Trouble at the Mullinmur Billabong

 

So, we had our last rehearsal for the puppet show on Monday. We were still ironing out stage entrances and exits etc but mostly we were all remembering our lines. The first performance was on Thursday for the students of Yarrunga Primary and we backed up with a second one on Friday for St Pat's Primary. Mullinmur Billabong is on the outskirts of Wangaratta, beside the Ovens River. According to the play the native animals are facing lots of pressure; the two major ones are feral animals and climate change. Mullinmur is the Indigenous name in Bangerang language for platypus. The kids loved it but I'm aware of at least two puppeteers who are relieved its over and have slipped back into retirement. In this scene the feral cat is hunting the echidna, only to come off second best because of his defensive quills. 

On Tuesday we had Laurie and Sue join us at Kate's, breaking the journey from Wodonga where they had stayed with one of Sue's sisters, on their way back home to Maryborough. It was lovely to catch up on all the news of their growing family (soon to be 7 grandkids) and we will see them again just after Christmas. While they were here the common brown butterflies have been massing, enjoying the nectar on the native bushes and everlastings but also the St John's Wort and dandelion weeds. 

The dust from their car had hardly settled on the driveway Wednesday morning when Luke drove up. He had just completed about 4000kms of his journey from Darwin to Bairnsdale, via Adelaide and Wangaratta, in 4 days. Only about 4 hours to go. He (and their dog Xina) have travelled well, but Luke was very happy to know he now doesn't have to be behind the wheel for a few days. To stretch his legs, Eric took him to play the front nine at Jubilee in the afternoon while I looked after the dogs. 

They both enjoyed the golf so much they managed to slip in another game on Thursday after the puppet show. The weather being so much cooler than Darwin's and so much drier for us, they planned a 3rd game at Corowa on Fri. After lunch together in town the two of them headed off while I came home. That's when I discovered Xina was missing. Luke rang to say they were coming home as the course was booked out all afternoon and the hunt for the errant dog began. Luckily a neighbour had found her. They tried to contact us but we weren't home, so they took her to the Wangaratta Pound. Luke was able to rescue her only a short time later. Lucky for all involved; it would have cost him and we would have had to get her out over the weekend and drive her to Bairnsdale when we could. 

Luke left the next morning, but instead of driving to Bairnsdale he met the family at the hotel by the airport in Tullamarine. Father in Law Mervyn drove up from home in a ute and they transferred a lot of gear out of Luke's car into it, and then they both drove home. That's a 3 hr then a 4 hour stint. Luke has had a long journey, but so have Tahlia and her mum Yvonne, managing the two littlies. Glad they are all safe and enjoying some beach weather now. 

ON Saturday I drove Eric to Benalla to catch the train to Melbourne where he stayed with Rog and Judy. On the Sunday, the last day of the tournament, he and Rog went to the Aust. Open Golf played at Royal Victoria, Roger's club. They had a great day but it was hot. Unfortunately the Aussie favourites were outplayed, but the lads had a good time. Clockwise from top left the boys in front of Peter Thomson's statue, Adam Scott (2nd), Min Ji Lee (4th) Jiyai Shin (2nd) and Hannah Green (3rd), her brother Min Wu Lee (3rd), Hannah Green and in the centre Ashleigh Buhai (1st).