Buckshot Bear

Aussie ..............

"I got a tradie mate comin' 'round this arvo for a cuppa who's just fillin' up at the servo on his way here, he's chucked a sickie from his work cause he got bit on the bum by a bloody mozzie, dead set he's always been a bit of a fair dinkum bludger".

Australia has many long trails, the longest being the Bicentennial National Trail (BNT) which was formerly referred as the National Horse Trail, and it is one the world’s longest non-motorised, multi-use, and self-reliant trails covering a distance of 3312 miles long.

Just goin' down the road for a bit -

A man is on his deathbed, and he asks his wife, “Martha, soon I will be gone forever, and there's something I have to know. In all these 50 years of marriage, have you ever been unfaithful to me?" Martha replied, "Well, Henry, I have to be honest with you. Yes, I've been unfaithful to you three times during these 50 years, but always for a good reason." Henry was obviously hurt by his wife's confession, but said, "I never suspected. Can you tell me what you mean by 'good reasons?'" Martha said, "The first time was shortly after we were married, and we were about to lose our little house because we couldn't pay the mortgage. Do you remember that one evening I went to see the banker, and the next day he notified you that the loan would be extended?" Henry recalled the visit to the banker and said, "I can forgive you for that. You saved our home, but what about the second time?" Martha asked, "And do you remember when you were so sick, but we didn't have the money to pay for the heart surgery you needed? Well, I went to see your doctor one night and, if you recall, he did the surgery at no charge." "I recall that," said Henry. "And you did it to save my life, so of course I can forgive you for that. Now tell me about the third time." "Alright," Martha said. "Do you remember when you ran for president of your golf club, and you needed 73 more votes?"

Good Ole Fashion Service,those were the days.

Australian Aborigines in Chains at Wyndham prison, 1902 This picture is taken in the early 1900s at the Wyndham prison. Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was established in 1886 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek. However, the circumstances and the story behind this picture remain unknown. The Aboriginals could have been arrested under the various local laws passed that forbid them from entering or being within a certain distance of named towns. They could also have been arrested for drinking or owning firearms which were illegal for them at various times. It’s also possible that they have been rounded up to be moved to reserve areas which were being created at the time and that these individuals did not want to move. It could even be a staged picture for tourists/publicity reasons. In 19th century Australia, each prisoner carried an iron chain around his neck (weighing approximately 5 pounds – 2.3 kg) in the open where temperatures usually ranged between 35 and 45 degrees Celsius. It was secured by a padlock and individual prisoners were then chained to another man. Chains of prisoners had as many as nine or ten men attached to each other. Later a new method of chaining Aboriginal prisoners was decided upon. They were to be chained from the ankles, the chain was to pass inside the leg of the prisoners’ trousers and supported by a heavy belt around the waist. Prisoners could then be chained in pairs and “allowed” to work outside the prison walls. There were iron rings bolted to the walls of some jail cells where prisoners were believed to be chained for prison discipline. While the Indigenous people of Australia were subject to forced labor and experienced slavery-like conditions, there was no slave trading. By the time the British effectively subdued the indigenous Australian population slave trading was already illegal in the British Empire. Moreover, there was no need. While there was a manpower shortage in the early colonial settlements, the colonial government responded by making convict labor available to private individuals.

Bye Bye Tasmania