Before I start with the ancestors:   Yesterday Imentioned Australia's most famous race, the Melbourne Cup, a fantastic yearlyevent that stops the nation.  Seventy-one people from my little country townin rural Queensland watched it on a huge television set in the RSL Club; andthis year the race made history. To everyone who was watching, the exciting, mad rush to the finish line, it appearedto be a dead heat. This from the news room: "but the French jockey had towait several anxious minutes as the judge examined the photo on the closestfinish in the 151-year history of the famous ‘two-miler.’

   The horse, thenow famous Dunadenactually won by a flaring nostril - thatlucky horse exhaled at exactly the right moment.

Now, more of the ancestors.

    When writing myfirst country saga Coloured Sands I easily identified with my character, thepioneering woman Mary being the most notable with a couple of exceptions ofcourse: I had a car for the rough track instead of a sulky; and I had aparty-line telephone which we really needed on occasions. The telephone wirewas very simply strung from tree to tree; being re-strung and mended by myhusband after every wind or rain storm. However it did remain in tack throughone battering thunderstorm when I had a real emergency with one of my children.

      I had put thetoddler down for his afternoon nap, walked into the kitchen to find thehighchair pushed against the kitchen cupboard and a bottle of pills on thefloor. The little fellow had climbed up to reach the bottle of fluoride tablets– a necessary supplement suggested by our doctor, when rain water off the roofwas our only water supply.  The storm wasraging. I telephoned the nearest medical help, forty kilometers away. Thestatic and commotion on the line was extremely bad.  I could not understand the doctor and I hadno idea if he could hear me. However, with much yelling and shouting, the doctor’smuffled words: ‘give him milk,’ came through and I hung up with a sigh ofrelief. Our precious child suffered no symptoms of poisoning; and I do realizethat the extra fluoride tablets may not have harmed him. I was truly thankfulthat day for the shaky, trembling wire strung from stringy-bark to forest oakand numerous other trees for many kilometers that had given me a measure ofpeace. It was certainly better than no telephone at all.

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