OP/ED: Alert: Has Bird Flu Reached Australia This Year And Been Covered Up.

On June 16 this year Cairns Queenslands local newspaper "The Cairns Post" had the following front page headline.


Bird Death Mystery
Cairns Post 16 June 2005
Peter Michael Chief reporter.

Scientists are investigating the mass deaths of the entire population of birdlife on a tiny island off the cape to eradicate concerns of a possible outbreak of bird flu.

Australian Quarantine Inspection Services Far North scientific Manager James Walker told the Cairns Post he was deploying a team of scientists onto remote Night Island, south of the Lockhart River early next week.

It is the second visit of an AQIS team to the island since mid-april when a trawler crew reported the island was covered in large numbers of dead birds.

The first search found no evidence of Avian Influenza but the fact Torres Strait pigeons were also reported among the dead birds added weight to the priority of our investigations

We will have another visit to the island to make sure there are no more signs of dead or dying birds.

After this item appeared in our local paper nothing more was said about it. No follow up story and responses and at no time did this story make headlines out of my hometown.

A month earlier On the 8th of May there was a tragedy in the area with a plane going down south of the Lockhart River with all onboard killed instantly.

Onboard that plane was one of Australia's premier microbiologist's Dr David Banks.
www.news.com.au...

Among the victims was one of Australia's leading scientists, Dr David Banks, head of quarantine authority Biosecurity Australia.

SMH

Among those killed, Dr David Banks, the principal scientist with the pest and disease watchdog, Biosecurity Australia.

“Dr Banks qualified as a veterinarian in London and later became Chief Veterinary Officer in Papua New Guinea. He completed a Doctorate in Epidemiology at James Cook University and undertook research projects on livestock diseases in the Pacific islands, Indonesia and Timor.

“Dr Banks commenced work for the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service as Principal Veterinary Officer in 1990. One of his first projects was the development of the highly successful and innovative Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy.

“He was planning to retire at the end of this month and wanted to do one more field trip in far north Queensland before he completed his career. Dr Banks, who was formerly a pilot in the airforce reserve, was returning from the tip of Cape York yesterday when the plane in which he was travelling crashed into a hillside on approach to the Lockhart River airstrip,” Mr Truss said.

A specialist in animal diseases, he was returning home from his last field trip before retiring at the age of 55

In the newspaper article, it said that a scientific team AQIS had visited the island straight after the discovery in mid April and they found no evidence of Avian Flu.

Mr Banks, the quarantine services premier scientist would have been the logical choice to be one of those scientists that went on the first trip to investigate. However he died South of the Lockhart River on May 8th so he is not alive for anyone to ask him was he returning at the time from a scientific investigation of the bird deaths at Night Island, which is just south of the Lockhart River.

Was He on that expedition? and then begs the question, What did he really find? Did he find Bird Flu? Did he report this and was silenced before it could become public knowledge? Were the birds mass culled after Bird Flu was discovered amongst them at some prior date. Were the bird culled in anticipation that they may have carried the bird flu. With David Banks dead there is not many left that can answer these questions.

The area where both events happened is remote. The population would be less than one hundred with a radius of 100 miles. There is only some tiny remote aboriginal settlements in the area.

Was this a massive and fatal coverup? I believe that it is totally possible given the extreme silence on the issue of just what happened on the island. There has been no coverage at all of this nationally and yet the news feeds are plastered with stories of bird flu being discovered just about every other place travelled to by migratory birds from South East Asia. Night Island is at the tip of Australia and on the migratory path for birds flying from South East Asia.

I am sure though by now if asked there will be a neat little plausible explanation for a whole island of birds ending up as corpses at the same time.

Was David Banks sacrificed to silence and has Bird Flu already hit Australia with this island of birds dying this year. Was he in fact the man who knew too much.

A Map Of The Area - Lockhart River
www.amcr.com.au...

Related News Links:
www.abc.net.au
www.jcu.edu.au
omega.twoday.net
www.police.qld.gov.au


Common Denominators in both events

* Lockhart River
* Australian Quarantine Services
* Animal Disease
* Animal Disease Scientist



[edit on 9-10-2005 by Mayet]

[edit on 9-10-2005 by Mayet]

Just curious, how can an op/ed be considered an alert? I thought Mods assigned alerts. This is just an opinion of the author as I see it. It also took place in June of this year



[edit on 10/9/2005 by shots]

Originally posted by shots
Just curious, how can an op/ed be considered an alert? I thought Mods assigned alerts. This is just an opinion of the author as I see it. It also took place in June of this year

I think you'll find that the "alert" is part of the title as determined by the author, rather than an indicator of the article's status on ATSNN.

Whatever it just seems kind of deceptive to me, that was what I was pointing out. Keep in mind not all members or viewers are aware of the inter workings of ATS.

I am sorry if you find the alert offensive Shots but honestly on this article I felt it warranted it. The news is current, breaking news actually, breaking on the possible conspiracy of the two events. Breaking News Reported here on ATSNN first by me. Not stale news at all.

I cut the article from the paper when it first came out and stuck it in my work desk drawer. I was cleaning my shop when i retrieved the paper this week. And then it wasn't until I reread the article to write it here on ats that I researched again through the David Banks "accident".

I read here previously on ats about the fishy 40 microbiolists killed and as it was my home town the accident occured it had been major news here. When I read it on ATS I started thinking and wondering whether the two incidents may be releated but it wasn't until I reread it that I started shaking when the dates correlated as well as other data cross matched as seen. I feel this warrants questioning and major investigation.

thread in question
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Page of My reply
www.abovetopsecret.com...



[edit on 9-10-2005 by Mayet]

Good post Mayet.

Has Bird Flu Reached Australia This Year And Been Covered Up?

I suspect it's been found and covered-up throughout much of the "civilized" world - and misdiagnosed either purposefully or accidentally. Molecular diagnostics are required to confirm bird flu diagnosis - but are not used.

Also, authorities have plausible deniability because the little buggers mutate and create new strains at the drop of a hat - so technically speaking, it's not bird flu. Like, the dengue fever epidemic is not bird flu; Legionnaire's disease in Toronto is not bird flu; and nothing has anything to do with anything else.


.

One thing that is always nagging at me is the way that news are covered when it comes to infectious diseases.

I always wonder how bad things are relay here in the US but they had gone way beyond to cover them.

While the rest of the world is ridden by all kind of new viruses, we here has been pretty much clean.

Our meat with only "some cases of mad cow" and "only in the milk cows" so convenient.

Our poultry industry pretty much safe, or that is what they tells us.

But really who is telling the truth, are we really, really safe and our meat sources safe.

I wonder as how far the big industry will hold the truth from the people so they don't lose a penny.

[edit on 9-10-2005 by marg6043]

Mayet:

I recall an event re "mad cow dosease".

I personally knew a nurse who was looking after someone with this in Perth, however "apparently" the govt. said there were no cases here!

So, as such, I'm rather skepitcal when it comes to declarations about disease/virus spreads etc.

Cheers

JS