JUNGLE DRUM: Anzac Day, roadside veg munchers and ferry anticipation
LAWRENCE MASON COLUMN
Anzac Day opinions
I attended both the Cow Bay Dawn Service and the Port Douglas Service. Both were well attended, well organised events that everyone enjoyed despite light rain. It was great to see schools represented so well.
Perhaps I am getting deaf but my memory is that at such ceremonies in the past, we were reminded that Anzac Day does not glorify war. That sentiment seemed to be missing this year, and to me is a very important one to pass on to young people.
I don't believe that Welcome to Country (or Acknowledgement of) is relevant at Anzac Day. WE, meaning ALL Australians fought a common enemy in wars, and WE must all move forward AS ONE in a fair, just and respectful way lest WE end up fighting over disputed territory. How sad would that be? In my humble opinion, telling Australians of any race, colour or creed that we are divided at every ceremony, event, and celebration is not beneficial to any of us. And I don't want to hear it on Anzac Day.
I would rather be celebrating all of us on Anzac Day, without singling any one group out. Cow Bay had no less than three acknowledgements, one after the other. Rather than looking respectful, it was farcical. Can people reading speeches not use judgement and skip something already said?
The prayer at Port Douglas mentioned Ukraine and Gaza. I would rather have heard a prayer that mentioned all those impacted by the horrors of war. To me it sounded like we were taking sides on a day meant to not glorify war. There are many families around the world currently suffering from the effects of war, and they span much more than Gaza or Ukraine. Not the church's best day on Friday.
Road munching musings
Over the river we have a machine munching low vegetation on the sides of the roads. This is a long overdue process that opens up an extra couple of metres so drivers can see what wildlife is coming out and a happy accident of the process is that tourists can see in and view things like Cassowaries more easily. Although the work looks a bit bare and rough when fresh, as can be seen around Cow Bay after a few weeks it looks fantastic.
The only problem I can see is that the vegetation and grass will grow back quickly unless it is effectively controlled. DSC seems not to own any hydraulic arm mowers, but they would be ideal for maintenance of Daintree road edges. Councillors... a hint for the budget!
Daintree Ferry anticipation
I believe we will soon hear more about the tender process for a new Daintree Ferry. Hopefully a successful tenderer will emerge and soon after the welders will fire up. The current machine is old and tired and I am constantly amazed that she keeps chugging along.
There is concern though, we have all seen reports that clearly show that one ferry will create queues, and we are seemingly now locked into long tourist-season queues for another 20 years. I fear that this new ferry will receive a rush of accolades that quickly wane as the real situation, warned of in reports dating back to the turn of the century, becomes apparent.
I also think that the propulsion system will come under intense scrutiny long before the life of the vessel is over. Fossil fuel is on the nose and a diesel ferry is little more than an anachronism that is on view to every one of the 400,000 or so tourists who cross it every year.
*Lawrence Mason has lived at Cape Tribulation all his life, and has been involved in farming, timber and tourism. He is a former board member of Tourism Port Douglas Daintree, founding chair of Daintree Marketing Co-operative, and has been a member of both Alexandra Bay and Mossman State High School P&C. He is also a member of the Douglas Chamber of Commerce and has a keen interest in local issues.
The opinions and views in this column are those of the author and author only and do not reflect the Newsport editor or staff.