, they were not disgraced as they held against a strong team that only scored a couple of goals.

Adam Turns 50

 Adam chose the function room at the Doncaster Hotel for his 50th birthday celebration.  It was a wonderful place to celebrate the milestone with family and friends.

Patrick and his band "Tonic" set the agenda for a fun night playing a range of original and older music.

The venue had a full bar and was of a size to create the more intimate feeling while giving a little space for dancing etc.

Patrick kicked off the formal part of the evening with a great speech to his father followed by Kate.

By the end of a fabulous night, everyone was feeling the love!

Lake House Grows

 Mark and Lisa moved the construction panels to the Lake House ready for installation.

In place, they form the floor of the new house and the roof of the garage.

Next task was the excavation and preparation for the footings along the western boundary.

On such a slope, drainage is a major task.  Work is proceeding but has been hampered by the ongoing wet weather.

Horn Island

 From Thursday Island we took the ferry across to the much larger Horn Island.

The size and flat terrain of Horn Island meant it was easy to lay out an airport and during the war, this gave the island massive strategic importance.  So much so it was extensively bombed by the Japanese. The island was protected by a number of large anti-aircraft gun installations spread over the island and coordinated from  a distant command bunker.

The gun and shell settings were all determined from the (distant) command bunker.  Other areas of the island had the remains of the defensive slit trenches.

And at various locations the remains of crashed aircraft including heavy bombers could be found.

Following a visit to the local museum, we headed for the Airport to fly back to Cairns and then on to Melbourne the next morning.

Thursday Island

 A ferry took us across from Seisia on the coast to Thursday Island that is the administrative centre for the Torres Straight Islands.

Thursday is a small island with others closely grouped around.  There is a tall mountain in the centre (housing a huge 5G communications tower) but during the war, the height and central location meant the Island was ideally placed for a large gun emplacement to guard the surrounding waters.

It was a significant installation with 3 large guns and an extensive network of underground bunkers.

The town centre is extensive but ageing with all the usual services of a small town.  Apparently burial rituals are an important part of the cultural landscape so the cemetery is extensive and well kept.

We were treated to a "cultural experience"presented by school kids to show us their dancing.  It really was done well and the kids enjoyed it but were ready to get back to school after the presentation.

Apparently I showed particular interest and one of the group teachers presented me with one of their hand made rattles after the ceremony.  I was somewhat taken aback as these devices sell for about $100 and require detailed construction.

To the Tip

 Out from Bamaga we again headed north towards Pajinka and the tip of Cape York.

We called in to see the remains of the ill fated settlement of Sommerset. It faced fierce opposition from the local people and failed to gain promised support from the government so the plantations of coconut and other fruit have now been resumed by the rain forest with only a few graves to mark the spot.

We continued to the tip and arrived at low tide so we could take the easier path along the shoreline.  Unfortunately. the heavens opened and we were pelted with rain.  Luckily it was reasonably warm.

While it was a bit of a scramble, we did make it to the Tip.

Having done so, the next task was to scramble back to the bus over the rocks as the tide was coming in.

The return climb meant we could see the Torres Straight Islands (where we were going next) and the warm winds dried us out before we had to get back on the bus.