Newman

My first morning in Newman I woke just before dawn, waiting for enough light to go jogging. My hostess, Janice had said there was an exercise track just down the road from her place, which I was eager to check out.  I jogged along it with the sun in my eyes, making note I’d have to try another route next time. I didn’t bother to use the equipment the first two days, but later in the week I used a bench for bench presses, the steel bars were so cold on my hands, I didn’t bother again; instead I used the roo bar on the front of Janice’s ute.  The rest of my exercises, I just made do. The first day was lovely and warm; the following four mornings were quite cold.

After breaky on the first day, Saturday, while waiting for Janice to rise (she also had problems sleeping) we picked up Bill and Frances from their accommodation at the Red Sands, stopping there for a coffee at their takeaway window.  Bill and Frances followed us in their van, dropping Frances and me in the nursery at the Martu community garden/farm so that we could pot up the plants we had brought from Perth.  Bill then followed Janice to inquire where he could get the van repaired.  The mechanic told Bill that four new tyres were needed.  Bill was not at all happy as he had just had the van serviced, having told the mechanics in Perth that he was heading to Newman.  Four new tyres were going to be expensive, plus we had to wait for them to come on a truck from Perth, taking five days and arriving on Wednesday!  We had been planning to leave early Wednesday morning! Oh well, what will be will be; we could only leave it in the Lord’s Hands and pray that it was only the tyres that needed replacing.  It looked like we would have to delay our return trip till Thursday instead. Until then, the van was not to be driven, as there was a danger that the tyres might blow.  Praise God they had not blown while we were driving 110km per hour passing an on-coming roadtrain!  If it was my van, I’d be having a serious talk to the mechanics about their negligence in not picking up the problem BEFORE we left Perth!

Back at the nursery, Bill joined us as we finishing our planting, before he and Frances were taken back to the Red Sands where they rested, while Janice and I joined her Bible study group at Dome for lunch. There were four of them in the group, two sisters from New Zealand and a lady from PNG, Janice, and myself as their guest. I had a lovely time getting to know her friends from church.

The next day, Sunday, the wind came in with what felt like an Antarctic chill!  I couldn’t believe we had come all this way north for the warmer weather and it had turned cold, I mean really cold.  Janice had some clothes she was giving away, providing me with leggings, which I wore under my light cotton trousers, plus a padded jacket with fur trim.  I felt like an Eskimo, but it kept me warm.  She drove us to Red Sands, where I picked up an early coffee.  There was a bit of a queue as the coffee machine was having problems.  The water seemed to flow nicely, then all of a sudden would gush out over the basket!  The poor girl had to have at least three tries each shot!  A police van pulled up to join the queue. Janice, who was sitting some distance off in the ute, sent off an SMS warning “Look out!! They’ve found you”, with two shocked emoji faces.  She and I have really enjoyed each other’s humour.  We had both been very hesitant about living under the same roof but we are so similar, that in many ways it worked out well.

We waited for Janice’s friend, who she wanted to introduce to Bill and Frances, before she took them to the Baptist church in town.  It was a lively service with mostly African and Islanders, some of whom I recognised from the day before, and a scattering of European faces.  Bill and Frances were then dropped back at their accommodation, while Janice and I went to try the lunch at Mia Mia House in the Desert, which had recently re-opened.  Unfortunately they did not offer a lunch menu so instead I had a lovely iced coffee and Janice a tea, which she wasn’t impressed with. That afternoon I offered to cook a late lunch as there were things I’d brought from Perth that needed eating, including a large bunch of silver beet.

Just before 4pm we drove back to Red Sands to collect Frances and Bill for the Martu Church meeting.  Frances pointed out two wedge tailed eagles that were flying overhead.  They truly are magnificent birds.  We had seen quite a few as we drove north. Janice drove Frances to church, while Bill and I walked, as it was only about a kilometre away; even shorter, as I found a shortcut through the back of the buildings. We arrived early so that we could help with the preparations for a party.  The Wilmot’s granddaughter was turning one.  With balloons and decorations hung and plates of goodies ready, the Martu community started arriving.  I was quite surprised at how many people actually arrived, about 25 in total.  The Wilmot’s had only just come back from conducting a funeral and because many of the community were still mourning, John Wilmot wanted to raise their spirits by celebrating life.  He said it was a birthday party for all of them.  Chicken, pork, bread and salad were served, followed by lots of cake, chips and lollies.  Small gifts were also given out, including the beanies I’d brought up, which were eagerly received, especially with the chilly winds still howling around our ears.  Janice and I left after helping to clean up, leaving Bill and Frances catching up with the Wilmot’s, who later drove them to the Red Sands.

The cold winds continued all Monday.  I decided to sleep in as I had had a restless night.  Before leaving that morning, Janice and I cleaned out the back of her ute, as there was only room for one passenger in the front; the back seat was full of Janice’s treasures.  We wanted to check in on Bill and Frances, as Frances had been having dizzy spells.  Angela had suggested Frances have a check-up at the local hospital.  That is where they were and why we couldn’t find them at the Red Sands. They had just started walking back when we picked them up and took them to Dome, where we were to meet John for a chat. He has such an interesting life story and lots of stories about his calling to work amongst the Martu people and the struggles they have had, especially with people misunderstanding them.

From here, Janice dropped me off at the visitors centre to try their ice coffee, which I was told they didn’t serve, so off to the Dome I walked to try theirs. My belief was confirmed, their coffee isn’t good!  I then walked back to the house, where I worked on my blog, before cooking a pasta meal again, using up left overs.  We ate while watching a sermon on Song of Solomon, which Janice is studying for her church group.  After dinner, we drove up Radio Hill to watch the sunset and were nearly blown away.  On our return, we both decided on an early night.

Tuesday started cold and windy, but by midday it had begun to warm up.  I made the effort to get up for my morning jog, posted my last blog, washed some clothes; which were dry by the time we returned home.  I then walked to the Visitors Centre, as Janice had left already for the community gardens and then to pick up Bill and Frances for our mine tour.  The tour took us around Whaleback Iron Ore Mine, which is the largest single open-cut iron ore mine in the world, currently 5.5 km long and 2km wide.  We were transported by bus onto the mine, then to a high vantage point where we looked down the benches or steps where the ginormous trucks, which looked so small, were working.  This is where Hercules, the huge U-Haul truck tray we had overtaken en route up, may have ended up. The mine is currently 135 meters down into the red earth.  The ore is crushed, then taken by train to Port Headland.

Our tour guide pointed out the Wabco Ore Trucks (Hercules), which weigh 200 tonnes; we were shown the crushing plants, conveyer belts used to load the trains, drill rigs, water trucks, a store,  which at any given time could hold approx. $2 million of tyres, control rooms, mechanical sheds and more.  On returning to the visitors centre, we were served morning tea of scones and cream.  From here we walked back to Janet’s home, to wait for her return.  She and I then left Bill and Frances to be picked up by Angela Wilmot and taken out for lunch, while we picked up the van and dropped it at the mechanics ready for the new tyres to arrive in the morning. We then returned to the house for a restful afternoon, with plans for dinner out at Mia Mia to try their dinner menu, although we knew it would be quite expensive.  I rang for a booking and was reassured they had steak on the menu and was told it was the best in Newman.  We were the only ones there at 5pm. Janice had 12 scallops and I had the steak, rare.  Well it definitely wasn’t rare and I usually don’t complain, but Janice said I should mention it, so I did.  The manager was wandering around, so I called him over, explaining that I had ordered rare.  He said that was definitely not rare, not even medium, and had the chefs cook me another one while I munched on the chips, which were delicious.  We heard him discussing with the staff the difference between blue, rare and medium.  I was pleasantly surprised when a fresh plate of food came with more chips and salad, which I shared with Janice, who had really enjoyed her meal.  When I paid, I was again pleasantly surprised, as I was given a $14 discount.  Wow what a blessing, thank you Jesus!

The following morning, Janice dropped me at the Martu farm, to help out where needed.  Bill and Frances were to meet me there, but by 10am, after a bit of hand watering and weeding, I decided to walk back to their place, where I could get my morning coffee and met up with them coming out of the breakfast hall.  They headed to the farm as I grabbed a coffee, drinking it under a palm tree as the weather was starting to warm up.  As I went inside to wash my keep-cup, I noticed the news was on, so sat down to watch. I hadn’t heard any news since leaving Mount Magnet. Back at the farm, I helped pot up some more seedlings with Frances, while Bill had a chin wag with Darrien, a Martu worker.

Janice picked us up close to midday, dropped Bill and France back at their donger, while we went into the Thai-run Chinese take-away in the shopping centre.  I wanted to try their ice coffee.  Wow!  I know where to come in the future!  They served an excellent cup.  Janice grabbed a few fried snacks for lunch and we headed home for her afternoon rest before I cooked up a Thai green curry for dinner.  Janice went out that evening and I stayed in and watched a program on TV, before we both crashed out at 8pm.  We are a funny pair.  I’m so glad she goes to bed early like me.

Although I slept well, I was woken just after 5am by Janice, rescuing her cat who had been sleeping in her room during my stay, as I’m allergic to cat’s fur.  The poor old cat was jumping back through her window, when a monster cat chased her.  Janice had run through the house, out the front door to rescue her and as my bed is beside the front door and I’m a very light sleeper I heard it all.  She was very apologetic but I needed to get up and go for my jog, so I was happy to be woken.  If I had left it any later, the sun would have been too hot.  The weather had suddenly changed, no wind and hot, 37 degrees.

I stayed home while she returned to the garden. I got some washing done, packed and prepared myself for our trip home the following day, praying we wouldn’t have any more delays. It was only just after 8am, and I suddenly felt sleepy, so jumped back into bed for a quick nanna nap, setting the alarm to remind me to remind Janice that she had a doctor’s appointment at 11am.  I crashed, and although there was quite a lot of neighbourhood noise, I woke startled by my alarm at 10:30am!  Thank God I had put it on, otherwise I might have slept all morning!  For the rest of the day I joked with poor Janice that she had woken me twice!

I walked into town, about 15mins, and remained there, hanging around after my morning coffee at the Thai coffee shop, where I wrote a few post cards and read a magazine I had brought up with me.  I then checked out the East West Restaurant which I was told served Thai.  It isn’t really Thai food, just run by Thais.  Speaking in Thai, I asked about their menu, and very apologetically, I was told there was no REAL Thai food on the menu but if I wanted Nam Tok, they could cook it for me Thai style, instead of the westernised Thai beef salad on the menu.  I told her I would be back that evening with my friends and when I rang later to confirm our time, she told me she could also cook Larp if we wanted it.  Back around the corner at the other Thai-run café, I ordered my favourite iced coffee and waited for Janice to join me.  This shop was run by a different Thai family; their shop entrance was in the shopping centre, whilst the restaurant which was outside the centre, had its entrance facing the road.

As we arrived back at the house, Janice received a call from the mechanic to say the van was ready to be picked up and that the old tyres were over thirteen years old!  He said there was a large bubble in the wall of one of the tyres and the others had serious cracks in them.  He mentioned that tyres should be changed every five years. He also suggested that the front brake rotors and pods would need replacing when we returned to Perth.  Praise God nothing else needed to be done; the other good news was that it was three hundred dollars cheaper than what was quoted.  After picking up the van, we dropped it off for Bill and Frances, so they could once again be mobile and join us independently for dinner.  It was a huge relief to have the van operational again.

Later that afternoon we drove past the Red Sands again, stopping to see if Bill and Frances would like to come a little earlier for dinner, but they were still out, so Janice and I went to the shopping centre to see if by chance, we could find them there.  They had beaten us there and were waiting for us, but at the wrong Thai place.  Everyone enjoyed what they had ordered, except Frances who had ordered a seafood basket, which basically was a selection of fried seafood from the freezer.  All the same, it was a lovely evening together before Janice and I headed off to her book club at the library by 6:30 pm.  There were so many new people, many of whom had only been in Newman for a few weeks.  One of the locals said only those who had been there 20 yrs or more were able to call themselves local, which meant only about three of them could classify as true locals.  It was an interesting night of discussion before we headed home at 8pm for another early night.  Unfortunately it wasn’t so early for me as I couldn’t sleep till around 11pm!  My morning nana nap might have been the culprit!

I tossed and turned all night, waking exhausted just before 6am.  Instead of my jog, I packed, ate breakfast, watered Janice’s garden while she slept, then together we packed the car and headed to the Red Sands before 8am as Janice needed to be at the garden by 8am.  We gave our grateful thanks to Janice for all she had done for us during our stay, before saying our goodbyes.  After packing the van, I ordered my morning coffee, then joined Bill and Frances while they ate their breakfast.   While there, I chatted to the proprietor, Philip, about the problems he had had with the coffee machine.  During the conversation I mentioned being a barista at church and I felt this morning’s coffee was pouring too quickly and was quite bitter.  Philip then offered me a job, asking me to come back and bring another barrister with me.  He mentioned we would only work half a day, so would have the rest of the day off, which meant I could help out at the Martu garden too.  It was tempting, especially as I could come up during winter when I didn’t have to worry about watering my garden.  Something to pray about, that’s for sure. He also asked me to have a look at the coffee grinder while I was there to see if I could give them some tips, which I did and he agreed the coffee tasted much better.  I was thinking they also need some tips on making creamy, not frothy milk but thought I could leave this till next time.  So I’m putting the message out – is there anyone one interested in joining me next year?

Finally on the road again.  We left Newman just after 9am, Bill driving the first third of the way, then Frances, and finally me from Meekatharra, where we stopped under the shade of a big old tree, so that Frances and Bill could make a sandwich.  Bill had worked out the cruise control and I had figured how to ‘resume’ to the previous speed.  It’s so much easier driving with cruise control, especially as there’s miles and miles of travel at 110km per hour.

We finally pulled into Mount Magnet around 4pm.  I heated some left over curry and rice for my dinner then joined Bill and Frances for a drive to the service station to fill up ready for an early start the following morning.  I then left them to eat at the road house on the outskirts of town, while I walked back, grabbing an ice cream en route back to the donger.

Back at our accommodation I once again linked into their wifi, as Optus doesn’t work outside of Perth and Newman. I sent off a few messages, one to Janice to let her know we had arrived safely. By 7pm I was exhausted, showered and had an early night.  Once again I didn’t sleep well and although I was awake before 6am I didn’t go jogging, instead I packed and readied myself for another day’s travel.

We had two official stops, one for morning coffee and one for lunch, with a few stops along the way when we pulled off the road to let over-width vehicles pass.  We made opportunities at these stops to take photos of the wild flowers.  The country was ever- changing; as we headed south, the barren red earth with low scrub became shrubs, and then trees, which became taller and taller, the red earth became lighter and more covered, till finally we entered the wheat, oats and barley farms, which were then replaced with housing as we neared metropolitan suburbia.  We headed away from inland towards the coast, rejoicing at the splendour of the sea, glistening in the setting sun as we drove down the coast towards home.  We realised how much we had all missed the sea and smell of it on the ocean breeze.

My things and I were unloaded before Bill and Frances headed home.  I dumped everything inside before heading for the shops.  I was too tired to cook, so decided to see if my neighbour wanted to go out for a thank you meal.  She had kindly looked after my garden while I was away.  She hadn’t eaten so was happy to join me.  I didn’t feel like anything too heavy so we tried a Vietnamese place and were pleasantly surprised with their menu.

I must admit I was so grateful that the Lord convinced me to go north to Newman. I had such a wonderful time and God willing, will go again, maybe next time for a bit longer.

Photos:  1.  Sturt Desert Pea    2. Frances potting plants    3. Children in the Baptist Church Newman    4. Martu Christian Fellowship where I gave out my beanies    5. At the 1yr old’s birthday party, Martu fellowship evening    6. View of Newman from Radio Hill    7. An old mining truck at Visitor’s Centre Newman    8. The buildings, railway and crushing plants at Whaleback Mine    9. Lizard in riverbed    10. Martu community garden/farm and nursery    11. Stopping to take photos en route south    12. Pulling over for an over width vehicle to pass    13 & 14. Wildflowers beside the road

Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for watching over us on our travels and for His protection while driving. For all His blessings, new friends and experiences.  For our safe journey home and pleasant clear weather during our stay and drive home.

Thank you for your prayers for the van, which was back on the road, although two days later than we hoped. This gave us extra time in Newman getting to know people and the town.

Please continue to pray for the Wilmot’s, who are ministering to the Martu people and for Janice, who is assisting with the community garden and training of those working in the gardens.

Please also continue to pray for Emma’s treatment for leukaemia.  For her therapy, speedy recovery and for the Lord’s healing.

Pray that those who don’t yet know the Lord Jesus will have their eyes opened to His love, peace and saving grace.

I praise God for all our supportive friends and prayer partners as we help each other through these difficult times.  We all need each another in different ways and it’s reassuring and encouraging to know friends are not too far away, thanks to technology and prayer.