Simba - 26. Simba Ch 26

“Yes and three days after my end of year exams too,” so we will have just that amount of time to get packed with enough gear for three weeks,” I said. “Where are we spending Christmas?” Aaron asked me.

“If all goes well, we will be spending Christmas with Uncle Nat in Canberra, if it doesn’t go well, then we will be spending Christmas on Macquarie Island,” I replied, “Oh ok, that will be interesting,” Aaron said.

“We will take our swags with us, as I am not sure how many people there will be based on the island, even though there are only eight single bunk beds in the building, but they may bring their own beds with them, we will just have to wait and see,” I suggested.

Aaron and I decided to keep the ‘Home and Away’ container at the project for the Nature Festival, as I wanted it to be in good order for the trip to Macquarie Island, although we didn’t mention that to the other team members, and they didn’t ask why, so we didn’t say anything.

For the Nature festival, we had decided on having three different sites for our project displays, the first would be the ‘Moot Hall’ that will be based at Semaphore Beach, for the weekend of October 3^rd and 4^th, to coincide with the Coastal Dunes Walk in the Sunday morning.

The second location will be the ‘Tree House’ that will be based at North Haven, on our vacant property opposite our house, where landscaping work has been underway for a few weeks now, and part of that work includes a concrete pad in the centre of the property.

There is a narrow concrete and paving path from the side of the property to the road, which provides access to unload the container into position, as well as for pedestrian access afterwards. The rest of the property has native gardens around three sides of the concrete pad, while on the fourth side, closest to the ocean, there is a full size tennis court with high fencing.

After the Nature Festival has ended, the Tree House container will remain in that location, as a permanent display site, with the Project information visible on the outside, as well as from entering the building, while the other container will be packed up, and moved back to the Project Base.

The third location will be at the Project Base, where the Twist and Shout container will be opened up as a display for the project in the front car park. With just four days until the Nature Festival begins, the team met on the Wednesday afternoon to finalise the plans for the ten-day festival.

Once again, we would be taking it in turns to be at the sites, but this time with three different sites, we would be stretched to the limit, with a three-day overlap on two of the displays, which would be entirely about the Kuishi Project.

The day before the Nature Festival began, as I prepared to set off to supervise the placing of the two ten Fold Containers, I asked Jack to limit the number of shows each year to just the two main events in September, plus one country show in August and two country shows in October. I felt that any more than that would have a big effect on our studies of the next three years.

With the festival going for ten days, starting on a Sunday, the whole team was able to participate for the first day, and we had all three locations open.

During the weekdays of the festival, we only had the displays open for half a day at two locations, as the main festival website refers to our own website for opening time for our displays.

The following weekend was our busiest times, with people flocking to see our unusual buildings, and we even had some representatives from the major universities came and check out the display at North Haven, and at Semaphore Beach.

With Sunday been the last day of display at Semaphore, the display material was packed up late that afternoon, and loaded into our new trailer, before packing up the container, ready to be collected and transported to the project the next morning.

As the team gathered for a BBQ dinner at our home that evening, Aaron and I announced that we would be going away for approximately a month, as two of the project containers have been contracted as a research facility, and that we would be going to supervise its unloading and opening up.

We informed the team that the Home & Away and the Twist and Shout containers, would be collected by the Royal Australian Navy in the third week of November, just five weeks from now.

A few days later, we would be flying to Hobart to join the CSIRO research ship Investigator, for the trip to supervise the base been established.

I suggested to Will and Chris that they may want to house sit our home, while we are away, which will include over Christmas, as we would be spending Christmas with Uncle Nat in Canberra, and the lads happily agreed to this.

“Where exactly is this research facility going to be?” Jack asked, “Macquarie Island” I replied smiling, “Really, that is like in the middle of no where,” Chris said sounding surprised, “It is, approximately halfway between Tasmania and the Antarctic mainland, and slightly closer to the southern tip of New Zealand,” I replied.

“Holy smokes, that is amazing,” Will said. “Yeah, it is, and I am really looking forward to it, but I have a feeling that it will be really cold down there,” Aaron replied. “Not really, as Carrick Bay on Macquarie Island, in the Southern Hemisphere, is almost at the same level as Edinburgh in the Northern Hemisphere,” I replied.

“Well that is good news,” Aaron said smiling, “Yes, that would be good, but with Carrick Bay been on a small narrow island in the middle of the ocean, has a higher wind chill factor, so it will feel a lot colder, compared to Edinburgh, even though it will be early Summer down there,” I said.

For the next five weeks, we all worked hard with our college and university studies as well as our work with the project, attending two more country shows, in Clare and Mount Gambier, which were both very successful.

After the last one, I was beginning to think that attending country shows and the Royal Show was probably not the best way to promote the Kuishi Project and Kilimanjaro Distributions, but I decided to not say anything just yet, and concentrate on the approaching trip to Macquarie Island.

With our bags packed, including our laptop computers, cameras and a satellite phone, we set off for the airport for our trip to Hobart via Melbourne. At the airport as we approached the security screening area, we removed our electronics and communications from our on flight luggage.

“Your destination today, please sir?” the security officer asked me, Hobart Tasmania, where we are boarding the RV Investigator,” I replied, “The research ship? Where is it taking you?” the security officer asked, “To an undisclosed location within Australian Territorial waters,” I replied, as I felt that it was none of his business where we are heading.

“And you? Are you going to the same location?” he asked my cousin, “Yes, I am travelling with him to the same undisclosed location,” Aaron replied, and I could see that the security officer was not happy and that he was thinking if he should take this matter further, but instead he waved us through.

What I was not aware, was that two plain clothes Army officers who had gone through a few moments earlier, was watching the exchange between us and the security officer. When we reached the waiting lounge and sat down to wait for our flight, I had a feeling that we were being watched, and I scanned the area to see who was watching us, but I did not see anything unusual.

Moments later, I received a text message from Uncle Nat, “You are been watched for your protection, just relax and enjoy the trip. Uncle Nat,” and I showed the message to Aaron and we both looked to see who was watching, and I soon spotted a smiling young man who nodded to me, and I nodded back, before whispering to Aaron, “We have some Army Guardians travelling with us,” I said.

“Why is that?” Aaron asked, “Probably because I am the nephew of an Army Colonel, and that I have a high security clearance, far higher than that security officer back there,” I whispered back, and Aaron smiled at this comment, “Just as well I am on your side then eh!” Aaron whispered.

As we boarded our flight for the 1 /12 hour flight, I was surprised when we were directed to the business class seats towards the front of the plane, with Aaron having a window seat and I was sitting next to him with an aisle seat.

We placed our carry on bags in the locker directly above our seat, so we can keep an eye on them, and the flight was very uneventful, as we headed to the other terminal to prepare for our second flight, with our main luggage tagged to go right through to Hobart.

This time when we approached the security screening, I noticed the two Army Officers being questioned, then allowed to pass, after showing their ID cards. “I think they are DIO officers,” I whispered to Aaron, and when Aaron was about to asked, I added, “DIO means Defence Intelligence Organisation.”

Once again, we pulled out our cameras, computers and the sat phone to pass through the screening, and we walked through the screening gate, and directed to step to one side. I saw one of the DIO officers start to approach and I held up a hand to let him know that I could take care of it.

“What is it that you are concerned about officer?” I asked casually, “You are been randomly selected for a security sweep, so if you are quite finished and let me do my job, it will soon be over,” the officer replied.

I had a scanner go over my whole body for anything metal, then parts of my clothing were checked for any hazardous chemicals. “Sir, I would like to ask you and your fellow traveller to follow me for a body search,” the officer said to me, and I groaned in annoyance.

“We took two steps to follow so we were out of the way of other travellers, before we stopped. “I wish to know what grounds and authority do you have to request such a search?” I asked the security officer, “I have the authority as an airport security officer, so I suggest that you do as I ask,” the security officer said.

I was getting tired of this situation very quickly, and I could see that the two DIO officers were feeling the same way as they were fidgeting, so I put my hand into my inside jacket pocket, and retrieved my Army ID, which I was glad to have brought with me, along with my passport.

“Do you see those digits and letters at the bottom of my Army ID, they tell you that I have a much higher Federal security clearance than you do. So if you don’t want to mess with two very impatient Defence Intelligence Organisation officers standing just over to your left, and with my uncle who is a Colonel at Defence HQ in Canberra, I suggest that you let us pass without hindrance,” I said to the security officer.

The officer looked over his shoulder, and saw the two men that I had mentioned standing there impatiently and I could clearly see him swallow, “You can continue with your journey, have a safe flight,” the officer croaked out, and we picked up our bags, and walked towards the two men, who were now grinning.

“Hello, no doubt you know who we are, and I am guessing you gentlemen are DIO?” I said to the two men, “Yes Corporal, we know who you are, and yes we are DIO. Well done on putting that idiot down one place,” one of the men replied.

“Yes, it felt real good doing that, now all we have to do is get to Hobart without a problem,” I replied, “We won’t be joining you, but you will be met at the airport in Hobart and driven to the harbour, where the RV Investigator is waiting for it’s last two passengers,” the second officer said.

Because it was a short flight, we were just given a regular seat, and when we landed in Hobart, we went to collect our luggage, where two uniformed Army personnel were waiting for us. “Corporal Blackwood, welcome to Tasmania, is this your first time here?” the female soldier asked.

“Thankyou, and no this is my third visit to Tasmania, but it is a first for my cousin here, who was mostly brought up in the UK, but born in Adelaide,” I replied, and Aaron nodded his head to agree with what I said.

When we finally spotted our two swags and two duffle bags, we grabbed them and followed the two soldiers out of the terminal, where the Army vehicle was parked out front, and twenty minutes later, we pulled up outside a large group of buildings with the CSIRO logo on them.

“Good luck with your trip,” the male soldier said to us after we gathered our entire luggage and they drove off, while we wondered which building to go into, when we were caught by surprise of Uncle Nat approaching. “Welcome back to Tasmania Jacob, hi Aaron, did you both have a good trip?” he said to us.

“Yes, apart from the idiot airport security,” I replied, “Yes, I have been briefed about that, now let us get onboard, as the captain wants to leave as early as possible while we have favourable weather,” Uncle Nat said to us. “You are coming with us?” Aaron asked in shock.

“Yes, I have some well overdue holiday leave, so I am taking it now while I can,” Uncle Nat replied, as we followed him into the building in front of us, and out the other side, where we were dockside, with the research vessel moored alongside.

“Wow, big ship,” Aaron commented, “That she is, and we have adjoining cabins, with you boys sharing,” Uncle Nat said, “That is fine uncle, I am just looking forward to seeing this very remote island,” I replied, as we followed him along the wharf, and up the gangway to the main deck of the ship.

“Mr Hunter, this is my nephew Jacob and his second cousin Aaron, let the captain know that we are all onboard now,” Uncle Nat said to the officer standing at the top of the gangway. “Will do Colonel, I will leave it to you to show the lads their cabin,” the officer replied, before he headed inside, and soon there was a lot of activity on the deck, as we headed up one set of stairs, and then indoors.

“If you ever get lost during the voyage, just ask someone, or you will spot these layout maps on the wall, and there is an info kit in your cabin here, that shows you what you have access to during the voyage,” Uncle Nat said to us.

“That looked like another Ten Fold container on the aft deck, along with a heap of other containers,” I asked as we looked around our basic but comfortable cabin, which comes with our own bathroom. “You are correct there, when you received the latest two containers, a third was sent to Sydney, so the Army could see them.