Bushranger

Kenny up for Alliance

BUSHIE has it on good authority that retiring Labor MLA Ken Vowles may be out doorknocking in Johnston this week. But it won’t be for Labor’s Joel Bowden. Bushie hears Kenny could be joining former Labor colleague Jeff Collins in doorknocking for Territory Alliance candidate Steven Klose. The race for Johnston keeps getting more interesting by the day. Only six more sleeps.

Gytrash’s Darwin rumble

IF YOU felt what you thought was an earthquake in the Parap area about 2.42pm last Saturday, we can confirm it was only NT

News editor Matt Williams and his family cheering home his Dad’s horse Gytrash which won the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington. Bushie hears a few punters at the Parap pub filled their pockets after getting the tip from former Norwood champion Greg Turbill — a great mate of Matt’s old man.

Chief returns with a bang

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner’s first press conference back on the job didn’t go quite as planned this week. Mr Gunner was in the middle of spruiking his local jobs policy on a worksite in Darwin CBD when he was interrupted by a loud clanging sound and a cacophony of expletives from a worker who apparently had dropped something – and was not aware of the ongoing press conference.

Dry event a bold move

PLANNING ahead during the wet season is always touch and go. The Darwin Bush

walking Club set up a social event posted on Facebook to gather outdoor-obsessed

Territorians together for an afternoon of fun. It was called the “Welcome to the dry season meeting”. During the week the forecast slipped between thunderstorms and mostly cloudy. With the downpours expected, and the cyclone on its way towards the NT, Bush

ie hopes rain doesn’t spoil the “dry season” event.

Pet policy looks familiar

RENTAL laws were in the spotlight this week with the NT Government’s plan to force all landlords to accept pets voted through Parliament. Bushie spotted some glaring similarities between a Facebook post by Chief Minister Michael Gunner on new laws, and one made by Victorian Premier Dan An

drews on the same topic – more than two years ago. The two posts are suspiciously similar line for line, from calling pets “part of the family” to saying the new laws are the “right thing to do”. The near-duplicate post is still on Mr Gunner’s Facebook page and

Bushie is still scratching his head as to how such a similar post could have ended up there.

Gifted Kendall kicks ahead

IT TURNS out that backs are not only the best goalkickers in the rugby codes. Fresh off the news this week that Australian opening batsman David Warner is a gun at slotting the ball between the posts, Palmerston second-rower Kendall Quakawoot is also pretty good at the highly difficult discipline. The Crocs star was pretty proud of his efforts when kicking goals for fun at the Darwin Rugby Union season launch on Wednesday and, it must be said, so was Bushie.

Spider drives duo mad

ANYONE travelling down the Esplanade last Sunday evening would have been treated to a confusing sight. While driving a colleague’s car, Sunday Territorian editor Phillippa Butt felt a wriggle on her hand and quickly pulled over to discover a spider the size of a 50c piece crawling on it. Leaping out of the car, Butt was forced to electronically move the driver’s seat back and forwards until former

NT News, current ABC scribe Lauren Roberts could flick the critter on to the road. The whole debacle took about 15 minutes, while the pair debated leaving the running car across the three carparks and fleeing the scene.