There was shock , sadness and tears when a package posted from Germany unexpectedly arrived on Magnetic Island , North Queensland, from a relative , a cousin , who had died a week before . It included cuttings from German magazines and newspapers about wide ranging subjects: individuals , artists, places within Germany and overseas .
Australia-its wildlife, politics and the Great Barrier Reef were covered . The sender , who had never visited Australia , had regularly contacted her relative on the island once a week by phone and discussed many topics , especially German and Australian politics , threats to the Great Barrier Reef , the reef and climate change a subject of intense interest in Europe .
Upon receipt of the package , the recipient , not knowing it was coming , realising it was from her female cousin who had only recently died , became emotional and could not bring herself to open and peruse the contents for a long time .
When eventually opened , out cascaded numerous cuttings and some magazines, reviving fond memories, especially one displaying famous German treats-marzipan, nougat and truffles . Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull featured in an article which showed him sitting with Aborigines in the Northern Territory. There were clippings about the Great Barrier Reef along with one about sharks in Australian waters , Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victoria .
