Dec 2017 Waroona, New Norcia

Almost the end of another year - how time flies :) I have spent much of the year around Waroona house-sitting again and spending time with the lovely friends I have in the area. Three months on one property - almost like having my own home!!!! I spent an extra 12 days there looking after some dogs and beautiful pups.

Spent 2 weeks back in New Norcia in November working Monday-Thursday scanning hundreds of letters from 1858 – 68. Firstly from Fr Martelli to Salvado (the founding monk) in English for Dr Kinder [a Kiwi!] to work on,  then from Salvado’s brother Santos – all in Spanish which will now be translated into English. There have been summaries done on all these letters and what interesting reading they are.

‘ thank you for the ton of tobacco. It was good to smoke but too mild to use as a sheep dip!’ (yes I Googled it – was used for lice etc)

‘it seems the Liberals over East are determined to get rid the savages to make a place for the white savages who will be far more ruthless’

‘she heard that the laundry lady used washing blue to whiten the clothes so she tried it on her face – and was quickly cured of her vanity’

‘… has been elected Foreign Minister (in Spain?). He is a convicted fraudster and married to a whore’.

‘We have found a cure for cholera. Juice of half a lemon, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of rum. We have cured 3 people so far. Also a decoction of mercury is excellent for purging the stomach of impurities’

And a beautifully written letter from the local aborigines asking the monks to please stop shooting their dogs even though the dogs were trying to ‘eat the little sheeps’!

I could have spent the whole time just reading these letters! The monks leased huge areas of land and looked after the local aborigines, who helped put the road through to Bindoon. They also traded many horses and set them by boat to India.  If anyone wanted to do history from 1847 I would recommend these archives as a goldmine of information. The monks were well informed of events in Europe as well as Australia.

I didn’t have access to the library which is in the monastery but they have books there that are very rare. Some of these are the only ones left in the world I gather! The priceless ones are all in a fireproof vault. A good thing too – lightning struck the copper pipes to the gas hotwater at the old police station while I was there and started a fire. Put out quickly before too much damage done.

I have decided to go back next March for a couple more weeks and whenever I can during the year. There are 30,000 photos that have been numbered but need to be put in order so they are easier to access as well as thousands of documents to be scanned. In exchange for help, volunteers are given free accommodation and 3 meals a day, but are only allowed to stay for 2 weeks at a time.  Wine is available at both lunch and with the 2 course evening meal, and of course their wonderful bread is always in abundance!!! Too tempting!!!!

I have had a month in the van again and wandered down to Greenbushes and Manjimup. It is still a lifestyle that I really enjoy but I am running out of 'new' roads to travel. Off to Perth for Xmas with family then back to Waroona to do it all again - have several places booked already  so looking forward to that.