AustLit

The travelling padre muses on the experience of horses brought from England or other greener pastures to the barren gibber country for breeding purposes.

Miserly Old Joe had no reservations about exploiting the good nature of others for his own benefit. However, there was one occasion when, being a portly man, he found himself trapped in an awkward situation and though rescuers came to his aid, they enjoyed a good laugh at his expense first.

The travelling Padre reflects upon the nature of settlers in the remote areas of Central Australia that he visited. He recalls the generosity of spirit and hospitality they extended to him, and their relations with the Aboriginal people of the area.

The travelling Padre recalls a conversation with Joe Breaden, a man who was part of an expedition that explored the far northern area of South Australia.

The travelling Padre recounts some of his mustering adventures and relates a story, told to him by the station master, of a frightening encounter with a death adder.

The travelling Padre reflects upon the remarkable capacity camels have to endure extremely harsh desert conditions. He also recalls an old stockman who stoically endured a crippling illness rather than go to town and seek medical attention. The mysogynistic man's reluctance was because he would have to submit to the ministrations of a woman.

Visiting an outback sheep station, the travelling Padre gets a lesson in sheep-shearing and meets an Aboriginal girl with an unusual deformity.

Visiting a rough bush camp the Padre holds a service which is followed by a companionable concert among the fifteen people present. The group falls to musing on the various methods of transport in use by those present and of the longevity of Aboriginal culture.

Calling in to an isolated station, the Padre is warmly welcomed by the owners, a young married couple with two small boys. He is impressed by their generous spirit, but even more so by the wife's accomplishments, as she is totally blind.

Water is a precious commodity in the desert landscapes of South Australia and the travelling Padre admires what locals managed to achieve with their supply of bore water. His camels, however, do not hesitate in expressing their dislike for crossing even small bodies of water.

Visiting an elderly couple, the Padre is informed that there will be a muster moving close by the homestead and that he has been invited to join the men when they arrive.

When the Padre assists a group of stockmen in a cattle muster, he finds the cattle are fractious. Several times the men are forced to avert dangerous cattle rushes, spectacularly so when two city-bred girls appear unexpectedly.

Travelling through the outback and calling in on isolated stations and homesteads, the Padre meets with a variety of personalities and is called upon to assist in an odd variety of jobs.

Travelling on the lonely outback tracks between stations, the Padre shares a campfire for the night with a disconsolate would-be miner who had unsuccessfully sought for a reputed copper lode. At the Padre's urging, the man has one last try. Fifteen months later they encounter each other again in a different location, where the man informs the Padre that his confidence had proved well-founded and rewards him with a monetary gift.

Called upon to tend to a sick man, the Padre diagnoses sun-stroke. The man's delerium leads to a threatening situation for some of his mates. The Padre is reminded of a previous visit during which he had also been called upon to attend a very ill man. With limited resources, and no access to outside medical help, the Padre managed to tend the man for a few days until the next train arrived, whereupon he was transported to hospital.

Maintaining the railway line in the outback is a constant job, and as he travels through the country, the Padre takes note of any patches that needed attending to. The railway gangers appreciate his assistance, and he is amply rewarded by their hospitality.

Railway stations in the outback, as the Padre describes, are a hub of social activity when the trains pull in. Residents depart and return, goods are loaded and unloaded, and newcomers arrive to be initiated into bush life.

When the Padre reaches any small community it is an occasion not only for a church service, but for socialising and for offering advice on all manner of problems. People come in from near and far, including the stockman from Lake Cardivillawarracurracurrieappalarndoo

Visiting a homestead where brumbies were being broken in by both white and Aboriginal stockmen, the Padre is interested to hear stories of the different cultural approaches and customs of local Aboriginal groups.

In ministering to the needs of his vast parish, the travelling Padre finds that he must perform duties both sad and joyous, and realises how isolation and distance impact upon his parishioners. Nevertheless, in his travels he is often entertained by locals, both human and animal.