Dora the Sociable Dingo by Berenice Walters – Extract from For the Love of a Dingo by Pamela King and Bernice Walters

By six months of age Dora no longer seemed to be a pup. She was quite mature, a young adult. Her head and expression were that of an adult, her beautiful dark eyes looked steadfastly into mine with an inscrutable depth of understanding, equality, and love.

Although she no longer hid from strangers, no doubt since I had made a practice of encouraging her to accept the attention of others, she did not like to be caught. She always made sure she had an 'escape' route, paranoid about feeling trapped or cornered. She loved travelling in the car and with her head out of the window, revelled in the passing scenery, a part of the action but secure in the vehicle.

As part of her socialising, I led her through towns and shopping complexes.

All strangers were treated with utmost caution, and we never referred to Dora as a Dingo. It was highly illegal to keep a Dingo in the early 1970s, and I had no supportive body to turn to should I be openly challenged by the Pastures Protection Board.  I did my best to disguise her and when we went out, she wore a little rug. Only her little head protruding from one end and little tail the other gave any indication as to our secret.

Then one day when we were making our way through a very busy town a little old man, hands on hips, eyes bulging in disbelief he said, "That's a bloody Dingo". Well, I grabbed up my beautiful Dora and ran back down the street to the car park. After that first shock, I was always ready for such remarks with a cheeky "Only looks that way mate'', and it worked every time.

Although Dora had responded well to training by six months of age, I had not endeavoured to take her to official training classes with other dogs and owners until I felt we both had the confidence to adapt. It would also mean I would have to declare her as a Dingo if I was to retain the respect of any Club I joined. On all sides, I was constantly reminded that my Dingo would be baited, that I would be prosecuted, even sent to gaol. It was only in later years I learned that some threats were very real indeed. As plans to prosecute me were almost ready to execute, the Premier of NSW the Hon. Neville Wran accepted our Society's invitation to support us as a Patron. We had in all innocence, played a trump card.

As our colony grew, every morning when our Dingoes went outside, we would comb the grounds for anything that looked like a bait.

Dora was so reliable; I was able to allow her to run off lead around the home paddocks. She particularly liked it when Bern was moving cattle and always joined him, keeping the herd together. This was excellent at times, but if the job in hand was to split the mob or cut one out then her 'help' became a problem. Where the Cattle Dogs heeled very low when required, when Dora wanted to assert herself, she bit higher. However, she did herd well and being obedience trained, was controllable.

Signed copies of For the Love of a Dingo are available from the author. Visit www.pam.au for more information
 

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Out of Devastation Comes Caring by Pamela King

Australia has been ravaged by bushfires. Even after good rain, some are still burning.

I am extremely proud of the people of my country for the way they have reached out in support of volunteer (RFS) and professional firefighters, those who lost their homes in the devastation and our unique wildlife whose habitat has been destroyed.

Donations to RFS, charities such as Red Cross and Salvation Army and wildlife organisations have reached millions of dollars including considerable sums from overseas celebrities.

But what next? Do we go back to our insular lives?

Will some of you join or continue to support your local volunteer fire brigade. Have you become more aware of the plight of our wildlife particularly those threatened with extinction? If so, what will you do about it?

The poor, the homeless our wildlife forever being pushed from their natural habitat are still around us. Let’s hope our care, consideration and support continues as we rebuild our country and take steps to prevent such devastation happening again.

Further Reviews on Amazon for Angel with Drumsticks

Vatican vs 60s band

A short interesting read that typifies the struggle of the 60s between youthful freedom and the establishment. In this case, the mere mention of the parties involved, a pop (later rock) band and the Vatican, will arouse the reader’s curiosity.

The many photographs interspersed within the text nicely depict the ambience of the ‘beat’ movement in Rome at that time and the main protagonist, the band Angel and the Brains. Those who remember this group should definitely read this chronicle of the injustices inflicted upon them by the Catholic Church.

5.0 out of 5 stars

 


Music History

Angel with Drumsticks is a history of the beginning of Beatles-era rock music in Italy. Without giving the story away, it recounts how a promising Italian Rock group developed the music originally at the request of the Catholic Church for a new style Catholic Mass that they hoped would encourage more young people to become involved in the Church. As in many situations, subsequent events did not turn out as expected, for the church or the musicians, and the influence of Italian rock music, compared to the British rock groups, for example, was minimized. The story is well researched and written, and students of the history of rock music should find this an interesting and informative narrative.

5.0 out of 5 stars 

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