FRISWELL'S FREAKY FEATURES: Sea Serpents

Some months ago Alan Friswell, the bloke who made the CFZ Feegee Mermaid and also the guy responsible for some of the most elegantly macabre bloggo postings, wrote me an email. He had an idea for a new series for the bloggo. Quite simply he has an enormous collection of macabre, fortean, odd and disturbing magazine and newspaper articles, and he proposed to post them up on the bloggo.

SUPER SEA-SERPENT SECRETS SEEMINGLY SECURE SAY SYCOPHANTLY SMUG SCIENTISTS--SUPPOSEDLY

Of all the creatures, monsters, zoological abberations and general weirdness in the crypto-zoo pantheon, sea-serpents--for me anyway--appear to perhaps carry the greatest burden of possible fact.

The vastness of the world's oceans, waterways and rivers could surely contain large species that have previously--and probably fortunately--escaped the attention of our beloved human race. I have to admit to a pet theory that the what-ever-it-is in Loch Ness might be a creature from the sea that visits the loch on occasion but is not a permanant resident. My thinking is that if Adrian Shine's concept of a Baltic Sturgeon entering the loch to spawn, or whatever is valid, then why not something rather more exotic? I'm not necessarily talking plesiosaurs here, but having said that, why not? I certainly don't think that it's out of the question that some prehistoric survivors from the fossil record--or even something new that we have yet to discover-- might be lurking off the Mariana Trench or wherever; although if there's one swimming around anywhere off the coast of China, the poor sod had better keep his head down, or--if Corrina's grim blog is anything to go by--he'll end up on a plate being eaten alive....

MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: LAKE AND SEA MONSTERS PART FIVE

Hi again.

Today in my final look at lake and sea monsters I`m going to travel to Australia. I have recently come across a collection of material on Aussie 'Loch Ness-type monsters and a sighting or rather viewing of a possible 'monster' in Loch Alexander within Darwin city council`s remit. This happened in mid-September 2009. Of course there is the Bunyip, but I will not be looking at it in today`s blog. For those interested in it there is good information on it in Healy and Cropper`s book Out of The Shadows (1)

Rex Gilroy is Australia`s authority on the Hawkesbury river monster(s) near Sydney: “Loch Ness-type monster`s are alive and swimming in the Hawkesbury River near Sydney. Controversial Katoomba naturalist Rex Gilroy has more than a score of carefully documented eyewitness accounts of strange reptile-like creatures seen in the river over the past 20 years. I have absolutely no doubt, after piecing together the evidence from all these independent sources,that what people actually saw was the plesiosaurus…

"Rex Gilroy also claims the monsters are alive and well in Lake Taupo,near Whaiteko, in New Zealand`s North Island. On a recent trip there, with his wife Heather, Gilroy photographed what he believes is a plesiosaurus…Both my wife Heather and myself saw a long dark brownish shape a few hundred metres from the shore where we standing, moving across the lake…At least 15 metres of body length could be detected but there was no body outline…Rex Gilroy has investigated several Maori legends about water monsters and says they tally with the scientific description of the plesiosaurus or `Nessie`. And there are also Aborignal legends about the monsters of the Hawkesbury, he says. But not all the `Nessie` long necks seen in the Hawkesbury River are gigantic creatures. “ Take the case of `John` who was fishing near Ettalong in March 1971 with his father. He caught a strange little beast, about 45 centimetres long with a long paddle-like tail and fins. It had a snake-like head,and opened its mouth and hissed when `John` and his father attempted to free it.

“They kept the strange beast for some days,hoping someone could identify it. No one did. It was only later when they saw pictures of a plesiosaurus in a book that they realised they might have thrown a baby one away- and so missed their chance of making world history.” [This is interesting. Isn`t there a story of a “baby” Cadbosaurus ?]…Gilroy`s efforts have earned him a place in Von Daniken`s books where his claims are accepted. He would like to hear from anyone who has seen anything mysterious in the Hawkesbury River". (2)

The magazine then gives Gilroy`s address, which I reproduce here but please bear in mind this is dated 1981:

REX GILROY
KEDUMBA NATURE DISPLAY
DEDUMBA EMPORIUM
ECHO POINT ROAD
KATOOMBA
NSW 2780

Gilroy will reappear in a minute but we need to take a quick look at the image caught on Google Earth by security guard Jason Clarke. “The images captured on Google Earth show a large brown object in the murky water at Lake Alexander ,where a giant cod bit a woman on the foot last month [can I have cod, toe and chips please,?? The toe`s salty enough ho ho-J R] …Security guard Jason Cooke said the 65ft oblong shape followed by thin strands is actually an image of the possibly mythical creature supposed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands…We estimate our own “mystery” Loch object or beast to be approximately 5m long or wide…Two weeks ago Sydney cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy said he had sighted Sydney`s own “Nessie” claiming he witnessed a 12m giant surface in the Hawkesbury River. Through binoculars Mr Gilroy saw a dark shadow “with a longish neck 2 near Wiseman`s Ferry…After hearing of the Hawkesbury Monster in 1965 he found accounts dating back to pre-colonial times, with stories told of children being attacked by the “moolyewonk” When fishing boats were found overturned and the occupants missing in the 1980s,the Hawkesbury Monster was the prime suspect.”(3)

That`s all, folks. See you tomorrow. Richardo.

1. T.Healy and P.Cropper. Out of The Shadows. Mystery Animals of Australia. (1994) Bunyip. Chapter 6 is pp159-180
2. G.Lyons. `Nessie Down Under`. People. June 17th 1981. pp3-5
3. M.Cunningham. Satellite shots reveal a mysterious lake monster. http://www.ntnews.com/ [accessed November 24th 2009]

The Jam `Smithers Jones`. Their classic indictment of capitalism

Here we go again,it`s Monday at last,
He`s heading for the Waterloo line,
To catch the 8am fast,its usually dead on time,
Hope it isn`t late,got to be there by nine.
Pin stripe suit, clean shirt and tie,
Stops off at the corner shop,to buy The Times
`Good Morning Smithers-Jones`
`How`s the wife and home?`
`Did you get the car you`ve been looking for?`…

LIZ CLANCY is bringing more clothes next time

"Two jumpers will be more than enough, Liz!" I exclaimed optimistically to myself when I was packing last week for my stay at CFZ HQ.

I suspect Father Christmas is able to get around all the children of the world in one night because he has regional minions and I have found his North Devonshire rep: Jon Downes. You have to admit our glorious leader resembles a younger St. Nick and it certainly feels like the North Pole here.

Anyway, enough complaining.

This week I have been floored by Biggles many times, sub-edited and proof-read till my eyes fell out and abused Jon's Spotify account when he and Corinna had to go out. You have never been smug until you have done star jumps in the CFZ office to an S Club 7 track, believe me.

I would like to thank Corinna and Jon for having me, though. Joking aside, I've had a marvellous time as usual (getting hyper on too much coffee was interesting), and though it will be good to get back home where the dog is too small to pin me to the carpet till I agree to play 'throw the squeaky bunny', I'll still be sad to say goodbye to people who have already become a second family.

Thanks to Oll too for coffees to keep the cold at bay, chats to make me forget the cold, and daft jokes that made me laugh myself warm.

DAVEY CURTIS IS MOANING AGAIN

6 months after turning up on our doorstep and moving in, even Pringles the cat has had enough of me and hit the bottle! Or in this case the box of cider.

LINDSAY SELBY: Memories of Loch Ness

This is an article from 2003 the year when I last saw Robert Rines at Loch Ness. It is from the The Press and Journal, which is a newspaper from the area (mainly Aberdeen I think).

It should be possible to click on it and make it bigger so it is readable. I never thought at the time when I clipped it from the paper that it would be a part of the history of Loch Ness and it's investigators.

RIP Mr Rines. I hope you found your Nessie.

I JUST WANTED TO SAY...

I am a miserable old sod, and I will be the first to admit that I neither take fools gladly, nor do what my darling wife tells me to do and see things from the other person's point of view. Tough!

It is an open secret that I was not at all impressed by the standard of care given to my father by either the NHS or Social Services during his final illness, and that generally I think that in recent years, like so many other bits of society, the caring services (so-called) have become a bit of a shambles.

Noela Mackenzie, aged 87, and the oldest member of the CFZ, is presently an in-patient on
Capener Ward at the North Devon District Hospital, and I am afraid that there is one thing I really do have to share with you all...

... The staff there are bloody marvellous.

Even in my most bipolar mood, when my blood sugar is low, and there is every reason for me to continue being a Grumpy Sod, I cannot fault anybody on that ward. They have been kind, compassionate, helpful and informative, and always seem pleased to help.

The staff on the ward where my father spent most of his last two weeks on earth were horrible, unprofessional scum. And I was afraid that I would be faced with that again. But I am glad (and very pleased) to say that I ain't.

Credit where credit is due, and Capener Ward deserve the credit!

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday’s News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1952 Agatha Christie’s murder-mystery play The Mousetrap opened in the West end of London. It has since notched up over 24,000 performances and is the longest running play anywhere in the world. In the play’s final twist it is revealed that the murderer is in fact a West Highland terrier called Mimsy (not really, being a mystery fan (Diagnosis Murder FTW) I know better than to give out spoilers).
Anyway, cryptozoology news time:

Foreign lizards threat to our native species
Swans set sail
Snake spits out new species of chameleon at scientist's feet
World's oldest sheep, Lucky, dies in Australia at 23

What do you call a legless sheep?
Drunk. (and you were expecting me to say ‘a cloud’, see how I expertly subvert comic convention there…)