Previously

We arrived in Quilpie in good time even with the head wind we encountered. It was strange flying that much higher - the layout of the land below seemed a lot different, and I couldn't make up my mind whether I liked flying higher or not. Ricky thought it was better maybe he was right. Uncle Tony was there to take us home and then returned and refueled the plane for our return trip the following day.

It was a bit sad because I was going to put Ginger to sleep. She was just suffering too much and was in a lot of pain and almost blind. This wouldn't be easy for me as she had been a long time friend. ''There would be tears ''

When we arrived Aunty Bella was waiting for us on the front verandah and she couldn’t wait to give me and Ricky the biggest hug and she had tears in her eyes when she said, “Carla! Ginger is whimpering in pain. Can you give her something to ease the pain?”

I replied “I’ll do better than that Aunty Bella, I will send her to join Goldie in the spirit world where Jean can see she is happy.” That of course really made her cry and it started me off as well, Ricky put his arm around me and Uncle Tony did the same with Bella but the dam had to burst before we could stop and compose ourselves to be able to talk and walk inside where Aunty Bella had a cup of tea or coffee with freshly baked pumpkin scones waiting for us.

Mum also had tears in her eyes and Dad had to give her a hug but he was not beyond the emotional strain of having Ginger put to sleep, because she was his dog before I came along and then she seemed to be mine and no-one else’s so it was a very hard thing to do, but I was going to be a vet and I had done this many times in the last twelve months while working with Ross.

Once we had our refreshments I decided to go and have a girl to girl conversation with Ginger and I was surprised when Jean said in my head, “She will understand what you are saying. Just be very gentle and tell her that you love her and that you are going to stop the pain, and Sis I will make sure she gets to the right place and will be with Goldie.”

I said, “Jean are you telling me she can fully understand what I am saying?”

Jean replied, “Not in human terms, but I will make it easy for her to cross over to the spirit side ok?”

I said, “This is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever done.” I went to my old bedroom and got my bag with the drugs and needle with tears streaming down my face and Dad said he would accompany me and hold her in his arms as she went to sleep.

Dad was sobbing and I wished Mum was beside him but she said she would only make it worse and could not handle saying goodbye like that so she stayed in the lounge with Tony and Bella. I managed to get the vial out of the bag and load the syringe. It was time to say goodbye to my mate. I gave her one last cuddle and gently put the needle in her chest so it would work quickly, and it did.

Ginger closed her eyes and Jean said, “Carla, hold on to Dad's hand and I will show you both where she is going.”

I grabbed the sobbing man’s hand and we closed our eyes and saw a field of very green grass with a large gum tree and there was Goldie sitting waging her tail as she welcomed Ginger to the spirit world. Her body went limp and it was over, no more suffering - she was in dog heaven.

Jean said. “Dad I hope that helps you get over your grief.” Dad couldn't speak but just nodded that he heard what she had said. Dad wrapped Ginger in her favourite blanket and carried her to the back yard where he and Uncle Tony had dug a grave for her. He laid her in the ground very gently and was sobbing so hard that he almost fell into the grave with the now sleeping Ginger. Mum and Bella were no better.

Uncle Tony got the shovel and started to fill in the grave. At this stage I had stopped crying and pulled myself together because I had to learn. As a vet I was going to have to perform this sort of thing every day and was not allowed to get too emotional about it. Besides Jean showed us that life doesn't end but we go to a different plane of existence.

This was not the best trip home I have ever had especially seeing Ricky was at his Mum and Dad's place so he missed out on all the crying!! If he had been there he would have been no help either because he is a jelly-bean when it came to things like that. Rita and Peter weren't told so we would have another round of tears to contend with. I didn’t know how I was going to tell Jenny and Chrissie. I was thinking of ringing them but I thought I might just wait till we got back to Brisbane to break the news.

By the time we finished in the backyard it was lunchtime but no-one felt like preparing any food so we all piled into Uncle Tony's now aging Land Rover and went to the restaurant which was now owned and run by Peter and Rita. They were going to have extensions added to the existing building and virtually double the size of the restaurant. Business was good.

We arrived and said hello to Rita, Peter and Alice, There were other staff as well but they didn't really know us so they just kept doing their job . I told Rita and Peter what I had done and of course ''tears''. Like I said this was not a good trip home and I would be glad to be on my way back to some normality back in Brisbane.

We had our lunch and made our way back home but did a round trip to pick Ricky up from his parent's place. I wasn't going to let him get away Scott free from some of the grief that had happened this morning, because I had a dam that was about to burst and I needed my ''man'' to comfort me while I let it flow. That is exactly what happened as soon as I saw him when I got out of Uncle Tony's car.

Ricky knew what I was going to do because I had discussed it with him even before we left Brisbane that morning, so it was no surprise to him when I just let it all go. He just held me till I cried myself out and than said “I love you sweetheart” and we went for a walk down in the orchard of orange trees that Barry had planted when they first bought the place.

We said our goodbyes to Helen and Barry and made our way back to the large old Queenslander that was home, in Quilpie at least, Tony and Bella were staying till after dinner so Mum and Bella started to prepare some vegetables for baking and defrosted a lamb roast and put it in the combustion stove oven for a slow bake and an hour later the vegetables would go in as well. The conversation was mainly around how Dad had Ginger given to him and the following years with Paul his late son from his first marriage to his late wife Ann, so the mood was of melancholy and sadness but it is a way of grieving a loss.

If the mood had been different Ricky and I would have made love in my big old bed but neither of us were in that frame of mind and we went to sleep in a tight spoon cuddle. The morning was soon upon us and we decided to get going early so we could prepare for Monday morning and back to some kind of normality in our lives, especially seeing Mum and Dad were were back in Quilpie and not mothering us. Dad was as bad as Mum at that. We loved them to bits but we needed to live our own lives.

We had breakfast with Mum and Dad. Ricky and I went out to say our goodbyes to Ginger in the back yard and I placed one of her favourite balls on top of the mound of soil that covered her like a blanket, and said a prayer with Jean comforting both me and Ricky in our minds, I don’t know how other people cope but if I hadn't had a connection with her and the spirit world I think I would not be able to survive life in general. Mum and Dad both came out to the airport where ''Angel Two'' was all ready for me and Ricky to do our pre-flight checks and be on our way home. It was a bit of a sad goodbye for us with all that had occurred this weekend but life goes on.

Ricky and I climbed into the brand new twin Cessna, waved to Mum and Dad and radioed the tower in Brisbane which controls most of Queensland's airports. We gave our flight plan and were cleared to take to the clear blue sky of western Queensland. We climbed to six thousand feet and set the speed at a hundred knots which is one hundred and sixty miles per hour. That is comfortable flying and not using too much fuel, because we have to pay for the fuel if nothing else, I mean I have got a very generous allowance from Mum and Dad but one mustn’t look a a gift horse in the mouth must one?''Giggle''. We made good time and landed at Archerfield after circling Brisbane to see if we could see where our home in the west was but it was raining and that made it difficult to see much on the ground . We parked ''Angel Two'' just outside the hanger so the refuelling people could do their thing and then rang Debbie to come and pick us up. Both Ricky and I will be glad when we can get our driving licences and have a car so we can just leave it in the hanger whenever we are flying.

Debbie was there within half an hour and took us home. It was Sunday so the traffic wasn't too bad and it took the normal half an hour to get home. We were a bit apprehensive about telling the girls about Ginger but decided to do it straight away and get it over with so we could all move on. Ricky and I walked into the lounge where Jenny, Chrissie and Sam were sitting having a morning tea chat. Apparently Christina’s dad Dave had to be taken into hospital a day early because there were complications with his heart. Sam was on duty when he was brought in to the Emergency Department at the Mater.

Now, I didn't know whether to mention Ginger or not but it was too late, because Ricky had already started to tell them and I could not stop him in mid sentence. Chrissie just went into tears straight away followed by Jenny and that of course started me off as well. So it was like old times with the Three Musketeers in a three way hug till we all calmed down. Sam and Ricky went into the kitchen to make a fresh lot of coffee and left three tear-stained women consoling each other.

Sam and Sandra were still an item and quite happy living together for the rest of their lives. They were currently living with Mary, Sam's Mum but planned on buying a unit in the same apartment building.

Anyway once we all settled down it was time to move on and and talk about some happier things like the nurses' ball that coming weekend.

Jenny exclaimed “Oh my god I have nothing to wear!” We all looked at each other and said in unison “Shopping!!!” That made Ricky leave us to it and I think he was going to talk with Billy and Alan who were in the backyard tending to the large vegetable garden.

Of course the boys had suits to wear but us girls had ''nothing to wear'' Oh my god whatever would we do? Well the answer was in the MacWerther department store wasn't it? But they weren’t open on Sunday, so I guessed there would just have to be another sickie the next day.

Monday 23/1/67
~~~~~~~~~~

Three young women were seen to disappear through the front doors of a certain store and emerge three hours later with happy faces and carrying a number of shopping bags, stepping into a mini bus belonging to a lady called Debbie. If Mum found out there was going to be trouble but who was going to tell her?

We swore Jean to secrecy and all she did was giggle and say, “What am I going to wear to the ball?” She will in fact be there and help me and Ricky do a demonstration Jazz Waltz, because the last ball at Quilpie we won the 'Best Couple' competition. The ball was at Cloudland ballroom.

The rest of the week was a normal study and work exercise that we all had to cope with and we were glad when it was Friday afternoon and we could relax for a couple of days,

Saturday 29/1/67
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The boys were told to have their suits dry-cleaned earlier in the week so they were easy to organise and would be ready when we asked them to be. Most of the time they just said “Yes ma’am.” and did what we asked them to do. We ladies were a different story. All three had to have the full treatment make-over and that took a few hours so it was four in the afternoon before we got home to get ready. There was no need for dinner because it was a dinner ball so we would be fed. I don't know how the caterers did it because there was at least one thousand people to feed.

This was a bit more upper class than what we were used to and much! much! bigger than anything I had ever been to. Ricky and I did the demonstration of the Jazz Waltz that we got the prize for, and again we got the prize of the night for the best young dancing couple. We were presented with a trophy. This was our first big night in Brisbane and it was one night that I wished the Mum and Dad hadn't missed but of course there were plenty of photos taken.

We got home at two a.m. on Sunday morning and could hardly get undressed we were so tired from dancing the night away. We all slept till midday on the Sunday.

To be continued

Please leave a comment