Snap and Scribble

The funfair arrived in Maningrida a few days ago.

A dodgy looking bloke, with multiple piercings and tattoos came into the council office and asked where they should set up. He described them as “the circus”, and said he’d spoken to the CEO and arranged things.

Well, it ain’t a circus – and, in fact, it’s barely a funfair, really. It’s a bodgy little operation. There’s a merry go round sort of thing – an extreme-ish one, that spins fast and swings you out and up into the air – a gigantic, multicoloured jumping castle, a couple of “throw the dart at the balloon” type stalls and a takeway food stall, and that’s about it. … Read more »

Tags: Travel and Places by will
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Probably the best part of my job for the council is something which isn’t really even meant to be part of my job. Over the last few months, i’ve learnt how to drive loaders and backhoes. There’s a bit of a shortage of people who can drive these things and the ones who can are constantly busy doing all sorts of other things, so there’s lots of times where something needs to be done – and if i can do it, i will.

We’ve got a couple of JCB backhoes (“mechanical diggers” for the poms reading this) – one’s got a standard bucket on the front and the other’s got forklift-type forks instead. There are also a couple of Caterpillar loaders – like backhoes, only without the digging part at the back, and bigger. One’s an IT12 which is kinda a size up from the backhoes and the other’s a 928, which is bigger again. The “IT”‘s got forks and the 928′s got a bucket. There’s also a Volvo loader, with a bucket, which is a fair bit bigger than the 928. … Read more »

Tags: Travel and Places by will
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Last Sunday Warren, my next door neighbour, asked me if i wanted to go to Nardimuk with him, to do some fishing – and supposedly catch some crayfish. I hadn’t been to Nardimuk before, and i was glad of any opportunity to get out of Maningrida for a while, so i said yes.

Nardimuk is on the shore of the Arafura Sea. It’s one of three Aboriginal “outstations” that are fairly close to Maningrida, and which come within the council’s responsibility to maintain. The rest of the outstations in this area are serviced by another organisation. Nardimuk’s just up the coast from Rocky Point, where i went the weekend before. (I don’t think i blogged about that, did it? I should really.) … Read more »

Tags: Travel and Places by will
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Well, i finally got my alcohol permit. Now i can buy a couple of cartons of light or mid-strength beer each fortnight – if i want to, which i don’t. I can’t drink those beers, because they make me sicker than the full-strength stuff does – and there’s not many of those i can drink, either. I don’t know what they put in that light beer, but i can only assume they put extra chemicals in to replace the flavour of the alcohol.

Anyway, it’s all fairly irrelevant anyway, as i gave notice at work today. My last day will be the 26th of October. I can’t say i’m too sorry really. … Read more »

Tags: Life by will
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