It’s hard to believe we have been in Nhulunbuy for two months! We spent the first couple of weeks camped at the Boat Club until we could move into a housesit which we organised for December and January. It was lovely at the Boat Club. The view is amazing, and it was nice to be able to pop next door for dinner or a drink.

Although we were a bit sad to move out of the Boat Club, it was certainly sensible to move into the house as every day was getting hotter and more humid. The air conditioning in every room would be a Godsend. And, as luck would have it, the house is very close to the golf course and not far from Kyran and Vanessa’s. Not only that but our daughter, Tayler decided to come and visit us for three weeks over the festive season from Perth and there is a bedroom for her in the house.

Almost as soon as we arrived back in Nhulunbuy I was asked to return to the school to do some relief teaching. I worked again in the special education section until the end of the school year. I enjoyed working there, particularly with the indigenous students. One, who was very musical, showed me a picture of his grandfather, a member of Yothu Yindi, and his father, singer with King Stingray. I love both those groups!

I have to say up front that the couple of weeks over Christmas and New Year were a bit like a roller coaster ride. And it was all to do with the coronavirus. The first thing that happened was just after Tayler arrived. She received a message from Virgin to say her flight home from Darwin to Perth on 4 January had been cancelled due to ‘the ongoing impact of Covid’. Although the message said there were no other flights, she was able to re-book for 5 January. As there was no connecting flight from Gove, it meant she had to book and pay for a hotel in Darwin for a night but she was okay with that. So we relaxed and began cooking and decorating for Christmas.

Just before Christmas Day, we heard on the news that the Delta variant of Covid had infiltrated Western Australia despite their very tight restrictions. The Premier, Mark McGowan, made an announcement that all West Australians who were interstate had to return home by Boxing Day or they would be not be allowed entry into WA. Tayler was very upset as she had just arrived and we had not had Christmas as a family for some years. She thought about it and we talked about her options – not many actually. In the end she decided to enjoy Christmas and New Year with us, and apply for an exemption. If it wasn’t granted, she would stay and work remotely for a couple of weeks until she could return home.

Early on Christmas morning, we were invited over to Kyran and Vanessa’s house to watch Tommy open his presents. What a delight that was. Children certainly make Christmas. The espresso martinis were also delightful. Thank you Vanessa! It was a lovely morning, one I’d been looking forward to for a long time. Tommy, being five, was very excited but Joey, just a few weeks old, was completely oblivious to the fact that Santa Claus had been.

Kyran and Vanessa’s friends here have been very good to us while we have been in Nhulunbuy. As a way of saying thanks, we had invited them to have Christmas lunch with us. All of them have jobs and/or children so we hoped to save them having to cook and clear up on Christmas Day. So around 18 of us gathered for lunch in the entertainment area outside under the threat of a cyclone. The monsoonal rain and wind gave us relief from the usual heat and humidity, and we all managed to stay dry (other than the children who had fun on the slippery slide in the rain). So much for our guests not cooking; everyone arrived laden with food and drinks. We had so much to eat!

It was a very special Christmas for me being with my children and grandchildren.

The next little bump came just during lunch when a phone message alerted us that Covid had been found in the sewerage in Nhulunbuy. This was the first indication that the virus might be coming closer to us. The only people at lunch who were a little worried were Kylie and Matty because they were flying to Cairns on Boxing Day for a week with their two children. Tayler was also a bit worried that this might make things more difficult for her getting home. Nevertheless, we continued with our celebrations and had a lovely Christmas Day. As everyone left to go home we wished Kylie, Matty and children a lovely holiday in Cairns; John made plans to take them to the airport, and we made arrangements for everyone to come back on Boxing Day for lunch as we had so much food left over. (The latter never happened as everyone was far too tired the next day)!

On Hogmanay/New Years Eve, the first positive Covid case was discovered in town. The NT government mandated the wearing of masks until further notice, and the only pub in town was deemed an exposure site and closed. We spent the evening with friends at the local beach having a sausage sizzle around a campfire. It was a pleasant way to enjoy the last evening of a what was a difficult year for many.

2022 started well. Tayler’s G2G exemption to WA was approved which was a relief for her. Most businesses in town were closed for a few days but we headed out of town on some four wheel drive tracks to enjoy the bush and the beach. It was hot and humid but great fun. The kids rode quadbikes and motorbikes near Latram River and the big boys did some shooting and fishing. They didn’t catch any fish and only shot at a tin.

We also spent lots of time with Tommy, watching Christmas movies before and after Christmas, taking Skylar to the beach for a run, and going to the local pool for a swim (where we were often the only ones there).

The next problem happened on the Sunday after New Year (two days before Tayler was due to fly home) when a group of us enjoyed a terrific few hours at Little Bondi Beach. It was a hot day but we couldn’t swim because of crocodiles and stingers. However, Kelly and Patrick brought along a gazebo for shade and Tommy was happy looking for shells and crabs on the beach.

Around 4.30pm we reluctantly decided to pack up and head home. Kyran rang Kylie as she, Matty and the children were due home from their holiday in Cairns. It turned out a bird had hit the engine of their plane and they’d been diverted to Darwin. They had just arrived back in Gove but had missed their lift. Kyran asked us all if we’d mind going home via the airport to help them out. We managed to fit the four of them and their luggage into our three cars. We drove them home and hugged them ‘happy new year’. The next morning they tested positive for Covid.

What a shock! Although we had all been vaccinated and Kylie and Matty wore masks in the car, we all had to have a Covid test in 3 days. (We had all had one a few days before because of the sewerage issue). Kyran, Kellie and Patrick were told to isolate for seven days by their employers and Tayler had to update her Good2Go pass into Western Australia. Her pass was immediately revoked. She had to cancel both flights and her hotel booking, not to mention organise her work, study and pets at home. She cannot return home for at least two weeks then has to quarantine for two weeks in her house. This is because she is considered a ‘close contact’ by Western Australia but only a ‘casual contact’ in Northern Territory. In fact we were told by authorities that we didn’t have to isolate because we were only in the car for about 30 minutes!

So far it looks like we are all fine although a couple of us are still awaiting test results. Even though we are not required to isolate, we have all stayed home as much as possible. The saddest part of the whole experience was that Kylie and Matty, who were fully vaccinated, got quite sick although the children have been fine so far. They were prepared to isolate at home for the fourteen days but the government had other ideas. Even though they were quite sick, they drove them back to the airport to catch a charter flight to the Howard Springs Quarantine Centre in Darwin. When they arrived at the airport in Gove, there were technical issues with the plane so they were driven back home again then collected the next day and taken to Darwin. They are now camped in a little unit within the Quarantine Centre with only one bed for the four of them! Since we found out they have Covid, we have all felt incredibly sorry for them being dragged around like this while unwell. Ironically they feel far more sorry about putting us through the worry of possibly having Covid and continue to apologise for asking us to collect them from the airport in the first place. This is our world now. We have been so safe and protected first by living in Australia and particularly Western Australia and then staying in the Northern Territory. This country, and especially these two States have come through the past couple of years unscathed. Who would have thought a lovely young family from this remote town in East Arnhem would have a week in Cairns only to return to this nightmare? As of today, the Northern Territory is in ‘lockout’ and Virgin has cancelled all flights to Perth and Melbourne until February. Who knows when Tayler will be able to return to her own life?

On Christmas Day we agreed not to use any “c” words. In particular Covid and cyclones (the latter didn’t eventuate) because everyone was tired of hearing about them so I will finish on another topic, also a little sad. David Gulpilil, a wonderful, indigenous actor and dancer, passed away recently. He is from this area and, after a long trek home, his body arrived in Gove today. As part of the traditional ceremony, Gulpilil’s coffin was to be driven through town with his family, friends and fans walking behind. As a fan of his I wanted to join the procession but the ‘c’ word put an end to the procession. If you are not familiar with David Gulpilil’s films, do yourself a favour and watch them. “Charlie’s Country” his last film, is terrific. I am going to binge on his others such as the original Storm Boy, Walkabout, Rabbitproof Fence, My Name is Gulpilil, The Tracker, Goldstone and others.

As I said, the last couple of weeks have been crazy. Hopefully everything will settle down. We can’t complain about the Covid situation because, for the last two years we have been lucky enough to escape it. Our housesit ends on 29 January when we think we have another couple set up for February. Every cloud has a silver lining; ours is that we can spend more time with Tayler and she gets to spend more special time with her nephews, Tommy and Joey.