Here in Balgo, hot air balloons stay on the ground, backyards are charred for fun and Michael Jackson is ALIVE!

After all the excitement over the hot air balloon that was due to be in the air on Sunday morning, a little bit of a breeze/cyclonic gale kept it out of action. So unfortunately, no-one got a ride!! I woke up early that morning to the sound of the fire thingy opening and closing and decided that since I was awake, I’d go on early before the crowds all gathered at the oval. I was dressed and ready before I realised that there wasn’t even a balloon in the air and the wind was intense. Because the balloon was tethered to the ground, even the slightest breeze would have kept it grounded however Kimberley weather at present is strong winds in the morning before a clear day. The balloon had to be out of Balgo by 1pm, and of course this was just as the weather got better. Hopefully in the future the air force will come at a different time in the year and after all the travel, be able to get the ball rolling!

I was on the phone later on Sunday morning when I thought I heard someone knocking on the door but because I wasn’t absolutely certain and was already tied up, I ignored it. I walked outside a few hours later to discover that half of our backyard and half of the next door vacant block was absolutely burnt to a crisp! Who had done it? I had two suspicions. The first was Henry, who is currently very excited about these fire pompom things that you light and spin around to create cool shapes. I thought that trick may have gone wrong and ended up burning the backyard. The second was Cathy who lives not far from us and often just casually lights bits of the block on fire. As more information came in, I discovered it was neither either suspect but in fact a few fire happy kids who got hold of some matches. And to make it worse, it happened while I was on the phone and the banging noise was Maggie, who lives behind us trying to get some help putting it out. Awkward! Maggie saved the day with a garden hose and eliminated the risk before it burnt Ale’s clothes on the line and reached the house. That woman is a champ!! So now, we have half a burnt, half dry and brown backyard. So aesthetically pleasing. I’d make it all one colour but I know I’d probably burn down half of Balgo so not keen on pursuing that venture.

I had an interesting chat with some of the Primary C kids yesterday. They were talking amongst themselves about Michael Jackson and with the man himself deceased; I was surprised that they were using his name. I gently told the kids that he had passed away and therefore we couldn’t use his name anymore only to be met with five sets of wide eyes looking at me in shock. In that moment I was sure I had just crushed all their dreams, hopes and aspirations concerning meeting the King of Pop however realised there was more to the story. Sharelle told me indignantly that he was still alive and Antonio, Julian and Frena furthered that story by telling me that not only was he alive, but was now a woman with pink hair living in Perth. I left it at that, absolutely cracking up inside by how certain they all seemed. It was kind of cute. This morning, I tested out a theory and asked Trent, a Primary B kid if Michael Jackson was still alive. He not only said yes but told me that he was now a she with pink hair in Perth!! It appears to be a solid Balgo belief and certainly one for the conspiracy buffs to test out.

We finally have a system with the first aid needs at Luurnpa! Anne, a lovely pediatric nurse who will be here for quite a while is coming to the school every Tuesday to check on the kids and treat their maladies. Her job is made easier by clinic referral forms that the staff fills out if they notice a problem with any students and place in a certain pigeon hole in the staff room. I check this pigeon hole daily, scan and send the forms to Anne and give the kids in question a form to take home that gives their parents a chance to take them to the clinic before the clinic gets to them. It’s only been working for a week but already is proving a success and really makes the process a whole lot simpler. It’s also something that can continue on next year after I leave which is great!

The below photos were taken yesterday and today during Maths time in Primary C. Yesterday we were looking at tessellating shapes again and today I worked with some kids using dominoes to better learn their numbers. All the students worked exceptionally hard and I just had to get proof of all the effort that was going into the tasks. Sorry they’re so grainy, I took them from my phone because of course when I needed it, my camera was at the other end of the school. Dandy!

Sharelle with her work

Julian

Tegan and her dominoes

Antonio working hard