Welcome to Life Images by Jill

Welcome to Life Images by Jill.........Stepping into the light and bringing together the images and stories of our world. I am a photographer, writer and multi-media artist.
Focussing mainly on Western Australia and Australia, I am seeking to preserve images and memories of the beautiful world in which we live and the people in it.

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Monday, 23 October 2023

World Kangaroo Day - 24 October 2023

 Hi everyone. I hope you and yours are doing well. 

I learnt yesterday that it is World Kangaroo Day on Tuesday 24 October 2023. The first World Kangaroo Day was held in 2020. 

I know my overseas visitors enjoy seeing my kangaroo pics, especially when I randomly say I come across them when we are out bushwalking. 

Here is one we interrupted having his lunch at Carnarvon Gorge when we visited Queensland on the eastern side of Australia recently - so this would be the Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)

This was a male - they are big - you wouldn't want to mess with one. They can be up to 1.5 metres (five foot) tall and weigh about 60kg (132 pounds). Lucky for us these kangaroos near the picnic area at Carnarvon Gorge are quite used to people - but you don't want to approach them - they are wild kangaroos and could be very dangerous if provoked.  


The one below here is the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) They are the largest living marsupial. An adult male stands over 1.8m tall (5 ft 10 in) and can weigh up to 90kg (198 lb). Red kangaroos live throughout most of central mainland Australia, in areas with low rainfall, prefering open plains, grasslands and deserts. 

This one we saw in a wildlife park near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, having a snooze in the shade. 


Here are some quick facts about kangaroos -

  • Kangaroos are the largest Marsupials on Earth.- Kangaroos belong to the mammal family  Macropodidae (meaning ‘big feet’).
  • There are about 60 species of kangaroos and wallabies
  • A group of kangaroos is called a mob.
  • Kangaroos' enlarged hind feet, powerful hind legs and strong tail help them hop up to 8 metres (26 foot) in one jump   These adaptations allow some species of kangaroo, such as red and grey kangaroos, reach speeds of over 48 km per hour (30 miles ph).
  • Kangaroos can suspend pregnancy - called emrouonic diapause - until the pouch Is vacant. Females can have up to 3 joeys at different stages of development at any one time. If a joey is lost, they can bring forward the next joey into the pouch without mating again. 
  • A kangaroos long feet and tail prevent them from walking backwards
  • They use their powerful tails as a fifth leg - if you cllick on this link you can see how kangaroos stand up on their tail when they are fighting - you might have heard of boxing kangaroos - echidnawalkabout.com.au/how-kangaroos-fight/
  • They sometimes drown their enemies.
  • It is believed that the name kangaroo comes from the Guugu Yimidhirr indigenous people sharing the word "gangurru" with Camptain James Cook when he landed in eastern Australia in 1770.

Below is a black footed (or black flanked) rock wallaby we saw during a Yardie Creek cruise in the Cape Range National Park in Western Australia.  This is a small and extremely agile marsupial that darts among rocky outcrops and caves in central and Western Australia.


And below is the Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) that we see when we are bushwalking over here in the south of Western Australia. In the top two photos you can see joeys (the baby) looking out of the pouch.

The pic bottom right hand side is kangaroos we can see in paddocks not far from where we live - a great place to take overseas visitors to see kangaroos - they are wild living and come down to the paddocks from the bush to graze. You can see more on my blog post here - Paperbark cathedral - Leschenault Estuary
Another place to see them locally is at the Bunbury wildlife park where you can meet kangaroos close up. 

And some red kangaroos in the Western Australian Pilbara region


This photo taken by my husband we believe is the pretty-faced wallaby - also known as the whiptail wallaby ( Notamacropus parryi) We saw this one at Karumba up near the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland. Wallabies are much smaller than kangaroos, more suited to living in scrublands. Males weigh from 14 to 26 kg (31 to 57 lb) and stand at a height from 70 to 93 cm (28 to 37 in)

To read more interesting facts about kangaroos - click on the links below....

Goeco.org-10-kangaroo-facts-you-didnt-know/

Treehugger.com/kangaroo-facts

And learn more about World Kangaroo Day here -  - www.worldkangarooday.org/about


Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed my post about kangaroos.  We certainly have some unusual animals in Australia. 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

With so much blood-shed and heart-break happening in this troubled world. I hope you and your families stay safe. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   

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Tuesday, 10 October 2023

150th Anniversary of the Mourambine Church, 1873-2023 - Western Australia

On the 24th September this year we were priviledged to attend a church service to celebrate the 150th Year of the Consecration of St Patrick's church in the tiny town of Mourambine near Pingelly in Western Australia's wheatbelt. 

I know 150 years is not a lot in terms of the history of some countries, but for Australia it is. To put it in perspective, the first European settlement in Western Australia was at Albany in 1826, followed by our capital city, Perth, in 1829. Settlement of inland Western Australia didn't happen immediately. 

The tiny church at Mourambine and its church yard, sits on a small rise overlooking undulating grain fields, and holds a special place in my family history. 

I first wrote about it in 2014 - you can see the post here - Peace in a country church


My Dad lived just down the road from the church during some of his boyhood and he often spoke about Mourambine. We visited several times with my father in his latter years, and if we are going this way we stop to lay flowers on family graves. 

My grandparents - my father's father and mother - Bob and Roma Clayden (nee Fairhead), my Great-grandparents on Roma's side - George Valentine and Florence Fairhead (nee McBurney), and my Great-great-grandparents - James and Mary Fairhead (nee Welsh). Along with other family members, including 2 small babies. They all had large families who are now scattered across Australia. I have recently made contact with the daughter of one of Roma's brothers, and I am hoping to learn more family history. 

The unnamed grave on the bottom right here is baby Alex Fairhead son of George and Florence, and twin of Bernard. I finally found out his name when we were there in September. Alex died at 2 and a half months old in 1920.


James Fairhead was the first to come to Australia arriving on 30 April 1853 as convict # 1863 on the ship Pyrenees. He was immediately given ticket-of-leave on 1 May 1853 on arrival in Fremantle and given a Conditional Pardoned on 15 September 1855. He married Mary Welsh on 1 December 1859 and they bought land in Beverley in the wheatbelt. They had twelve children in twenty years.
Below is a photo of James Fairhead.

I am yet to find a photo of Mary or any of the details of how she came to be Western Australia. I made a couple of new contacts at the anniversary celebration but my search still continues for a photo and details of Mary. I think I will need to go to the Battye Library in Perth to search.


The 150th commemoration service was conducted by The Right Reverend Dr. Ian Coutts Bishop of the Anglican church in Bunbury. Over 150 people attended the service. As the tiny church only holds 50 people, the elderly were given first preferance and the remainder sat outside. We could hear the service through a two way microphone. Thankfully the sprinkling of rain earlier held off while we were there.






After the service the Bishop planted a commemorative olive tree in keeping with the olive trees that are growing along the path leading to the church. I enjoyed meeting Bishop Ian. 

At the old Atkins house down the road from the church is a large olive tree said to have been planted by Benedictine monks from New Norcia when they passed through the district around 1873. I am wondering if this was where the olive trees at the church also came from. 


A little short history of the church - (with thanks to the 150th celebration committee) 

Settlers arrived in the district around 1846 and the townsite of Mourambine was declared in 1884. Years later the railway bypassed the town and Pingelly (7 kilometres to the west) became the centre of the district. 

The Reverand F Lynch from Gilgering held a monthly service in Mourambine from 1869 onwards. Two blocks of land, each of 50 acres were gazetted. Originally the church was going to be built from timber, but the carefully selected timber was burnt in a bushfire before building could begin. The residents then decided to build a stone church from local stone. The church was built by William Atkins, a stone mason, under the supervision of John Shaddick, Edward Robinson and John Seabrook Jr who were responsible for its erection. 

It was orginally roofed with hand-split she-oak shingles but these were later covered with corrugated iron roofing, the building having no ceiling. The seats in the church were made at the 'Establishment' in York by convict labour. The building was consecrated in the presence of 45 people by Bishop Hale on Sunday 18 May 1873, costing 89 pounds to erect. 


After the celebrations at the church we were treated to a delicious lunch at the Pingelly Recreation and Cultural Center put on by the Pingelly Shire. 

For more about the church - Western Australian Heritage Council
And an interesting article from Trove where you an search newspapers and gazettes - Trove - 1886 letter to the Editor
And also from Trove - Notes from Mourambine
A list of graves - Ozburials

Thank you so much for stopping by. Do you have a church yard that holds significant value to your family? 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. 

Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!


   Mosaic Monday @ Soul & Mind & So On

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Monday, 2 October 2023

Perth weekend snaps - Western Australia

 HI everyone, I hope you and yours are well.

Just a quick post from me today. We had a weekend in Perth catching up with family and friends. While we were there we took a ride on the train - something we hadn't done before. I didn't have time to wander... but here are a few quick random pics from our quick walk through Perth (Western Australia's capital city) to the central train station. 

Perth Central Railway Station was designed by Richard Roach Jewell, the same architect of other famous city buildings such as Perth Town Hall, and Pensioners’ Barracks, prior to 1880. The foundation stone was laid on 10 May 1880 and construction took place over ten months before the station was opened to the public for use in 1 March 1881.
It has a few face changes since then! 



Crossing over to the Forrest Chase square from the railway station



On the left is the old Perth city Post Office


Yes there are trees in our city and sitting and walking places - but strangely the city seems much quieter - I think many people go to the big shopping centres in the suburbs now. 



The Perth Town Hall - and the iconic London Court arcade
Built in 1870, Perth Town Hall is Australia's only Gothic-style town hall, and the only town hall in the world built by convicts. 

Built in 1937 London Court is one of Perth’s best loved heritage listed shopping destinations. Inspired by Tudor England and located in the heart of the City, the court links Hay Street Mall and St George’s Terrace.


For more info:
Visit Perth
Perth museums and galleries

I haven't just wandered around Perth with my camera for a long time.... I must do it again soon.... and allow more time to just do that! 

You might also like from my blog:
A weekend in Perth - 2012

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!


   

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