Bourketown June 21st 1933:
Arrived here last night after a fairly good run from Lawn Hills where we stayed on Monday night. The road from Lawn Hills is not too bad now as it has recently been fire-ploughed. Had a puncture coming in but Prt from that had no further trouble.
Sunday at Riversleigh was a quiet day with S.S for the kiddies in the morning and some writing and a visit to the council camp in the afternoon and a little service at the house at night. Taking women folk and children along is not a good proposition as they cause too many delays. It was nearly 3 pm on Monday by the time I got Mrs Foster and the 3 kiddiues and Julie on board. We stopped only a few minutes at the Springs, Louie Ck, and the Frenchman’s an got to Lawn Hills at 5 pm. New people are here by the name of Munroes and Mrs Munroes sister, Miss Fletcher. They are very nice and want to make you feel at home but they are not really westernized yet. ( meaning Western Qld! ) They gave me a sugar bag full of lemons before I left. Only Mrs SCholes and the baby at home at Punjaub, Jack being away with bullocks. We had lunch here yesterday.
Just after I arrived here I met Mr Hosier and readily accepted his invitation to stay with him. Mrs Hosier is away with Gladys but Evelyn and Jim are home. A few of the locals alst night gave Mrs Stewart a surprise party on the occasion of her birthday at which party I also presented myself and spent a happy evening. It is very nice to be back amongst the Bourketon folk and only wish I could remain for a longer period.
The radiator on the car is leaking very freely and will have to be patched up before I turn homewards. I visited around the town today and called at the school for R.I and arranged for a service which we held at night with quite a nice crowd out, after which the kiddies had a bit of a play about. Evelyn played the hymns and very niocely too.
Thursday June 22nd 1933:
Weather came up very cloudy today and cold with some light rain. Spent most of the day at home as too cold to go out. Went across and saw the kiddies at the moissio house and very bright and happy they seemed. ( Assume these were aboriginal children. ) After tea got a book and sat in front of the fire until got sleepy.
Friday June 20th 1933:
The rain has gone but very windy today. Spent tge morning non the car, mending a puncture and endeavouring to fix the radiator. Made things a bit better than they were. After dinner drove the Randall, Stadhams and Foster families in Cecil’s lorry outn to Murrays and spent the afternoon there. Three of us went fishing after tea butisfactoryt too cold to stay long and caught no fish. Got several kiddies linked up with the S.S correspondence work. It is not a very satisfactory course but there is noone locally to take on S.S work.
Camoowal Wednesday June 25th 1933:
Arrived home last night about 8 o’clock, should have been in before dark but 20 miles out had a blow ougt which put us back a bit. We left Bourketown last Saturday morning and had a good run as far as Carringtons where we stayed the night. Stopped at all the places as we went along and at Brookdale had dinner and also got them all to join up with the S.S work and also the kiddies at Planet. Got the gramaphone out here and played the lot of records I had and finished up with a little song service. It was late before we got away on Sunday morning and only got as far as Gregory for dinner. Seamer is broken down here with a broken axle. Went over and stayed awhile at the station. Travlled along then and at Gallaghers camp picked up a chap with a very bad hand. Road terribly rough here where cattle have been on it in the wet. Near the Lily found the Hall party broken down with a flat battery, could do nothing for them. Well after dark when we reached Riversleigh. Radiator again giving trouble and carburettor leaking badly. Monday morning was spent in soldering carburettor and fixing radiator. Picked up Burke Cant here. Tregonniong with the bad hand, took a bit of time looking after him but his hand was less painful after being bathed and dressed. We reached Thorntonia and pulled up with the stock camp just at supper time. Did not go up to the house. Had supper and then all sat around the camp fire and had singing, gramaphone and accordion and stories. Council men camped here too. Had cocoa and toast for late supper. The boys had some cattle uyarded ready to brand so could not go on without spending a couple of hours in the yard, after which witnessed a couple of races between rival horses and ten had lunch at the house and came on to Undilla for smoko. Trued to shoot some turkeys coming in from Undilla but had to blame the gun as neither Burke or I were successful. Had a crowd here last night as George and Elwin came along later and with my two passenegers who also stayed my sleeping accommodation was greatly taxed. Fed them all with sausages for breakfast this morning which seemed to satisfy them. Got my mail today and that kept me quiet for awhile. Put my patient in the hospital.
Friday June 30th 1933:
Picked up Mrs Reilly this morning and left for the Rankine. It seemed as if I was doomed not to get there as I had tyre trouble right from the start and only got a few miles past Avon when I had use up all my spares of both tyres and tubes so came back to Avon. Could get nothing here so decided to return and when we met Norman going out Mrs Reilly went back with him and I came on home. Not sorry in a way as I was not very anxious to go out there but would have liked to have met the people all together. Had no trouble on the way home.
Saturday July 1, Sunday July 2……….( Domestic duties and services.)
Monday July 3rd 1933:
A busy day getting ready for the jumble stall and night organzed by the ladies in aid of M.I.M ( Methodist Inland Mission). A very successful night with quite a number of country folk in and result will be 20 pounds.
Tuesday July 4th 1933:
The cleaning up day but had everything restored to normal by lunch time.
Tuesday July 5th 1933:
Took the car down to Wilsons today and took the radiator off, soldered up many leaks and also put extra leaves in the front spring. Put the radiator back on but found more leaks higher up. Had no time to do anything more today.
( Before proceeding further with these diaries I need to note that there appeared to be no mention of my father meeting my mother in his travels. Or of her moving to Camooweal after her fathers death prior to my parents marrying. But I had been pondering the mention of Ivy ….I remember my mother telling stories of a much-loved aboriginal woman who worked on McArthur River Station as a house keeper. This name was occurring more frequently and the following diary entry confirms my suspicions that he was actually referring to my mother, Eileen, whose birthday is July 6th. A beautiful discovery! )
Thursday July 6th 1933:
Ivy’s birthday. (She would have been 19. My father was 31 )
Was kept busy in getting ready for the surprise party at night. Had Ivy up for tea, after which went for a drive and on returning all the guests were here. It was a real surprise for her. Mrs Robby made a bonza cake and the moonlight night enabled everything to go off really well.
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