New Places, Familiar Faces

None of us have ever been to Darwin before. We noticed on our 4-hour stopover in Katherine how different the climate is. No longer the cold nights and chilly mornings of the Centre (which then transpired into beautiful sunny afternoons). There had been some nights I’d slept in most of my clothes under the doona so cold were the nights! Now a simple sheet will suffice. The need for hats and sunscreen on Darwin’s hot, sunny days has been learned the hard way! The feeling is very similar to warm summers in Melbourne – except we’re in the middle of winter!

Even warmer than the weather in Darwin has been the company of many familiar faces. We had a “warm-up” in Alice, staying with Katie (an ex-student), Nick and their two boys, Solly and Micah. Their easy-going company and hospitality was much appreciated after a month on the road, and Jackson (who quickly warmed to Solly) particularly enjoyed having a bit of younger company!

After starting my teaching career near Mildura, I moved to the Dandenong Ranges and began teaching at a small Christian school, fondly known as “MECS” (Mount Evelyn Christian School). The MECS community is one to which we have maintained strong links. Marilyn had been a MECS student and Nicholas & Jackson are now students at the school. MECS, particularly in its early days, was something of a “trailblazer” in Christian education, and its particular holistic educational philosophy significantly influenced my own approach to teaching and education.

One of the great joys of being in Darwin has been the opportunity to reconnect with former colleagues who are now leaders of a Christian school here. We are staying with Allan & Jude in their beautiful waterfront apartment. In addition to sharing a workplace, Allan & Jude were former neighbours of ours when we were first married. The connections go back a long way! We were joined at a BBQ on Saturday night (in the beautiful foreshore area in front to Allan & Jude’s apartment) by other friends and former colleagues Colin & Merran, and Marilyn’s sister Di (who had flown up to spend some time with us) and her friend Viv. It was a very enjoyable time spent with treasured family and friends in, what is for us, a unique and beautiful setting.

Later Ryan and I joined Colin & Merran to enjoy a friendly rivalry as Collingwood played St Kilda – the first Saints’ game I’ve watched since leaving Melbourne. The less said about that the better!

Today Marilyn will catch up with Jack, the school principal from her own schooldays. However the familiar faces have not just been restricted to our ex-MECS connections. On Saturday we drove out to Coolalinga to spend a very enjoyable few hours with Ros & Max (who we know from Mountain District Netball) and yesterday, at the famous Mindil market, we “bumped into” Mary & John, friends through Brighton Secondary who are here for today’s’ Darwin Cup. After a month away from any familiar faces, it has certainly been lots of fun spending time with friends so far away from home.

Sunset at Mindil Beach

Tomorrow we are on the road again – heading off (equipped with new tyres) to Kakadu and beyond. We’re excited about the remote journey ahead, particularly through the Savannah Way, but also very thankful for the brief respite of comfortable beds and familiar faces.