Happy Sunday of Easter

After I left you all yesterday, I headed down to the Ranger household to help with their final bits and pieces before they left. Lane and Anton both work for Palyalatju which was forced to close down two weeks ago and they were given only a few weeks to leave which was incredibly sad for the community who has come to love them all. I babysit their boys Tipene and Kaea in the afternoons after school and have grown incredibly fond of the family who has shown such welcome to me, Henry and Ali. Their plane was to arrive at 1.30 so we boarded all their belongings into the car and headed down to the airstrip to say goodbye. Unfortunately, a smaller plane than what they requested was sent so we spent a long time playing ‘Tetris with packing boxes’ trying to get what we could into the plane. Eventually it was decided that a few boxes would be sent on the next plane and we bid farewell to the family, shedding more than one tear for the loss of such an amazing family in Balgo. I hate saying goodbye; thank god I don’t have to say my final farewells to everyone for a LONG time!! The Rangers will be missed.

Easter in Balgo is certainly nothing like Easter at home and as Vin, a parish volunteer keeps telling me ‘will always be one to remember’. That is very much the truth. Last night at mass we actually celebrated Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday in one as Father John does services in Mulan on Sundays. We began with a massive bonfire to signify the new light that had been born into the world. Mass was outside which was very much a blessing as there was quite a crowd and even more children, lured by the subtle temptation of chocolate Father John had been telling them about for quite some time. I didn’t really see much of the mass because being a volunteer at the school myself and Henry had heaps of kids coming up to us asking to be picked up, spun around or have their legs held up while they did handstands. I didn’t mind because I missed their cheeky faces but eventually we moved around the corner to watch the many baptisms that were taking place. I wish we counted them all because there were plenty of new little Catholics being anointed; Balgo has such a young population and with the average age being twenty years, it’s not a surprise to have so many babies around! They were all so cute and I don’t think even one of them cried despite the fact that Father John certainly did not hold back on the Holy Water!

Me and Cathy Lee

Bonfire!

Chloe and Leonie

Me and Leonie

Cody, me and Chloe

Nyla

One of the kids being baptised

My favourite part of the mass was the last part when Father John uttered the word ‘Chocolate’ and a hundred kids just mobbed to him cheering. I was honestly afraid that he was going to get knocked over; so fierce was the wave of children. Secretly we wanted to be in there with them but I think the adults may have given us a few stern looks!! Luckily Father John brought enough so eventually every child was presented with a small Easter Egg and I know they probably got more after mass because they were up until all hours last night! The community was buzzing all night long.

 

It's not mass unless the camel turns up!

This is what happens when Cody gets chocolate into him...

I took a video of part of the Blessing song that we do at the end of every mass, partly because it shows the big mob of kids, partly because it shows the outside mass and partly because that song is awesome! So here it is J

I awoke this morning to discover that the Easter Bunny had graced our home; the Easter Bunny being Brother Rick who popped just after sunrise during his walk, let himself in and delivered the Easter Eggs while taking the Hot Cross Bun we had saved for his Easter Sunday breakfast. We all felt really sorry for Brother Rick because when he went to Broome last week for a Principals meeting he brought boxes of Hot Cross Buns and was told they were unable to fit on the plane. He was absolutely spewing though when he landed back in Balgo and five minutes later a storage plane from Broome came with plenty of space for a few boxes of the Easter treat. Hopefully they’re still selling them in Broome when we get up on Thursday because I’m craving the chocolate ones!

Our Easter Sunday was to be spent with Brother Lou, Brother Martin, Sister Alice, Vin, Judy, Gracie and Greg at The Homestead, an old cattle station next to the Northern Territory border. I was watching the movie Australia last night and when Brother Martin told me we were passing the Karnie Ranges I stupidly forgot the movie was fiction and asked ‘Are they named after the beef man that had half of the territory as his cattle station?’ Yes, I got some blank looks there but luckily I don’t think anyone had seen the movie or was on the same page as me. So instead you all get to wade in the deep pool of my stupidity! And for your interest, they’re named after a priest that was here a long time ago, as are many of the landmarks in the area.

The road was very tight at parts grown and it was fortunate we had the knowledgeable minds of Gracie and Greg to guide the way. Our journey was hindered by a large boggy patch that was incredibly slippery with mud and although Brother Lou managed to get through ok in his troupie, Vin got bogged. And he would probably kill me for this but the photo proof is below! It was my first bogging since we got here and in hindsight it was stupid for both drivers to choose the deep muddy track when a perfectly high and dry one was situated directly next to it. We tried everything to get them out; reversing and going forward, using the snatch rope and even digging a bit. However it was Gracie’s idea of placing spinifex over the mud that eventually got them out and we were able to get Brother Marty’s car through so that the entire convoy had successfully (or well enough) passed the bog!

Super bogged

I love being a girl

Gred showing where to put the spinifex

The problem was that the issues didn’t stop there. We reached a large patch of water and even though Brother Lou declared it passable he had such trouble reaching the end that we all decided it wasn’t worth the risk. This did not stop him and the boys, Ali and Henry perched high on the roof going for a bit of a cross country exhibition with Lou and Greg while the rest of us were literally stuck by the road. As Sister Alice pointed out numerous times with obvious annoyance in her voice ‘They have the stove so I can’t even make a cup of tea!’ We entertained ourselves well enough and about half an hour later Brother Lou crossed the water once more and we turned around to have lunch at a place we had only recently passed called ‘Franks Bore’ deeming it to great of a risk to try and make it out to The Homestead, especially as we’d been driving for two hours and hadn’t even cracked the half way point.

The irony. We're in the desert, and water is stopping our journey!

I entertained myself!

They're BACK!

The land used to be used for cattle and sheep stations so dotting the road and the land surrounding it are various bores with old and fairly broken windmills. However, the remains are just as interesting. The human land points are out shone though by the incredible flora that chocked the land in beauty. Being the ‘spring’ of the Kimberley, the wattles were in flower and golden flowers were plentiful along the road and at our stops. The usual family Easter lunch was replaced with a cup of tea and cake in the middle of the bush with new friends; a very enjoyable and new experience made better when Judy cracked open the chocolate!! Our picnic ended much too soon and we headed back, stopping at Macquarie’s Gap and Macquarie’s Trail, an old Sheep Station (also named after a priest, this one who diverted the road from Alice Springs to Broome that used to run through Balgo to Halls Creek because he was sick of all the visitors that used to come through and cause trouble. Brave man!) We arrived back in Balgo around 4.00pm, having had a fun and certainly very different Easter.

Frank's Bore

Some wattle

Our picnic spot 

Macquarie's gap

In other news, our Share the Mission household has been extended by one. Henry, being the relief pool boy while Jim is away saved eight lizards from the Kindy pool the other day and while the others all ran off while drying out in the sun for a while, one did not. He promptly named him ‘Rodriguez’ and because of his calm demeanor, brought him home and we made a little house for him in an old tub. However I think he’s gotten over his near death experience because he’s quite frisky and when I picked him up last night I had to chase him out from under my bed so he may only be a temporary pet. Still, he’s pretty cute!

Rodriguez!