A Tale from the Outback
A recent tweet by Simon Kuestenmacher about the Brisbane Defense Line brought home this story from my Dad.
“The Brisbane Line was a controversial defence proposal supposedly formulated during World War II to concede the northern portion of the Australian continent in the event of an invasion by the Japanese…”
In 1964 — scarcely 20 years after WWII — my Dad ran field parties in the Australian Outback. The banner photo shows a Land-rover in central Queensland. As field parties do in populated areas, when you arrive you check in with the landlord. Stations — as ranches are called there — are sprawling affairs, covering tens if not hundreds of thousands of acres, for raising sheep for wool in semi-arid plains. “Flying doctors” tended to the sick, ABC Radio broadcast school lessons to scattered families, some of whom only went to town once a year. They were perfectly self-sufficient, as for example water from the Artesian Basin also produced methane, which drove electric generators!
In other words, some were pretty isolated, and the fear of WWII Japanese invading from the north lingered on…
Imagine my Dad’s field party driving up to a station. It looks deserted. The Aborigine guide goes straight to the stove, which he finds warm, indicating the owners were there recently. Plus everything else was in place, including barking dogs nipping at their heels, and sheep bleeting in the distance.
The party return to their Landrovers, scratching their heads, about to radio in… Then quietly emerges, one by one, the family from behind nearby bushes. The Dad first, then Mum, the children, finally the station hands and last the nanny with babe in arms. But await! Not only did they look wary, but Mum & Dad had their rifles drawn… tho pointed at the ground! They quickly relaxed, however, and greeted the party in a mix of effusion, apology & puzzlement...
Here’s the explanation: being so isolated, seeing the strange Land-rovers — equipped for overland exploration, not for station runabouts — made the locals think this was a scouting party for said invasion!
Then everyone relaxed, and Dad enjoyed the visit…
