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THis man is very happy and optimistic as the day begins. IT is people like him in his field who are at the greatest immediate risk...
If you come early, all the streets are filled with endless lines of people who make their lively hood through exporting goods. They will flow to work for at least an hour, nonstop with little other activity. A year ago these streets were filled with foreign buyers from all over the world. Now the streets are bare, and many wholesale shops are closed. It is such a contrast that its almost scary. Many of the migrant workers have fled by the millions home early for the Spring festival as jobs were lost. Those who remain are the most desperate. China is attempting to and must focus on emergent markets if it is going to survive this economic slowdown. After many years of double digit growth, a growth forecasted at only 5% is going to cause tremendous stress for the economy. One especially magnified by the very large income gap which has been all but forgotten in the mainstream media. Local Chinese news offers little coverage of these grim scenes in an attempt to maintain domestic consumer confidence. As demand from the west slows, this charade will not be able to last much longer. As if they had a crystal ball, China cracked down on issuing visas for the 2008 Olympic games, and enforced slowdown in many areas of its domestic market. Investors slowed down to a trickle during the games do to the tight visa policies, and now even more so due to the economic crises. This was either a smart or a lucky move. If the economy didn?t slow gradually with the beginning of the Olympics continuing with the current crises; and rather slowed down all at once as within other nations the consequences would be dire.
These workers smile for the camera optimistically. China has been through many hard periods and has always worked together. There are so many workers sitting woth nothing to do in sharp comparison to the streets which where full a year ago bustling with packages and buyers.
If you come early, all the streets are filled with endless lines of people who make their lively hood through exporting goods. They will flow to work for at least an hour, nonstop with little other activity. A year ago these streets were filled with foreign buyers from all over the world. Now the streets are bare, and many wholesale shops are closed. It is such a contrast that its almost scary. Many of the migrant workers have fled by the millions home early for the Spring festival as jobs were lost. Those who remain are the most desperate. China is attempting to and must focus on emergent markets if it is going to survive this economic slowdown. After many years of double digit growth, a growth forecasted at only 5% is going to cause tremendous stress for the economy. One especially magnified by the very large income gap which has been all but forgotten in the mainstream media. Local Chinese news offers little coverage of these grim scenes in an attempt to maintain domestic consumer confidence. As demand from the west slows, this charade will not be able to last much longer. As if they had a crystal ball, China cracked down on issuing visas for the 2008 Olympic games, and enforced slowdown in many areas of its domestic market. Investors slowed down to a trickle during the games do to the tight visa policies, and now even more so due to the economic crises. This was either a smart or a lucky move. If the economy didn?t slow gradually with the beginning of the Olympics continuing with the current crises; and rather slowed down all at once as within other nations the consequences would be dire.
Letterpress workshop held during at Strong Arm Press, Design College Australia during ICOGRADA Brisbane Design Week 2010.
Letterpress workshop held during at Strong Arm Press, Design College Australia during ICOGRADA Brisbane Design Week 2010.
When life throws you a lemon, make lemonade, but when life throws a lot of lemonade, please duck quickly... it burns your eyes.
Dedicated to all my Satyam friends who are going through a very tough, unimaginable pressure that no one in the history of Indian industry should go through.
"Expect the Best, but be prepared for the worst" - my friends... Good times are not too far when there are bad times !!
Copyright - All Rights Reserved - Black Diamond Images
Naurvoo is a substantially modified (Easy 11.6) (38 feet) Catamaran. The design, by Queenslander Peter Snell, was known as an "Easy Catamaran" though it proved anything but that, taking boatbuilder Phil Wright over 12 years of actually building time to complete but actually, over 31 years before it was finally launched on the 19th May 2025.
Phil Wright is the great grandsons of John Wright, founder of Tuncurry, NSW and of Wright Shipyards, a business that began in 1875 with several generations of the family managing the business until its closure in 1958.
Despite this family boat-building connection Phil Wright had no previous experience with building boats.
For some, as yet unexplained reason, in the early 1990’s Phil decided he was going to build a catamaran and go off sailing the oceans of the world. While this is a dream he never came to realise he did in fact ultimately achieve at least the construction of an impressive boat.
The story began in 1994 when he optimistically sought out plans for a suitable catamaran that he could by a process of trial and error teach himself how to build. After selecting Peter Snell's 11.6m Easy Catamaran he began construction of the rudders, frames and keels in his double car garage at Green Point, near Forster, NSW but this space soon proved much too restrictive to allow the project to proceed.
The decision to sell and buy a property with a house and large shed to house the boat was finally taken and in the early 2000's he sold his home in Green Point and moved to Timbertops, an acreage subdivision just north of Darawank, about 10kms north of Tuncurry.
By June of 2010 the boat, which can sleep up to 7 people, was well advanced, though some 16 years after its construction had begun. Construction was at times slow, always dependent on available funds, family circumstances and on the motivation to struggle through difficult construction challenges, often necessitating researching new technologies and materials all the while having to learn new skills.
Phil was also fortunate that he had several friends who were willing to assist him whenever he needed help. While there were many others, two bear particular mention, Laurie Kilham and Robert Smith.
Some jobs such as completing the electrical wiring required specialised skills and, in such cases, experts were hired.
Most of the work however was carried out on a trial-and-error basis and sometimes this resulted in errors resulting in the need to rebuild some sections of the boat due to incorrect calculations, building construction methods or faulty selection of building materials or components.
As his knowledge of construction methods, materials and skill level grew progress was made, though lack of motivation and money sometimes meant that the boat sat idle, sometimes for several years before work would continue.
However, by February of 2014, some 20 years after construction had begun, the boat was finally ready to be raised to allow rollers to be placed under its keels in readiness to allow it to be winched outside the shed onto two concrete pads.
The operation to remove it outside the shed took place on Friday 15th March 2014.
On the 20th of February 2016, 22 years after construction began, the boat was moved by crane and lowloader about 250m to two newly laid concrete pads at the front of his Timbertops property.
The plan was then to fit it out with rigging, mast and sails and launch it into the Wallamba River as soon as funding became available.
This was going to be a costly exercise at the time involving potentially over $30,000 to complete. With Phil's retirement from paid work at around that time the necessary motivations and finances to complete the sail rigging and move the boat to the water became more and more challenging. This resulted in the boat, though for all intents and purposes finished, remaining on its blocks for another 9 years with almost no further work done on it during that period.
Finally, in April of 2025, now 31 years after construction had begun, an offer was made to buy the boat as it was, structurally finished, but for the sail rigging.
After some consideration Phil accepted the offer and finally made the decision to sell the boat to an enthusiastic buyer intent on finally getting it completed and in the water as soon as was possible.
The new owners were soon on-site cleaning up the boat and after a bit of hard yakka the boat scrubbed up looking a million dollars.
On the 19th May 2025 the boat was finally lifted by crane onto a lowloader and moved to the Wallamba River, north of Tuncurry where in untimely torrential rain the 5 tonne boat was lowered by crane into a rapidly rising Wallamba River.
(On May 21st 2025 Taree, on the Manning River just 30 kms north, suffered its most devastaing flood in recorded memory with the river rising to 6.44 m.)
It was a joy to behold for those who had watched this boats construction over such long a period to see it finally hit the water.
Phil had always had concerns that the boat would be too heavy however once floating of its own accord it became clear it was sitting perfectly in the water, a great source of relief for all involved.
With the rain tumbling down it wasn't long before the new owners were able to get the twin outboards on the boat fired up and immediately move it downstream to Tuncurry then across Wallis Lake to Coomba Bay, on the southern end of Wallis Lake.
Flickr Album - Moving - Launching Naurvoo
The whole operation was carried out just a day before the Wallamba River broke its banks and flooded.
With the boat now at Coomba Bay the owners, Lee and Debbie Roper plan to crane the boat out of the water onto dry land where the vessel will be fully rigged and some structural changes made.
Once the necessary work is completed the boat will be renamed "Affinity 3 of Naurvoo" and then sailed down the coast to Brisbane Water on the lower Central Coast where it will be permanently based in Hardys Bay.
Wisdoms for the following days:
18th June 2009
19th June 2009.
(From the book: "Quotations".)
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“Your optimistic eyes seem like paradise, to someone like...me.” - Depeche Mode
Just used a black and white effect with the red colour filter :) I like the shadows.
hoping change will bring more clean water and clean air. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). Photo by Frank
(Original shot take with Canon Eos 5, on Ilford 400 Delta Professional)
Lets have a black celebration
Black celebration
Tonight
To celebrate the fact
That weve seen the back
Of another black day
I look to you
How you carry on
When all hope is gone
Cant you see
Your optimistic eyes
Seem like paradise
To someone like
Me
I want to take you
In my arms
Forgetting all I couldnt do today
Black celebration
Black celebration
Tonight
To celebrate the fact
That weve seen the back
Of another black day
I look to you
And your strong belief
Me, I want relief
Tonight
Consolation
I want so much
Want to feel your touch
Tonight
Take me in your arms
Forgetting all you couldnt do today
Black celebration
Ill drink to that
Black celebration
Tonight
(Black Celebration - Depeche Mode)