Goggas and Magic.

Oogpisters and other Goggas

By this time my Dad had made quite a few changes on the farm and had built two outside rooms with a thatched roof.   There was also a storeroom attached.   He had made bricks which were burnt and he built the rooms himself.   The roof beams were from our own gum trees.    He had also built a big reservoir a little distance from the windmill with a gutter type system on high poles to lead the water from the windmill into it.  This water was used to irrigate a vegetable garden where he grew all types of vegetables.   There were nasty big black stink bugs which used to suck the vegetable shoots dry and they would pee on you if you tried to kill them.   There were spotted beetles, and we children were given bottles of soapy water into which we had to pop these goggas and were paid a few pennies for the number killed.   The most wonderful insect was an “Oogpister” which would run around on long legs eating the ants called “Malmiere or Bal-byters”.   We were more afraid of the Oogpister that the ants.   If you happened to step into the working grounds of these ants they would go quite mad and climb up your legs and bite you on the soft places, hence the name “Bal-byters”.

From the Internet I found this report :- “Predacious Ground Beetle  or Oogpister”  The Oogpister is a ground beetle and incapable of flight   . They rely mainly on their speed to escape.   Ground beetles of the genus Anthia and related genera secrete an abdominal substance of some organic acid, for example formic acid, which they are able to squirt out in a strong jet at an attacker.   The jet has a range of up to 30cm and can blind a small domestic animal if not treated immediately.   The substance can also harm the human eye and causes severe pain if it touches the skin.   A warning, don’t pick up this beetle as it can give you a nasty bite.   Ground beetles are fierce predators and prey on insects.   They are extremely territorial and will not hesitate to defend their territory against any other beetles wishing to use the same hunting ground.

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Whistling for the wind.

            We were very dependant on the wind to turn the windmill’s wheel and pump the water from far underground, so when the wind did not blow you had a problem.  

My Dad could climb the windmill and turn the wheel by hand but this was a dangerous game as a sudden gust of wind could turn the wheel around and knock you flying.   We children were forbidden to climb up that structure, but Bertha was the only one who had the guts to do so.   She would have been in serious trouble if she’d been found out.    There was however a much safer method and that was to ‘whistle for the wind’.   When the air was calm and not even a blade of grass moving and the windmill had fallen fast asleep, you’d start to whistle mournfully and something mysterious would happen, firstly you would feel a breeze and then the windmill would creek with the wheel turning very slowly, water would trickle from the pipe and give you the opportunity to drink or catch enough to fill your can.   When you had enough water you stopped whistling and the wheel would turn slower until it came to rest again.    During very strong winds, you would have to put the windmill’s brakes on by turning the tail to lie flat against the wheel, which would then not face into the wind.   The next time you see a windmill, stop your car and take a closer look, and maybe there will be no wind and you could try whistling mournfully and experience the magic yourself.   This is a true story, believe me!