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CHARACTER & TRUTH IN & ABOUT
THE LAND WATER & SKY OF HOBART.
It is a partial lyrical geographic melody sharing
affection and future for visitors too.
iii
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 UNTI THE WONDER-COUNTRY
IN LOCALE NO LONGER LIVED CENTRE TOWN – SO THAT MORE & MORE
THEY HAD 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.
‘ 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
vii
© Monte John Latham 2013
Monte John Latham asserts the moral right to be identified as the creating author of this work,
Homartian 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
TRIM1524_2286
ISBN 978-0-646-59530-6
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.
PAINTINGS, COVER, PENCIL & SNAP PHOTO
ILLUSTRATIONS ARE BY THE AUTHOR
A FEW OF THE IMAGES ARE DRAWN FROM
GENERAL PUBLICATION & OF UNKNOWN SOURCE.
ix
WRITER
He grew up 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 islands immediately south in The Great Southern Land. At times, such as now, his writing is like his painting; a loosely waxed flow of edited conscious and subconscious expression from the evirons & the mental … lush with psychotropic properties. Born mid 20th century he, with wife & their five children, grew 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 and this one with a very very tolerant participator in Sandy, a very very special piece of New
Zealand and wife. Certainly the kids are triple A + participators too. He is ten years older than the picture. I hope you enjoy this light hearted and impassioned piece.
Homartian
Hear me 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
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 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
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 ED. NOTE: ONE COULD READ
STRAIGHT THROUGH FIRST, THEN COME BACK TO PICK
UP THE DISPLAY PAGES.
3
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 F O R :
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 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 …
5
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 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
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 c e r y
o f w i n ds a m i l l i on aw on d e r
a r i ch n es s
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
7
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 - 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 .
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
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 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
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 -
9
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 o 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
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
o f t h i s wh e n t he y w a l k th e bo 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
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
11
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 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 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 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
tallest of tall tall yes tall gums
13
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 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
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 g a v e u p
17
i t s g h o s t : 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
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 y 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 y 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 y 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 y o u r
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 y 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 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 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
19
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
C H E C K G L O S S A R Y :
ley lines, convict camp
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
21
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.
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 m an l o v e s on e ma n 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
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 …
n a t u r a l s e c o n d m o r e s o a n d s o s a t - o n
25
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
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 u p f i s t t h r o u g h
t h a t 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
27
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 h o l l y b r i l l i a n 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
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
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 a m e o f i t s own
29
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 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
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
SEE 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
Our grotty little heart up Cascades in company with a buried brook.
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 ; 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
35
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 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 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 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 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
39
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 ,
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 ns 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 ha t s p o i l s o u r
c u l tu r e -
p o l i t i c s w e d e s e r v e . C a mp 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
41
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 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 c e s s w i l l p r e s i d e ; l e a v i ng a
43
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
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
47
s t a i n l e s s s t e e l m a s h , h m mh m m .
N u r tu 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 . 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 a l u 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
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
49
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 .
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
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
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
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 .
55
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
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
57
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 . 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
59
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
$∑
63
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.
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?
65
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 lush with all and awesome creatures and plants unadulterated by people yet the 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
67
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
69
your youness connection in a wrong place.
Tharkian: having qualities
like The Thark, an area barely trodden west of the kunanyi Mount Wellington pinnacle.
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 …
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.
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.
This is how it might have appeared
looking to that island from where the
Lord mayor now sits. It shows albeit
crudely the rocky connection to shore
which underpinned the causeway they
built … to become the umbilical and
indeed the source of Macquarie Street.
.
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 …
Rosellas (not correctly coloured) like
Lorikeets sweeping in mutual embrace
with the leaves and limbs and wind.
These were actually eastward at Wattle
Hill but the scene is pretty much the
same.
Should be Regnans 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.
This is what it might have looked like
from Stowell lookinh over the
Salamanca warehouses to the Domain;
there is a wedgetailed eagle just flew
out of the picture. The cappacino sits at
Elizabeth Wharf..
Homartian
for y o u r L i b r a r y ,
F r i e n d , V i s i t o r , D e s i g n e r , T e a c h e r , D e v e l o p e r , P o l i t i c i a n , C h i l d , C o m p a n i o n ;
a s a H o u s e W a r m e r o r t o R e t a i l .
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M John Latham, Manager
Debox Publications 16 Sanfrancisco St, Sorell, Tasmania, Australia 7172
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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