Am on Bathurst Island still, an impromptu reorganisation meant that we've spent three nights in Nguiu. There is a group of Yr 12 boys from Melbourne visiting as well so tonight there was a concert outside by a local band, B2M. They were really great, and a couple of the guys had gorgeous voices. When they started, they had a 3-string guitar and a keyboard with 4 working keys so they're harmonies are fantastic. Was a good way to spend a balmy Tuesday evening.
The wet is definately coming - it's not stupidly humid yet but there is a definate change in the air and you can feel the moisture sticking to your face. It's apparently a lot earlier than normal but don't think we'll get caught in any storms... although I could be wrong. It just feels like normal tropic humidity at the moment. But am hoping that I bought two more shirts at any rate....
The kids have been great. The highschool mob were really good - some of them seemed to have a fantastic ability to pick up the patterns and shapes underlying many of the puzzles. Their spatial skills were pretty good. Today we did the primary school kids and I had the T (kindy) to Yr 3's in the morning. The little kids were great, had lots of fun and they did ok. Taught me a new Tiwi word - Kali Kali (means come here).
Get the feeling that a couple of the Yr 3 boys are going to be in trouble later - a fight broke out and one of them picked up a bit of wood bout 70cms long and tried to hit another kid with it while we were in the middle of the session, and there were a couple of Yr 6/7 kids trying to convince them to leave school with them. There is also the great Redskin conspiracy - a box of Redskins were taken (you'd think the culprit would be pretty obvious...).
The island itself has a really good vibe but like any community it's got it's own problems so the band started with the purpose of encouraging the kids to make positive choices. Their songs are all about drugs, alcohol or being together as a strong group.
The bridge session went well - one group built a great bridge and the kid was so proud of himself. The principal ended up looking after it so it wouldn't get wrecked.
So we wandered down to the art gallery and met a painter there called Alan. He was in the middle of finishing a painting of a stingray that he started two weeks ago... he started it as a dugong but it didn't seem right so he changed... and then he found out about Steve Irwin dying. He dreamt about it the next night and all the colours, the picture, appeared to him. So he's painted it pretty quickly. Then he started telling us how to cook stingray, the best bits to eat... was pretty interesting. Will head back tommorrow to buy a couple of things before we catch the ferry across to Paru, where (hopefully) the principal of Milikapedi will be waiting. Met someone from there today whose brother died recently and the funeral is on Friday so we're going to catch up on Thursday.
All in all, a pretty good week despite actually arriving on the islands without any equipment.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Long Way to Tipperary (and Bathurst Island apparently)
So to finish the last post...
Tipperary Station was built in the early 80's by a millionare who had watched 'Out of Africa' and colonial histories waaaay too many times. He spent $70 million in 70 days fixing up the station so it looked like something out of a movie - long verandahs with wooden double shutters, brass fittings and palm trees. All very picturesque, not all actually useful. For example, the school (which looked great) had no staff toilet, no wet room but a huge hall (for 12 kids) with a tin roof and no insulation (in the NT). No-one was allowed to park on the grass and there were sprinklers going constantly - all very green and lush to this native Canberrans eye.
Then of course he lost it all in the great stock market crash of 1989 and he had to get rid of the zoo... he couldn't afford to keep his menagerie of wild animals so the NT government had to take over paying for their food. He was later accosted at the airport with a gun... (thanks Sara for the research ;o)
Tipperary was eventually bought out by a couple of new people, one of which is apparently one of Australia's most expensive QCs. So it's been redone, it's all very nice and pretty. Home to 150 people (apparently cattlemen and mechanics but i prefer to believe they are mostly gardeners, cleaners and cooks). And on another note, it was a bit of a shock to see fat kids again (and i'm being generous by saying fat) but it may have something to do with the fact they all get free meat.
Anyway, the school went well. It was all boys in the afternoon so sat at the computer and showed them illusions and Julian Beever pavement drawings. Was a fun afternoon actually.
Then we set off down the road, Rich driving and worrying the whole way (I mean honestly, who needs to see around corners anyway and how often do 4WD tip over?) and we made it to Darwin a couple of hours behind the other team. We did stop on the way to help an old fella who had about 6 kids in the back of his station wagon. He'd run out of fuel so we gave him 10L of water... not really a solution but at least they had something to drink while they waited. So thought that would give us some good karma....
Hmmm...
Weekend was good actually. Caught up with Kimiko and John who I haven't seen since June when they decided to drive around Australia anti-clockwise. It's pretty cool that we managed to meet up in Darwin - just missed them in Katherine by about 10 minutes and thought that might of been my only chance. So we went to Parap markets, had a cup of tea on the lawns of Parliment House... was a nice weekend. And we had a fantastic dinner at Thailicious on Mitchell St, very good menu and not too expensive.
Then today we jetsetted off to the islands... which is where i was crossing my fingers and hoping my karma would kick in but apparently I used it all up in managing to score some new Bollywood movies. We arrived too late, and while we managed to get across with our clothing ect we had to leave the maths puzzles behind. As in our entire program. The reason that we came to Bathurst Island and why I get paid every fortnight. So now we are sleepin on the floor of the school we were suppose to run workshops with and we have nothing. So it's been moved to Wed, we're heading to Milkapedi tommorrow and hopefully our puzzles will turn up in the morning. It was a calculated risk and I took it because they (the plane company) assured me it would come across with us. Didn't pay off. Damn.
Was a teeensy (lot) stressed at the time and will feel better once I have a couple of boxes in my sight.
Poor Rich - it's his birthday and I think i made his homesickness a bit worse. I'm bit excited bout the whole island thing and once I've sorted a few things out tommorrow am sure it will be great. Wandering down to the local art gallery tommorrow and catching the ferry across the strait. And back in 5 sleeps!
Tipperary Station was built in the early 80's by a millionare who had watched 'Out of Africa' and colonial histories waaaay too many times. He spent $70 million in 70 days fixing up the station so it looked like something out of a movie - long verandahs with wooden double shutters, brass fittings and palm trees. All very picturesque, not all actually useful. For example, the school (which looked great) had no staff toilet, no wet room but a huge hall (for 12 kids) with a tin roof and no insulation (in the NT). No-one was allowed to park on the grass and there were sprinklers going constantly - all very green and lush to this native Canberrans eye.
Then of course he lost it all in the great stock market crash of 1989 and he had to get rid of the zoo... he couldn't afford to keep his menagerie of wild animals so the NT government had to take over paying for their food. He was later accosted at the airport with a gun... (thanks Sara for the research ;o)
Tipperary was eventually bought out by a couple of new people, one of which is apparently one of Australia's most expensive QCs. So it's been redone, it's all very nice and pretty. Home to 150 people (apparently cattlemen and mechanics but i prefer to believe they are mostly gardeners, cleaners and cooks). And on another note, it was a bit of a shock to see fat kids again (and i'm being generous by saying fat) but it may have something to do with the fact they all get free meat.
Anyway, the school went well. It was all boys in the afternoon so sat at the computer and showed them illusions and Julian Beever pavement drawings. Was a fun afternoon actually.
Then we set off down the road, Rich driving and worrying the whole way (I mean honestly, who needs to see around corners anyway and how often do 4WD tip over?) and we made it to Darwin a couple of hours behind the other team. We did stop on the way to help an old fella who had about 6 kids in the back of his station wagon. He'd run out of fuel so we gave him 10L of water... not really a solution but at least they had something to drink while they waited. So thought that would give us some good karma....
Hmmm...
Weekend was good actually. Caught up with Kimiko and John who I haven't seen since June when they decided to drive around Australia anti-clockwise. It's pretty cool that we managed to meet up in Darwin - just missed them in Katherine by about 10 minutes and thought that might of been my only chance. So we went to Parap markets, had a cup of tea on the lawns of Parliment House... was a nice weekend. And we had a fantastic dinner at Thailicious on Mitchell St, very good menu and not too expensive.
Then today we jetsetted off to the islands... which is where i was crossing my fingers and hoping my karma would kick in but apparently I used it all up in managing to score some new Bollywood movies. We arrived too late, and while we managed to get across with our clothing ect we had to leave the maths puzzles behind. As in our entire program. The reason that we came to Bathurst Island and why I get paid every fortnight. So now we are sleepin on the floor of the school we were suppose to run workshops with and we have nothing. So it's been moved to Wed, we're heading to Milkapedi tommorrow and hopefully our puzzles will turn up in the morning. It was a calculated risk and I took it because they (the plane company) assured me it would come across with us. Didn't pay off. Damn.
Was a teeensy (lot) stressed at the time and will feel better once I have a couple of boxes in my sight.
Poor Rich - it's his birthday and I think i made his homesickness a bit worse. I'm bit excited bout the whole island thing and once I've sorted a few things out tommorrow am sure it will be great. Wandering down to the local art gallery tommorrow and catching the ferry across the strait. And back in 5 sleeps!
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