Shaggy Dog Comments...

While Shaggy's art collection consists of a couple of Ken Done tea-towels, the art world went into a spin last week when Tweed police announced they were investigating the theft of art worth $67 million from a property in the backblocks of Murwillumbah. Artist John Opit, who lives at Limpinwood, told police he owned a 1873 Paul Cezanne portrait worth $50 million, which was flogged last week, along with 19 other works by leading artists like Winslow Homer, John Peter Russell, John Opie, John Glover, Arthur Streeton and Norman Lindsay. Such a major heist made the front page of the national papers, but it didn't take long for doubts to emerge over a Cezanne painting, supposedly of his son, that no-one had ever seen before. By yesterday, a Queensland art expert brought in by police to investigate the authenticity of the paintings suggested the Cezanne more likely to be an Australian homage from the 1940s, and worth around $200 (we're starting to wonder if Ken Done really did paint our tea towels). Mr Opit, whose girlfriend lives in Lismore, countered that the work might actually be worth $150m. Our favourite moment in the whole melodrama was the police report on the investigation, which observed that "immediate neighbours have been canvassed". No doubt it was their brush with the law.

While it was the 50th anniversary of the 1954 flood a few weeks ago, next week marks the 30th anniversary of the Big One in 1974. The whole shebang kicked off with heavy, steady rain that began falling on Saturday, March 9.

Nimbin resident Graham Irvine, who was broadcasting on community radio during the '74 floods and has collected anecdotes from the time when metre-high waves crashed down Woodlark Street. He'll be broadcasting those stories on ABC radio over the coming week in a doco titled 'Going to Venice' - the term children used to describe the flood.

It was a wild time. The SES raced to rescue elderly patients from St Anne's nursing home as the water lapped their beds. The grand piano from the RSL club floated down the river, along with frozen chickens from the supermarket. You could step straight from a boat onto the awnings of CBD shops.

The doco also features funny stories about a blind woman's dog, which had to be taken to dry ground twice a day by the SES to do its business and a woman who remembered to evacuate her budgie but almost forgot her son with a broken leg.

'Going to Venice' will air on Radio National's (69.9MHz) Hindsight program this Sunday at 2pm (repeated next Thurs, Mar 11, at 1pm), and in daily episodes at 9.20am next week on local ABC radio.

ABC News TV footage of the '74 flood can be found online, along with all the stories from 'Going to Venice', at www.abc.net.au/northcoast/features/venice.htm.

Kids come first for the Doyles

Story & photo: Therese Schier

Casino Rotary Club President Frank Karam with Vissie, 4, and his mother, Ariana, and Vissie's sponsors Noel and Kate Doyle. Vissie is from Albania and is recovering from open-heart surgery thanks to the Doyle's sponsorship through the Children's First Foundation.

When Kate Doyle told her husband, Noel, that she wanted him to sit down and talk he knew it was serious. It was going to cost them a lot, but they don't mind.

Kate asked whether Noel would agree to sponsor a child through the Children's First Foundation charity, run by Australia's "Mother Theresa", Moira Kelly. He didn't hesitate to say yes.

On Monday night at the Casino Rotary dinner, the Doyles were reunited with the child they sponsored, Vissie. The four-year-old had open-heart surgery in Melbourne three weeks ago to rectify major congenital heart problems. Vissie struggled to pull through the major operation, while his mother, Ariana, and the Doyles maintained a bedside vigil. Thankfully, their prayers were answered and Vissie is well on the way to recovery.

The Children's First Foundation sponsors children with serious medical problems, living in third world countries, bringing them to Australia where doctors at Royal Melbourne Children's hospital operate on them free of charge.

Moira Kelly has dedicated herself to the world's most desperate children and in the process has built an organisation that attracts people like the Doyles, who donate both money and large amounts of their time.

"Moira has so much love and compassion it's unbelievable," Noel told the Rotarians and their guests. "If the name Moira Kelly sounds familiar you may have seen the hour long special edition of popular TV program Backyard Blitz in August last year. Rotary Clubs have helped establish a rural retreat The Children's First Foundation Open Door Rotary Farm, near Melbourne, where children can recover from their operations. The Backyard Blitz team transformed the retreat, building a beautiful garden.

Kate Doyle spends plenty of time in the Foundation farm. A hot day in a car without air-conditioning for the hour-long drive to the property led to another serious talk with Noel back home in Casino.

"We need a people mover," she told him.

"Well tell me what you want and I'll arrange it," Noel said.

The next day a brand new Toyota people mover, complete with air conditioning and wheelchair access was delivered to the Foundation.

No matter the cost, Noel says it's worth it just to see Vissie recover. And watching him play in the Casino RSM Club, clutching his Aussie kangaroo, who wouldn't agree.

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