i

iii

WHERE IS YOUR INDIGENOUS CITY

THIS REFLECTS:

CHARACTER & TRUTH IN & ABOUT

THE LAND WATER & SKY OF HOBART.

It is a partial lyrical geographic melody sharing

affection and future for Tasmanians &

Visitors too.

v

DID THEY STOMP ON THE INDIGENOUS VICINITY, THEIR NIBBERLOONE

COUNTRY? DID THEY MOVE FRENETICALLY, TO WALL IN A PLACE LIKE THEIR

OWN BACK HOME, FRIGHTENED BY THE PROXIMITY OF THE BUSH-EDGED

NIGHT SHADOWS, CONSOLIDATING BUILDINGS BASTION-LIKE TO TURN

INWARD TO AVOID OUTWARDLY ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR DISCOURTEOUS

IMPOSITION & STIFLING AWAY EVEN THE BROOKEN BEAUTY OF THE HANDY

CRYSTAL SALTEN ESTUARY CONVENIENT FOR SPEARING & A FROLIC OR

THREE. DID THEY STOMP & BUILD BIT BY BIT UNTIL THE WONDER-COUNTRY IN

LOCALE NO LONGER LIVED CENTRE TOWN – SO THAT MORE & MORE THEY

HAD TO TRAVEL TO FIND SOMETHING LIKE IT & TO MEET THE

MOUHENEENNER THERE WHO MIGHT COURTEOUSLY MIND THEIR CHILDREN

OR TRADE SOME ROO MEAT FOR A DOG.

vii

‘ The writing style in Homartian is like John’s paintings - and I quote the Foreword with a smile in agreement; “a loosely waxed flow of conscious and subconscious expression from the evirons & the mental … lush with psychotropic properties.” Though poetically styled, this book in its journey reminds me of many most pleasant “Homartian” classical music concerts. Somehow both take me to a place in my thoughts, giving me an awareness of beautiful peace, hope & a sense of freedom & dreaming which strengthen my wellbeing. Thankyou to John.’ Sandy Latham PROFESSIONAL MOTHER, WIFE AND KIWITIAN

© Monte John Latham 2013-17

Monte John Latham asserts the moral right to be identified as the creating author of this work,

- WHERE IS YOUR INDIGENOUS CITY

and its composite parts.

All rights are reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy,

recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author.

D e b o x P u b l i c a t i o n s . PUBLICATION DATE: FEBRUARY 2013

TRIM SIZE: 1524_2286 PUBLICATION DATE: February 2013

TITLE: Homartian

NEW SUBTITLE: Where is your Indigenous City TRIM SIZE: 1524_2286

PRINT RUN: December 2016 - Read & clarity adjustments. Indigenous City insert.

ISBN 978-0-646-59530-6

.

Go to bookshops

bookstore.bookpod.com.au amazon.com(first confirm print run)

deboxgeographic@gmail.com

deboxgeographic@gmail.com

ix

For new publisher or distribution enquiry, comment or purchase:

Manager, Debox Publications 16 San Francisco St, Midway Point, Tasmania, Australia 7171

deboxgeographic@gmail.com facebook.com/Homartian

Search: Debox Geographic, Monte John Latham, HouseFandango, Debox Latham Architect

Tasmania; Facebook – Housefandango, Homartian; Slideshare - Indigenous City, Homartian,

All that came before,

in particular this beautiful place

that has suffered and grows …

and the last pound of shelled scallops that

was tendered as fare on the tram to North Hobart.

Robert Vincent: For his ‘feet on the ground’ detailed and colourful

village heritage continuum –

including those scallops.

Jenily Venaglia: For her village contemporary social understandings

and politic, perseverance, wit, wile and her belief in

the value of my goals.

PAINTINGS, COVER, PENCIL & SNAP PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS ARE BY THE AUTHOR

A FEW OF THE IMAGES ARE DRAWN FROM

GENERAL PUBLICATION & OF UNKNOWN SOURCE.

xi

WRITER Son of an electrician and a mother, he grew up part of an unbroken but slightly bruised fully organic homogenous family of seven beginning shortly prior to television in the outer suburbs of a small scenic capital city in Tasmania Australia amid abundant countryside and river coast. After a lengthy professional sojourn in town character and matters urban, he now paints, writes and draws plans in a rural coastal part of home; deep in the ‘archipelago’ immediately south in The Great Southern Land. At times, such as now, his writing is like his painting (facebook.com/Montpaints); a loosely waxed flow of edited conscious and subconscious expression from the evirons & the mental … lush with psychotropic properties.

With wife & five to share he grew further near Hobart, battling its economy with faith in the nurture of familiar locale and this one in particular. No author is an island; rather merely another participant in his archipelago and this one with a participator in Sandy, a very special piece of New Zealand and wife. Certainly the kids are triple A + participators too. He is a dozen older than the picture and Indigenous City is a dozen younger. I hope you enjoy this light hearted and impassioned piece that ties off in the knot of heart-ache.

xiii

HOMARTIAN

WHERE IS YOUR

INDIGENOUS CITY

1. HOMARTIAN

2. INDIGENOUS CITY

3. GLOSSARY

‘TO ENJOY IT BEST ;

LET THE WRITING FLOW ON TO THE END; PUT THE ILLUSTRATIONS ASIDE & COME BACK TO THEM

ON THE SECOND READ.’

xv

1

Homartian

Hear m e Homartians, t h e w r i t i n g

h a n d s t r e e t - s w e e p s o u r p i l l o w c l e a n ,

f o r e a s y - e a r e d s i m p l e t o w n h e a r t s ;

i t m a r r i e s t h o s e w h o b i n d t h e

g r e a t i n f i n i t e i n t e l l i g e n t , r e m e m b e r s

t h e h u g e s w a t h e o f l i t t l e s p a r r o w s ,

n a y m a y b e s t a r l i n g s , p e a k - h o u r

m e l l o w l i g h t e d f l i g h t e v e n i n g

s w e e p i n g t o o t h e D e r w e n t r e s t i n g o n

t h e b r i d g e , w h a l e s c a l v i n g i n h e r

b a y s m a k i n g n o i s e e n o u g h t o k e e p

B a t t e r y P o i n t a w a k e , a b a l o n e a n d

c r a y a t t h e s h o r e a m e r e s t o n e - t h r o w

a w a y , v e r y n e a r t h e c o n v i c t c u t

T o w n H a l l . N o w o o l l e d p u l l o v e r

y o u r m o u n t a i n f a c e . N o k o w t o w t o

1

Blundstone boot-heal broken skin on the Tharkian silken perfect pad cushion plant billiard green moss – photo is not a cushion plant however - hundreds of years in the growing, serious affront across its perfect stone companion.

R E F E R G L O S S A R Y :

B l u n d s t o n e , G o n d w a n i c ,

T h a r k i a n ,

t e s t o s t e r r o n i o u s

c o n n e c t o r , d o l l a r - r i g h t …

f i n i t e c u r r e n c y d i s g r a c e ; d i r t y f o o t e d

i n t r u s i o n B l u n d s t o n e b o o t - h e a l

b r o k e n s k i n o n t h e T h a r k i a n s i l k e n

p e r f e c t - p a d c u s h i o n p l a n t , b i l l i a r d

g r e e n m o s s h u n d r e d s o f y e a r s i n t h e

g r o w i n g , s e r i o u s a f f r o n t a c r o s s i t s

p e r f e c t s t o n e c o m p a n i o n p r e s e n c e

s o a k i n g m o r n i n g s u n f o r e o n s

s h e l t e r e d f r o m t h e w e l l t r a v e l l e d

w e s t e r n w i n d s , g r a f i t t i e d s o m e t h i n g

a k i n a s h a m e f u l l y w a r p e d

t e s t o s t e r r o n i o u s c o n n e c t o r m a k i n g

1

red-green-amber….. h u n d r e d s o f y e a r s i n t h e g r o w i n g , s e r i o u s

a f f r o n t a c r o s s i t s p e r f e c t s t o n e c o m p a n i o n

1

o b s c e n e c o n t a c t w i t h t h i s a w e . N o

t o c l o u d i n g t h e G o n d w a n i c b e a u t y ,

s e n d i n g s t a l w a r t t h e s t o n e y t r a ce r y

o f w i n d s am i l l i o n awo n de r

a r i c h ne s s o f o l d o l d o l d l i c h e n

g r e e n s a l l k i n d a a s t a n d i n g a l o o k i n g -

a t u s a s w e a s c e n d o r g a z e f r o m o u r

l o u n g e - n o t a w a i t i n g s o m e c a b l e d

i m p o s t a t p r i m e p i n n a c l e d o l l a r .

Y e s n o ; f o r o u r v i b r a n t c h a r a c t e r o f

p l a c e , s m a l l h h o m a r t i a n , s i m p l y

s i t t i n g o v e r y o n d e r , l o o k i n g b a c k a t

t h e s o m e t i m e s d e e p b l u e s l i g h t l y

h a z e d d o l l a r - r i g h t s t o n e c a r d b o a r d

3

c u t o u t a g a i n s t t h e s k y , s o m e t i m e s

l u s h g l i s t e n i n g w i t h w e t t e d S p r i n g

u n b u s h b u r n t f o r f i f t y y e a r s , t r a d i n g

c l o u d s h a d o w s m o t t l i n g m o v e m e n t

a s c e n d f o o t h i l l t o f o o t h i l l ; a v e r y

p r i v i l e g e d c l o s e f i n i t e d i s t a n c e f r o m

t h e r e d - g r e e n - a m b e r b e e p - b e e p -

b e e p e l e c t r o n i c a b s t r a c t s o f o u r

u r b a n e p i l l o w . W a r m b l u e s k y p u r e

a i r a n c i e n t m o s s w i n d w h i s t l e d

e r o s i o n i n d u s t r i a l s i l e n c e j u x t a p o s e d

w i t h C o l l i n s i n t e r s e c t i n g M u r r a y

a r u s h a b r m m m - a n d N o r t h H o b a r t

C e n t r a l a t e a s e . N a y i n f a c t n o

d i s t a n c e a t a l l , f o r t h a t m o u n t a i n ’ s

t o e n a i l s a r e c l i p p e d r i g h t h e r e a t t h e

S a l a m a n c a q u a r r y a n d d i s p l a y

c r a b s AT HOME ON BATTERY POINT TOENAILS red-green-amber…..

h u n d r e d s o f y e a r s i n t h e g r o w i n g s t o n e c o m p a n i o n

5

g n a r l e d a n d w a s h e d b y t h e s a l t y

r i v e r , g i v i n g g r i t t y h o m e s t o

i n d i v i d u a l c r a b s a n d o t h e r s – b u t

o n l y i f t h e r e o u r c h i l d r e n c a n k n o w

a s t h e y w a l k t h e b i t u m e n b o t t o m o f

S t r e e t C a n y o n , b l i n k e r e d t o o b y

p o l e d w i r e s , e x h a u s t , b r a k e - s h o e

d u s t , t r o u s e r l e g s a n d s i g n s … o n l y

i f t h e c h i l d r e n c a n s e e t h r o u g h t h i s .

P i l l o w v i t a l i s e d i n a t a n n i n

t o u c h e d p u r e c r y s t a l l i n e r a i n g r o u n d

b r e w f r o m h e r c h i l l c o n d e n s a t i o n s

b e f o r e t h e y m e e t t h e n i b b e r l o o n e

Rosella in a Regnans gum near the hole in the mall 18o4 – by

Mont

INCARNATION: Wellington Bridge

1

O

O

O

SPIRIT IN THIS MALL – by Mont (albeit damaged)

1

b r i n e . F i g h t i n g f o u l e x c r e m e n t w h e r e

w e d r e w d r i n k i n g w a t e r ; f a l l i n g i l l -

k n o w i n g n o t w h y . Y e t g l o r i o u s f i r e

g l o w s o n t h e b r o w n e y e s a s t h e e y e s ’

h a n d s , c o m f o r t a b l e g n a r l e d k i t c h e n

t o e n a i l s i n t h e l e a f c r u n c h s o i l , t u r n

i n t h e c o a l s a h u g e d o l l a r - f r e e

c r a y f i s h g r a b b e d i n s h a l l o w d i v e t w o

h u n d r e d s t e p s a w a y . T h a t s a m e g l o w

r e f l e c t i n g f r o m b l u e e y e s , a w a k e n i n g

a p a l e m a n ’ s s l e e p i n g p a l l i d

i n d i g e n u i t y – a p a l e m a n ’ s

i n d i g e n u i t y . C a n h i s h a n d s t u r n h e r e

s u c h a c r a y , n a y n o t t o d a y : y e t

E l i z a b e t h M a l l , i n s t r a n g e , i s m o r e

p e d e s t r i a n a f f a b l e t h a n t h e s o c a l l e d

‘ b a s t a r d s c r u b ’ i n t h i s p l a c e t h r o u g h

w h i c h t h e q u e e n ’ s s h i p ’ s s u r v e y o r

h a c k e d m a c h e t e - p r u n e d a l a r g e

f e l l e d e u c a l y p t l o g - b r i d g i n g t h a t

c r y s t a l l i n e f l o w . T h a t l o g a m e r e

l i m b i n c o m p a r i s o n t o t h e t a l l e s t o f

t a l l t a l l y e s t a l l , t h e R e g n a n s g u m s

g r o w n , g r o w n , w a t e r e d a n d g r o w n

r i g h t h e r e . T h a t l o g a f i r s t s t i t c h i n

t h e r o a d t o L a u n c e s t o n ; a n d t h e

1

t

a

l

l

e

s

t

o

f

t

a

l

l

t

a

l

l

y

e

s

t

a

l

l

g

u

m

s

1

c r y s t a l l i n e f l o w - e v e n t u a l l y

n u i s a n c e a n d s o d e a l t w i t h b y t h e

H o m a r t i a n c i v i l e n g i n e e r ; c o v e r e d

d r a i n s , f l o w d i v e r s i o n , g o n e b u r i e d ,

b r u t a l i s e d , m o d i f i e d , c o l l e c t i n g n e w

s t o r m d r a i n s f r o m e v e r y w h i c h w a y .

T h i s m o u n t a i n - b o r n b r o o k s g a v e u p

t h e i r g h o s t s : b a b b l i n g b r o o k b u r i e d ,

t o w n p a v e m e n t s s e e k i n g l e v e l w a l k s

l a y o v e r t h e n a p e y u n d u l a t i o n s ,

r i v e r b a n k s , o v e r h a n g i n g t r e e s , b i r d s ,

r e f l e c t i o n s , y a b b i e s , d r i n k i n g f a u n a .

T o d a y l i k e l y w i l l n o t s e e d o z e d w i d e

1

From raindrops to trickle flow: up where the trout dare not go .. .. m o u n t a i n - b o r n

b r o o k g a v e u p i t s g h o s t a t t h e e n d

G L O S S A R Y : ley lines, convict camp

1

Some brave little mountain fern shaking their fist in the hole in the mall where the buried brook today dribbles through seeming starved of its groundwater

a s w a t h e o f r e a l e s t a t e ; i t t o e x h u m e

f o r t h e c h i l d r e n t o s e e . I f o n l y t h e y

c o u l d s i m p l y s e e . F r e e t h e l e y l i n e s

f r o m o u r k e r b s a n d g u t t e r s , r e m o v e t h e

t r a f f i c f i n e s f r o m o u r r i g h t e o u s

m a n o e u v r e s , l o o s e t h e w o m b a t s i n o u r

c i t y g r i d s a n d t i g e r s n a k e s i n t o t h e

c a b l e c a r , d e l i v e r y o u r f o o d o f f

l i m b s a n d w i l d , b r e a k t h e t h r e e

p l a n e d c o r n e r s i n o u r r o o m , a f r e e d

m o t o r c y c l e g e t s y o u t o t h e k i t c h e n ,

l o o s e t h e e l e c t r i c s p i r i t t h r o u g h t h e

o n e s p a c e b e t w e e n u s a l l , m a k e

3

o b s o l e t e t h e i t e m i s e d r e g u l a t i o n ,

b r i n g a l i v e u n a f f l i c t e d m u t u a l i t y a n d

g u n g - h o j o y , b r i n g i n a b l a s t o f

s p i r i t - c o s m o s t o m a r r y t h e s n o w y

w h i t e c a d a s t e r e d c u b e w i t h g n a r l

s m a r t e n e d e a r t h e n m e l a l e u c a l i m b ,

t o p l a n i t a l l t o g e t h e r u n d e r a w i s e

e t e r n a l p l a n a n d l e a r n t h e u l t r a - v i t a l

h e a r t - p u l s i n g c r u x o f w h y a n d h o w a

w o man l o v e s o ne man s u ch t h a t

t h e w o r t h o f a s m a l l b o x o f

c h o c o l a t e s m u s t b e m o r e t h a n h e r

m a n ' s m o s t a m b i t i o u s p l a n , a t i n y

g o s s a m e r - b u i l t t h r e a d o f w e b a n d a

p u l s e o f c u t t l i n g c o l o u r c a n e m b r a c e

a n d r a p t u r e a s t e e l e n c a b l e b u t

t h e r e ' s n e ' e r t h e t i m e t o s a y s o i n t h e

p a r l i a m e n t n o r t h e k i t c h e n . I n

u n d u t i f u l l y s h a p e d m o m e n t u m ,

i n t e r n a l i s i n g i n c r e m e n t b y b i t ,

d e e p e r g o o u r c i t i z e n s g r e a t a n d

m e r e a s t a l l e r c h i l d r e n , i n t e r n a l i s e ,

i n t e r n a l i s e , i n t e r n a l i s e , p l a s t e r e d

w a l l s , w a l l s , c o v e d c o r n i c e , c o r n e r

h e r e t u r n t h e r e s t r a i g h t a l o n g

t h r o u g h a d o o r , o ’ r h e a d w i r e s s i g n s

1

Three planed corner – usually internal & seen at the ceiling. Once

unknown to prehomartians. One of peoplekind’s most significant creations; the corners seem to counterplace the circular belt of sky that blends with the horizon below it and the dome of the heavens above.

1

a d v e r t s s t a r b l o c k i n g l a m p s ,

p a v e m e n t s s t i f l e n a t u r e ’ s p h y s i c a l

b r e a t h , u n ’ r f o o t c o n c r e t e s l a b .

U n ’ r f o o t t h y a l a c i n e s t o o l , h o m e

t h r i v e s o u t o f n a t u r e , b e c o m e s

c u l t u r a l f i r s t , … n a t u r a l s e c o n d …

m o r e s o n a t u r a l s e c o n d ; s o n a t u r e i s

s a t - o n i n t h e p r e s u m p t i o n o f h u g e

a b u n d a n c e i n t h e b u s h . T h e

e c o l o g i c a l c h i c k e n s c o m e h o m e t o

r o o s t i n t h e e n v e l o p e d o f f i c e s o f t h e

s p r a w l i n g b l a n k e t , k o s h e r f a s h i o n s .

K n o c k , k n o c k … w e k n o w y o u ’ r e

1

1

h o m e m o t h e r o f H o m a r t , p u l s i n g i n

b i o l o g i c a l , c u l t u r a l a n d g e o l o g i c a l

p a s s i o n s , g r a s p i n g ; p u s h i n g i t s f i s t

u p t h r o u g h e v e r y c r a c k i n t h e

a s p h a l t e d s o c i o f o o t p a t h . A n a s s w a s

o u r H o m a r t i a n p o l i t i c : e v e n n o w w i l l

i t w a l k o ’ r i t s o w n p e o p l e ’ s p a l m

f r o n d s t o f a c e t h e o p e n s l a t h e r o f

s u s p e c t i n g s o c i e t y , w a r p e d b y s h a r p

w i t t r a i n e d a t i t b y s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t s

a n d s o t h e r e s o l u t i o n f o r a c t i on i s

n o t w ho l l y b r i l l i an t . S u c h a p o l i t i c

w o n ’ t b e l i t t e r i n g t h e h e a v e n l y

1

1

Spirit in this fire-roasted spud

f r e e d o m s , i n s p i r a t i o n a n d t h a t m i s t y

b l u e d a y t i m e c o v e r i n g t h e s t a r s u p

t h e r e , n o r i n t h e n i g h t i m e t o o t h e

t i m e l e s s g n a r l y m a g m a a n d w a t e r

g e o m o r p h u n ’ r f o o t c o v e r i n g t h e s t a r s

b ’ l o w a n d o ’ c o u r s e t o o t h e y ’ r e o f f t o

s i d e a l l a r o u n d . W h a t f u t u r e , ‘ t w e e n

t h e u p p e r a n d l o ’ e r s t a r s , o f o u r

a r c h i p e l a g o t r e a s u r e , h u n d r e d s o f

i s l a n d s c u r r e n t l y c a l l e d e n -

c o n g l o m e r a t e ‘ T a s m a n i a ’ , l e a v i n g t h e

b i g g e s t o f t h e m b a r e o f a n ame o f

1

This is what it might have looked like from Criterion Street looking by the future Town Hall site to where the

buried brook met the Derwent … possibly should have been a few Regnans painted in. Painting by Mont

1

i t s o w n a n d s o a l l t h e s w e e t e r o f

f r a g r a n c e . W h a t f u t u r e i t s t o w n s ,

o n c e c l e a v e d d e e p l y i n t i m a t e w i t h

i d e n t i t y - n u r t u r i n g l o c a l p l a c e

b o u n t y ; a m o u n t a i n t o s u m m i t a n d a

f o o t y m a t c h w i t h t h e H u o n v i l l i a n -

c h i l d r e n o f a b o a t - l o a d o f I r i s h

w o m e n . W h a t f u t u r e i s t h e r e w h e r e

t h e t o w n c e n t r e g r o w s a n d k i n d a

t h r i v e s i n i t s d i r t y o l ’ s t y l e o v e r t o p

t h e o l d c o n v i c t c a m p , b u t o n l y w h i l e

c h o k i n g i t m u c h l y a w a y .

T h e t o w n - l i m i t s a n d t h e

This is what it might have looked like from ‘Stowell’ at Stowell Avenue

looking over the Salamanca warehouses to the Domain; there is a

wedgetailed eagle just flew out of the picture. The cappacino sits at

Elizabeth Wharf..

3

s h e - o a k e d r o s e l l a s a l w a y s

n e a r e n o u g h ; t h e o l d

H o m a r t i a n s g r e w k n o w i n g - n o t t o n o t

g l a z e a w a y w i t h t h e i r b o d i l y

f l u i d i t i e s t h e w o n d e r o f t h i s p l a c e ,

b a s i c a l l y c a r e l e s s t h a t a c c i d e n t a l l y

s o m e o f t h i s p l a c e d i d r e m a i n i n

t o w n . C a m p e r s , s h a c k i e s , e c o -

d e v e l o p e r s , i n d u s t r y ; m a k i n g

i n t i m a t e l y d e t a i l e d d e v e l o p m e n t

l i m i t s , e p i d e r m i s t r a n s i t i o n s t o f r e e

w i l d w o n d e r ; m a k e s o m e b o l d l y

s t r u c t u r e d p r o p o s a l s . U n e a r t h t h e

1

… ENOUGH SAID; KEEP IT IN PLACE

1

s p i r i t a t l e a s t o f t h e b u r i e d

c r y s t a l l i n e f l o w , f r e e i n g i t t o t h e

c h i l d r e n . S h a r e w i t h o t h e r s a n d

c h e r i s h C a r l t o n ’ s b l u f f f o r i t s n a t u r e

s i m p l y b e i n g i n a c o n v e n i e n t p l a c e

a n d S e v e n M i l e ’ s h i l l a n d

S n u g ’ s b l u f f t o o . I n b u i l d i n g a n 8 t h

W o n d e r , e n h a n c e o u r 1 s t , t h e

G o n d w a n i a n t r e a s u r e i s l a n d s t o

w h i c h b l i n d l y a n d f a i n t o f h e a r t w e

r e f e r a s ‘ t h e S t a t e ’ b u t r e a l l y

m e a n i n g H o m a r t i a n s , D u n a l i e n s ,

C o r i n n i a n s t o o , i n a w e s o m e p l a c e ;

Carlton Bluff – by Mont. Carlton; once a treasured homartian shack getaway, today a short journey from the capital city.

GLOSSARY: S e v e n M i l e ’ s

h i l l , S n u g D u n a l i e n s ,

C o r i n n i a n s , C a r l t o n .

3

i m m u n e f r o m S t a t e a r e o u r i s l a n d s

a n d w a t e r s o u r h o m e a n d p r i m a r y

p o t a t o p a t c h - a f o r e w o r d b y G o d .

H o m a r t i a n s c u l t i v a t e f r a m e - o f - m i n d ,

f r a m e - u p c u l t i v a t i o n o f p l a c e ,

d i s c r e t i o n a r y r e s p o n s e s , c o m m o n

s e n s e . F a c e t h e l i m i t s , o i l e d

e p i d e r m i s u n s c a t h e d a n d d o i n g t h a t

n o w ; d o e s t h e b o u n d a r y t o

s t a r v a t i o n o n e d a y f a c e r i g h t a b a c k

a l o o k i n g a g a w k i n g – t h e r a t i o n i n g o f

e n e r g y h a v i n g b e e n m e r e l y a f o o l i s h

n e g l i g e n t w o o l - o v e r . T h i s H o m a r t i a n

Our grotty little heart up, Cascades in company with a buried brook.

5

v i l l a g e i s a w e s o m e i n t h e h i g h s p o t s ,

g l o s s i e s , i n t e r i o r s a n d e p h e m e r a l

v i t a l i t i e s ; b u t I l o n g t h e r e f o r d e e p

j u n g l e i n m y e p h e m e r a … a n d d e s e r t

t o o ; I s o a k - u p t h e v a g u e d i s t a n t

d e e p o c e a n a n d i c y w i l d e r n e s s

r e t u r n i n g t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n l i k e

f u l f i l l i n g c a m p i n g . M y b e s t o f h o m e s

a l w a y s r e q u i r e s t h a t t i n g l y a w e o f

t h e l i k e s o f s l e e p i n g u n d e r s t a r s e n

p l e i n a i r e n r o o t e d g r o u n d w a r m e d

b y s t a r s a n d m a g m a b e l o w ,

a w a k e n i n g b y t h e v i l l a g e r i v e r , o f f

The hole where the fern shakes its fist.

t o t r a f f i c l e s s w o r k n e a r b y , h o m e

h a p p y g n o m e r a t h e r n o t f u m e

1

d e p l e t e d . E t e r n a l e p h e m e r a l

h a n d c r a f t e d c o u n t r y v i l l a g e m a k i n g

1

u s e o f t h e c r e a t i o n s o f t h e b i g b i g

c i t i e s a n d i n a b i g b i g c l e a v e t h e t w o

m u s t f l o w f l o w t o g e t h e r l i t t l e

b a c k y a r d b i g p o l i t i c s .

F o c u s t h e n u r t u r e ; w i l d n a t u r a l f r e s h

a n d b r i n e y e s t u a r y - a n a t u r a l

e d i f i c e l a p p i n g n e a r y o u r h e a r t , t i n y

p r e t t y c i t y , t i c k l i n g t h e t o e s o f a n

o p p o s i t e n a t u r a l e d i f i c e - a

h i l l h i p p e d m o u n t a i n . T w e e n t h e t w o ,

s a t i n t h e r e , h a n d m a c h i n e - b u i l t

s m i t e s i n g r o w i n g m a n y o f o u r o w n

a n d b l i n d i n g t h e m w i t h d e a d a i r ,

1

This is what it might have looked like from Hunter Island before it was named such looking

through the future Customs House … certainly should have been numerous tall Regnans painted in.

Picture courtesy of Anaya who at 5 y/o offered me 40cents for this picture while the paint was wet.

1

There should be the tall Regnans trees in this too, but then Kananyi likely wouldn’t be visible; this

from down Wapping way from the street in behind the Roberts building looking to Wellington bridge

at Elizabeth Mall. Don’t know how the old tyre got there, no rubber in those days.

p l a s t i c , s t u n n e d m i n d s , f l u o r e s c e n t

l i g h t s an d b o r i n g p l a i n

e x p r e s s i o n s o f e c o n o m i c p r i o r i t y .

T h a t ’ s t h e q u a n d a r y o f H o m a r t i a n -

s u l l i e d n a t u r e . T h e p o p u l a t i o n i s

n o t a s p u r e a s c r y s t a l l i n e w a t e r

f l o w . Cu l tu r e t h a t s po i l s ou r

c u l tu r e - po l i t i c s we de se r ve .

C amp e r s u n i t e . H a v e t h e p l a n n e r s

f o r g o t y a s ! ! ? M ’ s w e e t i e m ’ d a u g h t a

f e w d a y s u p t h e c o a s t ; y ’ k n o w t h e

s c e n e , e x u b e r a n t e x h i l a r a t e d p r i m a l

w a r r i o r u n l e a s h e d , g o o d o l d

1

1

f a s h i o n e d n a m e l e s s - i s l a n d c a m p i n g ;

n o t l i k e l y f o r g o t t e n : j u s t s m a l l

i n c r e m e n t s : -

v e h i c l e b a r r i e r l o g s m o v e d i n ; f i r s t

p h a s e h e r i t a g e b a r r i e r , s m e l l y

t o i l e t s , c o m m e r c i a l m a n a g e m e n t a l l

f i r e b a n n e d c a r a v a n e n c o u r a g e d . T h e

p a l e o f o u r o f f i c e - s t u n n e d c o u l d l o v e

i t . P e r h a p s m y s t e r i o u s n e i g h b o u r s

o v e r a c ce s s w i l l p r e s i de ; l e a v i n g a

t h i n s t r i p f o r i l l e g a l c a m p i n g . A l l

j u s t p o e t i c p o l i t i c r e s p o n s e t o

1

1

p i g g i e s l e a v i n g l i t t l e f l y - r i d d e n

p a p e r s t r e a m e d p a t s i n c r e m e n t a l

e x c r e m e n t s b l e n d e d w i t h b r o k e n b e e r

g l a s s a n d j u n k , a e s t h e t i c a n d

c h o l e r i c f o u l i n g t o a n y c r y s t a l l i n e

r i v u l e t w h i l e w e l o o k t o c a m p i n g

h e r i t a g e i n h e a l t h y c o m m u n i t y

l i f e s t y l e a r o u n d a c r a y e d f i r e n o t a

g a s l a m p n o t a p i x e l . S a v e o u r s o u l

o u r c a m p i n g h e r e o u r p o t a t o e s f o r

s u r e - c h a r r e d c o a l c o o k e d j a c k e t s o r

1

1

s t a i n l e s s s t e e l mas h , h mmh m m .

N u r t u r e ou r s u b u r b a n i n t e r i o r

l o u n g e r o o m s t o o , i n c o m m u n i t y a n d

c o u n t r y s i d e , k e y t o h e a l t h y

e v e r y t h i n g ; e l a t i o n b y i n d i v i d u a l

a n d s h a r e d o w n e r s h i p a n d r i g h t f u l

p l a c e i s t h e c a b l e - f r e e p i n n a c l e o f

o u r p o l i t i c . C o u r t e o u s n a m e l e s s -

i s l a n d e r c o u n t r y b o d i e s a g r e e a n y

h o u s e h o l d e r b e i n g i n c o n v e n i e n c e d

b y i n n o c e n t s o c i o - p o l i t i c r e c e i v e s

c o m p e n s a t i o n o f p e r s o n a l p u b l i c

a p o l o g y a t l e a s t .

1

Old man River (the Domain grandstand would block Betsy & south Arm there) by Mont

1

L a n d - i n t e r v e n t i o n m o m e n t a t a n g l e

v a l u e s d i f f e r e n t t o t o d a y ’ s ; B r i t i s h

B u l l d o g g r a n t s a n d c l a s s -

c o n s c i o u s n e s s l a i d o v e r t h e w a y s o f

t h e l i k e s o f w o o l l y h e a d e d e n d e m i c

b r o w n m a n K i n g B i l l y a n d t h o s e o f

h i s c o u s i n k i n d w h o l i v e d i n t h i s ,

t h e i r N i b b a l o o n i c l o c a l e . A l l t h i s a

p a r t o f t h e d i v e r s e v a l u a b l e s , s o c i a l ,

h i s t o r i c , m i n e r a l , a e s t h e t i c ,

u n t o u c h a b l e , h o n o u r a b l e o r w h a t e v e r

- o w n e d a s p l a c e b y l o c a l

1

1

c o m m u n i t y ; a l l t h i s i s s u p r e m e .

L o c a l o w n e r s h i p w i t h p o l i t i c a l

s u p r e m a c y i s m o d i f i e d b y

a g r e e m e n t s i n r e g i o n s a n d b e y o n d .

P r o p e r l y f u n d a m e n t a l l y y o u r y a r d -

n o t y o u r f e d e r a t i o n - b e a t s t h e h e a r t

o f h e a l t h i e s t c o m m u n i t y .

H o m a r t i a n s w e e p t h e p i l l o w g l o b a l

c o m p l e m e n t a r y a m i d l o c a l v i l l a g e

a l w a y s f r e e o f o r g o n e d a m p i n g

w a r p e d t e s t o s t e r o n i c c o n n e c t i o n .

S l o w t h e M c D o n o - c a b l e o v e r - r i d e .

1

G L O S S A R Y : N i b a l u n i c ,

M e l a l e u c a , K i n g B i l l y ,

B u l l d o g , P r a n a , o r g o n e ,

M c D o n o e t c

Stand yourself at the top of Kelly’s Step and cast your mind back to one ripper dawn blazing light onto

that hunter Island and lifting the shallows that lie towards the Parliament gardens.

Sunlight courtesy of …

1

S o m e d o i n g s a r e s i g n i f i c a n t t o t h e

w h o l e o f t h e i s l a n d s ; a l l a f f e c t s o m e

s m a l l l o c a l e a n d s o a r e r e g i o n a l l y

s i g n i f i c a n t a n d o f l o c a l i n t i m a c y ; t h e

h e a l t h i e s t w a y - l o c a l c u l t u r a l

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s s u i t i n g f i n e l y f o r

h o m e i n t e r a c t i v i t i e s a n d v i s i t i n g

V i s i t a r t i o n s . A v o c a d o ? . . . n o t h a n k s

j u s t h a d o n e ; T r i a b u n n a t h e n , n o

j u s t h a d a b a g e l . L o u n g e s u p r e m e

u p - t o - t h e - m i n u t e k e y b o a r d

1

1

e v a l u a t i o n s i n H o m a r t i a n v o i c e s a t

h o m e .

P e e l o f f t h e w r a p p e r , h o p e i t ’ s a

l i q u e u r , p o p o n e i n t h e p o c k e t f o r a

s t r e e t b o r n s o u l ; o r a r e y o u a l i e n -

p e r h a p s n o t s o m u c h n o w h a v i n g

e a s y - e a r e d t h i s v o i c e o f p i l l o w -

s w e e p i n g t y p e , b u t i f y o u h a v e t o

l e a v e c a n w e c o m e t o o ; a w a y f r o m

t h i s q u i e t l i t t l e t o w n , e v e n t h i s

n a m e l e s s i s l a n d w h e r e t h e g u m m y

s h e - o a k c o l o u r g r e e n s h a n g i n s l o w

m o v i n g t i m e s h a p e a n d m e r g e f o r t h e

1

GLINT ON THE HORIZON – by Mont

3

p o e t s e y e a c r o s s t h e g e n t l i s h o c h r e d

g r a s s h i l l s c a w i n g w i t h d e e p b l a c k

c r o w s ; ‘ t h a a a r t h a a r k t h a r k ’ t h e y

c a w c a a w f r e s h e n e d b y t h e

l i g h t e n i n g g r e e n l o r i k e e t s f l i r t i n g

s w e e p t h e d a p p l e d l i m b s f l o w n i n

w a t t l e t o c a s u a r i n a f r o m t h e d e e p

d e e p h e a r t a w a y f r o m t h e s e a n e s t l e d

i n c r a c k l i n g b a r k g r o u n d l i t t e r a

b l u e t o n g u e l i z a r d i n s h e l t e r e d

h o l l o w p r o b a b l y u n a w a r e o f t h e

p r a h n a f r o m M e l a l e u c a a n d f a r a w a y

i c e c o n t i n e n t .

P r a h n a W a f t i n g f r o m M e l a l e u c a – by Mont

J u s t l i k e w e q u i e t H o m a r t i a n , m i n d -

a n t e n n a e w i t h d r a w n h a l f c o n s c i o u s

o f b u t i n f a c t e n j o y i n g t h e e n e r g i e s

f r o m a n A n t a r c t i c s t o r m l a p p i n g t h e

l o c a l b e a c h n e a r t h e i c e c r e a m s h o p ,

p r e f e r r i n g y o u r c o u n t r y r o o t s ,

l o v i n g o u r i n d u s t r i a l a n t e n n a e .

B e i n g r o w i n g d o i n g

$∑

7

This is how it might have appeared looking to that

island from where the Lord mayor now sits. It shows

albeit crudely the rocky ‘Rock Hop’ connection to shore

which underpinned the causeway they built … to

become the umbilical and indeed the source of

Macquarie Street.

.

T h e T h a r k

The

thaaaarrrrkked

Dolersaurus .

.

1

Indigenous

City

Well … here we are … and

there we were. Among it are a

pair of feet tune tuned like unto

ear drums to the ground

listening

and feeling the ephemeral familiars

and the new events heralding.

The feet unclad, well travelled callous and easily

reflexed to stealth health and fun above the soils

and leaf crunch of a well-watered territory of

awesome multiseason dynamics jeweled with

living intrinsic, wafting in air, currents, rustles,

bubbles and nothing missing. Nothing missing.

Maybe another abalone shellfish … yes, that

would make the family happier after a long

journey back south. A taller island walker, eyes

lofty above an ant scurrying over a mountainous

big toe, not only standing but being at a stage of

his motion and sweaty from pursuit of a furred

food, is present on sloping land at the edge of a

swathe of tea-tree scrub beside a pure brook that

was far wider than his leap potential. To the side,

glassy flowed reflections of tall tall trees lightly

swaying at the tips way up there in the breeze

bearing prahna from vast ocean westage carrying

through to the much loved east. His eyes are

seeing currently north-east across the tidal brook

estuary - which is shared by another small brook

entering from the far side - past well rooted aged

deep blue green brown gnarly baked trees

casuarinas fronded. An eagle bird settles talons

into a salmon fish near a shore distant even by

rudimentary canoe, across a respectable river

flowing increasingly deep and itself engrossed in

the salty flavor of the sea. Close in his gaze is a

small island by which the bracken brook waters

joined that salted deep. He could shimmy across

the brook bank, along the wet flattish sandspit and

rock-hop across there to join the family, old and

young breasted and chested smiled and

disgruntled, at the treasured fire brought by

ember stick from immemorial intergenerational

elsewhere.

Being here is beautiful, relating it to other parts, a

day, five days, a moon away around and back; all

of which he knows well. He feels it, he doesn’t

think it – not at all … he doesn’t read – words …

no idea. He stood firm a moment unaware to

interpret the vast amount of what his feet could

hear, enlivened through elder, brother and

neighbour stories of huge canoes with pale people

of other tongues at the ocean edges - behind the

local worms, minerals and mountain echoes -

emanating from an antipodean activity where two

numbed leather-clad feet stood dead deaf on a

squashed cockroach. These deaf feet’s ears up on

their hatted head hear the rhythmic lapping of

brine indeed on ocean-ready planked hull. There

are gull birds there too, but additionally on shore

is immense peopled activity and among it his

family is swaddled in and among many small

townhouses allowing only smaller squares of

sunlight and one-sided fire. The eyes everywhere

in these vaguely title-boundaried built ownerships

are absorbed in skyblocked constructed

cupboards, hot plates, pump taps, oil lamps,

constructed seats and beds and tables – all secured

by shelters of cooked clay and sawn nailed wood.

The earth here at the other side is further stifled

under the leathered feet by constructed floor,

required against the soil exposed, with its

domestic issues, by trampling on virgin grass a

generation ago. Stifled and missing here; as the

pavement grows the consensus view notices

nothing missing. A molecule of smoke blown up

down and round from the southern ocean finds

thunderstruck company with that belching from

coalfired chimneys among thousands of houses

and tooled workplaces stores and market places

all of fixed abode. And clothes; seeking washing

machines to free them from smelly sweat and

washboard wear. There they were …. well on their

way … ahoot and hey hey. Something has made

them well on the way to solar cells, extended

leisure, reading screens and optic conduits …. all

will spring from an earthy heart, continent or

island. But not all earthy beginnings find attention

to such things. Maybe it’s King Billy’s cousin by

marriage standing firm a while longer on the

brookbank near this tiny island off an island.

Through his feet came no comprehension that the

hand of that land of the bustling city was about to

clasp his own - we trust so and as it should - in

this raw natural territory of firm notional

boundaries securing hunting, people & personal

effects among and across a territorial but unowned

common land. The hand arrived, moons later in a

gripping of crew assistance in crossing a plank of

English oak from a boggling huge canoe with

white flapping wings of recent, he’d heard,

moored upflow in the salty river, onto that island,

shored conveniently steep & deep – the family

camp, now elsewhere up the little brook but only

two minutes by worn track and the

mouheneennan people swiftfeet and in sight of the

old little island-camp’s biodegrading coals and

shells. There was no comprehension but his feet

always remembered that spot on that bank in their

nibberloone country. The spot was and remains

locally pivotal between the big river, the two little

ones, the little island, little toe of the kananyi

mountain and the nape in which he later camped;

there were fossils gondwanian and they remain

there now. There were shells and bone, stone-

shaped on the far east ocean edge and brought

home and the ground’s all but invisible patina of

pattering listening feet large and small, busy and

leisurely – mostly all still there in our today

resting all covered and changed and shifted.

This teller knows you know the story of how if he,

our man, was still standing in that spot, the hand

that should and may well have extended

eventually would have buried him to his thighs

with stone fill drawn from his nearby echoing

patina-ladened playground, capped with cream

coloured macadam rock from elsewhere and more

eventually again with a hands depth of bitumen

layered hardstand from God knows where and on

top of that a grotty black soot from automotive

brake shoes. In there too came an exciting moment

when an imported working elephant let go a faecal

pat, opening thought and freshening the broader

nature. There he’d be standing in the shiftings of

time, no idea of the sign ‘Campbell Street’ in front

of a huge high face of biscuit-coloured brick

casting shadow and blocking blue clouded

birdways and looking for much taller company.

The biscuit brick was broken by the elephant’s

tailed stern as it penetrated the brick on its way

along the macadam causeway. Our man’s spine

shivered a little as he stood there clinging to his

home and the rock-hop across to the little island –

it had grown, the rockhop, or rather it had been

sat upon with manually relocated local rocks to

make easy walk and carriage from that flapping

planked vessel to the flapping canvassed humpies

in a place being cleared of she-oak up on the rise;

all under the name of some key person,

antipodean and not even anywhere near here –

and under the captains hat felty and folded.

Nothing at all like mudded dreadlock, wallaby

skin or sea salted black curls. At his left the

sparkling brook was grotted and buried to become

a bustling delighted market place and then a city

hall (with capitals ha) … and snappy little domes

on the corners. Over his shoulder a colorful little

pub and over the other, the new ‘government’

built their port’s waterside interiors – leaving

today a little patch of the actual original

brookbank shining through gasping for air; for it

lived down there. Directly behind him and aligned

to the rockhop runs a bitumen ribbon named

macquarie street, with capitals and with white

thermoplastic markings, traffic lights and concrete

edging and trucks and mind warping coloured car

forms running through him and onward by the

biscuit coloured morning-sky-blocking bricked

interiors. That big box full of rooms where people

would go and then come and go to other interiors

and cars and buses all blinkered, at least three

quarters blinkered, conditioned and even blinded

by the trap of interior that has grown, being rooted

in the discovery of ironsteel, in old London town

stamped like an ink stamp cloning an odd

phenomenon over the natural awe here in

unviolated unsullied gondwanian raw. His spine

shivered and his feet never forgot that spot and

never listened to the woolen rugs in the govenor’s

office though he’d heard of tribal elsewheres south

where his kind had supped with the like, only to

be painfully ruffled by the mutual spook in life.

The governor’s advisor never thought to heritage-

list the Rock Hop sandspit as the umbilical of the

pretty city of hobart. That umbilical, stomped

across by deaf feet in bitumen soles hearing a

drummer who originally wants mostly to make a

more horrible interior to hold lots of London’s

penalised, bound by that ironsteel that shaped the

axes saws and room boom. No these people were

not like that – they heritage-listed the city hall but;

the city hall of course, they heritage-listed the city

hall and thankyou. But no not the Rock Hop nor

kananyi’s little toe. Dam the little redback spiders

and pretty little native orchids and sleek sunned

blue tongues all in an indigenous urban heart right

there - an indigenous urban heart … right there.

There’re plenty more elsewhere, for their

wilderness was always just a barrel roll away, and

then another barrel roll, and then a stubby’s throw

- but now land and ocean are pained underpinned

by that aforeto unheard ironsteel. They brought on

their beautiful boats all this interior, the

internalised (even on the wild ocean) and too the

horrible bacterial sully of sniffle cough fever and

die and their grotty fermented fester of cholera in

sewage and sullage. The beginnings of the dirty

armpitted city that enabled the perfect flexing

sturdy of a ballet floor, the metal technical of

saxophone, the huge glass window, the sleek

liquid display, dimmer switch, little black box of

music and the awesome high end of peopled

society and economy the alfresco coffee.

The teller knows you may be conditioned and

blinkered. The Firsts of kananyi’s land scratch

their heads; certainly they know rudimentary

lintel frames of sticks and bark, fully naturally

earthy nurtured – complete with webs but only if

left too long. But this new sharply arrised, gabled

box sealed, light-painted interior, eight crisp three-

planed-corners at floor and ceiling awash with

novelty and sitting in rich natural context; squares,

prisms, right angles, doors, window rectangles

and a cupboard drawer holding a match-box -

something fallen to Earth. So many people, for so

many hours of so many days for so many years,

are subject to the quiet bombardment of so many

three-planed-corners. The corners counterplace

the circular belt of sky that blends with the

horizon below it and the dome of the heavens

above. That belt remains there, thank God.

Maybe it’s shrouded by depleted over-head forest

leaves and life, distant it mooches warmly present,

bombarding orgone glow, behind the flat white

ceiling, walls and that corrugated roof of

unknowing. It is very significant, that we hear well

harken: increasingly many people, for so very

many hours of so many days for so many years,

are subject to the quiet bombardment of so many

three-planed-corners. The roombooming corners

rather counterplace the powerfully sweeping belt

of sky that blends with the horizon below and the

awesome dome of the fabled heavens above. That

belt remains there, thank God; maybe shrouded by

over-head bushland leaves and life, distant it

mooches warmly present, bombarding orgone

glow, behind the shade of the flat white ceiling,

walls and that corrugated roof of unknowing. The

tight little boxes were cracking like egg shells and

surprised lizards were too slow for the hawks. The

interior with the three-planed-corners moulds our

attention habits; into forms that differ to those

habits made from wholesome embrace of the

dome of the horizon. Closing the door may bring a

touch of adversity. We need the solid tactile

mooch of a hand-polished huon-pine bannister

spokeshaved tree limb flow through the windows

of the eight cornered white box interior but we

often have to drive many miles to properly find it

– and then we must return.

He never felt the governors carpet nor saw the

captain‘s cabin and never inkled an understanding

of the nuances of those antipodean vibrations. He

dreamed that night of a thick sandstone box

crowding two men; it was hovering and buffeted

clang and tear trickle in ocean cloud arcing across

the world and was supplied in the meanest of

ways by uniformly clad key jangling owners of

land and things. It bought death to his and

sprouted anew; an island urbia - from such a

distressing concerning gene pool comes a new era

Tasmanian who would starve before discovering

the bushland berries while realising to love what

they destroyed and to fight for truly just politics

void of blindness and greed. If we can believe in

primeval slime and a bolt of lightning, here we

have it again. If we don’t we are quickened by the

truth itself and culture on; discovering the

idiosyncrasies of natural peopled place - the very

same that the british bulldog, dutch, french and

who knows else came upon. More treasure now

missing than what they brought; if we count life,

local wisdom and the hindsight of valuing for a

city centre, the soul of what was already here. City

centre supported by the soul of what was already

here. An authentic identity of place cenotaphed

with a synthetically propped exotic urban

sculptural communication.

That place, where that ant ran where this First’s

footprints may be seen by hyper sensitive

detective technology – that place could well do

with this communicator as a small urban reminder

more powerful than the nearby local world war

cenotaph.

One of our ever over-riding cynics, swoop-landing

above that reminder, grasping with one claw a

deep red lamp-pole arm, the temporal winner in

the warped humour

of a tharking black

crowbird, a yellow-

on-red capital M on

the oil-soiled white

paper bag in its other

claw, watched from the deep red arm bearing the

acrylic cultural colour banner, a living latte being

at a table. Ttthaaaark ark and the crow looked

around for peace enough, then both eyes and face

into the M bag to beak one of the potatofries, all

sneak-stolen from a nearby innocent afflicted

living latte. Afflicted of plasticised urban

geography; with any of many social disease and

new environmental chemistries - greeds,

cholesterols, social, mental and sexual

maladjustments, tumours, blinkers, blindness,

mind noise; throwing off the balance needed for a

humming mental electric dynamic burgeoning

beauty city enjoying the happy acknowledgement

of all of all creatures in a wonderful wonderful

world. In this context our man with hearing feet

in a small city with foreign antennae is

remembered via culturally established urban

character funds:

A life size huon pine laser cut figure, feet on his

homeground standing thigh deep in a set bitumen

river mid macquarie and mid market place gazing

north-east through the misplaced biscuit bricked

hotel wondering why.

Why ever didn’t they design the hotel lobby to

value the kananyi water, the Rock Hop and the

little island - at least. Surely oh surely can be seen

even commercial value in this. The cultural

funders followed through with a big glazed arch

where the brook flow penetrates the macquarie

biscuit façade, interpretationally indicated water

flow to an internal natural water-featured expanse,

muraled, written and all other imagery showing

the growing there of an interior, tidal rocks to

bitumen, elephant plod to café, boutique dining

and hotel bookings. And through the other side to

the docks. The traffic can just slow, just bloody-

well slow down outside the City Hall … to go

around the lasercut endemic pine memory of a

presence there today - “The City Hall Figure”.

There stands our man. (To be sheltered by

traffic device)

Let the traffic, the drivers and passengers slow

and go around; ay. Give them a chance to break

the humdrum and breathe the air to realise how

close they are to the little salty cove and that local

geographic pivot to which they no longer drive by

straightline blind and traffic blinkered. Break the

traffic chainsaw. Throw up four prominent

supportive marker poles one on each the far

campbell/macquarie corners, one behind him by

the old pub and one across macquarie there aside

the port buildings and the original bank still

exposed and treed … … because it all lived down

there. This will mark a rectangle precinct place for

generations to feel the soul of the meeting of two

peoples, of land meeting sea, of vast ocean

powers, of bio-geomorphic nurture of their little

growing city. It will mark that under there is the

Rock Hop far more important to this local place

than the sweet old lady city hall; she will grow

new use from this memory. It will mark the buried

brook once oar navigable, to wellington-court,

where wellington bridge came upstream and

down, a wet link to the wetter out there and the

silver flow back up the mountain. The totem pole

markers are high to be seen from franklin square

and central cove. They will caricature the

characters of their place – one pole huge felt hatted

for the ship’s captain, one woollied for our man,

the other two for water and land far and here. The

cultural kneejerk of the impassioned carried the

day to a healing hey hey, hey hey … ay.

Have the land, waters heavens and

generations of creatures, trees, seaweeds and

grasses been witness all along to the doings,

beings and feelings of the planetary peoples

…

Just another created synthetic urban prop, but this:

to people and place at the heart of city settlement

in indigenous land; the same in cities the world-

over where the pompous have perched and traded

soul of place for trinkets or else. That place where

cities are born, flowering some synthetic

constructions with places within, blooms to

become islands of sorts and servers for the lands

between, lands which indeed spread to the places

between the flowers – all looking to rosiness and

identity where the agonies dare not fly.

$

Keeping the tiger snake

on the right side of the

Wellington Bridge..

.

The Homartian

spaceship lands in

the Precambrian raw.

.

T h e f o l l o w i n g i s

s i m p l y t h e a u t h o r ’ s

g e n e r i c e l u c i d a t i o n s .

_____________________________________________________

Abalone: popular rock shell

fish akin to Kiwi paua. Once abundant in easy reach around Homartian shores; where they thrived with muscles, crayfish and a particular cute little starfish now being consumed to extinction by the arrival of an alien starfish. … as if the slippery green rock coating from industrial runoff wasn’t enough. (when I was a boy even a long time ago, I vowed to clean up the river – this’s as far as I’ve got.)

aboriginal: original people;

origin of the name ‘Aboriginal’.

Aboriginal: the native

people of the Australian continent & its islands. Blackfella; Harmoninni. Likely floated over from India among other. These original ‘Tasmanians’ copped from the British the common cold and a lot of shocking abuse, disrespect and horror. Also some would child-care for the palefaces. King Billy I think from the centre northwest is an iconic name. It is beautiful that contemporary culture is adopting Aboriginal place & topographic names – mount Wellington/ kunanyi.

Casuarina: native tree,

some of which became called ‘she-oak’ by the English

Corinnians: residents of

Corinna, north west Tasmania.

Cray: local Tasmanian rock

lobster also enjoyed in faraway lands as is the abalone.

bastard scrub: term for scrub that’s resistant to human passage.

blue tongue lizard:

another Tasmanian icon growing rarer.

Blundstone: local boot

maker of some pride to Homartians.

buried brook: we bury the

drawcard of our settlement and its urbane link – mountain top to cove.

cabled impost: people with

assorted large twigs in their eyes want to build a cable car in the wrong place. If it does politically go, as did the Iraq war, it should be conditional that it begin from the roof of the City Hall – that way the built heritage lobby could stop it whereas the natural heritage

lobby carries nowhere near the cred. Obviously natural heritage carries no ego and only comes from God. Following cable to the Pinnacle (Mt Wellington) comes a resort in Thark.

Carlton bluff: an hour east

of Hobart; a beautiful bonded bookend to ParkCarlton Beach land-granted to the army and handballed to someone else, barely productive land, zoned to be given a patchworked skin rash jewelled with window squares, tinsheds, headlights amid rectangle fences & lawnmowings to drop of leprosy from the soul of the beach.

convict camp: the first

tents here were set-up: executive on the rise at the end of Elizabeth & the convicts down in mid mall. Good surveillance from the executive area over the convicts on one side & the water highway on the other.

Dolerite: the stone of the

gondwanian pre kunanyi

geomorphic thing west of Hobart – challenged by the dollar, right?

Dollar -right: dolerite

under shaded and captured by money.

Dolersaurus: dollarsaurus,

rhetorical creature with dolerite as flesh often seen resting quietly like an old gray elephant trunk tucked under crouched blocking the fierce westerlies from the little settlement by the Derwent.

Dunaliens: residents of

Dunalley, south east Tasmania.

fighting foul

excrement: the ‘buried

brook’, the local rivulet, like most if not all in global settlement, was used as a sewer and the locals copped cholera. … drew drinking water, falling ill not knowing why.

geomorphic: land/water

form, characteristics,

developments & change. May also be assumed to relate biomorphic; the same in flora & fauna

Gondwana: in my mind is

an ancient land simmering lush with all and awesome creatures and plants unadulterated by people yet a perfect place to live.

Indigenuity: indigenousness

juxtoed :juxtaposed.

King Billy: Aborigine;

member of these island’s aboriginals, known as the Aborigines of the continent that now supports Australia. Circa 1835-1869, last surviving male of the Oyster Cove clan, Following his death his body was dismembered and used for scientific purposes.

ley lines: The concept of

"ley lines" originates with Alfred Watkins who also drew on

earlier ideas that alignments might be oriented to sunrise and sunset at solstices. In 1921he had been driving along a road near a village. Attracted by the nearby archaeological investigation of a Roman camp, he stopped to compare the landscape with features on his map. He saw, "like a chain of fairy lights" a series of straight alignments of various ancient features - standing stones, wayside crosses, causeways, hill forts, and ancient churches on mounds. Checking this potential discovery from higher ground he noticed many of the paths seemed to connect one hilltop to hilltop in a straight line. He coined the term "ley" partly because the lines passed through places with ley in the name. He believed this was the ancient name for the trackways, preserved in the modern names. The ancient surveyors who supposedly made the lines were given the name "dodmen". He believed, in ancient times when Britain was more densely forested, the country was criss-crossed by a network

of straight-line travel routes, with prominent features of the landscape being used as navigation points.

lorikeets: brilliant green

small parrots always plural but never crowded.

Melaleuca: A small

settlement at the far southern coast – nothing much but wild bushland, plains and fresh air between it and Hobart.

McDono-cable: Never did

want those hamburgers here to stifle the corner burger shop with big juicy homemade local grown economy healthy and hearty locale.

Nibaluna: this may be

something like the Palawan-I think- (local people) name for the stretch of water about the Homartian docks – maybe it’s mountain waters.

Orgone … putative energy

… assumed universal life force

… anti-entropic principle, creative substratum in nature… massless, omnipresent substance, … luminiferous aether … living energy more so than inert matter … coalesce across microscopic to macroscopic , organisms, clouds, galaxies…. held bodily orgone deficit root of many diseases…

Prahna: I think of this as

blowing with the air pollinating as we breath it; the sum total of all energy that is manifest in the universe & the specialty of locale.

Seven Mile Hill: similar

Carlton bluff of Hobart a virtual wilderness beach about to be degenitalled – what a waste of such a treasure so close to the capital city – what a gain to those who join the fait accomplish and build the glassed loungerooms.

Snug bluff : similar Seven

Mile Hill but 20minutes south

and of a different intimacy and value.

Regnans : Eucalyptus

regnans, known also as mountain ash, Victorian ash, swamp gum, Tasmanian oak or stringy gum known to attain heights over 114 metres one of the tallest in the world and the tallest flowering plant.

Street Canyon: a place

where kiddies are lost; full of trouser cuffs, hubcaps, exhaust pipes, stockinged legs, pole bases, steps, trampled floors, pavement and with walled sides higher than the sky; where children are easily totally blinkered away from natures, the simple natural joys lost to our constructions but sometimes plainly present to their parents who may be blissfully ignorant of their plight and drown away their objections with an icecream.

Testeronious

connector: well is kinda like

fouling the purity of the total universal wonder by putting

your youness connection in a wrong place.

Tharkian: having qualities

like The Thark, an area barely trodden west of the kunanyi Mount Wellington pinnacle.

tharking: living of The

Thark.

Tiger snake: common local

poisonous snake.

Whales: there were 1000s of

them in the Derwent and the estuary, 1000s teeming with black whales up to sixty feet long with young alongside in winter to calve. Smaller varieties too and porpoises.

Zzzzzzz: sorry if I put you to

sleep.

Z i p p i t y d o d a h

z i p p e r t y a a y …

m y o h m y w h a t

a w o n d e r f u l d a y

… … . .

I t ’ s t h e t r u t h …

I t was actual …

e v e r y t h i n g

w a s

s a t i s f a c t u a l

ADDITIONAL BOOKS by Monte John Latham

Housefandango

“HouseFandango” is a phenomenon – the product of an

exuberant creativity, a mind ever restless, fluid, alert to

manifold possibility, uncontained. Such an intelligence

might change the world. We need to listen to Monte John

Latham, then. His is a wisdom that roams wide and free,

at the same time as it focuses down upon the most urgent

question of our age: how should we live, how should we

dwell, how should we be? Here is the dance of people and

place – a veritable house fandango, and its dancemaster

steps us forth from the very earth, its magic, the bedrock

on which civilisation rests, to the place-nurturing, self-

nurturing, self-constructing activity that is nothing less

than making a home on earth. Come with Monte John –

dance his dance of life-affirming love.

Pete Hay, POET, ESSAYIST AND PHILOSOPHER OF PLACE,

( 2013 TASMANIA BOOK PRIZE - PEOPLE'S CHOICE)

Wow Hows the House Now (out of print). Old title of

HouseFandango.

House Essence (ebook). An essence of HouseFandango.

There Are (ebook) . A short few words: identity, people, place.

Coming up

The Architecture of Fire Spirit in the Sky The Shallows Where We Fizz. Nomurbic Office