Outback - 2. OB Chapter 2

Next to the patio was a fire pit with large rocks around it, and Bas has built three raised seats around the pit. Off in the distance is a small corrugated shed, housing is a deep drop toilet, with a water tank on a raised rock bed stand, to provide water for the toilet, the wash sink and the outdoor shower. Later in the day, Jake turned up on horseback.

“Hey, Bas” Jake called out, holding out a hessian bag of food from the homestead. “Thanks, Jake”, he said as he looked into the bag. Inside was the usual supplies, tea, sugar, flour, packet of mixed dried fruit, some cans of tuna, a billy, plate, mug, cutlery and a can opener, all that he needed for the next few days. Bas was great at making fruit damper, and he was great with bush skills.

He could easily survive on snake, goanna or rabbit stew if the need should arise. In the end, Bas ended up staying for 8 days at the camp site. His parents knew that it was best to leave him alone, but they sent Jake out every few days to top up his supplies, making sure he was ok. On returning back to the homestead, the visitors had left only the day before, Mike’s half-brother left a note apologising for his son's behaviour, and assured Bas, that it would not happen again.

During his week of solitude, Bas was able to clear some large fallen branches out of the river bed. He also built a raised walkway from the patio to the toilet/washroom. Additionally, he built a privacy screen for the outdoor shower. Returning to school, it didn’t take Bas long to catch-up on the school work that he had missed. With only three weeks remaining of the school year, he was looking forward to the annual 4-day trip to the city just before Christmas.

Bas already had done some research about his birth parents. He had a copy of his adoption papers, which included his birth date and the name of the hospital where he was born. He’d already made the online application for viewing his medical records of his birth at the hospital, under the freedom of information act.

Additionally, the hospital filed similar application with the Family Court of Australia. The Courts reviewed the application and ruled in favour of the hospital granting Bas access to his full medical records. While in the city, Bas hoped to track down more information on his birth family.

Mike and Sue were not aware that Bas was doing these things, they just presumed he had TAFE college business to do before it closed down for the year, and so gave him all the time he needed while in the city. When Bas arrived at the hospital he went looking for the medical records department. Seeing the reception lady, and holding his papers “Hello, I would like my medical records about my birth, please” he politely asked.

“I don’t think so”, she fired back. “Here, this is my freedom of information document that allows me access” Bas countered, holding the papers out to her. “I don’t need to see any papers. “Please leave, I have work to do”, she retorted. Ignoring the crabby reception lady, “he sought out the administration offices of the hospital.

“Hello, my name is Bryce Silverton and I would like to speak the hospital manager, please” “Do you have an appointment? He is a very busy man” the receptionist said. “No, but...”

Bas didn’t even finish when the woman interrupted “Then come back when you do.@ and went back to her paperwork, dismissing him.

“Excuse me, ma’am” Bas pronounced with some heat. “I suggest that you comply with his request, unless you want to be found in contempt of court”. Once in the hospital manager’s office he showed the manager his document, and within twenty minutes the file was presented to him, but it had notes attached stating birth parent’s identity restricted.

“Excuse me ma’am, the court document states full records not partial” Bas told the lady. After a further twenty minutes, it was revealed that all other documents linked to the birth were missing. Bas was not happy with this and stormed he out, still holding his file.

Later at the hotel room, Bas took a closer look at the records. He was able to learn at the time of his birth, that his father was 22 years old, a University student in business, and that his mother was 20 years old, also attending University as a student of law. Both were employed part time. This was a lot of new information, new leads to follow, meaning a trip to the university, to speak to any long term lecturers who may have remembered his parents, from 17 years ago.

That evening Bas attended a Remote Education Students Social Event, held in the sports hall of a private school that had closed for the Christmas and summer break. Miranda Edgerton,17, and the only daughter of wealthy pastoralist and mining businessman Mr Michael Kyle Edgerton and wife Elizabeth, watched as Bryce entered the room.

Although two years older than Bas, Miranda wanted Bas from the moment she spotted him enter. They spent the next five hours together at the party dancing, laughing and talking. Discovering they were staying at the same hotel, Miranda invited him back to her room, where they spent a number of hours together late at night for two nights.

The following day, Bas went to the university closest to the hospital, as the Edgerton family went back to their home station in the Pilbara region. He searched and found the Law building. “Hi, my name is Bryce Silverton” explaining to the young man behind the desk, “I am searching for my birth parents, and wondered if any lecturers still teaching now, were teaching 17 years ago?”

“Please have a seat, and I’ll go check for you”, he said checking his computer. “You’re in luck, only one remains and he was currently in his office” he grinned at Bas.

Twenty minutes later he was sitting in the lecturer’s office, “I know some information and I was hoping you could add to my information. My mother was a 20-year old student of law at university during the recession. She had been recently married, working part time, and was originally from Canada. Do you remember her and my father?”

The lecture associate professor thought a few moments, “I remember one such young lady, but she was actually originally from Liechtenstein. She moved to Eastern Canada with her parents when she was 8, and then to Australia when she was 17.

I believe her husband went looking for work overseas, while she returned to Europe. Her name was Natalia, her husband's name was Amos, but I can’t recall their last name. Sorry”. “It is more than I knew before, thank you”. Bas shook the man’s hand and left the office.

Bas returned home with his adopted parents with more information, but more unanswered questions. He was disappointed, but also thrilled to have more information about his birth parents. Once back at the station, Bas sent an email to a non-profit organisation that assists with reconnecting adopted children with their birth parents. He gave them all the information that he had on them, and asked if they could help him to find them.

Christmas and New Year came and went, and as the new school year began, Bas was disappointed that he hadn't heard anything yet. At the end of the first day of school, Bas quickly checked his emails, and there it was, an email regarding his search request.

Dear Mr Bryce Silverton, regarding your request for the whereabouts of your birth parents - Natalia & Amos Murchison, I have a mixture of news to report, sadly I have to inform you that your birth father - Amos, has died two years ago dues to a work accident on an oil rig in the North Sea.

At that time your birth mother returned to her home country of Liechtenstein, along with her five children, believed to be aged from 6 to 12 years old. Before the accident and death of your birth father, they were residing in the UK.

Bas decided not to reveal that he been tracking down his birth parents so he saved that email in a hidden folder. Choosing to wait a little bit to think things over properly, and concentrate on his final year of TAFE College studies. This year, Bas was spending more time working alongside his adopted father, both on the station and in the office. He took over dealing with all accounts, only requesting cheques or electronic payments to pay bills once they had been processed through the station books.

Bas was also dealing with all the ordering of supplies, and this gave Mike more time to concentrate on the mustering, as there were two mustering choppers, two pilots and 6 mustering crew, all skilled horsemen, as well as in the mustering buggies. During this muster, Mike spent a lot of time on horseback, tracking down stragglers that had gone into scrubland that was too thick for vehicles; it was during one of these days that Mike got into trouble.

Spooked by a snake, Mike’s horse reared up, tossing him to the ground and fleeing deeper into the shrub. On impact to the ground, Mike was knocked unconscious. Unfortunately, he landed near the snake which struck him, before slithering off. About 5 minutes later one of the choppers spotted Mike’s horse bolting with no rider. Calling Mike on the 2-way hand held resulted in no reply, this immediately sparked a search, the cattle where forgotten, while all hands searched for the boss.

An hour and quarter later a chopper spotted him, motionless in a small clearing, but it wasn’t big enough for the chopper to land. Twenty minutes later, Barrett and Jake attended to the boss while everyone else was clearing shrub wide enough to get the chopper to land.

Meanwhile Sue heard what was happening and was relaying information between Barrett at the accident site and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), who were dispatching a plane immediately to help. Eventually the men had cleared a landing area, made a stretcher and carefully placed Mike on it and loaded him onto the skids of the chopper, for the careful trip back to the station airfield to await the RFDS plane.

Barrett had spotted the snake bite and once the serum was raced to the scene from the homestead, was administered; he also suspected back injuries, so Mike was only moved once to get him on the stretcher. A few hours later Bas received news from Sue, from town, that he had remained in a coma, but the danger of the snakebite was over.

However, x-rays revealed broken ribs and damage to the spine. She informed Bas, that he was in charge of the station till they return, and to get Barrett to assist if he has any difficult decisions to make. This was a bit of a shock and surprise for the now 16-year old Bas, to be in charge of a 90-thousand-acre freehold cattle station, with 3 permanent and 8 temporary staff.

The first thing Bas did was call Barrett to the office for a meeting, informing him of Mike’s condition and Sue's directions. Bas asked Barrett to stop all horse work during mustering, make sure all vehicles have 2-way radios, including the choppers, and to finish the muster as quickly as possible.