Mob rule

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July 3. Watching 'Sunrise', weather being broadcast from Herveys Range west of Townsville. Thought I could make ambush. Finally found myself on road through savannah heading to back of beyond. Profusion of bird life. Beautiful blue kingfishers, parrots, galahs, another of those I'd seen inTownsville driveway. Plenty of chatter. Scenic overlook on way back. Workers told me Herveys Range cafe only 200 meters back!!!! Lob in too late. Decided to get tomorrow's location. INGHAM! 120 kms north. Sounds good. Great sadness leaving skipper's. Sat to ponder Palm Island. Tales I hear wondrous. True. 'Most beautiful island.' Third world heart of Australia. And so it seems I'm learning strine, as well the answer to very conceivable question. Young blokes got flag flash place on Strand. Chopper lumbered overhead. Townsville military base and exercises. North to Ingham and the 'pub without beer' scene of tomorrow's encounter.
July 4. Parked up in field with of dozens of small roos grazing in the moonlight. In early for filming. Cameraman asked me not to hold up flag. When he was on me I did but. This incensed the locals avaricious for their second of celebrity. Later for filming at the Italian festival stand in the park I waqs attacked while all watched. Mob rule!!! It It started to get scary as several got into the frenzy of threats. I calmly decided to leave as ther was no possibility of any positives. Fled town as I felt unsafe. INCIDENT IN INGHAM. Pulled into town. It was 6:30am. The crowd at the Italian festival stall decked out in flowers and masks. Then down to the pub where the poet's descendants almost took the air of royalty. Intense focus on ego. I'm trying to figure how to get a good possi for the shot. Had a little girl on a stool willing to hold up one end. Cameraman asked me not to fly flag. She disappeared in fright. I waited for shot. Camera on me, I held up our flag. He swerved the camera as fast as he could. Some seconds later another bite of the cherry. He flashed away again. After I spoke to him, he busy walked away. Next shot is back at festival where I'm looking for spot. Bloke grabbed flag, we're both holding on. I fell to the ground, thinking fight has no might and said, 'Isn't anyone going to help me?' No one spoke. Standing I'm surrounded by blokes threatening serious violence in unprintable language, this in front of the very kids they were pretending to be protecting. Protecting ther own universe. I tried reason to no avail and when a woman said I should move because her kids were in danger, she was merely backing the men. This was obviously an untenable position, so I put my hands up and said I would leave. Which I did. One bloke followed me to the car. I was chatting with a young boy whose mother was in the car. The bloke said I couldn't talk to him. I said 'His mother doesn't seem to mind'. This was mob madness but. So I stopped 30 kms north among the trees and had tea. On to yachting Cardwell to collect coconuts and check the scene. Then up to Cardwell for barby. And after pasta au olive pulled up to ponder the position. I had impinged too closely on their collective space. Well you live and slowly learn. Or at least that's the hope. I've beenwrong so many times I've learned a lot, like the rich business bloke who he was a failure because so much of it was. Like evolution a mutation can have enormous power by tapping new resources. But what of Ingham, I'm dazed and confused. This was not the way forward. Hope is all that's left. To be driven out of town by a mob is a new one for me. I've been taken to the ferry under police escort and I was shot at in Guatemala, Passed Illinois in the night, avoided trouble in the ghetto. Rest and recuperation needed for psychlogical shock. For this my crime was to disobey the cameraman!! Most of all it makes one feel so very alone. Hounded from the sidewalk of 'the pub with no beer'.

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Comments

[Jon Lee]

softy softly catchee monkey
Strewth mate - you've got to learn politics ! ( and study the principles of guerilla war . ) Or as the Chinese say - "Softly , softly catchee monkey " . I'd say it was lucky that the camera didn't capture the aggressive response in Ingham . It could have resulted in some very bad publicity. We have got to remember that there are forces out there that are extremely powerful and fanaticaly opposed to a change of flag .