GRUSOME: Australia - Two Great Whites rip boy to shreds, just 90 minutes ago!

[Gilligan]

  Okay, I took a "squizz" (I love that word and it shall be my new favourite word of the week), and I can't believe what I read.  There was an article about what should happen to the shark

          "The government's position is quite clear," Mr Foley said. "Any large shark in close proximity to
            the beaches of our state â “ particularly the city of Adelaide â “ should be destroyed."

  Okay, now for my opinion of that....WTF!!! It's a shark, sharks are animals....animals hunt, they have instincts....FURTHERMORE, by swimming in the ocean, we are invading in their territory, they don't have the learning capacity that human beings have, and thus, by killing them simply because they are within a close proximity to the beach....why not spend more money to find out what it is that draws them in so close, and why it may have been that they were hunting in pairs.....although, that same documentary that I watched showed them in one area in particular with about 12 Great Whites....whether or not that is rare I don't remember.
  But, in all seriousness, this is a tragic event, and my condolences to not only Nick's family, but, to all those who have ever had to go through such circumstances, but it can only further be stressed the importance of safety in the water....you can't just go up to a shark and tell him it's bad to eat people, it just won't work. 
  Steps do need to be taken, but killing them before they have done anything wrong, is in itself just WRONG!!!

 

[1feral1]

I can understand the frustration of many who want to see the creature killed, but it's the sharks domain, and its just doing what nature programmed it to do.

Here off our beach, they netted a huge White Pointer recently too, infact about 5 or 6 along Sydney's beaches recently. We have shark nets out to sea a ways to protect swimmers, and many sharks over a 12 month period become entangled and drown.

These nets are placed for 'duty of care' and councills fear that if a man-eating shark is not killed they can/will be sued for lack of duty of care.

I am no greenie by any means, so it does not matter to be either way, if the beast is hunted down, or left alone.

There are other species which haunt the local areas, such as tigers, bull, makos, hammerheads, blues, greys, etc, and thats not including marine stingers such as blue bottles, and those bloody rays, blue ringed occies, and too many other things which not only hurt when bitten, but can kill ya other ways than sharp teeth and blood loss.

Here is a pic of me taken a few minutes ago (my GF was shaking her head) with some jaws taken from a 10ft tiger, caught off a local beach. These jaws are huge with razor sharp teeth, and a child could be taken whole in one gulp! A man in a few gulps.

I have these jaws hanging in my garage. excuse my ugly mug! ;D, but with my looks that White Pointer would be off towards Auckland 'at the high port'!

But after just returning from a beautiful swim to   a small tidal island off the point at the end of our street, I was watching for 'shadows' in the clear aqua coloured water. Nope, no sharks, but they are there, and I did see many rays in knee deep water. That swim sure was nice, its 34C here, not a cloud in the sky.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[bubba]

wes bye i think i'd be gettin a pool.but then again down there you would probaly have crocs in it.my buddy killed a jeuvy 50 miles off the coast a couple of years back the jaws go around my waist.this year in yarmouth ns they caught a record mako,15'.check the web cool pic.keep both ores in the water and your ass in the seat..

 

[1feral1]

Too right, our new house has a pool in the back yard, and here we have a 6 seater spa which I use almost every day, and this NYE we are having a theme BBQ and spa party (toga). Should be a hoot!

The canals that are accross the street on Bribie Island (where we are moving to) www.bribie.com.au are rotten with sharks, and just to the south in suburban Brisbane, 2 yrs ago two people were killed in their canals. Others are just bitten on occasion.

And there is the cane toads too, which are venomous, and can kill your pets and other wildlife too. Plus snakes, spiders, centipedes, even some caterpillars are toxic! Yes its quite a place to live. I have always thought, "when going to sit on the ground, check, cuz, if its not dusty, its wet, and if its none of those, it either bites or stinga ya".

Regards,

Wes

 

[Gilligan]

  So, aside from the hot surfer guys, there really is no draw to living in Australia?  Deadly sharks and other sea creatures...deadly snakes and toads....."did a dingo eat your baby?" (just a joke).  You have to watch where you sit down, and make sure you aren't in your own backyard pool with something that isn't human.  Sheesh, although, I wouldn't mind being able to have a NYE toga party.....too cold!!!! HAHA, some here could dispute that though.  The little lotus land that is Vancouver, God bless our little rainforest!

 

[1feral1]

Hey Gilligan I thought you were a bloke, and when you mentioned hot surfer guys   , I had to check your profile ;D, and then your MSN one too (for a squizz). Definatly not a bloke !

Australia has many things going for it, and the the creepy-crawlies make life, well more interesting than back in dear ole Saskatchewan.

When I have family and friends out for a visit, they say its like I am living 'just down the street'. So, both countries have lots in common in many ways.


Cheers,


Wes

PS - You're right about cricket. We just played a game for sports last week, and I am NOT a fan. When its my turn to bat, I hold the cricket back like I am playing baseball, and whack the living helll out of that little leather ball as hard as I can!

 

[Gilligan]

  Haha, no, I'm definitly of the female gender!  If it was the nickname that threw you, it's what they call me at work, Gilligan, Gillotine, Gillifer, Gill....forest monkey (I have no clue why, but you'd have to ask the guys who came up with it). 
   
  Believe me, Australia is high on the list of places to visit, I just don't think I could live there...it's too different from Vancouver, having to fight little critters for a place to sleep? lol, jk, I'm sure places like Sydney are far from that!

 

[1feral1]

Forest Monkey!   ;D

If ya ever get out this way look me up. Best time to come out Oct-Mar. Open invite to a great Australian steak, plus I know a few locals who are single and SURF.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[Gilligan]

  AWESOME!!!  As I mentioned in another thread about ranks, there is a guy in my unit right now (still haven't figure out his rank....?), and for awhile he was staying at one of the local hostles.  Which was kinda cool for awhile, then he came and has been living at Jericho Garrison in one of the PMQs.  He asked our unit if he could host an ANZAC day ceremony, and asked if myself and 3 others would be honour guards, which was really cool.  Unforunately I had my head down through the entire ceremony, but afterwards everyone who came went into the mess....WOW!!! There were some nice young guys hangin around...he introduced me to several, but of course, I was in my ugly DEUs, and looked rather dumpy (they are just not flattering for slender females, less so for the larger ladies), and nothing came out of it. 

  Still on the look out though!  This city is just crawling with foreigners....I'll get one sooner or later, lol!

 

[1feral1]

Ya, ANZAC Days are a unique thing, and my first back in 95, was an eye opening experience. We partied til 0400 on the 25th, and then went directly to the dawn service at 0515. I was sem-idrunk, and I had the duty of guard commander. I can remember 'swaying' at the present arms, with 100s of locals at the Concord RSL watching. Later on then in the ANZAC march down George St, Sydney, and it was on the grog again with the lot of us. They say my skin was green, and I was as crook as Rookwood (slang for as sick as death - crook meaning sick, and Rookwood a cemetery here in Sydney). I fell asleep in a club, and had to be carried out, placed in a  Hi-Ace, and driven back to the unit. I slept it off in the duty room.

That was my first introduction to Bundy OP rum, and ANZAC Day!

Cold beers,

Wes

 

[Gilligan]

  Oh, there was a silly game that he taught us as well...something to do with a stick and coins flipping in the air???

 

[1feral1]

Two's Up. Only legal on ANZAC day, played in every pub and club in the entire country!

A lot of dosh can be won, but me ( like most) I always seem to loose my dosh.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[Gilligan]

  And dosh would be.....money?

 

[1feral1]

'Tiz money.

You know, less than an hr ago it was 36C and sunny. Its just about 1730 here local, and now its black out, lightning, intense rain, wind, and I have an outdoor block part to go to. Steak, snags, damper. Plus some cold VB.

The storm just came out of nowhere! Almost as bad as a Saskatchewan storm.

What a place, but it beats -25 in Regina 

Cheers,

Wes

 

[Gilligan]

  haha, yeah, the 5C here isn't too bad!  And, what are snags, damper and cold VB?  I am quite intrigued by all these words you use, they make me giggle a little bit!

 

[1feral1]

Snag = sausage
Damper = a big doughy loaf of fresh bread, like a giant bun
VB = Victoria Bitter (beer)

All Aussie things which no barbie can be without.

Cheers,

Wes

EDIT: 5C, that is cool, and like a wicked winters night here in Sydney. With no central heat if its 5C outside inside its 9C or 10C, so I have these crappy little heaters which give off enough heat to keep one room decent. I do not like the winters here, but the average top is about 14-17C daily.