Redstone Station

by Therese Creed

  After about twenty minutes they had managed to slow the advance of the fire at the very front, but it was still spreading outwards on either side. All at once there was a sudden gust of wind and the flames swept easily past them and continued their onward march. It was clear that Jeremy and Alice weren’t going to be able to stop it on their own. Alice hopped out of the vehicle and jumped up in the back. Then over the crackle of the flames she heard the rumble of the grader and spotted it through the smoke carving its way across the paddock. She yelled to Jeremy and pointed. He nodded, retracted the hose and jogged towards his bike while Alice got back into the ute. They both bumped across the paddock towards the distant grader.

  Sam had known from experience that the fire would be travelling fast, so he hadn’t followed Jeremy and Alice through the corner gate. Instead, heading east, he’d come in at the far end of the paddock and was grading the old road across the centre. He gritted his teeth and peered through the grimy windscreen, trying to ignore the nagging tightness in his chest. Eventually he reached around and opened the door on the machine. The smoke couldn’t be worse than the airlessness of the cab.

  He saw Alice and Jeremy reach the newly graded line. Taking the fire bugs, they headed off on foot in opposite directions and set about lighting the grass on the western edge of the break so that a slow line of flame began creeping back, against the wind, towards the rapidly approaching fire front. Sam was gratified to observe how well they worked together.

  It wasn’t long before the graded break had been widened with the back-burn. Just as Sam had hoped they would, Alice and Jeremy began to light another strip fifty metres further in towards the approaching fire. These flames, pushed by the wind, raced to meet their slower counterparts near the graded track. The two lines of flame collided and soon extinguished one another.

  Sam slowed the grader to a crawl. He was panting slightly, his fist on his chest. By this time the main fire front had arrived. He smiled with satisfaction at the sight of Alice and Jeremy standing shoulder to shoulder in the ash, watching the approach of the galloping wall of flame from the national park. It reached the smoking black corridor they had made and abruptly halted its advance.

  Alice radioed her grandmother to let the neighbours know they’d blocked the fire in Redstone, and to advise them to head home again to patrol their own boundaries. While her grandfather finished off on the grader, she and Jeremy took off their sooty hats and sat down for a brief rest and drink in the shade. They regarded one another without speaking, and Alice noticed that the black smears on Jeremy’s sweaty face made his eyes appear an even brighter, more intense blue than usual. They grinned at each other simultaneously. While they were eating some of the quiche, they discussed their next move.

  Suddenly, Jeremy jumped to his feet. ‘Oi, what’s going on with the old bloke?’

  Alice looked over to see the distant grader, now stationary, with its front protruding through a section of badly mangled fence. ‘Pa!’ she shouted.

  They bounced over the grass in the ute and Alice jumped out before it had rolled to a stop. With relief she saw her grandfather’s face looking at her sheepishly through the open door. He lowered himself down from the cab, gently pushing her hands aside as she tried to steady him. Jeremy stood by quietly while the old man caught his breath.

  ‘Pa, you’re pale,’ said Alice. ‘What happened? Is it your heart? Oh, I should have listened to Ma!’

  ‘Settle down, Ali. I just gave myself a bit of a fright, that’s all.’ He examined the fence. ‘Made a bloody mess o’ that, didn’t I?’

  But Alice wasn’t interested in the fence. She’d never seen her grandfather looking so weak and shaken. ‘I’ll radio Ma.’ She turned to go.

  ‘No you won’t.’ Her grandfather spoke sharply. ‘She’s already in enough of a flap as it is.’ Then, more gently, he added, ‘There’s no need to worry her like that.’

  ‘Well, then I’m taking you home right now.’

  ‘I’ll take myself home on the bike,’ Sam said. ‘Be a bloody waste of effort if this fire got away on us again now.’

  In the end they convinced him to take the ute. Alice took over on the grader, as the breaks along the entire length of the boundary would need to be brushed up that day. Jeremy began the tedious task of patrolling on the bike the edges of areas that had already burned. This involved continually stopping to throw pieces of burning timber back into the blackened country and also raking any smouldering cow pats away from potential tinder and into the ash. Mounds of manure were notorious for smoking innocently for many hours after a fire had passed, only to glow red with life again when fanned by a wind gust. With the chainsaw, Jeremy cut down several burning trees that were threatening to fall across the break and reignite the blaze. However, the cool of the late afternoon was their ally, and the danger for today had largely passed.

  At dusk Jeremy doubled Alice home on the motorbike, leaving the gear under a singed tree for the following day. Every muscle in Alice’s body was aching with fatigue, but the shock of seeing her grandfather so unwell had affected her far more than the physical exertion.

  Until today, she’d believed that she was prepared for the time to come when her grandparents would no longer be able to run Redstone. She’d felt herself capable of taking on more responsibility as time went by, and had even pictured herself running the place. But today, seeing the greyness of her grandfather’s face, she’d suddenly realised she was far from ready. Even if she did possess the skills and knowledge, without their strength and support how could she carry on?

  Puttering home in the twilight, Alice was suddenly overwhelmed by the full realisation of everything her grandparents meant to her. And the thought of losing them filled her with terror. She put her arms around Jeremy’s waist and pressed her cheek into his broad, steady back and felt comforted.

  At this, Jeremy spoke. ‘You did a sterling job out there today, Alice. Never seen another girl with as much go in her as you, even if you are little and weedy.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She laughed, relieved to be distracted from her painful thoughts. ‘I’m sure you mean that as a compliment. You didn’t do so badly yourself.’

  ‘We make a bloody good team, don’t you reckon?’ Jeremy turned his head, waiting for a reply, but Alice only smiled. How she wished it were true for the long term. Jeremy went on, ‘Been to smaller fires than that bastard, with three times as many people, all running round like chooks with their heads cut off and rattling away on two-ways, and they’ve still got away on ’em. Old Sam knows a thing or two about fighting fires, I reckon.’

  The veranda lights were shining out across the yard in welcome, and a mouth-watering smell greeted them as they walked towards the house.

  ‘Life’s bloody good, eh, Alice?’ Jeremy put his arm around her shoulders just to bother Olive, who had appeared a moment earlier at the veranda railing. The old lady frowned disapprovingly, and Alice, deciding that her grandmother had suffered enough anxiety for one day, ducked out of Jeremy’s grasp and bounded lightly up the steps to kiss her on the cheek.

  Chapter 23

  The weather was getting hotter and it had been another long day. Dinner was quieter than usual. But the crew at Redstone had finally finished all the extra firebreaks and strategic burning they intended to do. Since the fire, they’d been so busy that Jeremy hadn’t even had time to celebrate his newly reinstated driver’s licence with a trip to town.

  After completing the most urgent job of replacing the sections of burnt boundary fence, they had looked to further prevention measures. Each day for more than a fortnight, they had set off after lunch with fire bugs, rakes and a full tank of water on the ute firefighter. Late in the day, when the heat had gone out of the sun, they lit fires, using the direction of the wind to burn corridors back to the existing firebreaks. Much of the grass was still a little green from the early winter showers, which made it difficult to keep the flames travelling and required much raking of burning ashes to spread it.


  Sam complained that it had been much easier in the old days when they could just ‘light her up’ in the afternoon and let a cool creeping fire burn its way through the old grass from one break to another. But he could see the logic in Alice’s argument that the old grass was important organic matter to be returned to the soil, and must be left to rot, or be eaten and deposited as manure. Her plan to start rotational grazing would help prevent the build-up of grass in the future, as most of it would be eaten.

  For several months, whenever she found a bit of spare time, Alice had also been working her way systematically across Redstone dropping legume seeds. This had given her an opportunity to work the horses, too, her saddlebags loaded with seeds. At first there had been little evidence of the plants germinating, but as the months passed she’d noticed various members of the legume family appearing in greater numbers. She was fiercely protective of these fragile little weeds and determined to prevent them from being burned. The soil needed the nitrogen they could harness.

  But now the team of three planned to have a few slower days before the next round of mustering. Tonight, Jeremy was lost in his enjoyment of the roast-beef dinner, totally focused on the food. To break the silence, Alice asked her grandmother whether the meeting in town that day had been a success. It had been a special occasion: the Country Women’s Association and Rotary had condescended to meet in the same hall, at the same time, to work together on a problem facing a family in town.

  ‘Little Keira has been given a fifty per cent chance,’ Olive explained. ‘The leukaemia is quite advanced apparently.’

  ‘Oh no!’ Alice exclaimed.

  Jeremy looked up, jolted out of his reverie. ‘What’s happening?’

  ‘CWA and Rotary are going to raise money to help the Mesitis,’ said Olive. ‘With all those kids, they’ll never afford Keira’s treatment, not to mention the travel backwards and forwards to Brisbane.’ She glared at Jeremy as though it was all his fault.

  ‘That’s hard luck. How’re you gonna get people to cough up?’ Jeremy was interested enough to rest his loaded fork on the side of his plate, leaving his mouth temporarily empty.

  ‘We haven’t fully decided yet, but we thought that if Rotary held a community barbecue and CWA had a cent sale and a cake stall—’

  ‘You should make millions!’ interrupted Jeremy sarcastically, hoeing into his food again.

  ‘Oh, and I’m sure you have a better idea!’ Olive snapped.

  ‘Wouldn’t be hard to come up with one,’ Jeremy said through his food. ‘Ask me in the morning. I’ll sleep on it.’

  ‘I can hardly wait.’ Olive sniffed.

  Alice noticed that Jeremy was unusually quiet and distracted for the rest of the meal.

  The next morning, as she was finishing breakfast, Jeremy came rushing into the kitchen with his boots on, waving a dirty envelope covered in his messy scrawl. He saw Olive’s face and looked down at his feet.

  ‘Oh, sorry, Mrs Day, but this is urgent!’ He shoved the envelope at her and ducked back out to remove the offending boots.

  ‘Do you expect me to be able to read this?’ Olive was looking at the envelope distastefully when he returned.

  ‘What? Your eyesight that bad, old girl?’ He snatched it back again.

  ‘Why don’t you run us through it, Jeremy?’ Alice looked at him encouragingly.

  ‘Righto, boss.’ Jeremy sat down at the table and cleared his throat theatrically. Sam folded his newspaper and looked attentive. Jeremy launched into an animated description of his plan, barely pausing for breath. When he’d finished speaking he looked around eagerly. Alice was gazing out the window with a slight frown of concentration on her face. Sam was nodding slowly with just the hint of a crooked smile. Olive was looking straight back at him, sceptical.

  ‘Is that it?’ she barked.

  ‘It?’ exclaimed Jeremy. ‘Do you know how much sleep I lost over hatching that plan?’

  ‘I think it’s brilliant.’ Alice smiled at him. ‘I’ll help.’

  ‘One out of three,’ muttered Jeremy, turning to look at Sam.

  ‘I reckon you might have something there,’ said Sam after a pause.

  ‘Oh, this is lovely.’ Olive sounded affronted. ‘Fine then. I can see where your loyalties lie. Side with Jeremy.’

  ‘Don’t talk rot, woman – this isn’t about you or Jeremy.’ Sam looked exasperated.

  ‘Ma, it’s Keira we’re thinking of. Anything that will raise some funds—’

  Olive cut Alice short. ‘We’ve already planned it! That’s why I drove all the way to town yesterday!’

  ‘Well, I reckon I’ll phone around tonight, Liv,’ Sam suggested. ‘We’ll have a brief meeting on Sunday after church. I’ll let the Rotarians know and you can do CWA.’ Olive glared at him sulkily, and Sam added, ‘That is, if you want them to be involved.’

  ‘Tell them the meeting’s at the pub,’ said Jeremy.

  ‘Oh, this is improving by the minute,’ said Olive, annoyed.

  ‘Now, now, Mrs Day, keep your bloomers on. I happen to have good reasons for wanting to hold it there.’

  ‘I’m well aware of your reasons for frequenting the pub, Jeremy,’ Olive snapped.

  He ignored her and went on, ‘We’ll need Hammerhead onside and some more locals I have in mind. I reckon I can talk them into helping if the conditions are right.’

  ‘Righto, son,’ said Sam. ‘Pub it is.’

  ‘Sam! Really!’

  ‘Hammerhead can organise a liquor licence for the day itself,’ Jeremy continued, thinking out loud.

  ‘Sam!’ Olive’s voice was rising in pitch. ‘Surely you’ll back me up in saying there’s no place for alcohol at a fundraiser for an ill child?’

  It was Jeremy who answered. ‘You bet there is, Mrs Day! That’s the whole point – getting people sloshed enough to give away more than they can afford. Get ’em into the spirit of the thing, if you know what I mean.’

  The Sunday pub meeting, while a success, wasn’t without its fireworks. The hung-over crew of all-nighters joined in with the respectable elder community members, and not all of their contributions were helpful. Once his ideas had been approved by the majority, Jeremy outlined a long list of jobs that would need to be done before the big day. Alice wrote them all down on a sheet of butcher’s paper and made sure that each person who offered to help put a signature next to a particular item.

  CWA took the huge task of providing the food for the day while Rotary agreed to tackle the insurance and money handling. Gladys Hogan from the shop took on the advertising and Hammerhead was to organise the liquor licence and hire a jumping castle. And as they sobered up later that day, some of the youths realised with dismay that King Jed had also coerced them into volunteering for tasks to which they would never have usually agreed. Nev had ‘offered’ the use of his bobcat and truck and promised to supply a load of creek sand for the kids’ digging area. Glen found he had agreed to repair the wooden stand and mend the yards at the showground with timber that Gyro had said he’d provide from his block of land. Wombat had been more than happy to cut it to size with his portable sawmill. And they would all be making themselves available to help set up the grounds before the big day. Justine, Melissa, Angela and Libby had promised to make sure all the boys had the necessary outfits for their ‘frocka’ match. Brandi was put in charge of rounding up one rugby team of fifteen girls and Alice was to find the other.

  In addition, Alice announced that Redstone would be donating a weaner steer for a weight-guessing competition. At this, Walter Lonergan (after a brief consultation with his parents) declared importantly that his family would donate a quality breeding heifer. Everyone clapped politely and Jeremy gave Alice the thumbs-up.

  The sight of this exchange induced an angry explosion from Mrs Coral Dart, president of the local Country Women’s Association, who had been simmering quietly up until this point. Coral was one of several attendees at the meeting who objected to being organised by this town larrikin less
than half their age. Now she looked around at her peers and said loudly, ‘I find it strange that a fellow whose favourite pastime is preying on young girls is suddenly so interested in helping one. Is there an ulterior motive here?’

  Sue O’Donnell looked mortified and Brian’s expression turned sullen.

  ‘Now steady on!’ Sam retorted gruffly.

  Olive also objected, saying indignantly, ‘That comment was completely uncalled for, Coral. I don’t like what you’re insinuating.’

  For a moment Jeremy was astounded at this support from such an unexpected source. Recovering quickly, he jumped to his own defence. ‘If you mean your Genevieve, Mrs Dart, she’s not so young. Has a good few years on me. And I’m not calling her a cougar or anything, but she was bloody keen.’

  ‘I can vouch for that,’ Hammerhead growled. (The old publican was usually in bed at this time on a Sunday.)

  Mrs Dart began to change colour and rose out of her seat. She left quietly, along with a few others, accompanied by loud cheers from the drunks.

  ‘Looks like we’ve got rid of some hangers-on,’ Hammerhead commented, collecting their glasses.

  As the big day approached, word travelled. Some of the local youths who’d gone away to the mines for work came home for the special occasion. Four of these were girls, newly toughened by their experiences in the harsh, male-dominated environment of the mines. They were keen to be involved with the women’s rugby and signed up with Brandi. This completed her team, which was otherwise made up of the town’s wildest party girls.

  Bonnie arrived at Redstone on the Friday with two reinforcements for Alice’s team. The two other girls were social workers from the government department where Bonnie did her voluntary work, and the three were excited at the thought of letting off some steam. Giovanna Mesiti, Keira’s mother, was also determined to play despite her relative maturity. She and two of Keira’s older sisters joined up enthusiastically. The rest of Alice’s team was sourced from other high-school girls home for the holidays.