My first encounter with this beautiful place was in my early twenties, before I met my husband, when recovering from a first divorce, I joined a group of wonderful new friends I'd met through study. In an effort to help cure my broken heart, we all went camping, something I was entirely unfamiliar with, and loved. We climbed St. Mary's Peak in the Flinders Rangers. I was never what could be called a robust person,and what I lacked in robust I made up with enthusiasm, but along the saddle I froze and felt I could go no further. I was pretty much pushed up to the top, but at 22 years old, there was no shortage of male takers to push my butt. These days, well that would be another story.
Onwards and upwards went my not-too-fit self, but youth and enthusiasm saw me through to the encouraging words from these friends, of "it will be worth it in the end"...
Oh, and believe me it was! That is not me, but it's how I felt, trimphant and amazed. .(photos courtesty of http://www.yktravelphoto.com/I later taught elementary school for many years in my beloved Flinders Ranges, living in an old farmhouse at a place called Nectar Brook. It was not unusal to see this from the farmhouse in the mornings and at dusk. (following photos courtesty of http://www.flindersoutbackdaytours.com.au/
I would walk for miles at the back of the farmhouse in the golden sunlight to the water holes where there would always be seas of raucous cheeping finches squabbling in the low-lying surrounding bushes...
and little creatures like this lizard.(photo:Flinders Outback website) A visiting child of friends pleaded with me to look after one he'd found and carefully placed at my feet, as my friends bustled him into their car. Sobbing "I want the lizard, I want the lizard" he waved tearfully at me, and mouthing the words "promise?" he turned around just in time to avoid seeing the lizard scuttle off and run under the front wheels of the departing car... damn!
I'd often be late for school, because living away out into the Spencer Gulf countryside,I'd have to wait for trains like this one pictured at Yorky's Crossing to travel on through an eternity over the Stirling North crossing with carriages of all descriptions, too many to mention. ....and below,this photo,at the top of the Spencer Gulf, from Port Augusta where I taught.
Beautiful as this countryside is to live in, today in the paper I read of a town in this area, "Tests at Hawker show water is only fit for flushing toilets. Hawker's water is about 4300EC (electrical conductivity) far exceeding the World Health Organization's acceptable level of salinity for safe drinking water of 800EC. The WHO states that water becomes increasingly unplatable over 1000mg/l." Our State Government has emergency plans in place to provide bottled water to some upper South East towns this summer where water supply from our state's source, The River Murray is about 1200EC. I've lived in many of those places. Bath and shower water, much to city visitor's disgust, is like cafe latte. So our next State plan is to investigate the validity of constructing groundwater desalination plants.The country kids weren't easy to teach.Today I looked up the latest newsletter of the school where I was based in my first years of teaching, where I read...
"The new 'slushie' machine has been a fantastic success, with all students enjoying the cool treats in the warmer weather. To encourage students to make sure the paper cups did not contribute to the litter in the yard, the canteen manager introduced a clever policy of refunding 10 cents for each cup returned. Unfortunately we have had to suspend this practice as students are abusing it. They are taking cups that have already been cashed in from the bin and trying to claim them for a second time as well as bribing younger students for their cups to collect the refund".
Some things never change!
Don't be...
the last key in the bunch that opens the lock. (Unknown)
These attentive children dare not MOVE for fear of being excommunicated!...
Do you think, way back when, the neanderthal children grunted at their Dad.."One more cave painting narrative before sleep time Daddy....
"
Familiar?Civilised?
Look at this young teacher bursting with enthusiasm! Fresh, vibrant, posed,...yes that's not a misprint, posed not poised.
Or... how about this. "Children, children, put down your hands, your enthusiasm is simply overwhelming!!"
Rather than the above,I've taught, frazzled and exhausted, in classes where it's like drawing teeth, where a loose carpet thread holds much more fascination than what's on the page, where a raised hand is on it's way to a nostril more often than not, and seriously, although I love the children very much, where getting them settled can be disrupted by one child getting up, rushing to the mouse cage and eating a fistful of rodent poop, even though there is an illustration on the cage of a hand, firmly in the stop position, with a line crossed through it that says "NO " .
So that when I was reading to the Communication class one day, where speaking, even 'attending' to what is being taught is difficult for most of the students, I had a 
So...no more of this teacher up here business! Let's swap! We may even get some language going!!!!
And so the child was chosen. I sat down low, cajoling, encouraging. Nothing. I wriggled closer to point out illustrations. "What's this?" "Can you tell us all what's happening?" Nothing. "Shall we turn the page?" I can't quite reach the book open in the child's hands. I inch closer. The child stares at me. Maybe I am making a connection. It is nearly morning recess. I am starving hungry. It is the birthday of 
I felt greener than Sam's eggs and ham. (I can't stand Dr 
There is a reason I declined to feel hungry enough to front up for the staff morning tea...
...and the only thing after that incident that sat on the reading chair in such an unabashed manner, was harmless, and without a large intestine.
