Mega mosquito found at East Maitland considered one of the 'good guys', expert Cameron Webb says

So said mosquito researcher Cameron Webb, when we asked him what he thought of this photo, sent to us by Nick Percy at East Maitland.

"I'm pretty sure it is Toxorhynchites speciosus. This is the largest mosquito found in Australia and is common at this time of the year," Cameron said.

"It breeds in water-holding containers around the home and is actually one of the 'good guys'. This gentle giant doesn't bite, it is one of very few mosquitoes that don't need blood."

It feeds on plant juice.

In their immature stages, these mozzies are known as "wrigglers". At this stage, they are predators of other mosquitoes.

"As well as not biting, they also help out with a little mosquito control around the backyard too," Cameron said.

We wondered whether it might be the elusive and mysterious Hexham grey mosquito. Alas, no.

We wrote recently about Bob "Minmi Magster" Skelton's "freedom hut" on the Karuah River, which he and twin brother Dave built in the 1950s at age 19.

Elermore Vale's Tony Davis said he had more of a "freedom cell".

"I began living in this place late in 1957 when I was appointed to Silverton Public School, near Broken Hill. Like the boys at Karuah, I was just 19.

"The cell belonged to the old jail in Silverton. I had good mate Col Wythe and his family living next door. I lived with this family, but my bedroom and schoolwork room was the cell. I was the only occupant of the jail complex.

"The cell was quite large. I painted the walls inside and the floor. On one wall I painted a rock group about life size. The rock group came from my imagination. There were three musicians. [They probably played Elvis's Jailhouse Rock]

"Over the fireplace, I painted The Purple People Eater - a song of the time written by Sheb Wooley. The beast himself had one horn, one eye and was purple.

"Col and the boys found a horse's skull, cleaned it and mounted it above the door with a sign that said: 'Hernando's Hideaway'."

Hernando's Hideaway was also a popular song that went like this: You will be free to gaze at me and talk of love, just knock three times and whisper low, that you and I were sent by Joe, then strike a match and you will know, you're in Hernando's Hideaway.

Tony spent two years in Silverton in the two-teacher school.

"My boss was a very good younger bloke, aged 28, who prepared me so well for the rest of my career," he said.

Tony went on to work at a school at Dareton on the Murray River.

"It was a larger school and on the first day, signing in, I met a lovely lady who was to become my wife."

That was 60 years ago.

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