Link to Jottings Page 1:

Items on Jottings Page 1:
Lost in the outback (temporarily) 
Fuel Tank problems
And I thought my 1980s Toyota 4WD Hilux solved all problems
Camping on the Canning Stock Route Homestead Creek
Crossing half km plus wide flooded Sturt Creek.
The bus with the luggage doors open Late afternoon change of plan,
A an extra 120km to drive.
Station tracks Ringer Soak to Billiluna (100+ kms)
Bogged after storms
Pilot calls for a screwdriver
Turn-around in mid-flight

Jottings Page 2

Other Cessna experiences:   
1.. Travelling with Bishop Jobst in the Diocesan Cessna 210, VH-BDR, he found it very difficult to lose altitude on arriving at the Wyndham airstrip on account of the strongly rising air from the summer thermals (The airstrip has extensive mudflats around it).  A number of spiralling turns got us down to landing altitude.
2.. On another occasion, travelling from Broome with Bishop Jobst, we were barely airborne when Bishop JJ circled the airport twice and then came into land.  The landing gear indicator lamp had not indicated that the landing gear was properly retracted.  At the time he had his own hangar and engineer at the airport who found the indicator light globe had failed.  We then resumed the flight.
3.. A turbulent flight from Balgo to Halls Creek:  For some reason the flight sector Balgo to Halls Creek (approx. 210km) is well-known for turbulence. On one flight the turbulence was strong and constant like driving a dinghy directly into the waves.  When we landed the young pilot said – “Pilots do get sick too”.  Most of the charter company pilots were young, working to get their flying hours up – a step on the way to becoming a jet pilot.

Accidents, and on the Road: 
The two German Tourists: On the Tanami, about 200kms south of Halls Creek, around 8am one morning I came across two German sisters whose hired Toyota was on its side after encountering some bulldust. They were without water as the drinking water tank access was now inaccessible.  They used my satellite phone to make arrangements with the hirer of their van. I left a supply of water with them and I later heard that they weren’t picked up until around 1pm that day.

A road train Jack-knifed: Around 7.30am one morning, I came across a road train that had jack-knifed at the Tanami Track Balgo turn off.  The two men had driven all the way to Mulan from South Australia to deliver a grader.  They had been given an old map which showed the disused Pass Road as the way into Mulan from the Tanami.  They had got bogged there at night and were helped by the Mulan Aboriginal Community.  They returned to the Tanami via the current road through Balgo and came to grief at the turnoff.  The men insisted I take one of them, who was not feeling well, to the Clinic at Billiluna around 90km away. I agreed and the man did not seem to suffer from the jolts and corrugations of the journey.  Ideally, he should have been treated at the site of the accident but that was not likely in those days.

The Jackeroo: Driving to Halls Creek one evening, at around 8pm I came upon a Jackeroo, most likely from Ruby Plains Station, whose ute was down a slope off the road. In those days I had a Hilux with a bull bar and had a snatch strap in the tray.  He was grateful when between us we got the vehicle back on the road. .

Bump me: I stopped, early one morning, in the parking bay at the beginning of the Tanami Track for a bite to eat and to stretch my legs.  A mature-aged Aboriginal man further down the parking bay was obviously getting some stick from his partner as they had camped there overnight, and their vehicle would not start.  He came up to me and asked me to ‘bump’ him.  This meant he wanted me to push-start his vehicle using mine.  My bull bar meant there would be no damage, so I agreed.  The engine of his vehicle started up.  He walked over and I got out to talk with him.  He just gave me an enormous strong hug which I will never forget.

Half a bottle of cordial concentrate: Travelling from Balgo early one morning I stopped when I saw a stationary vehicle and two young Aboriginal men. They had broken down overnight.  I asked if they had water.  They said yes and showed me a half-filled cordial concentrate bottle.  So, I left water with them, telling them that help would most likely come from Balgo, but in case they hadn’t been missed that I would ring from Billiluna when I got there.

The rioters: Driving one night along the Tanami I came across three adult Aboriginal men who wanted a lift to Billiluna.  I had a Hilux at that time and said ok if they sat in the covered tray. The next morning at the Billiluna School I was told they had recently been released from prison after being prominent in a destructive and massive riot in Halls Creek. I was staying in Halls Creek the night before the riot and there were a very large number of Aboriginal people walking about that evening. The riot occurred the next day. I had already driven off to Wyndham so, fortunately, was out of the way.

Other on the road experiences
1.. I stopped on seeing a Suzuki that had ended up in the scrub on the side of the Highway. The elderly woman driver was being cared for by some others who had stopped to help.
2.. The campervan ahead of me had part of an annexe flapping in the slipstream. I accelerated to overtake it, but the driver was not having me pass, getting faster and faster.  So, I flashed my lights as a warning, to no avail.  The driver would not let me past, so I left him with the annexe flapping freely.
3.. Another time I encountered an Aboriginal group whose vehicle had blown a tyre.  They didn’t have a proper wheel brace and asked me to get one sent out when I reached the Community.  Someone in the Community said that they would be ok.  Somehow they got the wheel changed.
4 .. I was driving into Ringer Soak (170km south-east of Halls Creek) and about 20kms from the Community when I came across an Aboriginal man that I knew.  So, I gave him a lift into the Community.  Later I found out that he was causing ‘humbug’ in the Community and had been driven out on the road with the idea he would cool off as he walked back those kilometres.
5..I had just driven over Minnie Bridge (between Broome and Derby) when the car ahead of me moved into the opposite lane and then over the kerb and down the slope of the elevated roadway. Fortunately, it landed upright.  The Philippino lady was driving from Kalgoorlie to Darwin with all her belongings in the car – there was barely room for herself.  She seemed unharmed but shaken and more concerned about the delay in her arrival in Darwin and the security of her belongings.  One of a couple who also stopped was a nurse and cared for the lady while a road train driver was extremely helpful.  He organized for the retrieval of the vehicle and the promise it would be taken to his company’s yard in Derby and be secure there.

I can read: During my time assisting remote Principals and schools, educating students was an enormous challenge for teachers.  The students were part of an oral culture, so the written word was a great challenge.  Being able to read independently was such an important pre-requisite for learning as it opened the door to knowledge via books or online access.  As I worked mainly with staff, I did not get to know many students.  I had hardly walked into a classroom at Ringer Soak when Alan got up from his desk, came over and said proudly “I can read”.  At the next visit the Principal told me that Alan wanted to see me, so I went to his desk. He reached in and pulled out a CD which had been part of an insert in a Women’s Magazine. (The Josephite Sisters got people to send old copies of magazines for the students to browse through and cut out pictures to use in assignments). He wanted me to show him how to use it.  That level of curiosity spoke of real potential for Alan’s future. It made the effort worthwhile.

Outback pets: The Billiluna Aboriginal community had a 'pet' sow. She was enormous and heavy and slept underneath the old caravan which was sometimes my accommodation at Kururrungku School. I got used to sleeping with a mattress on the floor. The Principal would regularly chase the pig away. "I don't want it dying on school property", she would say. At one time a teacher picked up two dingo pups which he intended to keep. He named them "Billi" and "Luna". He was taking one south with him on holiday, but on reaching Port Hedland, he handed the pup to the Ag Dept as he had worked out it wasn't a good idea. He asked me to care for the other one while I was at Billiluna. It would be there for feeding near sundown, but was in no way domesticated, a pity as he was a good-looking pup. In the early days of the Balgo Catholic Mission, some retired or discarded racehorse stock led to a horse breeding project. Horses, now wild, roam the area. Balgo youth, at times, captured young horses, brought them back to the community to tame, ride or walk around with.  Also, at Balgo, at one time was a young camel, brought back to the Community from further south, where camels are common. It was getting quite adolescent and becoming very difficult to manage. I remember Sr Alice giving it a lecture after Mass in the Balgo Church. Sr Alice and some Community women had started a garden in a raised soil and stone version of the logo of a Eucharistic Congress in Melbourne. The camel did not understand English with an Irish brogue and saw the flowers as a delicacy.

My last wheel change:.. All my time travelling the Kimberley outback I had two spare wheels, which everyone recommended.  In fact, this was insurance as I never needed them both.  I only lost 3 or 4 tyres in nearly 30 years of outback travel.  The last wheel-change was the most memorable as it occurred at sunset just south of Billiluna.  I wasn’t as strong as in earlier years and the vehicle had very heavy wheels.  I did the replacement bit by bit spreading it out with a short walk or time enjoying the outback sunset, hoping all the time that help might come from a passing vehicle.  No vehicles came down the road even after the wheel was changed and I had lifted the offending wheel lifted into the back of the Prado.

Cup of tea at Sturt Creek: To keep alert while driving long distances (frequently I drove all day), I would stop regularly for a bit of bushwalking, bird-watching or photography.  A regular stop was one of the permanent pools on the Sturt Creek near the Tanami Crossing.  I remember one occasion when I was invited for a cup of tea by a camping tourist.  So, I got my mug and folding chair, became an instant tourist, comparing notes with this lady from Alice Springs who was completing her Journal entry for the previous day.  One of the benefits of my job was that I became a tourist as I drove between the remote schools I supported.