Hungry Dogs and a Mountain called Isa.

It is a week since we headed off in the night on a Greyhound bus to Mt Is for the a long weekend.
Mt Isa and the dogs are not related but they too are part of this weeks adventure.

We traveled through the night  last Friday and  woke to Mt  Isa , an Oasis among the spinifix.  The home of the Kalkadoon nation with a 40,000 year history.
Only the Golden Arch if Macdonald was open at  6am  we ate and wandered the wealthy streets in comparrion to Tennant Creek.

The mountain Isa is  looks like a  massive mullock heap with three very big chimneys emerging out of it. The largest mine in the world and town is right next to it cheek to jowl., hand and glove etc, very close. 3,400 working  at the mine + 700 contractors.

Lead ,silver, copper and zinc all being mined here. Above and below ground.

William Landsbourough called the area'The plains of promise'
The Aboriginal people call the blaze and date he put on a tree claiming the area ' Mark of trespass'
The invasion of their land.
History of the 1890s was the end of the dreaming and the beginning of wild times.

More modern history I learnt in 1960  over 1000, Finns came to work at My Isa they have a  very good reputation for their work underground.. They were known as Huckleberries.
The winner of 20 firsts on the PGA tour Greg Norman was born in Mt Isa.

Back to our exploits  we did the shops stayed at a motel ate at the Irish club in a Motel. We enjoyed our  visit to  the Underground Hospital which was built  because Darwin had been bombed by the Japaneses and there was fear that Mt Isa would be the next target.
It was trialed during the war, patients taken from the above ground hospital nearby and put underground.  It is set up today with beds  and operating theatre and  old nursing equipment. Karen said some of it is still used in Reefton.  Robert gave me  full run down on how the slipper pans used to spill!
We visited the Thingadontas den a gift shop named after the   Thingadontas. So many  perhistoric creatures were found they called one a Thingadontas  was a dog  possum creature. Karen and Robert did the bone museum while  I  spent time in the mine museum .
On Monday Karen was geared up to do some shopping but everything was closed..  Queenslander's take seriously Queens Birthday,  they must all stay inside and have a cup of tea.!
 We wandered the empty streets with our belongings in a shopping trolley before meeting  up with our ride home.
We came back with a friend of Roberts it was good to see in daylight what  we had slept through on the way to Mt Isa.  I was asleep when  they went around a big snake on the road on the way home.

 Back in Tennant Creek Tuiana and Caitlin had a lovely tea cooked for us.  They left this morning  at 3am on the bus for Darwin a 12hour trip. They are  catching a plane for NZ Going to a wedding.

On Tuesday a Doctor working with Karen said she had a spare bike which  I could have. I have wheels now, just like Mulga Bill!
My first journey was to the Bill Allen lookout outside of town that afternoon.
The bike went well but is it stuck in a very low gear lots of turning of the pedals for a slow speed. not a good thing  when on next afternoons adventure.
On Wednesday I thought I go would out to the airport, while biking past an industrial engineering type workshop it happened.
Two very big, barking, savage, guard dogs came out from behind the fence and  came across the road toward me on  my slow moving bike.
I thought, what should I do, get off and walk? Pretend I am not scared of them? Tell them I am old and not tasty? While trying to think what the dog whisperer would do.

Anyway I was watching the big  massive brown and white mastive , bull terrier doberman ugly. I was going like they do in the cartoons  legs moving  not getting anywhere fast enough I wanted to be out of there.
On my left side came  a big black kelpie ,dingo biter he latched onto my left calf.
I have always been against piercings. I now have four evenly spaced on  my leg.
I kicked out wishing I had steel capped boots and was wearing chainsaw  pants instead of shorts and  canvas shoes. I put my loud assertive I'm not scared voice and went as fast as I could, they followed to  where there was  a cattle stop or grid as they're called here.
I looked at my wounds, talk about blood ( it was,'t that bad just good puncture  bites)  I was  shaken up and thought ' I don't want to go back that way.' However I found it there was no way around the airport  only one road in and one road back past the dogs.
I decide to be  prepared like David and Goliath. I chose four  good sized rocks two went in a plastic potato bag( I had fed  some chooks our scraps on my way). Left hand armed, two rocks in my right hand right hand ready.
I was looking down the road toward the workshop I couldn't see them.  I went over the cattle stop, then out from the long grass they came black dog in front they were waiting for me. I stopped lifted my right hand high the dog looked and I said in my growliest command.  Get home! Go on Get home! They turned and trotted back.  While passing the workshop the black dog came running out again . I called out and someone heard me and called the dog back.
At came home looked up Karen Bush nursing book on dog bites ,washed and cleaned with peroxide and put four plasters on. It had a reasonable sized mouth.
Karen was late back that night as she had been visiting the home of Cheeky Dogs artist Dion.
(see  the web site for  his merchandise.)
A cheeky dog is one that will bite.  Those two were certainly cheeky dogs.  Probably just doing what they are meant to guard their patch.
Well that's about it for this week. This morning I cooked  eight loaves of bread so that should keep the toaster going for a while.  Very nice flour here I reckon.
Thanks for all the emails  take care, God Bless  Ian and Karen

Friday 10th June Update

Well we are still here.  Had  our first rain last night but its fine and hot again today.
This is queen Birthday here this weekend, so we are off to Mt Isa tonight. We catch a Greyhound bus at 10pm and arrive  in the morning at 6am.
Karen is Practice nurse for one of the Doctors today at one of the clinics here doing follow ups on some of the health checks she has been doing.
The other Saturday I went  to a meeting on writing at the Charles Darwin University it was a stimulating time, the speaker was the author Jennifer Mills.
There was quite a discussion on alcohol, it is not only a problem at Tennant Creek but Melbourne and the rest of Australia its just that in other places people wear suits and it is often behind closed doors.
Here things are very open and in your face.
The problem on peoples health is showing in that there are 16 renal chairs  ( I think that is what they call them) in the hospital.
We walk through an empty section going into town yesterday I counted 32 beer,cartons and wine casks on the ground in that one small area.
Daily we  see people going back past where we live to Wuppa and Tingkkarli camps after 2pm when takeaway alcohol is sold at the hotels.
Robert calls it the two o'clock shuffle.
 I think of the line from Baxters Lament for Barney Flannagan. 'The sky was bright as a new milk token, Bill the bookie, and Shell Shock Hogan waited outside for the pub to open.'
 So here are  some words I have put to the two o'clock shuffle. If you sing it you need chords  D,A and G.
 
Its the two o'clock shuffle that I see
Walking out in front of me
The two o'clock shuffle Takeaways
Out in front of me

A big strong man he leads the way
Holding his baby tight
V.B. is her name
Holding his baby tight

Some say Mr Whisky some say Mr Rum
That they are very clever that they are number one
And Mrs Wine is very fine she's part of our family

Four xxxx you mark my card
Don't go easy you go hard
Hypertension x Diabetes x
Renal failure x Blood Pressure x
Full score, full score,  full score.

Its the two o'clock shuffle...etc.

I"m still having a battle posting pictures but tomorrow is another day I have a lot to learn in this digital world.

Greetings from the Reefton Mob in Tennant Crek.

Karen's Birthday Plus

On Sunday morning while we were still in bed we were blasted by Ali Mills singing Waitjim Bat Matilda.
Robert and Tuiana had heard stories of Wayne Wright, and the lawn mower on Birthdays,also The Lang Baghdad Band!
It well worth Googling, Ali Mills singingWaitjim Bat Matilda. It is waltzing Matilda sung in Creole you will see it there on u tube.

Back to birthday morning, they came bearing liver and bacon plus presents. Karen had a Cheeky Dog birthday
We had visited the home of Cheeky Dog on Sat. while Karen was up town. Cheeky dogs are drawn by Dion a young aboriginal boy living in Tennant Creek he is profoundly deaf and has muscular distrophy Dion expresses himself through his unique drawing of dogs. He has a great sense of humour and fun.
Karen has now got two cheeky dog tops and a bag and a mug.
Another worthwhile look is www.cheekydogs.com.au.
After a good breakfast it was off to church and after church it was just our of town a bit to Mary Anne dam for a picnic lunch.
The evening saw us back in town and out to a club for tea.
I"ll try and put some of Karen's pictures up now.

Karens clinic for health checks

Karen's workmate at the caravan clinic