A Christmas Note from the Davidsons

I had a look what was in the letter we sent last year and it said,

"Next year will bring change how much and where were not sure"

It has been, as Karen said the other day,' a year of two halves' with big changes of retiring from being Pastor at the Church in Reeton and  Karen leaving her job as Nurse  after a year at Whakatu Marae.
It was difficult leaving so many of our family and friends we love in Reefton and Nelson who are very much of our lives.Especially Joel as he settled into Auckland.

Karen was accepted  to work  in Remote Health in the Barkly region which covers a very big area of of the Northern Territory based at Tennant Creek.
Karen has coverd many many miles each month flying with a  Doctor to the cattle stations to hold clincs .

Other time she has worked at clinic’s in rural communities of Ali Curung, Elliot, and up among the Barrumundi Mob at Borroloola at the Top end  in the Gulf of Carpenteria.

It is great having Tuiana and Robert here, Robert has gently mentored us in Territory ways. Tuiana has made many friends and is 'who's who' directory of Tennant Creek.

We live with constant reminders we are not at home, heat, frogs, flies, birds,  insects’,  dust, distance and languages,  the rain is tropcial, and the  thunder and lightening  have no mountains to bounce off here on the Barkly tablelands.

The broken bottles on the streets each morning ,the blood on the footpaths the smashed windows of the hotel  the Two oclock shuffle of takeaways at 2pm each day from liquor outlets.Prisoners working around town in their green and yellow t shirts and in the afternoon calling home from the phoneboxes before going back to prison for the night.

All those things have lost their uniqueness a little and are just part of life here, as one of the nurses said to Karen ' You deal with what is in front you, “It is what it is”, and “you do what you can”.
September  saw us have a flying visit home  to celebrate my 70th.birthday.
I still have warm feelings of the acknowledgment of this and the effort that many people put in to make this such a memorable celebration.

At Christmas our hearts and minds turn to home,
We have been singing the carols and worshipping the babe of Bethlehem here, listening again the powerful words of 'Peace on earth and good will to others'
We are part of a Maori  Waiata group who joined with the Aboriginal Inland Mission Indgenous choir and the  Tennant Creek Choir( Karen is their accompianst) we sang Caorls at Peko Park in the middle of town.
There was a thundrstorm threatening, the school hall was the back up option but it only rained a  little bit which cooled things down, for a  large number which gathered .
I wish there had been a video of Karen playing the keyboard as a little aboriginal boy ran past us all while singing followed by his dog. Karen like the piano player in a western pub fight scene  just kept on playing. They dog came thorugh a couple of times enjoying the lights the music and people.
We are thankful for the love shown  and the interest in our life adventure .Face book , email and letters keeps you close as we hear of your adventures as well.

We look foward to  Joel arriving in Darwin for Christmas and trust 2012  will continue to be adventurous and Blessed.


                                                      God bless and keep you in his love,
                                                                        Ka kite ano
                                                     Arohanui , Ian, Karen , Joel and Tuiana    x x x x x                                

 
 
 
 

Some of the pictures from the montage a bit bigger.

We are back from crocodile country from the Top End.
Karen is out at the stations with the Doctor at present.I heard last night that one engine on the plane wouldn't start if it didn't start this morning someone would be flown out from Alice Springs to fix it. Hopefully she will back tomorrow.

The plane we went to Borroloola was grounded for four hours before it went back we found out later. I wondered what the smoke was coming out through the cooling system was.
On the weekend we were at Alice with Robert when he had the call to go to AliCurung as there was a bad accident eleven young people in a car that had gone off the road, three killed, five flown out,and two taken off in the bush.

We had a very busy Saturday afternoon with a 700km plus drive up to AliCurung and back to Alice. We were picking up Tuianana on Sunday who had been in Perth for a few days.(She gets about more than we do!) We were tired by the time we got back Karen did great job driving, I was on kangaroo watch.
There was a family of fifteen next door when at Borrroloola we enjoyed the kids coming over. Justin learnt to play Old MacDonald on the banjo, they were always bringing kids home after school to see some tricks.
It rained here last night so things cooled down a little. There is picture of Karen in her rubbishbag coat going to the Clinic at Borroloola.
Take Care,God Bless

Ian and Karen

 

Borroloola stories health worker with cane toad

Boroloola 26 th October

Well we didn't make it to Robinson River. We were picked up at the airport by Anthony who gave us a commentry on the town as we drove to the health centre. Where I noticed the northern Territoy and the Aboriginal flags were flying at half mast outside the health centre clinic. Whic is a collection of portable building like big shipping containers.
The back door surrounded by oxygen cylinders. Inside people were busy in the cramped rooms, there were two policemen there.

When the police had gone , we were told during the night there had been
an unfortunate incident and the nurse helping had become unwell and had to be flown out.

The mangager said to Karen that their need was greatest so we wouldn't be going to Robinson River. At present a lot staff are away doing courses. Karen is right in among it here, a very needy community healthwise.

It is a hot walk from the house we are living in about 15 minutes, one bottle of water each way and you need shower by the time you get home.

This morning when walking back from going with Karen to work
I stopped on the verandah of the 'Red Dirt' shop. An old aboriginal man with a battered cowby hat shook my hand and told me his name which I didn't catch, it was full of js ngs, oo,s , ll,s and very long. "Whats your name?" He asked ,
Ian seemed to get a blank response, (I think Ken would be easier to say here.)
He then asked what was my fathers name was, 'Hector', didn't throw much light on the situation and New Zealand might as well have been Mars when we discussed where we were from.
The intention was there however, name and place and familhy, relationships connection is important.

Last night we went out for a meal with others from the Health Center.
The dining area was between two containers with ceiling fans, the building open at each end. The cooking was done in one of the containers.
The decor was a big horned buffalo skull with a didgerdoo across its horns and a bull roarer hanging on the wall. A couple a big crabs and a massive burramundi.
I decided to have buramundi it was very good.

While waiting for our meal we were entertained by a gecko on the wall eating insects and Northern Territory stories. We learnt about cane toads and the best way to kill them, dogs who lick them to get high, and some people who dry the glands and smoke them and go to halluciengenic heaven.
Freeze them seems to be the best way they are quite hard to kill with cricket bats and golf clubs.
Ants were high on the story list with a wealth of information shared. Best ways of killing them , and how to live with them.
Don't leave you car parked in one place as white ants will eat tight through the tyres even truck tyres!
It seems that ants like modern cars they go straight for the computers in them, they also have a likeing for the red wire in houses. One man reckons they attracted to the magnetic field of electricity.
There are green ants , red ants yellow ants white ant black ants all shapes and sizes....

Another interesting creature here is a stink bettle a little round flying inscet, if it land on you and you squash it a very smelling and painful acid is delivered.
Someone left a window in a bathroom open and light on they went to Teennant Creek and stink bettles invaded the room. When they returned they couldn't get the smell out of the house and had to demolish the bathroom!!
Yesterday Karen had a day in the pharmacy room , she also went out and taking medication around town and out to the camps one was a tarpolin camp, she is right in front line here among the Mara, Yanula Garawa and Gudani clans.
When we came out from where we had tea last night the temperature was 39, so we are not cold here.
Arohanui from Borrloola 30km from the Gulf of Carpenteria

Ian and Karen

Borroloola Stories

 

Top End

 
Well we are heading to the Top End this morning.
The photo if the numbers change to a picture are when we were in Alice as bag people in the park seems a long time ago.

We the ABs did it! Joel summed in up in the text he sent. Done!

Last week Karen was on the Barkley run around the Stations . She had adventures thunderstorms and having to push the plane onto the hard surface.

She has nearly finished a big Pharmacotherapeutics assignment for Remote Nurses. So it will be good to have all the books and papers put away.

As I said this morning we are heading to the top of Australia. We fly at 9:30 to Borroloola then travel 200km to a settlement on the Robinson River.
We are there for two weeks
Karen will be at a clinic there I will be dodging the croocdiles and looking at the river . There is Barramundi fishing there so I might see a fish.
We are well, the hot is upon us, and season changing going towards the wet though still smoke around from fires.

I enjoyed seeing some of the Solar racers go through Tennant Creek on their 3000km race from Darwin to Adelaide last Monday.
Well I must race and finsh packing. Tuis is home alone at present as Robert is at Elliot for a week.
Ka kite ano
God Bless

Ian Karen and Tuiana

Elliot

Elliot
The area is the home of the Jingili people and the traditional name of the town is Kulumindini
the town lies on important Dreaming tracks.
Elliott, the halfway point between Darwin and Alice Springs, 250 kilometres north of Tennant Creek,
The town has a population of 700 .

We are here till next week Karen is working the clinic here.
When we arrived here a few days ago we saw a bloke with a camel next day met him at the clinic as he said he had a sore leg him not the camel.
I asked if I could take a photo of the camel where was it he said sure we are staying over at North Camp. Yesterday I headed off with a water bottle and camera and was wondering if I was on the right track and there was the camel eating one of the trees on the track. His name is ' 'noodle'He is a male camel and him and his mate are walking around Australia.

Met up with Bob and Deb McKerrell who are travelling around the outbacks taking Christ to Indigenous Communities. I joined in their Bible club yesterday hence the picture of Paddy and God made the giraffe they didn't have a camel one.

It is quite hot here so we are enjoying the air conditioning.

Greetings

Ian and Karen

Noodle the camel at Eliot and Paddy

 

 

 

 

 

Ian's 70 Party Pictorial by Barbara

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHDRUjS_TeI

Some pictures from my 70 birthday party

https://picasaweb.google.com/106860224429705847861/IanS70Party?authkey=Gv1sRgCI6U1dzY8uP19QE

Christchurch and Celebrety and Joel

NZ 70th Birthday Adventure

We made it to Auckland for the 8th of September my birthday  Karen Tuiana and myself. Allan and Margaret looking after us wonderfully, Joel showing us the sights. It was  all on with the imminent start of the Rugby World Cup.
We went to the Cloud and enjoyed the Pacific dancers after some shopping in Auckland went out for a meal Joel had to work that night.  We got back late to Allan 's Karen said to pack up as we had a 4am start, so it was a setting of alarms , in the morning Joel was there to take us to the Airport he was going South with us. I thought we were going Reefton for my birthday.
At Auckland Airport bleary eyed after checking our bags in and the were calling out the Christchurch flight.  Karen Joel and Tuiana stopped at the gate and Karen said ."We are not going with you!"
Here is your boarding pass and $50 and two envelopes one to be opened on the plane the other when you land in Christchurch.
They were calling out the plane in shock  I made my way to my seat an notice three empty seats by mine What on earth was going on I felt bereft lonely and didn't like being on my own.As the plane took off I opened the first envelope.  Inside two gold cards with the following on them.



Your adventure is just  beginning
"Eternal Journey Man!"
Your resources are
1. A ticket 
2.Cash
3. Clues  
Prayer (when all else fails)




( On the second card it said)

You are about to go Solo
This is a time for Reflection for you!
You have some challenges to complete.
1. Write 3 pearls of wisdom you have gained over your three score years and ten
2. Write the Bible verse that has sustained you over the years.
You will be guided with LOVE 
XXXXXXXX


The second  enevlope marked to be opened on arrival said:

On your arrival at your destination
You have some more challenges
1. Buy a local paper
2. Get someone to take a photo of you a flower shop
3. Try to take a photo of someone famous (well known)
4 Buy tea or coffee and read the paper
You must have your phone on
Wait for a phone call for next instructions
Enjoy XXXXX


I felt as though I had to do all the requirement or I wouldn't get the next step. The flower shop must have been earthquaked. however I got my celebrity, a man in a n All Black jersey (Andy) to take a photo of me by a pot plant,  the closest I could think of as flowers.
Joel txted and I was on the move to meet up with him outside, he had come on another airline and had our car!  Tuiana rang and made sure I connected with Joel. I still didn't know what was going on till we were on the road to Marehau and I knew the destination prior to that I thought we were going to Reefton, Thelmas in Nelson, Gloria's at Mahana.
Going into the kitchen at Marehau there was Allan and Margaret who I thought were still in bed in Auckland when we left ( they had com e down the day earlier!!)
Greatest of all was Karen and Tuiana were there. They had flown to Nelson to do shopping for food.
 Heather and Trevor from Christchurch were there,  as were an number of people from Reefton. Many more were to arrive that night and the next day. What a journey.  What wonderful a surprise for me. What nice place to celebrate a birthday among family and friends.
I was unaware of  some of scheming which was had been going on for four months.
I hate to think what they do to me when I"m eighty. Its something to look forward to.

Arohanui
 God Bless
Ian

Pearls of wisdom
Love never fails
Laughter is good medicine
Family is fun


Jesus said,I will never leave you or forsake you.

NZ Adventure 70th Birthday

First Installment on my 70th Celebration

Tennant Creek 17th  Sept

Arrived back from NZ on the Greyhound bus from Alice Springs at 2am. from celebrating  my 70th birthday in New Zealand.
What a journey
What fun
What love
As the scrap book says. We do not remember the days  We remember the moments.


What precious memories I have which were lovingly put in a big book which shows some of colour of 70 years.
How much has been brought to life to shine in my memory bank.
Those who journeyed to Marehau for the party.
Those who contributed a page a picture or some words.
Those  pictures  which carry capsulated time in their images.
Thank you. You are part of my journey.
Part of the colourful tapestry,  threads that give depth to the picture of my life. I am grateful you have connected with me somewhere along the journey. That you are still there giving colour and excitement.


On one of the cards Karen gave me at the Auckland airport  (when I was sent solo, which I will share it when I'm more wide awake)
On the card it said your adventure is just beginning ETERNAL JOURNEYMAN .

Thank you for being part of my adventure. I was asked to write down as part of my reflection a favourite  Bible verse. I wrote one then added another this is part of it. referring to God it says;
Who was
Who is
Who is to come
We journey on under the umbrella of eternal love.

Again a big shoutout to you all.
Arohanui
Ian

Alice Springs

We are  in here for three weeks . Karen is doing a training course. RN to RAN.
I think that stands for Registered Nurse to Remote area Nurse. It is very much full on training. I sometimes meet at the Flying Doctor   coffee shop for lunch or walk down and get a ride home with Karen.
We travelled to Alice Springs in the Ali Kurung maternity 4 wheel drive Toyota. ( Robert and Tuinaa took us to pick it up.) Karen has now been given to use a v8 turbo Toyota ambulance with bull bars on the front  she  is handling the city traffic no trouble.
We went to the Henley on Todd Reggatta on the weekend which was most entertaining. A regatta in the sandy dry riverbed. It was the 50th anniversary of this event.

Ali Curung Blog

Ali Curung Clinic Information Sheet

Ali Curung has a population of approx 980 peopl

Plus Outstation Murray Down 43ks east population 189

Ali Curung is no alcohol and no longer as permits for non Aboriginal workers.

Always ensure you carry a stick in hand when walking around Ali Curung as the dogs have been known to attack when you are carrying food....

There is a picture of a dog on the sign outside the town.This is a dog dreaming place a sacred and a totem of the people here.

While standing outside the clinic waiting to get in when we arrived. I saw a big hairy dog as big as a Scottish staghound the other thing that happened was a hearse pulled up 'Sorry Business. ' some one had died.

The clinc had been very busy that night.

They had 18 transfer flights out of here over the last week. As well as the local community the clinic covers for the the main highway. We are 300km out of Alice Springs here

The settlement here is about 20 km off the highhway.

I walked Karen to work this morning, the health house is not far from the clinic we carried our sticks and saw three packs of assorted dogs. I got home to find a big dog at the door of the house.

He was compliant, tail down, and moved away. ( I have learn't something from cheeky dogs when their tails are up those are the ones who bite.

There were a couple of bones left from last nights tea so I threw them out to it.

He ate them and came and looked in the screen door so I gave him a couple of eggs in some milk. He is now lying outside the door as I write this.

I have been adopted by a dog he looks at home here .

It is a dusty dry barren place here we have a brick house with triple locks on the doors . In the Shire here you lock you gates at night. They have four poicemen here and three vacancies for night patrol I noticed when we signed in to stay in the community at the Shire (council) office. It must be a wild place.

Karen said I'm to stay at home at night. I thought I might be eligible I have a NT drivers licence now.

Another Song.

D G D A

Ali, Ali, Ali Curung

D G D A D

Ali,Ali, Ali Curung

D G

Dingo, dingo

D A D x2

Dog dreaming here.

D G

Staghound, dauchound

D A

everything between

D G

big dog small dog

D A D

Cheeky dog rules

Dog barks dog howls

Chorus begins

Yip bark yip bark

Sort out whose the boss.

Ali Ali Ali Curung

Ali Ali Ali Curung

Dingo, dingo

Dog dreaming here.

Ali Curung

This dog adpoted me at Ali Curung to show me they are not all bad.
Ali Curung information sheet in the house we stayed in last week said...Always carry a stick with you as the dogs have been knownto attack people carrying food
Ali curung has a population of approx 980 people

Lost bag, found book Soap reading.

I lost my bag the other week I left it on the grass by the footpath outside the Child Care.  I might as well as put up a sign pick me up. Someone did. 

In it was our new camera, some magic tricks, a Jews harp, and my sunglasses and a yellow note book I had been using as journal for  my devotions.

I reported it missing and went looking around for it,  putting  notices up at the shop and post office. On the Sunday Robert had a ring  from someone who recognized his name and phone number in the book. It had been put  on top of a rubbish  bin outside Lukas' house two days after the bag went missing. 

The other things from the bag haven't come to light. I thought I should share some of the  devotionals with you as I had given them up for lost perhaps they are meant to be shared.

I have been using Wayne Cordeiro  (The Divine Mentor )  for more information go to www.divinementor.com. Wayne's suggestion is that your devotions ask God to speak to you  with one point and journal it, at the heart of the journaling is and easy to remember acrostic: SOAP 

S  = Scripture

O = Observation

A = Application

P = Prayer

Scripture Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the Lord

and he will sustain you

he will never let the righteous fail.

Observation

Cast cares on the Lord

God is able to take them

He will sustain

Cares it's plural

Nothing too big or too small for God.

His guarantee: He will never let the righteous fail

Application

What is worrying me?

What is upsetting me?

What is bugging me?

Take it daily to God

Don't let it build up or be deprived of peace

Receive sustenance

Prayer

Thank you God

You never let me down

Thank you for the sustenance you provide

Taking  away my cares.

I think I have stopped being grumpy about losing my bag.  Karen says I should get a tattoo for my birthday.

A check list  on my arm.

Bag, keys, glasses, wallet, hearing aids, sunglasses, cellphone.

Greetings Ian and Karen

Unloading the plane back in Tennant Creek

Some picture of the show here the other week Tuiana talking to police Karen and  nurse from Epennara.
I enjoyed the boxing. A step back in time to the travelling show.

Phone pictures

Some bread, some biking with Tuinan, two Dams Maryanne Dam and the Dam out the Bush where I went yesterday with Robert to Kuraya. I was chief gate opener two a long way apart on a station then we were off the road onto Aboriginal land.
The dog looked after me when I went walkabout. I didn't hear Robert tooting the horn for me to come back but the dog did.

I have made friends again with the Canines, k9s.

These are phone photos as I lost our new camera the other day. Will story about it sometime.