Jimmy’s amazing life worth a Spielberg flick
HOW about a spotlight on JT’S statue?
It really is a beauty and seems sorta lost at night. The silhouette may even fall on the giant sails of our stadium and look positively magnificent showing our pride in the greatest player ever, and of course pride in his heritage.
Today begins National Reconciliation Week and what I believe is the greatest example of reconciliation happened right here in our great city, albeit before there was a city, in fact even before FOOTY!
This story is rarely told, though I’ve mentioned it a few times here in my scribble to you, and with all my heart I believe it should be a part of all curriculum in schools (in many schools it is) and Spielberg should make the movie, James Morrill.
Jimmy tried so hard from 1863 to improve relations with our First Australians, and sadly failed, but his legacy of knowledge of life with the local tribes of our area is invaluable. After all, he was the first white man in North Queensland (after 101 years), and the first to live 17 years with the true locals.
For that reason and his incredible story, his statue should be near the stadium too, or perhaps we make it Jimmy’s Park instead of Central Park. There’s plenty to read on
Morrill thanks to the Bowen Historical Society and his proud descendants (like famous Ducky over the Isle of Magnetical, who gave me some fantastic facts). After all, he came ashore at Cape Cleveland and hunted with his tribe, south to Bowen, and up North to Cardwell, and that little hill near our cemetery called Jimmy’s Lookout.
But it’s what happened one night with the first tribe he met that is a story to be briefly reminded of this Reconciliation Week.
Jimmy was led to a camp with the other castaways and, thinking he was to be the evening meal, he was understandably extremely frightened, but as he was led to the fire the powerful-looking men, the elders, did the most amazing thing.
In Jimmy’s own words: “They looked at me, and observing me shake with fear, they warmed their hands at the fire and put them on my face, and all over my body, to reassure me, seeing which, I took heart again.”
I love that story, and of course how he returned to life with the settlers at Inkerman Station 17 years after living with the locals. Again how Jimmy tells it: “I heard him say ‘come out Bill, here is a red or yellow man standing on the rails naked, he’s not a black man, bring a gun’, but before they had time to use the gun, I said: ‘Do not shoot me, I am a British subject, a shipwrecked sailor.’”
It’s an incredible story, and one to be proud of. Jimmy’s notes on the food gathering, the animals, the plants, is truly remarkable and worth the read, and perhaps like me, you’ll see the human value in his sad but incredible story.
And most of all, it’s local and it’s all of us. Happy days.
PS. Please buy local.
PPS. Cold eh, so cold I had to chisel Bing off a palm tree.
JIMMY TRIED SO HARD FROM 1863 TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH OUR FIRST AUSTRALIANS, AND SADLY FAILED, BUT HIS LEGACY OF KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE WITH THE LOCAL TRIBES OF OUR AREA IS INVALUABLE