Welcome to Forest Leaves

The common pigeon, or Rock Dove, found in Western Australia – seen here, on the grass   I was reading an anthology of wonderful stories by the American humorist James Thurber the other day and came across a line of poetry that he lampooned: “ Pigeons on the grass, alas”. It was only when I pronounced ‘grass’ the American way (to rhyme with ‘alas’) rather than the Australian way (‘grahse’) could I start to make any sense at all of the line – at least it contained a rhyme. But

Boranup karri forest, oil painting by Rick Sneeuwjagt   Once upon a time, back in the day when people sent and received Christmas Cards, there was a Christmas season when the first card I received that year was especially noteworthy. It had a lovely photograph of karri ( Eucalyptus diversicolor )   forest on the front.   “Boranup State Forest, by the look of it” I thought. Boranup is a forest I have known very well for over fifty years and I was confident I recognised it. Tur

A symbolic picture: Beatrice Shilling, long after the war – aged in her 60s – astride a 100 mph motorcycle and with a Spitfire in the background.   Beatrice Shilling (or “Tilly Shilling” as she is now often known) is a great hero of mine. Some of you will be nodding, and saying “Ah yes, what a champion she was”. Others may be asking who Beatrice Shilling is, and why is she a hero? This is the story. My interest in it began with a mundane little domestic incident, but I think

The ‘Trumpet Volunteer’ in about 1958. The black and white photograph does not do justice to my vivid yellow socks.   During the mid to late-1950s I was a member of a unique and enterprising little musical group, known unpretentiously as The Havelock Street Jazz Band. There were four of us: Richard "Ðicky" Bird, Barry "Leb" Levinson, Richard "Kelly" Kelsall and me.   In 1956 we were Year 10 students at Hale School, then located on Havelock Street in West Perth. We were old fr

The southern end of Lake Mears, a small gem of the WA wheatbelt … and a place of mystery   Before I get started on Lake Mears and its...

Donald Bradman (“The Don”) at the end of his career, aged 40, still relaxed, confident and scoring Test match centuries     I wonder if...

The cover of Patsy Adam-Smith’s childhood memoir   Patsy Adam-Smith is one of my favourite Australian writers. She has a simple, clean...

Foresters Frank Batini and Charlie Kelers admire a Pinus canariensis  in the Mundaring pine plantations. It is tall, straight, free of...

Ferdinand the Bull – resting in the shade of a cork oak tree, be-hung with clusters of ripening corks   I had a most fortuitous...

The Pemberton Tourist Bureau’s visitor brochure, circa 1990, featuring the Walk-thru Tree in Beedelup National Park     In 1968 I was...

RAF Spitfires: the cover of Paul Brickhill’s biography of Douglas Bader     To many men of my generation, way into our 80s and beyond,...

Saltbush Bill and his off-sider “doing up” his axes on a bush grindstone – a classic drawing by Eric Jolliffe    A few years ago, my wife...

Mulga country [photo by Bruce Maslin]     As a child just learning to love the sound and rhythms of poetry, I can still remember my...

Essentials for old-school bush cooking: the shovel, wire grill, a couple of rocks, twigs of mulgawood … and six sausages   I was...

Tuscan landscape – once tasted, never forgotten.   I have been reading The Hills of Tuscany – a new life in an old land by Ferenc Máté ....

Granny’s tea set on display on our kitchen table in 2024   My wife Ellen Linda was tidying up the other day (as is her wont) and when I...

Two beauties: Ellen standing by a shapely Sugar Pine in the botanic garden at Hamilton in Victoria, August 2024   I was ducking about in...

A Hawker Hurricane: the very essence of power, beauty and dangerous purpose     This is a story about two fighter aircraft of World War...

Tiger hunting from elephants in India, 1890 (courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum)   Readers of these chronicles will know about my...

The top 15 m of Gardner Tree fire lookout, the cabin open to the four winds   “To bat the breeze”, according to the 1978 Dictionary of...