Celebrating the history of forest and bushfire management in Victoria – (Peter McHugh – 2018-19) Page 1

Pons asinorum ….

Wednesday 24 July 2019 Wot is Pons asinorum I hear you ask? Well… it's Latin

for Bridge of Asses... Huh?

Pons asinorum was the name given to a wooden

carving made by road worker Finlay Munro in the early

1920s at Boulder Creek, on the old Princess Highway,

between Orbost and Cann River. The carved face was

said to mock the supervising engineer after an

argument about putting the road alignment across a

swamp that required new bridges.

Maybe isolation, maybe exemplary axeman’s skills,

maybe a whacky sense of humour, or maybe just

simple boredom, but it kinda started something, and

lots of enigmatic carved faces popped up about the

bush.

Most are gone now, having rotted away, burnt by

bushfires, stolen or damaged by vandals… their stories

often lost…

The most famous survivor is Mr Stringy on Dead Horse

Flat on the road to Omeo. Carved in about 1929 by Bill

Henham who was working on a nearby bridge.

Repeatedly vandalised and finally beheaded, he was

replaced by Bill in the mid-1960s at the request of the

Omeo Shire. Mr Stringy has been refurbished many

times and was maintained by CRB road crews with

leftover paint. Rescued once again by DSE forestry staff

in 2010, locals now take good care of him.

Around 1951, two fire awareness totem poles were

carved by the District Forester, David Parnaby, which

sat outside the Noorinbee office. They were later

shifted to Cann River where they remained until the

late 1990s before sadly rotting away.

According to Forests Commission folklore, the poles

bore disturbing resemblances to the Minister for

Forests (Sir Albert Lind) and the Chairman (Alf

Lawrence) so David hurriedly made some changes with

his chisel the night before their arrival from

Melbourne.

David had a great sense of humour, as well as a keen

eye, and often drew clever cartoons for the staff

association newsletter. His characters only wore a shirt

and tie but no pants as a dig at the stingy uniform policy

of the Department at the time.

So, here’s an idea… a folk-art trail of discrete and

mysterious wooden faces across the forests and

roadsides of Gippsland to rival the painted silos in

western Victoria – The Parnaby Trail - starting in Cann

River with some reinstated Totem Poles… a great spot

for selfies…

BTW - David’s granddaughter is a firefighter with Parks

Victoria.

This story has been compiled from many sources, most

notably with the generous help of Linda Barraclough

who wrote “Where was Alfonso Spaghetti?” in the

Gippsland Heritage Journal, No. 19 (1996).

Pons asinorum (Latin for Bridge of Asses) was carved in the early 1920s by Finlay Munro at Boulder Creek on the old Princess

Highway between Orbost and Cann River after an argument with the CRB roads engineer. The Italian workmen had advocated for a different route to avoid the need for building new bridges across

the swamp.

Standing on the stump in 1924 are Messrs G. Matheson, M. Muller and W. Pearson. The story goes that a local Forests Commission

officer was mortified when he discovered some cheerful picnickers burning the badly weathered Pons asinorum in their campfire.

Source: Museum Victoria.

Celebrating the history of forest and bushfire management in Victoria – (Peter McHugh – 2018-19) Page 2

Unfairly titled “Grotesque. Orbost-Genoa road (timber trunk)” by photographer John Henry Harvey, (1855-1938). If you look

carefully the features seem sharp, so I suspect that this might be one of the earliest photos of Pons asinorum taken just after it was

carved in the early 1920s. Source: State Library of Victoria.

This newspaper article appeared in 1926. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/142160877

Pons asinorum guarding the disputed bridge. Photo: Richard F. Courtney. Source: Gippsland and Regional Studies Collection,

Federation University.

Pons asinorum. Photo: Richard F. Courtney. Source: Gippsland and Regional Studies Collection, Federation University

Souvenir Orbost to Vic. Border – from a set of 13 black and white postcards in a fold-out format. - State Library Victoria – circa 1947.

Celebrating the history of forest and bushfire management in Victoria – (Peter McHugh – 2018-19) Page 3

This poor-quality and undated image shows Pons asinorum once sported a barista beard and a jaunty beret. But in the 1924 photo

he has a moustache. From: The Cann River collection. Volume 1, by Ron Anderson. 1985.

And here’s a story about haunted trees from 1938.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/243157472

A mysterious carved face somewhere in the Errinundra Valley. From the Australasian - July 1922: Source: Helen Martin.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140782706

Alfonso Spaghetti on the Bonang Highway. Carved in 1924. Allegedly kidnapped. Source: Stratford Museum.

Celebrating the history of forest and bushfire management in Victoria – (Peter McHugh – 2018-19) Page 4

Unknown date and location but thought to be somewhere in Gippsland. Source: Traralgon Historical Society.

Some faces like “Little Lou” were a bit spooky. This work on the road to Glen Wills by Lindsay Webb in the 1960s was meant to

represent football legend, Lou Richards. Big enough mouth I suppose. Photo: Linda Barraclough - 1985

Rankin’s BP Garage at Karlo Creek east of Cann River. The owner, Jack Rankin had an ingenious system of wires which made the man on the right raise his hat to passing motorists – sometimes making them turn the car around and go back and have a good peek – and

maybe buy some fuel. Circa 1960. Source: David Briggs.

Originally carved into a manna gum by a CRB worker in the 1930s, this mysterious face sat near the Gelantipy school until being rescued and moved to its present location when the road was

being widened. Source: Linda Barraclough

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One of the many carved faces about the bush. This one at Millers Hut near Gable End was carved in 1936 by Lal Horstman and Vince Tatterson. Photo of forester John Wright during the Mt Wellington

Timber Assessment. Circa 1960. Source: FCRPA collection.

Cheerful face at Millers Hut. From: Skyline Tours Album in 1938. I’m told the face has weathered away now.

Now for something a bit different… Granite man. This face is only a few metres away from the old Mt Whitelaw hut site on the Baw Baw Plateau. It was once part of the “Yarra track” to the Walhalla

goldfields. Photo: Paul Robinson.

The original Mr. Stringy (sans arms) wearing a rather dapper kerosene tin hat while smoking his pipe. This may explain why his

original name was Mr. Smokey. Photo - 1930s. Source: Silver Reflections collection (the late Geoff Walker), reproduced from

Gippsland Heritage Journal No 18.

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The original Mr Stringy still with his kerosene tin hat – circa the 1930s. Photo: Terry Hore.

Possibly one of the earliest photos of the original Mr Stringy - circa 1937. It shows a young Brian Rayner, his mother Alice Rayner

(centre back) and friends from Melbourne. Source: Bert Rayner album, Gippsland Heritage Journal no. 27.

Lindsay Webb shaking hands with Mr Stringy’s movable arms. Photo by Jack Webb - circa 1956. Source: Linda Barraclough,

Gippsland Heritage Journal No 19.

He could even wave his new arms to passing motorists… Maybe Mr Stringy’s new limbs, which appeared in the 1950s, were

inspired by David Parnaby’s fire totem poles at Cann River? …. who knows… Photo: Graham Wigg - Bill Henham’s grandson.

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By 1963 the original Mr Stringy had lost his hat, shaved off his five o’clock shadow, given up smoking, but grown gangly arms, and sports a bushy moustache and magnificent monobrow. Photo:

Margaret Carlyon. Source: Gippsland and Regional Studies Collection, Federation University.

The original Mr Stringy was carved into a stump in about 1929 by road worker Bill Henham but was vandalised and replaced by Bill

in the 1960s. His new gangly arms, which were able to move, were attached in the 1950s. Source: Brian Sampson.

With his bushy moustache and very handsome monobrow Mr Stringy poses with some locals, Norma Adams, Russell Adams and Bruce Adams (obscured) – Circa 1963. His arms now appear fixed.

Photo: https://www.facebook.com/mr.stringy/

A sad fate… a very bedraggled and armless Mr Stringy after being repeatedly vandalised and finally beheaded in the mid-1960s. It

looks like someone has ghoulishly propped his severed head back up on his torso. Photo: https://www.facebook.com/mr.stringy/

Celebrating the history of forest and bushfire management in Victoria – (Peter McHugh – 2018-19) Page 8

Unlike the first Mr Stringy who was carved into a stump, the second Mr Stringy is a large log buried into the ground. He sits at Dead Horse Flat on the Great Alpine Road and was made in the

1960s by Bill Henman after his first Mr Stringy was beheaded. He also made a copy which he kept outside his home in Bairnsdale

and used as a letterbox.

Mr Stringy is now a bit of celebrity and gets anonymously redecorated and repainted by locals having a bit of fun.

But Mr Stringy was brazenly stolen in October 2010 after been winched out of the ground by some unknown bogans. He was

found dumped down a nearby embankment on the Tambo River and retrieved by local forestry staff from the Department of

Sustainability and Environment. This photo from January 2019 is one of his recent incarnations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Stringy

The rather spiffy “Willie the Mechanic” at Herbert’s Garage at Cann River in 1947 looks more like Alfonso the armless Italian

waiter than a grease monkey.

Two fire awareness gallows were carved by District Forester David Parnaby outside Noorinbee office in about 1951. According to

Forests Commission folklore, they closely resembled the Minister (Sir Albert Lind) and Chairman (Alf Lawrence) so David made some hasty changes to the totems which his chisel the night before they

arrived from Melbourne. Source: FCRPA collection.

David’s granddaughter is a firefighter with Parks Victoria.

Celebrating the history of forest and bushfire management in Victoria – (Peter McHugh – 2018-19) Page 9

Noorinbee – 1958. Source: Julie Pascall-Mustard.

The original Pons asinorum and Willie the Mechanic were located at nearby Cann River, and it’s believed they may have been the

inspiration for these iconic fire totem poles… And their long gangly arms made from bush timbers may have also inspired Mr Stringy

on the road to Omeo to grow similar looking arms around the same time. …but we will never know….

From: The Cann River collection. Volume 1, by Ron Anderson. 1985.

The Forests Commission’s Noorinbee depot before the progressive move during the mid-1960s to the current site at Cann River when

Ken Sheldon was the District Forester. From: The Cann River collection. Volume 1, by Ron Anderson. 1985.

David Parnaby’s fire gallows were carved in about 1951 but were moved to outside the front the Forests Commission’s Cann River office, on the Princess Highway, when Noorinbee closed in the

mid-1960s. They were finally taken down in the late 1990s, but the timber couldn’t be saved from rot and they simply collapsed. The

poles had long been an iconic feature of the townscape, as well as a unique local tourist attraction on the Princess Highway, so it

would be great to see them replaced. Photo: John Cahill. – 1967. Source: FCRPA collection.

David Parnaby drew insightful cartoons for the staff association newsletter. His foresters only wore a shirt and tie but no pants or shoes as a tongue-in-cheek poke the stingy uniform policy at the time. State Foresters Newsletter - August 1975. Source: FCRPA

colelction.

https://www.victoriasforestryheritage.org.au/showcase/galleries/david-parnaby.html

David’s granddaughter is a firefighter with Parks Victoria.

Celebrating the history of forest and bushfire management in Victoria – (Peter McHugh – 2018-19) Page 10

A more recent carving on a redgum between Bairnsdale and Stratford. The artist and date are uncertain. Photo: Peter McHugh.

Pioneering forester. John la Gerche at Creswick. Photo: Peter McHugh 2019.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_La_Gerche

And trees don’t need to be carved to be interesting. The Thinking Tree is an ancient olive in Puglia, Italy.

Celebrating the history of forest and bushfire management in Victoria – (Peter McHugh – 2018-19) Page 11

So, here’s an idea… a folk-art trail of discrete and mysterious wooden faces across the forests and roadsides of Gippsland to rival the painted silos in western Victoria. Source: Pinterest -

unknown location.

The “Parnaby Trail” …. starting with two replacement bushfire totems at Cann River, with other carved wooden faces created by local artists and communities … set up a bit like geocaching as a

secret treasure hunt using the GPS in your smart phone.