<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/09/where-are-the-pharaohs-how-a-queensland-town-ended-up-with-the-arabic-name-of-el-arish>
"In 1920, returning Australian soldiers, left dejected and debilitated by WW1,
won a ballot for a few acres of land in far north Queensland. They would name
their new home El Arish, after the hospital town in Egypt that had become their
adopted home during the war.
“El Arish was a haven, the soldiers loved it” says Marie Carmen, who runs the
El Arish Diggers museum. “They spoke of it as a beautiful place, an oasis where
they were safe.”
The Queensland El Arish is a small town of less than 400 residents, located on
the Bruce Highway between Cairns and Townsville. It stands out on the drive, a
distinctly Arabic name amongst towns with names like Cardwell, Kennedy and
Tully.
In Arabic, Al Arish (العريش), is often used to refer to palm hut structures
that are found in gardens or along the coast. Here, it adorns the old
weatherboard train station, which also houses the El Arish Diggers Museum. It
looks out of place against a backdrop of farmland and rainforests, like a scene
from a surrealist film."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
