News from the Nullabor

April 6. The country roads are lined with salmon gums so called for the pink colour of the trunks. We were met on the outskirts of Esperence by Eldrian & Roald on their motorbikes & taken to the oval. The camp host supplied us with accommodation in the preparation room just off the camp kitchen. It had a concrete floor and Steve made a lock for the door so we left belongings out while we went to the presentation.

Our hosts were Bob and Faye, and about 12 members of their Rotary Club attended. We were served a delicious BBQ, the meat was quite marvelous, with salads, cake & tiramisu. The Assistant District Governor assured us he would approach the other Rotary club in the town & ask them for a donation.

The club fundraises by leasing a large farm. Most of the members are retired from the land and have plenty of farming expertise. All members volunteer to plant & harvest and they make a lot of money.  Their projects include: wheelchairs for hire, refurbishment of the junior soccer clubhouse & upgrading the kitchens at the local hospital. With 37 members, this is a great effort.

April 7. Doug had a flat tyre. I thought I was at the Bathurst 500 as it only took a minute to change. They could get a job working in the Pits anytime. The next day they got some retreads as spares & we started across the Nullarbor. We called into the roadhouse & were kindly given 2 budget rooms free. After such a long cold trip it was very much appreciated. We ate dinner there & had a drink.

April 8. Another 600k trip to the Nullarbor Roadhouse. Steve got a room for us, Doug & Jock. That was nice with the 3 boys snoring (only joking)! It was too cold to camp & there is only gravel or red dirt to pitch on. They gave us a“truckies” discount, which was very generous.

April 9. Grahme caught up with us & as suspected the problem was an adjustment in the computer system on the bike. We called into the Madura Hotel-Motel where we used to work. It was a nostalgic visit. Grahme went on to Adelaide to organise a new chain for Dougs’ bike & we stayed at a wheat silo town Wirrulla. Steve got 2 pub rooms. We were in the twin room and it was heaven. The boys shared a single room. They took it in turns to sleep in the bed with the other in the swag. Willy our host gave us a discount & complimentary continental breakfast.

April 10. We arrived in Port Augusta. The local TV interviewed us and our story was on the news that night. The local newspaper sent a reporter & that will be in the edition on Wed 15th.  The local Rotary Club supplied us with a cabin for 2 nights. President elect Ron visited us & pledged the clubs support. They have 23 members & as their fundraising, they do catering, supply timing teams for the Pichi Richie Marathon, collect cans for the exchange students pocket money, etc. Ron offered to get a copy of the interview & send it to us.

Steve thought he looked so old he had a haircut, moustache clip, eyebrow trim, ears denuded of growth. The hairdresser felt so sorry for him she gave us a $5 donation.

April 11. Doug & Jock left to catch up with Grahme in Adelaide. They were planning to inspect the factory that makes metal detectors, which is of particular interest to Doug. We spent the day resting & catching up on paperwork.

April 12. Steve is 77 today so a big party for us. I went to the local church for a service & then to Adelaide.
President David said to let him know if we need assistance. Doug is riding his bike back to Brisbane on Sat 25th arriving on Sun 26th. He leaves for Lao Monday night, wondering if anyone is available to drive his escort vehicle back to Brisbane. It is a manual, with no air conditioning and the driver will have to make their own way back to Newcastle.

We have a few good venues coming up, so hope to swell the coffers.

We have spoken to representatives of over 50 clubs & have received positive responses from most. We are very pleased. I hope you all are as well. It has been very arduous for my poor husband, a lot of miles & I have managed to leave something behind at most of the 32 times we have moved in & moved out again.

All our love Steve & Dorene

Easter Adventures!

March 30

We were picked up by an escort & taken to the African Reef Resort. We were offered free camping. Due to the inclement weather we opted for units – great deal of $50 per night each room. Trevor from Rotary visited us & took us to the Breakers Hotel where President Ian, his wife Carol, and another member Bob, all met us for drinks. Old friends joined us for dinner & took us for a night view of the city.

March 31

We had a guided tour of the Sydney memorial, a most moving experience with a dome holding 645 seagulls. Each seagull represents a lost soul of a sailor who perished. There is an anchor on the starboard & port light, the roses in the surrounding garden are named “Courage”.  It is on the top 10 tourist attractions of Australia. After the visit we went to the RSL & we were interviewed & photographed by a local reporter. We went to a friends place for afternoon tea and were served home made sponge cake with passion fruit icing & left with cookies. 

That night we had the RSL as the venue for a BBQ, we bought a $10 meat pack & salads were provided. Steve used to be the President & his name was on the plaque on the wall. There were 60 people in attendance representing the Geraldton Rotary, Geraldton-Greenough Rotary, The Batavia Rotary, the RSL & Legacy. We bought out the glass case where Steve's boots, hat, scarf, & dog tags were displayed. He donated them when we left some yeas ago. The Geraldton Rotary promised us $200, but they said the presentation was so good they changed it to $1,000! Well-done Steve & Grahme. It was a nostalgic night for us to meet up with many of our old friends, even Steve’s Doctor. Well done Geraldton, very professionally arranged.

April 1

We took the scenic route on the Indian Ocean Highway with lovely views of the water. A quick trip into the Pinnacles with the striking rocks just rising from the sand - quite spectacular. We arrived at our host Laurie & Jan who welcomed us with a roast lamb dinner & all the trimmings. Doug took his wife to his friend Max's place, which was close to the airport & stayed there to put her on the plane back to Lao to continue with the family businesses. 

Unfortunately we sprung a leak in our bed but Grahme came to the rescue. He went to the bike shop & got a puncture kit & repaired it for us.

April 2

We went to Kings Square at Fremantle where the local Rotary had set up a gazebo with a free sausage sizzle and drinks for us. The Lord Mayor & the Member of Parliament welcomed us. The Mayor said he would ask the council to support our cause. Some of our friends joined us & we

went for coffee & reunited with Jock who had flown over from Newcastle to drive the ute back. That night we were taken out to dinner with 3 of Steve’s nieces & one husband, formal dining & very nice.

April 3

Good Friday & Jan took Grahme & I to her church. At 11am we went to the factory where the local Rotary & other organisations make wheelchairs for kids in developing countries. It was so good to see & especially heart warming, as volunteers do all of the work. They have just reached a milestone, having sent out over 30,000 chairs since 1998. For lunch Steve prepared lobster mornay & Jan made salads & our niece came to join us with a nice bottle of wine.

April 4

Rhonda joined us on the back of Grahme's bike for the trip to Bussellton. On arrival at the bus depot we were served subway rolls from the owner (a friend of Rhondas). Accommodation was provided in the sheds of the bus depot. It is well appointed with ablutions & kitchen. Peter, the owner of the business has 6 Cadillacs & a Corvette parked in the sheds. The boys were in 7th heaven sleeping in-between these classic cars. We visited Steve’s sister & her husband & did our washing while she served us afternoon tea, & we were packed off with home made cake for our ongoing trip.

The presentation that night in the bus shed was very good even though there were only few in numbers. It was Easter & most people were away. We were served yummy curries & rice, naan bread & ice cream. We were assured of a cheque for $500! Peter from the local Rotary & Shirley were very hospitable & came over the next morning to see us off. Craig & Rhonda joined us for the next days run through Nannup. Grahme returned to Perth to have the mechanic look at his bike. Nothing major, just a computer glitch, we hope.

April 5 

We drove through the pretty autumn leaves, farmland & wheat fields & stayed over night at Jerringup in dongers. Dinner was at the local roadhouse, with Chinese & hamburgers.

We are at about $17,500!