Gordon Dunbar, Murray McKay,  Hamish Turner

“On the sunny morning of Saturday 1st August Ces Deceau reserve was alive with 70 plus people including kids of all ages to plant out a pocket forest.  Applecross Rotary was  represented by Hamish and Chris Turner along with daughter in law and grand kids, Murray and Lesley McKay and Diana and Gordon Dunbar.  After a briefing  at 9 am the planting of a couple hundred trees, shrubs and ground cover started and was finished by 10.30am.  The organisation of the day was by Regenerate Australia with the strong support of Kim Giddens and everything seemed to go according to plan.

Further plantings at this reserve are anticipated to take place in a year’s time.”

Don stepped in to be our speaker last week at very short notice. Luckily, he has around eight topics he can choose from to present. The Mystery of the Butteraby Graves was a very interesting and intriguing topic.

The action took place in the years of 1864 and 1865 at the so-called grave site which Don has since proved is not the right place.

Don and his wife were touring Australia when they came across Mullewa. They dutifully attended the Tourist Bureau and were advised to take the southern circuit.

On the way they came across three oblong mounds of white stones, eight rocks placed out in a rectangular outline, a large stone monument, a shelter and an explanation board.

Never one to take something at face value, Don knew that something wasn’t quite right about the history and location of the place.

There were three white settlers involved – Joseph Watson, a police officer known as Immortal Joe to the local Aboriginal tribe, James Rudd, a farmer from the Greenough area and Thomas Bott, a pardoned convict who worked for Rudd.

The Aboriginal warriors were from the Wajarri people who lived in the area. 

Don discovered that although there are only three graves, seven people in all were killed and buried, but not at Butteraby. The real place where this tragedy occurred is 6.4km north north-east at Victoria Location 2288.

After Thomas Bott was speared by Aboriginal warriors, Joseph Watson and a party of men were despatched to bring them back to face justice.

James Rudd was with them but food was short and he was sent back to the hut at Butteraby to await their return. He challenged some Aboriginal men who were near the door of the hut and holding his rifle. Unfortunately he reached for the rifle which went off, and was then clubbed to death.

Thomas Bott’s attackers were apprehended at Yalgoo and taken by schooner to the Supreme Court in Perth. With the aid of three translators for the different tribesmen, sentence was passed that they be hanged.

They were brought back to the supposed scene and hung in front of their families, to show others what was in store if they attacked white men. The five tribesman were buried together in one grave.

The warrior  Mumbleby, who had clubbed Rudd, was also picked up and he was charged with manslaughter and sentenced to jail at Rottnest Island. He only survived there for three months.

Don has unearthed the real story behind these awful events and has notified the State Records Office, Geraldton Library and the Mullewa Tourist Bureau that some of the history, and definitely the location of the Butteraby Graves is incorrect and he has the evidence to prove it.

His research has been accepted and not refuted by any of these nor anyone else. But the memorial and the incorrect explanation still stands.

How not to get a Cold!

If you are out not to catch a cold, then don't catch a flight. To anywhere!

When I think back over the years, the number of times one brings home a heavy cold, or worse from travel, is probably around 50/50.

Congested airports, snuffling passengers, 'diseases' of the world ... they are the biggest competition to happy travels!

I had a few days in Kununurra last week, reviewing sandalwood plantations we have an interest in. How good was the warmth ( 30' and mild o/nite), SHORTS an T SHIRTS!, after the ongoing winter chills of Perth.

Following the abject demise of Quintis and its Sandalwood investment projects, we were able to come up with a means to salvage a part of our  losses with the support of one of the key landowner stakeholders in Kununurra.

Suffice to say, at this point things are going well and the trees are certainly doing their bit as we head towards a planned 2028 harvest. Oversupplied markets following the collapse of Quintis remains the big unknown, but we look for this to resolve over the next year or so.

Sandalwood are an interesting topic, requiring a host tree for their survival, and producing heartwood which has a high oil content with a myriad of uses, including as a sought after additive for the cigarette crazy Indian market who remain the biggest product buyers.

The irrigated environment of Kununurra is an ideal location, but they also grow wild, and are harvested, across much of our temperate WA.

Unfortunately, bringing home some good news has been well and truly over influenced by the 'airport disease', but hopefully over the worst of this now and on the road to recovery, a wasted week the penalty clause.

size of the host trees removed after harvest & cotton which is replacing the sandalwood and suger cane on the Ord

the root bols of the Sandalwood trees, high in oil and lifted for processing

Update on the MCCC.

Unfortunately progress on the partnership between our local Rotary and the MCCC has been delayed as a result of the need for the appointment of a new CEO at the Chamber.

This has now been successfully completed and I note an e/m has arrived from the MCCC which will hopefully get this moving again.

Similarly with the RAC in terms of a delayed response to a proposal to work with them on community projects, especially aimed at younger people of school age and new drivers.

Look forward to progressing this asap.

All for now, with Ray busily fixing a Bintang breakfast in Bali!

Please don't bring home a cold!

Hi Team,

Please enjoy the attached picture from November 2026 and then put the date of the  next Jacaranda Festival into your diary. Sunday 15th November

Please advise Sue Boi if you cannot be there on that date (sue@applecrossrotary.org).

You will note that some folk have not aged much in the 20 years since the 2006 JF Event. Well done.

The next JacFest meeting this Thursday 6th August at 5pm at Logan's Office Acton Belle Applecross.