Introduction:

I posted the first chapter of 'Carla's Journey' back in May 2012, and the last chapter Part 2, Chapter 4, in July 2012, following it up with an Epilogue in September. I was unsure if I would continue writing since I had embarked on the greatest journey of my life, transitioning to the woman I always knew myself to be. My name too is now officially Carla.

I will now continue to tell Carla's story from where I left off, so the Epilogue won't come into play for quite some time. I won't be posting quite as much as I did previously as my life has changed quite a bit and I have many more interests now. For those readers new to the story, I respectfully suggest that you start reading from that first chapter back in May 2012. If you wish to go back to the very beginning of Carla's story, then you should start by reading 'The Girl inside the Boy' which I first started posting back in November 2011. For those who, noting that my name and the heroine's are the same may wonder how much of an autobiographic element there is in the story, I will only say that it forms the basis for some parts of the story, but I have also used an author's license to change and embellish many elements. I hope you enjoy my story

I start this chapter when we all had to get back to our normal activity such as working for a living and going to school. It was Monday the third of February 1974, 6 am and the tribe all needed to be fed and watered. With nine people living in the house it was just as well that there were two bathrooms to use. Of course us girls had first priority on the main bathroom with a shower and bath tub so either me or Mum could let the two youngest of the family splash around in the tub while we were having a shower.

Mum said, “Bill would you mind giving the twins a shower this morning so that us ladies can have a bit more time to get ready for the day?”

Bill wasn't to keen on taking both the twins in the shower at once because they are quite the slippery little eels when they are all soaped up,and replied, “Hoy, what about their Daddy?!!! He can have Jean when I have finished with Donna if it's not too much to ask.”

Mum replied “Just do it or you both make your own breakfast OK?!”

Bill said, “Bloody hell, women are going to take over the world soon.”and he then went to the twins room to get little Donna who was standing on her bed jumping up and down with Jean clapping her hands. Ricky was already in the room sorting out their clothes for the day so Bill quickly grabbed Donna under his arm and off to the shower. Ricky quickly took Jean to the other bathroom before any of us ladies had a chance to object. To bathe the twins together is bedlam and I defy anyone to try.

It didn't take the men long and both bathrooms were free to use, so one by one all five ladies and two little balls of energy had showers and were dressed and in the kitchen making breakfast. The twins were put in their high chairs and fed by Jamie who was told to put on a smock so she wouldn't get food all over her new school uniform which she wore with pride.

Mum is still the best in the kitchen and insisted on doing most of the cooking as long as she didn't have to do all the cleaning up. There was enough of us around to make quick work of washing up and tiding after meals so Mum could look after the twins while we all went off to work. Bill who I will still call Daddy because myself and Jenny have never called him anything else (Chrissie calls him Uncle), stays around the house and yard most days and gives Mum a break looking after the twins. I am so lucky to have them as parents.

Sandy runs Jamie to school before she comes into the surgery to sort out what she has to do for the day. I can take it a little bit slower these days. Sandy wants to get her flying hours up so she is going to do most of the flying for a while and I will handle most of the local work, Chrissie is in the office and and also doubles as an assistant in the surgery.

It was a quiet start for the day and I decided to take a run out to the hanger with Sandy to check out the chopper and give her a bit of a run down on her first flying lesson in the chopper. She is an experienced pilot in fixed wing aircraft but not in choppers, so she has to start her training. Out here there is a real need to use helicopters as not all properties have landing strips.

We arrived at the hanger and Alan had already got the machine out onto the tarmac and said, “Good morning ladies, you're late.”

We both replied in unison, “And good morning to you too Alan.”

He said, “Sorry ladies, late night repairing an electrical problem on one of the older planes.”

I replied “Is that the one we are using for training?”

“Yep that's the one.”

I said, “Ok don’t do any more work on it, we are replacing it with a new Cessna next week.”

Alan is very thorough and leaves nothing to chance with our fleet of aircraft. He and three other guys look after not only our own planes but also does maintenance on most of the small aircraft around Quilpie and district. We now own six charter planes and two helicopters. Sandy is amazed at how big that part of the business has become. My own plane is used only for the vet business or family use.

Sandy said, “Is that the helicopter that gets used for the surgery?”

I said, “Don't let the size of it worry you Sandy it is a real treat to fly”

She replied “Carla, you are going to be my instructor aren’t you?”

“Yes, and so will Ricky when he has time. It wont take you long to get the hang of it.”

We climbed aboard and Sandy did all the pre-flight checks under my instructions and then I took over and started the engine. I was talking to her all the time so she could follow what is different in flying a chopper and a fixed aircraft.
We took off and when we were half an hour out Chrissie contacted me on the radio to come back in and collect our bags because there was a call to go to an out-lying station.

Sandy heard through the ear phones what was going on and gave me the thumbs up and we were on our way back. When we landed Ricky was there with our bags and the details of where to go to the station where a mare was having a difficult time giving birth to her foal. He had Donna and Jean with him because they were always excited when they saw the helicopter.

I said “Sandy, stay in the chopper while I give the little ones a hug and talk to Ricky, I won't be long,” I never shut the engine down so it was still a bit noisy but the twins loved it and came running up to me and I picked them both up and told them to be good girls for Daddy today. They hung on to my neck till Ricky took them back.

Ricky said, “Honey it's about ten miles south of Stony Ridge and they have a landing strip on the property with an air sock. The owner is a Barry Olson and a nice guy. I'll see you when you get back.” He gave me a kiss and I kissed the twins once more and climbed back into the helicopter.

The flight took forty five minutes and I could see the buildings and stock yards. The strip was about half a mile east and I made out the air sock which was telling me the wind direction. Right next to the air sock was a white four wheel drive and a man waving to us so I made my way to that spot to land the chopper about fifty yards away from where he was standing.

I said Sandy who still had her ear phones on, “Sandy put your hands on the controls on your side so you get the feel of what I am doing.” She did as I asked and we put the bird down gently on the strip, I switched the engine off and the man came over to the chopper.

I got out first and said “G'day I'm Carla and the other lady is my partner Sandy who will probably come out here next time to look after you.”

He replied, “Good morning Carla, I'm Barry, did you have a good flight?”

“Yes, it's quite a way but the chopper makes it an easy ride.”

Sandy stood beside me and said in a more posh voice then me, “Hello I'm Sandra.”

He replied, “Goodness, two pretty ladies to look after my mare, she will be impressed”

Sandy blushed a little and said, “It looks like you have a a new runway and I will be happy to use it when I come out this way, but it will be in a fixed wing Piper Comanche”.

We grabbed our veterinary bags and climbed into the four wheel drive. Barry was a man in his late fifties and very well spoken. We chatted about what the recent floods had done to all the roads out here and the money it would cost to repair all the damage.

Barry stopped the car just outside the yards, and we all got out and walked to where the mare was on the ground in a well kept stable. Barry's wife was sitting next to the horse stroking her head.

She looked up and said, “I'm Trish, Thanks for coming out so quickly, the mare is in a spot of trouble”

After the quick round of introductions, Sandy and I went to work, and a male foal was soon born, much to the relief of the Olsens. A station hand named Kerry arrived soon after and she, 'yes she' said, “You lot go and have some lunch. I'll look after mother and son”

We all climbed aboard the four wheel drive and went to the homestead just over the hill.

The house was a typical old Queensland homestead with wide verandahs all the way round. Once inside it was ten degrees cooler.

Trish said “What would you ladies like to drink and eat before you have to get under way?”

Sandy replied, ”As long as there’s no alcohol in it whatever you have is fine.”

Trish replied “Of course you can’t have any grog while flying can you.”

“Not unless you want to put us up for the night.” was my reply.

Lunch was a salad with cold sliced lamb, and freshly squeezed orange juice. By the time we finished it was almost one pm and we needed to make our way back to the surgery in case there were other patients to see. On the way out to the chopper we had one more look to see how the mare and her foal were doing. They were both fine; the foal was shaky but standing and had found its mother's milk supply, no doubt with Kerry's help.

We said our goodbyes and were airborne in no time. I let Sandy take the controls and instructed her on flying the chopper. She is an easy person to teach and I don’t think it will take her too long to be in the air by herself. Meanwhile she will fly the Piper. I got on the radio and got transferred to Chrissie back at the surgery to see what was happening. There were three animals booked in at three pm so we had enough time to get back without any drama.

Ricky was at the hanger to take us back to the surgery so we had time to have a cuppa before our patients arrived.

Sandy said “Carla, I’ll handle the work this afternoon. You might as well go and see the twins, and would you mind picking up Jamie from school?”

“Sure Sandy, it will be a pleasure to pick up Jamie, and besides, the twins will be looking for her by now.”

Ricky said on the way home “What is Sandy like in the chopper?”

“She'll get her wings fairly quickly Ricky she is a natural.”

Jamie was happy to see me and Ricky. She has taken to us and considers us as her family, especially Donna and Jean, and I think she might also be able to communicate with the spirit Jean. She won't admit to it, but when she is with the twins there seems to be a lot of whispering going on.

We got home and the twins were waiting with Mum at the gates jumping up and down saying “Jamie, Jamie”.

I looked at Ricky and said, “So much for their parents.”

He replied “Jamie is welcome to them this afternoon they wore me out today.”

The day ended with us all tired, and after dinner it was a bit of television and off to bed till it all started again the next day.

The rest of the week was busy at the surgery and Sandy took the Piper out a couple of times so I could spend more time with Chrissie and also catch up on some bookwork. Ricky had charter work down to Sydney, so Mum and Dad looked after the twins and also Jamie. They love her to bits as she is the same as I was at her age. She is all girl and it shows and she has the men wrapped around her fingers, but don’t all girls do that?

To be continued

Carla Bay