by Roo

Part Three - Chapter Thirteen

Peace and calm return

Editing by Bronwen

Saturday morning 2/3/74

It was as usual 5 am on a warm March morning and my little princesses were awake and wanting to climb into bed with me and Ricky. I wasn't too keen because any minute I would have to make a dash to the loo. Ricky however loved having a romp with them before he took them to the bathroom to get them sorted for the day. Those little ladies had my husband completely wrapped around their sticky little fingers.

I of course did my little trip and emptied out what was left in my tummy, then joined the singing three in the bathroom. Just why water had to be all over the floor I couldn't say but it was usually left up to me to clean it up.

I said to Ricky, “I'm over mopping up after you lot.”

He replied “Sorry dear I'll do that from now on.”

“You're too kind!”

The little copycats looked at their Dad and said in their singsong voices “Mopping up, too kind.”

What could I say? I told them to get out so I could have my shower in peace.

Later I phoned Doctor Ryan to ask him if it would be ok for me to fly.

“Hi Jim, it's me.”

“Yes me,” he replied, instantly knowing who it was.

“I want to take the girls up for a bit of joy flight today but I want to make sure if it's ok to do that.”

“Look Carla, it was stress that made you ill, so fly if you must but just don't rush around and you should be fine.”

I didn't need any encouragement and phoned Sandy.

“Hello Sandra speaking.”

“Sandy can I borrow the girls for the day? I just feel the need to take to the sky and take them out to one of my favourite spots.”

“Well are you sure you can cope with the two of them?”

“Yes Sandy, Jamie has been asking me to start her flying lessons if that's alright with you?”

“Sure, but take it easy, we don't want to have a ''mayday'' call saying you can't make it home do we?”

“Sandy you know me better than that. I am probably the safest pilot in Australia,”

“Alright I'll bring the girls over. Does Ricky know?”

“Does Ricky know what?”

“Carla!!!”.

I told Ricky what I was going to do and he was about to say something when I put my hand up and said, “Darling I have got the ok from Doc Ryan so please don't try to stop me from doing things that are not connected with the clinic.”

He replied, “I think I had better come with you in case you start to feel sick.”

I thought, 'Oh well at least I know he loves me and there is enough room in the Piper.'

“Ok but the twins will have to stay at home with Mum because I want to fly out to River Downs and show the girls where Jean's grave is.”

Ricky replied, “Sweetheart do you think you should be flying the Piper out there? The grave is at least half a mile from the landing strip.”

“Well if you're coming we can take the chopper and you can do the flying and land fifty yards from the grave, and while your at it you can show Jamie how to operate the controls while I talk with Jenny.”

“That sounds good to me,” he replied.

I was feeling pretty good and got Mum to make up enough food for the day because we wouldn't be back till dark. I don’t fly at night but Ricky can fly by instruments, so it wouldn't matter if we stayed till the sun was setting on River Downs which was always my favourite time to watch the birds come to settle in the tall red gum trees that grow in the outback, and of course Jean's grave is under one of those trees.

Sandy turned up with two very excited girls and had also packed some food and drinks for their day trip.

Sandy said, “Is Ricky flying the chopper?” My hubby was standing behind me and was giving Sandy the thumbs up sign.

I said “I saw that Ricky Smith.”

“Yes dear sorry dear.” The banter went on a bit more when Mum brought the twins out to say goodbye. They weren't too happy about not coming especially seeing we were taking the helicopter but Mum said she was taking them down to Uncle Tony's pool later and that seemed to placate them.

We climbed into the four wheel drive and were off to the hanger where the chopper is always flight ready. So while Ricky opened the big sliding doors to the hanger and proceeded to pull the chopper out to the landing apron in front of the hanger with the help of two future pilots, I went in to the office and phoned the owner of River Downs, Tom Granger.

“Hello River Downs.”

“G'day Tom, it's Carla. I'm sorry to ring so early but I thought I’d better let you know that we are coming out that way this morning.”

“Oh right-ho are you leaving now?”

“Yes and it'll be in the chopper because I want to visit Jean's grave, and seeing I’m with child, hubby thinks I am not capable of walking any more than a few steps.”

Tom knows me pretty well and just laughed and said, “Carla I hope you never change, you could always make me laugh even when you were running around in nappies all those years ago”.

Once we got all our things put into the chopper it was time to head skyward and make our way to River Downs which is about one and a half hours flight away. Jamie got to sit in the co-pilot's seat and we headed south-west looking down over the now very green landscape from all the flooding that had taken place.

It made me feel nostalgic about the time that I spent on River Downs learning all about how to survive in the outback. It was near lunch time by the time we were flying over the homestead to let Tom and his wife know we had arrived and then headed straight to the spot where we could land close to where my sister Jean's grave is situated.

Ricky let Jamie hold on to the dual controls so she could get to feel the difference between a fixed wing and rota aircraft, Ricky put the bird down as gentle as a feather about thirty yards from the tree that was marked with a ring of white rocks around the base and the grave was inside this circle.

Ricky showed Jamie how to shut the chopper down while I said to all three to just give me a few minutes by myself by Jean's grave. I almost stumbled as I caught my sandal on the landing skid of the helicopter. Thank God that no one saw that happen or Ricky would have wanted to carry me.

As I made my way to Jean's grave she was in my head saying, “Carla you do realise that there are only a lot of old bones buried there, so don't get all emotional on me will you.”

“Thanks for reminding me sis, but I just wanted to show the girls where your body lies and to sit under this beautiful red gum.”

Jean said, “I have been watching who has been tending to the grave.”

I replied out loud now because the others realised that I was talking with Jean, “Well!!!are you going to tell or do I have to play your silly guessing games?”

This got her cranky and being twins she is no different in her nature than me and won't stand to be told what to do.

Jean appeared sitting on the well kept grave saying, “Carla you remember when you used to go to the aboriginal reserve to take the local school kids to see some burial sites?”

“Yes I do sis.”

“Well the old man you used to visit at his camp site to listen to his stories and be taught about survival in the outback told the traditional owners of this land before he passed away they had to look after this site."

Ricky could see me talking and waited till I said to come over.

Jean said, “I will stay insight for the others especially the girls so they can see that I am not under this pile of rocks.”

As Ricky came closer he let the girls sit on the grave beside my ever present sister. The girls have seen Jean many times now and to them it has become a normal occurrence.

I said to Ricky, “Honey let's take a walk along the river and leave Jean to tell the girls all about what happened here all those years ago.”

“Ok but are you sure your fit enough to walk on all that uneven ground?”

“Ricky I'm pregnant, not an invalid!!”

We walked hand in hand down to the river and went straight to where myself and Rita carved our names in a large gum tree the day before we left River Downs. It is still very visible and Ricky asked, “Do you ever think much about when you were living out here as a young kid?”

“Sometimes, but I was supposed to be a boy and Rita and I had to keep my dressing as a girl secret or my Dad would have belted us both.”

Ricky said, “Your birth Dad was a monster wasn’t he?”

“Well you should remember the day we were at Charleville airport when he and my brother John had a go at me and you jumped on him even though he was twice the size of you. Darling you were my hero than and you still are now.”

We kept holding hands and laid back on the soft grass that grew on the bank of the river that flowed through the sheep station and watched the clouds float by in the warm March skies of outback Queensland.

It wasn't too long when two girls broke the silence. Jamie calls Ricky 'Uncle' and Jenny seems to be doing the same.

“Uncle Ricky,” said Jenny, “can we go and see where Aunty Carla carved her and Aunty Rita's names in a tree?”

Without getting up he just pointed up over his head to the tree just a few yards back from we were laying. It didn't take long before they asked if they could add their names as well.

Ricky looked at me and said, “What do you think honey?”

I replied, “No, let them find their own tree and you help them do the carving with your pocket knife.”

I stayed where I was while Ricky walked over to the nearest tree and helped the girls carve their names and date. Jamie ran back to the chopper and retrieved a camera that I brought just for this sort of occasion. Of course the two of them had to pose with them both holding the pocket knife to prove it was them that carved their names into a tree on the sheep station that was my home till I was nine years old.

Jamie said, “Aunty Carla do you think your horse Cindy is still alive?”

“No Sweetheart, she had to be put down a couple of years after we left. She was bitten by a snake and did not make a recovery.”

“Can we go and see Mr Granger and his wife before we go back?”

“Of course. If you're both finished carving up trees we will get in the chopper and head for the homestead.”

It's only a five minute flight from Jean's grave to the large homestead. Tom and his wife Margaret are now seventy four years old but never wanted to leave the outback life and continue to operate the property as a going concern. It was Tom that came up with the idea to have an air charter business in Quilpie and that is really where all my flying started as a young girl.

Tom was standing on the verandah watching us land and waved to us to come to the house, and was hitting an old cow bell to let us know that Margaret had prepared lunch for us all, so the packed lunch would be going back home that night.

After lunch Tom showed the girls around the property while myself and Ricky caught up with Margaret. It was late afternoon before we said our goodbyes and climbed on board the bird and made our way home before it became dark.

Carla aged seven

To be continued. Please leave a comment.

Author's note. Due to a medical procedure I will not be writing for a few weeks but I will continue my stories as soon as I can. Carla