2020-03-01_Australian_Geographic

14 Australian Geographic

FISH FAN
As a subscriber I really enjoyed
reading your feature Underwater and
underrated (AG 154). Like Professor
Brown, I too have grown up with pet
fish such as goldfish over the years and
not only have I enjoyed observing
them closely but I have also found
these beautiful, magnificent creatures
to be absolutely intelligent! I’m glad
I’m not alone and thank you, Professor
Brown, for reinforcing this belief that
fish are clever and intelligent.
OLGA GEORGOPOULOS, MALVERN, VIC

BE PREPARED
The bushfires in our state and espe-
cially over in the east have weighed
heavily on our minds over the last few

YOUR SAY March. April 2020

It was fascinating to see in Living

memories (AG 153) the picture of a

bread carter handing a loaf to a woman

in 1935 during the Great Depression.

We are reasonably sure it is my

mother’s father, William Adnet Stonnill,

who would have been about 32 at the

time. He was of small stature, 5ft 4½in

(about 1.64m) and was a sometimes

successful jockey when young.

We are in possession of a 1964

Buttercup Bakeries newsletter that

features “Billy” when he was 70 and

had clocked up 48 years of service!

We also have a cutting from the

Sunday Mirror of 8 March 1964 naming

Buttercup Bakeries as employer of the

year because Bill, having turned 70 and

unable to get a car licence, was

being kept on with his horse Tom.

The article says they had been

together for 20 years and were the

last of the horse-and-cart bakoes.

Bill Nolan, Jewells, NSW

Featured Letter

weeks. Constant images in the media

of terrible fires have prompted me to

put further thought into fire protec-

tion at home.

I wondered if an article of hope for

the future could be considered by AG

with information on how individual

properties can be protected.

I have an image of our property in

the Margaret River region that

demonstrates the ability of fire

protection to save a property after

a major bushfire, which occurred in

2011. This fire destroyed about
      40 houses.
      This automatic system, coupled
      with clearing and possibly some help
      from above, protected the house and
      the immediate environs. Following the

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fire there was a huge number of

snakes and other animals concentrated

in this area and now, some years later,

you would not know there had been a

major fire.

One wonders whether either the

government or insurers could prod

homeowners into such protective

actions, which would mitigate effects

of such terrible fires.

With best wishes to your magazine,

which I’ve subscribed to for many years.

DR PHILIP M. FINCH, SOUTH PERTH, WA

ED: Thanks, Philip, we will look into

preparing some advice about protecting

homes and properties against bushfire in

a future issue.

GET ON THE RIGHT TRACK

I have just been reading your

article about the Junction Road/Sandy

Blight Track in the Northern Territory

and Western Australia – Under a desert

sky (AG 153).

Could not agree with you more

regarding how great the drive along

the track is, though I have issues with

the instructions provided on how to

get to the start of the track. In the

article it advises going west from Alice

through Glen Helen.

While this is correct, it failed to

mention the requirement to then

take a side track (70–80km) to get

across to Papunya and then west along

the Kintore (Kiwirrkurra) Road for

another 250km. Without knowing

this, people could easily carry on

round the Mereenie Loop and head

back to Hermannsburg, or across to

Kings Canyon. From experience I can

say that a lot of people don’t look at a

map before heading off and could

easily be caught out.

The much easier way, though

less enjoyable, is to head north from

Alice Springs along the Stuart

Highway (20km), turn left onto the

Tanami Road (135km) and then take

the Papunya turn-off. In 100km

you will be in Papunya, where the

WRITE TO US!

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FINDING BILLY

i