Letter: Around the Back of the Island

Letter 11 / 7 / 83

Today we walked right around the island. My legs are aching - I'd love a deep hot bath ... but the water is off, pump is broken again, and I haven't even had a shower for four days (just swims).

The back of the island is very beautiful, rugged, and we had quite a few breath-holding moments leaping across rocky holes where the water way down below gurgles and spouts, me carrying Alison in the sling and Peter was carrying James. We didn't start off intending to go right around, so we didn't have much food or water. Fortunately the tide was way out or we would have been caught when we were almost all the way around, but that did make it slippery in places. It was about 4 1/2 hours hard slog.

Solar kit

A week ago the ship came. We got our solar lighting kit (now outside soaking up rays, but we've had solid cloud all week and the battery hasn't built up enough charge to start using it), rocking chair, bed, ceiling (though the important bits have gone missing), wardrobe (or rather linen closet), paint - the floor-paint went missing. We received it all by mail, we sent it to ourselves. We guessed we had sent about 50 boxes but didn't expect them all to arrive at once. But they had been saving them up on TI for us. There were 44 very large canvas Australia Post mail sacks, with one or two (10-20kg) boxes in each. There was absolutely no room to move in our tiny house. It took hours to bring them all indoors, and most of the day to get them out of the bags, let alone open the actual boxes. Peter had to make three trips carrying the empty mail bags back to the store. And - our boxes aren't all here yet.

What a week its been. Each night we flop onto our new bed, aching all over from the physical exertion. But we have 3 shelf units and the cupboard (all arrived flat-pack) erected and fully loaded, and almost all of the boxes have disappeared. And two rooms are nearly painted - it takes so long with un-lined walls, raw wooden frames (very uneven and rough as well as absorbent) to coat as well as the back side of the fibro to paint which is very absorbent.

A new sister for James

We had worked hard to prepare James for the arrival of a new baby, so he was a full bottle on everything a baby needs to know and pleased to have the opportunity to expain the meaning of life, the universe and everything to his new sister.

A Baby Record for Darwin Hospital

After giving birth to James under the weariness of a bout of malaria, I was eager to have this baby naturally, normally, easily ...

I hadn't had any ultrasounds, or any of the 'normal' check ups in the Torres Strait, so I expected the doctor in Darwin to be a little fussed. But as I lay like a beached whale on an examination bed between the doctor and the nurse, listening to them talk about me as if I couldn't hear, I became a little more concerned.

As we got to know our Alison, as she got older, we could understand perfectly what had happened. At the time it was a little perplexing. She wasn't positioned correctly to be born. She was an "oblique, flexed breach" with her head up against my liver, her bottom on one of my hips and her feet on the other.

The other thing was that this was obviously going to be a very big baby. I had several ultrasounds - so we were sure it wasn't twins - and even an x-ray to make sure there was room for her head to pass through my pelvis.

The doctor decreed a Cesarean Section birth, and I wept with disappointment. Kindly, the doctor offered to turn the baby - but if it didn't succeed, I had to expect a C-Section.

I was incredibly uncomfortable, getting around the Darwin SIL centre on a bicycle because it gave me the support I needed, and swimming a lot. Finally, a week late, I went into labour.

The only car available in the car pool was a beaten up old Holden, which stalled on most corners. Every time it did so Peter would ask, "So, do you think you could walk it from here?" I was cheerful and hopeful, intending to walk around at the hospital to hurry the birth along.

After a few minutes in the waiting area of the labour ward a scared-looking nurse came in readin my file. She was horrified to see me standing up, and pointed out that if my waters broke and the cord dropped between the baby's knees we would have a deadly situation for one or both of us.

So I gave in and submitted to the unsuccessful attempt to turn the baby, and so to a C-Section birth.

Our Alison weighed in at 5160gm, or 11lb 6oz. I had the Nursing Mothers association traipsing through wanting to look at the baby, because she was the biggest in I don't know how long.

And the reason she was in that terrible position and unable to be turned? She had the cord tightly around her neck three times. Yep, that's our Ali. You should see her using a telephone - the old-fashioned ones with a cord!

But so beautiful! Looking like she was already three months old.

The matron said I would never be able to feed her, and I should start her on Farex right away, but I figured that wouldn't be good for her at all, so I struggled on.

Letter: Waiting in Darwin

Letter 31 / 3 / 83

On Monday I had an ultrasound and a pelvic x-ray - the doctor couldn't turn the baby. Yesterday I had my last clinic visit. They said according to the 'rules' this baby should be born by Caesarian section ... all rather depressing. The baby is very big, its breech, its sitting well above the pelvis, and its "flexed" (got its knees bent and feet down) - all very bad signs. He said there is no such thing as "trial labour" with a breech baby, you have to decide ahead of time whether the baby can make it rather than risk hanging the baby and having to decide to have a CS at that late stage. Then he had a look at my pelvic x-ray ... he said its a long time since he's seen one that big!

James is like a cat on hot bricks - he tends to be over-sensitive at the best of times. His poor little face is covered in blotchy red prickly heat. He won't let me out of his sight, and he wakes up umpteen times a night to make sure I'm here. I guess we haven't been careful enough about what's been overheard. He's sleep-walking again too, so we have to leave a light on and make sure the outside doors are well fastened.

Letter: Darwin

Letter 12 / 3 / 83

Its so WET here. The wet season has truly arrived at last. It has rained continuously for about four days and nights now. Anywhere else in the world we would be under about four feet of water by now. Fortunately the "soil" around her is so gravelly it all just keeps draining away. The other night we are told we had a mere 7 1/2 inches - I think last night would have beaten that. It would get boring except it manages to vary between heavy, very heavy, and camels and buffalos falling out of the sky ... with or without thunder and lightning. Most of the thunder comes at night - not only does it terrify James so we have to bring him in with us, but its just not possible to sleep with an express train roaring through your bedroom (not like these quiet steamrollers that creep across your mattress...in the adverts).

The boys (James, and Nathan from next door) love the water, of course. As long as its not actually cameling and buffaloing (which would hammer the little tikes into the ground) they run around out there and 'swim' in the drain. Actually you can practically swim on the 'lawn' too, and they love the 'splat! splat!' sound and feel as their little feet sink ankle-deep in watery grass. The 'drain' is just a wide, shallow, long indent by the road - not like the Sydney storm drains. The bit across the front of our place has grass growing in it, which makes it nice and soft when you spin around and around until you are dizzy and fall over in the water. Everyone who is passing stops to watch and laugh at James and Nathan.

Letter: Darwin at last

Letter from Darwin 9 / 2 / 83

Here we are in Darwin at last. I must admit, its quite a relief for me. We had forgotten just how awful Darwin is - we won't return here again before we really have to. If you have just come in from a desert allocation it would be lovely being back here ... but after Cairns its a real hole. Peter's so annoyed to find that the one-day cricket finals aren't even on television here - something to do with problems with the satellite. And the prices are way up on Cairns, getting toward TI prices. We did a quick shop yesterday, "just a few essentials" (you know what its like when you move into an empty house) for a mere $119, and there's nothing in the cupboards to show for it.

A friend for James

Here on the centre we have a nice little duplex to live in. And in the other half of it are the Elverys with their 2 year old, Nathan, and 8 week old baby Barnabas. Nathan has fiery red hair. He's 8 days younger than James, and about 3 inches taller. I guess, like James, he has spent all his energy growing instead of learning to talk. I've only heard him saying a few non-words, like James does, only of course they are different 'words'. They haven't spent a lot of time together yet, but as far as I can tell they don't communicate at all, just ride around on their trikes ... Nathan, of course, is as desperately lonely as James. We were hoping that the Eckerts with gorgeous Christy-Ann would come here for the birth of their second, but they are going to Alice Springs, I think. The Sandefurs, with little Tarsha, may yet come in for the birth of their second, but they are presently in NZ. If they do, it might be just enough for them to open the crèche again ... hope so. In the meantime we have raided the crèche building for all sorts of wonderful toys!

I think when we rang you James was still in the grips of his mysterious fever. As soon as the long weekend was over we took him to a doctor, who immediately (like us) suspected malaria or something - the fever had settled into a definite cycle after the first few days of erratic fever all day and night. So he had X-rays and blood tests - James was very brave especially seeing he was still feeling so ill, weak from not eating and hardly drinking for days, and obviously in some pain in his glands and joints - we were quite proud of him. Anyway, we returned to the doctor the same day - James didn't have a fever all that day. The test results were not at all conclusive, but it looked like viral pneumonia. The donctor prescribed antibiotics and it seems to have worked, he's gradually getting stronger again. He's suddenly quite a lanky kid. He still won't eat much, but he drinks plenty of milk.

Fokker Friendship

The plane trip here was very pleasant - it was nice to be on a big smooth jet after the fokkers to TI and the rattly old islander to MI. James loved it, he had a seat to himself, they even served him a meal, and they gave him a colouring book and a little packet of coloured pencils. He had his little toy plane with him, hand-sized, and he made it take off and do all the right things. He's still afraid of planes from the outside, which is difficult seeing the centre here is right in the flight path of an international airport. He come screaming inside every time a plane takes off and goes over.

We found out that the Marous never left Townsville after all. As far as we can tell they did in fact intend to ... remembering what dreamers they are. Actually, Uncle Melpal, Magina's brother, died quite suddenly - of cancer as far as we can tell.

Sunday

Yesterday was Peter's birthday. He spent most of it trying to construct a fence to keep James and Nathan off the road - says he really enjoys a bit if intense physical exertion for a change, but it made him feel really old.

Saturday

Here I am, sitting on the floor in the 'lotus' position ... having read all these books about 'natural' childbirth - we discovered the local library. I know its rather too late to start this kind of thing, but I'm reasonably fit (although a little overweight) and determined to have a better time than last time. I'm not quite game to have a 'home' birth (though the book almost convinced me) but we've decided (at the risk of being 'too late') to get to the hospital as late as possible rather than risk being put on a drip all night so the doctor can deliver at a convenient time when he arrives in the morning (like they did with James). As far as my weight goes, I'm not losing (they reckon that's a 'no-no') but I have maintained my weight since we've arrived here just by cutting out sugar, full-cream milk (all we could get on MI) and starchy foods. Peter is rather overweight and can't seem to lose it ... he is discovering at last what dieting is like - he who could always just eat and eat without changing weight (he reckons it must go with turning thirty). James is eating again at last - he is so tall and thin (at least until you compare him to Nathan.) James has discovered "mee" (meat) and will devour liver, chicken, and red meat. The embarrassing thing is when he sees a picture of a turtle and says insistently "mee! mee!" ... and we look around furtively hoping there are no conservationists around.

Boys at play

James and Nathan have developed a real love-hate relationship. James is more advanced in talking (such as that is) but Nathan is quicker, stronger, sometimes rather cunning. With the choice of about twenty 'bikes' - trikes, plastic push-a-longs, trolleys, pedal cars - they will always both want the same one. But Nathan will quietly accept one he doesn't 'want', and set off with James in hot pursuit. Then he'll stop and get off to play in the sand-pit or something, James will follow suit ... and quick as a flash Nathan is on James' bike! James usually screams until someone has had enough and says "Alright, Nathan, James had it first ... " whereupon Nathan meekly gives in - only to have the whole pantomime repeated. They are like a couple of bookends in everything they do, can't bear to be apart but can't stand to have each other around. We haven't managed to persuade anyone to get the crèche going again ... so rather than have Peter, Dallas, and I all worn to a frazzle in the course of a morning (Jenny works mornings) I have agreed to run the crèche and at least give the men a bit of peace (and the baby a chance to sleep) with only one of us ;frazzled' by lunch time. I gather the Sandefurs (with little Tarcha) arrived yesterday, so I guess we can run some sort of roster if we can't get any more joy out of the administration. We'd really like James to get used to being with some other adults...

We are really enjoying the swimming pool here - especially James. He is so confident we really have to watch him. He loves jumping in, and we are working hard to train him never to do it without one of us (preferably Peter because he tends to jump on my tum...) ready to catch him. He just needs to see Peter removing his shirt and he'll lift his own and ask "swim?" (actually there's no 'w' when he says it and its all cute and nasally). We still have the little blow-up pool we got him in Townsville with the birthday money J&W sent ... he and Nathan have lots of fun in that too.

The clinic

I had my first visit to the hospital obstetric clinic. Its not as bad as at 'Nepean', I am listed to see a particular doctor rather than whoever happens to be there, and my Doc is very nice - Dr Rajan Richards ... but he has now gone on holiday! Just my luck, eh. Next week I am to see a Dr Lee, after that, who knows? I'm booked for antenatal classes - wonder if I'll finish the course this time (I didn't at Nepean). I'd at least like to make it to the third week when you get a conducted tour of the labour and maternity wards.

Well, now tea is over and Peter is outside putting the finishing touches to the fence that now goes right around the back and front yards of both sides of the duplex. Now the boys can destroy each other in peace without getting run over.

Letter: Church Council Meeting

Letter 16 / 1 / 83

What a day we've had. I would lie down and sleep now, but when I tried the mossies kept getting me. Besides, I need to unwind a little, and also I would like to get a letter on tomorrow's plane ... if there is one. We heard on the radio yesterday that they are changing the flight from Monday to Tuesday, but we didn't hear when the change is effective from.

For the protection of all concerned we made up a semi-legal document, I typed up umpteen copies, and the church council met after church this morning to sign it - it had already been agreed on. Then the strangest thing happened. One fellow who is a church deacon - but not of this church, he is only visiting here and not a member of the council either - suddenly went quite mad. He started ranting and raving and beating his chest ... it didn't seem to be particularly against us. And the priest started arguing and yelling back at him. It was all very strange, and embarrassing for all who were present. With the shouting, people began to come from all over and stood at a distance, but no one seemed to really know what it was all about. So all sorts of rumours started about us being thrown off the island. It really had nothing to do with us, it was a personal disagreement between this deacon-guy and the priest. He is apparently a real trouble-maker from way back. The paper didn't get signed, they decided to meet again on Wednesday.

The guest house

We were just trying to relax after that trauma, when there was a knock at the door, it was Wilfred and his father. They are in the middle of a dispute over the ownership of the 'guesthouse' on their land - one reason we were so glad to move out of there. Wilfred's father leaves on tomorrow's plane, and wanted to get things tidied up before he left - he had hoped it would all be sorted out in the three months he's been here, but in real island style they have been put off and put off ... so they wanted us to word a document for them, and type out umpteen copies. And that was my afternoon - typing. And here I am at the typer again!

Getting ready to leave

So, as if it isn't enough to have to pack up and get things stored away this week, we have to wait on this church council meeting and hope there isn't any more unpleasantness. We also hope that Wilfred keeps his word and doesn't go saying that we helped him - we would be willing to do the same for anyone. Living in this place we feel like we are constantly playing with fire no matter what we do. Did I tell you why the last school teacher had to run for his life? The then chairman was having his life threatened by a bunch of tough guys armed with knives etc, and he went to the school teacher for help, who rang the police on TI, so they came for him too.

Let me try and think of all the mundane things that have been happening to us this week. Its been so quiet. James and Peter have been down with colds and so we've kept pretty much to ourselves and not been to any feasts or anything. Peter finally made a hole in the wall, making it into a window in the kitchen, with a shutter. Its been one of those weeks that you say at the end of the day - "Well, I made some bread today" or some such insignificant achievement.

Checkout trouble

The store is empty again, after being open for four days. I told you the boat came on Thursday, but the store didn't open on Friday because of a big feast. Rumour went around it would open Saturday (only because people thought it should) but it didn't because the manager was too drunk to care what people thought. On Sunday he opened for two hours - we didn't even know. On Monday we were down there bright and early with the rest at 9am, but as if to make up for Sunday he didn't open until 10. We grabbed mild and sugar, a few canned drinks, some apples and oranges (eggs were already off, mostly broken by the rats or sold the day before) and made our way to the checkout ... only to stand there for another hour - I'll never complain about checkouts down south again. It was so hot, and the queue just didn't seem to move - they don't really queue the way we do, people just keep slipping in from the side. Anyway, the shelves are bare again now ... we managed to run out of toilet paper, but we picked up a couple of boxes of tissues before they were all gone too.

So, as you can guess, we are feeling very tired, and with the light at the end of the tunnel in sight we are really looking forward to getting down to Cairns. I dream about things like lettuce and cheese ... air conditioned shops to browse through, newspapers to read. We rang our friends in Cairns to say we're coming and we'd like to be booked into a caravan park or somewhere rather than live in their pockets for a couple of weeks, and they said they had heard only the day before of a family who have a little house right next to their own which they have set aside for poor missio's like us ... so if the wet season is 'in' in Cairns as it is here we'll be more comfortable ( and James less frustrated and frustrating) than living in a caravan.

Monday

Another lovely windy day on Murray. I've got my washing all done (in the Bamix "presawash") and I'm daring those clouds to rain on it before the wind blows it all dry. I've learnt that most Mondays seem to be water 'on' days, and sometimes Thursday too. What is annoying is when it comes on on a Sunday and I can't do the washing then. Sometimes I'm ready to wash on Monday, and it doesn't come on till Tuesday ... maybe those guys just don't know what day of the week it is.

Porridge for dinner

We've been feeling a bit poor the last few days. With Peter being sick, and me tired, and the store empty ... well the night before last we had porridge for tea, and last night we shared a fillet of schnapper and I boiled our last spoonful of rice. Its the lack of potatoes I feel most. I get very tired of eating bread and Sao biscuits. This morning I felt very proud of myself when I found some instant potato hidden away in the store. And peanut butter - there hasn't been any in the store for ages and this morning I found some among the pickled onions! (past its use-by date, though).

Uncle Ses

There is a funny little old man here, we call him Uncle Ses. He's a bachelor and reputedly went as senile as he is now when his mother refused to let him marry when he was 20 - he is now 70 or 80 I suppose. He is a bit stooped, but still quite sprightly, and he's the sort that when you see him coming you try to get out of sight because he'll talk your ear off and you won't understand much of what he says. But he's really quite clever in his own way, and we try to make time for him as well as being quite strict about him leaving us alone if we are busy, and generally he respects that.

This morning he turned up to ask us help him read and understand something he had received in the mail. It was something about a $5 raffle in which you can win a home unit in Coolangatta. Ses didn't really understand about home units, he thought maybe if he won it he could get the carpenters (everyone knows they can work magic) to somehow remove his home unit from its sixth-floor position and bring it up here for him. He also had a hopeful idea that the pretty girl in the picture might be part of the prize.

Ses really dotes on James, and James is beginning to get less frightened of him. He always calls James "Peter", even though he knows his name is James.