Parap Wanderers Football Team Photo 1970/71

I have come across this photo today that may be of interest to past Wanderers players in The Northern Territory Football League(NTFL).
See my earlier post on my playing days in this team.

http://geoffthompsonsblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/talkin-about-my-generation-part-3-sport_26.html

Standing left to right:Geoff Burke,Paul Firth,Wally Wallambuna(Wunnugmurr),Geoff Sheridan,Jonathan Yolandu,Doug Kelly,Dick Morphett,Mick Adams,Gary Metham,Peter Baran(Captain) Ray Nulla,Geoff Thompson,Frank Wood.

Sitting left to right:Ronald Dirdi,Alan McCormack,John Lawson(coach),Maurie Ryan,unidentified,Frank Nyec,John Loiuzou.

Many thanks to Mick Adams for getting ion touch and giving me 2 of the 3 names I couldn't remember.

The five teams in the competition that season, 1970/71 were St Marys,Darwin,Nightcliffe, Waratahs and the Wanderers.

Ps. Caught up with Mick today, 7/12/13. Great to catch up and talk about the good old days.

Ps. I noticed some years ago a book produced on the history of the NTFL in it's list of Wanderers Captains etc. had a blank entry for 1970/71 season.
T o clarify the situation John Lawson was our coach (he was head of Kormilda College at the time),Peter Baran was our captain, and I won the best and fairest although I was very surprised by that.
Below is a picture of me holding the perpetual best and fairest shield that winners were able to have for a year.
The pic was taken not long before my wife Lesley and I left for Adelaide.

Australian Wildlife and Landscape Photo Safaris

I have for many years been photographing Australia's outback and Riverland.
Birds, Animals, Landscapes etc.
Also Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide,Canberra and  Darwin.


Below are some suggestions for a photographic and/or just relaxing holidays in Australia.I would take you on such tours but am not licensed to do so. if you need guidance on these places please email me.

1. Riverland South Australia and Broken Hill  1 week
The South Australian Riverland is 3 hours from Adelaide by road and consists of a number of country towns where Fruit, Wine, Vegetables, Almonds etc are produced in large quantity.
The towns are all based on the River Murray, Australia's iconic river.
It is a gateway to the outback.

2.Broken Hill is a large inland outback  town known as the Silver City.
It has its origins as a major mining town and is in rich in history and home to great Australian Artists.
The historic town of Silverton is  nearby with it's ghostown appearance and quirky art galleries.

3. The Flinders Ranges South Australia  1 week
One of Australia's premiere outback holiday destinations. Rugged mountains and incredible landscape and wildlife and wildflowers.

4. Kangaroo Island South Australia  5 days
One of Australia's best kept secrets. A popular destination for overseas tourists. Kangaroos, wallabies,seals, birdlife and amazing coastal scenery. Amazing wild flowers in season and a large part of South Australia's beginnings as a settlement.

5. Barossa Valley or Mclaren Vale. 2 days or 1 day. Close to Adelaide and premiere wine growing and tourist areas.
 Gourmet dining.

5. Adelaide Hills  1 day.

Wonderful scenery and quaint country towns with many attractions including the World's Largest Rocking Horse.Good country meals and bakerys.Hahndorf is an historic town originally settled by German Immigrants and rich in German heritage as is the Barossa Valley..

6. Central Australia  1 week.
Take in Ayer's rock, The Olgas, King's Canyon,Coober Pedy, Alice Springs.Magnificent colour and desert landscapes and wildlife.
7. Darwin Northern Territory. Ideally you need 2 weeks in and around Darwin to get an appreciation of the "Top End".
Darwin is about 4 days drive from Adelaide.You can catch the luxury train the Ghan from Adelaide or you can fly. Litchfield National Park,Adelaide River Crocodile Tours, Bathurst Island,Darwin Harbour,Daly River,Cullen Bay,   Mindle Beach,Palmerston Markets, are some places to visit. Magnificent scenery,wildlife,rock pools and waterfalls but be careful it is Crocodile Country.

8. Canberra is Australia's Capital Territory and the home of the Australian Federal Parliament.
100 years old in 2013.

Maggie Beer's farm,restaurant and reception centre,Barossa Valley.Gourmet Food

Winery in Barossa Valley

Church in Tanunda

Bandstand Rotunda Tanunda.A rich heritage of brass band music

Bed and Breakfast Cottage at Tanunda in Barossa Valley

Galahs, McLaren Vale South Australia

Iconic sign on the Nullabor Plain.Camels,Wombats and Kangaroos.This is the road from Aelaide to Perth.Four days drive.

Wedgetailed Eagle Stuart Highway Central Australia.
The Stuart Highway connects Adelaide with Alice Springs and Darwin.

Corellas(Cockatoos) flying alongside the Stuart Highway Central Australia

Galahs-found just about anywhere in Australia

Central Australia on the road to Uluru

Chapman River Kangaroo Island,Paperbark Tree.

Chapman River Kangaroo Island

Beach on Kangaroo Island

Scarlet Robin Tidbinbilla A.C.T.

Darwin Harbour

Darwin Harbour-Floating Cinema

Foreshore Darwin Harbvour

Darwin Harbour

White Necked Heron Fogg Dam Northern Territory

Estuarine Crocodile Adelaide River Northen Territory

Estuarine Crocodile Adelaide River Northen Territory

Fork Tailed Kites Adelaide River N. T.

Floriade Festival Canberra A.C.T.

Floriade Festival Canberra A.C.T.

Street Performers Hahndorf Adelaide Hills

Bed and Breakfast Cottage Hahndorf Adelaide Hills

Bed and Breakfast Cottage Hahndorf Adelaide Hills

Lavender growing in Lavender Farm Berri

Lavender Farm Berri Riverland South Australia

Grapevines in Riverland

Darwin 2011 safari finishes

Northern Territory Safari 2011 is now finished with our arrival in Adelaide.We had a trouble free 7.5 hours journey to Adelaide today.Stopped for a few pits stops and stretch of the legs with lunch at Port Augusta McDonalds.Port Augusta is South Australia's gateway to the Central Australia, Northen Territory and Western Australia.It is also surrounded by the Southern Flinders Ranges which is a natural wonderland.In total I captured 1722 still images and about 1.75 hours of video plus a couple of rolls of 35mm film.. A bit of editing ahead.Thanks to Dave who drove the whole journey faultlessly and was a very tolerant companion of a camera and bird crazy passenger. I was not as snap happy however as on our 2009 visit to Central Australia. Anyone from other countries who may have looked at this blog you are welcome to contact me to discuss photography,birds weddings and other topics I may have touched on.I have in the past taken many images of places like The Flinders Ranges,Kangaroo Island, Grampian Mountains,Broken Hill, The Darling River, Murray River and Murray Mallee Districts, Canberra, Australia;s Capital Territory,Tasmania, The Nullabor Plain etc.

USING YOUR CAMERA FOR GOD

USING YOUR CAMERA FOR GOD

By Geoff Thompson

When I first started using a camera it was because I was living in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia with my lovely new wife.This was in 1971.

We lived there for the first 6 months of our marriage and it was a tropical paradise.I was being introduced to God and the Church for the first time as I had promised my wife, who had become a Christian before me, that I would go to Church with her but would not get sucked into her new beliefs but I believed in doing things together in our marriage.Well I did have an experience of God in Darwin in that I was blown away by His creation and the beauty of the Northern Territory. I had a very old camera of my Dad’s that he had carried with him in the air force and it was on this that I first started learning about f stops and shutter speeds.

I tried to capture the beauty I saw with limited success using Kodak slide film rated at 25 asa(iso).

My Dad, Glen Thompson, was my first tutor in photography who encouraged me into photography because as a young 13 year old teenager I was gun happy and used to shoot birds in the backyard with an air rifle.

He said I should start shooting birds with a camera and watching them as a hobby which I still do today.

Dad used to photograph, print and enlarge his own photographs in a home made darkroom.

He made his own enlargers using “bourne vita” tins. A popular chocolate malt drink like Milo in the 1940’s and 50’s.

Coming back to Adelaide I graduated to a Yashica Minister D 35mm rangefinder and then a beloved Pentax Spotmatic 2 that I still have and many more Pentaxes since then and Minolta and Canon and Nikon cameras plus a Praktica. The collection of old cameras has grown over the years.

I started photographing Family weddings in January 1975 and then it started growing from there. I have always had a purpose in my Photography since becoming a Christian in 1974. I became a Christian just before my first son was born as I wanted our home to be a Christian home. I had seen already at that time the break up of some of my friend’s marriages and I was convinced the only chance for our marriage to succeed was for it to be anchored in Jesus Christ.

I had also understood the Gospel after sitting in Church for three years and running out of arguments against God and Jesus.

I saw in my wedding photography an opportunity for Christian service on a couples’ special day rather than as a money making venture. That’s probably why I have never made a living out of it. I have tried to remember to pray for these couples in their marriages.

I also saw capturing happy family memories as a positive thing and I have developed a photographic memory as every thing I remember about our family life is practically in my mind as a still photo or a home movie or video.

I also have been a convinced creationist ie the Biblical version of creation ,for a long time and have always seen my other than people photography as an opportunity to capture the miracles of Creation be it Birds, Animals, Flowers , Landscape, Seascape etc.

And then of course to share that beauty with others.

I have always been wary of photography and especially the new digital technology as an opportunity to be led away from noble and wholesome ideas.

As Christians we are still susceptible to the downward pull of the flesh if we don’t believe what we pray in the Lord’s prayer.

“Lead us not into temptation”

“Deliver us from Evil”

When shooting film in days gone by you were not normally able to take photos of dubious content as there were laws about such things as they were processed in film labs. Now digital means the only restraints are a person’s beliefs and values.

There is much harm done through pornography and the lamer excuse for people to pursue their purient interests by calling their photography fine art or boudoir. And also just to make a quick buck.

I see much good being done by photographic journalists and admire the ideals of those who genuinely want to bring to the world images of injustice through their camera lens and also good news stories of the triumphs and miracle stories of human beings when facing adversity.

An excellent example,probably the best I have seen regarding using a camera for God is the recent documentary film called “as we forgive”. Just google it. It is available also from Christian bookstores.

It is am amazing story of the Rwanda genocide where neighbours were slaughtered by their neighbours and former friends in one of the most terrible and quick mass genocides the world has seen.

Learn the power of forgiveness as 2 women come face to face with their families” murderers and learn how forgiveness brings themselves peace and a future and also that of the murderers, and true reconciliation occurs.

A lesson for the whole world in what is possible through forgiveness which is so central to the Cross of Jesus..

I believe young people today embarking on a photographic career or even as serious or non serious hobby should stop and think about why they are taking a photograph. For Christians I think that a good rule would be if Jesus were here with me assisting on this photo shoot would He be completely in agreeance with what I am doing or would He reprimand me.

In other words am I glorifying Him in my behaviour .That should be our aim as Christians in all our endeavours.

I noticed on the internet recently a heading from a Christian photographer recently titled.”Take up your camera and follow me”

I thought this was quite clever but the danger is that the camera becomes a big focus and can become an idol.

It would better have been said, I think, as the scripture invokes: “Take up your cross daily and follow me!” you might then add: “and maybe bring along your camera.”

I believe there are amazing opportunities in our world today to use our cameras in God’s service and hope to one day run a workshop on this in Adelaide where I live.

Geoff Thompson

Below is a link to someone who has put these ideas into action.

Look at his video on face book.

https://www.facebook.com/jeremycowart/videos/vb.27926691259/10153274835971260/?type=2&theater 

Litchfield National Park and Top End

Today was Litchfield National Park day. Great waterfalls and also saw my first Jabiru.A strenuous hike around the top of Wangi Falls.Tonight we went to Japanese Restaurant at Cullen Bay. Lucia surprised us all with her adept use of chopsticks.Dave and I begin our road trek tomorrow. Thanks to Simon and Tracy for their hospitallity. Hoping to see the Hooded Parrot at Pine Creek. Also had my first sighting of Red Winged parrot today.

Darwin 2011

Today was my first day in Darwin for 40 years.Went touring around with my good friend Dave.We checked out the city changes and Les and my first home. Had a great afternoon at East Point and saw and photographed and videod birds I had never seen before. Highlights were The Rainbow Pitta,Orange Footed Scrub fowl and it's huge incubating mound,Bush Stone Curlew(pictured above lying "doggo"), also emerald dove, bar shouldered dove, pair of white winged trillers and white breasted woodswallows.A great day and enjoying the hosptitality of Simon and Tracy.We are going to Fogg dam early in the morning.

woodswallows

Masked Lapwing or Spur Winged Plover. The Southern version has smaller yellow wattles

Bar Shouldered Dove

Orange Footed Scrub Fowl

Scrub Fowl Nesting Mound in clearing

Woodswallows