As reported by The Canberra Times on the weekend (''Liberals environment spokeswoman suggests eradication of native bird species''), Canberra Liberals environment spokeswoman Nicole Lawder has asked for the eradication of ''an imported pest, the common koel''. Of course all readers of this column know (for we have been running an occasional, intellectually stimulating series about the Canberra koels, obviously too intellectually demanding for Ms Lawder and her staff to follow) that the koel is not imported at all. It is an Australian native species and is at least as Australian as Ms Lawder. And our picture - in which Geoffrey Dabb has captured a koel displaying an encyclopaedic knowledge of Australian history and folklore - confirms just how Australian it is.
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It all leaves one wondering if Ms Lawder knows anything at all about the environment and Australian natural history. Let us test her. Ready, Ms Lawder? Your time starts now. One of the birds in this photograph (bottom left) sent to us by David Flannery is not a soft toy. Which bird is it? How did you go, Ms Lawder?
Form suggests she probably got it wrong, poor thing, but this column's bird-alert readers will know that the black-and-white bird is the live one. Flannery says he took the picture ''at the birdlife park at Batehaven [of] an inquisitive magpie-lark [peewee] trying to wake up the fluffy parrots in the gift shop''.
Rose missile stirs English rose
Sixty years ago this week, in 1954, the young Queen Elizabeth was in Canberra, her radiant presence inevitably bringing out the worst in lots of those who formed madding throngs to catch a glimpse of her. The common people's irrational adoration of people they imagine to be superior beings has an ugly side. This columnist has covered royal tours and has seen first-hand how they can derange the lower orders.
In 1954 The Canberra Times reporters covered the royal presence here in exquisite detail.
For example, 60 years ago today the Times reported, in for the press a rare feat of precise calculation, that ''842 Children Fainted'' at the previous day's mass rally of 17,000 children at Manuka Oval. Outside the oval there were unseemly scenes as royalty-intoxicated adults without tickets (sometimes with ticketless children) demanded that police let them in.
''Adults Tried Hard To Gatecrash At Children's Assembly'', a disapproving Times finger-wagged next day. It marvelled that some of the excluded made holes in the fence while others tried to demolish it. ''The pressure on the fence caused it to bend inwards at several points. One group, including several women, seemed intent on pushing it over. A few panels along a man had placed a ladder against a post. A woman was near the top when the police, patrolling inside the fence ordered her down.''
And there were royalists behaving badly, showing a fickle snobbery, at an ex-servicemen's rally.
''MISTAKEN IDENTITY. A section of the crowd at the ex-servicemen's rally yesterday mistakenly abused Lady Alice Edgerton, lady-in-waiting to the Queen. The crowd around the left-hand side of the King George V monument, led by a middle-aged woman, began abusing pressmen and photographers, who they claimed were blocking their view.
They apparently thought Lady Edgerton was a reporter and began calling out to her to get out of the way. Lady Edgerton, obviously embarrassed (perhaps at being mistaken for a member of such a working-class profession?) moved away from the Queen quickly. A policeman in front of the objectors explained who Lady Edgerton was and the women stopped calling out.''
Then, if Her Majesty has always looked on guard and a little edgy on her many more post-1954 visits to Canberra, it may be that, emotionally scarred, she has never been able to forget 1954's loony ''rose-throwing incident''. Perhaps she half-fears that rose throwing may be a Canberra vice.
''A rose-throwing incident during the Royal visitor's departure yesterday appeared greatly to distress the Queen,'' the Times of February 19 seethed.
''Women, who took advantage of the slow speed of the Royal car to pelt the Queen and the Duke with rose petals, deprived children of the Monaro pre-school play centre of the opportunity of being seen by Her Majesty. Thirty children were standing on the footpath outside the Prime Minister's Lodge, cheering and waving flags. As the procession came slowly towards the intersection of Adelaide Avenue and National Circuit, the crowd mostly women, moved on to the road, forcing the Royal car to the left. They showered the open vehicle with petals but a full rose, thrown by a woman, hit the Queen on the cheek. Her Majesty exclaimed, 'Oh, don't!' and started to brush her cheek. The vehicle moved on again, the Queen being too concerned to pay attention to the children.
''The teacher with the children, Miss Barbara White, said the Queen seemed quite annoyed.
'I do not think she even saw us. It was a great pity and it spoilt the whole morning'.''
