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Brigade fired up after tanks drained
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Richard Carroll, Closeburn Richard is the author of Turrwan, a fictionalised novel based on the life of colonial settler Tom Petrie and his friendship with the Indigenous people of Moreton Bay in the mid-1800s. The inspiration for Turrwan was… Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences of Early Queensland, written by his daughter Constance and published in 1904. What I find most fascinating about Petrie… His relationship with the Turrbal people which led him to be accepted as one of their own and the fact he was named a “turrwan” (great man). The hardest part of writing a novel based on history… After doing all the research you want to use as much information as you can but the history can get in the way and try to take over from the story. The feeling of seeing my work in print… A sense of achievement at having written and created a novel that entertains as well as educates and contributes to the discussion of Queensland’s history. A book that I return to for repeated readings… The Prophet, by Lebanese writer, artist and philosopher Khalil Gibran, first published in 1923. The best opening line in a novel… “People think blood red, but blood don’t got no colour” from The Book of Night Women by Marlon James. If I could invite any three people to dinner… Dalai Lama, Angelina Jolie and Nelson Mandela. Something many people don’t know about me... Although innocent of any crime, I once spent a week in a Spanish jail while hitchhiking across the country. Away from writing I enjoy… Reading is my favourite pastime, mostly historical fiction, crime and thrillers.
Richard Carroll will give a presentation on Turrwan at Albany Creek Library on 14 September at 10am and the Woodford Library on 18 September at 1.30pm. Book on 3205 0555 or email libraries@moretonbay. qld.gov.au.
razen thieves are compromising the safety of residents in a highrisk bushfire area by stealing water from a volunteer fire brigade. Clear Mountain Rural Fire Brigade plans to install security cameras after its main 38,000L water tank at the station – almost 40 per cent of the brigade’s vital water holdings – was drained dry a fortnight ago. “We were doing a big burn-off and we came back to fill the truck up (with water) at the station and the tank was bone dry,” the Brigade’s First Officer Tim Collingwood said. “One of the other guys had only used it the week before and said there was plenty of water in it then, so all we can surmise is that someone has been flogging it. “It was at least half full so I reckon we lost at least 20,000L out of it. We thought it (theft of water) might have happened last (fire) season too.” As access to town water is limited, Clear Mountain Fire Brigade relies on supplying its own water to minimise the risk in a high-danger bushfire zone. “For our firefighting water supply this is the easiest and the quickest (source to access),” Mr Collingwood said. “Some dams we can get into but it’s all very time consuming… when you
need access to water very quickly. “This is probably one of the highest risk areas in Brisbane because a lot of houses are dotted in amongst what’s called the ‘i-zone’, which is the interface zone between urban and rural areas. “We’ve got a lot of risk with mountainous terrain – fire goes through pretty quickly – and we’ve got a lot of area with a lot of fuel (for bushfires). All the houses along here, with a big bushfire are probably at a great risk.” In July last year firefighters worked for several days to contain a fire in bushland in Clear Mountain and Cashmere after a controlled burn jumped containment lines. Clear Mountain Brigade personnel suspect people with vehicles with bulk water carrying capacity stole its water. Mr Collingwood is disappointed that volunteer organisations dedicated to public safety are targeted by thieves. “Other brigades have been broken into numerous times and had chainsaws and radios and all sorts of gear stolen from out of them,” he said. “For a volunteer organisation it’s just heartbreaking when that sort of stuff happens.” Anyone who notices suspicious activity around rural fire brigade premises are urged to contact police.
Clear Mountain Rural Fire Brigade First Officer Tim Collingwood is disappointed that vital water supplies have been drained from the volunteer brigade’s main water tank in recent weeks.
Competitions DVD COMPETITION
BOOK COMPETITION
From Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald and starring Jude Law, Black Sea is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that centres on a rogue submarine captain who pulls together a misfit crew to seek out a sunken treasure. But as greed and desperation soon take hold on board their claustrophobic vessel, the crew must make an uneasy truce if they hope to make it back to the surface alive. Thanks to Entertainment One, The Westerner has three Black Sea DVDs (RRP $24.95) to give away. For your chance to win tell us for which film did Black Sea director Kevin Macdonald win the Academy Award for Best Documentary – was it Touching the Void, One Day in September or American Movie? Send your answer with your name and contact details to: The Westerner DVD competition, PO Box 5189, Brendale BC, 4500 or email lee@thewesterner.com.au, Attn: DVD competition. Entries close 14 September.
A gripping, white-knuckle novel set in the Antarctic and the muddy fields of the Western Front, Endurance is told through the eyes of Frank Hurley. It tells the story of the real-life hero, photographer, explorer and adventurer, revealing a tantalising portrait of the Australian man behind the photos and documentaries of Ernest Shackleton’s and Douglas Mawson’s famous Antarctic expeditions and images of World War I. Thanks to Allen & Unwin Book Publishers, The Westerner has four copies of Endurance (RRP $29.99) to give away. For your chance to win send your name and contact details to: The Westerner Book Competition, PO Box 5189, Brendale BC, 4500 or email lee@thewesterner.com.au, Attn: Book Competition. Entries close 14 September.
Winners: Insurgent prize packs: D. O’Brien (Mt Samson), K. Williams (Warner), S. Gray (Samford Valley), M. Clegg (Dayboro), A. Van der Maat (Mt Pleasant); Surveillance books: G. Brown (Warner), D. Neaves (Laceys Creek) R. Stewart (Dayboro), A. Campbell (Albany Creek), S. McCombe (Camp Mountain); Holding the Man movie tickets: D. Mullins (Cashmere), S. Blake (Petrie), P. Matheos (Penshurst), H. Varvaressos (North Bondi), M. Enchelmaier (Dayboro); Meat & Sweet book: S. Vanden Berg (Carseldine); Below the Belt book: U. Carres (Joyner).
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