December 1956 School Magazine

Brisba~e Girls' Grammar School M~._gazine

December, 195&

Brisba~E· Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1955

NANGRAM About fifteen miles from the township of Condamine is a propertY called "Nangram." When we visited it, we were anxious to see the Nangram lagoon, and a Leichhardt tree which have attracted much local interest. Ludwig Leichhardt on his last expedition followed the Con- damine River for some miles, and when he made a camp he carved his initials into a tree to mark the spot. Other "L" trees have been seen in the district, so that we thought Leichhardt must have been to Nangram on his trip. On the trunk of a great Coolibah tree we saw two L's, which looked as if they had been there for well over a hundred years. The bark of the tree had nearly grown over the scars, so that they were not easy to see from a distance, and while we were inspect- ing the marks closely, someone noticed other scars in the bark. We were able to pick out indistinct letters which we supposed were the initials of Leichhardt's travelling companions. These initials had been carved in a straight line around the tree with the L's in the middle . It was most disappointing to find that the two L's were not Leichhardt's initials but only the middle letters of the word "Miller," which had been carved there about twenty-five years ago by an old ringbarker. The Nangram lagoon proved to be a gem set in the scrub land. The water was strikingly blue and bordered by a thick band of dark green that contrasted sharplY with the brown landscape. This green border was the leaves of hundreds of lotus plants or Nangram lilies, stretching in some places for yards into the water. It is thought that the seeds were brought to the lagoon by early Chinese settlers, for the plants are well known in Japan . Unlike water lilies the leaves and the flowers stand about four or five feet above the water. Each round leaf is about twenty inches across and each flower is as large as a dinner plate . The flowers are a mauve pink with a hard golden centre sur- rounded by stamens. When the petals fall off the centre develops with the seeds in it. While the seeds are green they have a nutty flavour and are most palatable. For many years no one knew about the lilies because a high flood had covered them with silt, and no plant grew. Another flood washed all this soil away; however, and the lilies now grow in profusion. People have tried unsuccessfully to grow them in other places, but they thrive onlY at Nangram. The lagoon is a bird sanctuary and rare birds like the jacana and the crested grebe can be seen there, as well as black swans, pelicans and wild ducks. Wild pigs thrive nearby and spoil the

EVENING Evening, your serenity steals over me, Your colours whisper soft a reverie. The motionless sea is pastel placid blue, The sky rises above it, mantel-like, Composed of violet, pink, and orange hue Merging into cream and muted tones. A gum stands silhouetted bold, Black against a cloud of sombre grey, While beside, a quaint and gnarled tree Completes your portrait, fading blissful day.

-CORAL ANN READDY, Form Ya.

- MANCEL ELLIS, IVA.

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