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Published: September 3rd 2013
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Pied pipers arrive in Emerald City. I can't sleep.... I am in my tent (very comfortable) Wayne is snoring away. It's 2:40am We are camped in a free camp spot next to the botanical gardens in Emerald but also directly beneath the rail bridge entering The town. The night sprinkler system in the gardens has just turned off but one of the taps is still running a lot and is wreaking havoc with my mental wellbeing expressing to my bladder that I definitely don't/do want to climb down the ladder from the rooftop tent for a pee.
A coal train went overhead about 40 minutes ago F""k that was the loudest thing i have ever heard. There are three hobos sitting at a picnic table discussing the merits of Rudd over Abbott ( politics for all social classes) at this hour. This feels like
my first experience of homelessness - yet I am not .... and yet not 20 meters away is an example of real homelessness. Let me tell you the story.
After we set up camp for the evening Wayne went off to the toilets for a pee. I sat down in my chair drinking a lime cordial when I turned around to see the most beautiful face and the most beautiful blue eyes on a little boy I have ever seen.
"My name is Thimon ..." "Hello Thimon my name is Helen"
"no not Thimon my name is Thimon"
perplexed for a minute I said
"oh your name is Simon".
Pleased that he had taught me right, he scrambled back to the articulated bus parked underneath the rail bridge which is where I assumed he was camped for the night.
Sitting there trying to recover from the eight hour car trip we had just taken I am watching the local Emeraldites running through the gardens. I can hear children yelling and playing with each other nearby.
"Hello Helen this is my brother
Tham and my brother Thaxon"
Realising the lisp I said "Hello Sam and Saxon"
Simon goes on to tell me he was born in Mt Gambier, and Saxon was born in Batlow and Sam was born in walcha.
Wayne arrives back from the loo to find there are four small buys under the age of eight (I assumed) all gathered around me.
"Hello Pied piper he says where did you get them all from"
"Thimon introduced himself to me". He is staying in the articulated bus under the next rail bridge archway. His daddy is here looking for work"
"My mum had a baby girl in eight minutes at lightning ridge say Saxon".
"WowLightning fast labour".
"Oh is that your little sister"
"Yes she's seven dAys old her name is Skye".
So in my mind I have counted mum and the four "s" children (one who is seven days old) living in a bus under a rail bridge at Emerald City.
"Wow all your names start with S".
Thimon says "well no there's also Max he's two and Andrew he's one and my thister Anabelle she's fourteen"
Holy shit seven children (one is seven days old).
They happily play around me while i am holding court with them when I turn around to see the loveliest looking raven haired girl appear appear out of the bus.
"Thats Annabel - shes 14" says Thimon again.
She looks like a beautiful gypsie child with long black curly tresses. Lovely blue wideset eyes and the look of a young girl soon to become a stunning woman.
Then I see Annabel is talking to someone. That someone is Mum to the tribe of seven children one who is seven days old born lightning fast at lightning ridge and living in an articulated bus under a bridge in emerald. Mum Has a tummy on her like she's just had a baby. She's really little. Clean neat and not quite ...... 30 years old .
My head is swimming by now.
The boys are happy to play and tell me stories. Wayne shows them his martial arts to which their eyes grow as wide as dinner plates. Each of them thinking "don't mess with him"
Thimon who I have fallen in love with is copying the hand gestures that Wayne is showing the kids .... so he shows Simon how to do it properly.
Then it's all tough talk by the four little guys, running races with Wayne timing them Etc.
Simon goes over to a tree and finds a feather brings it over to me and puts it behind my ear. It's really touching. He has a face that will melt hearts when he gets older.
Some time later he fell over and hurt himself has a scraped knee. I get him a bandaid and he is won over. "I need to thit down" he says. "Here's thome
Thpace in the chair you can thit next to me Helen"
Two of the boys are playing on the dirt mound behind us when They get called for tea. They are a bit lax at responding and dad comes over to give them each a
Kick. Both walk back very somber to the bus. I didn't see
This and I am glad. Wayne watched it all unfold.
Some time later dad John Walsh appears with a smoke and a Stubby and Ciggy over to apologise for us being disturbed by his boys. Then
Tiny mum arrived to chat a
while. Annabel arrived and mum goes away and comes back with Skye and hands her to me. I can't remember the last time I held a baby that young. Just a light jump suit on Arms and legs exposed to the early evening chill. I snuggle her under my jumper. She's tough this little one. Looks straight up at me and I talk and sing to her she dozes off.
John tells Wayne it's time to settle down he is so k of doing this he needs a home. He needs a home !!!!!! The
Kids need a home man not a bus.
But you know what, at the end of the day they seemed happy and oblivious to their plight.
Oh how I wanted to rescue them.
I am thinking like Dorothy in the emerald city "there's no place like a home"
Oh and yes ... For the purposes of the travel blog we
Saw a big bunyip statue a giant orange and we drove a very long way.
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