The Top Ender Magazine October November 2020 Edition

Regular
From the Editor
Once again posting season
approaches, and for those of you
leaving – bon voyage and safe travels
as you shake off the red dust of the
Territory and leave the heat behind. I
hope your preparations to move go
smoothly. For those of you who are
new, or returning to the Top End, I
hope you enjoy yourselves here and
settle in soon.
If you are keen on experiencing the
Territory, camping and exploring, then
the Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise
(page 32) or The Road Less Travelled
(page 42) might be suitable for you. Sit
in a boat (there are several cruises to
choose from) and watch the mud, the
mangroves, and the river pass by, and
see the crocodiles in their natural environment,
or perhaps discover what there
is to see off the beaten track around lilycovered
billabongs. With a few days of
school holidays left, there might be a
chance to squeeze in one more trip before
you start school again or before you leave
the Territory altogether – or before the rain
starts. I hope you manage it.
With the end of the year approaching
the temperatures start to climb, and the
effects of heat and humidity are covered
in Doctor’s Notes (page 29) as he discusses
going ‘troppo’ or suffering from
‘mango madness’. Once again DVA has
contributed an article about health, this
time about the importance of remaining
hydrated (page 30). Remaining hydrated
is always a consideration when leaving
the house for the morning, or meeting
friends at an outdoor venue. ‘Too long’
out of doors in October or November
on a sunny day is not very long at all, so
take care.
Also on the matter of health – COVID-19
seems to be on the wane in the Territory,
with most of us being able to move
around freely once again, even though
there are constant reminders wherever
we go to maintain our distance from
other people. The pandemic, though,
has caused plenty of mental health
problems around the world, and the NT
isn’t exempt from this. From the Padre’s
Pen (page 12), Open Arms (page 17),
DVA’s 2020–2023 Veteran Mental Health
and Wellbeing Strategy (page 31), and In
Support of the ADF (page 34), all cover
the subject from different perspectives
and give details about whom to contact
if you or a family member needs help.
Victory in the Pacific – what a huge
subject! My article regarding the 75th
Anniversary (page 36) started out as
a short bullet-pointed list, but it rapidly
grew to its current size. It wasn’t until I
started compiling the list that I realised
that Japan was invading the Philippines,
Malaya (as it was then) and Thailand all
at the same time, and all three only one
day after Pearl Harbor. There are doubtless
plenty of events that could have
been, and should have been, on my list.
If I have left holes that should be filled,
do feel free to write in – I’d love to hear
from you, and they could be good for
future articles.
This brings me to contributions to this
Magazine – we are always on the lookout
for articles, so if you have an idea
for one, or you want to try your hand
at writing, or have one already written,
please do contact me by email. Thank
you to everyone who writes regularly, or
who has contacted me about writing, I
really enjoy reading your contributions.
As you might have gathered from the
August/September issue (pages 42–43)
where we reproduced ten pages from the
original, and from the medallion on the
front cover of this issue, The Top Ender
Tri-Services Magazine has been published
regularly for twenty-five years – an enormous
achievement – a lot of work from a
lot of people, especially those who have
volunteered or who volunteer on the
committee, and of course the compilers
and editors over the years. This is my seventeenth
issue, but I still feel a newbie.
We said farewell recently to Nicole Coble
(Chair) and Stacie Bodnar (Treasurer)
after their years of work – thank you
to both of them for their efforts. They
accomplished a lot since starting in early
2017, and we wish them well in their
future endeavours.
If you wish to find out what is involved in
putting out a regular publication, please
come to the next Committee meeting –
see the advertisements on page 3. We
hope to see you there.
One last point – the email address and
mobile ‘phone number for The Top Ender
has changed – please see under General
Enquiries on page 1.
Emma Short
Editor
The Top Ender
editor@thetopendermagazine.org.au.
October/November 2020 5