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Published: November 24th 2007
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Current mood: Time to hit the road... Excited!!
It’s been a while so where should I begin…. OOOoooh I know!! I’m finally Off that Island and the end to Darwin is approaching!!!
Ok so the last time I left you I think it was something to do with a Cricket match that was supposed to be an on going thing for Maxwell Camp and the Tiwi lads!! In True Maxwell or could it be Tiwi Tradition the games never came about so it turned out to be a one off. The local boys on Melville island pulled out as they couldn’t get a team together. A pity but expected.
My last shift on the island was however one of my best where we basically spent our time fishing and Camping.. Prior to this though there was a great break to which we celebrated Little Nicky Mitchells Birthday at the Cavenagh. (On the basis that myself and Nicky would never drink again together anytime soon we would call it Brit Nic Week ). In tradition we rocked up at the cav and drunk until no one could string a sentence together… Nicky puked.. I ended up jumping around the
Arc with Terra and we all got to laugh about it on Melville island.
Anyhooo… With a major Sunday Sesh Hangover, work on the Monday was out of my limits so crashed I stayed on the floor to the house I used to have my name on. Jane now deals with that!!
On the Tuesday I went to catch my flight to the island which turned out to be the most broken up shift I’d known. We got there to find out that we would be heading up to Shark Bay to set up our tents for what turned out to be a very simple fishing holiday. The usual amount of digging took place before having an afternoon of perks and after breaking our backs we were well deserving a good catch.
We got out to do abit of night fishing which was a good laugh besides the Sand fly and mozzies we spent out time running down the beach chasing crocodiles and the fishing lines at every bite of a shark!! I was taught how to make Damper (which is a kind of Bread) and we got some kick ass Mud Crab. In all it
was a sweet meal!!!
Returning to Maxwell Camp to say goodbye to Rob as he aswell as me Matty and Brett were leaving the arrangements were to simply get pissed but taking it easy seemed to be the way the cookie would crumble!! Sabo and Romeo actually gave us the promised Crocodile dance they had promised us and we all were given a great fairwell with gifts provided by the tiwi lads in the form of artworks that were produced on the island. A few days later I was to work my last day on Melville island. The morning of our return flight came and out on the airstrip we were met by some of what are now my closest friends in Australia! It was great!! Myself and Brett were to pose for the camera next to our plane before hitting the dirt strip one final time for the 30 minute journey back to Darwin!! It was sad to see the island disappear into the distance but exciting to get back to the main land to make final arrangements with regards to our plans for the East Coast.
Back in Darwin on the Wednesday I had a few
days of just catching up with guys based there before Anne was to arrive to join myself and Brett on a journey to Port Douglas. After a few days of avoiding the drink and trying to get healthy She rocked up in OZ to a massacre of drunken antics!! From Saturday to the Tuesday when we were to leave we were insanely drunk and unbelievably fed!! We celebrated Canadian Andys Birthday with thai food, Annes arrival with beers and Janies hospitality and friendship with complete and utter goofing around!! In all I had the best end to a pretty good 7 months in the northern territory!
Big thanx and good bye to all the gang from Melville island. (Matty, Sabo, Romeo, Doctor Karl Kennedy, Jodie, Dale and Ruth, Sean) its been a great experience and in my short amount of time on the island I have learned so much from so many types of characters and professional practitioners. On this note I must make comment to the nice fellow who has used my travel stories in an attempt to cause trouble for GSP. My travel writings are for family and friends who I know from home or on the
road. Everybody is interested in what I am up to so my stories simply talk of the fun times I have in any one area. If you really want full details as to what happens on the island with regards to procedures maybe you guys at Crikey should read and listen to the constant reports coming from GSP defending work I’m almost certain the Australian Government have no issues with. We all know there was a mistake made. Many Professions of various Practices also make mistakes. New Guidlines were heavily implemented and The Environment crew were there to make sure the work was carried out correctly. i was part of this team. Regarding my stories... Go walking your bollocks off day in day out through some times impenetrable bush and find one funny story to tell your relatives. In my first descriptions of the island I went into depth as to what I believed was a step by step approach to the line of work I was in! My writings would make for a boring read if I was to simply copy that text from blog to blog. We walked.. we asessed... we followed Procedures to the Dot on the
letter 'I'. The work carried out on the island is more professional than we care to share with tabloid journalists, and certainly people who have the time to sit and read through articles upon articles and then leave poorly written comments at the foot of writing that wasn’t even scripted by the journalist him self. I’m simply a guy who is making the most of my life with no intention of causing trouble for people around me moving from town to town with ideas of seeing as much as I can.
Comments being made about drinking on aboriginal lands are poor attempts to gain a rise out of someone who only took what was on offer. The permits for drinking are legitimate within Camp for Contracted Workers who want a beer after a grueluing days Graft. Surely Being Based in Darwin as a writer one would assume you would know of a beer or two after Work?!?!?!? The politics on the Tiwi’s are much deeper than what you will read in reports made by officials that in most cases have never visited the islands. I spent 7 months on that island with Real people Working and living real lives. if
this isn’t education enough for you TIWICC then please explain your issues in a correctly draughted email. Leave me a contact number and I’ll answer what ever you want. For the guys on Melville I worked with you should know this….. I had no clue some guy was going to use my blogs and I was certainly not working with him in this report. Take care for now!!!
Article link is: http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20071004-Praise-the-woodchips-and-pass-the-backpackers.html Have fun reading my writings again and you as a reader wants to see the real bits of information Scripted in my bloggs feel free to look back at the things our Crikey writers choose to leave out.
Love to all the great friends I’ve made along the way. Janey ill see ya round like a rissole, Nicky, Terra, Flem boy, Rob, Lakey, Fiona, Jake and dougy and all the others ive not forgotton about!! You’ve done me good guys!!
Look out for the next entry that will be from the road I’m guessing…
Love from a brummy.
Niki
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matt sharp
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hey-oh, goo to see you mukka! i do hve to say you do look like a hillbillie with all them locks!! goo to see you though