SINGAPORE – Singapore and the United Kingdom share two centuries of history and Queen Elizabeth II’s death is a profound loss, said President Halimah Yacob on Friday.
In a Facebook post, the President said: “Deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty was a symbol of unity, greatly loved and trusted by people from across the Commonwealth. She pledged her life to service and will be remembered for her grace, warmth, and wit.”
In a separate Facebook post, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Queen Elizabeth has left a significant mark on Singapore’s history and ties with the United Kingdom.
PM Lee said: “On behalf of the Singapore Government, I extend my sincerest condolences to King Charles III and all members of the royal family, Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss and the British people.”
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty was the heart and soul of the United Kingdom,” he said, adding: “Her Majesty also left a significant mark on Singapore’s history and our longstanding close relations with the United Kingdom. Her passing is greatly mourned by everyone in Singapore.”
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement: “As a mark of respect, State flags at all government buildings will be flown at half-mast on the day of the funeral. Parliament will observe one minute of silence at the beginning of its sitting on Monday, Sept 12, 2022.”
On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth, who was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96.
In his post on Friday, PM Lee shared a photo of him shaking hands with the Queen during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in 2018.
PM Lee said: “Her Majesty’s reign saw one of the longest periods of peace and prosperity in the history of the United Kingdom. Throughout her life, she steadfastly served the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”


A History of Lanreath and The Old Rectory
For those with a little time to spare!
The village of Lanreath is ancient. The name itself derives from the 11th century name of Lanredoch (Lan meaning the site of an ancient Church so the name literally meant Redoc’s Church site). In the 16th Century the name was softened to Lanreatha and the final ‘a’ was dropped sometime after that. It is pronounced Lan~reth. More than two thousand years ago, Cornwall was as much a Celtic nation as Wales and Scotland. Iron Age Celts spread all over England, down through northern France, into Middle and Eastern Europe. These peoples shaped the hill fort that still dominates nearby Bury Down (approximately half a mile to the north-east) and it is likely that the area sheltered at least one settled community.
In AD 43 the Romans invaded, and though their initial arrival may not have touched what they called Dumnonia (Devon and Cornwall) they did slowly come nearer, travelling down the ancient tracks that still run along the spine of Cornwall, constructing a camp near the spot now occupied by Bodmin town. After an occupation lasting four centuries the invaders retreated and in the vacuum left by their departure tribal warfare broke out once again. In addition, along the southern and eastern coasts of Britain hordes of Angles and Saxons were beginning to swarm ashore.
The end of Celtic Britain was in sight, but it was not something that was going to happen over night. For fifty years a ferocious struggle raged across the breadth of what is now England. Gradually the British leaders fell back towards Wales and the South West. The legend of King Arthur belongs to this period and if Arthur did exist, in some form at least (and many modern historians believe he did) it’s certainly possible that his final stronghold was to be found in Cornwall. King Mark, often associated with the Arthurian stories, is said to have ruled the area around Lanreath and a few miles away, on the other side of the Fowey River, an ancient memorial stone commemorates the existence of Mark’s nephew, the even more celebrated Tristan.
Mystery surrounds the wars and the rulers that shaped Dumnonia during this period, but one powerful influence of the time is fairly well documented - Christianity. It is through this early Celtic Church that the prefix ‘’Lan’ was used to describe a monastic settlement, often set within a circular enclosure. It is reasonable to suppose that here in this valley, perhaps on the very spot where the parish church now stands, there dwelt a small community of Celtic monks. Saint Marnarch (pronounced in the same way as Monarch), patron of the church, was probably their founder, but like many Cornish saints he is an obscure figure and though he is thought to have spent some time on the north coast nothing at all is known about the origins of his connection with Lanreath.
Several centuries were to elapse before the Anglo-Saxons’ final conquest of Dumnonia. Eastern Cornwall and the area around Lanreath, would have been one of the first to come under direct Anglo-Saxon influence and in 1066, when Norman William invaded, the village was held by a Saxon known as Aelfric. Saxon dominance was short-lived and by 1087, when William’s clerks compiled the Domesday Book, the whole of Cornwall had been handed over to Richard, Count of Mortain, half-brother of the Conqueror and one of the most powerful men in England. The parish, at that time, extended to an area of something like one hundred and forty acres. There were forty acres of woodland (in which pigs would have routed for acorns); thirty acres of pasture supporting three head of cattle and sixty sheep, and enough arable land, according to Domesday Book, to provide work for eight ploughs, though there were only three ploughs in the village. It is likely that these ploughs were shared between the fifteen or so resident families. The Count of Mortain built a stone castle at Launceston and soon there were others, at Restormel near Lostwithiel, at Trematon by the River Lynher, and at Tintagel. Celtic monasteries and narrow Saxon churches were being pulled down to make way for sturdy Norman structures. There is no doubt that the present day parish church of St. Marnarch was originally a fairly typical example of Norman workmanship. A large part of that building still stands to-day, though during the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries there were to be a number of alterations and additions.
The coming of the Spanish Armada, in 1588, caused a stir all along the southern coast of Cornwall; but it was not until the seventeenth century that Lanreath itself came into direct contact with great events. At that time the area belonged to the Grylls family, and in 1609 Charles Grylls, counsellor-at-law (who with his wife and eight children is commemorated by a remarkable monument in St. Marnarch’s chancel) decided to build himself a new house. The lovely Jacobean manor he created, now known as Court Barton, is not open to the public, but its mellow north front may be seen from the centre of the village. The Grylls family must have been pleased when their fine house was completed, and no doubt Charles’s nephew Francis, who was soon to become Rector of the parish, joined in the celebrations. Meanwhile, across the country storm clouds were gathering and in 1642 the Civil war began.
Cornwall was staunchly loyal to the Royalist cause and for several years Cromwell’s Army found it impossible to gain any sort of foothold west of the Tamar. The County gentlemen fought with conspicuous gallantry and when, in the summer of 1644, the Parliamentarian Lord Essex attempted to seize Launceston and Bodmin the King himself led an army into Cornwall. A second Royalist force, under the command of Sir Richard Grenville, advanced from the west and after a battle at Braddock Down, just south of Middle Taphouse, Essex found himself cornered with what was left of his troops, in the town of Lostwithiel and the triangle of land just west of the Fowey River. The King, accompanied by his fourteen-year-old son (the future Charles II), his entourage and his Generals, stayed first in Liskeard and then at the great mansion of Boconnoc, four miles north of Lanreath. As the siege went on the area between the Fowey and Looe Rivers must have teemed with Royalists troops. Some were definitely quartered in Lanreath, and there is a tradition that on one occasion at least King Charles himself visited the village, spending an hour or so at the courthouse, now the Punch Bowl Inn. The whole Grylls family are thought to have been ardent Royalists and Francis, who by this time had been Rector for nearly thirty years, was no exception.
Lord Essex’s army was worn down and scattered but the power of Parliament could not be held at bay for ever and on August 17th, 1647, the last Cornish fortress to hold out (Pendennis Castle, near Falmouth) reluctantly surrendered to General Fairfax. Eighteen months later King Charles I was executed. The ensuing decade of Parliamentarian rule was not popular in Cornwall, but it had to be endured. It is not known whether the Grylls family were at any time involved in helping Royalist fugitives to escape but it has been suggested that the underground tunnel, entrances to which can still be seen beneath the Old Rectory, may date from this period. Soon, in any case, Francis was replaced as Rector by a man whose views were more in tune with those of the Government and in order to avoid sequestration of their estates his relations were ordered to pay crippling fines.
By 1660 the Commonwealth was running out of steam and with the Restoration came almost immediate relief. Barely six months after the King’s return another Francis Grylls was instituted as Rector of Lanreath. In this same year we find the first written reference to his parsonage house. Listed on the new Hearth Tax Rolls, Lanreath Rectory is described as having eleven hearths. Whether this second Francis altered or improved the property in any way we don’t know but nineteen years after his institution in 1679, in the Ecclesiastical Records for that year, is a detailed description of the Rectory. The building contained a hall, a ‘parlour with boarded floor’, a kitchen ‘with great range and two ovens’ - and an amazing number of rooms devoted to the pursuit of self-sufficiency, among them a bread house, bake house, brew house, buttery, pantry and dairy. Outside there was a barn, a stable, a calves’ house ‘with hay store above’, an ox house, a malt house, ‘four small rooms for hogs and a dove house of stone’. The gardens included ‘the Pigeon House garden’, two kitchen gardens and a place for ‘flowers and sweet herbs’.
The second Francis Grylls survived until 1691, out-living Charles II by six years.
One after the other, three more members of the Grylls family (William, Nicholas and Richard) were to become Rectors of Lanreath. Richard, the last of this clerical dynasty, was presented to the living in 1719. In 1726, during Richard’s incumbency, there appears in the Ecclesiastical Records another description of the Rectory, and this time there is greater emphasis on living accommodation. In addition to the ‘parlour with boarded floor’; there are said to be six rooms with plastered or partly plastered walls (one ‘handsomely plastered’), and the hall is now described as ‘a great hall, open to the roof’. The hall may have been much the same fifty years earlier, but by 1726 a ‘great hall open to the roof’ was becoming more of a rarity and consequently would have been more likely to get a mention. Richard Grylls seems to have taken a great interest in his garden and glebe land, planting numbers of ash and sycamore saplings (perhaps explaining the large number of these trees in and around the garden of the current building), putting new apple trees in the Pigeon House Garden and building a high wall round the vegetable garden, which lay on the western side of the house, bordering the main village street. The southern part of this wall is still standing, and though its no longer within the Rectory grounds it can be seen by anyone standing in the street, some fifty yards or so above the Punch Bowl Inn.
Richard Grylls remained Rector until 1736.
The next Rector was Hele Trelawny. Hele’s term did not last long, and in 1740 he was replaced by Joshua Howell, a young man who is said to have been wealthy. Little else is known about Joshua (apart from the fact that he had a number of children) but he is supposed to have had building work done at the Rectory. In 1785 Joshua Howell died and his place was taken by Edward Pole, an even more shadowy figure than his predecessor. He was Rector for fifteen years and during his time the Napoleonic Wars began, bringing with them new fears of invasion. For some years a close watch was kept upon the coast and naughty children were threatened with abduction by 'Boney'. While the war was in progress something of a blind eye was often turned upon the smuggling trade. Throughout the eighteenth century smuggling had been endemic in Cornwall and many country gentlemen became involved; among them one of the Rectors of Lanreath. The Punch Bowl Inn was definitely a centre of activity, and when this kind of work was in hand the Rectory’s ‘secret passage’, originally constructed for other purposes, could have come in very handy. Edward Pole died in 1800, and the new century brought a new family into the life of Lanreath Rectory.
For several hundred years the Bullers had been respected landowners. A number of their sons had gone into the Navy, and during the eighteenth century one had achieved distinction as an Admiral, adding a good deal to the family’s prestige - “Bullers Quay” in Looe is named after him. By 1800 their seat was at Morval, near Looe, and it’s there that Richard Buller, Rector of Lanreath from 1800-1827, was probably born. He does not appear to have been a remarkable figure, but his incumbency saw the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the end (almost) of Georgian England. His wife probably read the new novels of Jane Austen, provided Richard didn’t disapprove. He, no doubt, travelled about the parish in a serviceable dog-cart. His life may have been comfortable but it is unlikely that he was particularly well-off for when he died, in 1827, the Rectory seems to have been in a bad state of repair. The next incumbent, Stephen Worsley, was instructed by his Bishop to put things right, and it may be for this reason that he chose to reside in Blackheath, near London, leaving a curate in charge while essential work was carried out. We don’t know how extensive the repairs were, or exactly how long they took. Soon after the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837, another Richard Buller was instituted as Rector, and an important era had begun.
When he arrived to take control of his new parish the Reverend Richard Buller, Rector of Lanreath from 1829-1883, was thirty-three years old. His wife, Elizabeth, was the same age and they had two children, Rhoda aged five and Alexander aged three, with a second daughter, Emmeline, soon to be born. They were wealthy, had excellent connections, and Elizabeth planned to continue to do a lot of entertaining. The existing Rectory would not be adequate for their needs and so, they engaged an architect (probably Thomas Lee, who designed Arlington Court, near Barnstable) and embarked upon a series of elaborate alterations, finally adding a southern section which almost doubled the size of the house. This later extension formed the separate Master and Mistresses Bedrooms, a first floor Study or Dressing Room (now the Living Rooms of Fowey and the Living Room and Bedrooms of Daymer) and on the ground floor a large handsome Drawing Room and Dining Room (these now form a large part of the owners apartments). The thickness of the walls by the entrance to each room testifies to the strength of these walls. All this meant that the building contained something like twenty-five rooms. Although the Victorian age had begun there was not yet a Victorian style, and in character the new work was utterly Georgian. Efforts seem to have been made to create a harmonious whole, and the portico added to the west front may have been intended to camouflage what might otherwise have been a noticeable join. (This portico has since been removed and the entrance hall has become part of the owners kitchen).
The gardens were also considered to be in need of attention. The Bullers are said to have planted innumerable trees and shrubs. The magnificent wisteria on the western side of the house probably dates from this time, though it may be older. As a finishing touch, they created a circular entrance driveway that approached the Rectory through the space now occupied by the bungalow just beyond the current driveway – and when all this was completed, one can imagine the excitement with which Elizabeth Buller awaited her first dinner guests. Richard’s cousin Charles, renowned for his good looks, was Member of Parliament for Liskeard and a friend of William Makepeace Thackeray, who had once come down to help him with an election campaign (‘he made the people laugh’); and it may not be too much to imagine that the famous novelist may sometimes have come to dine at Lanreath.
If he did, it seems certain that he would have found a happy, lively household. Rhoda, Alexander and Emmerline were followed, in time, by Jane, Henry, Ann and Alice. There were usually half a dozen servants, plus, of course, a nurse for the children and later a governess. The children’s bedrooms now form the two bedrooms of the apartment called Epphaven and the nurse/governess would have used what is now the bedroom of Gorran apartment.
The facsimile of Richard Buller, displayed inside the Church, reveals the quintessential Victorian parson. From his comfortable Rectory he must have watched the spread and development of the British Empire; and when, round about 1850, Alexander followed family tradition by going into the Navy he probably reflected with satisfaction that little now menaced a Service which had already subdued the world. The girls all seem to have married fairly young and their weddings, no doubt, were celebrated by the whole village. When, at last (an elderly widower with a young curate to help him and Alexander’s daughter to keep him company) Richard Buller looked back upon his life, it must have been with a great deal of quiet gratification.
John Buller-Kitson became Rector in 1883, and like the Grylls’ of long ago must have felt the Rectory was almost a family home. His incumbency saw the end of the Victorian era and the beginning of the First World War.
John Buller-Kitson was succeeded by Leonard Williams, but Mr. Williams’ term was short, and four years later his place was taken by Reginald Murley, who was to see Lanreath through the troubled period of the Twenties and Thirties. When he died, in 1939, he was succeeded by Charles Girling, the last Rector (though not the last clergyman) ever to occupy Lanreath Rectory.
Mr. Girling had a lively young family and was popular in the village. He was instituted on January 13th, 1940, at a time of desperate national anxiety, and one of his first acts was to order the digging up of the west lawn and the creation in its place of a large emergency vegetable garden. Lanreath Home Guard met regularly in his study and there their weapons were kept, stored in a cupboard so large that it has since been turned into the kitchen of Caerhays apartment! Soon Plymouth was being devastated by enemy action, and from time to time even the little town of Looe came under attack. Lanreath’s young men were far away and in danger (the Roll of Honour inside the Church lists those who were serving at this time) and there was a real fear that the invasion, if it came, might be launched on the beaches of Cornwall. No-one knew how it might all be going to end, but like clergymen up and down the country Charles Girling was an enduring source of strength, and when it ended he helped to co-ordinate the celebrations.
The Girling family remained at Lanreath Rectory until 1962, but some time before that date it had begun to be evident that the Rectory (as a rectory) did not fit into the modern world. It had been built to house a self-sufficient community, and such communities were now part of the past. In 1962, after Charles Girling’s death, the Church Commissioners put the old house up for sale. The purchaser, a private company, sought and obtained permission to convert its acquisition into eight flats. The Church had retained Richard Buller’s orchard and there a new rectory was being built, but the remaining gardens were still unnecessarily extensive and several pieces of land - constituting most of the current village east of the Punch Bowl Inn, were sold off as potential building sites. The circular drive was grassed over, the tennis courts were removed and part of the kitchen quarters were demolished), opening up the eastern side of the stable courtyard (these kitchens were originally sited adjacent to the wall between the current Courtyard car park and the garden. Inside the house several large rooms were partitioned and, finally, the great central staircase was taken away to make room for the kitchens and bathrooms of Fowey and Daymer apartments.
The house had changed dramatically; but survived with much of its character intact. There is every possibility that without this new use, the original building might have been pulled down to build further modern housing. Hundreds of families have spent happy holidays in the house, most of them going home relaxed, many returning again and again.
There is a lot to be discovered about the long history of the Old Rectory, Lanreath but it is not a house that now lives only in the past. The current work, renovating parts of the building and surviving grounds, repairing other parts of the building that had been neglected, should mean that The Old Rectory continues to exist as a family home and as a provider of employment to local people for many more years to come. However, we can all still listen to the magnificent pealing of the Church bells and for just a few moments, wonder how life might have been all those years ago........
Old Aerial Photo of The Old Rectory


BEHIND THE HIGH WALLS
Life & Death in Iran’s Prison
They each remember the day they were arrested, the day their torture began.
They remember the long, lonely years of solitary confinement behind the high walls of Iran’s notorious prisons. In the years shortly after the 1979 revolution in Iran, an entire generation of bright, young people with promising futures languished and suffered in prisons, enduring physical torture, sensory deprivation, and sadism, all in the name of the Islamic Republic.
They wondered how their revolution, which was so well-intentioned, had gone so wrong—hi-jacked by clerics who thought the way forward was in going back to the antiquated fundamentals of their religion.
There are stories of lashings and hangings carried out in the name of Allah.
Thousands of young people have been brutally tortured and ruthlessly murdered. Many were buried in the most inhumane ways in mass graves. There are accounts of mountains of discarded shoes of those who died. Those who lived through the massacres, and mental torture, are left with indelible memories of life and death in the prisons of the first Islamic Republic. This is their story.


A Guide to the Third Reconstruction: Who Really Won America’s Civil War and Why It Matters to Workers Today
March 25, 2021
America’s Civil War was ultimately a war between free and unfree labor. It was a war to decide whether the foundational principle of the country would be the liberty to enslave others or the liberty to sell one’s labor freely. Today, workers are still fighting this war. Since 1865, the government has maintained a system of superexploitation by way of an underclass, which does not have the liberty to sell its labor.
From the moment the South surrendered, slavery — under another name — commenced under the Black Codes. Then, unsatiated with 4 million freedmen who could be robbed, cajoled, jailed, killed, and forced back onto plantations or into forced contract labor, our government sought out Chinese laborers as replacements in the mines and the railroads. During and after both World Wars, the Bracero program brought another group of foreign workers — Mexicans — as cheap labor to the agricultural industry... And here we are today, where the “undocumented” workers, like those who’ve come before, have no right to freely sell their labor.
At each historical moment, the arrival of this superexploited underclass has intensified competition among workers and fanned the flames of resentment and racist backlash among native-born workers. The government has always “othered” a subset of workers — from indentured servants, to chattel slaves, to Chinese and Mexican laborers, to the undocumented — to ensure that the ruling class can extract the most profit. We seem to be forever haunted by a democracy that nurtures and protects the exploiter and his freedom to exploit.
The government has always “othered” a subset of workers — from indentured servants, to chattel slaves, to Chinese and Mexican laborers, to the undocumented — to ensure that the ruling class can extract the most profit.
Before the Civil War, Southern slaveholders knew that, in order to survive, slavery had to expand. With the the Fugitive Slave Act (1850), the Kansas Nebraska Act’s repeal (1854) of the Missouri Compromise, and the Dred Scott decision (1857), the South seemed to ensure the spread of slavery westward forcing the North’s hand. With only about 400,000 of the 4 million slaves in 1865 being forcibly brought to the U.S., the slavocracy had long relied upon reproducing its slave workforce on their plantations. At the same time, the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade was so grossly violated that the slave trade was practically re-established and maintained. On the eve of the war, slave ships originally embarking from New York harbor brought up to 60,000 slaves annually. With its Northern allies and government acquiescence, the future of chattel slavery seemed secure.
Lincoln’s presidential win threw the South’s effort into doubt. While the expansion or containment of chattel slavery may have defined the sides at the beginning of the war, Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation made it so that it became a war to determine whether a central government would champion an economic system built upon chattel slavery and guarantee the property rights of slaveholders. But while chattel slavery was defeated, the dependence on unfree labor was not.
After the war, the planter oligarchy class sought to replace its former slave workforce with one coerced by state power by way of the Black Codes. Labor control was now achieved through vagrancy laws that criminalized men out of work, or simply, not at work. Freedmen could be jailed for not working, or leaving the plantation, and subjected to forced labor. They could not rent or purchase land to cultivate themselves, organize for higher wages, and it was illegal to offer freedmen higher wages than that provided for in their current contract. Regardless of conditions, workers were tied to an employer for the entire contract term. They would forfeit all wages earned, if they left, since wages were typically paid at the end of a year’s contract. Prison labor euphemistically called convict-leasing incentivized the freedmens' arrest. Workers risked arrest if they were caught without their labor contract. Once jailed, the only way out was to sign a labor contract for whatever a planter was willing to pay. Nonpayment of contract wages was epidemic. It was slavery by another name.
Yet, even with the Black Codes in full force, plantation owners still sought out cheaper alternative labor in newly-arriving Sicilians and Chinese. Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, eyeing the end of slavery, sent an emissary to China in 1862 to seek the replacement to slave labor—the Chinese—to build the railroads and work the fields at a cheaper price than paying former slaves. Chinese laborers were brought in to break strikes. They were hated by industrial workers who decried the scheming Capitalists for reestablishing another form of slavery after the war, but contempt for their bosses didn’t prevent many from engaging in racist and xenophobic attacks and massacres of the Chinese, which included burning Chinatowns and expelling Chinese. By 1882 the government’s Chinese Exclusion Act banned not only future immigration but also the citizenship of the approximately 300,000 Chinese already in the US. There would be no great slave republic, but the destruction of Reconstruction ensured there would always be a place for foreign workers as a class of unfree laborers in order to ensure super profits and to undermine unity and progress for workers.
While the Bracero program, which lasted from 1942 to 1964, brought more than 4 million workers, likely twice that number came as it fueled a demand for even cheaper labor among growers who sought out undocumented Mexican workers. The Bracero program, like the other aforementioned government policies, which created an underclass of labor, showed that legalizing guest worker programs enabled bosses to seek out an even deeper layer of exploited worker. Growers cemented the now mainstream stereotypes of:
- The hardworking immigrant that happily does the work no American worker will do;
- Without these workers the industry will go bankrupt. Meant to obscure the government’s role in facilitating this superexploitation, this racism aims to justify the conditions that workers endure by claiming they want to work under such conditions.
Since the 1980’s, this “happy slave” stereotype has saddled the undocumented worker — the latest incarnation of the unfree laborer comes from a provision in the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, misleadingly named employers' sanctions. (See a previous post outlining how the employer sanctions provision criminalizes and divides the working class.) While the undocumented underclass toil in industries such as service, construction, and homecare, Black and white native-born workers are warehoused in the prison industrial complex or shut out from jobs from the opposing stereotype that promotes they are lazy and unwilling to work. Like the Southeastern slave-producing states, foreign countries now reproduce our underclass, raise them to working age, and then see them risk the journey to America to certain work and misery.
At every historical turn, there is the government’s not-so-invisible hand creating the super-exploitive conditions that pit workers against one another in order to rob more of the wealth workers create. The very laws it creates to criminalize the foreign worker and ostensibly “protect” native-born workers is the very same law that creates the incentive for employers to superexploit the foreign worker. Inevitably, these laws encourage workers to see the foreign worker as the enemy and shields the real driver of these conditions—the law stripping foreign workers of the same rights as native workers. This is no mere discrimination between and among workers and individual bosses, but systemic government control to legally deprive a group of workers of the right to sell their labor. If unfree labor is still a central driving force of our economy, then it would seem the South, in fact, did win the Civil War.
We can't end the legacy of slavery nor crush white supremacy, so long as we permit the government to promote such an abhorrent system that robs us and then would have workers see each other as the enemy.
Today, Biden, labor unions, and immigrant advocates are seeking to strengthen this modern-day slave law. There is growing pressure on Biden to address the legacy of slavery, with calls for a Third Reconstruction. But a national reckoning of slavery is not enough — once we see that systemic exploitation is the very fabric of this “democracy”. The hypocrisy of “enforcing” employer sanctions echoes how the government willfully ignored the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade or used the Bracero program to traffick in the first era of Mexican undocumented.
Do we have to imagine a Confederate flag flying above every investment house — every political and government office, business establishment and fraternity, where super profits are being extracted or protected by law — to see more clearly our current condition? Workers must rise up against this system and the state that protects the criminals and their liberty to exploit. Only a unified working class can finally win this country’s Civil War.


100 YEARS of Bodegas Frutos Villar, S.L
During this very special year, due to the alert situation that we have had due to COVID-19, our firm celebrates 100 years of existence, giving all our experience and know-how, so that you can enjoy all our wines, and especially MURUVE , than 100 years ago.
It was in 1920, when its founder Frutos Villar, began his journey from a town, Villavendimio (Zamora), passing his legacy to his three sons, Salvio, Jacinto and Quirino, expanding throughout the region and other neighboring provinces, his wine red MURUVE. Later, a new generation, made up of José Luis, Jesús and Mª Concepción, developed the company in other Denominations of Origin (Cigales, Rueda y R, Duero, Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla y León). Currently, there is a 4th generation, which has taken the reins of Bodegas Frutos Villar, S.L., Jesús Jáñez, José Miguel Villar, José Luis Villar, Daniel Jáñez. Elena Villar, Fernando Villar, Alberto and Javier Jáñez, Carlos Villar, Patricia Villar.
To commemorate this centenary, the winery has released a special wine MURUVE GRAN RESERVA 2014, with 5,000 bottles, presented in individual cases, and cases of 3 bottles.
To purchase this wine, you can do so: Telephone: 0034.9188.8.131.52, or by e-mail: email@example.com


Four lives – the price of my Australian heritage
Hello and thank you for stopping by my blog as part of the Australia Day Book Giveway Blog Hop. I recently released my debut novel, Seldom Come By, an epic adventurous love story set on the eve of the great war.
It was described in a recent review as: a great mix of romance, scenery, tragedy and history.
It’s true. I am attracted to all of the above. In celebration of Australia Day I will be giving away a copy of Seldom Come By – print or ebook – your choice – to someone who leaves a comment here to this blog. You need to comment by midnight AEST Tuesday 28 January. The winner will be announced towards the end of January.
I’m sorry to say, this is a longer than usual blog. How did that happen! I have decided to write about my Australian heritage, how this line of Caulfields came to be in Australia, and the price they paid. It is a story of hope, sacrifice and heartache. I hope you enjoy it. When you have finished reading and commenting hop back on the blog tour of over 50 blogs, where there are more book giveaways to be found. 🙂
I was born and raised on a farm east of the gold mining town of Gympie, in a place called Cedar Pocket, once home to large stands of one of Australia’s few native deciduous trees, the Red Cedar. As far back as I can remember, both sides of my family were farmers – small crops and dairy. For many years, what epitomised being Australian to me, were the women and men of the land, summers spent swimming in free-flowing creeks and the odd dunk in the briny sea.
On Sept 11, 2001, when I was living in New Zealand, I received a life-changing call from my older brother. “This is it,” he said. “I’m walking off the farm.” All Greg had wanted to do with his life was be a farmer. He left school at 16 years of age to pursue his dream, pelting his school shoes at the wall, announcing with certitude that he was never going back. Twenty years later, despite working across three paw-paw farms and capping mineshafts, he was unable to meet his mortgage payments. His news was monumental and heartbreaking. Before I could ask a single question, he said. “I’m off to work in the mines.”
Little did we know at the time he was continuing a lost family tradition. Twelve hours later that date woud be seared in history.
Five years down the line, our father, at our urging decided to write his life story. One thing about our father, when he decides to do something he really does give it his all. Rather than write a simple memoir, he decided to trace the path of his forebears on the Caulfield side to understand how they came to be in Australia. His grandmother had died when he was two years of age; ten years later, his seldom seen grandfather, Charles, passed away. All he knew about his grandfather was he had a bunch of stepbrother and sisters; little more.
In January 2006 while holidayiing in Hervey Bay with my parents I typed the first chapter of my father’s story. In doing so I read the amazing details of the life of his great grandparents, James and Catherine. I was unprepared for the story he uncovered. I know they were not alone in the hardships they bore; yet they weren’t two historical figures to me. They were a young man and a young woman not in the prime of their life but in the promise of their life and this is their Australian story:
My great, great, great Grandfather, James Caulfield, lived near Dungannon, not far from the ruins of Castle Caulfield, the ancient Northern Island seat of King Colla da Crioch, whose descendants were named Caulfield. In the late 1840s he married Easter Canny and their first child, a son, also called James, was born in 1851. That same year, to escape Ireland’s ongoing, crippling, potato famine, they emigrated to Durham County, England.
There, in Tow Law, near Wolsingham, James found employment in the coal and iron ore mines, the extracts of which would be made into cannon balls for the Crimean War. Six short years later he was tragically killed in a mining accident, leaving Easter with three young boys, James (6), John (4) and Charles (a new born).
How she survived the next 15 years as a widow with three boys to rear, we do not know. All we know is that James went on to become an underground miner like his father. It was stated as his occupation on his June 1872 wedding certificate to Catherine McAninally. Their first child, a son born on the 10th May 1873, was also named James, following the family tradition.
Two years later, when their second son, Francis, was born, they took up the Queensland Parliament’s offer of employment in Queensland. Offers to those experienced in mining and related professions had been available in England for over decade and as an enticement included free passage to Queensland for their families.
It was no holiday. These migrant ships became known as Coffin Ships, due to the number of people who perished on the voyages.
The young Caulfield family left London on the 9th December 1875 aboard the Western Monarch, a new vessel launched only a few months earlier. On this crossing, 442 migrants were bound for Australia. On board were a surgeon, a Dr Harricks, and a nurse, Matron Randall. They were certainly needed. A bout of Enterin Fever – typhoid – went through the ship. Catherine and Francis, were two of its victims.
When the Western Monarch anchored at the bar in Moreton Bay, Brisbane, on 15th March 1876, it was boarded by the Qld Health Officer, Doctor Challinor.
Fortunately by this stage Catherine and Francis were recovering, however one remaining case of typhoid fever was found. The entire ship was placed in quarantine. The occupants were deposited on sandfly-infested Peel Island, which had scant facilities to cater for such a large group of people. Outraged and alarmed, the ship’s doctor, Harricks, wrote to the Brisbane Courier Mail warning that passengers would perish as a result. He requested that Catherine and Francis be transferred to the Brisbane Hospital. Sadly his requests went unanswered.
On the 19th March, baby Francis Caulfield died; three days later, his brother, James. They were buried on Peel Island in sight of their new callous country, which their parents had hoped would be a land of golden opportunity for them.
On the 27th March 1876 the Western Monarch was allowed to disembark at the Port of Brisbane. James and Catherine could finally start their longed-for, now grieving, lives in Australia.
They took the railroad to Warwick where they lived on its outskirts in the town of Clifton, while James worked at Elphinstone Colliery. On the 20th August 1878 they welcomed a new, Australian-born son, Charles. Just over a year later, on 4th July 1879, their fourth son, Henry was born.
Around this time tenders were called to extend the railway line 40 miles to the booming tin-mining area of Stanthorpe, a Latinised name meaning ‘tin village’.
James, because of his experience, was employed by a large construction firm, Overend & Co, managing a small team of men preparing the dynamite blasting of cuttings that would blow away the rock on the Stanthorpe to Warwick Rail line. Gangs worked night and day to complete the task.
When not working on the railway line James was busy building a small hut on a freehold 40 acre parcel of land, at Killarney south east of Warwick so his family could move there in 1880.
At ten past eleven on Friday the 2nd April 1880 at Cutting 81, near Mineral Creek, fourteen miles south of Warwick, James along with three of his team were preparing three holes for dynamite. He lit two of the three charges and after they exploded James went back to light the third. When it did not explode he returned to replace it with another when it suddenly exploded shattering his right hand and wrist and tearing away the left part of his face. Michael Considine, one of his employees, raced to his aid, asking him if he could stand up. “Yes,” he replied. Then: “God help my wife and family.”
He was placed on a mattress on a spring cart and frantically transported along the railway line while a runner was sent to Warwick for a doctor. They were met at Rosentahal Creek six miles from Warwick.
Meanwhile, Catherine had just finished packing up their rented home in Clifton to move to Killarney to the hut her husband had finished building. When she arrived in Warwick a day later, she asked about the whereabouts of her husband James.
“That’s him in the funeral coffin in the street,” she was told.
He had died within minutes of seeing the Doctor.
Somehow, someway, Catherine continued on to the meagre hut and farm her husband had prepared for her. I can’t imagine how she managed to survive those months alone, in the middle of nowhere, with two babies under two, curious aborigines peering through the cracks of her cobbled home, unable to read a single book for company. Six months later, her youngest son, Henry, died, leaving Charles – my great grandfather – the only suriving son of her late husband, James.
In the process of researching James’ history my father discovered his headstone on the Warwick Cemetery Heritage Trail. The column top was broken, not a mark of vandalism but symbolic of his life being cut short; it was lying on the ground having fallen out of its base. His infant son Henry had his inscription on the headstone as well.
This December just passed, as my father and I drove south to Tamworth for his sister’s funeral, we called in to the Warwick cemetery on a hot glaring day to visit the gravestone of my great, great grandfather, whose headstone my father had lovingly restored. James Caulfield, was 27 years old when he died.
Eight months later to the day, Catherine married a bachelor, Thomas Brennan, 20 years her senior, signing her second marriage certificate with an X.
With heartfelt thanks to my father, for his hours of research in documenting our family history.
Thank you for sharing this story with us. It was a beautiful post and I look forward to reading your novel.
Thanks for the great giveaway too.
Thank you Jess. You’re in the draw! 🙂
Congrats on your amazing debut! a huge topic to start a series –
every good wish for it’s [and your] success! it sounds fantastic…
Thanks you so much for your kind words, faith hope & cherry tea
OH MY GOODNESS Sherryl.
What an amazing, though tragic story. I have been trying to trace my family tree on both side, but unfortunately have mostly names and dates, and very few stories.
Thank you for sharing, enjoy your Australia Day holiday.
Thanks Karen for visiting and reading my blog. Yes, very tragic. I’ve added your name to the draw.
What a rich family history. Happy Australia Day holiday!
Thanks Eleni. Will have to research the other side one day. Love your Avatar. Enjoy the last day of the long week-end. We are off to have a BBQ with friends.
Thank you for this interesting post. Isn’t it fascinating delving into the lives of our predecessors….
Yes! Regan 🙂 Makes me want to be a time traveller!
What an amazing story. I teach year 5 and we will be researching life in the 1800’s especially in Queensland. The story you have shared is a wonderful insight into life at the time and I am eager to share it with my class. Thanks for allowing a glimpse of your family history in this poignant tale.
Louise, thanks for your comments. Yes, I think it is important to understand that perhaps the setbacks we encounter in our 21st century lives pale in comparison to our ancestors a century or two earlier. We don’t fully appreciate the advances of modern medicine and transportation because it is all we know. Feel free to share with your students. This is an abridged version – I can send you more detail offline if you are interested.
I would love that – does my email show up for you to use?
Lovely post. I think many of us wonder at the strength of our forebears who came on the long voyage to this country. Thanks for sharing. Happy Australia Day, and thanks to Book’d Out for organising this great way for authors to celebrate with readers. Cheers, Noelle Clark (Journeys with Noelle).
Thanks for coming by. It’s been a great way for authors to meet other authors, I’ve still got lots of sites to visit – hopefully tomorrow.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for reading my blog and leaving a comment bn100.
Wow, what a sad story yet it shows how strong Catherine was.
Like your day I have been doing my family history for many years and love uncovering little things along the way.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Lovely to hear from you Ann-Marie… She really had to keep moving forward didn’t she? Have fun with your family history project.
Amazing story – thank you for sharing. My day has got somewhat better for reading that!
Ta for you comment Paul. I’m glad your day got better!
Thanks for the very interesting blog Sherryl… it was great reading it.. Thanks for the giveaway as well 🙂
Thanks Brenda. You are in the draw!
Wow, what a powerful and moving story. Thanks so much for sharing, it helps us, especially the younger generations, know how far we have come and what has been sacrificed for us today. Thanks for the giveaway and happy Aus Day! 🙂
Thanks Amanda. Life certainly was a struggle for some people back then. I will add that by the time she remarried, Catherine’s sister had joined her in Australia. I hope her presence was of immense comfort to her.
Shows how much we have to be thankful for today.
Certainly does Dale. Thanks for popping by.
What a sad story! Three of my grandparents were born overseas and migrated in the wake of WW2, but my mother’s father’s family were early settlers, mostly of the convict variety. A lot of sad stories there – very few people emigrate for happy reasons, after all – but I think your Catherine’s story is particularly tragic.
Thanks for visiting Catherine. True – most people are fleeing something in the hope of something better. A few moment’s of reflection reminds us to be ever so grateful of our lot – and modern medicine. Enjoy your long week-end 🙂


(NOT) Business as Usual was an exhibition organized by City College students in December 2019 to protest the sudden cancelling of 300 classes. Its purpose was to call attention to the class cuts and bring about change. While ultimately some classes were restored and Chancellor Mark Rocha was fired, the City College art program has continued to be systematically dismantled. In May 2020 the Fort Mason campus was shuttered, a huge loss for the community.
Beverly contributed three paintings, two sculptures and a visitor engagement piece.


Warre’s has been leading the Port trade since it was established as the first British Port House in 1670. A pioneer of a great tradition with over 300 years of history, Warre’s legacy is built on the superb quality of Warre’s Vintage Ports and on an unwavering commitment to quality and successful innovation.
The firm that became Warre’s was established in 1670. Two Englishmen, William Burgoyne and John Jackson opened offices in northern Portugal as Burgoyne & Jackson - initially a general trading company, exporting wines, olive oil and fruit, as well as importing dried cod and English woollen goods.
Over time, the company admitted new partners and its name changed accordingly; in 1718 it traded as John Clark, then in 1723 it was known as Clark & Thornton and finally in 1729, it became Messrs. Clark, Thornton & Warre, with the arrival of the first Warre in Portugal. This was William Warre, born in India (1706), where his parents and grandparents were long established members of the East India Company.
By the close of the 18th century, Warre’s had become one of the leading companies as illustrated by the total shipments of Port for 1791. In that year, 21 companies exported a little over 30,000 pipes of Port, of which Warre & Sons accounted for 2,937 pipes, i.e. 10% of the total.
The Warres: one of the great Port families.
On arriving in Portugal in 1729 William Warre (1706 - 1773) was to start a family Port dynasty that would make a unique and unmatched contribution to Port and to the life of its adopted city and country. In 1745, he married Elizabeth Whitehead, sister of John Whitehead, the distinguished British Consul responsible for designing and building the magnificent British Factory House (1790). Their eldest son, also William, would himself serve as His Majesty’s Consul. The 5th sibling, James Warre, became a prominent figure in the Port trade for over 50 years and would father the most illustrious member of the family, another William Warre (1784 - 1853). This William was destined to have an outstanding military career which was to mark him as one of the most distinguished and historically important figures to come out of the many Port families in the long annals of the Port trade.
William Warre: A heroic figure in the history of Port
Commissioned as an officer in the British Army, the young Porto-born Captain Warre played a central and decisive role at virtually all of the key battles throughout the Peninsular War (1808 – 1812), during which joint British and Portuguese forces fought Napoleon Bonaparte’s successive invading armies. Captain Warre’s knowledge of the language and the country, despite the fact that he was aged only 24 at the outbreak of war, made him invaluable to his commanders, Field Marshall Beresford and the Duke of Wellington. To the latter William recommended and supplied Port from his family’s company. In a letter to his father, dated 15th May, 1810, written from Army Headquarters at Fornos d’Algodres, he wrote:
“My Dear Father,
I have been much flattered lately by Ld. Wellington’s reception of me, and lately remained two days at his Hd. Qrs. At Celorico, 2 leagues from here. He has applied to me to procure him one hogshead of very fine old Port. He does not care about the price, and wishes me to get you to take care of it for him in London. At Oporto it is impossible to get any old wine, and I therefore told him I would write to you, and beg your assistance.”
He would eventually rise to the rank of Lieutenant - General, receiving several awards for gallantry and titles from both Portugal and England in recognition of his substantial contribution towards the recovery of Portugal’s independence.


The longest flight in the world
Did you know there are several world records that were set for flight?
There are multiple world records set for flight. Some of them were with pilots, some without, some being refuelled and some not. The latest record-breaking was Qantas Airways landing in Sydney. This record was achieved at 7.45 am Sunday October 20th, 2019 after its continuous journey from New York of 19 hours and 16 minutes in air. Feels like its alot right? How about 1558 hours and 19 minutes! It was 1958 when two Las Vegas pilots, Robert Timm and John Cook, set this record. Let me tell you their incredible yet funny record breaking flight.
Early years of aviation; way back when
Back in the 1900’s flight endurance was limited by how much fuel a plane could carry but this was all about to change with the initiation of mid-air aircraft refuelling which increased an aircraft’s endurance to an unbelievable 1558 hours and 19 minutes. In 1923, the US Army Air Service set the first refuelled endurance record by staying in the air for more than 37 hours. It had 9 refuelings that pumped 687 gallons of gas with 38 gallons of oil into its tanks. Of course this record was broken multiple times; close to a dozen actually. 1929 claimed to have the highest number of record breaks as it was reset 5 times!
2 decades later, in 1949, a solid endurance record was set by two former Navy pilots in an Aeronca Sedan for 46 days and 9 hours. This record was set in a successful attempt to convince the government to reopen the Yuma Army Airfield. This record stood solid for almost a decade until about 9 years later, in the year 1958, two more pilots decided to set a new endurance record. This was about 2 years after the debut of an incredible aircraft; the Cessna 172, which was getting quite popular. After some slight modifications to the Cessna 172, which they named ‘The Old Scotchman’ for their mission, they set a record of 50 days in flight.
However, another group was just starting their journey, ‘Hacienda’ was ready to break this record in the deserts of Las Vegas.
The initiative for the ‘Hacienda’ journey..
Doc Bailey, an entrepreneur, built his first ever family oriented hotel and casino the ‘Hacienda’ in Las Vegas in 1956. This 265 room hotel did not do well.
Hacienda was considered to be one of the ‘low rollers’ because of its undesirable location and it catered to locals and families.
The 265 room ‘Hacienda’ Hotel and casino in Las Vegas
Doc tried many things to boost his business but was soon convinced to step forward and engage in something much more ambitious.
All the popular casinos were over a mile north of Hacienda.
Robert Timm, a slot machine mechanic who’s been described as a bear of a man, approached Doc with an idea. Doc was known to listen to and consider all ideas no matter where they came from. He was easily convinced that the best way to boost Hacienda’s visibility was to publicize that they were going to attempt to break the manned flight endurance record. The driving force behind this was the fact that Timm was an experienced aviator and had great passion for flying. He suggested they should feature the name Hacienda Hotel on the side of the aircraft which would draw the attention of many.
Robert Timm, the slot mechanic
Doc was inspired by Timm’s initial idea. He put together a fundraising activity in support of a Cancer Research Foundation to garner goodwill for the stunt without merely using the flight as a public display stunt for Hacienda. People could try to win a cash price of $10,000 by guessing how long the flight endurance would be after contributing a small amount to the cancer foundation. This wasn’t gambling; it was helping a noble cause.
With Doc’s money committed to the stunt, they now needed a co-pilot and an aircraft with Timm serving as the primary pilot.
Modifications to a Cessna 172 to make it endurance-ready…
Timm reached out to one of his friends, Iru Kuenzi, who was also a mechanic at Alamo Aviation in Las Vegas. “He told me about this project he was going to get involved in and wanted to know if I’d be interested in helping him. I told him ‘sure’.”
Timm and Kuenzi chose N9217B, a Cessna 172 with 1500 hours total time on the airframe. Although it already had a Narco Omnigator Mk II and a Mitchell autopilot, these two spent a year modifying it to be stunt-ready.
Timm and Kuenzi bought N9217B - a Cessna 172
They installed a 95 gallon Sorenson belly tank on the plane to supplement the 47 gallons of fuel the wing tanks could carry. This was then fitted with an electric pump to transfer the fuel to the wing tanks.
They re-plumbed the oil lines so they could change the engine oil and oil filter without shutting down the engine. Then they removed everything from the interior except for the pilot’s seat. They put a small mattress in place of the co-pilot's seat so they could take turns resting. They also installed a small stainless steel sink in the rear to wash and shave during the flight.
The co-pilot’s side door was also removed and replaced with a folding, accordion style door. A small platform was designed that could be lowered out this door to provide more footing during refueling operations.
Then, the two mechanics decided to replace the aircraft’s current 450SNEW engine with a brand new one from Continental Motors. Timm had explained to them the plan and was delighted by the idea of receiving a ‘special engine’ for the purpose. Years later Kuenzi discovered how this ‘special engine’ was given to them as a mere sales strategy by Continental Motors.
Timm made one additional modification, over the objection of Kuenzi who did not approve, installing a primer-like system designed to squirt alcohol into the combustion chamber of each of the engine’s six cylinders. He believed that this design would reduce the build up of carbon from combustion.
The first flight ...
Everything was set and ready for flight. The aircraft and pilot were ready although there are no records who the first co-pilot was who accompanied Timm during the early attempts.
They took to the sky three times and each was cut short by mechanical problems. Timm mentioned in one of his diaries ‘the entire sky lit up’ on their third attempt later realizing he has witnessed one of the atomic bomb denotations in the Nevada testing area. The three flights never lasted longer than 17 days. Timm was frustrated by the vast amount of mechanical problems and also was not getting along with his co-pilot, eventually dismissing him.
During this time, ‘The Old Scotchman’, who had held the endurance record previously, showed back up and set a new record frustrating Timm even more. Now they needed more than 50 days in air to come in even with the ‘The Old Scotchman’ record!
Introducing John Wayne
It didn’t take long until Timm found the perfect co-pilot in John Wayne Cook. Cook was a steady 33 year old with hours of flying experience who was also working at Alamo Aviation. It turned out that Cook has also spent time working on N9217B and Cook replied with ‘Sure, I’ll try’ when Timm requested him for the 4th attempt in the sky.
John Wayne Cook was a lanky, single, 33 year old airplane mechanic with experience flying for the airlines
Experienced airline pilot John Wayne Cook
During the time Timm was on the lookout for his co-pilot, Kuenzi removed their ‘special engine’ and reinstalled the old 450SNEW engine while also disabling Timm’s primer-like system without his knowledge and this decision turned out to be spot on!
The fourth and final attempt
With less publicity than Doc originally desired, Timm and Cook lifted to the skies from Las Vegas with special permission from the FAA to lift off at 350-400 pounds above the maximum takeoff weight. They were even chased by a car who painted white on the aircraft wheels so that the duo did not cheat by secretly landing the aircraft when nobody was watching.
Encouragement from a speeding Ford Thunderbird
‘Hacienda’ flew close to Las Vegas for the first few days until they made sure it did not have any mechanical shortcomings this time. Then they flew South, spending most of their time flying over the deserts of Blythe, California and Yuma, Arizona which had flatter, lower altitude terrain.
How did they refuel Hacienda?
Their primary support vehicle was a Ford truck loaded with fuel tank, pump and other necessities, donated for the purpose of accomplishing the mission. Hacienda flew 20 feet above a highway the government closed temporarily for the purpose and refueled twice a day using a hose. One of the pilots stood on the platform and winched up a fuel line to pump fuel into the belly tank. This took about 3 minutes. So, doing the math... 64 days with two refuelings each makes for 128 refuelings in total!
Robert Timm and John Cook didn’t do air to air refueling or use a solar powered airplane. They matched the speed of the Cessna 172 with a Ford truck and pulled up a fuel line for about 3 minutes to fill the tank.
Re-fueling the airplane
It wasn’t easy. Weather got in the way sometimes and interrupted their schedule. They made plans on meeting in new locations and times. They even had to deal with a non-functioning fuel pump at one point and managed to haul up 5 gallon fuel cans using a rope!
Refueling the Cessna 172 airplane
Food, water, towels and other basic necessities were also sent during these transfers. What do you think they ate? Chinese? Certainly not. Doc has taken lead in instructing chefs from the hotel to prepare them food with the finest, fresh ingredients which were stuffed into thermos jugs to send up to the pilots.
Endurance routines of the pilots...
Yes, they had a schedule for everything. Each of them took turns flying for 4 hours each. When they were not flying they tried their best to sleep. They attended to little chores to keep the aircraft off the ground and washed or exercised when they weren’t sleeping.
According to Cook’s diary, their hygiene activities were particularly uncomfortable.
On one occasion Timm was going through his daily hygiene routine so had undressed, lowered the platform and stepped out of the co-pilot’s door with his toothbrush when Cook realized they were too low and would not be able to clear a ridge that was just in front of them. Panic stricken, Cook screamed to Timm to pull up the platform. Later, Cook told about his experience seeing a bare naked Timm struggling to pulling up the platform.
You might even wonder how they used the bathroom. Well, you know the standard Cessna 172 does not come with a bathroom. It doesn’t even have enough room for it. So they created their own method in the form of a camping toilet and plastic bags, which were then disposed of in unpopulated areas of the desert.
Even though the first few weeks of the flight sailed smoothly, Cook starts writing about their hardships in flight later on. They were constrained with a lack of exercise, burdened with constant engine noise and had difficulty completing even routine daily chores. They lacked sleep. They even escaped a tragic end when Timm accidentally dozed off in the pilot's seat at about 2:55 am about halfway through their mission. They later disclosed to a reporter,“It was 2:55 AM and he [Timm] was fighting sleeplessness. On auto pilot fell asleep 4000 FT over Blythe Airport found himself halfway to Yuma Ariz 4000 ft. Very lucky. We must sleep more in the day time”
Flying by the record
39 days were gone, Hacienda’s generator, heat, light and electric pump had all failed. They had blankets to combat the miserably cold weather. A wind generator was installed on a strut, but only provided very little output and was just enough to power up some Christmas lights. For the failed electric pump, they used a hand pump and we found Cook’s diary summing up the torture,
Progressing towards the 50 day record that was recently set by the two former Navy pilots at that time, Timm and Cook were determined to break the flight endurance record. They decided not to land once they finally broke the record; they kept on flying for as long as they could. They really wanted to ensure that they had set the record bar high enough.
Holding the record after great difficulties encountered along the way, the pilots finally made the decision to land on the 7th of February 1959. Making sure not to forget having the white paint on the wheels of the aircraft checked before they landed, their efforts had paid off. It is amazing to be able to tell you that they flew 150,000 miles which is about 6 complete circles around the earth. Their extra effort in extending the record was worthwhile because up to today the record is still theirs.
On February 7th 1959, the two pilots set their record on the record books
Some final thoughts
Several years later, Steve, the son of Timm commented on how much skill and determination his dad and Cook needed to survive for 64 days 22 hours and 19 minutes in the air, let alone setting a record.
Many years after the fact, when reporters asked Timm if he would ever consider replicating the stunt he replied,
This incredible Cessna 172 aircraft now hangs from the ceiling of McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas after it spent some time in the McCarren museum.


World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp
Although, like many holidays, Veterans Day has evolved into a day of celebration of our military past and present the original November 11th celebration was a relief as the unofficial ending of World War I. Today, 95 years later we say THANK YOU to our United States Military, past and present.


Sekou Odinga grew up in Queens in a family of nine. He is a father of eight, a grandfather of nineteen+ and a great-grandfather. He is a former member of the Black Panther Party (BPP) and the Black Liberation Army (BLA). He is a Muslim, New Afrikan and a Prisoner of War unjustly held in the u.s. prison system for the past 30+ years for defending Black people against this country's war on Black Liberation.
U.S. Political Prisoner & Prisoner of War
"These are people who dedicate their lives to the transformation of this country, who put the benefit of their communities ahead of themselves, who belieed that transformation was not only possible, but was worth dying for to end brutality, racism, economic discrimination, imperialism, war."


Vera’s atelier was always referred to as an “open atelier” where artists, architects, craftsmen and women, writers, journalists and people from all walks of life came for a coffee, rakia and conversation. The impromptu gatherings became recurrent and Saturday mornings became a sort of “salon chez Vera.” Ideas were exchanged and joint projects were erected in those 60 years that Vera occupied and created within her atelier in Ilica 110.
She first obtained use of the atelier as a master student of sculptor at the Art Academy across the street. Originally the atelier had been a bakery that many years later, with the help of architect friends and workers, she turned into her workspace where she created sculptures, jewelry, graphics, and reliefs in ceramics, galvanoplastics, bronze and plaster.
Today her atelier is undergoing transformation so that it can be used as the working space of several artists, in what we call the Creative Collective Space.


There was a time when the world was introduced to cars to carry people from one place to the other, and there was also a time when style started becoming constant. Among a mighty league of car manufacturers, is one such brand that is known for its presence in both, two and four wheeler segments. Honda, a Japanese automobile giant was founded in December 1995. There is one such car that is considered a blend of Luxury and sportiness wrapped in a Sedan. Yes, the Honda Accord is on of the most sought after sedan cars that are available in most countries. This car directly competes with Toyota Camry and carries a long history (but I’ll try my best to keep it short, I promise ) History of Accord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Rkj6-L0YQ The name itself grants power, status or recognition to its owner. It was considered a boring car in the United States of America; hopefully the all-new 2015 Accord would manage to run over that accusation.[caption id="attachment_2627" align="aligncenter" width="559"] Image Source: www.pattypeckhonda.com[/caption] 1976-2014 A journey of 38 years: Similar to our lives, the Accord has had its share of ups and downs. Lets accelerate through 38 years (approximately) with the Honda Accord. It stated off with the successful but diminutive Civic that was one of the most preferred cars in America, but that was replaced by the Accord that made an ever-lasting impression in America, the sales were pretty good right from the very beginning. With more space, came greater power and more economy (America was facing fuel crisis) and more so hassle free parking. The Accord was initially available as a 2-door hatchback with comfortable seating and logical control/gauge placements as well as high quality switchgear. The car was known for its generous standard equipment list that included AM/FM stereo radio, rear defroster/ wiper/washer and remote hatch release. The Accord had a 1.6 liter four cylinder engine that had 68-horse power. During ’76 American V8’s were struggling with the 140 horsepower producing engines, Honda’s CVCC head design was produced that was not only clean, it also provided an efficient combustion. During 1978, an LX version of the Accord was launched that had lady luxury’s grace, the upholstery, air conditioning, digital clock were majorly responsible for the growth in the sales of the Accord cars. During 1979, the accord family saw a logical expansion phase that added a four-door sedan as the Toyota Corona’s major adversary. It was 9 inches longer than the opponent due to its three-body box style. The engine advanced to a 1.8 liter, 72 hp engines; there were a few more advancements such as oil cooler, power steering as well as a tachometer. Not many changes were incorporated in the year 1980, however the year 1981 was an exciting one for Honda. There was an introduction of the luxury trim level sedan called the SE, this was no ordinary sedan, this accord had style, and it was the babe on the roads. With uber chic features like leather seating, power windows, door locks, alloy wheels, a sound system with cassette deck, this was a way bigger deal than owning a super car now. Adding to the glory of Honda, the Accord was revamped in the year 1982 with a 3inch increase in its wheelbase and its length by 2 inches. The new version was more spacious and it provided more room space for rear seat passengers. The all new body and plush interiors were quite delightful and modish. The new 1.8-liter engine had increased hp (75) During 1982, Honda started producing Accord’s in the US, and by 1991 the Marysville Ohio plant produced over 3,50,000 cars for American Consumers. Improvements were a must and the Accord kept getting bigger and better, the year 1983 was when Honda accord was given a four-speed auto unit that replaced the three-speed unit. The second generation Honda Accord’s came to an end in the year 1985. But just before bidding farewell, a special four-door version was offered to celebrate its success, it was called the SE-i. This indicates the engine's induction was by fuel injection unlike the other Accords. This limited edition was one of a kind and generated a lot of interest. In 1986, Honda took a big leap with the newly introduced version that was built on a better theme than before, the wheel base was increased by 6 inches and the vehicle length was elongated by 3 more inches. The slender looks were given a major priority. The new accords were bigger and heavier than before and so, their engine’s had also evolved to 2 liters and managed to produce 98 HP with the DX and LX trims and 110 HP in the fuel-injected versions. That was exactly when; the new suspension named “wish bone” was added to the Accords to provide better handling and better comfort. There was a heated up battle between the family sedan producing cars in the US, especially Toyota and Honda and it was evident that race enthusiasts chose Honda ( the Toyota was termed as the poor man’s BMW ) With a few minor changes, the Honda Accords were introduced till 1989. But, 1990 was a revolutionary year for yet another breed of Accords. The all-new 1990 Accord underwent a major overhaul and it was bigger in size and quite powerful, terming this car the best selling car in America. This lasted for a period of 3 continuous years (1990-1992) Only sedans were available and the hatchbacks were completely out, the wheel base of the new cars were increased and measured a total of 107.1 inches, the accord had gained weight too, it was close to 3000 pounds. Styling was given equal importance and the car looked sportier than ever. Fuel injectors were standard and the engine also went through a major upgrade, the 2.2 liter engine had the power of 125 ponies in both the DX and LX versions and the EX version was as powerful as 130 horses. Auto transmission and electronic controls were added. In 1992, the accords were equipped with drivers side Airbags and got rid of the shoulder belts that were mandatory according to the government’s safety norms. Not many changes were incorporated in the years that followed, the engines were upgraded and so did the horsepower. [caption id="attachment_2628" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] Image Source: sterlingtowing.com[/caption] ARRIVAL OF THE V6: During 1995, the first V6 engine powered Accords were rolled out and were made available in LX and EX Sedan variants. The new engine was adapted from the 1991 Acura legend and had 170 HP mated to a 4-speed auto transmission, the engine was quieter and smoother than the 4 cylinder versions. There were a few upscale features like the moon roof and CD deck added to the cars. Honda kept on increasing and the cars got bigger and better, the cars looked better, slender and more desirable every time. The new VTEC system was added to Honda cars with a 2.3 liter inline four engine that had 150 HP as well as the newly launched V6 version that had a 3 liter engine and produced 200 Hp. Owing to interior and exterior changes in the previous years, the 2002 Honda Accord had marked the fifth year of the generation cycle. Honda had introduced an SE trim level model which was available in a coupe format too, the audio systems were upgraded, the drivers sear and the power adjustments were improved, there was the introduction of the keyless entry too. The 2003 models had an exciting theme, which was much needed from Honda, and so, the Accord’s engines were more powerful and the design was just the thing to boost up its reputation. The new engines had V6 power and the 2.4-liter engine produced 160 hp whereas the 3-liter version produced 240 hp. There was an introduction of a five speed automatic and a 6 speed manual transmission. That was the exact year when the 3 models were made available again; the DX base model, LX (equipped) model and Luxury EX model which had all the top notch features such as; Heated leather seats, power passenger seat, dual-zone climate control, power moon roof and alloy wheels, there was also a navigation system (optional) During 2005, the Accord made a grand debut with a super high fuel efficiency goal, the V6 engine now produced 255 Hp and its performance was brisk and it could cover 0-60 in 7.5 seconds. The new Accord gave an average of 23.8 mpg which was disappointing as compared to the estimated 29 mpg (city) and 37 mpg (highway) the Honda had new looks, new tail lights and illuminated steering wheel controls, the front seat side airbags and head curtain air bags were added. Honda did not stop, it kept the tradition going, and the 2006 model had a few evident changes such as the revised front and rear fascias and new taillights. The sedan was now made available in 6 speed manual transmission, the suspension settings were revised and the car had 17-inch alloy wheels, the Air conditioning was revised and cruise control was added. The journey post 2008 had incorporated new design aesthetics in the new Honda Accord models, the size of the car got roomier and more powerful, keeping the fuel economy in sight, the styling was quite aggressive (it was adopted form the Acura TL) and it was quite desirable. The new 2.4 liter 177 hp producing engine was better than before, the EX model has a 190 hp producing engine and there was another model that produced 268 hp with a 3.5 liter engine. The 2009 model wasn't too different; the V6 engine produced 271 hp. There weren't many noticeable changes. But all of that is finally going to change with the all-new 2015 Honda Accord. THE ALL-NEW HONDA ACCORD (2015) The 2015 Honda Accord is going to be one of the best mid size sedans to hit the market. Being one of the most preferred Family sedan world wide, previous versions of the Accord have carried minimal complaints and owners have been happy with the performance. The all-new Accord is set to carry the same legacy ahead, it might also be one of the most competing and preferred cars in 2015. WHAT'S NEW? [caption id="attachment_2624" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image Source: www.2014carsnews.com[/caption] The car looks almost like the previous version but new features have been added to make it more desirable. The interiors have been modified so well that they would definitely spoil the customer, even the dashboard has a complete new look and has high quality plastic additives. Being a Japanese by birth, this Honda car is going to have an abundance of technology, the all new climate control, Bluetooth enabled system, USB connectivity, rear view mirror cameras, collision warning, blind spot guidance, air bags as well as a dedicated monitor.With a little extra money, you could also fit in the "World Pandora" music, Digital photography assistance, high quality LED lights. [caption id="attachment_2629" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Image Source: carsrelease2014-2015.com[/caption] ENGINE: The car will be available in a 2.4 litre variant that would generate 185 HP and for those who like to live life on the edge, there is a 3 liter V6 engine variant that produces 278 Bhp (if you are willing to pay that much) [caption id="attachment_2626" align="aligncenter" width="615"] Image Source: www.2015newcarsmodels.com[/caption] LAUNCH & PRICE: The Honda Accord would strike the American market with a well thought out price ranging from $ 25,000 to $ 40,000. This car would compete directly with the upcoming Toyota Camry 2015. There is going to be a certain price difference between both. The Accord should launch by the 3rd quarter of 2014. [caption id="attachment_2625" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Image Source: www.xhza.com[/caption] BOTTOM LINE: Honda is one of the most trusted automobile brands world wide. The all new Accord is going to be better than ever and it is certain to attract buyers who like cars that can do more than just carry a person from one place to the other. Let's find out which of the two cars (Honda Accord and Toyota Camry) performs better.


The pepperoni-powered American Dream.
The story of the Oberto Sausage Company originates in Italy in 1918. It was there that a young Constantino Oberto, like many immigrants at the turn of the century, dreamed of a better life for him and his family. Heeding the advice of his Uncle John, Constantino moved to America, eventually arriving in Seattle, a place, his uncle told him, where a hard working entrepreneur couldn’t help but succeed.
Relying on traditional family recipes, Constantino and John set up a small salami and sausage shop on South King Street. The company grew steadily over the years until tragedy struck the family unexpectedly in 1943. Constantino died, leaving the task of running the company to his wife Antoinetta and a young son.
Art Oberto was just 16 at the time and the future of his family and the company depended on him. He could have easily sold the business and few would have blamed him if he did. The country was in the midst of war and that meant meat rationing. A little sausage maker in Seattle was low on the priority list, so much so that a sympathetic meat inspector talked other butchers into giving the teenager some of their meat to keep the Oberto Sausage Company in business.
But quitting wasn’t something Art knew how to do. Instead, he rose to the task, opening the factory each morning before he headed off to school. After class, he’d load up the company’s delivery truck and make the rounds, selling the company’s sausage, salami and coppacola to anyone who would buy.
Not only was Art a natural born salesman, but he was also a resourceful entrepreneur. It was he and his wife Dorothy who came up with the idea for a new product for Oberto, something a local distributor had shown them. Soon, Beef Jerky started to flow from the Oberto Sausage Company and even today, it’s the company’s biggest seller.
Oberto has gone on to become a national brand that is still locally loved. Its product line includes other familiar brands, including Lowrey’s Meat Snacks, Pacific Gold Meat Snacks and Smokecraft.
But it’s the jerky and pepperoni that keeps customers coming back. So much so that the company announced plans to open a new plant in 2013 in Nashville to keep up with demand. The new facility joins the 170,000 square foot Oberto plant in Kent, Washington.
Though Art isn’t involved in running the business on a day-to-day basis any longer, you’ll still find him out and about, serving as its front man and biggest cheerleader. A true Washington original, Art has been part of the fabric of the community for the last 85 years, including being a longtime sponsor of the Oh, Boy! Oberto hydroplane, which not only captured the sport’s national championship several times but also served as the company’s fastest, most recognizable billboard.


Established in Milan in 1993 by Franco Cassina, Nemo stands as a hallmark in Italian design, rooted in a lineage of pioneering innovations. Under the ownership of Federico Palazzari, Nemo proudly presents 'The Masters' collection, a distinctive array of lamps envisioned by twentieth-century luminaries like Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Vico Magistretti, Franco Albini, and Kazuhide Takahama. Additionally, Nemo collaborates with contemporary visionaries such as Mario Bellini, Jean Nouvel, Andrea Branzi, Bernhard Osann, and Arihiro Miyake to craft modern icons. In 2020, the acquisition of Turin-based Ilti Luce led to the birth of Nemo Studio, dedicated to pioneering architectural lighting solutions for museums, retail spaces, and outdoor environments. Today, Nemo's global presence spans Milan, France, and the United States, boasting distribution networks across 40+ countries.


Wotan’s Awakening: The Life and Times of Guido von List, 1848–1919
by Eckehard Lenthe
Translated by Annabel Lee
488 pages, 6” x 9”, high-quality interior stock, sewn signatures, bound in burgundy cloth with foil stamping and inlaid portrait.
This is the ultimate biography of the Austrian occultist and rune-mystic Guido von List (1848–1919), a key figure in the esoteric Germanic revival who was occupied with questions of language, the occult, mythology, history, and national identity. This was a tumultuous time in central Europe, spanning from the era of industrial and democratic revolutions to the catastrophe of the first World War and the complete dissolution of the Austrian Empire.
Guido von List dedicated himself to researching, defending, and nourishing archaic Germanic traditions. He was an adventurer, mountaineer, and renaissance man who expressed his ideas in various ways, among them as a playwright, editor, journalist, and author. His life intersected with other important figures of the day: philosophers, pagan theologists and theosophists, artists, politicians, and writers.
List sought to understand the spiritual landscape that lies under the visible one, and he anchored the present to the past by drawing attention to the magical landscape of his native land, unlocking the secrets of its place-names and hidden symbols. List’s special interests included mythology, heraldry, etymology, history, and folklore—disciplines in which he rediscovered ancient Germanic themes and brought them once more into the light.
Illustrated with numerous rare images, this biography was written with great care and detail and represents a unique and sympathetic insider’s view. Much of the information in the book derives from the author’s extensive personal archives, which are the harvest of decades of research. Beyond the fascinating story of List’s life, Wotan’s Awakening contains extensive appendices and bibliographies, making it a primary sourcebook on fin-de-siècle Austria and Germany, and the lesser-known spiritual, cultural, and political currents of the age.
Wotan’s Awakening is impeccably designed in the style of the original publications of the Guido von List Society and is now available in a deluxe limited edition of 400 copies. Each book also includes a few special enclosures.


Emory University swimming legend Andrew Wilson has been inducted into the inaugural College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA) Division III Hall of Fame as announced by the organization on January 30th. The inaugural induction ceremony is set to take place at the CSCAA Annual Awards Celebration on May 6, 2024, hosted at the illustrious Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis.
Wilson is one of 38 outstanding swimmers, divers, and coaches to be inducted into the inaugural class. Each member of the class was selected for their remarkable achievements and profound impact on collegiate swimming and diving. Few swimmers had their presence felt more than Wilson, first as he dominated as an Eagle and then as a member of Team USA on the world's stage.
With Emory, Wilson put together one of the greatest careers of any Division III athlete in any sport. Over the course of his career, Wilson was a two-time CSCAA and UAA Swimmer of the Year, a 10-time national champion including six as an individual, and 17-time All-American. He established five Division III records and was a two-time Academic All-American of the Year. He led Emory to its first-ever men's national championship after returning to school after spending the previous year trying to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
After graduating in 2017, Wilson continued to swim professionally and went on to make history as he became the first-ever Division III swimmer to represent the United States at the 2020 Olympic games. In Tokyo, Wilson captured a gold medal as part of the men's 4x100 Medley Relay and finished tied for sixth in the 100 Breaststroke. He also competed in the 200 Breaststroke where he placed 17th and competed in prelims of the first-ever 4x100 mixed Medley Relay.
Wilson was a recipient of the NCAA postgraduate scholarship as a senior and went on to complete his master's degree in Applied Mathematics at the University of Oxford in England following his retirement from swimming.


50 YEARS IN BUSINESS
Visit our showroom to see the difference.
SPEND OVER $500 IN-STORE AND YOU’RE IN THE DRAW!
TERMS & CONDITIONS APPLY. NSW Permit #TP/02407 See website for details.
Oaten’s has come a long way. From humble beginnings in 1973, Oaten’s has evolved into a modern 2002m² showroom which boasts one of the largest displays of exclusive fine furniture and household products between Port Macquarie and Tweed Heads.
Family-owned and operated, the Oaten’s team has a strong reputation across the Northern Rivers region for their service and knowledge.
1973 | Bill & Colleen opened the Kyogle Appliance Centre, selling electrical appliances.
1979 | The business expanded into furniture
1979 | Moved business to the Roxy Theatre building in Geneva Street. Bill & Colleen owned the Roxy for about 5 years.
1980 | Opens a store at Casino Fair in Walker Street. W.A. OATEN PTY LTD – trading as Oaten’s
1980 | Bill was joined by his older brother, Earl who lived in Casino.
1981 | Mark (second child), joined his father in the family business after finishing school.
1983 | Moved the Casino store from Casino Fair to 150-152 Canterbury Street Casino.
1984 | Moved the store in Kyogle from the Roxy Theatre the to the Main Street in Kyogle.
1987 | The Kyogle business was moved completely to the Casino.
1989 | Bill & Colleen bought the land and building at 150-152 Canterbury Street Casino.
2003 | A major remodelling project doubled the showroom floor to 2000m2 making Oaten’s home to one of the largest displays of fine furniture and quality household goods from Port Macquarie to Tweed Heads.
2023 | Celebrate 50 years of business.


Experience leisurely stays in England’s beautiful countryside. Enjoy a classic English “Cream Tea” as you ride a restored steam train through the Cotswolds. Sail the picturesque Lake District, made famous by poets and artists, on a genuine Victorian steam yacht. Visit the elaborate 1st century Roman spas of Bath. Learn more about the ‘fab four’ at the “Beatles Story” museum. Visit Glastonbury Abbey to view the reputed resting place of King Arthur and explore Tintagel, believed to be the original Camelot Castle. See the spot from where the Pilgrims set sail. Tour the famed Wedgwood China factory. Enjoy time for lunch in the Cornish fishing village of Padstow. Experience British tradition during an overnight in a Manor House hotel. From Liverpool to rolling landscapes, from Salisbury Cathedral to Stonehenge, these are England’s treasures. See photos, itinerary map, and more tour details for England’s Treasures tour package:
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The next article was originally published to Treasures of England Tour Package 2012 | Go Collette | Europe Guided Travel and is courtesy of My Travel Bay. Find more on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvXjGdmL4-Y


“By Ron Witton”
In the 1960’s I completed BA and MA honours degrees in Indonesian and Malayan Studies from the University of Sydney and then went on to gain a doctoral degree from Cornell University focusing on Indonesia. Since then I have taught Indonesian social sciences and have also worked as an Indonesian interpreter and translator. I have continued visiting Indonesia since my first visit in 1962 and taught for a while in post graduate social sciences at Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta. With that background, I thought I had fairly good grounding in Indonesian history and society.
However, this confidence was profoundly shaken when, by chance, I was in the NSW country town of Coffs Harbour and happened to visit the town’s art gallery. There I was confronted by an exhibition entitled “Landscape of the Soul: A Mixed Media Exhibition Illustrating the Experience of European Dutch and Eurasian People in Indonesia During the Japanese Occupation, the Revolution and After”.
What I learnt was that soon after Indonesian independence was declared on 17 August 1945, there occurred the most horrific massacres of men, women and children who were of mixed Dutch and Indonesian descent, a profoundly important historical event but one that has hardly entered academic, let alone popular, historical consciousness. Since then, I have begun reading about what happened in that period. I have come to realise that the main reason I was unaware of those events is that it is only in the in the last ten years that academic scholarship has begun to examine those events and their significance. At the end of this article, I have listed some of the materials that have helped me begin to understand what moved Frances Larder to create the wall hangings that artistically re-create this forgotten period of Indonesian history.
In my readings about this period I was soon introduced to two terms: Binnenkampers and Buitenkampers. Binnenkampers (i.e.in-campers) refers to the over 100,000 Dutch nationals who were held from 1942 to 1945 in Japanese internment camps while Buitenkampers (i.e. out of-campers) refers to the over 250,000 Dutch nationals who remained outside the camps for the duration of the war. The majority of this latter group were those of mixed Indonesian and European descent (“Eurasians”). It should also be remembered that among the Eurasians there was a comparatively small number who were of mixed Chinese-European descent.
Dutch colonial law provided for the Dutch citizenship of the father to be passed on to children of mixed Eurasian parenthood, and so the majority of Eurasians were considered to be Dutch nationals. Before the war, while there was very little racial strife, the “Indos”, the somewhat derogatory term used to refer to Eurasians, had a sharply demarcated social position within the colonial society of the Dutch East Indies. Having often had more schooling than native Indonesians and being fluent in Dutch, they generally had relatively good employment prospects compared to most Indonesians. However, they were generally restricted to inferior or limited positions such as clerks, petty officials and NCOs. Nevertheless, they generally felt themselves to be part of Dutch society, albeit colonial society, and had a high level of loyalty to the Netherlands.
Ironically, some Eurasians had in fact been party to a very early nationalist attempt in 1911 to form a political party to promote an independent country free from Holland. However, the Dutch government refused to recognise the party and exiled its leaders. As Indonesian nationalism grew in the 1920s and 1930s, Eurasians increasingly saw their fortunes linked to the colonial order.
This then is the background to the events immediately following the declaration of Indonesian independence when there occurred what has been described as a “brief genocide”. The Japanese had trained many young Indonesians in martial arts and had instilled in them the idea that the “enemy” were the Americans, the English and the Dutch. With the surrender of the Japanese and the immediate declaration of Indonesia’s independence by Sukarno and Hatta, the prospect of the re-establishment of Dutch rule resulted in an intense level of paranoia of the Dutch and anyone who supported the Dutch, whether that was the British troops who landed and were ordered to restore Dutch rule or local Dutch nationals who were often characterised as spies and supporters of NICA, the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration.
Ironically the Dutch who were in internment camps were to a certain extent protected from such attacks, particularly as they could return to such camps which provided them with a level of protection. However, many, many thousands of Eurasians had no protection at all and were brutally massacred by rampaging Indonesians who saw this as a way of expressing their support for Independence. It is significant that as a student of Indonesian history I was taught about Dutch soldiers such as Raymond “Turk” Westerling who massacred many thousands of Indonesian civilians in support of Dutch counter-insurgency efforts against the Indonesian nationalist movement. However, we were never taught the names of Indonesians, such as Sabarudin, who helped coordinate and carry out the massacre of Eurasian men, women and children. While there has been some attention paid to the atrocities carried out in such locations as the Simpang Club in Surabaya, there are many sites of massacres that have been lost to the historical record. The parallel with the little known locations of many of the 1965 massacres that occurred throughout Indonesia need hardly be stressed.
It is clear that only in the last 10 years has there begun to be a body of scholarship examining this period of Indonesian history and Frances Larder’s exhibition helps one to begin to comprehend the historical trajectory of events before, during and after the Japanese occupation. Of particular concern has been the effect that those horrific events had on the children of Eurasians in that period, and indeed Frances Larder was a child during that period. Such children are now quite elderly but remain the only eyewitnesses. Their vivid recollections of that terrifying period and the effect it had on their lives is what makes the Dutch documentary (with English subtitles) Buitenkampers , so heartbreakingly moving.
Frances Larder’s exhibition, through her wonderful wall hangings, supplemented by historical mixed media materials, records Eurasian colonial life, the privations of the Japanese occupation, the killings following the Japanese surrender, the exodus of some 100,000 Eurasians to Indonesia after independence, their alienation and isolation in Holland, and the subsequent migration of some of them to Australia.
I am pleased that the Sydney’s Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre was the second gallery to host her exhibition, and that an exhibition in Melbourne is already being planned. This is an exhibition that deserves to travel from gallery to gallery across Australia to help further Australia’s understanding of both the diverse heritages that migrants have brought here and the particular experience of Australia’s Indo-Eurasian citizens.