Travelling Vets - 18. TV Chapter 18

Over the next two days, we travelled north to Katherine, stopping at Daly Waters overnight, which is also the junction of the Carpentaria Highway that heads East to northern Queensland. After a three-hour journey, we arrived in Katherine, and we stopped for a moment to watch the Ghan Train passed by slowly, which was an interesting sight to see, as it continues its three-day journey south from Darwin to Adelaide. After refuelling, emptying the sewage tank and filling the water tanks, and buying a few food items, we turned onto the Victoria Highway, with our home now just over 500 kilometres away.

The small town of Timber Creek, located just two hours east of the border, and the last town in the Northern Territory, was just under three hours journey away from Katherine and would be our last overnight stop, before arriving home, and we chose to stay at the Big Horse Creek Campground, just a few kilometres west of the town, and right on the banks of the Victoria River.

What interested me about this location, was that less than a kilometre back there is a turnoff to Bradshaw, the Defence Department Field Training Centre, and retrieving the Sat phone, I dialled a number I knew from the top of my head. “This is Jexon Kendrik, wishing to speak to the Colonel please,” I said when the call was answered. “Hello, there Mr Kendrik. Long time no hear. How is life as a full-time Veterinarian?” the Colonel asked when he came onto the phone line.

“Hello, sir. A lot has happened since I was last in contact. I married a wonderful man, and we have been to the UK and back, I also have two young cousins who I am now their guardian after their parents were killed in an accident, and we are almost home after a month of travelling in a double-decker bus from the Gold Coast, which has been quite an experience,” I responded.

“Sounds like an interesting time, now how may I assist you?’ the Colonel asked, “Sir, we are currently at Timber Creek, our last overnight stop before arriving home tomorrow, and I was wondering about…”, “Bradshaw,” the Colonel said interrupting me, and I chuckled at this. “Yes sir, exactly that, I believe that my current location at the Big Horse Campsite, puts me about ten clicks away from it, on the other side of the river,” I asked.

“Do you still have your Army ID Card on you?” the Colonel asked me, “Yes sir, I have been meaning to return it, but it always seems to slip my mind, with a busy family life and a busy veterinary practice to run,” I answered, “Keep it on you, it may come useful some days, like now. “I will get in contact with the caretakers at Bradshaw and let them know to expect you in the morning,” the Colonel announced. “Thank you, Sir. It is much appreciated,” I responded happily.

After a visit to the Bradshaw facility early the next day, we headed back to the highway, and headed west, with just over two hours of travelling left to complete. When we arrived at the border checkpoint, there was quite a long line of livestock trucks in line, waiting to be processed, so I suggested to Marcus that he pulls over since he was driving, and I would go and see what is happening, and I grabbed a hand-held radio to take with me.

“Well, hello there Dr Kendrik, you have returned,” the Border Officer said as soon as he saw me, “Yes, heading home. What is the hold up here?” I replied, “I’m sorry to say, we have a road closure at Thompson’s Spring Road, we have had a few heavy rainfalls over the past few days, and there is still water over the highway at that creek crossing,” the Border Officer replied.

“WA Police Mobile to WA Border, over” we both heard over the VHF radio, “Go ahead Sergeant, over,” the Border officer responded, “I think we may be able to allow a controlled passage through, but I want a second opinion before I make the final decision, over,” the Police Sergeant said, and I signalled the for the Border officer to hand over the radio. “Sergeant, Dr Kendrick here, I will be there shortly, over,” I said before handing back the radio.

“Take my vehicle if you like,” the Border officer suggested, “Thanks, but I have a jeep in the back of the trailer, that I can use,” I replied before walking back to the bus, where Marcus and the boys were waiting just outside the door, “Road closed at the Thompson Creek crossing, Im just going to take the jeep to help the police Sergeant make an assessment,” I explained.

At the crossing, I very slowly crossed over the water-logged highway, and I was not sure if it was safe at all, and after some discussions with the Sergeant, we decided to keep the highway closed, just as a shire truck arrived, equipped with road closure signs, of which some were loaded onto my jeep as I carefully made the journey back over to the other side. Once I had set up the signs, across both lanes of the highway, on the east side of the crossing, I headed back to the border, where I set up another set of signage on the road, just where the two lanes merge again.

While I was doing this, the border officer was speaking to the drivers of all vehicles that the highway was officially closed. Some of the smaller vehicles elected to turn around and return to Timber Creek and wait there till the highway reopens, while all of the trucks that had livestock onboard, turned around and headed to Newry Station and the Quarantine station, to offload their stock and wait, leaving the freight trucks to wait out at the border.

We also turned around, but we only went as far as Newry Station, having telephoned ahead to Mum to let her know that we too were stuck at the border due to the road closure, and she was pleased to hear that we were coming to visit, as it had been too long since she had seen us. We ended up staying a few days longer at Newry after the highway was reopened, and eventually, we headed home to our River Farm Road home where the boy’s Grandmother was very happy to be back, and at work.

Auggie and the rest of the staff were happy to see us again, and it took us a few days to get resettled at home and back to work again. Marcus resumed his part of the business by returning to flying to the stations and I resumed as a senior veterinarian, taking some of the work-load off Auggie, and I gave him two weeks off for a holiday, which he took down in Perth, to catch up with family.

I was pleased to be back at work, and with family, friends and work colleagues, we returned to a routine, and finally, the boys were able to settle into a normal school, as I had chosen to keep the boys close to home, so they would be attending the local school.

As well as working at the vet hospital, I was also working on building our investments, with the new housing for staff nearly completed at Caldesia Loop, I had also invested in some land in the new residential development located southeast of town, where I bought a large corner 4,050 square metre block on Hibiscus Drive and Argentea Ave and the 1,200 square metre block behind it.

I requested and was granted a change of zoning for all of those blocks to become commercial spaces and I submitted plans for the rear block to become four commercial buildings, with two-bedroom apartments upstairs, with two parking bays behind each building, one for the commercial operator and one for the residents, plus three customer parking bays at the front of each building.

For the larger block of land, I was planning to build a small shopping centre, with a supermarket and restaurant, both will have side loading bays and storage areas and shared bathrooms between the two businesses, and all of the buildings would be built to severe cyclone code standards, and will be designed to be used as emergency shelters in case of a cyclone, and a sheltered walkway will link the four commercial businesses with the main shopping centre.

The staff housing at Caldesia Loop were also been built to a severe cyclone standard so that we know that all of our staff will stay safe in case of a cyclone emergency. Although always busy with work, I always made time for Marcus and the boys to have our own home life, to just relax and not worry about anything important, and enjoy just being together as a family.

We all kept very busy with work and studies, time flew past quickly. I now had all of my Kununurra staff accommodated in Caldesia Village as I call it, which the local government has permitted me to build a 2-metre high quarry stone wall around the boundary, with an electronic double gate to match.

Of the 14 blocks, 8 of them were used to build two 2-bedroom units on each one, so there are a total of 16 single-level units in total, while the three central blocks on the back street have a fenced 25-metre, three-lane swimming pool, two large gazebos, two large BBQ’s, lawn area, with mature palm trees around the roadside boundary.

The two blocks in front of the pool area have two tennis courts, with the central block having a small stadium, that seats 48 people in each court direction, plus 24 seats that face the pool, with three small change bathrooms underneath.