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Edwina Shaw 
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Hello Edwina, love your state, am intrigued by your work. Where are you based? Nomad? Anywhere around Barcelona anytime soon?
Hi, Thanks so much for your feedback. I’m based in Queensland Australia but do love to travel! I’m in Scotland at the moment. Love Barcelona and would be happy to visit there again one day. Happy travels! Ed x
Hi Edwina. What a great resource for writers! Congratulations. How do I “join” your blog? Best of luck.xx
Hi Alison 🙂 So glad you found it useful. If you scroll down to the bottom of the last post there is a place to put in your email address to be kept up to date. Next retreat is coming up at the end of April 26 – 28 in Toowoomba for only two nights. I always do a session on the nitty gritty like this on camp. Hope you get to come one of these days! Ed xx
Bjelke Blues
I have only had one direct dealing with Joh Bjelke-Petersen even though he once named me in parliament for sitting on railway tracks with 25 others to stop a uranium train leave Hamilton No 4 Wharf in Brisbane.
In August 1980 I was arrested and charged with possession of a dangerous drug.
This drug was planted on me by Det. Conrad Martens directly after a Special Branch Officer, Det. John Joyce, searched my bedroom in Eyre Street South Townsville. Det Joyce confiscated some political pamphlets and a book called “The Communist Movement: From Comintern to Cominform” by Fernando Claudin.
In the ensuing trial I subpoenaed my Special Branch files which were duly brought before the court in a large suitcase and a box.
Along with the suitcase was a barrister instructed by the Crown Law office who produced an affidavit signed by Joh Bjelke-Petersen requesting that the court be denied access to the files. The Magistrate duly agreed and allowed the Barrister return to Brisbane with my special branch files unopened.
So I argued that the drugs must have been planted on me because my room had been so thoroughly searched by the special branch officer prior to Det Martens entry.
The magistrate agreed and acquitted me with no case to answer.
The Special Branch never returned my “The Communist Movement: From Comintern to Cominform” by Fernando Claudin.
I was arrested again soon after and accused of wilful damage to the Townsville courthouse. I was verballed by police. I fought against that charge for three years. I spent two weeks in Stuart Creek Prison where I was beaten up, threatened to be shot and put in solitary confinement for refusing to eat when ordered by the Prison Superintendent. After two trials each with ‘hung’ juries, the crown finally gave up prosecuting me, on that charge, at least.
Regards,
Ian Curr
27 June 2019
Congratulations on your pub Bjelke Blues, I look forward to seeing it in my local library. Forty and a half years ago in the midst of the Joh’s rasputin-like entrancing of our state I I published and edited a slim volume Death on the Dole, Australian Poems, Songs and Stories. A collective including Tony Kniepp and Charlie Scondrett and Don Little and Kaye … printed 5,000 copies. Contributors included Dorothy Hewett, Val Vallis, Tom Shapcott, Jacquie McKimmie, Patrick Cook, Gary Floyd, James Griffin, Paul Brosgarth, Phillipa Brosgarth, Phil Woodhill, Gerard Lee to name most of them. I took one of your contributor’s, Lindy Morrison, and her band Zero on a train trip to Canberra to launch the book there after also launching to a packed house in Booroona Hall, the old Caxton Street Labor Hall; there were jugglers bands and so on and so forth quite a circus. I hope your launch 40 years later was as spectacular!!!
All the best Geoff Shera
That sounds amazing Geoff! No jugglers at our launch but we had a great time. We’re looking at potentially doing Bjelke Blues 2 and a story about your book adventures would be great. So please do email me at edwinashaw@icloud.com
Hope you enjoy the read! I’ve got pieces from Annie the original Zero drummer and John Willsteed as well 😀 Thanks again! Ed x
Ms Shaw. You wanted stories from weird Queensland from back then. In the summer of 72 I was off north from Wollongong and had friends in Brisbane. Walking along past the Town Hall a big cop and his mate simply stood in front of me and one put his hand, just like that, into my top shirt pocket. Voila! An address! Shit! Then: nothing. Told my friend then we ate some mushrooms. Never saw him again for decades. Returning from up north these two kind Christians offered me and this Canadian a room for free in one suburb past Paddington. We stayed around a month. Week three: one night, a Sunday. All is quiet. The houses are classics, raised up. Then next door: clomp clomp clomp clomp clomp clomp. The Plods have arrived. Next door! Wonder why? Gosh. Wrong house. They wanna come here. And so they did. The D’s. The usual pair. One quiet and shifty the other gregarious and engaging. Searching searching searching. Going through everything but alas sad to say there was nothing. We offered tea given the time they were taking. But they refused. Perhaps that was wiser. Intimidating that we were all DOLE BLUDGERS. I was travelling on my own steam but didn’t bother elucidating. No warrant of course, stewth, the paper work alone! All that typing. I survived. Left. Flew from Sydney to Kathmandu instead.
Hi! Yes well that’s what is was like in the good old bad old days even for visitors. Lucky he didn’t plant something in your pocket. Thanks so much for sharing your story 🙂 xx
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Hi Edwina i am having trouble contacting you. I have no icloud account you have no phone number.
I dont have facebook, hope you get this message.
I am writing a book about my travels on a motorcycle around Australia solo age i started was 50 while going through menapause and a new motorbike rider.
I have written quite a few pages it has taken years i am always worried about if its a good story if grammar is correct i put obstacles up regularly.
I so want to publish, I need help and some guidance.
Please help or if you can direct me to help that would be magic.
I got your name and site from a lady in Townsville we met at an Authors talk at the Townsville library Maggie O,Hara.
Thank you
Margaret Rapley
Hi Margaret, I’m just sending you an email now! Talk soon 🙂 xx
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