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Not shipwrecked mariners-thirsty Darwin rock sitters 40 years ago
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One of the Northern Territory Library's planned seniors' week events this month is re-enactment of sitting on a large rock at East Point , watching the sun go down while drinking and shooting the breeze. If anything like the original rock hopping , Royal Darwin Hospital emergency staff may be run of their feet .
The daring event , set down for August 15, is the idea of NTL creative artist in residence , Sarah Pirrie . She envisages an obviously much tamer , less dangerous rock sitting episode than the originals , even providing soft mats for seniors to sit on in the library grounds .
The promo says : Hot from rocksitting at the Venice Biennale, with ever-increasing tidelines and artists at every turn, Sarah will guide the evening with help from special guests and fellow rocksitters. Bring your stories about the coast, take a seat on a specially made rocksitting place mat and watch the sunset.There is no mention of BYO , so one suspects it will be mineral water only .
The Darwin Rock Sitters' Club , which sat on a particular rock every Saturday to drink beer, kicked off in the l970s . In 1977 , eight members, including three females , set the world's first rock sitting record-five days .They included a computer programmer , two photographers , a journalist , a mother of two children , an unemployment counsellor , a carpenter , a public servant and hairy dog named Kojac.
Over in New Zealand , there was a move to challenge the Darwin record . Darwin responded by announcing it would stage the world's first Rock Sit-A-Thon , launched by the NT Legislative Assembly independent , Dawn Lawrie . The former Majority Leader in the Assembly, Dr Goff Letts , also participated , wishing them all the best and downing a can . A glimpse of that historic event is seen below .
It shows the Prime Minister of the Rock , photographer Bazza Ledwidge , front , left , dodging an attempt by a man wanting to daub his nose with Vegemite. Bowties were sported by some . Barefooted Dawn Lawrie , dubbed the Witch of Nightcliff by Chief Minister Paul "Porky " Everingham , was seen talking to a man who looked like Barry McKenzie , he with a tube in hand . The fire brigade even turned up on the mainland to carry out training .
Unfortunately , the rock was split asunder by lightning which struck the metal pole driven into it for flying flags and wild pole dancing , the pounding sea washed the pulverised parts away. The above current photograph shows the mighty sunset view from an observation platform overlooking the spot where the famous rock was the scene of so much philisophical discussion.
