Outback Exodus

by Dawn Millen

  “Jenn, you are going to have to stop the convoy, we have a very large tree on the road just around the corner.” The crackly tones of Thomas come through the headset. “There is a creek here that is fast flowing and deep on one side and a crevasse on the other, so we are going to have to clear it from the road.” He finishes explaining why there is no alternative route.

  “Thanks Thomas.” I say quickly picking up the mike for the general communications and keying the talk button. “Okay everyone, time for a break and get the chainsaws out, as it is one o’clock we can have a lunch stop anyway.” I quickly make sure that everyone is ready to stop and the chainsaw crew are ready to cut this tree up so that the convoy can move forward.

  I pull the truck up and ask David to keep an eye on the little ones and puppy while I go and look at the tree. Walking around the corner I see a large, dead gum tree fallen over the road and blocking both lanes of traffic. It will present no problems for the chainsaws though as we have several different sized saws and plenty of chains and bars, fuel is mixed and ready. The men are already gearing up and checking equipment as I return to the truck. I go to gear up too, but hear David’s voice above the roar of the chainsaws.

  “Auntie Jenn, can you go to number one ambulance?” He says quickly. “There is a problem there and Grant, the driver, wants to talk to you.”

  “Okay mate!” I call as I remove the safety gear and start to move quickly towards the vehicle that is parked three behind the fire truck.

  As I approach the ambulance Grant steps down from the back and walks towards me. His voice is calm and his eyes are twinkling. From the expression on his face I know that this is not a major disaster.

  “Jenn, you had better put your nurse’s hat on and quickly. Wendy has gone into labour and it looks as if Faith is going to need a hand. It’s her first baby and things are moving along quickly.” Grant smiles as he gives me a run down on Wendy’s labour.

  As I enter the rear of the ambulance I hear Wendy groan and Faith’s calm tones giving instructions for her to breath. Across on the other stretcher I see James propped up and smiling gently towards the twisting sweating girl across from him.

  I quickly check Wendy over and it is far too late to get James out of the ambulance, Wendy is fully dilated and the head is starting to crown. This baby is in a hurry to be born.

  “You are doing great Wendy.” I tell her gently as I take her hands. “Your little one is in a real hurry to join our adventure. I will just go and call Doctor Helen to come up and help with this and you will soon be cuddling your baby.” I smile as I turn towards the doors.

  “James, we are not going to be able to get you out before the baby comes, so it looks as if you are going to witness the miracle of birth today.” I grin at the old man as I tell him this.

  “It’s not my first birth Jenn, and I can assure you that I won’t get in the way.” James twinkled back.

  I go to the front cab of the ambulance and find that Grant has anticipated our need for Helen and has already called her and sent Thomas and Kevin to fetch both her and Gavin on their motorbikes. He smiles as he tells me that both boys were puffed up with their own importance as they headed off on their errands.

  The sound of engines approaching fast heralds the return of the boys with their passengers. Helen, hair mussed, is looking slightly uncomfortable as she gets off the back of Thomas’s bike and Gavin is laughing with Kevin as they pull to a stop just a couple of feet from me.

  “What’s the problem Jenn?” Gavin asks as he dismounts and gives Kevin a whack on the helmet for going too fast. It’s a gentle one though and Kevin just grins back at Gavin.

  “No problem Gavin, in fact it is good news for a change.” My smile growing wide I tell Gavin and Helen about the situation and Helen bustles off to attend the birth alongside Faith and James.

  “Well mate, it looks as if we had better set up camp here for the rest of the day and overnight. Gavin states and quickly heads for the radio to tell everyone that although it is an unplanned stop we are going to organise our camp here for the time being. When he gives the reason for the unscheduled stop there are cheers and yells of happiness all up and down the line of vehicles.

  “We can use the paddock on the left as a camp spot for the night, there is water in the creek and plenty of wood from the tree that the boys are cutting up.” Gavin’s voice crackles across the airwaves and can be heard clearly from the nearest vehicles. “Let’s get to it folks.” He says and hangs the mike back on its hook beside the radio.

  Vehicles pull off through the gate in the paddock and soon there is a bustling as they are unloaded and tents are being erected. Rhys has come down and driven the fire engine into the paddock and unloaded the children and dogs while the small band of close friends and family are putting up tents. The older children are gathering wood from the tree and fetching water from the creek. A feast is being planned to welcome our newest arrival.

  This solitary ambulance is now the only vehicle on the lonely road and the occupants are very busy currently.

  I can hear James encouraging Wendy between contractions and Wendy’s groans are getting closer together as the contractions gain strength and the baby’s arrival is imminent.

  Chapter 28

  I look up towards the paddock and see Paul and Sandra carrying steaming metal buckets of water towards the ambulance. Paul is also carrying a large bowl and towels in his other hand. Water slops from the buckets as they walk, but there will be plenty for what is needed.

  As they approach there is a loud cry from Wendy and then silence for a few short seconds. Then the cries of a new born baby echo from the back of the ambulance and the smiles on the faces of the anxious watchers grow wider.

  “Oh well done Wendy, what a little beauty.” I hear James talking softly to Wendy and praising her efforts.

  “Can you hold the baby while we clean up Mum?” I hear Faith ask James.

  “Sure will, just pop a pillow on the side nearest the wall and then we can snuggle down together. That way the little one won’t fall either.” James excited voice comes from the back of the ambulance as he contemplates having the first cuddle with the new baby. “Don’t forget a towel for around the bum end though or I might just get wet.” James laughs as he says this.

  “James you have been such a help to me.” I hear the weak voice of Wendy say. “You deserve first cuddle and I am also going to name the baby after you.” She continued. “His name is James William Watson.” She finished.

  Those of us gathered outside the ambulance heard the words and now knew that we had a small baby boy to join our ranks and that he would carry the name of his mother’s dying friend and also the name of his dead father into the future. There were smiles all round and Sandra and Paul returned to the camp to share the wonderful news with the rest of the group.

  “Well that is good news Jenn; we now have a very special little person to protect and to love. We also have six new members in our group since last night.” Gavin rumbles from close behind me.

  I turn towards Gavin and see the big smile on his face. The birth has brought much needed joy to our group of travellers and that joy is shining from every face I can see. I have a feeling that young James is going to be a much loved and celebrated member of our community.

  Soon loud cheers are echoing up into the clear blue sky of the outback as the news of our new arrival is celebrated by so many people.

  Once Wendy and little James are washed and clean Grant gently drives the ambulance through the gate and parks it under a tarpaulin that has been erected to provide shade for the occupants while the tents are prepared. There is to be a second hospital tent tonight for Wendy and little James to enable them to bond as a family and to make sure that the other patients are not kept awake by little James insistence on eating at odd hours.

  The sound of a shot echoes across the paddocks and I jump to my feet and quickly turn in that direction, only to hear Sandra laughing at me. She has sent a couple of the
boys off to hunt some fresh meat. Gavin has issued two of the older boys with .22 rifles to enable them to bring back food for everyone. I laugh along with Sandra, while she apologises for not telling me about the hunting party. I tell Sandra that I am glad that they have gone out to hunt as fresh meat is something that we all need as part of our diets.

  The cooking fires are already burning and camp ovens hang over the flames on the tripods that Raymond made before we left Smithtown. Frypans are balanced on flat stones at the edges of the fires and the smell of cooking onions hovers amid the vehicles and tents.

  There is a conga line of young teenagers walking back from the creek with buckets of water and the camp showers have been hung behind tarpaulin screens. Today we are setting up camp early and there will be chance for the water to warm in the shower bags and over the fires so that we can shower properly, eat a good meal and rest and relax for a while.

  The bustle of setting up camp is slowing and the children have pulled a ball from Jasmine’s trailer and are playing a loose game of football, there are no sides and all the children have joined in from the older teens to the younger toddlers. In the cleared area there is a mass of heaving children, mixed with yapping dogs and laughing adults. The birth of little James has lifted the spirits of all of the party.

  Across the paddock comes the sound of motorbikes and there are the two older boys riding back with meat for everyone. Slung across the petrol tanks are two grey kangaroos and slung between the bikes is a young steer, both the kangaroos are of reasonable size and they should make a nice stew for the dinner tonight, the steer will also go into the stew pots and will be eaten by those that do not like kangaroo. Cheers greet their arrival and the bustle begins again as the meat is skinned and butchered for the pots. Soon the smell of cooking stew is causing human and dog noses to twitch and the party mood is heightened by hunger.

  I turn slowly around and survey the campsite. Outside the hospital tents James is sitting in his wheelchair and beside him sits Wendy on a camp chair, between them is a cardboard box with little James snuggled inside. Helen stands behind them and waves to me as she catches my eye. Her smile is broad and happy as she also watches the activities around the campsite. Adults drift over towards the hospital tent in one’s and two’s to congratulate Wendy, praising James for his help and all bend down to the cardboard box to see the new arrival. Everyone leaves with a smile and a nod to the next person. No one lingers though as they do not want to tire Wendy, James or little James too much. Helen hovers like a mother hen watching over her charges.

  Chapter 29

  The days of travel start to take on sameness as we cross the flat land of the plains and head towards the mountains in the distance. Some days travel is slowed by trees across roads, bridges down and crevasses that break the road in two. There are days where we make little progress and 10 to 15 miles in not an unusual distance. There are good days though and we manage 30 miles, these days are celebrated in the camp at night.

  Our convoy has grown by one’s and two’s over the time we have travelled over the plains, survivors from families on cattle stations and farms, little villages and small towns. They hear the radio calls that Gavin and I still send out every few miles or they see the red dust created by the convoy as we travel through the outback. The dust has covered all the vehicles, tents and our clothing. Everything feels gritty to touch and finding enough water to bathe and wash clothes is always a challenge. The teenagers on the motorbikes are doing a great job and every camp has had water at night, even if it is only enough for cooking and cleaning the dishes.

  Eight days into the trip now and people are tired and in need of a rest. Gavin calls a meeting of the committee and it is decided that the next big billabong we come to is where we are going to spend two days. This will give people chance to rest, wash their clothes and themselves and it will also give the hunters chance to go out and find fresh meat and the scouts go to the nearest homesteads to check for survivors and to try to purchase vegetables from them. If there is no one there then the vegetables will be taken and provide much needed nutrition. We are being careful to make sure that the diet we are all eating is as nutritious as possible, but everyone is getting a little tired of dehydrated soups and stews. Gavin talks to the scouting crew and they set off to find a larger body of water and plenty of wood for the cooking fires. We are taking a break from travel and everyone is excited by the idea of a chance to rest and recover.

  At lunch time the scouts return and inform us that there is a large billabong about two miles down the road, there are plenty of trees for shade there, some of the trees have died and fallen and look dry enough to burn well. They have found an ideal spot from the sound of it and the convoy sets off towards this little oasis of tranquillity. It takes over an hour to drive the two miles, but once we get to the paddock and pull off the road we do discover a beautiful spot. Tall gum trees sprout high above and provide shade and wind breaks, the billabong is alive with birds that fly away calling to each other as the vehicles arrive and the human occupants set up camp. The children run around wildly to play ball games and with the resilience of the very young are laughing and are soon choosing sides giggling with excitement. The adults look on with smiles on their faces, after all the hardships of the journey so far it is good to hear the children playing and to watch their antics. The dogs are soon let off their chains and happily join in the fun. There is a mass of small children, dogs and teenagers gambolling around the centre of the camp while the tents are erected and the fires started for tonight’s meal. The sound of motorbike engines heralds the return of the hunters and the smiles on their faces tell of their success. We will eat well tonight, they have brought back a cattle beast quartered and hung around each of the bikes. There are two kangaroos, small grey ones, but they will provide more protein. Dinner should be a feast. The bikes then roar off into the distance again after their riders check the maps with Gavin and ascertain the position of the nearest homestead.

  Within an hour the motorbikes are back followed by three people in an SUV. The old white Toyota has a cage on the back and this is loaded with food, fuel and camping supplies. The earthquake had made the old house uninhabitable and the Aboriginal station hands had left soon after the quake. The family, an elderly couple and their granddaughter aged 13, had been living in a barn and managing to feed themselves for the last three and a half weeks, but they were tired and not coping well. The child had taken on the role of hunter gatherer and although dirty, scratched and sunburned seemed healthy and happy enough. She was having an adventure during her school holidays a much bigger one than she normally had when she came to stay with her grandparents. It was not known if her parents had survived, but there had been no sign of them during this time so the old couple decided to join the convoy and head towards the coast in the hopes of meeting up with them. We settle the new family quickly into their tent and they are soon chatting to other members of the group, swapping stories and making new friends.

  Soon there are huge pots sitting over the cooking fires and the smells of cooking food invade the camp site making mouths water, humans and dogs alike. From somewhere an old tin trunk has been found and is pressed into service as an oven and with lots of laughter and fun the fruit that the scout team have found is soon made into pies. They are a little burnt on the bottoms, but the sweet taste will make up for that. The smaller children are coming over to check the pies frequently, hoping that they are going to be distributed soon. Sandra is good naturedly shooing them away and telling them that we will all have pies for dessert tonight. From the quantity I am pretty sure that there will be plenty to go around. Sandra and the ladies who have taken on the cooking duties have also decided to turn their hands to bread making and have sent the children who are old enough off to gather more wood to ensure that there is enough to carry them through this marathon baking effort. The tin trunk will become a bread oven as soon as the pies are finished. It is then that one of the older men in the group mentions that
the oven would work better if we plastered it with wet clay from the creek bed and baked that on. It would ensure that the heat was less direct and we may be able to cook larger loaves of bread instead of the small rolls that had been planned. This is met with cheers and soon a party of children are heading down to the creek with buckets to bring back mud for the oven.

  It turns out that Alex had spent many years being totally self-sufficient on a small holding near the coast before moving inland to help his daughter with her property. Alex had made the mud bricks to build his home. He had many ideas that were going to help us along the way and those ideas were being welcomed by the group. Alex was the keeper of valuable information and although he is elderly and physically frail now his knowledge will prove invaluable during this trip. Gavin and I also suspect that the knowledge of how to make mud bricks and build a home is going to be necessary when we get to the coast.

  Some of the fires have great pots of water boiling on them and then cold water and soap are added to them for folks to wash their clothes. So many people are finding that synthetic fabrics do not like boiling water and that you have to use a stick to agitate the pot. It is amazing how reliant we have become on the machines that used to do our work for us. There are many people amongst the group that have rarely washed by hand and are finding that things are much more difficult than they imagined. Long ropes have been hung between the trees around the camp and there are all sorts of garments and linen flapping in the slight breeze. Some are spotless and some are not quite as clean it all depends on the enthusiasm of the person doing the washing.

  As the sunset starts to colour the sky the bustle in the camp is set around the cooking fires where we are all gathered to eat. There are folding chairs, logs turned on their ends, blankets and a few pillows, James is in his wheel chair and we are all settling down to a feast. The huge pots around the fires are soon emptied down to the last droplet of food and people are smiling widely as they contemplate the fruit pies for dessert.