Desert Air - 43. DA Ch 43 - Animals Big and Small

Inside, was what I did not expect, a large Frilled Neck Lizard. I thanked them for handing the lizard in, and said I would do the best to get it well again, before releasing it, and they left with me having to look after the lizard, as well as the echidna, dog and three pups.

Leaving the lizard as it is, I headed outside and collected some small sections of large trunks, some branches with plenty of leaves, and back inside the clinic, I walked out the back, and I made one of the large cages closest to the door, into a new home for the lizard.

Back outside, I collected a container of red dirt, which I placed on the floor of the cage, before arranging the logs and branches, along with a container of water, before placing the lizard inside. Back inside, I called the compound, hoping that Mum was there.

“Hi Mum, quick question, do you still have that heat lamp, and do you need it?” I asked when Mum answered the call. “Yes, I do and no I don’t need it, why is that Jex?” Mum replied, “Well I have an Echidna and more recently an injured Filled Necked Lizard,” I replied.

“Sounds like you are already very busy,” Mum said, “Yes, I also have a Blue Healer and three pups that I am minding for Mike Bindi, as they have to go away on some Sorry Business,” I replied. “Dad has just walked in, I will go and find the lamp, while you talk to him,” Mum said.

After a brief chat with Dad, and Mum locating the heat lamp, we ended the call with Dad to come over later in the day with the lamp, and a few things that I had left behind, and after checking on the dog and her pups, who I had bedded down in one of the inside animal nursing areas.

I headed home to have some lunch, and to do a quick look around at the other station buildings located just over 9 ½ kilometres NNW of the homestead, which are left over from an old mining operation, which the previous owners had retained as extra staff living space.

Located on the banks of the Brockman River, there are a number of large waterholes that are left over from the mining, the first building I came across on the right hand side of the station track, is a small machinery shed, that has a concrete floor, with an area of about 240 square metres.

There are a number of power points around the shed, and plenty of fluro lighting inside and some spotlights outside, and this got me thinking about possible uses for the shed. Further along, I found another shed, with some additions added, which looked fairly rough, and I decided that I would have that demolished and removed, along with a number of vehicle wrecks, and a few very small sheds, that look like they need to be removed.

There are two houses, with yards around them, with the garden and lawns well past dead, which I decided to keep, and I would get them renovated, so they are liveable again. There is a cleared area opposite the two houses, which is about 5 acres in area, with the whole region being very flat and treeless.

After a good look around, I headed back to town, to get a few more animal supplies, before returning to the clinic to check on the animals that I was looking after, and there was another vehicle with East Pilbara Rego plates parked in the spare staff parking area.

The front door was unlocked, so I guessed that it was Jess who was here, as I called out hello as I entered, “Hi Jex, I am in with the pups,” she called back, and leaving the supplies I had in reception, I headed to the back area of the clinic.

“Nice Pups, are you looking for homes for them?” Jess asked when I entered the room, “I am, they are Blue Healer crossed with Kelpie, and I am minding them and the mother while the owner is away with sorry Business,” I replied.

“Yes, I know about that, it is in Newman, quite a large gathering is happening there,” Jess replied. “I see, I might keep one pup for myself, I am still thinking about it, since I have just received them this morning,” I said.

“I have some more supplies for your clinic and mine, I have been holding fortnightly clinics here for the locals, and I have been getting enough business to cover costs, so I think it has been worth it,” Jess announced.

Once I had put away everything that I had bought, as well as what Jess had bought, we sat down for a cup of tea, and a good chat, and I asked if she would be staying overnight before heading home to Newman, and she said she is, and I offered her to have dinner with me at the homestead, which she accepted.

During our chat, I learnt that Marcus is doing very well at the practice in Newman, and that apart from Marble Bar they had also been doing fortnightly clinics at Tom Price and Paraburdoo, which kept them both very busy.

When Dad arrived at about 5 pm, in my Bi Plane, Jess and I set up the heat lamp for the lizard and echidna, before I flew Dad and Jess back to the station in the Twin Otter, as Mum had invited both of us for dinner at the complex, which would be much better than what I had planned for dinner.

I learnt during dinner that my brother Rhodes would be arriving a week earlier than my other siblings, who still had another two weeks remaining of school after Rhodes arrives home mid next week, with him being very eager to start work at Limestone.

After dinner, I flew Jess back to the airport, where Jess would stay at the clinic overnight, before heading home to Newman, and I drove home to the station homestead, where I would be alone once more, and although I do like peace and quiet, I also like to have some people around me also.

After seeing Jess off in the morning, I fed the animals, and changed the dressings on the lizard and the echidna, before sitting down in my office, and I started to set up my own website, to promote my new business.

When I heard an aircraft approaching the airport, I opened my office blinds, which have a view of the parking apron and the taxiway, and it was the RFDS, and I saw a vehicle drive onto the parking apron and wait for the plane to stop.

With it not being my business, I continued working on the website, until the door bell sounded to let me know that someone was at the clinic door, and I saw a smiling Mum and Dad standing there, as I approached and let them in.

“Hey, what brings you both into town?” I asked, once I had let them in, “We have come to collect the Bi Plane, so as to return it to the base, and also to get a few supplies from the store in town, until we do some shopping in Port Hedland next week, when we go to collect Rhodes,” Dad replied.

I showed them the pups that I was looking after, and they asked to have one, once it is ready to be weened from its mother in a few weeks time, which I was pleased to hear, so I only have to find a home for one pup now, as I had decided to keep one for myself.

“Just wanted to let you know, that Jake has asked if he can come back to working part time on Limestone, and I said I would ask you, since you are now in charge,” Dad informed me, “Yes, it will be good to have him back, gets a bit lonely there on my own, when can he get here?” I replied.

“How would tomorrow sound, he is in Port Hedland now,” Dad answered, “That is great, he is a much better cook than I am, I will ring him, and get him to do some shopping for me, before he leaves there,” I said happily.

While having some morning tea in the staff room Dad asked me what plans I have for the station, and I explained that apart from doing some water checks, I hadn’t had a chance to sot down and do much, apart from starting to set up a website for the veterinary business.

“I have had a look at those old buildings, 9 or so clicks north of here, and I have decide to pull down and clear away some of the rundown buildings, and I would like to renovate the two houses that are there that are good enough to keep, plus the machinery shed nearby would be useful for any community events into eh future,” I said.

“Oh, do you have anything in mind?” Mum asked me, “Well if I can borrow the backhoe, I would like to do some slight changes to the water holes that are left over from the mining, I would like to use one as a pit to bury the old cars, and old buildings, and partly fill in some of the waterholes, and partly dig out a channel, to create a recreational lake, that the community can use for swimming and kayaking,” I suggested.

“Interesting idea, how about you show us what we have in mind, and maybe we can provide some assistance in some way,” Dad said to me. After checking all the animals, we set off in my vehicle north wards to the area of the station where I wanted to do the work.

As we wondered around the area, Dad suggested adding a concrete slab to the outside of the machinery shed, covering about the same area of the shed, for additional area, and maybe adding an outdoor barbeque area on the side of the new slab, close to the shed for cooking during events.

Mum and Dad agreed with me with demolishing the rundown buildings and restoring the two houses that are still in reasonable order, and they liked the idea of mine to extend the lake for kayaking purposes, and using existing stockpiles of dirt around the lake for filling in parts off the lake that would not be useful.

I dropped off Mum and Dad at our hanger at the airport, so they could fly back to the Airbase in the Bi Plane, and I headed back to my office to call Jake and to continue working on my website, and I took some photos of the frilled neck lizard, the echidna, as well as Bella and her pups which I added to the website.

“Limestone Veterinary Clinic - Airport Road, Mable Bar. Dr J Kendrick DVSc, MSc (Zoology) – Vet Aerial Services to East Pilbara and East Ashburton Shires.”

This was what was on the title page, and I already had a photo of the Twin Otter, which I added to the website, along with office hours, being in the afternoon, six days a week, with phone appointments and emergency calls at other times.

I also added a link to the Newman Veterinary Clinic, so as to promote Jessica’s practice, and added her contact details and office hours. Once I had done that, I began to make up a Facebook Page, with all of the same information and photos, and I activated that before adding the information onto the website and activating the site.

Happy that I had completed all of the marketing side of the business, I checked on all the animals, and restocked their food and water, before heading home for lunch, and I headed back to the clinic just before 1 pm, to wait and see if any patients arrive.

By the end of the day, I had seen a total of five dogs, giving them a good check over and treated one for worms, plus I had three kittens surrendered for new homes to be found, and I kept them in the indoor area, also while at the clinic, I received notifications on my phone for likes and comments, on my new website and new Facebook page, of which one was from Jessica.

The next morning, with Jake due to arrive around lunch time, I fed all the animals before setting off to do another water run, this time along the western side of the property, which included checking a gorge just 1.5 kilometres south of Marble Bar road, which is a popular tourist site, located on the property, 42 kilometres North of town by road.