Katherine Museum

The Katherine museum is a little beaut. We learn about the World War Two bombings, the 1998 twenty metre flood (when even the high level crossing was under water), pastoralists, explorers, the stolen generation and native title. Three things were a stand out to me. 1. The statue of a stockman on his horse at the entrance to town honours all stockmen and is the local legend Sabu Peter Sing part Chinese part Aboriginal. To me that typifies most Australians as we are a mixed bag. 2. The Planetarium built by a man known as ‘Galloping Jack’ who was an inventor, a bit of a bush artist and loved sardines. Among other things he built a planetarium out of sardine cans and you’ve got to see it to believe it. 3. Dr Clyde Fenton the local flying doctor and free spirit who was rejected by the fledgling RFDS as the rule was that the doctor was not to pilot the plane. Clyde was one to flout the aviation rules regularly and was known to throw flour bags out of the plane for a laugh. He even taxied the plane up to the pub to shout a mate a beer, luckily the local copper knew of no offence of which to charge him with. If those three people are anything to go by the people of Katherine must be a good bunch and by the way they named a school after Clyde Fenton.

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