Authors: Dawn Millen
The scout crew have found a nice spot for a camp, this time it is open ground around the site, but the trees are close enough for firewood gathering and water from a deep creek running close to the edge of the paddock. Soon vehicles dot the paddock and tents are erected around the sides to form a loose circle. Fire pits are dug and soon cooking fires are blazing ready for the meat that the scouts have gone off to hunt. Raymond is going around checking vehicles and making small repairs and chatting about performance with the owners and drivers. Groups are standing around the campsite chatting and relaxing while they watch the children play.
Helen is standing beside James at the hospital tent and they are chatting to Jasmine and the children who are following her around today while Diamond is sitting beside James as he strokes her head gently and talks to the gentle and patient dog. Puppy bounds over to join in the fun and is soon rolling in the grass with the children and excited barks and giggles ensue.
I stand at my tent flap and watch the activity of the camp and feel the travel weariness drop away from me as the peace and content of a rest break overtakes me for a little while. Soon it will be time for Gavin and I to go ahead and check out Gunnedah and see if there are survivors there and if we are able to get supplies, which are running low and if they need any help this group are capable of rendering. We plan to set off early in the morning in the Police vehicle and with luck will be back again later that afternoon with much needed news and more flour and sugar. Rhys and Paul will be in charge while we are gone and will make decisions assisted by the others on the committee.
It’s time to give the dogs a run and I untie them from the fire truck and walk down the paddock towards the east. The dogs run ahead and sniff around bushes and tree stumps looking for things to chase and for signs of other dogs. They gambol about and chase each other in a riot of barking and yelping and then turn towards me to check that I am still following them. It makes me smile to see their high spirits and wagging tails. The sun sinking towards the horizon signals the setting sun is not far away and it is time to head back to camp and feed my canine family and then myself.
Dinner is a relaxed affair and the huge pots of stew are soon emptied and the trunk oven is taken out to make bread rolls for the morning. Boiling water is ready and coffee cups, instant coffee and tea bags are laid out with powdered milk and the sugar ready for those who wish to have a cuppa. As the darkness falls the group surrounds the fires and conversations are ranging over a gamut of subjects. As I sit quietly I hear words here and there, but pay little attention to those conversations as I watch the slight breeze turn the brown grass in the paddock to a waving sea and the gum trees are set to swaying gently at the tips of their long branches. My mind is churning over the events of the last few weeks and trying to count the days since the first earthquake. The events are telescoping time and becoming muddled in my mind and I am glad that I have been keeping a diary as often as I can. It has not been every day; time has not permitted this luxury, but as often as I have a few spare minutes I write a few lines for future reference. History is being made and we need to keep some records for future generations.
Someone brings a guitar to the fire and the singing starts as we all settle down for the evening. Small children curl in the laps of their parents and the older children lean against the adults, couples snuggle close and there is a sense of love and affection in the air tonight. James is sitting in his wheelchair beside Helen and is singing along in his cracked baritone and seems to be enjoying the night and the company.
The stars wheel across the heavens and the full moon rises to watch the camp below. Parents are picking up the younger sleeping children and carrying them back to their tents while the older children are shepherded along too, it is time they headed off to sleep and dream before the next day’s activity. The older teenagers and the remaining adults draw close to the fire and the singing becomes a melody of mature voices raising their music to the star filled night sky. The fires glow a dark red and the flames above dance and weave in the breeze. The smell of raising bread fills the air and the sounds of the night creatures accompany the music with a gentle rhythm. I have been waiting for that sound as once heard I know that Mother Earth will not stir tonight and we will be safe in our beds.
My eyelids start to droop and I stand to head off to my tent for the night. The need for sleep overcomes the need for company and yawning I say goodnight to everyone and trek off across the circle to where my tent stands and puppy is waiting beside the flap to curl up with me on the sleeping bag.
I enter and my body slides tiredly onto the ground and I know no more until the sun just starts to rise above the horizon in the morning.
The first rays of the sun are just hitting the side of the tent as my eyes open and I stretch my stiff body before I rise from the sleeping bag. I give puppy a scratch behind the ears and open the tent flaps, blinking at the strong sunlight and feel the gathering heat of the morning. Today promises to be hotter than the last few days. Luckily the Police vehicle has air-conditioning so the 25 miles to town will not be too arduous.
Sandra is bustling about collecting her families washing when I step out of the tent and she offers to do my washing too. I gladly hand over the weeks dirty clothes to her as I know that I will have little time for getting this done today. Thanking her for her kind offer I head off to the cooking fires and the coffee there.
Gavin jogs across the grass to join me and we stand there trying to get the sleep from our eyes and drinking the steaming mugs of our favourite brew. The camp is starting to stir and the early risers are already out and about getting their day underway, some heading for the toilets dug over behind a screen of bushes and tarpaulins, some to the large pots of water heating for the laundry and some to the cooking fires for breakfast and coffee. The smell of fresh bake
d bread hangs over the camp. There are people standing round in small groups enjoying the fresh bread and jam that is this morning’s fare. Smiles on their faces show their enjoyment and I feel the same smile stretching my face too, the pleasure of something sweet on my tongue bringing back memories of the not so distant past.
Time to leave and Gavin and I say goodbye to everyone and head for the vehicle. There are 25 miles of rough driving ahead of us and an unknown situation at our destination.
Conversation is off and on during the first part of the drive as I am still waking up and shaking off the stiffness I still feel from sleeping on the hard ground. My body is craving a soft bed and a hot shower, luxuries it has long been denied.
“You know I would have thought my body would have become used to sleeping on the ground by now.” I say to Gavin. “I am still waking up stiff and sore each morning though.”
“Know what you mean Jenn, I feel twenty years older when I first wake up and am sore for hours. I think the first thing I am going to do when we settle is to find some way of making a softer surface to sleep on.” Gavin replies with a grin as he glances down at the speedo to gauge how far we have come. “Ten more miles and we will see what has happened at Gunnedah and find out if there has been any contact with the outside world.” His voice rumbles gently as he speaks, but I can hear the worry and stress he is trying to hide.
“It is the not knowing that is the hardest Gavin, once we know what is going on then we can deal with it and make plans, while things are up in the air we just can’t do a damn thing.” I say. “We just have to hope for the best and keep going for the moment.” I know that he can hear the worry in my voice, but ever the optimist I keep trying to encourage everyone including myself.
Negativity has never been allowed to cloud my life and I am fighting to keep it at bay at the moment.
A tree down over the road brings us to a halt and gathering up the chainsaws and safety gear we jump down from the vehicle and proceed to cut away enough to allow access, not only for us, but for the rest of the convoy. I can see Gunnedah in the distance, but the skyline has changed and what is left looks like jagged teeth sitting against a mouth formed by the blue of the sky and the brown of the baked earth.
“It sure doesn’t look good down there.” Gavin says as he glances across the few miles left to travel. “I’ve noticed the further we travel the worse the damage seems to be too. More trees down, more sand bags and bigger crevasses. Something tells me that they got a bigger shaking here than we did and it was bad enough when it shook us.”
“Great minds think alike Gavin, I have been thinking the same thing, and I am wondering how things will be the closer to the coast we get. Things may not be as good as we hope once we get there.” I yell over the dying tones of the chainsaw.
With a large gap cut through the tree and the mid-morning sun blazing down we again get back into the vehicle and head towards the township ahead of us. The last few miles eaten away as the powerful motor hummed along and conversation stopped as we both wandered through our own thoughts once more.
The Kamillaroi Highway meets the Oxley Highway at Gunnedah and it is the gateway to our route to the coast.
The travels along the Kamillaroi have been hard and we are hoping that the road is a little clearer once we gain the Oxley and head east. I am hoping that there is access through the town as the Oxley Highway goes through the township.
As we draw close to the town we see a great barricade has been erected with the rubble and it is manned by men with guns. We draw close and Gavin recognises the Police Sargent who appears to be in charge.
“This is not good Jenn, stay in the car for a bit until I find out what is going on.” Gavin says quietly as he opens the door and exits the vehicle.
As Gavin walks to the rubble pile I open the window of the truck so that I can hear the conversation and can back Gavin up if necessary, between my legs I have a .22 rifle, loaded and with the safety off and ready to use.
“Hey Steve, what’s going on mate?” Gavin calls out to the tall, slender man in Police uniform standing on the top of the barricade.
“Hi Gavin, the town is in lockdown, no one in or out due to disease, we can’t have it spreading. Doc says it’s Typhoid and he suspects Cholera too. We are just too few to bury all the dead here and disease has taken hold fast. How many are you and are you all well?” Steve calls back down to Gavin from the top of the 15 foot wall of rubble, his short red curls gleaming in the sun.
“There are two hundred and fifty nine of us and everyone is well in our group.” Gavin replies. “Is there anything we can do for you guys?”
“Not much can be done here at the moment, we have 400 survivors and 300 are sick at the moment, even Doc is not doing too well. Have you heard anything from anywhere we might get help?” Steve asks.
“Not a bloody word mate, there is no working internet, phones or power all the way back to John Creek and we have heard nothing over the radio network either.” Gavin replies. “Can we get around the outskirts of town mate, we are heading for the coast and will just pass through, and we won’t stop as it is too big a risk for our mob?” He questions quickly.
“You can get through round through Bloomfield Street and back onto the Oxley Highway at Wentworth Street, the one at the end of Kitchener Park. Where are you headed, once the risk is over from disease I am hoping to get the survivors out of here too and we may be able to join you?” Steve gives the information required and asks for our destination.
“Heading for Gordon on the coast, it is about two hours north of Williamsville. We are all parked up 25 miles west of here currently and will not be moving on for a couple of days. We have elderly members with us who need the rest break, not to mention the rest of us who are getting tired too.” Gavin grins at his friend as he says this.
“Okay, I know the spot and when I am able I will head for there with whatever crew are left from here. I can’t believe how many we lost in the first and second quakes and now there are people dying from disease. I wish they had taken notice when I first mentioned moving out of town and out of the buildings.” Steve’s face tells of his sadness as he speaks of the loss of friends within the town.
“Our next major stop is going to be at the George Falls on the escarpment, there is good camping there and we will have a decent break before some of us head towards the coast again and see if it is habitable. I will leave you directions as to where we are heading next at the kiosk there.” Gavin tells Steve.
“Thanks, Gav. I will look for it when we get there. Hope it’s soon too. See you on the coast mate.” Steve says.
“See you there mate. Take care and stay well.” Gavin replies before turning and heading for the vehicle.
“Oh shit, I am glad we got out of town an
d that I had so much support.” These were the first words out of Gavin’s mouth as he climbed back into the cabin of the Police vehicle. “Things would have been just as bad for us if we had stayed in Smithtown. I don’t think that we could have coped with the loss of life that Steve is dealing with.”
“I know mate and I’m glad that we had such a strong committee and got organised in a hurry too.” I say leaning over and giving his shoulder a quick squeeze. “Now let’s make tracks and head back to the others and fill them in on the situation. We are no worse off now than we were yesterday and that at least is a blessing.” I finish quickly and look through the passenger window so that Gavin can’t see the tears that spring to my eyes. The loss of life in that large country town overwhelms me to the extent that I am now feeling
real grief for the first time since the earthquake struck on New Year’s Day.
I watch the bush glide past the window as we drive back to the campsite and the tears dry quickly and I am ready to put a smile on my face and turn back to the front again. I take a deep breath and resolve to keep positive once more.
The trip back takes much less time as we follow the wheel tracks we made heading into Gunnedah and we have already cleared any obstructions. We are soon at the camp and Gavin calls a meeting of the committee to fill them in on what we have found out. There are gasps from the others when he tells them of the typhoid and cholera in Gunnedah and sighs of relief that we will not be staying here, but going forward towards the coast the day after tomorrow. Gavin asks that we tell the rest of the campers to all meet at the cooking fires after dinner and we will explain to everyone then what the current situation is and what has been happening at Gunnedah. People are going to have to be told of the plans for the diversion around the town and where we are going to be taking our next rest break.
Lunch
time comes up quickly and we eat and go about cleaning our gear, checking vehicles and catching up with friends and family throughout the afternoon. I take the dogs for a long run and just enjoy some quiet time and solitude. This morning has shaken me to the core and the realization of how close we came to disaster is setting in for me now. I need the time to think and to sort out my emotions so that I am able to show a strong face to the group tonight. I sit down on a log beside the creek as the dogs wander and sniff around and I start to cry quietly. There is no one around to see my tears and I am thankful for that. The quiet of the bush envelops me and my mind soon calms and my tears dry. I stay sitting though my head in my hands while the peace and tranquillity of the running water soothes my soul. It is then that I hear the footsteps behind me and the snapping of twigs. My solitude has been broken.
I turn my head slowly, I
don’t feel threatened as the dogs are still lying in the shade of the log and have only cocked their ears up. They know who is there and they sense no problems. This is a friend and I will be safe. From behind the screen of bushes comes the tall figure of Gavin, a smile on his face and a thermos of coffee and two cups in his hand.
“Hi Jenn, thought you might like a cuppa and a chat now that you’ve had some time on your own.” He says as he flops down on the log beside me. “You’ve been gone two hours and Sandra was worried about you, so I vo
lunteered to come and look for you.”
“I’m okay Gavin, I just needed some quiet time to process what we saw and heard this morning, and it kind of rocked me to know how bad things are in Gunnedah. I still find it hard to believe what we heard from Steve. I say gently. “You know too that I am used to being alone most of the time and I do find it hard to be among the crowd all day. In a lot of ways I miss my quiet world.”
Gavin pours the coffee into the mugs and we sit on the log and listen to the water in the creek for a while. I can see his shoulders relaxing as he watches a leaf bobbing gently as it is carried downstream and the quiet of the bush seems to be doing the same healing work for Gavin as it does for me. It’s a companionable silence and we relax, drink our coffee and hide inside ourselves for a while.
The sun starts to go down towards the horizon and it is soon time to head off towards the camp and the duties we had put aside for just a little while. Gavin stands and then pulls me to my feet and I whistle the dogs and we start to walk back the way we had come.
“I can see why you take off on your own Jenn, I always wondered what you did, but now I know, it’s your way of recharging your batteries and it works. I will be doing a bit of that too from now on. I think I need the silence and the peace too. Sometimes just dumping the load like that is good.” Gavin states as we walk alongside the creek. “I do feel more refreshed now and able to battle on. Thanks Jenn.”
“Not a problem Gavin, I have always turned to silence and water to sort out my thoughts. It sure makes it easier to face the tasks.” I say.
“I’ve always loved the water, probably from the many hours I spent by the river at Gordon and it has always been my practise to cast my problems on the water and what doesn’t dissolve I deal with.” My smile grows wide as I remember the times my Mother and I used to do just that when I was a child.
We arrive back at the camp and I tie the dogs back onto the fire truck and feed them, boost puppy up into the cabin so that she can snooze for a while and head towards the cooking fires, stopping at my tent to grab a flannel shirt against the cool night air. I join the line at one of the fires and grab some hot stew and a coffee and head over to a blanket to sit down and eat. Rhys and Caren are there too and the baby smiles sweetly at me and makes a grab for the bread roll in my hand. I break off a piece for her and hand it to her as it will give Rhys chance to eat his dinner while it is hot.
“How did the boys hunt go this afternoon?” I ask Rhys.
“Good, they came back with three kangaroos, a pile of vegetables and fruit from an aba
ndoned homestead and only travelled about 4 miles to do it.” Rhys replies.
“I taste onion in the stew; they must have found some as we ran out four days ago.” I state.
“Yep, and they brought back apples, and strawberries too.” Rhys tells me.
“Pies for dessert?”
I ask quickly and grin, I am getting known for my sweet tooth and huge appetite.
“I think so, there were so many that the cooks are making jam too for breakfasts.” Rhys replies
grinning back at me.
“Great, hope the sugar holds out though.” I say.
“Richard has been robbing some wild bee hives today and teaching the 10 to 14 year olds how to do it. We will be using honey to sweeten things like tea, coffee and desserts and the sugar for preserving and jam making.” Rhys tells me. “There is still plenty of sugar though, I cleaned out both supermarkets before we left Smithtown, but it pays to conserve it as much as possible, there is no telling when we are going to be able to get more.”
“True, there are a lot of things we have to be careful with. Fuel is starting to worry me at the moment.
I am sure that if I put my mind to it there will be plenty of other things to worry about too.” I say quietly and grin at him; he is starting to call me Ms Worry quite frequently.
“
We have plenty of fuel at the moment and Charlie is going to raid the next petrol station to try and top up the tanker with both petrol and diesel, he can reverse pump it back into the tanks on the truck and keep us going. He was talking about it this morning while you went with Gavin into Gunnedah.” Rhys tells me about the conversation with Charlie.
For the next half hour we eat and talk about the day and watch the others around the fires doing the same thing. Conversation among so many creates quite a buzz flowing around the camp site and I catch odd words here and there from other conversations and that spurs Rhys and I off on different tangents as the time passes. Soon it is time to clean up the site after dinner and have the meeting to inform everyone about the situation at Gunnedah and to plan for the next stage of the trip.
The group settle quietly in a circle and look towards Gavin as he walks towards the centre. “Okay folks, here is the news that Jenn and I managed to gather this morning when we went to check out Gunnedah. Things are not good there, there has been a huge loss of life and now they have typhoid and cholera rampant through the few survivors from the quakes. We will not be stopping and we won’t be able to resupply there either. There is a cleared route through the outskirts of the town and we will be taking that to get onto the Oxley Highway and head for the coast.” Gavin begins to tell the group about our findings from this morning’s reconnaissance trip. “I have spoken to the Police Sargent there and he has agreed to head for the coast with any survivors left after things are safe for them to do so. It will be some time before they can head out though and all we can do is hope that they are able to join us.” Gavin pauses for a while to gather his thoughts.
The crowd stirs and there is a buzz of concern around them as they realize how close we could have come to this happening to our group if we had not left Smithtown.
For many this is their first realization and it has rocked them to the core. I can see the looks on many faces that were a mirror of my feelings this morning as we left Gunnedah. It is probably the shock that is needed though to make the final break with the past. Smithtown will not be habitable for a long time to come and the mutterings of those wishing to return were gaining momentum, the discontent had slowed a little after John Evans died, but it was rebuilding again now and the malcontents were gaining another foot hold within the group. This situation may well have resolved the issues of people wanting to head back to Smithtown for good. There is no return possible due to the risk of disease to everyone who returns.
Gavin continues his information session and covers the planning in place for the diversion around Gunnedah, the route and the expected arrival on the coast. He then asks for questions and few were asked
, those that were asked and answered were just for clarification of the planning and rest stops along the way. Soon the session was over and people began to settle back, relax and chat among themselves. Rhys stands and picks up the sleeping baby and heads for his tent to tuck her in for the night. The guitars come out and the music starts and the old songs ring out into the night as the group sit together and bond over the music. It’s a beautiful night, so clear and the stars sparkle and look so close you could almost touch them, not a visible cloud shows against the velvet black. I feel wrapped in the peace of that beautiful diamond covered blanket of the outback darkness.