2022 BlazeAid, Nungarin & Beverley museums, NZ trip

 After 3 wonderful, interesting and rewarding years working in the Archives and Collections at New Norcia I packed all my belongings back into the caravan and left to spend time wandering again. Did I really have all this stuff in the caravan when I got here??? Maybe a few more clothes but.... it took a lot longer than I expected to get everything  packed away again. 

The article I wrote about my time in New Norcia has now been published in their Chimes. https://www.newnorcia.com.au/media/news/2022/11/a-volunteers-retirement-adventure

Called in to Waroona to stay with friends, then to Jarrahdene national park camp south of Margaret River. No TV, very few people - heaven - other than all the gumnuts crashing onto the roof. A great setup with plenty of room and good facilities. Cheap as a pensioner - $9 pp per night. I have found that the caravan needs a new awning - after 3 years in the heat at NN the laminate is lifting and one arm needs attention. Otherwise all is working normally - a relief!

Then - I got a call asking if I would help Blazeaid in Denmark. They had a co-ordinator but wanted an office administrator. As I  had already done this at 2 camps I thought - why not, and cut my stay short. I did stop at Shannon Nat Park  for a night just to break the trip. Very smokey around Pemberton with fires  south of the highway. I spent nearly 4 weeks working in Denmark with cloudy, sometimes sticky weather, and a few days of very heavy rain. Great bunch of volunteers through the camp. Apparently they are in need of a co-ordinator for Corrigin camp and it was suggested I could do it until they get an 'official' one so, after talking to the people there I decided I could probably cope and have packed up to heading in that direction. I am at Dumbleyoung for 2 nights just catching up on some sleep and having a break first. Leaping out of bed at 6 am is not really my thing.

Corrigin Camp:  What a wonderful supportive community here. I have had just over a week on the job and am thoroughly enjoying it. All our evening meals are provided by the community and we dont have to pay for any groceries! I have a lovely couple to do the kitchen and tools, and a great, although small crew to do the fencing. We are camped on the old courts at their big new community sport centre and have a commercial kitchen at our disposal. The fencing is pretty straight forward - star pickets and ring-lock along straight clean fence lines. Mostly cropping country so flat. These fires took out a huge area of mostly stubble, tree reserves and a few buildings. We have a fast fencer attached to a CAT 299D to use from now on so should be able to do the remaining fencing fairly quickly as long as we have the volunteers to keep ahead of it.

May Update: Closed the camp on 21st May. So much for a couple of weeks 'filling in'!!!! Great bunch of volunteers though and lots of work done. The fast fencer meant I had to make sure there were several kms of pickets in ahead of it. It was a bit big for the job having been designed for the dog fences but certainly helped on the long straight fences around Corrigin.

The guys designed an arm to carry the post rammer as well.

 Some liked using it, some didn't, but that trailer went off to the Wickepin camp as soon as we closed so that they could use it as well! Our final job was to fence in a pony paddock for a young girl whose family lost so much. 

I was so relieved that we got in and out of Corrigin without getting covid, even though it was spreading pretty fast through the community. It did mean we were unable to have the normal Farmers Night Dinners which was a shame as there were so many people to thank. We were rather spoilt on Saturday nights - dinner at the pub went from a BBQ to ordering off the menu. Great food. Sunday was takeaway burgers etc from the Road house - also delicious. We were also very spoilt with all the meals provided by the community. Even though many were in the middle of seeding, covid, sports, funerals etc.,  the dinners and desserts kept coming in every afternoon during the week. Then there were the boxes of tomatoes, eggs, cakes. Amazing the difference in attitudes in different towns. This one was every bit as good as Waroona, in 2016 - and I thought that place was pretty  incredible!

I spent a couple of days with the coordinators at Wickepin, and caught up with volunteers I had at Corrigin and from Denmark. Blazeaid is such a close community that you meet up with people you haven't seen for many years, and make lasting friendships.

I am resting at Westonia and getting back into my nomadic life again, after being slightly diverted for the past 10 week!

After a week of R&R at Westonia I travelled a whole 80 km to Nungarin. There is a Military Museum here looking for volunteers so offered my services. Back to scanning books. This time a 1949 sale catalogue. What an interesting place this is. Set up as a supply base when there was a danger of Japan bombing Perth. They needed somewhere that could be reached by rail from Perth Albany or Esperance. Built a huge workshop, barracks etc, and had numerous tanks, trucks and other war object here. After the war everything was sold off and many of the tanks went to local farmers as there was a shortage of tractors at the time. I have also scanned photos of tanks turned into tractors & graders.

 Such ingenuity. 

I spent a month at the museum. Redesigned their info booklet, drew the cycle/walk mud map from google earth and photoshopped it, and printed a poster and hand-outs for enthusiasts, plus did a mock-up for a much needed road signs for the town. Lovely bunch of volunteers run this museum. The last night I went to their campfire dinner at the museum as a guest [costs $40 - well worth doing] where I was thanked with a bottle of wine and one of their very nice pens.

I travelled to Dowerin and spent a couple of nights in the Shire caravan park, then on to Bullsbrook to see the man about repairing the dent in the van. A few nights at Bindoon, then Gingin and Yanchep National Park before heading back to friends at Waroona, and on down to Gelorup to stay a couple of days. Weather getting a bit wet!!!!

I went to Wellington Dam - Potters Gorge for 4 nights. One of my favourite spots. I booked the far end spot and had the Woylie area all to myself which was heaven. Unfortunately is was rather damp and I was a little concerned that the batteries would get flat - but only used 1.5 v! A couple of cheeky blue Wrens used the ute as their playground when I went for a drive to the dam one day.

On to Williams cp for a couple of nights then to Beverley and on up to Merredin with the intention of going to Beringbooding Rock for a week. Stopped at Mukinbudin for lunch and was rung to see if I would housesit back at Waroona for a couple of weeks. As there was a lot of rain forecast I decided it would be a good idea. I spent a night at Marshall Rocks and as there was a strong wind warning out, headed for Dowerin CP again. I ended up there for 3 very wet wild and windy nights before heading back to Waroona.

A couple of weeks house sitting 3 dogs, 2 cats and numerous fowl - turkey, chooks, Guinea fowl. I think I am past all that responsibility now.  spent a few nights in the Dryandra forest - heaven. No near neighbours, quiet, but a bit cold. Had the ute serviced at Corrigin and caught up with a couple of people I met while doing Blazeaid there.  Then on to Beverley to check out their museum for my next stint of volunteering. Lovely Caravan park - free laundry and showers that actually have cubicles so you have a dry floor to get dressed on!  Easy walk to both the museum and shops so looking forward to starting there soon.

After a new tyre at Northam I carried on to Beringbooding rock - and made it this time. Friends arrived the next day and we did a quick trip to Elachbutting Rock.  Drove up to the top for great views. I was very surprised at how overgrown the track is in to Monty's Gap - the huge slab of rock that slid down to make a tunnel. I wonder if some people dont ever get that far.

Two glorious warm sunny days then the rain and cold set in. That's fine - have my diesel heater. A few people in and out camping over the 5 nights I stayed but I was in a spot where I was not disturbed mostly. I downloaded an altimeter app so I could measure the fall in the wall around the rock that brings all the water to the enormous tank.  Mostly 1 metre  other than where it rises 7m at the back. pretty good going over 2.3km back in 1937.

A couple of nights in Mukinbudin to do washing etc then to Toapin Weir for a night. Dorakin Road in was a little hairy. A couple of large puddles across the road but got through OK. Spent 1 night there out in the paddock then back out via Haynes Road. Once again water damage and a couple of rather rough wet bits to get though. A night in the Apex free camp at Beverley then in to the caravan park for a week while I work at the museum, putting their collection onto Mosaic. A huge job ahead of them. I spend 8 weeks working on Mosaic entering many of the accessions from 1981. Interrupted by a trip back to NZ!

I spent 5 weeks in NZ. So lovely to see family and friends. It has been 4 years since my last visit thanks to covid. Unexpectantly  I had a dear friend's funeral to attend, but an opportunity to see people from my life in Rotorua 25 years ago. The place is looking a bit sad in areas, but has new shopping blocks. Tourism has been hard hit with the downturn of visitors with covid. Short golf that I used to co-own has gone, but the saddest is Rainbow & Fairy Springs closing.

 I had a lovely stay in Taupo with my son & family,  and in Kuratau with my best friends who were having their 40th wedding anniversary. Once again - a great way to catch up with people I haven't seen since my last visit. Then a family gathering to celebrate my youngest brother's 70th. 

The county doesn't feel like home any more. More like a communist state with all the rules & regulations. So many farming changes. Waterways fenced off - which is fine and understandable but when you see ribbons of yellow broom and gorse lining the banks on wonders what the future will bring when these streams are choked with these weeds. So many pine trees now - planted for carbon credits. I am told that if farmers accept the full 100% payment they walk of the land and it is never to be farmed again ..............

AND the trees are not to be harvested! What a waste of a resource when the world is trying to get rid of plastic - NZ is known for its pine forests turned into paper pulp! Of course - the broom is loving these plantations! Then there is all the manuka planted for the bees. Once again - a weed that farmers have spent generations trying to keep off productive land but now it is being planted. Of course - everyone jumped on the honey bandwagon, over supplied the market and it has now collapsed - and all that scrub everywhere!!!!

Taupo has grown - houses right out to the airport now, new shopping centres, redevelopment of the lakefront eating area. My son is project managing that! A few more attractions and it could take over from Rotorua - but without the 'perceived smell'. The airport is being upgraded also.

Back to Perth on WAMOS - a Spanish airline contracted to AIRNZ for a few months. Great flight and food. My son was unable to pick me up [Covid!] so braved the train from the airport to the city then up to Butler!  The hardest part was getting an Uber for the last step  - half hour wait as they dont really service the northern suburbs.

I picked up the caravan - new awning and a few other small jobs - including getting the side reclad to get rid of my various 'scratches and dents' - thank goodness for insurance. Back to Beverley for another 3 weeks. Finished the accessions books and started finding things to label etc.

Christmas with family then onwards to next year.....