by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh
This is the fourth of our âSandimalâ pictures of sand-sculpted animals and probably the last, unless our mystery sculptor returns one day. We have called this one Tina Turtle.
We couldn’t think of anything particular to say about Tina, so we did some research on the well known fact of turtles’ longevity.
Did you know that the longest living turtle on record was kept by the royal family of the island nation Tonga, from 1777 to 1965? That’s 188 years and to put it in perspective, it’s from the year after the US Declaration of Independence to the 100th anniversary of the American Civil War. In relation to the history of music, that turtle was born in the year Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart turned 21 and died in the year in which Bob Dylan performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall, with audience members including the Beatles and Donovan.
Make of all that what you will, but a lot sure happened while that old turtle was around.
