Bart Bear's Blog

I have just come home from a very special morning visit. The grounds of the Australian War Memorial have been filled with over 62,000 crocheted red poppies. They have been made by ladies from all over the country and "planted" to commemorate the end of the First World War, which ended 100 years ago next month. There is a poppy for every Australian soldier killed in the war. In 1918 the population of Australia was under 5 million, so the loss of these men was a huge one for a "new" country. As well as those killed, over 150,000 were badly wounded and many never fully recovered. WW1 is sometimes called "The Great War", but as far as this small bear is concerned there is nothing "great" about any war. We really have to remember the sacrifices of those who gave their all for our country, and those who did the same for their countries, and work to make the world a place where war never happens again.

Labels: Canberra, heroes

The most impressive bit of statuary has just been placed in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial here in Canberra. It commemorates the work and sacrifice of Explosive Detection Dogs (EDDs) and their soldier partners. Dogs were used by the Australian Army as messengers in France in 1918, and as search dogs in 1944, but EDDs are real modern-day heroes. With their partners, they find explosive devices, weapons and ammunition. The dog finds the dangerous stuff and the soldier disables it. A number of these brave teams have been killed in Afghanistan and the statue is their lasting memorial. The expressions on dog and soldier, the bag with equipment including the tennis ball for the dog's "play reward", and the ominous explosive package are all there as part of the story. I have never seen a statue which brings out the feelings of absolute trust and love between partners the way this one does. I defy anyone to study it and not be moved.

Labels: animals, Canberra, heroes

Everybody gets a little lost during their first days on a new cruise ship. Mum takes a while to sort out which is the pointy end of the ship and Dad is hopeless at remembering what deck things are on. Well, "Radiance of the Seas" has that covered. In the lift foyers on every deck right in the centre, is a podium holding a deck plan with everything labelled and a cutaway section of the ship showing which deck it is that you are on. It is also lined up so that you can see at a glance which way the pointy end is, and even has lift call buttons, just in case you have got out on the wrong deck. Here are Scruffy, Milkshake and I using the plan on deck 11. Behind the podium on deck 11 is a bust of one of my heroes, Admiral Lord Nelson. If I was in charge I would wire it up so that you could ask him for directions and he would answer. One person that you wouldn't ask for directions is Dad. Here's a photo of him trying to put on a rain poncho and he can't even find the arm and head holes without help. This was on Isle of Pines; it was sprinkling and very windy and Dad was eventually "rescued" by some ladies. Mum was too helpless with laughter to help him. I really did want a model of the ship, but most of the ones on sale were too big for a small bear. I did find a way round that, and here's a hint I offer to other small critters; most ships sell key rings with a small ship dingle-dangle on them. Get one of them, toss the key ring away and get your dad to cut and smooth the attachment and touch up the paint and you have a great small critter size model.

Labels: boats, cruising, heroes, models

Labels: cricket, heroes

When "Celebrity Millenium" docked in Tahiti, the Oldies and I grabbed a taxi and visited a place that is very important to the history of both science and Australia. The place is Venus Point, the most northern point of Tahiti, 10km east of Papeete. The early European explorers anchored their ships offshore here in Matavai Bay. One of them was my hero, James Cook. He set up a camp, Fort Venus, here in 1769 to observe the Transit of Venus. This was important science. At the time astronomers knew the relative distances between planets but had no measurement to give them the actual distances between planets and the Sun. Cook's measurements helped to give the first measurements of our Solar System, and they were surprisingly accurate when compared to today's numbers. Following the Transit he set sail to find and map New Zealand and the east coast of Australia. Of course both of these were known to the native inhabitants, but Cook "put them on the map". There is a small monument on the spot where Cook made the Transit observations. Nearby is a magnificent lighthouse. It was built in 1868 by Thomas Stevenson, the father of Robert Louis Stevenson. Point Venus is a popular picnic and swimming place for the locals, but the beach is black volcanic sand and the sand flies there are the worst in the known Universe (according to Dad who had his legs severely bitten by them). Despite the sand flies, I am completely thrilled to have visited this historic spot and to have to sat where Cook sat to make those vital observations.

Labels: astronomy, Captain Cook, heroes, lighthouse, Tahiti

There is no better place for small bears to rest than in a comfortable tree near a beautiful beach. You can see lots of photos of Scruffy and I resting at some of the best beaches in Australia if you look back through the blog. This beach is at Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island, near Townsville in Queensland. We visited there while on our way up to Cairns for the eclipse last November. Magnetic Island was named by Captain Cook back in 1770. His compass had problems while he was sailing past and he thought the rocks on the island must be magnetic. They aren't, and nobody knows what was upsetting the compass. As far as I am concerned Maggie Is is most memorable for the small rock wallabies that I met there (see the photos earlier on the blog).

Labels: beach, heroes, Queensland, Townsville

I have finally got my Christmas present built. It is a model of the "helicopter" designed by my engineering hero, Leonardo Da Vinci, way back in the 15th century. Actually, Leo called it an "aerial screw" and there is no record of his having built it. Leo was an ideas man. I had a bit of trouble building this model, all my fault, because I was in a hurry and didn't read the instructions carefully. I ended up with the holes for the drive shafts 180 degrees out of alignment and had to carefully pull lots of things apart and reassemble them right way round. Leo's plan was to have men pushing on a windlass to get the screw up to speed, when it would lift off and fly. I suspect that it would have been a short and wobbly flight. Mine is driven by a small bear winding a crankhandle. I can get the rotor up to a speed where it is blowing quite a down-draft but not fast enough to lift off. Cranking is hard work, so I had to take a bear-nap after the first trials and Mum took a picture of me. She thinks it is funny that I look so flat.

Labels: aircraft, heroes, models

My Da Vinci catapult is ready for action. It is a slightly modified version of the one designed by my engineering idol, Leonardo Da Vinci, back in the 15th century. The big difference between the Da Vinci catapult and earlier ones is that Leo used the energy of bent wooden beams to power the beast. My small model uses bamboo beams. Here's some photos of the first test shot. Naturally, Scruffy, Milky, Blu and Darcy had to be there to see how it worked. Scruff was the loader because he is the biggest of the others. His ammunition for this test was plasticine balls. Blu and Milky were the plasticine packers and passers-to-the-loader. Darcy and I cranked the beams to max and then I pulled the string that released the ratchet gear. The catapult arm swooshed over, faster than the eye could follow, and from somewhere near the top of the glass doors to the courtyard came a "thunk". Just as well it wasn't a ball bearing or one of Dad's fishing sinkers..... I thought we might get a range of a few metres, but instead the beast throws a 1cm ball of plasticine around 10 metres! Mum has banished catapult practice to the outdoors. Swooping magpies beware!

Labels: engineering, family, heroes

Here are three of the replica aircraft displayed in the Hinkler Museum at Bundaberg. The top left photo is the Avro Avian that Bert used to completely smash the record for flights between England and Australia in February 1928. Before his flight the fastest time between the two countries was 28 days. Bert did it in just over 15 days, and what's more he did it solo! That made him an instant hero. The big photo on the left is the Ibis. Bert designed and built this aeroplane in England after his 1928 record flight. It first flew in 1930. He hoped the type would sell well, but it was the start of the Great Depression and nobody wanted this cute amphibian. The third photo is a replica of Bert's De Havilland Puss Moth. In 1931 he used this 'plane to make the first solo crossing of the South Atlantic. It is also the aircraft in which he crashed in Italy on Jan 7, 1933, trying to set a new England-Australia record. The Hinkler Museum has replicas of all Bert Hinkler's aeroplanes and a detailed history of his life and achievements. You should visit if you have any interest in Australia's contribution to world aviation.

Labels: aircraft, heroes, Queensland

While we were staying with Unka Ray and Aunty Libby they took us on a trip to Bundaberg to see the Hinkler Museum. This is a great museum. It tells the story of Bert Hinkler, a famous pioneer aviator who was born in Bundaberg in 1892. He served in the Royal Naval Air Service in World War 1, and after the war became the chief test pilot for A.V. Roe in Southampton, UK. The museum has replicas of all of his aircraft. My favourite is this one, the Avro Baby. Hinkler set two records with this aircraft; Croydon (London) to Turin (Italy) non-stop on 31 May 1920 and Sydney to Bundaberg non-stop on 11 April 1921. Both of these flights were spectacular at the time, both over 1,000 km non-stop in a single day. As you can see, there are not many instruments in the cockpit. Just compare that with modern aeroplanes. Actually, the thing that impressed me was that there is space behind the little windscreen just the right size for a small bear to sit comfortably. Hinkler could easily have carried one as a mascot.

Labels: aircraft, heroes, Queensland

Labels: aircraft, heroes, Queensland

If you have been wondering why there have not been any posts for the last 4 days, the reason is very simple. I have been glued to the TV, watching one of the best cricket tests that I have ever seen. The game between Australia and India was a beaut. Not just because Australia won by a huge margin (an innings and 68 runs), but because it contained some brilliant batting and bowling by both teams. The superb effort of Australia's captain, Michael Clarke, will go into history as one of the best ever, 329 not out!!! He is now officially one of my heroes. I really enjoy watching good batsmen and Clarkie, Hussey, Ponting, Tendulkar and Laxman were really great to watch. So were the bowlers; I like Hilfenhouse, Pattinson and Sharma best. I watched every minute of the match and Mum kept dragging me further away from the TV every time I got close. She says that I will get glassy-eyed if I sit too close but I don't think that will be a problem as my eyes are made of glass anyhow. Now, if either team needs a mascot for the rest of the series, I am open to offers.

Labels: cricket, heroes

The long beach in the top photo is called 7-mile beach, and back in 1933 it was the site of a very historic event. On Jan 11, my hero Charles Kingsford-Smith and his crew took off from here on the first commercial flight across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand. The beach was used because Smithy's aircraft, the Fokker F.VII/3m "Southern Cross" was heavily overloaded with fuel and mail and needed a very long take-off run. The beach has miles of hard sand at low tide, so it was perfect. Because the flight started at 2.30 am, flares were lit to show Smithy the best runway, and hundreds of cars whose drivers came to see the take-off turned their headlights on to help. The town where we took the pictures is Gerroa. It is built mostly on a hill overlooking the beach. Just off the highway at the top of the hill is a memorial celebrating the event. It has a 3/4 size concrete plan of the "Southern Cross", with a concrete pillar and brass plaque with information on it. Scruffy and I know a lot about Smithy and the "Southern Cross". In fact, we have seen the aircraft in its special hangar near Brisbane airport (you can see the photos if you use the search box; search Southern Cross). Milkshake and Blu are still learning things, so we got Dad to lift us up onto the pillar where we could see the beach and the read the plaque, and Scruff and I told them all about the most famous aviator and aircraft in the world.

Labels: aircraft, beach, heroes, south coast

Way back in 1770 my hero, Captain Cook, was cruising around just offshore of this lighthouse. The lighthouse is the Wollongong Head light, one of the two Wollongong lights. It is the first new lighthouse built in the 20th century in New South Wales, being built in 1936. It was put on Flagstaff Point to guide ships into Wollongong and Port Kembla. Wollongong harbour also has a lighthouse which operated from 1871 to 1974. Neither of the lighthouses were there when Cook passed by in his exploration of the coast in 1770. Near the lighthouse there is a metal plaque in the shape of the set of sails on the mainmast of the "Endeavour". It shows the track of the Endeavour as it tacked back and forth looking for a way to make a safe landing. Of course, Cook did not land but moved further north and landed at Botany Bay. I really like finding out about our history, particularly about my hero.

Labels: Captain Cook, heroes, New South Wales, south coast

Did I mention that Leonardo Da Vinci was the first to think of almost every machine? Well, here's another couple. The one on the left is a jack. It is just like the one that Dad had in his old car. The only problem with this model is that the handle is too high for small bears to reach. Dad could reach it and it certainly lifts small bears easily enough. The one on the right is a helicopter! It is not much like a modern chopper, but the basic idea is there. I can see a few problems that Leo would have come up against if he had a useful motor and had built a full-sized machine. For sure, he would have had to put a tail rotor on it to counteract torque, and something to cure the cyclic variation in lift as the blades whiz around (Dad explained about this and I almost understand it). I am sure that a genius like Leo would have sorted these out and we would have had working choppers centuries ago, except that nobody had discovered petrol and light-weight engines then.

Labels: Canberra, gardens, helicopter, heroes

Guess what you can clamber around at the Sydney Maritime Museum? A full-sized replica of my number 1 hero's ship. Yes, it's Captain Cook's "Endeavour", complete in every detail. Small bears and their Oldies can spend hours looking around this ship. And when they are finished with that, there is a destroyer and a submarine and a patrol boat and lots of other small boats as well as the exhibits inside the museum. And of course there is the lighthouse. This was the lighthouse from Cape Bowling Green, near Townsville in Queensland. It was in use there from 1874 to 1987. When it was replaced by a new light on a steel tower, it was bought to the museum and fitted out with the gear it had in 1913. The museum also has a fleet of historic boats that range from yachts to a big square-rigger ("James Craig") and you can actually go sailing on them. That's something I will talk the Oldies into one of the times we are in Sydney. Check out the museums website and plan a visit or a cruise http://www.anmm.gov.au

Labels: boats, Captain Cook, heroes, lighthouse, New South Wales, Sydney

It seems like there is not much in the engineering line that Leonardo DaVinci didn't think of first. Here's another couple of things. The left model is of a ratchet gear to make it easier to lift weights. Just about every windlass and winch since then has used this system. Wind the handle around, the weight goes up.When you let the handle go a stopper slips into the cog teeth and stops the handle whizzing backwards and tossing the small bear off the table.
The gadget on the right is a model of probably the first extension ladder. The design is for a ladder that can extend its length, be raised and lowered, and mounted on a turntable so that it can reach in all directions. It also uses a ratchet gear to stop the moving bit of the ladder falling back when the winding handle is let go. You can see the modern version of this sort of ladder on some of the big fire trucks. Modern versions use hydraulics to do the lifting and extending, and guess who designed the first hydraulic machines? My cobber Leonardo, who I have now included in my list of heroes.

Labels: Canberra, engineering, heroes

Yesterday the Oldies took me to see the new Robin Hood movie. Robin Hood is one of my heroes, up there with Captain Cook and Smithy. Although the critics have been a bit negative about the movie, I thought it was great. None of this squeaky-clean men-in-tights thing, but real 13th century grimy reality; it was a tough and dangerous time to be alive. I didn't even mind the way that history was twisted for the sake of the plot, it is a story about a (possibly) mythical hero after all. One thing that I noticed was the trees. The "greenwood" is ever so different to Australian forests. The Oldies knew that, of course, because they saw what remains of some English and French forests while they were on their big trip overseas. Mind you, most of the "forests" are pretty tame now, very little wildwood left anywhere it seems. The photos are actually of trees in the parklands around castles, but the trees are the same as Robin and his men would have been living among. The most important type is the one in the central image. It is a yew tree. Yew wood is what Robin Hood's bow, and all of the famous English longbows, were made from. They are also trees with character, and they look like something a small bear could easily climb.

Labels: England, heroes

Here we are near the spot where my no.1 hero, Captain Cook, came ashore when he discovered Norfolk Island way back in 1774. He actually landed on the rocky beach in Duncombe Bay behind us. That is not really a good place to land because you then have a steep cliff to climb before you are onto the island. Back then the island was totally covered with trees and scrub and Cookie was interested in the big Norfolk pine trees. He thought they would make great masts for sailing ships. None of the island was clear and grassy, like lots of it is today. One of the problems of being a small bear (or cow, if you are Milkshake) is that you have to climb to read the signs. Between us, Scruffy and I can read most of the words, Scruff can even read and spell restaurant (I still can't). Of course, if it is windy you have a job staying balanced on the sign for long enough to read it, but this time it was nice and calm. There is a tall stone memorial marker on this site. Us littlies had a job getting up to read the plaque so we had to get Dad to read it for us. This was my second trip out to Captain Cook's landing site and the road out there has improved tremendously. Back in 2005 it was a slippery, narrow dirt track, but now it is a proper tarred road. It's a pity that my hero couldn't come back now and see how the island has changed. I think he would approve.

Labels: Captain Cook, heroes, Norfolk Island

In Newcastle there is a special part of my family history. The big building on the hill is Christ Church Cathedral, and tucked away in a corner of it is a special memorial display to a real soldier hero who came from Newcastle. He was Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries, my Great-great-grandma's cousin, and he won the Victoria Cross during the Battle of Passchendaele on the 12th of October 1917, a fortnight before his 23rd birthday. On that day he led his company in an attack on several German pillboxes (machine gun posts). When his force was pinned down he took a small group of fourteen soldiers, made his way around behind the enemy positions and captured four of the machine guns and thirty-five prisoners. Later in the day he was killed trying to neutralize another pillbox. He is buried in Tyne Cot war cemetry, near where he fell. His VC is part of the display in the Cathedral, one of the few VC's not kept in the Australian War Memorial. There is a special commemorative chair there as well, but Dad won't let me sit in it when we visit. I hate the stupidity and waste that is war, but I also feel proud that this small bear has one of the bravest of soldiers in his family tree.

By the way, that thing that looks like a flying saucer on a pole is a lookout tower where you can climb up and see what is happening in the harbour. Well worth doing if you don't mind lots of stairs.

Labels: family, heroes, New South Wales, Newcastle