A little bit of WW2 history

During WW2, Fremantle Harbour in Western Australia became the largest submarine base in the southern hemisphere.  170 submarines of the British, Dutch and American navies used ‘Freo’ harbour as their base making 416 war patrols out of Fremantle.

Across the harbour entrance was an anti-submarine ‘boom’ net which was lowered when friendly shipping entered the harbour and kept raised at other times.  The Fremantle boom defence net was a buoyed wire mesh net with a central gate opened by a winch on the North Mole, and two buildings were constructed on the western end of Victoria Quay for the naval boom defence operating unit.

The remnants of the lowering/raising machinery are still to be seen on both sides of the harbour entrance.  Click images to enlarge them

Harbour entrance

Winding machinery...Sth Mole

Winding machinery...Nth Mole

U.S. subs with mother Ship

HMS Adamant and Brit subs

Wartime photos taken by Saxon Fogarty

                           

Happy times at Fremantle Cemetery

My brother Graham pointed out this Happy notification.  I guess it seemed like a good idea???

Click image to enlarge

Typhoid Martin

42 years ago this Lock family returned from a six year stint teaching in Papua New Guinea.  Our son Martin was born in Wewak hospital after a somewhat hazardous river crossing en route from Maprik to Wewak a distance of approx. 80 miles on a dirt road.

It was all good and Martin was born without complications.

Four years later the family, Kevin, Joan, Helen and Martin flew out of Port Moresby and home to Perth at the end of our contract in PNG.   We had purchased a lovely colonial house the previous year whilst on leave and we moved into our house and welcomed friends and family to a couple of parties.  Martin fell sick and eventually was diagnosed with Typhoid and interned in the infectious disease ward at Fremantle hospital.   Some 60 people had been in contact with Martin and the local health authorities had a big job contacting those people and allaying any fears of spread of the disease.   After five weeks Martin’s situation was declared safe and he came home to us.

Newspaper clippings at the time....click to enlarge

Nice gift

Daughter Helen brought around a bottle of bubbly given to her by the family of one of her Pre-Primary pupils.  The lad was her best pupil of 2017 and the message on the bottle is rather cute.

Click to enlarge

Bushfire hazard

I have been having a morning walk lately, through and around my suburb.  On the northern fenceline there is what was meant to be a nature strip featuring Grass Trees, Eucalyptus trees and other native species, however no maintenance has been done on this strip in years and it is ready for a firebug to toss a lighted match in and create a firestorm.

The Grass Trees (Xanthorrhoea) in a non political correct era were called Blackboys.  In that past era young lads would set fire to them and we are now fortunate that iPhones, iPads et al keep kids busy and not setting bushfires.

Young Grass Tree

Meal planning in the early 1960s