August 14th

A weekend trip to install the stove and bunks before August school holidays. Joseph spent the weekend with Cathy. Trailer (small) was packed with stove, bedsprings, wheelbarrow, tools and four camping boxes as well as the fountain which I had got as a birthday present. We had some clutch and loss-of-power troubles on the way up, through some rain drizzling.  Once on the road easement (hereafter called the ‘long paddock’) Elsie lost traction in the muddy section. A road of thistles and twigs helped us get through. While making the ‘road’ we were told by one of the C- boys that D- L- locked the gate to his property.  We decided to go ahead, park the trailer and visit him. We also had to place logs across the deeper of the two gullies on the long paddock to get across with the trailer. Uncoupled and drove towards B-h, but met D- and P-, who gave us the key to their padlock and agreed that we should add our own padlock to the chain. Invited them for tea when they had finished hand-feeding. During the recoupling process, frayed tempers led to jack being left down on the trailer. It was badly twisted by the time we arrived at Malemijo – we had intended to leave the small trailer there for accommodation anyway – Miriam was to use it this weekend. Cleared the hut, unloaded the trailer and set the pre-welded legs of the stove support in concrete made of a green cement packet and gravel from the dry wash – some slate flags set in this same concrete. At his stage we were joined the L- family for tea and hot chocolate.

We tried several methods of raising and moving the stove (wire rope sling, wood levers) and finally put it into position with the aid of the Jackall (an example pictured, left) to hold it up while easing it back into position. That night we set up the two stretchers in the hut and spent a very uncomfortable night, regularly sliding downhill.

Two bedsprings from Cathy which we had brought with us were put into place by Mario on Sunday whie Miriam and I mixed some mud-mortar (the dirt taken from the floor of the hut during levelling) and chinked tow sections of the logs (the western side). These besprings made two bunks, the lower one permanently fixed, and the upper one hinged so that it could be placed against the wall during the day time, and the lower bunk used as a seat. On Sunday, too, we had our first Malemijo breakfast of reheated bread rolls and honey. The stove worked well, but Mario put his hand against the outside stove surround to test the head and badly blistered his palm. We considered some sort of extra insulation. The stove surround had been moved during installation, and the bat surround had to be recut before the stove could be put in position.

This time we left behind the small trailer as well as the generator, bedding and some food.