G’day Lerts  (Be a Lert- do not be a Larmd)

We entered (and exited) the United States of America twice during the epic trip mentioned in the previous Dispatch. The first time, we stopped in Butte, Montana where I went on a tour of the Berkeley Pit, a kilometre long open pit copper mine, which has since become one of the world’s largest toxic sites. We camped on top of a cliff overlooking the city. We were visited by a very unusual American, an unarmed policeman. He told us he had joined the police force on his return from Vietnam determined to “do Good”. He saw his intervention and peaceful resolution in domestic disputes as the most worthwhile aspect of what he did. Blessed are the peacemakers. He then went on to tell us that the place we were camped at had not long before been the dumping ground for the bodies of a number of murdered prostitutes. But, he reassured us we were perfectly safe. The murders had been targeted, and we weren’t the target. In Montana we also visited the Custer Memorial National Park, but that is another story. Suffice it to say that Montana and Australia have something in common in that both commemorate and glorify military disasters (The Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Gallipoli Landing) A memorable Montana roadside billboard featuring a block of ice on a frypan proclaimed “Limited Warfare is like Fried Ice” (code for “Nuke the Gooks”).

After we re-entered the US at Niagara Falls, we mostly camped at some magnificent well kept roadside stops (toilets, firewood, water). If we’d stayed at motels we would have run out of money and missed our booked ship in Panama. The “No Camping” signs we ignored and no authorities came the heavy. Americans we spoke to were all surprised, thought we were either brave or insane and asked us if we thought we were safe. We never stayed long, and had no reason to fear for our lives. We felt perfectly safe.

As we descended into the deep South, the roadside stops disappeared.

Late one night we asked an old toothless gas jockey in a trench coat (with the exception of the trench coat it describes me, albeit half a century later) if we could camp overnight on his service station parking lot. We were sleeping in our $CAN300 panel van. No problem, and as we were settling in, the old guy schlepped his way across and reassured us that we were perfectly safe. He reiterated his assurance that we were perfectly safe whilst opening his trench coat to reveal hanging from a belt a large revolver in a holster. He then told of what in hindsight must have been the highlight of his life. “One time this feller tried to hold me up, a niggra he was, he’d got hold of the gun I kept under the counter. Imagine!! He was holdin’ me up WITH MAH OWN GUN! MAH OWN GUN!!!! He didn’t know I had another gun ‘Boy, youse in big enuff trouble already’ I hollered at him. He hesitated and then I shot him. The bullet went in hear (indicating the middle of his forehead) and came out hear (indicating the back of his head). Heh heh heh heh (he chuckled). He then proceeded to tell us his wife had ‘done run away’, and that he regularly went to church, and that he was a real sucker for “them travelin’ preachers” whom he made generous donations to.

As you can imagine we then felt perfectly safe (there really needs to be a font for “ironic”)

Perfectly Safe (Methodist Church- Augusta Georgia)….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrkI80Ar-5U

As I’m writing this a “Google Alarm” popped up on my email in-tray– back to the future- “Reminder- Safe 4 Kids Program Dates 14/03/2016-18/03/2016 … 16 minutes overdue “

Once a week for the last couple of years I’ve been Reminded/Alerted/Alarmed, I’m yet to find out how to switch it off.

Yuendumu Community Safety Action Plan Meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month. The minutes of the December 2017 meeting of the Yuendumu Community Safety Committee reveal there were 28 attendees. Things are looking up, the 28 conscientious (and mostly well paid) attendees, included two Warlpiri men and quite a few Government employees or contractors who travelled all the way from Alice Springs to attend the meeting, intent on doing their bit to Close the Gap.

I must confess I’ve been reniss in my civic duties. I am yet to attend one of these you beaut meetings.

I think I missed something. Living in Yuendumu I feel perfectly safe. Our free range children who grew up in Yuendumu were also perfectly safe.

Hard to imagine but all the time we felt and were perfectly safe in Yuendumu, we never wore hi vis vests nor did we install one of those 2003 “be alert don’t be alarmed” anti-terrorism hotline fridge magnets.

Even more so, do I feel perfectly safe now we have a $7.5M police complex.

The switch by NT Police from earth coloured khaki to Ninja black uniforms and the introduction of those ‘Swiss Army Knife’ belts (gun, taser, torch, capsicum spray, baton, nail clippers etc) are all very reassuring as is the NT police motto:

Working in partnership with the community to ensure a safe and resilient Northern Territory.

I can’t top that.

Es-salam-aleikum

Frank

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra2Qndv_xeE
Robert Cray… Don’t be afraid of the dark