Mr Jabez WRIGHT (1852 - 1922)

Member for Willyama	06 Dec 1913	21 Feb 1917	3 years 2 months 16 days
Member for Willyama	24 Mar 1917	18 Feb 1920	2 years 10 months 26 days
Member for Sturt	30 Aug 1921	17 Feb 1922	5 months 19 days
Member for Sturt	25 Mar 1922	10 Sep 1922	5 months 17 days

Date of Birth: 25/04/1852

Place of Birth: Greenwich, England

Date of Death: 10/09/1922

Place of Death: Bondi, New South Wales, Australia

Australian Labor Party (ALP), president of the Barrier Labor Federation.

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Carpenter and undertaker. 

Worked in North and South America before arriving in Australia; 

lived at Peterburg in South Australia; moved to Broken Hill c.1888, 

Worked as a carpenter then as an undertaker trading as O'Connor and Company; 

Member of Australian Workers' Union; active in Amalgamated Miners' Association, 

Life member; assisted to found the 'Daily Truth'.

Grenfell Tower Disaster –London Fire Brigade Should Not Take The Blame

The London Fire Brigade should not take the blame for the “impossible” circumstances that hindered the Grenfell Tower rescue operation, the firefighters’ union said today.

Relatives of fire victims called for prosecutions after the inquiry’s first stage report blamed the LFB’s “gravely inadequate” preparation for battling the blaze.

Inquiry judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick wrote that the lack of a plan to evacuate residents was a “major omission” and more lives could have been saved had the “stay-put” policy been rescinded sooner.

Relatives of some of the 72 people who died in the June 2017 fire called on Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton, who is retiring next year, to resign.

Nazanin Aghlani, whose disabled mother and aunt died on the 18th floor, said in a press conference: “The whole LFB ... is in the hands of people that are incapable of their jobs. They should be discharged of it … They should be prosecuted.

“I’m not saying individual firemen, they do a hard job... but the seniors at the top get good money to do a very serious job.”

Grenfell United said fire chiefs failed to learn lessons from previous fires – such as the 2009 Lakanal House blaze – and called on them to “stop hiding behind the bravery of front-line firefighters.”

Ms Cotton resisted calls to resign and said it was up to the police to “look into” accusations that she was “criminally negligent.”

She added that she regrets offending survivors and the bereaved over her comments during the inquiry that she would change nothing about her team’s response on the night.

Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack said there was “no way of knowing if evacuation could have saved more lives” and said that trying to get 150 people out of the 24-floor building with limited resources could have led to more deaths.

He said: “We strongly refute the report’s assertion that it would have been possible or safe to evacuate more than 150 people via a narrow, smoke-logged stairwell with just 30 firefighters.

“Firefighters stand in solidarity with the bereaved, survivors and residents … They have an absolute right to ask difficult questions.

“Firefighters that night acted bravely in impossible circumstances, many of them repeatedly risking their own lives to save others. 

“Firefighters and control room staff are, as with any profession, only able to operate within their training and procedures. It is clear that no-one had planned or prepared for an incident like Grenfell.”

In the Commons, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who wore a green tie as a mark of respect, said: “I know nobody is trying to do this today, let’s not blame firefighters for their work – they did everything they could and more and well beyond that.”

He stressed the “whole truth is not yet with us” with phase two of the report – to focus on the refurbishment of the tower and installation of the aluminium combustible cladding – still to come.

Mr Corbyn added that the order of the inquiry has been “entirely wrong” and that the first phase should have focused on the refurbishment rather than scrutinising firefighters.

Meanwhile, Tory MPs had jeered Mr Corbyn over his green tie, which he wore as a sign of respect to those who died in the fire.

Theresa May, who was prime minister when the fire happened, could be seen admonishing the MPs by stressing the tie was to mark the tragedy.

Old Bush Songs–Edited by A.B.Paterson 1905

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939)  Sat 17 Feb 1906  Page 20.

"The Old Songs, Composed and Sung in the Bushranging, Digging, and Overlanding Days," edited by A.B. Paterson (Angus and Robertson, Sydney).—

   Mr. "Banjo" Paterson expresses the object of this volume as "to gather together all the old bush. songs that are worth remembering," and in his preface adds, "Apart from other considerations, there are many Australians-who will be reminded by these songs of the life .of the shearing sheds, the roar of the diggings, townships, and the camp fires of the overlanders. The diggings are all deep sinking now, the shearing is done by contract, and the cattle are sent by rail to market, while newspapers travel all over Australia ; so there will be no more bush ballads composed and sung, as these were composed and sung, as records of the early days of the nation. In their very roughness, in their absolute lack of any mention of home ties,- or of the domestic affections, they proclaim their genuineness. . "Attempts to ascertain the names of the authors have produced contradictory statements, and no doubt some of the songs were begun by one man and finished or improved by another, or several others." In the volume the older generation of Australia will meet many old friends such as "The Old Bullock Dray." "Paddy Malone in Australia," "The Old Bark Hut," and " The Wild Colonial Boy."

Alison Pouliot–The Allure of Fungi

Alison Pouliot is a natural historian who is passionate about fungi. She moves between northern and southern hemispheres to have two autumns each year, guaranteeing a double dose of fungi. Her extraordinary photographs reflect her research on the ecology and conservation of fungi. In this book she documents a forgotten corner of the natural world that is both beguiling and fundamental to life.

Although relatively little known, fungi provide the link between terrestrial organisms and ecosystems that underpin our functioning planet.

The Allure of Fungi presents fungi through multiple perspectives – those of mycologists and ecologists, foragers and forayers, naturalists and farmers, aesthetes and artists, philosophers and Traditional Owners. 

It explores how a history of entrenched fears and misconceptions about fungi has led to their near absence in Australian ecological consciousness and biodiversity conservation.

Through the combination of engaging text and stunning photography, the author reflects on how aesthetic, sensate experience deepened by scientific knowledge offers the best chance for understanding fungi, the forest and human interactions with them.

Bruce Pascoe–Dark Emu

Recent Review

This book needs to be read by all Australians, especially poleticians. It redefines our first nation and there is so much we can learn from them. This could change the face of farming in Australia - will not happen overnight but farms in marginal areas could turn their profits around. 

Rather than spend $50M on a new memorial to Capt Cook, invest that money into research and education outlined in this book. My view of our first nation has changed dramatically. 

I lived in central Australia in the mid-late 70's, and have returned several times - I now need to visit that area with different eyes & mind set. Thank you Bruce for enlightening me. 

I hope many more Australians will read this book and see our first nation in a different light. 

Collectively we need to put pressure on all areas of government to read this book and do something about saving our environment and learning from "hunters & gatherers" (what a misnomer) and preserving their heritage.