Butterflies and Finches

Sunday 2^nd  September

Once again I was caught out in the land of ‘expect the unexpected!’ This weekend I decided I would join the fishing outing, but I was definitely not going to be swimming croc-infested water holes with a backpack on! So armed with little more than a water bottle and camera, I set off with the others at 9am.  We walked for about two hours through magnificent scenery, following closely behind our good friend, and self proclaimed ‘aboriginal bushman’, who was carrying one of his own handmade  spears. 

Why I had always imagined this part of Australia to be arid, I have no idea. After all, we are in the tropics and situated in “The Gulf”. We tracked through ever changing vistas from sandy dunes to long grasses, and then through thick treed sections running into exquisite water holes, and river crossings which were surrounded by massive Paperbarks and over-hanging Pandanus trees. I was really enjoying the landscape, when I came to the realisation that we would not be back before lunch.  All along the way I was scanning for snakes, watching for the killer buffalo that I had head were roaming these parts, and checking each water crossing for crocs before I stepped in and waded across. Finally we reached our destination, a magnificent water hole the size of a lake. Deep, clear and surrounded by unspoiled,

rich, green, tropical vegetation.

I chose not to fish and sat peacefully in the dappled shade on the bank while the others went looking for suitable sections to ‘wet their lines’. Despite sleepiness, I wouldn’t let my eyes close. Surely the second I dozed a huge croc would leap out of the water and grab my leg, or worse (my biggest fear) a king brown (snake) would slide over me. I had to stay awake, so I watched the most delicate butterflies land on the nearby plants and a family of tiny red finches drinking the water from the lowest Pandanus branches. 

A sudden loud splash made me jump, then laugh, as our friend leapt into the water to cool off and came up like a mad man before posing with his spear in true action man style…. But no action today! Only one fish caught, two turtles almost caught (good news) and the only wild animal spotted was a solitary brumby.

 On our return journey in the late afternoon, with the still hot sun beating down, I happily dived into a small, deep water hole without a care in the world.  Are we really in the wilds of Australia’s outback? Not a snake, goanna, buffalo or crocodile to be seen.  I spent the day watching butterflies and finches, and had no lunch. Next time I will make a big effort to get it right.

Communities

Wednesday August 29^th

We all live and work in communities but I have never been involved in one this small.  Being very remote and with just over 200 people, Robinson River is a true community.  Like all communities it is not without its power struggles and disagreements, but with the bad comes the good and there are plenty of positives up here.  Our school day started with one of the teachers saying he had been fishing and there was a gutted barra (Barramundi) and two cherrapins (Freshwater Crayfish) in his fridge for our dinner. How thoughtful and unexpected….. we were touched.

Then after school David was invited to go fishing with one of our indigenous friends. David packed in his back-pack, a trusty Dolphin torch in case they would be out after dark, his new collapsible fishing rod, endless fishing ‘stuff,’ mozzie repellant, drinking water .. all the usual.  Our friend turns up with a spool of fishing line, bare feet and ready to go.  He asked David to bring a knife, so a full size carving knife was added to the back-pack.  The fishing was not successful but the state of David’s clothes and the look on his face when they returned told me straight away this little outing was one to be remembered.  Walking through bush land and long grasses, scanning for snakes and goannas for an hour, to an enormous water hole. Swimming across very deep, crocodile infested water (not a smart idea) to a rocky island where they could see the fish swimming far below in the deep clear water. And then diving down to retrieve their snagged lines and lures, with knife at the ready for croc attacks, won’t be forgotten. !! We poured the water out of the pack and laughed at how ridiculous he must have seemed, swimming across the waterhole wearing a back pack and not much else as clothes had been discarded on the river bank. Travelling light has a whole new meaning.

While this adventure was taking place, our neighbor came in and offered me some kangaroo, which had been cooked in the ground. I had a gift for her too, a photo I had taken and printed out, of herself with one of the three little ones she has taken on as her own.  She called in again later and in the balmy evening we sat chatting under a spectacular night sky. The Milky Way was bright and spread across the blackness. Our Southern Cross was even brighter and very distinctive away from the city lights. She shared stories of her family, her life, and her hardships and fears. She showed pictures of relatives she never sees and I felt sad for her, realizing how tough some lives can be. 

Being part of a community can be such an enriching experience.

David's Poem

Long dark legs lope past my window

In the fading light

Children's voices rise and fall

To greet the coming night

Geckos click and crickets crick

And dogs begin to bark

The wind abates, the camp fires glow

And colours fade to dark

The wonder of these star filled nights

The happy smiles glowing white

These things of beauty make me shiver

Here at awesome Robinson River

I love our sunburnt country

Saturday August 25^th   

At times it seems I am in one of the lands at the top of the Faraway Tree. Things are not quite as they seem or not quite as I expect them to be. It is now easy to accept that what has been planned may or may not eventuate, so I was not disappointed when our fishing/turtle trip did not proceed.  In fact, I still have trouble with the thought of catching a turtle to eat. Instead I went into a rare cleaning frenzy and enjoyed the fact that anything I washed… large mat, our concrete floor, 2 loads of washing and windows, dried within minutes, as the day started to warm to a 33oC temperature.

I had just finished when one of the teachers arrived in his 4W drive and asked if we would like to go looking for wild pigs. Off we went along a ‘short cut to the highway’, a rough little track with several gates and half a dozen water crossings. He said we could cover 12kms in half an hour! Sometimes we needed to slow and make our way between herds of cattle, as we drove through striking scenery where white barked eucalyptus rise from the long grasses and pandanus trees line the watercourses. These are protected trees due to the many uses the indigenous people have for them; their leaves are excellent for weaving. We passed signs indicating Sacred Ceremony Sites and warning of a $20,000 fine if one is found trespassing beyond that point. It is important that these areas are respected and the owners of this land can feel secure in knowing that their ancient ceremonial meeting places remain undisturbed.

We stopped to look for pigs and found plenty of evidence but did not see one. Instead we cooled off in a picturesque section of the Robinson River. Wading in the clear water I asked if I should be worried about crocs. No, only ‘freshies’( the freshwater variety ) here, nothing to worry about.  What magnificent country this is. Surrounded by rocky ridges the plateau is abundant with trees and undergrowth. The vivid reds, greens and browns shine against the deepest blue sky I have ever seen.

Twelve = a dozen

Friday .. August 24^th   

I could hear cars leaving earlier this evening.  Many of the children had said that they would be attending the rodeo at Doomadgee, which is just over the Queensland border.  According to everyone in town, it is bigger and better than the Borroloola rodeo, but it was still a big surprise for us when only 12 students turned up at assembly today. Consequently, major timetable changes were made and the teachers shared the teaching load, allowing for some extra, precious planning time for the staff. I chose to work with a special needs student who became mesmerized by my ipad. Numeracy and literacy games kept her fascinated for an hour and half.  

There was work to do in the community too, so the whole school, 12 students (and a dog) took off to visit the goats. Scrubbing the water trough, and filling it with fresh water whilst feeding and patting the goats and admiring the new born kids was fun, and the children also had a valuable oral language lesson about goats.

 Then it was off to visit the chooks where eggs would be collected and a hands-on Maths lesson would take place. Between 17 and 20 dozen eggs are collected each day from the 250+ chooks. The children love collecting the eggs, which are then washed, sundried and carefully counted into egg cartons. Inside each cartoon lid the teachers write math’s problems, to be solved before the eggs are put in. The maths lesson continues…. How many more eggs do you need in that box to make 12?  If I have three full boxes, how many eggs have I got? And how many eggs are there in a dozen? etc.  The full boxes were stacked and taken directly to the shop ready for sale.  David stopped at the shop on the way home from school. He bought a dozen eggs and the shopkeeper said, ‘these are fresh, just collected today.” “I know,” said David smiling.  Eggs were served with our salad for dinner this evening!!