The Golden Land

by Di Morrissey

  ‘What did you do? What happened?’ she asked, not taking her eyes from Mi Mi’s unflinching gaze.

  ‘When I was released, I spoke to my family and told them I had to leave Rangoon. They were worried for my safety and understood. My father told me to follow what I believed.’ Mi Mi’s voice wavered.

  ‘I went to Karen, which is near the Thai border. Students organised pro-democracy demonstrations and public forums about human rights and political systems. The Buddhist monks in the area made sure that our demonstrations remained peaceful. Senior monks even stayed with us at our headquarters, which was in part of a Buddhist temple compound.

  ‘Although I was still not a qualified doctor I helped treat the sick and the wounded. The military began to reassert its authority, but the monks kept us safe until we were able to secretly leave for Thailand. Tens of thousands fled, university students, young people and intellectuals. They took different routes, but eventually they joined the rebel groups in the border area of Thailand and maintained armed opposition to the junta.

  ‘I lived in a Thai village, but I crossed over the border at night to treat the wounded fighters. I met quite a few other students who had come from Rangoon. In fact, several of them are now here, in Australia. We were a dedicated student army but we had come straight from the classroom and had no military training. We had few weapons and, although there was support from outside, we weren’t really skilled at warfare.’

  ‘How long did you stay in the border region? Did you ever get the chance to go back and see your parents?’ asked Natalie. She glanced over at her children, and thought how terrible it would be not to ever see Charlotte and Adam again. ‘I can’t imagine living like that.’

  ‘It was tough fighting the military regime in the jungle. They poisoned our wells and our food, and we had a group of ex-soldiers and thugs penetrate our headquarters. We knew we could not go back to Rangoon without being arrested or, at the very least, making trouble for our families. A few decided to take the risk and return, but the rest of us were resettled in other countries as political refugees, under the UNHCR. I went first to India then back to Thailand, helping as best I could.’ She paused. ‘We had some unofficial political support and financial help from people who were sympathetic. Some of us were given travel documents and money. With this help I was able to leave Thailand and come to Australia. I later heard that the Burmese army went to the border region and wiped out the villages where the student army had been based. But that student army was an important part of modern Burmese history, and I am very proud to have been in it.’

  Natalie was trying to picture herself in a similar position, cut adrift, unable to see her family, unable to live in her country. She simply couldn’t conceive the idea. ‘How did you manage after you arrived in Australia?’

  ‘At first the Burmese community here helped me. My Burmese medical credentials weren’t recognised and I had never been able to finish my course, anyway, so I had to start again and study and pass my exams until I finally qualified as a doctor. I met my husband, whose family came originally from India, and who is also a doctor. We married and had children and now I work part-time in his practice.’ She lifted her shoulders. ‘I have never been back, and I have never seen any of my Burmese family again.’

  Natalie stared at her. ‘That’s awful. It’s so sad. I can’t imagine not seeing my mother again. We are very close.’

  ‘My parents made me promise that I would consider my future. They did not think that I would have a bright one if I stayed in Burma. In recent years we’ve made contact with each other. We’ve exchanged letters and I’ve sent them photos of their grandchildren and my husband, and I’ve got messages to them telling them my phone number. I’d like to send them money, but they are still being watched.

  ‘People are afraid of a knock on the door and being taken away, never to be seen again, and for no reason. My parents are elderly, so I didn’t want to distress them by causing them any trouble. They are content that I got out of Burma and they are happy that I’ve made a new life. But I did get a call one night. I could hardly hear the person on the other end of the line, but I realised that it was my mother. She wanted me to know that she was proud of me and that I had made the right choice. She said that she hoped she’d live long enough to see Burma a free country. She said that everyone supported The Lady but that people were still very afraid of the military and what it could do to those who campaigned for freedom.’ Mi Mi smiled gently, but tears shone in the corners of her eyes.

  ‘The Burmese people ask for support in our fight for democracy, because it is so hard for us to have freedom in our country without help.’

  Natalie was very moved and glanced outside to the safe, sunny garden where Thi and Thomas were now pushing Charlotte and Adam on the swings. ‘There must be lots of stories like yours. But hearing about Burma makes me feel quite helpless. The country is so far away, what can I do? It’s not like raising awareness for a temporary crisis, is it? This is ongoing repression and it’s so wrong. It makes me realise we are lucky to live in Australia.’

  Mi Mi nodded. ‘The generals do not allow any interference. There are people working behind the scenes, trying to organise international pressure for change, but it is very, very difficult.’ She looked at her coffee, which had gone cold. ‘I’m glad you came. You can help Burma by simply talking to your friends. Talk to the others here, too. I’m sorry that I monopolised you.’

  ‘No, you certainly have not. I’m so pleased that you shared your story with me. I hope we see each other again,’ said Natalie sincerely.

  ‘I’m sure we will. You will come to the information day? We Burmese living in Australia just wish that our country had the same opportunities for its people as Australia has. All we can do is keep speaking from the heart, hoping that people will understand.’ She stood up. ‘I’d better go and talk to the other committee people. Bye for now.’

  Natalie watched her carry her cup to the small kitchen.

  Thi came in and pointed to the garden. ‘Thomas has won a couple of hearts out there.’

  ‘I didn’t expect him to look after my kids the whole time,’ said Natalie. ‘It’s very kind of him.’

  ‘He loves it. He enjoys the company of your little ones. I do hope you’ll be able to help us with our information day. I’ll email you the details.’

  ‘Please do that, Thi, but I’d better go now. The children will be ready for lunch. It’s been a very emotional morning. Mi Mi’s so brave. What a life she’s led! I suppose she couldn’t be more than ten years older than me,’ said Natalie.

  ‘Yes. She’s one of many Burmese who have led extraordinary lives. You know, we are thankful and happy to live in Australia but it’s hard to enjoy such a privileged life when you know how those back home are suffering. We all try to do our bit. So we’ll see you at the information day?’

  ‘What will happen there?’

  ‘We want the rest of the world to understand the courageous fight that the people of Burma are quietly putting up under a cruel regime. We will talk to people and hand out brochures. We are trying to show our support for Burma and for The Lady, Aung San Suu Kyi. She will know about our work, and be grateful that we are trying to raise awareness of the plight of her country and its people. She has set an example that we all should follow.’

  ‘Where are we meeting?’

  ‘The main booth is at Pacific Fair shopping centre but there’ll be stands at other places. I’ll let you know the final details. Thank you so much for popping in. See you soon.’

  The children skipped beside Natalie as she walked back to the car.

  ‘When are we going to see Uncle Thomas again?’ asked Charlotte.

  ‘Soon. Why did you like him so much?’ Natalie said smiling.

  ‘He’s funny. And he has a smiley face,’ declared Charlotte.

  ‘Yes, he has, hasn’t he,’ said Natalie as she lifted Adam into his car seat. She wondered what Thomas’s story might be. All the Burmese peop
le she’d met so far seemed so warm-hearted and yet having met Mi Mi, she was beginning to realise that many had suffered and they lived with the pain that they might never see their families again.

  Natalie dragged the wet hand towel off her forehead and groaned as she slid her legs off the bed and onto the floor. She’d heard a crash followed by a despairing wail from Charlotte and a frustrated scream from Adam. She propelled herself from where she had been resting, and she staggered into the living room.

  ‘What’s going on here? You’re supposed to be playing in your room, Charlotte. Adam, you were having a nap. What’s all this?’ Natalie surveyed the crayons, paint box, paper and spilled water.

  ‘He’s spoiled my painting!’ cried Charlotte in dismay as she tried to grab her painting away from Adam’s destructive grip.

  ‘Meee,’ wailed Adam and lunged for the paintbrush.

  ‘Stop that,’ said Natalie firmly. ‘Mummy isn’t well. You promised me you’d both be good and play quietly.’

  ‘I was good, Mummy. But Adam got up and took my picture for Daddy!’

  Natalie wrenched Charlotte’s picture from Adam’s grasp and admonished him as Charlotte broke into fresh sobs. When peace was finally restored, Natalie poured herself a glass of water and picked up the phone.

  ‘Hi, it’s me. Jodie, I’m at my wits’ end with these two,’ said Natalie. ‘It’s not their fault. They’re bored and I’m feeling sick as a dog. I know it’s Saturday and your day off, but could they go to your place and play with your two for an hour or so? If I don’t get some sleep, I’m going to fall over. I was up half the night with Adam because he’s got a tooth coming through.’

  Ten minutes later Natalie opened the door and Jodie bustled in.

  ‘You look awful, Nat. So pale. Have you seen a doctor?’

  ‘No, Jodie, I’m just feeling a bit queasy. I never felt like this when I was pregnant with the other two. I haven’t had much sleep, either. The kids are on different schedules now so I don’t get that break in the day when they used to nap at the same time. And Adam is becoming so naughty. Teases and torments Charlotte like crazy.’

  ‘You monkey,’ said Jodie, as Adam gave her a beatific smile. ‘C’mon, grab your things, kids, let’s go. We’re all going to the aquarium.’

  ‘Yay!’ cried Charlotte as Adam looked dubious.

  ‘Can you manage them all?’ asked Natalie.

  ‘Nat, I can manage four children. Mum is with us. She’ll help. See you in a couple of hours. Have a rest. I’ll feed them with my lot, so you don’t have to worry. See you later and take it easy, Nat.’

  ‘You’re such a good friend, Jodie,’ Natalie said sighing. ‘I hope I get over this nausea soon.’

  ‘Promise me you’ll rest. No fiddling with odd jobs.’

  ‘Believe me, I’m going to crash,’ said Natalie as the kids headed for the door with Jodie, who had them outside before Adam realised that Natalie wasn’t going with them.

  That evening, feeling refreshed after her break, the children in bed, she called Mark.

  ‘They were pooped, Mark, I couldn’t keep them up until you’d finished work, but they can’t wait to tell you about their visit to the aquarium. Jodie is such a trouper.’

  ‘Are you feeling any better?’

  ‘Yes. But this baby is tiring me out more than my other pregnancies did.’

  ‘You didn’t have two toddlers during the other pregnancies,’ said Mark logically.

  Natalie didn’t add that she hadn’t had to manage on her own, either.

  After saying goodnight to Mark, Natalie sat in what she hoped would be the new nursery and took out her notebook. She sketched where she wanted the new partition and window to be, as well as the play area. She hesitated over the colour scheme of the nursery, wondering if she should wait until she knew the sex of the baby. She and Mark had never asked about the other two, preferring to be surprised, and caring only that they were healthy. Maybe this time it would be nice to know in advance so that she could prepare the nursery accordingly.

  She and Mark would definitely have to sit down and work out a schedule for the renovations on his next trip home. She was adjusting to the idea of a new baby and, despite the initial morning sickness, she was feeling warm and fuzzy about its impending arrival. They had to finish the nursery before it came and the extra expense of fixing the bathroom concerned her.

  Natalie decided to ask their friend Geoff to draw up the plans as soon as possible. That would be one positive step. Why wait? she thought. She knew exactly what she wanted. They’d have to figure out if they could do the work in stages or all at once.

  Feeling slighter better, Natalie headed to bed. She was getting used to having the bed all to herself, she had to admit. Spreading across it on a comfortable diagonal, listening to the radio, reading, falling asleep sometimes with the light and music on – these treats were not available to her when Mark was home.

  The following evening after the kids went to bed, Natalie was tidying the clutter on her desk when her eye fell on the kammavaca box. Why not ask the expert, Peter Michaelson, whom Adele Simpson had recommended? She rescued the piece of paper Adele had given her, spread out a plain dark cloth on the kitchen table, and unrolled the kammavaca. She took a couple of photos and uploaded them to her computer. She composed an accompanying email explaining the story of her great-great-uncle Andrew and how she wished to know more about this piece, and, in passing, what its value might be, stressing that she was not trying to sell it but was simply curious. She sent off the email and packed up the kammavaca and headed off to bed.

  NATALIE WAS CURLED UP on her beautifully renovated armchair watching TV and thinking she should do some ironing, but with Mark away it didn’t seem so urgent. The phone rang and she was surprised to hear Mark’s loving voice.

  ‘I know it’s late and I’m sorry I missed saying goodnight to the kids, but there was a safety meeting on. I’ve been speaking to Brad, he’s new to the mine and a bit of a mate, and he’s dead keen to come back home with me for the week.’

  ‘Oh, Mark, I don’t know that we’re ready to cope with visitors,’ said Natalie. ‘The house is so disorganised. The biggest problem is not having the big bathroom working. Your friend would have to share our ensuite!’

  ‘It’s not that bad, sweetie. Brad’s used to roughing it. Before he came to Queensland he was mining out in the Pilbara. You should hear what he’s told me about work out there!’

  ‘Didn’t he like it?’

  ‘He’ll tell you. Got fed up with the mining town where he was working even though he was a FIFO. We’ll get in about two tomorrow. Don’t worry about dinner. We can get takeaway. Brad’s pretty easygoing.’

  ‘It’ll be good to meet him. But have you told him about the mess our house is in?’ asked Natalie.

  ‘He doesn’t care. He’s never been to Surfers. He just wants me to show him around the Gold Coast. I promise, you’ll enjoy his company. What have you been up to? How’s that little bub coming along?’

  ‘Fine, I guess. I made a doctor’s appointment for this week, so you can come along.’

  ‘That’ll be something to look forward to. Everything else okay?’

  She could tell that Mark was tired, so she didn’t want to go into the details of what the children had been up to. That could wait until he came home.

  ‘Yes, thanks. But god I’m tired. Your children keep me busy! I’m off to bed. The kids are so anxious to see you. They have a pile of things to show you; they’re looking forward to you coming home. They miss you heaps when you go. They just get used to having you around and you’re gone again. I’m sure Brad will understand how they want to spend time with you,’ said Natalie.

  ‘Of course. I miss them, too. But they’ll get a kick out of Brad, he’s a livewire,’ said Mark.

  ‘I’m glad you’ve got a friend up there and I’m looking forward to meeting him. Sleep tight, darling.’

  Brad radiated energy, if somewhat frenetically. He had ginger h
air, fair eyebrows and reddish-gold stubble on his sunburnt face. He bounced into the family room to join Natalie and Mark. Charlotte had already shown him to his bedroom and then had invited him to have a look at her dolls’ house.

  ‘I’ve checked out the accommodation for the prince and the fairy,’ he laughed. ‘My room is great. Really terrific place you got here. Great to be right on the water. Fantastic position. Just look at that view! I love seeing water. You can’t believe the dust in the Pilbara. The red dirt is like fine powder and if it ever rains it gets as thick as glue. Stains your gear, too. You never get it out of your clothes. You seen pictures of the joint?’

  ‘The photos Mark showed me had gardens and some nice buildings—’ began Natalie but Brad interjected.

  ‘Not that plush watering hole they call a camp where I work now! I was talking about the Pilbara!’

  ‘Oh, right, well yes. I have seen photos of the Pilbara . . . Wasn’t there Aboriginal rock art over there that got moved for the mining?’

  ‘Yeah. Though that all happened before I got there. But, look, if you find a picture of a lizard scratched on a boulder when you’re driving a bloody big excavator, you’re not going to stop and move the thing. You’re flat out chewing through what you can in your shift, without stopping all the time for some old art.’

  Natalie changed the subject. ‘Were you living in a camp out there, too?’

  ‘I started out at the mine site but it was pretty rough, so I moved into a house in town with some other blokes. But the cost of living there was through the roof. The locals might complain about the way their town is changing, so many blokes living there or flying in and out, but they take advantage of the conditions, too. Rents are sky high. A hamburger is double what you’d pay in Broome or Perth. But a lot of the shops are closing down.’

  ‘Why is that, if there’s all that money sloshing around?’ asked Natalie.

  ‘A lot of people move away. People can sell their house for triple or even quadruple what they originally paid. They’ll never see gains like that again. Can you blame them? Still, a lot of them moan that mining has trashed their community! You just can’t please everyone!’