an early trip from canberra to north queensland in search of fruit picking work

---

---

Left Canberra with Ken and mum in the front seat. Peter was in the back, cracking corny jokes, and also little Peter Bondfield - who was never a dull moment. Then there was me.

We arrived in Newcastle that evening then went strait to our hotel. Gradually all the relations arrived and the night ended with corny stories about our mum and dads past. Controlled of course by Auntie Nancy.

Next day we went to the Parthenon milk bar in the morning then the wedding in the afternoon. The reception was without alcohol so Peter Meadows, Dwight and I slipped off to the pub for an hour. When we got back we had some funny looks but that didn’t matter because everything was fine.

The night after the reception we went out to the R.S.L. club with Uncle Clive’s new wife’s daughter Cherie and her cousin Mandy. Peter Meadows, Bruce Barcham, Pam and Dwight came along as well. We had a good time.

Next day Mum and Ken and Peter dropped me off at Cherie’s house and they headed back to Canberra. Cherie and a friend of hers named Tania were going to sing in a religious group at a mental hospital so Mandy, another girl called Debbie and I went along for the laugh. It was nice to be surrounded by 4 girls. The hospital was a great laugh. We met all sorts of crazy people. One guy came up to our car as we were getting out and said, “Have you got a car”? Mandy said, “Yes” then the kook said, “what colour is it’? Mandy replied “Maroon”, and then the mental screamed out, “You drink plonk”! He turned out to be a real comedian, calling everyone ‘piss-pots’.

Cherie and Tania got on the stage and began singing with the other Christians while we sat listening down among all the crazies. One guy put his arm around me and started telling me stories about how his wife used to play guitar in a night club. There was a real dick-head leading the singers and trying the best he could to convert all the poor mindless people to ‘god’s light’. They came to the part where a girl comes out in front and sings solo with her guitar so he says, “Where’s Sharon”? To which the crazy guy from before replies, “She’s at the pub”.

That night we went to a place called the ‘Rose-bud’ which was a disco. There we met another crazy who kept chasing Mandy around and trying to dance with her. That night I went home with a terrible head-ache which was soothed by Cherie who I shared a bed with.

The next day I woke up feeling terrible. We went around the cafes of Newcastle. It had been raining every day I had been there. I spent the afternoon at Debbie and Sue’s house watching TV then that night we went out to the Workers club. I could only stay a little while as I was leaving on the train at 8.57am. Cherie got me a lift to the station and waited with me till the train came. I gave her a kiss goodbye and promised to see her again. The train took off and away I went.

I met a guy from Brisbane on the train but didn’t talk much as I was so tired. It was a terrible ride.

We arrived next morning in Brisbane where dad picked me up and now here I am in Brisbane.

Today is Wednesday the 10th May. It’s the day after I arrived. I have been watching TV all day and night. Today I was sunbathing next to the pool and tonight I will ring Bill and make some arrangements for our future trip.

Juha arrived in Brisbane on the 11th. He rang me up on the 12th and we met in town. We had a few drinks at the Crest then got a bus back to Glenn’s. That night we went out on the town with another guy called Frank, and his girlfriend, but they went home early.

After about 4 bars and a lot of alcohol we ended up at a disco called Pip’s. Juha started abusing 3 girls because they refused to dance with him, so I decided to join in the fun. I got one of them to dance after much persuasion. She turned out to be 17 years old. Her name was Michelle. I danced and talked to her for a while then she finally left but she said she would ring me the next day. Then I started talking to another girl who was a little warped. He name was Debbie. She and her friend finally gave us a lift to Glenn’s. The others went into the house for a cup of coffee while Debbie and I did some ‘smooching’. I thought this was a little corny and suggested fucking but Debbie said no. They invited us to a party the next day then they left, and good-riddance!

The next day I went home feeling bad. I drank a bottle of ‘Passion Wine’ then Michelle rang up in the arvo. I met her in town then went to an expensive restaurant for dinner with her sister Sue and her sister’s boyfriend Greg. I had a desert.

Latter we went to Greg’s flat and watched the F.A. Cup with Manchester United losing 2-3 to Arsenal. Latter I got a lift to Glenn’s and stayed up till 4.30am for the second consecutive night.

The next day I went home again then went out to Michelle’s that night. We went to a milk bar for a few hours then back to her house. We watched some TV and then I left. I got a kiss good bye, woopy do!

The next day I went home to dads again then that night we had a barbeque. Then the next day dad took me over to Glenn’s to stay. I saw Michelle for the last time. We saw a movie called ‘Heaven Can Wait’. We were both irritating each other so I decided not to see her again, plus it was getting expensive as I was always paying for everything.

The next day I saw a Lone Ranger movie and Wonder Woman on TV then I went into town for a while. That night we bought a cask of wine but I went to sleep early.

The next day we said goodbye to Glenn in town and left. It was the beginning of the trip. I bought a sleeping bag and we made a detour through ‘The Crest’. We got as far as dads house in Aspley where we went for a swim in the pool - it was fucking cold - and stayed the night.

Wednesday 17th May 1979

Dad dropped us off on the outskirts of Brisbane. We got a lift to Petrie then some cops picked us up and gave us a lift to the highway.

We got a few more lifts to Maryborough where we went to the local pub for a while then to a disco. We met two girls and stayed in their hotel overnight. I slept in a bed with one of the girls - Cheryl I think she was called. I had great difficulties in getting her knickers off but I finally succeeded by telling her I was a masseuse. We humped happily without waking Juha and the other girl.

Thursday 18th May 1979

We left their room early and walked miles to the outskirts. Then we got a lift all the way to Rocky with a New Zealand couple in a converted milk van. We slept most of the way.

We got another lift into Yappoon and slept in the park that night.

The next day we got a ferry to Great Keppel Island which is where we are now. Here we met Michael’s brother ‘Bill’ who is really nice. He gave us the use of a tent to sleep in. We will go to the disco tonight in search of reasonable flange.

We stayed on ‘Great Fuck-off Island’ - as we have re-named it - until Tuesday. On the three nights we were there we went to the resort disco and spent bulk money. On the third night we saw Marcia Hines perform. We spent the days either on the beach or eating at one of the kiosks.

Now we are back in Rocky. We spent last night sleeping by the side of the river.

Woke up this morning with aches all over. We haven’t eaten since the day before yesterday because we ran out of money. At the moment we are sitting on a park bench dreaming of food while waiting for the Banks to open - it’s another 1 ½ hours.

We ate well when we finally got money. Then we hung around Rocky all day. I rang mum and she said there were letters for me from Tina and Debbie. That night we jumped a goods train to Mackay.

The next morning we started hitching on the outskirts. We only got 30 kilometers all day. We slept on the verandah of an old shed near a pub.

The next day we got a lift to Proserpine then to Ayr and then on to Townsville where we arrived a little after lunch. We are now staying at a caravan park and paying $50 per week for a caravan.

Thursday 25th May 1979

Last night we went out on the town. We went to bulk pubs and two discos, getting into both for free. In the second one we had to forge someone’s signature on the pass-outs. Anyway the discos were fucked. I danced with one girl who asked me for a drink. I didn’t buy her one so she pissed me off. Townsville is a pretty hick town but we’ll make something here yet!

The next day we just washed cloths and wrote letters.

Wednesday 7th April 1979

We are still in the caravan where we have been for two weeks now. There is nothing much to say. We met a French guy called Marc who is now staying with us.

We have been doing nothing in the day time. We went to a disco a few nights ago but we left early because of the bad night I had the day before.

We went to look for work at the Royal Hotel because we saw an add asking for Bar attendants. So I applied and it turned out to be just for women - shit. So we had a few drinks then walked back into town. We went to the exchange Hotel for a few beers before getting the bus home but before we knew it the ‘happy hour’ had begun at the Hotel Townsville so we headed there with a guy called Sean we had met at the Exchange. We got pretty plastered at the Townsville where we met a group of black chicks. They said they were going back to the exchange so that’s where we headed after the ‘happy hour’. Sean went off somewhere and said he would meet us there. Back at the Exchange we met an English army guy called Stevie and the black girls. We started drinking more and by then it was about 8 hours solid. Everything started to spin so I went to relax in the toilet. Then next thing I know I wake up on the floor of the pub and everything was dark, it was 3am. As soon as I realized I was still in the pub I went to the bar to see it I could get a couple of bottles but it was all locked up so I went outside and found a taxi and went home to the caravan and spewed up. That was my first ‘wino’ experience.

Latter Juha, Marc and I left Townsville and headed north in an old bomb Austin with about 1 month rego left that we bought for $100.

We spent two days on a quiet beach and then slowly made our way north until we reached Tully where we managed to finally get a job on a cattle station, named King Ranch.

---