Part Four: Visitors – the fly-in, fly-out variety

As a follow-on from last month, the wing-flapping indulged in by the ibis is just ostentatious showmanship – no damage is ever done.

Towards the end of the wet season, while it was still pouring monsoonal buckets, I watched as a pair of Burdekin ducks (Radjah Shelduck) waddled along close to my back fence, not pausing and suspicious of every slight sound and/or movement.

It was a rare sighting in built-up suburbia of these cream and chestnut-coloured ducks as they are slow-moving and very trusting, thus making themselves a sitting target for unsportsmanlike shooters. I only saw them this one time, but live in hope that they will be back next wet season.

On another rainy day, and sticking to the black and white theme, some magpie geese mistook the flooded grass area for a real lake and came to a skidding halt amongst the ever-present ibis, flashing their orange beaks and totally dwarfing the 'common' ibis. With their heads held high on long, slender necks, they gazed superciliously at the locals then, deciding that there was actually nothing to eat, with one accord they all took a running, floundering take-off, splashing water and scattering the ibis willy-nilly!

However, the imperious ibis soon re-formed into their accustomed cliques and continued to meander their way, assiduously hoovering the grass roots for tasty grubs.

A lone masked lapwing (also known as a spur-winged plover), his bright yellow face wattles highlighted by his pristine white chest, with his spurs clearly visible poking forwards from his wing flaps, settled briefly on the grass one day before jetting off for more productive fields.

Next month: Lurkers and Outcasts

To mark the 10th Anniversary of the United Nations Action Plan on Ageing, 2012 has been designated as The European Year for Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity with the aim of

raising awareness on the contribution that older people make to society and the important role that young people play in society as a whole;

mobilising policymakers and relevant stakeholders at all levels to promote active ageing in the fields of employment, social protection, family policies, education and training, health and social services, as well as housing, transport, leisure, and public infrastructures;

calling for greater cooperation and solidarity between generations.

Active Ageing is defined by the World Health Organisation as the process of optimising opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. It allows people to realise their potential for wellbeing throughout their lives and to participate in society according to their needs, desires and capabilities, while providing them with adequate protection, security and care when they need assistance. It implies optimising opportunities for physical, social and mental health to enable older people to take an active part in society without discrimination and to enjoy an independent and good quality of life. Against this background, intergenerational solidarity refers to the mutual support and cooperation between different age groups in order to achieve a society where people of all ages have a role to play, and can benefit from their community's economic and social progress on an equal basis.

It is clear that society in general, not just in the European Union, is going to have to adapt to meet the needs of its ageing population, but at the same time it will also have to tackle the new challenges faced by other age groups so that all generations will be able to continue supporting each other, for example in terms of pension systems. This implies reviewing policies and practices as regards town planning, rural development, public transport, access to health care, family policy, education and training, social protection, employment, civic participation, leisure, as well as empowering older people to age in good health and to contribute more actively to the labour market and to their communities.

The EU has certainly set itself an ambitious agenda – and the eurozone crisis has to be addressed, too!

For further information click here.

Many thanks to everyone involved in the organisation of our Christmas lunch last November – it was a great success, as usual. Gayle Carroll sought the limits of our knowledge with her quiz, and didn't have to look very far. And congratulations to the lucky winners in the raffle: Inger Anderson, Elaine Hurst, Fran Wickes, Mary Woodrow and Kay Wright. The Door Prize went to Shaun Northcote.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first of the bombing raids on Darwin; it may well be the last milestone anniversary to involve survivors of the raids and two weeks of special events have been organised to commemorate the occasion.

On 19 February, the date of the first raid, the Australian American Association of the NT will be holding a special service at the USS Peary Gun Memorial on The Esplanade at 8am. This will be followed at 9.30am by a formal commemorative ceremony at The Cenotaph.

Among other events during these two weeks:

Following the official opening of the Bombing of Darwin Museum at East Point on 17 February, the museum will be open to the public

The Genealogical Society of the NT is holding a morning tea with Pearl Ogden who will be looking at the impact of the war years in Darwin. (NT Archives, 25 Cavanagh Street, 9.30am, 18 February; call 0412 018 015 to register. The cost is $5 for members, $8 for non-members).

Government House, one of the first buildings to come under enemy aircraft fire, with the grounds and offices suffering direct hits, will be open from 11am to 2pm on 19 February.

The National Film and Sound Archives have in their care rare archival colour films of life in Darwin before and after the raids. These are being screened for the first time in forty years at 3.30pm on 19 February at the BCC Cinema, Mitchell Street.

Peter Grose, the author of The Awkward Truth will be speaking at 4pm on 20 February in the City of Darwin Library.

Parliament House is hosting, during normal opening times, a display of photographs of the original Post Office and Telegraph Station. There will also be an exhibition of photographs of Stokes Hill Wharf taken prior to, during and after the raids (Stokes Hill Wharf Function Room, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday).

For the full program click here

One of our members and her husband come to Darwin every year to catch up with their grandchildren and extended family. If you are going away any time between March and September and are looking for someone to look after your home (and pool, garden and pets) during your absence, you might like to contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (or call 0418 115 748).

Sonja Elsegood, who has recently returned to live in Darwin, is offering to rent her traditional Balinese-style, spacious, 2-bedroom, open-plan home, with staff, in Sanur for a minimum 2 months. For full details contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (or call 0424 280 166).

Further to the talk given by Rosemary Jacobs last November, if you're interested in looking further into the aspects of the law as it applies in the Northern Territory, click here

Just a reminder that the program for the Festival – which takes places from 2 to 5 February - is available at the BCC Cinema, Mitchell Street or here

Akin to DYSLEXIA (an impairment of reading and writing function and ability) is an affliction called DYSCALCULIA (the inability accurately to deal with numbers)?

Using fingers and other aids for simple arithmetic additions is fine, but long division, multiplication, percentages and so on are often impossible tasks.

When diagnosed early in life, the disorder can be treated with specialised teaching, but it has only recently been acknowledged that roughly one person in twenty suffers from dyscalculia.

I have it – Do You??

Foe me, this profound medical discovery has come of a numbering handicap has come seventy years TOO LATE!

As for Sudoku – that is just diabolical!!

Gayle Carroll

Our Christmas lunch will be held on 24 November at Kantilla's Function Room in Marrara stadium. You'll find the reservation form on page 6. Attached to this Newsletter is a booklet of Raffle Tickets. The sales of these tickets help boost U3A funds which are used to subsidise our various activities such as the 'fifth Thursday' outings and, of course, the Christmas lunch.

There will be five draws at the lunch, and each winner will receive $50, and there will also be a door prize. Each booklet of five tickets costs just $10. Please let Teresa Lugg have the counterfoils – with the names of ticket purchasers on them – together with payment - by 17 November.

If you do not wish to purchase tickets, it would be appreciated if you could return the booklets to Teresa Lugg as quickly as possible so that they may be re-allocated.

New regulations applicable from 1 November require all residential premises in the Territory to be fitted with photoelectric smoke alarms which are able to detect smouldering fires that are not as quickly picked up by the old-style ionisation type of alarms.

The property owner is responsible for installing the new alarms, but the changeover does not have to take place until old alarms need replacing or the property is sold. For full details of the conditions go to www.fire.nt.gov.au or call 8955 5400.

As usual, Teresa Lugg will be running our annual sweep on the day of the Melbourne Cup, 1 November. Raid your wardrobe and wear a hat to get into the spirit of the occasion.

As the end of the year approaches, it's time to think about renewing membership for 2012. The cost remains at $10, and the renewal form is on page 8 of the newsletter.