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Author Topic: Australia by Tibrogargan January 2007 - present and 155216+ views later!  (Read 657601 times)
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Tibrogargan
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« Reply #840 on: December 20, 2009, 04:28:03 AM »

Australian hospital ship Centaur wreck found off Moreton Island

Article from: The Courier-Mail

Ursula Heger

December 20, 2009 11:30am

A MEMORIAL service will be held early next year for the 268 Australians who lost their lives when hospital ship Centaur sunk in 1943. The wreck was found today.

Five high-resolution sonar shots of the area, taken overnight, confirmed to searchers the ship was resting 2059m below about 30 miles due east of Moreton Islands’ southern tip. (Moreton Island is just off our east coast, close to Brisbane)

    Background: Search for the Centaur special section
    Australian War Memorial: Remembering the AHS Centaur

Premier Anna Bligh said she would work with the RSL for a memorial service for the victims early next year, while an exclusion zone will be created around the site.

"The exact location can now be marked and an exclusion zone created, on this very significant gravesite,'' she said.

"In early January, the search team will return to the site with specially designed submarines, these will be equipped with high definition cameras and the entire site will be filmed.

"Once we have been through the entire search process we will then embark on an appropriate way of preserving the marking the site.''

Ms Bligh said nothing will be brought up from the ship, which will be left intact at its resting place.

She said the Centaur was broken two-thirds of the way along the side of the ship, where it was hit by the torpedo.

"I understand from the searchers this morning that this ship was torpedoed, it was a hospital ship, clearly marked, and those who lost their lives on it were mostly civilians,'' Ms Bligh said.

Of the 332 people on board the ship when it sank, only 64 survived.

The search was jointly funded by the state and federal government, at a cost of $4 million.

Ms Gillard said the discovery would ensure all Australians knew and commemorated the 268 nurses and crew who died.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26509762-952,00.html

Items about the search :

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/indepth/date/0,,5017790,00.html

Official background to the sinking story :

http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/centaur/index.asp
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« Reply #841 on: December 20, 2009, 04:33:49 AM »

Twins Trishna and Krishna to share birthday joy as individuals

Article from: AAP

Steve Lillebuen

December 20, 2009 02:34pm

One birthday cake. Two little girls. Three candles.

The formerly conjoined twins will be turning three - the start of their first year apart after last month's extraordinary surgery that separated them.

Their birthday is expected to be held at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital with a single cake and a few of their closest loved ones nearby, hospital spokeswoman Julie Webber said.

"It will just be a small celebration in the ward for them," she said. "They just want it to be a private event."

The twins will celebrate with Moira Kelly, their legal guardian, and several caretakers who are helping them through the long recovery process.

The Bangladeshi girls were born joined at the head and brought to Australia two years ago by the Children First Foundation to undergo surgery at the hospital.

There have been a few minor setbacks during their recovery, but medical staff still say their progress since the surgery is remarkable.

Brain scans have all come back normal. Trishna needed a secondary surgery to fix a small "leak" in her head a few weeks ago while Krishna, who had poorer health going into the operation, has suffered from two small seizures.

Such setbacks, however, are contrasted by many joyous occasions: Krishna blowing her first raspberry to Ms Kelly, the girls watching their favourite musical group, The Wiggles, on a DVD, and looking at each other and smiling.

"All those things that little girls do," Ms Webber said.

In recent days the twins have even been sitting up straight in walkers and clapping their hands, getting to know their new bodies.

The twins are expected to be released from hospital this week so they can spend Christmas at home with Ms Kelly.

"We're certainly hoping they'll be home for Christmas," Ms Webber said.

"It would be lovely for them to be home. They're doing so well now so I think that could be the case."

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26509994-5003402,00.html
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« Reply #842 on: December 20, 2009, 04:37:31 AM »

Roman Catholics declare Mary MacKillop a saint

Article from: AAP

David Murray

December 20, 2009 09:09am

A WOMAN cured from inoperable lung cancer after praying to Mary MacKillop, Australia's first saint, says she hopes it will inspire young people to be kind.

Pope Benedict XV1 confirmed Mother Mary's second miracle late on Saturday, paving the way for her to become Australia's first saint.

The approved miracle, which involved the healing of a woman with cancer during the mid 1990s after she prayed to Mother Mary, had to be scientifically and theologically assessed before it was decreed by the Vatican.

Thousands are expected to visit the Vatican next year for the ceremony.

Speaking outside Mary MacKillop Chapel in North Sydney on Saturday, Sr Anne Derwan told reporters the woman at the centre of Mother Mary's second miracle did not yet wish to be identified, but would tell her story when the time was right.

In the meantime, the woman has released a statement which was read by Sr Derwan.

"This is wonderful news," the statement said.

"I feel personally humbled and grateful to Mary MacKillop, and the influence she has had on my life.

"On a day like today, you might have a thousand questions to ask about my story, and sometime in the future, I do want to share that with you."

The woman added Mother Mary had always provided her with hope and inspiration.

"I hope this news today provides others, especially younger Australians, with inspiration and encouragement to live as generously and as compassionately as Mary did."

The next step towards Mother Mary's sainthood depends on an announcement from the Pope, which he is expected to make in the European Spring.

Sister Derwan is confident the announcement will be positive, following a meeting she had with the Pope last year in Sydney.

"Because she has completed the whole process towards Canonisation ... you might remember when the Pope was here last year, and I told him that Australia was waiting for this news, and his answer was when the process is complete."

"The process is complete now, so it is only up to the Holy Father to say yes, I will canonise her in Rome on a certain date."

Sr Derwan added the Pope admitted to having a great love for Mother Mary when he was in Sydney.

The Vatican confirmed Mother Mary's first miracle in 1971.

She was beatified by Pope John Paul 11 in 1995.

She died at Alma Cottage, adjacent to Mary MacKillop Chapel, North Sydney, in 1909

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26509728-953,00.html

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« Reply #843 on: December 20, 2009, 04:40:29 AM »

Pope declares Mary MacKillop's second 'miracle'

Article from: The Advertiser

AMY NOONAN

December 19, 2009 07:00pm

UPDATE: THE church bells pealing over Penola on Saturday at 11pm alerted the 1200 residents in the town that something special had happened.

Mary MacKillop Penola Centre chairwoman Claire Larkin said since the announcement about the impending canonisation "there's a real buzz about the town".

"We've had a lot of interest, people are so excited about the canonisation," Mrs Larkin said.

The chairwoman for the past 14 years, Mrs Larkin was already preparing to recruit more volunteers for the centre to prepare for an onslaught of pilgrims.

"We're all volunteers here and the money from admission and sales pay for our overheads."

The Mary MacKillop shop sells relics made from the original school floorboards, magnets, medallions and books.

"People love to take a memento away with them, the books are our bestsellers."

Margaret Storck drove for more than six hours from Wentworth, NSW, to visit the centre yesterday.

Mary MacKillop, and the Sisters of St Joseph order of nuns she founded, has played an integral role in her life.

"I was in an orphanage run by the Sisters of St Joseph in Broadmeadows, I was adopted when I was three months old and then I went to school at St Joseph's Primary School and St Josephs' College," Ms Storck said.

"My adopted mother died seven years ago, and I believe she performed another miracle by keeping her alive for another two years, I kept a relic pinned to her pillow."

Mary MacKillop Penola Centre Chaplain Father Paul Gardiner has spent the past 26 years lobbying for her sainthood.

He wrote the Positio, the Catholic Church's investigative report on Mary MacKillop's life as as candidate for sainthood and admitted he felt "half-stunned" at the news of her impending canonisation.

He said Mary MacKillop should be remembered for her overwhelming kindness.

"She saw past what the eye sees, she saw what God sees. She was awestruck by the dignity of every human being - that's the secret," Fr Gardiner said.

He said he hoped Mary MacKillop would be remembered for three things.

"Her faith, her ability to endure unpleasantness and her kindness. If people cultivated these things we would have a different world."

Diane Williams, own Cobb & Co Cottages and Di's Gifts and Flowers said the Mary MacKillop factor had already had an impact on the town.

 "It's all going to be good. It's been happening for a while, there's been a continual flow since the inception of the canonisation program," Mrs Williams said.

"Certainly people are going to buy a cup of coffee... hopefully they'll decide to stay overnight. Being the centre of the SE we have that potential that they can do day trips."

Mrs Williams said Penola would retain its charm.

"I think we're still small enough that we can keep our small town identity."

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,26507065-5006301,00.html


http://www.marymackillopplace.org.au/
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« Reply #844 on: December 20, 2009, 04:48:50 AM »

Christmas season celebrations in Australia


Christmas is celebrated in many parts of the world on 25 December. Protestant and Roman Catholic churches hold Christmas Day services on 25 December. The Eastern churches - the Ethiopian Orthodox church, Russian Orthodox church and the Armenian church - celebrate Christmas on 6 or 7 January. There have been rituals, parties and celebrations at this time of year for thousands of years.

The birth of Jesus

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus is 'the son of God', the Messiah sent from Heaven to save the world.

The 'Christmas story' tells of the birth of Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem, the angels announcing the birth to the shepherds in the fields, and the Magi (wise men from the East) visiting the stable and offering gifts to the newborn child.

The origins of Christmas

A Roman almanac confirms that 25 December was used to celebrate Christmas in 336 AD, although it was nearly 600 years later that the churches created a liturgy - a service for public worship - for the occasion.

The choice of date is believed to have been influenced by the northern hemisphere winter solstice, as well as ancient pagan rituals that coincided with the solstice. These rituals included the Halcyon Days in Greece, a period of calm and goodwill when it was believed the sea was calm for birds to lay their eggs; and the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, a celebration of the god Saturn, which involved wild parties, the exchange of gifts and the temporary suspension of social divisions between slaves and masters.

Christmas traditions and symbols

Christmas trees are part of a long tradition of greenery being taken into the home at Christmas to brighten the dreary winter. Mistletoe was popular with Druid priests because it remained green throughout winter. Holly placed over the doorway was believed to drive away evil. Placing branches from trees in the home was first recorded in 1494, and by the beginning of the 1600s there are records of fir trees being decorated with apples.

The story of Santa Claus has its origins in the legends surrounding the humble generosity of Saint Nicholas, whose feast day is celebrated on 6th December. Saint Nicholas was a 4th century Christian Bishop from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) who became the Patron Saint of Children. In Germany and Poland, boys dressed up as bishops begging alms for the poor. Later, the Christ child 'Christkindlein' was said to have accompanied Nicholas-like figures on their travels. The 1822 poem 'Twas the Night before Christmas forged the link and Saint Nicholas (Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Christ Kind, Kriss Kringle or Sinter Klass) became known as Santa Claus.

Christmas in the southern hemisphere

The heat of early summer in Australia has an impact on the way that Australians celebrate Christmas and on which northern hemisphere Christmas traditions are followed.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas houses are decorated; greetings cards sent out; carols sung; Christmas trees installed in homes, schools and public places; and children delight in anticipating a visit from Santa Claus. On Christmas Day family and friends gather to exchange gifts and enjoy special Christmas food.

Many Australians spend Christmas out of doors, going to the beach for the day, or heading to camping grounds for a longer break over the Christmas holiday period. It has become traditional for international visitors who are in Sydney at Christmas time to go to Bondi Beach where up to 40,000 people visit on Christmas Day.

Carols and music

The tradition of an Australian Christmas Eve carol service lit by candles was started in 1937 by radio announcer Norman Banks. This outdoor service has now been held in Melbourne every year since then.

Carols by Candlelight events today range from huge gatherings, which are televised live throughout the country, to smaller local community and church events. Sydney's Carols in the Domain has become a popular platform for the stars of stage and music.

Some uniquely Australian Christmas carols have become popular and are included alongside the more traditional carols sung at carol services and at Christmas church services: John Wheeler's The Three Drovers is perhaps the best known of these.

Many light-hearted Australian Christmas songs have become an essential part of the Australian Christmas experience. These include Rolf Harris's Six White Boomers, Colin Buchanan's Aussie Jingle Bells and the Australian Twelve Days of Christmas.

Christmas plants

There are many native Australian plants in flower over the Christmas season. A number of these have become known as 'Christmas plants' in various parts of the country, including Christmas bells, Christmas bush and the Christmas orchid.

When Europeans first arrived in Australia they were delighted that they could pick wildflowers resembling bells and bright green foliage covered in red or white flowers to use as Christmas decorations. This was a huge contrast to the bare trees and dormant gardens they had left behind in Europe.

Food

Christmas in Australia comes at the beginning of summer and many people no longer serve a traditional hot roast dinner. Cold turkey and ham, seafood and salads are often served instead. It has even become acceptable to serve the traditional Christmas plum pudding with cold custard, ice cream or cream. Pavlova, a meringue base topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit, and various versions of the festive ice-cream pudding have also become popular Christmas desserts.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Coles company are engaged in a project to cultivate native foods. They are working with Mandawuy Yunupingu (of the band Yothu Yindi) and Aboriginal communities to grow sufficient quantities for sale in supermarkets across Australia. The aim is to offer all Australians a Bush Tucker Christmas.

Film and television

The films Bush Christmas (1947) starring Chips Rafferty and the remake Prince and the Great Race in 1983 (with Nicole Kidman), and Miracle Down Under starring John Waters (telecast as Bushfire Moon) are insights into the early Australian Christmas culture. Many television series have used Christmas episodes to explore the changing culture of Christmas in Australia.

Children's stories

Australian children grow up enjoying traditional Christmas stories such as Clement Clarke Moore's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but children's authors and illustrators are beginning to create truly Australian children's Christmas literature. One favourite is Wombat Divine by Mem Fox, while a more recent addition is Aussie Night Before Christmas by Yvonne Morrison.

Major sporting events

The Christmas break is an opportunity for sports fans to enjoy two major sporting events. The 26 December is the opening day of the 'Boxing Day Test' between the Australian Cricket Team and an international touring side at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This has been well attended since the first match in 1950, and watched by many others on television. In Sydney one of the world's most prestigious ocean races, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, starts on Boxing Day from Sydney Harbour.

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Dreamtime stories obviously do not include Christmas. However, this date in the calendar coincides with other seasonal changes. In Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Yolngu Aboriginal people will observe the last season of their six-season cycle. Gudjewg, the wet season, begins in late December.

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities include Christian groups within them which celebrate Christmas. The Ntaria Choir at Hermannsburg, via Alice Springs, Northern Territory, has a unique musical language from mixing the traditional vocals of the Ntaria women with Lutheran chorales - the hymn tunes that were the basis of much of J.S. Bach's music.

Baba Waiyar, a popular traditional Torres Strait Islander hymn, is featured on Lexine Solomon's debut album This is Woman (2003) - showing the influence of gospel music mixed with traditionally strong Torres Strait Islander vocals and country music. Significantly, Torres Strait Islanders celebrate the 'Coming of the Light' on 1 July, the day the London Missionary Society landed at Erub Island in 1871.

Modern Indigenous Christmas celebrations are beginning to take on elements of traditional Indigenous culture. The Department of Conservation and Land Management in Western Australia offers a Christmas celebration by organising activities which encourages people to join in Christmas bush activities with Nyoongar guides.


http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/christmas/
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« Reply #845 on: December 20, 2009, 04:52:51 AM »

Another Christmas site which covers all about our Christmas celebrations and customs.  Includes recipes, song lyrics and many links.

Enjoy ~~~~


http://www.thekoala.com/christmas.htm
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« Reply #846 on: December 22, 2009, 09:28:04 PM »




Wishing all my monkey friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Safe 2010.


   
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God watch over our children and keep them safe.


« Reply #847 on: December 24, 2009, 11:39:37 AM »

Hi Tibro!   I haven't read over here for awhile, but was telling my niece last week, some of the fascinating places and pictures you share and how I would love to visit Australia!   I'm so glad you continue to share here.  It may be the closest I ever get.  Wink 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to my Aussie Friends!
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« Reply #848 on: December 24, 2009, 03:36:32 PM »

Another Christmas site which covers all about our Christmas celebrations and customs.  Includes recipes, song lyrics and many links.

Enjoy ~~~~


http://www.thekoala.com/christmas.htm


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« Reply #849 on: December 26, 2009, 10:10:19 AM »

Happy Boxing Day!!
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« Reply #850 on: December 26, 2009, 07:52:50 PM »

Hi Dihannah so pleased to see you are feeling well enough to continue posting with us all again.  Take care.

Thank you Muffy - Boxing Day here is usually spent recovering from Christmas Day with lots of sporting activities such as the first day of an International Cricket Test match.  This year it is against the Pakistani team but much more fun when we are competing against the English team.  Also the start of the Sydney to Hobart Ocean Yacht Race.  One hundred yachts competing this year and the leaders should arrive in Hobart in good time for New Year Eve.

http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/default.asp

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« Reply #851 on: December 26, 2009, 08:14:05 PM »

Now how could I forget the Boxing Day store sales?  Definitely another sporting event   
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« Reply #852 on: December 28, 2009, 04:13:44 AM »

Mum to visit separated Trishna, Krishna

Article from: Agence France-Presse

December 27, 2009 11:14pm

THE Bangladeshi mother of the separated twins Krishna and Trishna will soon fly to Australia to see her daughters, the babies' legal guardian says.

Mahfuzur Rahman Atom, known as Atom Rahman among his Australian friends, is the legal guardian in Bangladesh of the formerly conjoined twins and arranged the girls' travel to Australia for treatment in 2007.

Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh from Australia last week said he has spoken to the twins' mother, Lovely Mollick, several times since his return and is organising a trip to Australia for her to visit Trishna and Krishna.

"I told her that she could very soon travel to Australia to see her daughters. She thanked us for the daughters' operation. She now wants to see them,'' he said.

The girls were born in December 2006 and six weeks later the impoverished Mollicks placed them in an orphanage in Dhaka.

They were later put up for adoption, in the hope they could receive medical care.

Last month the twins, who have been in Australia for two years, were separated in a marathon operation in Melbourne after neurosurgeons prised apart the bone and blood vessels of their brains to allow them to lead separate lives.

Mollick spoke of her delight that her children had survived the risky operation, but said she wanted them to stay in Australia for a better life.

She recently said she wants to talk with her daughters and to hold them in "my lap just for a moment''.


http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26531679-953,00.html
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« Reply #853 on: December 30, 2009, 10:00:32 PM »

   Hi Tib.  You getting ready for the New Year?

I really enjoy your posts 
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« Reply #854 on: December 31, 2009, 08:12:06 PM »

Hi Muffy - it is well into the first day of 2010 now.  Thank you for reading here and posting of your enjoyment.  I try to bring newsy items which I think may interest my Monkey friends on the other side of the world.

We watched the fireworks on TV at midnight from Sydney.  The shape of the Sydney Harbour bridge makes for an ideal platform for the display and it can be seen from most points around the harbour and the city.

Someone has already posted a YouTube of last night's display - in two parts :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7UbL4nfeJE&annotation_id=annotation_234696&feature=iv

I hope all my Monkey friends have a very happy, healthy and safe 2010.
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« Reply #855 on: January 01, 2010, 04:58:52 PM »

Challenging sailing means Jessica Watson puts party on hold

Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Glenis Green

January 02, 2010 12:00am

TEEN around-the-world sailor Jessica Watson was saving her solo New Year's celebrations for last night after some challenging sailing towards notorious Cape Horn in freezing conditions.

Her mother Julie Watson said from Buderim on the Sunshine Coast yesterday that while she had packed some party poppers and streamers aboard Ella's Pink Lady, she was not expecting Jessica to break them out until the weather settled a bit.

"Last year I remember we were crossing the Tasman on New Year's Eve and we were all pretty crook so we postponed the celebrations for a few days, so that's what you do at sea," said Mrs Watson.

Jessica said in her Australia-time New Year's Eve blog that the start of 2010 had crept up on her faster than she had realised with her mind on so many other things.

  # Click through: Jessica Watson's video blog
  # Indepth: Jessica Watson around the world
  # In pictures: Solo sailor Jessica Watson

"I think I'll save my New Year's Party for tomorrow in my own time zone," she said. "But I would like to wish a happy New Year to everyone out there celebrating ... looks like I'm going to miss the fireworks so make the most of them for me!"

Jessica said she had already experienced her first Southern Ocean gale with the wind topping 44 knots and was happy with the way her yacht had handled the 5m swells.

"There's a chance we'll see worse somewhere along the line but apart from a bit of fast surfing (a bit too fast for comfort!) everything went smoothly this time," she blogged.

The lone sailor said she had been cheered by a dolphin which had swum alongside the Pink Lady for six hours when the storm was at its height.

"I haven't seen a dolphin for weeks so to have one see us through the gale like that was very comforting," she said.

Weather guru Roger Badham, who has been tracking Jessica's progress for The Courier-Mail, said the 16-year-old was now deep in the Southern Ocean and further south than he had expected for yesterday's date and time.

"Conditions are cold and will get colder this week with a true blast of southerly winds," he said. But as she neared Cape Horn over the next 10 days the wind direction would probably swing more NW than SW as the strong ocean wind compressed against South America and the high southern Andes mountains.

Mr Badham warned she would have to be wary of a worst-case scenario of an intense low developing to the north forcing her off course.

Mrs Watson said she had noticed that her daughter, who usually complained about having to put on a cardigan, was layering up solidly against the intense cold but was still "buoyant and cheerful".

Sunshine Coast-based Jessica is now heading for the halfway mark in her attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world after setting off from Sydney in October.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26542948-952,00.html
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« Reply #856 on: January 01, 2010, 05:02:06 PM »

Aussie demand for US flights unaffected by terror attack

Article from: The Courier-Mail

Jordan Chong

January 01, 2010 11:00pm

LENGTHY security checks at airports after a foiled terror attack on a US-bound jet have proved no deterrent for Australians heading to America.

Qantas Airways and Virgin Blue both say the tighter security measures have done little to dampen demand.

Qantas spokesman Simon Rushton said the changes, including individual pat-downs, had not resulted in people altering their travel plans.

''There has been no impact on demand for travel between Australia and the US,'' Mr Rushton said. ''I don't think there is enough there to deter people.''

Virgin Blue, whose overseas arm V Australia launched in February flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, also reported no change to forward bookings.

''No impact on US bookings at all our end,'' Virgin Blue spokeswoman Amanda Bolger said.

The US Department of Homeland Security rushed in additional security measures after a man allegedly with links to al-Qa'ida tried to set off an explosive device on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.

Passengers travelling to the US from Australia have since faced additional security at airports, including physical pat-downs and individual baggage checks.

Flight Centre spokesman Haydn Long said most passengers understood that security was part and parcel of flying to the US.

''I think everyone would agree that heightened security measures are good,'' Mr Long said.

The entry of V Australia and Delta Air Lines to challenge Qantas and United Airlines has dramatically increased competition on the trans-Pacific route and caused a sharp reduction in airfares.

''People have been getting some good bargains and I think they are probably prepared to put up with some additional security measures and still travel,'' Mr Long said.


http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26544263-3122,00.html
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« Reply #857 on: January 10, 2010, 07:46:57 PM »

Centaur wreck pictures shine light on history

Article from: The Courier-Mail

Tuck Thompson and David Barbeler

January 10, 2010 11:00pm

IT was a search operation of amazing complexity - but it triumphed over early technical problems to deliver Centaur images that brought tears to an old man's eyes. MARTIN Pash shed tears yesterday as he prepared to see photos of the ship on which he almost died nearly 67 years ago.

Centaur survivor Martin Pash she tears yesterday as he prepared to see photographs of the ship on which he almost died off the Queensland coast nearly 67 years ago.

When he eventually saw the stunning shots of the AHS Centaur, taken more than 2km below the surface off Moreton Island, the 87-year-old survivor summed up the moment.

"She is in pretty good nick, isn't she," Mr Pash said in his Melbourne home.

Mr Pash said he was stunned by the clarity of the photos, taken early yesterday by a remotely-controlled submersible camera operated by shipwreck hunter David Mearns and his crew.

    Should Japan apologise?

The photos give a graphic account of Queensland's worst maritime disaster when 268 people died after the Centaur was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1943.

The pictures show the deck and rigging of the Centaur, including the torpedo hole that sank her in less than three minutes.

Mr Pash, one of 64 survivors who clung to rafts and flotsam for 36 hours, yesterday pointed to the photos of the cross on the port bow, still with red as brilliant as the night the Centaur went down.

"That's where we lived, up there where the photo was taken," Mr Pash said.

    In-depth reports.

"The main thing is they have found the Centaur," he said. "It's good for relatives to know where the ship is."

Mr Pash, who was a 20-year-old steward on the Centaur, is one of only three survivors alive today.

Over the next few days Mr Mearns and his crew plan to revisit the wreck at least twice and lay a memorial plaque for those who died in the disaster.

For filming the Centaur, Mr Mearns sent a submarine robot named Remora 3 down to identify three prominent features; the ship's bright red cross, a star on the bow and a corroded identification number 47.

"It's a great relief for everybody, the sonar images were very clear to us . . . but we knew we needed to bring back conclusive video-graphic proof," Mr Mearns said, while also admitting he has had only one hour's sleep in the past 33 hours.

The crew has faced minor technical problems, all of which Mr Mearns said can be expected in deep-water dives.

After the footage was captured, two unsuccessful attempts were made to reach the seabed, the second delaying proceedings for up to eight hours.

The successful six-hour mission, which began at 8.30pm on Saturday, experienced other difficulties.

At 10pm the Remora 3, suffered an oil pressure leak and had to return to the surface after descending past half way to the ship.

On the second attempt, after the Remora 3 had reached the seabed and was 200m away from the wreck site, the Seahorse Spirit's engine room experienced an oil leak and the mission's length had to be shortened.

At this stage, it is still unsure when the memorial plaque for the 268 people who died in the attack will be placed.

"The first dive is a reconnaissance dive, second dive we take a lot of photos, then it will probably be the third dive," Mr Mearns said.

Mr Mearns also said the plaque test run on Sunday morning showed that the "incredibly soft" clay-like seabed had the potential to swallow the entire memorial plaque.

There are fears that placing the plaque directly on the ship may impact on the fragile wreck.

The site is also protected under the Commonwealth's Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976.

Mr Mearns found the Centaur using side-scan sonar on December 20 and returned to the wrecksite about 50km east of Moreton for visual confirmation.

Acting Premier Paul Lucas, echoing previous comments made by Mr Pash, has called upon the Japanese to apologise for the wartime atrocity.

Japan did not admit to sinking the Centaur until 1979.

The submarine responsible, the I-177, was destroyed in 1944 but its captain Hajime Nakagawa lived until 1986 although he stayed silent about the Centaur.

The Japanese Embassy in Canberra has refused to make a specific apology for sinking the Centaur.

Japan has issued general statements admitting to wartime atrocities,

Brightly lit, unarmed and unescorted, Centaur was travelling from Sydney to New Guinea to pick up wounded soldiers when it was attacked at 4am on May 14.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26573651-952,00.html
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Tibrogargan
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« Reply #858 on: January 10, 2010, 07:50:12 PM »

Signs of human tragedy in wreck of Centaur

Article from: The Courier-Mail

January 11, 2010 08:49am

DRAMATIC new images from the wreck of the Centaur tell a more personal tale of the tragedy, with a man's hat, a shoe and a tea set resting in amongst the debris.

The pictures, taken by a remotely operated submersible working from the search ship Seahorse Spirit, offer a very human insight into the sinking on the hospital ship by a Japanese submarine in 1943.

        * New pictures: See latest Centaur images here

While initial footage released on the weekend showed larger parts of the wreckage, the latest images reveal startling detail of more intimate debris.

Visible at the wreck site are a hospital bed, a safe, and depth markers on the ship's hull.

The footage also reveals the ship's bell, a degaussing device on a railing and a mounting pad for the distance log found intact but bent over on the starboard stern railing.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26574740-952,00.html


Note : If the links quoted do not allow interested monkeys to view the pictures or videos, please leave me a note and I will post pics through my photobucket. 
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MuffyBee
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« Reply #859 on: January 10, 2010, 11:19:49 PM »

Signs of human tragedy in wreck of Centaur

Article from: The Courier-Mail

January 11, 2010 08:49am

DRAMATIC new images from the wreck of the Centaur tell a more personal tale of the tragedy, with a man's hat, a shoe and a tea set resting in amongst the debris.

The pictures, taken by a remotely operated submersible working from the search ship Seahorse Spirit, offer a very human insight into the sinking on the hospital ship by a Japanese submarine in 1943.

        * New pictures: See latest Centaur images here

While initial footage released on the weekend showed larger parts of the wreckage, the latest images reveal startling detail of more intimate debris.

Visible at the wreck site are a hospital bed, a safe, and depth markers on the ship's hull.

The footage also reveals the ship's bell, a degaussing device on a railing and a mounting pad for the distance log found intact but bent over on the starboard stern railing.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26574740-952,00.html


Note : If the links quoted do not allow interested monkeys to view the pictures or videos, please leave me a note and I will post pics through my photobucket. 

Thank you Tib for bringing the tragic story of the Centaur.  How very sad for the 268 souls lost at sea.  I was able to view the 28 pictures at the link.  I was touched by  the picture of the man's hat sitting there near the debris field.    Even after all these years... Yes, I think Japan should apologize for torpedoing this ship, given the circumstances.  JMHO 
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