The Emu War is one of Australia's most curious and bizarre historical events. It took place in late 1932, when a large number of emus, flightless birds native to Australia, caused significant damage to crops in Western Australia.
In response, the Australian government sent a small military force, led by Major G.P.W. Meredith of the Royal Australian Artillery, armed with two Lewis guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition, to the region in November 1932. The plan was to cull the emus and reduce their numbers to protect the crops.
Curious? I am not surprised. Hell, if if the Australian Army couldn't despatch a few pesky birds then something was very wrong indeed. So let me enlighten you and tell you all about the time that the Australian Army went to war against its coat of arms.... and lost.
Read more: Never Pick a Fight With Your Coat of Arms!
Of all the magnificent units and regiments of the Australian Army I doubt if any have a better claim to have been the one that saved Australia than the 39th Infantry Battalion, the first to advance down the Kokoda Track to confront the Japanese.
There are a number of units who could claim this title. The 25th Brigade in the defence of Milne Bay and the Coral Sea Battle. The former was supported by the RAAF. The Coral Sea Battle was a largely American enterprise. The 39th held the Japs at bay alone and unsupported until the 7th Division arrived fresh from the Middle East. For that they get my vote without detracting in any way the efforts and performance of all of our other units, and the Americans, who took on the Japs.
Read more: Those Ragged Bloody Heroes - “We are not a mob. We are the 39th.”
During World War II, Australia was a key player in the Allied war effort, providing troops, resources, and logistical support across the Pacific and beyond. However, not all sectors within Australia were fully cooperative in the war effort. The Australian Maritime Union (AMU), which represented dock workers and seamen, became notorious for its contentious relationship with the government and military authorities, particularly due to its refusal to load ships for the war effort at certain critical moments.
The AMU, formally known as the Waterside Workers’ Federation of Australia (WWF), was established in the early 20th century to represent the interests of waterfront workers, who often faced dangerous working conditions and low pay. The union was known for its strong commitment to workers' rights, and it frequently engaged in strikes and industrial actions to secure better conditions for its members.
But was it altogether about workers rights or was it more about political ideology? By the time World War II began, the AMU had become a powerful force in Australian labor politics. It was also influenced by left-wing ideologies, including socialism and communism, which played a significant role in shaping its policies and actions during the war.
Read more: Sitting on the Dock for the Pay.... Unions were no friends to the Troops In WW II
The first occupants of the Olympics village in Paris quickly taught the caterers that athletes did not favour their “climate-friendly” diet of things like avocados on toast plus almond-milk coffee. The athletes demanded more meat and eggs.
Paris Olympics CEO, Etienne Thobois, told reporters they suddenly needed more animal protein, causing them to order “700 kilos of eggs and a ton of meat, to meet the demands of the athletes.”
The Olympic caterers should have read a bit of French history – Vikings brought cattle to Normandy in the 10th century and valued them for both meat and milk.
Words are merely words, no matter how cleverly delivered or masterfully edited and pitched. Obama was supposedly a great orator until his teleprompter went bugger up. Then he became a bumbling idiot who couldn’t compose one umm without another quickly followed by another added for impact and emphasis.
Look at Joe Biden, Kamala Harris. They just can't stand up without their props.
Yet Trump can stand after being shot and the left hate him for it. Yes, they actually hate him for being a survivor.
That day, he became one of us. And, as a proud daughter of a manxman, when he came up and yelled " Fight! " all I could think of was my father and the Manx saying,
" no matter which way I fall, I will stand. "
All across the world, western leaders and aspiring leaders think that all they have to do is hire a speechwriter, turn up at an event and open their mouths. Well, it doesn’t work. Never has and it never will.
We want leaders who are lions and vikings and will rise up and fight.
" Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. " Ronald Reagan
It was Winston Churchill who made the tough decision to surrender the few to save the many back in World War II ......on many occasions.
I had read a book - some years ago - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - and was amazed that I had not known about the occupation of the Channel islands until I read the book. While the book is a very soft look at a harsh period of time, it did its job: it spurred me on to learn more.
Winston Churchill had made the tough decision to sacrifice the Channel Islands at the outbreak of World War II. To save the many, he sacrificed the few.
When you think of a cuckoo, do you think of a clock? You know, the ones from Germany, where a cuckoo pops out and greets you with a cheerful welcome? Time is ticking and it is nearly midnight folks.
Let me tell you a little about this strange little bird. It is rather sneaky.
It lays its eggs in the nests of other birds leaving those unwitting innocents to rear the imposter as one of their own. The cuckoo thrives and eventually throws the other baby birds out to die.
Many of the older generation know the saying whereby someone is a cuckold, referring to a man who unwittingly rears a child, thinking that the little one is his own.
Well, I think we have been cuckolded and, if things don’t change, we will continue to be thrown out of our homes and left to perish.
Read more: The Cuckoo's Nest... the Cuckoo Clock.... and it is about to strike midnight....
If Monkeypox is the new COVID and the WHO release their lockdowns and compulsory vaccinations, where will we be as a society? All on board or, as Bush Barbie would say, Nah,Yeah, Nah. It is just another round of sabotage from the left.
About another round of isolation, lockdown and postal voting. More blackmail and strong arm attempts to break us. From our governments across the world.
Last time many trusted them.
Today ? Not a show in hell. Hell, I no longer trust anyone apart from the few who no doubt feel the same way as I do.
Unless you are a brain dead multi vaxxed card carrying member of the " next vax I will get a free tofu burger" you are not likely to fall for the vax hoax a second time. We are over it. As a clean skin, I tend to venture into that land of reality. I treat many things with great circumspection.
Read more: Social Lepers and Leprosy... We Cannot Go Back to Those Days
When I was young, one of my favourite books was " Wind in the Willows. " Even today, as I approach 70 years of age, I can still relate to this book and, if anything, it means more to me now than when I first read it about 60 years ago. Why do I feel that we are cruising down the river with a weasel at the helm and the " riverbank" is no longer home? The Weasels have taken over and Toad Hall is conquered because we were all too busy being nice and playing on the river of life.
Are we asleep at the wheel?
Recently, I have found myself increasingly drawn back to the wonderful work of Kenneth Grahame. Written to enchant, excite and amuse, it makes me sad that children today no longer see such work in their school libraries, much less sit back in bed and snuggle down to share the joy of a tale woven out of love and the soothing pleasure of beautiful words. But, even in this lovely tale of friendship, home and the importance of family, there was a sinister threat that lurked.
The Weasels.
Read more: Weasels at the Wheel.... Has Toad Hall Been Taken Over?
The Battle of Long Tan took place on August 18, 1966, in the Phuoc Tuy Province of South Vietnam. It was part of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War as part of its commitment to the United States' efforts to counter the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. The region's dense jungles, muddy terrain, and unpredictable weather added to the complexity of the conflict. The Australian soldiers were part of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and were led by Major Harry Smith.
On that fateful day, a small Australian company of 108 men - 105 Australians and 3 New Zealanders - found themselves vastly outnumbered by a determined North Vietnamese force estimated to be over 2000 strong. The Australians were based at a rubber plantation in Long Tan, surrounded by thick vegetation that hindered visibility and movement. The North Vietnamese launched an intense assault, employing small arms, mortars, and artillery fire.
Back in 1904, H. G. Wells published a short story called “The Country of the…
289 hits
Education, often celebrated as a beacon of enlightenment and progress, can also become a potent…
302 hits
On December 9, 2019, New Zealand's White Island erupted .claiming 22 lives and leaving survivors…
337 hits
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, and nowhere is that truer than…
320 hits
Before the sun had fully risen over Hawaii, a chain reaction had begun — one…
422 hits
“Minor Problem: I Identify as a 73-Year-Old Tabby, Therefore I’m Legally Entitled to X (and…
431 hits
Dusty Gulch Gazette – Special Duck Census Edition By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble – Foreign Correspondent,…
338 hits
Flysa spent some of the early years of his life managing construction projects in the…
387 hits
In the heart of Ballarat in 1854, a ragtag coalition of gold miners took a…
482 hits
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Forty-One Years On — A Legacy That Still Breathes, Bleeds, and…
356 hits
Henry J. Kaiser: The Self-Made Miracle Worker and the Legacy of Vision This article builds…
409 hits
The birth of Australia’s iron ore industry wasn’t just an economic milestone - it was…
398 hits
The Quiet Hanson: Why Lee Sherrard Might Just Save One Nation (and Why She Might…
569 hits
Dusty Gulch Gazette – Emergency Midnight Edition November 27, 2025 – Vol. 147, No. 320…
419 hits
From a disease-ravaged ship anchored off a windswept coast… to thirteen scrappy colonies telling the…
373 hits
In Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, a charismatic Edinburgh teacher enchants her…
534 hits
Elon Musk is more than a billionaire tech mogul...he’s a disruptor, a visionary, and a…
392 hits
Yes, let’s be honest. The days when the Irish, Scots, Italians, Greeks, Poles, Hungarians, Poms,…
407 hits
Picture this: You’re sitting down for a family dinner, and instead of chatting about school,…
408 hits
Dusty Gulch Gazette November 21, 2025 – Vol. 147, No. 312 By Jedediah "Dust" Harlan…
426 hits
by Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble - Chief Correspondent for Ratty News - Aeronautical and Ornithological Division…
424 hits
A green hill in the Irish Sea has stood for 1,045 years. It has seen…
429 hits
There are many ships of the Royal Australian Navy that are dear to the hearts…
410 hits
In military history, there are countless tales of bravery, valour, and unwavering dedication from soldiers…
422 hits
After the Great Green Reset wiped out civilisation back in the 2020s, the surviving humans…
396 hits
On the night of 30 October 1938, millions of Americans leaned close to their radios…
435 hits
Identity crisis cured by $2.50 DNA kits, cold beer, and one large crocodile By Roderick…
433 hits
The Day Seven Blackfellas Saved This Blonde Coastie’s Bacon – And Taught Me What Aussie…
421 hits
Our energy grid’s as reliable as a politician’s promise - so don’t bank on your…
494 hits
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month holds profound significance in…
443 hits
I remember when Armistice Day was commemorated spontaneously, reverently and universally. As I approach my…
499 hits