Travelling Vets - 24. TV Chapter 24

When the media got hold of the news that there was a new road project happening in remote Western Australia and the Northern Territory, it didn’t take them long to learn that our family had a large investment in the project. What caught me by surprise when this did reach the media, was that the Western Australian Government had negotiated with the Federal Government to expand the project to seal from the Buntine Highway and Duncan Road Junction, for an additional 12 kilometres to the Northern Territory border.

Meanwhile, the Northern Territory had negotiated to expand the project on their side of the border for an additional 220 kilometres to the first main town of Kalkarinji, which would not only benefit that community but also all the cattle stations along that route, which includes our families two stations. Furthermore, the Western Australian Government was in negotiations to try and have the Duncan Highway westwards sealed to Halls Creek, which is 170 kilometres.

A few weeks later, once all the media hype had died down a little, Marcus, the boys and I planned a weekend away from town, taking the bus as our mode of transport and accommodation to Newry station, to spend time with the family, even thou I see Mary and Rhodes at least two or three times a week, sometimes more. The boy’s grandmother was now living full-time at Newry Station, as she had Mum to keep her company, as well as assist with the workload around the homestead.

On Saturday evening, as we sat down for dinner after I had returned from a full day of work out on the station, Mum announced that after dinner, we would be having a family meeting with Uncle Owen and his oldest son Samuel joining us via video link. “Good evening, family. How is everyone over at Newry?” Uncle Owen said cheerfully when he came online, with Samuel sitting next to him.

“Hi Uncle and Samuel, everything is really good from what I see, after spending a full day out in the paddocks today,” I replied, “That is good to hear nephew, I hear that you drove the double-decker over for the weekend with the whole family,” Uncle Owen said to me. “We did, Owen. Makes it less complicated with accommodation, when we bring our own with us,” Marcus said.

“Hey, Uncle Owen, where are you going, as that does not look like Inverway or Riveren Stations,” Rhodes asked, “Well spotted cousin, that is the main reason for this family conference. The whole family has invested in some more Cattle country, of which we are at one of the three stations that we have recently purchased,” Samuel announced, and I looked at Mum in surprise at this announcement.

“You were too busy with your project, so Owen, Samuel and I worked on expanding our stations once again, this time in a more suitable way, with all the stations close together,” Mum said to confirm what Samuel had announced. “Ok, so which stations has the family purchased?” I asked. Bunda Station, which is to the west and next door to Inverway, and Kirkimbie Station which is immediately to the north of Bunda.

Finally, there is Nicholson Station, which is just inside Western Australia, at the corner of Duncan Road and the Buntine Highway, and due west of Bunda Station, and it is here where Samuel is now based,” Uncle Owen announced. “So, you are at Nicholson Station?” Marcus asked sounding surprised, and Samuel chuckled at this, “Yes, cousin-in-law, we are at Nicholson, and I must say it is a beautiful station to be on, but Dad will be back on the road heading home in the morning,” Samuel responded.

“Yes, I have to get back to Inverway, as there is always plenty of work to be done,” Uncle Owen said to us. After a bit more of a chat, we ended the video conference with Nicholson Station, and we chatted for a bit longer before my younger siblings headed off to prepare for bed. After a delicious Sunday roast lunch, we said goodbye to Mum, Mrs Appleton, and the siblings, as we climbed onboard our bus, and headed west back to our home in Kununurra.

Surprisingly, work began very quickly on the road project to seal the Duncan Road, between the two highways, with a WA team doing the sealing of Duncan Road, starting from the northern end, while an NT team was sealing the Buntine Highway, starting from Kalkarinji, and heading west towards the border, with a total of 408 kilometres of sealed road from Halls Creek to Kalkarinji and 272 kilometres from the Buntine Highway junction, north to the Victoria Highway, a total of 680 kilometres, all of it completed in just 17 weeks, and during those 4 months, both the Buntine Highway and Duncan Road was restricted to local traffic only with heavy restrictions of heavy vehicles like trucks.

As the third term school holidays fast approached, we received news that the new sealed roads would be officially opened days before the school holidays begin, and the whole family quickly made plans, to make a convoy trip along the new roads starting from the Victoria Highway, and ending at Kalkarinji, then turning back to stay overnight at Inverway.

Owen and his three younger children would drive to Halls Creek, with Samuel joining them in his vehicle from the Nicholson turnoff and heading north to Kununurra on the Great Northern Highway, and the Victoria Highway, where we would all gather at Newry Station.

Two days later, with Rhodes and Mary travelling with Samuel in his vehicle with his sister Alexandria riding along with him, Uncle Owen and his two youngest children in their Inverway vehicle plus Marcus, the boys and I in the Bus, and Mum, Mrs Appleton, and my two youngest siblings travelling in the Newry vehicle, we set off at 7 am, towards the Duncan Highway turnoff on the Victoria Highway, only to be stopped by the Territory Police Officer based in Timber Creek.

“Dr Kendrik, where is this convoy of cars heading?” the officer asked me when he saw me in the driver seat of the bus, and I opened the window to speak to him. “Well, the whole family is heading to Rivern Station for the anniversary of the passing of our father, and my mum’s husband. His ashes are located on that station,” I half lied, knowing that the anniversary of our Dad passing was a few months away yet.

“I see, and you need all of these vehicles to get there?” the officer asked me, “Yes sir, two of the vehicles are station vehicles, one from Inverway, and the other is from Bunda Station, they came up to Kununurra via Halls Creek last week, to deal with business, and they are heading home. The other vehicle is the station vehicle from Newry Station, and this of course is my family’s vehicle and mobile home when needed,” I replied.

“I see, well I wished that you could have waited an extra five days until the official opening, but because you are local station owners, I can’t properly stop you from getting back to your cattle stations, so I am going to let you pass,” the officer responded, and with the double-decker in the lead, we turned left onto Duncan Road.

“Didn’t you tell the local WA police that we were heading down to Riveren today?” Marcus asked me, “I did, I guess they don’t communicate very well between the WA and the NT police forces,” I replied. Our first stop is the newly recommissioned Newry Outstation, which is located 3 kilometres west of Duncan Road, located approximately 8 kilometres south of the Victoria Highway.

The outstation has been used as a temporary work base during mustering, over the last few decades by the previous owners of the station, and has had little use since our family took over ownership, but we now had two full-time staff based there. Mum, Uncle Owen and I had a bit of a long discussion with the two staff members based there before we set off in a convoy once again.

Just forty kilometres down the road, we slowed down as we saw a couple of station vehicles on the side of the road, what looked to be at the Rosewood Station turnoff, and as we stopped we saw a large crowd gathered with four vehicles parked there. “Hello Dr Kendrik, we heard that you lot were convoying down the new road, and we decided to come down and say hello,” Jessie – the Indigenous station manager said to me smiling.

“Hey Jess, that is nice of you, and please call me Jexon. Are you going to join us, we are going as far as Kalkarinji, but turning back and camping at Riveren, you and your staff that you can spare are welcome to join us,” I replied, That would be great thanks Dr… I mean Jexon, just give us half an hour to get organised, and we will join you,” Jessie responded.

While we waited, Marcus put together an early morning tea for our family while we waited, sitting on the fold-out chairs under the shade awning, which we quickly began to pack up as soon as we heard approaching vehicles. “The word is out, Jexon. We will have a vehicle from Argyle Downs Station joining us about 12 kilometres down the road at their turnoff,” Jessica said when she arrived, and I just laughed.

“If the coppers up on the Victoria Highway knew about this, they will not be too pleased,” Marcus commented, as he finished putting the last of the fold-up chairs and table away in the underneath storage locker, while the boys had taken the supplies back inside to the kitchen, to be cleaned and put away. “It wouldn’t really matter, as we will be in WA by that stage,” Jessica responded, which made me laugh more.