Good Day all.

            I often meet and teach people who have never seen a boomerang before. I thought it might be a good time to put forward my perceptions.

                                                Brisbane Bob

Boomerang      Perception       Expectation     Reality

The mind set regards the understanding of boomerangs can vary some what.

PERCEPTION; of thinking about a boomerang in the beginning.

People who have heard of what a boomerang is, may have a perception that anything that is shaped like their perception of a boomerang, can be thrown away, and by some magic it will come right back to the point from where it was thrown. It doesn’t matter how you hold it, or throw it or what the weather is like, that is what will happen.

EXPECTATION; of thinking about throwing a boomerang in the beginning.

Most people who think about getting their hands on a boomerang, and throw it have the same expectation as described in perception.

REALITY; of throwing a boomerang in the beginning.

The boomerang will perform relative to how it is made, thrown and the weather conditions. If the boomerang flys  as you expect, and come right back to you under control, next thing to do is rush right out and buy a “Lottery Ticket”.

MY PERCEPTION OF A BOOMERANG.

Any artefact that is intentionally made so as when it is thrown by a skilled thrower, has the ability to make use of aerodynamic factors, coupled with forces described in physics to go away from the thrower to perform a flight path that is particular to that boomerangs design and return to the point from where it has been thrown.

MY EXPECTATION.

A boomerang should be made so as it can be thrown in wind conditions that may vary from zero to twenty KM per hour. It should traverse a flight pattern congruent to that boomerangs design, returning to the point from where it was thrown.

It should perform a single flight circuit when thrown to achieve that result.

It should be able to fly high and perform diminishing circles in a more complex pattern back to where it was thrown when thrown to achieve that result.

It should be able to be caught without fear of serious injury to the thrower.

It should be crafted to be pleasing to the eye and have an application of any preservative that will afford some protection from the elements of the weather.

It should fly without having to be tuned or adjusted.

Decorations that are pleasing to the eye would be a bonus. I struggle in that department.

MY REALITY.

Boomerangs can be as varied as fingerprints. Even those moulded to shape I am told may vary.

Boomerang performance will depend upon the material used to make the boomerang.

Boomerang performance will depend on the throwers skill level.

Boomerang performance will depend on weather conditions.

Boomerangs designed for a particular flight pattern may not,( be able to fly high and perform diminishing circles in a more complex pattern back to where it was thrown when thrown to achieve that result) They may also require field tuning to achieve optimum performance.

Most of all boomerang performance will depend on the skill of the manufacturer.

Do boomerangs I throw always come back? NO! But I do expect them to return to me at least once during a throwing session.

Some in the general community, including those holding “Curator”, status in museums use the terms “Hunting Boomerangs”, or just plain “Boomerangs”, when describing the hunting sticks used by people using traditional hunting methods.

I have no problem with others holding their own opinions or beliefs.