one under god, ".my father in law..told me of a huge shark..pre the yanks arriving..in morten bay."

There are plenty of Bull Sharks in Moreton Bay, Brisbane River and Gold Coast canals. They are solid, toothy, keen and are to be avoided. In the whale season there are very large sharks near the coast and around the Moreton Bay Islands. There is evidence of 'smaller' 2.5 - 3.0 metre sharks being killed in a bite or two. Nature isn't the Disney view of the Crocodile Hunter and so on.

Sorry to hear about your grandson's rooster, the chooks and the pigeons. Councils give in to serial complainers and protest groups who often are in it just for the power of forcing Council to do what they (the protesters) want. Sadly, everybody minds their neighbour's backyard these days :(

G'day there PAUL1405...

Your choice of sports utterly confound me old friend ? My only clue to those of which you've kindly listed, were born somewhere out of merry England, perhaps during the later part of the 18th, or early 19th century ? When it was often asserted by those of the ruling class, that all well to do gentleman never actually took part in sport per se. ?

Rather, 'sport' as such was the entire preserve of the working or underclass. Whereas, gentlemen partook in activities that were often described as more like that of organised 'idling' ? Where many of those who sought a sloth like existence, pursued recreational diversions, with 'games' or other physical absurdities during their many hours of leisure.

Anyway PAUL1405, thank you very much for your contribution.

Onthebeach I think courage is going too far with motor sport. I don't know anyone who ever thought they could be killed, or even seriously hurt in motor racing. That was something that only happened to other people, never to you.

Eventing to me requires more courage. Galloping a horse at a big jump, when that vehicle, your horse, has a mind of it's own, & may do something other than what the rider asked for & expects is I think much more dangerous than playing with cars. I prefer show jumping, which is more controlled, & somewhat slower.

The only time I was apprehensive was coming back to Oz from the Solomons. I had been caught in an unexpected cyclone in the Solomon sea, & had had 3 shades of you know what bashed out of me & the boat. It had me unsure if all the work I had done on the boat myself was up to the job in such conditions.

I spent about 5 weeks faffing around in Bougainville & Honiara, before I was emotionally ready to take on the Coral Sea alone again. I had to screw all my courage up into a little ball to sail out from Guadalcanal, & point the boat at Cairns, 1100 nautical miles away.

You don't have to be an any great trip to feel that way of course. I think the feeling the first time I sailed out of Sydney heads bound for Port Stephens, my first real passage I was about as nervous

Hi there ONE UNDER GOD...

Thank you for the lengthy amount of material you've provided herein. Whereupon you took us all through the many activities you've pursued over the years. It would appear too that you were quite taken with 'track and field' at one point, but for some reason you seem to have been disillusioned with either the administration or other competitors who were also so involved ?

I get a sense that you believe there's substantial corruption involved in Aussie Athletics ? Or have I got it wrong with this summation ? Is it your concern with the burgeoning use of performance enhancing drugs, or alternatively, the vast amounts of money to be made, or a combination of both ?

There's no doubt whatsoever, since the IOOF dropped the strict requirement of permitting amateurs only from participating in the Games, we've been inundated and assailed by all manner of drug enhanced, gender neutral, mechanical (human) anthropoids ! Sadly it's a case of higher, faster, deeper, and stronger ? Soon, there'll only be an outward facade with that of an ordinary human being.

Therefore, I too share your cynicism and incredulity with most administrations associated with professional sport. Clean them up, and the 'troops' will follow is my belief ?

I still have this pivotal sense ONE UNDER GOD, that you (still) feel like you're being 'assaulted' by the authorities, in one way or another ? It's a continuing theme that tends to emerge right through everything you write, and that's pretty sad really. As I've stated in my previous threads months and months ago, I reckon you're hurting.

Anyway my friend, I'm well off Topic, thanks again for your substantial contributions, I really appreciate it.

thank/you.o sung wu..yes..i watched..horse racing gifted extensive assets[watched the tennis mob..change the courts from..green to blue..lots of free stuff to..league...cricket..even.,.bowls clubs getting free land..packer buying cricket/league fox with/its compulsory sports package inclusion

no..end to it..the commonwealth games[is what sent us over the edge]
over the years i have seen..too much..seen the athletes..and their hangers on..get favor after grift..after grant..[its on/the scale od eddie abid..in every aspect..of state governance

recall expo..recall..the magnesium/plant..in gladstone..where peter beaty..gave half a BILLION..just so shareholders could get return[on a plant never built]..howard kicked in another half billion

i monitor the bbc..as i..sleep[uncountable times ihave been awoken..by some..excitable type screaming orgasmic.,,from..my radio
[they seem a little to..excited..eg imagine someone doing that..each time they go..past go

i..rode 3 horses..3..times..the first was a;.school-chum..in..biloela
grade10..he had a wildish horse..that bucked me off..[just for a giggle]..the second time..a sadled horse..with a bit/halter..

but i..was un-able to exert enough pressure..into its mouth[they look..delicate]..i ended up bailing..after it decided to..go home..anyhow..the other was one of them..horses who walk the same path..with other horses[they doit on auto-pilot..regardless of who..is on..its back..[lik a pack-mule?]

that..i..couldnt..do..for..worrying
about them having..to carry my weight.

i would enjoy..the ride on..an elephant..or a camel
but disagree..with taking them from..the wild..for fun..[i seen how they train/them...[elephants]..after taking them from their family..so i couldnt do
it.

same shooting..the grown-up..petting animals..as trophy
trained to/be shot..easy..for money..[that never/gets back/to the natives[who often..are evicted by the tribe.,,,to set up..the 'wild/life parks/reserves..

[i feel..it better..that we give the natives food..than havbe ANY hunt..these rare critters globally..even..to take them from their natural wild,state,is preferable to any extinction

sorry i cant..be more brief..[i..found my darts]
they were..hunting tools..and hitting..the board as a target..feels better somehow..[even with/a pig-bristle board]..presuming they wernt 'shorn'..for/their bristles]....yet/have no..guilt eating meat.

Thanks for your further response to the Topic ONE UNDER GOD...

You're perfectly correct when you say that money has debauched sport, and removed much of the incentive for a gifted athlete to remain an amateur for too long ?

For the life of me I cannot understand nor reconcile in my own mind how 'sport' equates to money ? Whereas, I'd define sport as an, activity for pleasure, competition, or exercise. Such activities therefore, collectively equate to enjoyment ! Still the administrators are never fully satisfied until the phrase - 'filthy lucre is inserted into any scenario. And the word 'pleasure' receives little or no acknowledgement or validation ?

I wonder therefore what example our professional sportsmen and women set our younger generation ? Not how to lose graciously, or how to behave with dignity when we win ? No, they try to learn by example, watching our Test players 'sledging' the opposition, a clear absence of sportsmanship, losing with total decorum, playing the game purely for personal pleasure...? I think not !

Thanks again ONE UNDER GOD.