Screamers not welcome
THUMBS up to Liam Flynn of Flynn’s Restaurant fame in Yungaburra, who has banned children under seven years old from his eatery. This followed a complaint after a woman with a rowdy two- year- old refused to take any measures to quieten the child. It spoiled the evening for the other diners in this popular and stylish French- Italian eatery.
Mr Flynn has copped criticism for the ban, but support has been overwhelming from people fed up with having to put up with ill- disciplined children in restaurants. The message is that if people want to take their children to a restaurant they either have to keep them under control or opt instead for Hungry Jack’s or McDonald’s.
Canines and coffee
SOME coffee shop owners might take note of Mr Flynn’s trailblazing move. And, no, in this case I’m not talking about them banning children. I’m talking about dogs. It’s a bit offputting to be sitting there enjoying a cuppa when the pooch tied to the leg of the table next door walks over and gives you a big, uninvited lick on the leg. Or worse, cocks its own leg on your leg. Why is it the owners of these dogs think this is cute? It’s not cute. It’s annoying.
Book your copy
TOWNSVILLE bookworms are queuing to buy Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman. The author of To Kill a Mockingbird is enjoying a second coming with the release today at 9am of her not- so- new book which is once again set in the racial hurly- burly of America’s deep south.
Kerry at Townsville’s Mary Who? Bookshop said she has so many pre- sale orders there won’t be too many left to put on the shelves.
Outback luxury
THE Mount Coolon Hotel over the other side of the Burdekin Dam, once the rootinest, tootinest pub west of the Pecos, has been gentrified. I’ve only ever stayed there once, but that was an experience. It was six or seven years ago.
I turned over in bed at about 1am and the whole thing fell apart. Wooden slats holding up the mattress hit the hardwood floor just before I did. What a shambles. It sounded like an artillery barrage on the Somme. No one stirred and no one said anything the next morning.
Now, new publican Liz Turner tells me she has got rid of all the old beds and has put in comfortable donga accommodation, six of which are ensuit- ed. Imagine? Mt Coolon with ensuites. What is the world coming to?
And now you can even get a woodfired pizza on Sunday nights. The road has been upgraded and caravan- towing grey nomads are staying overnight at the rest area behind the pub. Things are changing in the bush.
Drugs a big problem
STORY over the weekend about employees and employers wanting random drug testing on building sites for ice. Employees obviously don’t want to be working side by side with people operating machinery who are on ice.
Authorities might also have a good, hard look at the drug testing policies in the mining and gas industries. A mate who has just finished 10 months on a large Queensland gas project reckons there were drugs aplenty there, including ice.
Oops sorry, Belinda
THE dangers of dialling “favourites” on your phone. I was on my way to meet my wife for coffee yesterday morning at Dominion, when, blame it on the cool weather, I was forced to make a detour to the public toilets in Townsville Bulletin Square. I called up ‘ favourites’, hit the required number and when a female voice answered, I said “Honey, I’m just across the street taking a leak. Can you order me a long black?”
Instead of a quick “Roger that, I’ll order”, there was silence for a second and then a puzzled female voice saying, “Hello, yes, this is Belinda”.
Oops. My wife’s name is Robyn.
“Oh, hell,” I thought, looking down at the phone screen. I’d called Craig and Cynthia Young from the Lawn Hill Pastoral Company. I quickly apologised and said “wrong number” and signed off. Belinda, whoever you are, I’m sorry.
Graziers smiling
THE stock squad is on the alert for cattle thieves given the current high prices for prime beef cattle. There were record prices at Charters Towers last week with Geoff Carrick, Maitland Station, Einasleigh and Lloyd and Cleta Curley from Sutherland, Georgetown, both getting a record price of 243.2c/ kg for bullocks.
Towers agent Jim Geaney says good bullocks of around 600kg are reaching $ 1500. If you’ve got a few in the paddock, you’re a Lotto winner.
Pull the other one
THE Q- Coal funded mobile dentistry clinic was in Winton last week. This is the mobile clinic which roams the western inland doing a marvellous job looking after the oral hygiene of people who otherwise never get see a genuine tooth extraction engineer.
One of the dentists I spoke to there last week was from the African nation of Namibia. Before becoming a dentist and moving to Australia he flew military aircraft for the Namibian military. He told me about one bloke who called in with a toothache in Winton last week.
Ended up they took out eight of his potato mashers in one hit. The bloke didn’t blink an eye when they started piling up in the little silver dish near his head.
Eureka turns 150
THE old Eureka Hotel which currently trades as the Hervey’s Range Tea rooms turns 150 this year. It was behind these slab timber walls that the drovers and prospectors used to cut loose on benders that lasted for days or weeks.
Graham McGregor says there is a big reunion starting on the night of September 11 and then continuing over the Saturday and Sunday.
These days the tea rooms are a bit more genteel. It is highly unlikely you will see anyone thrown out through a window while sitting there sipping your Twining’s’ English Breakfast. But, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you plan on staying overnight throw in the camping gear.