v's virtual vacuum
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006
She wrote back!
Hi Vanoonoo,Good to hear from you I was thinking about you the other day as well. I am in Derby at the moment which is 2 hours north east of Broome by car. Right in the north west of Australia, and how the fuck did I get here you ask, well I'll have to go back a bit. I think you know I was living in Melbourne in a nice little house on my own for 18 months. I went through some post traumatic stress while I was there so the first year was a nightmare. Anyway I started feeling better in about August 2005 and soon I was asking myself what the fuck am I doing in the house which has such high rent. Also realised I did not want to live in the city anymore. So I had it in my mind to move soon so I went for a day out in the city. Ended up at the Aboriginal art museum in Melbourne. Saw lots of art from the area I used to work in 2001. I had a good look around at some beautiful stuff and then an idea came to me. It did not seem to be my own and said go back to the Aboriginal community, the feeling went straight to my heart which has never happened before and it felt like absolutely the right thing to do. So i got out of the lease on the house and got a job in the Aboriginal community I used to work in.
I arrived in Warrakurna on the 5th of December 2005. It was a bit like going home and I knew almost all of the locals by name and they remembered me although it was a common comment that I thought it was you but you are fatter and your hair is shorter. That night was the art gallery christmas party with some art on sale so I went and meet the locals and the white fellas working out there. Next night was the school BBQ and talked to the people again, noticed this guy called Leigh who worked at the weather station 4 kms up the road. Anyway I went to see him at the weather station on the Friday night and on the Monday we went for a drive up the mountain and then I invited him for dinner at my house. Then we got together by about the 16th of December.
He finished his 6 months in March and I went for my holiday to his place in Northern NSW near Byron Bay. He is 43 and has two kids Clancey and Jamie who are 15 and 13. He has a property on top of a hill in the country with a caravan like one room house. Anyway he got a job in Derby and so I went back to Warakurna and lasted about 6weeks and then finished my contract 6 weeks early and flew up here to live with him. I have been here since May and we just had a trip back to Melbourne and meet each others family's. It is very hot up here as the wet season is coming up and its over 30 degrees every day. I quit one nursing job and have been off work for two months and obviously going completely mad. Went into the local hospital and got a job the other day and will start casual until a full time position comes up.
Leigh wants to stay until April when he will of worked one year then we will be going back to NSW to the little garden on the hill. Can't wait for that.
That's the quick run down from me. How is it with you? Would love to hear what you are up to, I never forget you either Surname.
Lots of love and kisses Helen