Comentario y críticas respecto la postura del Comité ante los problemas éticos

Fry 1910 © Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Turtles were particularly common on North West Isle where Embury first based his expeditions, and as such turtles gained prominence in Reef experiences as sources of both fun and food. Their abundance also saw the establishment of turtle soup canneries on both

North West and Heron Islands in the early 1920s. Several expeditions visited North West while the factory was in operation (Plate 38). Some of these visitors were obviously moved by the fate of the turtles:

Mrs. Lowe… is keenly interested in wild life generally…. her keen sympathy with dumb creatures was more than once evidenced by her carrying buckets of water to throw over green-back turtles which had been turned on their backs by turtle- hunters and left in the broiling sun on the beach.

(Gilbert 1926: 5 January)

The methods of turtle hunting appear even more callous from a contemporary perspective of conservation. However, others were more than happy to enjoy the product:

I tasted some soup straight from the tank & thought it delicious. That morning for breakfast, we had turtle steak. I can best describe it as looking like fried fish and tasting like veal.

An enterprising firm would probably find use for many of the by-products, such as bones which are at present thrown away, &, in my opinion, the turtles should be allowed to lay their eggs before being turned over for killing.

Soup of the evening — beautiful, beautiful soup.

(Whitley 1925b)

Apparently, however, turtle soup was rather an acquired taste and not everyone enjoyed it.

[Turtle soup] has been made for six or seven years in the Capricorn Islands. There is a constant demand for the production, mostly abroad. A tin of the soup,

containing enough for four people, is sold for 1s 6d. The soup is thick, brown and heavy, and needs breaking down. The majority of people have not acquired a palate for turtle soup, possibly because of its heaviness.

("Whampoa" 1930: 21)

Although varying, these are all strong views, which suggests that turtle meat and turtle soup were probably strongly associative for those who did partake of them. Similarly, the

associated smell of both turtle and fish must have been strong around the islands, but this is not recorded as conspicuous in the records of the time. This indicates that it may have been such an established characteristic that it is diminished in conscious experience through habituation.

While some were pleased to see the demise of the turtle industry, turtle remained a valued food for return visitors who had prior pleasurable experiences of its consumption. When Embury moved his expedition base from North West to Hayman Island, a newspaper account emphasised how “[m]embers of advance party see whales, enjoyed turtle soup and turtle steaks” (Wigmore 1933b). Turtle is now protected within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and there are few non-Aboriginal people who have tasted this food from the Reef. To the contrary anecdotes suggest that people now regard eating turtle as a form of desecration and appear to find it deplorable to even contemplate such consumption.

Fruits

The other significant category of taste in visitor experiences is fruit. The tropical climate of the Reef is conducive to growing exotic fruits and this is highlighted in the presentation of the region. Fruits like papaya, pineapple and bananas are not native to the Barrier Reef islands, but are strong signifiers of the tropical location as I discuss in Chapter 8. They are therefore highly prized for this association. They also contrast from the everyday. This was particularly the case in the first part of the twentieth century when the capacity to transport fresh tropical fruit to the south would have been limited. The following is a fictitious

account of a generalised Reef island from the Cummins & Campbells Monthly Magazine:

Let’s assume we’ve landed from the launch. After the romance of being on an island has faded a bit, we look for inner sustenance. What do we expect? I’ll tell you. Our minds and stomachs are all lined up for tropical fruits, fish[,] oysters. If we want a change then we’ll alter the precedence of the menu and put it oysters, fish, tropical fruits. What do we get? I don’t know what’s on the bill of fare. But I do know the oysters are there in countless millions, just waiting to tickle palates; I do know fish, of the sweetest variety, swim lazily through the coral on the search for a hook and bait; I do know that pineapples and fruit of that kind ripen while you look at them and beckon with their delicacy.

Much has been written about the charm of the papaw. I agree with every superlative. In addition, as this is my day for giving free advice, I’ll tell you something about the hidden virtue of that thing as a pick-me-up.

(Rechner 1948: August)

Similarly, coconut palms hold particular associations with the topics. However, their fruit also discloses particular tastes important to visitors. Taste was not the only motivator or

prize in the interactions with these plants, but drinking coconut milk was an experience sought out by many. This is witnessed by newspaper articles and private photographs and films which show people climbing coconut trees (Plate 39), picking the fruit and drinking the juice (Plate 40). One newspaper photograph is captioned:

Plenty of free drinks were available to members of the Australian Museum expedition to the Great Barrier Reef, although it was not so simple as in a Sydney milk bar! The travellers had to adapt themselves to coconut techniques.

(Daily Telegraph 1937)

The image shows three women. In the foreground one woman looks at the camera while holding up a coconut in which a second woman has her face buried to drink the milk. And a more recent photograph similarly shows a woman drinking from a coconut, this time captioned “Sydney Actress Anna Bowden samples fresh coconut — one of many delights

to be found on North Queensland beaches” (Tropics 1975: 26).