20 May 2011 - Koramba Cotton, NSW

Another day here on the cotton farm, less sunshine but still better than it was earlier when I headed off for my walk. I was feeling a bit down, disappointed and more than anything angry. I am disappointed in human nature, my main problem being that I have a naïve trust and belief in my fellow kind, and even more so in those who come to share one’s space such as the workers here in rural border lands. You would think after all these years of evidence to the contrary, my Pollyanna nature would have changed or at least have grown a little realism.

So, what am I on about? Last night Chris came home with the story that both Diego and Stefan (the youngest and newest member of Chris’ team), had had all the petrol siphoned out of their cars. This had occurred the night before, so Diego’s day would have certainly ended up as one to remember. Just imagine the latino response to that last straw!

While there is no proof, it is believed that the culprits were the two hangers-on of the worker who set up the tent in the corner of our park. They were, according to him, his younger brother and his nephew. Some thought they were part aboriginal, but I do not believe so. I suspect they were New Zealanders of the kind that Australians do not welcome. They are the kind that made me a little embarrassed to confess to being a Kiwi in our first days is Brisbane. While I naively thought that the young and middle aged Kiwis who came across the ditch to settle were go-ahead motivated workers, carving out a new vibrant life for themselves, such as the Dutch who came into New Zealand back in the middle of last century, there are as many useless wasters , many who use the country of my birth as a gateway to this continent.

And so the alleged perpetrators of this crime are those who hung about idle, no doubt bored out of their tree, who I never felt good about, who left finally yesterday afternoon with a spin of tyres and the revving of car engine. I suspect they knew that if they were here when the workers arrived home, they might be hung, drawn and quartered. And so they should be! I have no idea as to what clearance Labour Solutions requires of its workers, because quite frankly Chris managed to woo Dick on the end of the telephone, and Koramba was desperate for workers. And of course there is no vetting of the hangers on, of which I am one. In the interests of the other workers, there should be! Not for me of course; I am lovely, or at least my husband tells me so.

On my soapbox again! Anyway, Chris had suggested to Stefan that I might be willing to go through to Talwood to get him some petrol. Boomi has one pump, a card operated diesel one, and of course the farm here only has diesel reserves. (This vindicates our decision to buy a diesel powered vehicle rather than one powered by petrol. Diesel is always available in the more remote areas, petrol not necessarily so.) While I do not actually need to do a top-up trip this week, I was quite willing to make the effort for the boys, however they were to have got back to Chris this morning after having been left a message last night, and did not, so perhaps they have made other arrangements.

Chris, in the meantime, soldiers on, assuring me that he is not tiring or suffering any ill effects of the relentless work. I have to say that when he arrives home late in the evening ready for his shower and dinner, his bloodshot dust irritated eyes appear to tell a different story. His hands have been an absolute mess, the skin protesting to the dirt and the cold. He has gone to work this last week with his fingers bound up with plasters and masking tape, which has stopped any further deterioration. But come the morning, he heads away looking as fit and healthy as any of the others, or even more so, because unlike the young ones, he does not spend his nights up late smoking and drinking.

Earlier this week they finished working in Field No. 58, an area of 193.97 acres (78.5 hectares) moving on to Field No. 54, an even smaller one of 138 acres (55.9 hectares).

I have also learned that the fields were originally leveled with laser levels for cultivation, and the reason that some are larger than others is all to do with the inclination of the fields which in turn relates to the flow of water for irrigation purposes. It is all very technical and all adds to the costs of running this enormous operation.

Last night Chris popped across to our neighbours with my internet aerial, however it did not fit their data card. Perhaps I have kept the extra fittings that came with the aerial; I will have a look for an adaptor that may work for them.

Apart from that we have had little contact. As they set off this morning, looking fresh and eager, I noted that Lynette had her washing done and hanging beneath the front end of the fifth wheeler. I asked if she would like me to get it in before the dew came down later today. A small service to ease what will surely become a difficult task for her here, working very long hours, seven days a week, and having to organize food and their normal housekeeping affairs. Chris and I would definitely pay the $25 per person per day to Diego, to be fully catered for, if we were both working. When we told Mike and Lynette this, they said that $350 per week was a big chunk out of their wages and I would certainly agree, however the practical nature of doing otherwise may force them to change their mind.

I am currently reading an excellent biography of Jane Digby, titled A Scandalous Life, and was thinking about Lynette coping in the wide open barren fields as I read about the difficulties of Jane coping as she traveled through the deserts of the Middle East 150 years ago. All I can say is that I am very glad that it is her and not me out there in the cotton!

Well I feel better already for having that off my chest and will return to the routine of my day and perhaps pause to enjoy and delight in the birdsong about me.