Himalayan Home - 8. HH Chapter 8

At dinner time, I told Mum and Dad about the latest news from my old school in Tasmania, and both parents were shocked. “Well, it looks like we are not the only parents that are not happy with the court’s decision, is there anything else about it?” Dad said in response.

“Yes, the School Board and the Anglican Church have jointly filed to the Supreme Court, to overturn the latest decision, saying that it is within the Schools long standing rules and regulations that each student and their parents have to understand and acknowledge, before been permitted to enrol into the school.

The court was informed that the School Board and the School Disciplinary Panel had independently decided to expel the three student bullies in question, and stated that with the court’s decision to overturn the expulsion has put the school at risk of closing due to the drop of senior students enrolled to attend the school, because of it, and so an emergency hearing as been requested.” I informed my parents.

“Well, that is very interesting, we look forward to hearing all about what happens, so keep us in touch with what happens, ok?” Dad said in response. “Will do Dad, and thanks for allowing me to stay home and attend my old school, it was awesome being back here again,” I said smiling.

I kept in contact with Lenn and Giles on a weekly basis, and via their fiends who are still attending the school, the student numbers as continuing to fall in all three senior school grades, and that there three bullies are back to their old tricks, but they somehow manage to get away with their troubles, as no one can prove that it is them that is causing all of the troubles.

I knew that there was nine weeks of school remaining at the Bhutan school before the mid-year semester holidays, which is for three weeks, and I had asked Mum and Dad if I could spend that time staying with Aunty Grace in Tasmania, knowing that my last week of holidays, coincides with the first week of mid-year school holidays in Tasmania, which they had agreed on, and Aunty Grace was looking forward to seeing me again.

My teachers in Bhutan had asked me for the contact details for my former school in Tasmania, with the idea of seeing if the students from both schools could work together on a few subjects via video conferencing, which I thought was a good idea, as long as the three bullies were not included in an ay of the joint classes.

After three weeks back at my old school in Thimbhu, I had just walked out of my last class for the day and turned my mobile phone back on, as I began the walk home, and my phone beeped a number of times with messages, but before I could read them, my phone rang, which made me jump.

“Hey Dechen this is Lenn, and Giles is with me, we hope we haven’t disturbed anything important,” I heard the familiar voice say as soon as I answered the call. “Hey guys, what’s all the excitement? I’m guessing all the messages are from you guys?” I replied, and my friends chuckled about that.

“Yeah, sorry about that, we had a special visitor come to Tasmania, and in particular to our former school, and as a former Prefect, I was invited to attend. Man, you won’t believe it, but the fricking Dalai Lama came to the school, and gave a talk on tolerance and harmony.

It was an awesome experience, he said that he had heard about the trouble happening at the school, and he felt it important that he speaks to the whole school population.

He also mentioned that he was hoping to meet and speak to an inspirational young man who was attending the school, but was saddened to learn that the inspirational young man, who we all know who he is talking about, was no longer attending the school and has returned to his adopted home in the Himalayas.

When the Headmaster informed His Holiness of a meditation group that has continued to run, even with the absence of the inspirational young man, he was keen to meet those who attend and asked to be shown where the group meets.

What was amazing is that the headmaster asked me to show His Holiness the location of the meditation room, in the upper levels of the Chapel, and we spent half an hour with him in meditation, which was something that I will never forget, thanks to you my friend,” Lenn said to me.

“Well, I am very pleased that you have experienced that special time with him, he is indeed a very special person. I feel a little jealous that you got to meet him and I didn’t, but I must not think that as it is frowned upon within the Buddhist religion,” I responded.

“Err, there is more news, after His Holiness had left yesterday afternoon, and just after school ended for the day, the Supreme Court handed down its decision regarding the overturning of the expulsion of the three bullies, and the School and Church won, meaning that as of today they can no longer attend the school,” Lenn informed me.

“But wait, there is more,” Giles said, “More!” I responded, and all three of us burst out laughing with Giles quoting a famous tele-info advert, and I quoted a famous saying by and famous actor in the movie Oliver. “Ok, spill it, what more is there?” I asked once we had all calmed down.

“There was a fire at the school last night, and all of the Performing Arts building and parts of the Administration building, the Science Block classrooms and the Gymnasium were badly damaged, and guess who have been arrested on suspicion of causing the fire?” Lenn informed me.

“Oh really, wow, this is really sad that they would go that far, just because they lost the court decision to remain at the school,” I responded in shock, “Yes, my friend, it’s very sad indeed, anyway the school has had to close for a week, until the clean-up has been completed, and the damage has been assessed,” Giles added.

“Well, I hope that this puts all of this drama to an end, and the school can get back to educating again. Will your folks be letting you guys to return to the school?” I asked, “Yes, but not until after the mid-year holidays are over in early July. But the big question is, will you be returning?” Lenn replied.

“I’m not sure yet, it will be a matter of wait and see I am afraid. That reminds me, I have some news of my own, over here we have only two semesters, like they do at Universities there in Australia, and my last week of mid-year holidays coincides with your first week of mid-year holidays, and I will be there in Tasmania, staying with my Aunty Grace for that week and the week before,” I announced to my friends.

“Wow, that is cool, can we organise a hiking and camping trip somewhere?” Giles asked sounding excited and pleased that he will see me again soon, and I chuckled at this. “Yes, I think that will be ok, I will be there for two weeks, so we can spend the afternoons of your last week of school term making final preparations,” I replied, happy that my friends are looking forward to my trip back to Australia, as was I.

Over the next few weeks, Lenn, Giles and I were emailing backwards and forwards, and sometimes speaking on the mobile, planning our up coming hiking and camping trip, and half way through our planning, when we realised that it will be I the middle of winter and that will make things difficult, then we discovered that Mountain Biking would be a better option.

While in Tasmania, my folks asked me to spend some time with Aunty Grace, to look at other options of private schooling in Tasmania, so that is what I would be concentrating on for the first week of my visit back to Australia, as well as finishing up the planning of our Mountain Biking Holiday.

By the time I was on my way to Australia for my short two-week holiday, we had arranged for me to have interviews and a look at the Launceston Grammar School in northern Tasmania, on my first week there, with the view of starting school at the start of next year.

Because I was overseas, I had left it to Lenn and Giles to decide where exactly we would be going for our trip, all I had to do was make sure that I had all the required camping gear and a good quality mountain bike. I was very much surprised when I learnt that the lads had chosen the Maydena Mountain Bike Park for us to spend our time, and I decided to not tell them that Maydena was my home town.

When I told Mum and Dad that this is where we would be based while doing our mountain biking, I saw an instant reaction from both, that didn’t look good, as they looked at each other with sadness, and I was now really confused and worried.

“We have something that we need to tell you, and it happened a few years before you were born…” Dad started to say to me, as Mum sighed loudly, “When I was away in Hobart doing some additional medical training, about two months after your Mum and I married, your Mum was at home alone when my… my younger brother – Jake called by the house one evening when he was drinking, and made inappropriate advances towards your mum,” Dad said to me.

“I managed to lock the house up and hide, and I called the police, which in those days the nearest police station was in New Norfolk, 50 kilometres away, so I knew that it would take them time to get to the property. I called your father, and when he finally came to the phone, Jake was shouting and banging on the doors and he even broke a couple of glass louvers.

Using a second phone at the hospital, your father called the police and made them hear what was happening there, from the still open phone call from my talking to your father, and that made the police realise that my call was very serious,” Mum added.

“Anyway, Jake disappeared before the police arrived, and although they did search for him, he never returned, and we presumed that he had gone to the mainland. About three months ago and again a month ago, I received emails from a family friend who still lives in Maydena, who informed us that Jake was back in town again, and he had been demanding to know where his brother is, but they kept tight lipped and never told him, but they did notify the police as well as sending us an email.

We learnt last week, that Jake had returned to Maydena and he had pleaded to know where his brother is, as it was an urgent medical matter, and we have been considering getting in contact with him, but we haven’t yet,” Dad said to me. “If it is an urgent medical matter, don’t you think you should find out what he wants?” I asked, “We have been seriously considering it, but we didn’t want him to find out that we have been living overseas for the past twelve years, and he doesn’t know about you and your brother.

He has also tried to get in contact with your Aunty Grace a few times, and the house that you stayed in, is her third house she has moved into since that incident, so we are really worried about it. Let’s forget all about this shall we, it is an old family matter that we should just leave alone for now,” Dad said to me.

When I arrived in Hobart, tired from the long journey, I was happy to see Aunty Grace there to meet me, and she gave me a big kiss on the cheek and a long hug, before suggesting that we collect my luggage, which I had made sure was just one backpack this time, just enough clothes to last me for the two-week holiday.

We were nearly at the luggage collection area, when Aunty Grace stopped dead in her tracks, and the look on her face was one of anger and shock, as I noticed a man that looked very familiar approaching, even though I was sure I had never met him before. “Oh know, this I was not expecting,” I heard Aunty Grace say.