Sad news

We've just received tragic news about one of our pilots. He was on a charter flight to our base in Papua New Guinea to pick up a ship. The plane crashed on landing in very bad weather - and four of the five passengers did not survive.

I feel as if I have been punched in the stomach. I can't believe it. He was here in the pilot house this weekend. We chatted several times - in the laundry, on Sunday morning in the pilot house and later that afternoon as he was leaving. I wished him safe journey and looked forward to seeing him on his return.

This makes me realise how we are a family here - the pilots, crew, staff and Rob and I. Just like a family we get on, we don't get on, we need space but ultimately we care, we look out for each other and we grieve if one of us hurts.

The pilot house community is in total shock. Naturally our thoughts are now with his wife, daughters and son - they have lost a loving husband and father.

Goodbye Chris Hart - we will miss you.

After the ball is over

Before I came up, Rob mentioned something about a ball - it was on his list of "things to do" when I got here. And it seems, it was on everyone else's list as well. I continued to hear about 'the ball' once I'd arrived on the island - "are you going? what are you wearing? have you got a table?". And as the date got closer activity on eBay increased - we don't have many shops here that sell ball/cocktail dresses :)

Fortunately I had brought something with me - against my daughter Vera's advice I might add - "where are you going to wear that?". So in answer to everyone's questions I was able to say "yes, we are going; yes, I have something to wear and yes we have a table" (thank you to Bernie for inviting us to join you).

Together with the dashing Rob before the Wongai Ball - one of the social events on the Thursday Island calender.

A quick drink with staff and pilots in the dining room

And then the fun began! Peter (in the red vest) was my dancing partner.

The lovely Wendy - Bernie's wife.

We enjoyed a delicious asian banquet catered by the amazing Margaret SeeKee (her son DJ is one of our deckies). She was ably assisted by DJ and one of her daughters as well as a couple of other women who all worked very hard on the night to make everything fantastic.

It was the best night - I had so much fun. The music was great - we had a live band and then disco in between. I danced all night !!!!!!

Most of the women glammed up and it was lovely to see so many beautiful dresses - no ball gowns, cocktail dresses were the norm. Rob and Peter were the only males to wear a tie of any description - but this is T.I. remember, and anything goes. It didn't matter because we were all there to have fun - and we did :)

I came home on such a high and stayed up there all day Sunday and some of today as well :) Am I looking forward to the next one? Yes !!!

Dancing on Thursday Island - life is good :)

A big dress

I've become a local !!! :) This morning, knowingly and quite happily, I bought a muu-muu. Yes - a big dress.

You see every Friday on T.I. is Floral Friday. It's a marketing incentive by the tourism group to promote a sense of community and of course it's great for visitors too. Everyone gets involved - all businesses and even the schools. At the high school, the kids are allowed to wear florals on a Friday instead of their uniform if they want, and of course the teachers get involved as well.

This Friday I really wanted to be a part of Floral Friday - but had nothing floral to wear :( Truly- all my clothes are plain, not a design to be seen anywhere. So, sadly, my contribution was a solitary fake flower worn on my lapel. It was time to bite the bullet and buy something island, something loud, something floral.

Now remember we don't have a lot of shops to choose from - it's Col Jones (no muu-muus there), the pearl shop (no - nothing there either) and Mona's - bingo. But Mona's sizes start at Large. Or so I thought. While going through the garden of muu-muus on display, I found a Small - double bingo. But I guess not all Smalls are created equal and Rob and I would have comfortably fit into this dress and still had room to spare.

Then - brainwave. Mona's not only sells women's clothes, they also sell men's shirts, kids' clothes and ..... girls' clothes. Triple bingo!! :) I found one in my size and it looks great.

So my friends - Silvana now owns a muu-muu. It's orange with big white flowers. It's island, it's loud, it's floral and - you know what- it's also a little bit me :)

Life is good.

Fishing does pay the bills

Why is it that whenever Rob goes away I get all productive? I came home this afternoon after work and found him getting ready for a fishing trip. One of the pilot boats was going to have a four hour wait between a boarding and a landing - so why not take this ideal opportunity to go fishing? :)

While he organised his stuff, I made sandwiches and got together a few snacks and drinks for the crew to share. I wished him good luck with a quick kiss and left before he did as I wanted to get to the post office before it closed. Carmel's birthday present was still sitting in my bag and I really wanted to get it to her ...... well at least before Christmas.

When I got back, it was down to business. I've been neglecting the garden lately and I was really keen to get back into it. And I did - I planted some cuttings from a neighbour, mulched a garden bed at the back of the house and then watered it all in. Let me tell you I got down and dirty. Supervisor Kacee was having a ball - she loves it when we're in the garden - and I know I'm now forgiven for not taking her walking with me this morning.

Kacee supervising the gardening

A lovely long shower and I was ready for dinner - but not before a quick tidy of the dining table which was invisible under all the stuff that has been piling up over the last few days. Sewing, papers and ..... bills :( So I gained sustenance and courage from a delicious meal of curried prawns and rice and a glass of refreshing tonic water (alcohol-free tonight - I've been out for dinner the last two nights). Now I was ready to face the music.

You know - it's not so bad once you get started. One bill I had aready paid - so file that away quick smart, and my credit card account was all but paid off, so tonight I did pay it off - done and dusted. The rest - paid, receipted and now filed away. My reward for a job well done - a cup of lemon tea and some dark chocolate :)

And all because Rob went fishing (?) Otherwise the scenario might have been something like this -a glass of wine, a chat, decisions about dinner, another glass of wine, more chatting, maybe an interruption or two from ships, maybe a quick dash to the office for a last minute check or change, finally dinner at our cute little outdoor table, catch something on TV ..... and then it's time for bed.

Hey it's not a bad thing - I quite like it. I like the way we get together at the end of the day and catch up with what's been happening. I like that we enjoy each other's company, that we share the cooking and that eating together is such a pleasure for us.

But it's funny how his absence brings out the busyness and the efficiency in me. I get all sort of motivated and keen - why is that? Never mind, I'm not going to delve too much into it. But I guess you could say, after all of this, that .... fishing brings out the best in me :)

Waiting for the catch of the day - life is good.

Another jam packed weekend

Gab Tutui Cultural Centre - Ilan Cafe is situated at the back

Brother Damien's helicopter ride

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Catholic church on Thursday Island - Mass is every Sunday at 10am and morning tea afterwards on the priory verandah. We have amazing views of the water and there's always a beautiful breeze blowing.

Some weekends are mundane, hum-drum and others are jam packed. This last weekend was jam packed.

Saturday morning started bright and early - well for me it was early, if not bright - at church. A working bee to clean up the church and grounds had been scheduled to start at 8am, but I was tired and slept in. No biggie - I knew that when I got there I would still be welcomed. And I was :)

Most of the others had already arrived and were hard at it - mowing, clearing, raking, polishing brass candle sticks. And I was soon assigned a task - dusting the pews and the entrance - statues, tables, shelves. I moved from that to the outside to help prune the bushes, rake up the leaves and generally clean up the yard.

We worked solidly for 3 hours and were rewarded with a delicious lunch of freshly made sandwiches, fresh fruit and chilled juice - a feast fit for a very hungry and tired working bee.

After a much needed shower and a rest, it was off to the hairdressers for a bit of pampering. I came out feeling p-r-e-t-t-y good and ready for a night out. Which was just as well because later I took Rob to dinner at the Ilan Cafe - I've been raving about it since that time three weeks ago. Things have been hectic here, as usual, so I took advantage of a night out together to enjoy some 'us' time. It was just what we needed - a bottle of wine and a fabulous meal. Rob had the linguini with bugs, I shared an antipasto and bruschetta with him, and then another entree of carpaccio as a main. For dessert Rob ordered a creme brulee ..... with 2 spoons - good man :) 

This morning it was Mass as usual followed by our regular morning tea. At the moment we're lucky to have the services of a priest - we've been without one for months and months - and hopefully he will be assigned to us permanently. The church is also home to a small community of Marist Brothers - Hugh, Damien, Brian and Tim - and they are quite active in the community as well.

Anyway, after mass, while chatting to Brother Damien at morning tea, I mentioned that we regularly helicopter pilots to our base at Yorke Island. He said he would love to go on one, so I suggested that next time we have a chopper going out, I'd let him know. We had one going this afternoon, so a quick phone call and Rob went to pick him up and take him out to the helipad.

While waiting for him to return, we spent a very pleasant afternoon with the remaining pilots, sitting in the open area under the pilot house, chatting and enjoying a red wine. Brother rang when they were 10 minutes out so Rob and I had time to drive over to the pad and collect him. He was one happy chappy and literally bounced into the car and out again when we dropped him home.

It's now Sunday night - Kacee is asleep on the couch, Rob is in the office doing last minute checks on the ships and I'm here blogging. I posted on Facebook this morning that I wanted the day to go slow so that I could fit in everything. Yes, there's still a bit more to do, but I think it can wait another day. What a week days for if not to recover from the weekend?

Life is good.

Happy birthday Carmel

 

Today is my daughter-in-law's birthday. Happy Birthday Carmel !!!!!!!!!!

Carmel and Mark married on 11th December, last year - a day of celebration, fun and lots of love. Who would have thought when these two found each other again on Facebook, that it would culminate in a wedding day - their wedding day :)

Who would have thought that the two little kids who first met at St Martin's primary school all those years ago, who would lose contact and then reconnect through the wonders of the internet, would end up as husband and wife?

Carmel's great. I love what she's done for Mark - she brings out the best in him. She has taught him so many things that I, as a mother, could not have done.

And not only that - we have the best time together - she loves a wine (or two), we can talk about anything and everything and I can be myself completely when I'm with her - isn't that right Carmel? :)

So Carmel - happy birthday to you. To say that I wish I could be with you goes without saying. To say that I wish I could be there to give you a hug and a kiss and maybe celebrate in some small way - well, you know I would if I could. But let me say this - I bless the day you came back into our lives. You are a wonderful daughter-in-law and a beautiful friend.

Silvana xo

P.S. I've had some lovely comments about my 'Just a teacher's aide' post - thank you. It's such a different world working with kids for whom English is their second language ..... but I'm getting there. And I have nothing but the utmost admiration and respect for the teachers who work with them on a daily basis.

Just the teacher aide

This is my second week at work and already I'm looking forward to the holidays. I come home every afternoon absolutely drained ..... and I'm only the teacher aide! One of my faithful followers, the lovely Fiona aka Mumsey, told me to never call myself 'just' a teacher's aide. But I use it here in the sense that I have not been working with these kids since the beginning of the year, I do not have to attend every lesson with them, and once I leave the room, that's it for me.

What's happened to bring me to this state? First of all, let me remind you about my job - it's teacher aide for the english department of the high school. I work in the staffroom with the 8 english teachers - 4 for the middle school (years 8,9,10) and 4 for the senior school (years 11 and 12). My day starts at 8am with the printing out of the daily notices and then I work according to my timetable. So - I either stay in the staffroom and do admin or I assist one the teachers with their class. To this end - they have booked me in for a certain day and a certain session or lesson.

And the assistance is in the form of one-on-ones or small group work. Sounds ok? sounds easy? pleasant? rewarding? - yeah - that's what I thought too. I didn't account for attitude, disinterest, peer pressure to be an idiot, showing off and that bane of the high school teacher's life - the year 9 student.

Some of the classes are better than others. And remember, I'm still new so we have yet to build some sort of relationship. I can hear the teachers among you laughing, I can see you shaking your heads and I can hear the chorus of 'welcome to my world'.

Let me tell you though about a small victory and a surprise outcome. One of the middle school teachers asked if I could help her in session 3 - yeah, no problem. That's good, we'll be in the library and we're doing ..... sexual education. But wait there's more - it was with year 9s. OMG.

I was placed at a table with a work sheet and each group that came to work with me had to devise a brochure on one of the following - pregnancy, contraception or STIs. Interestingly each of the 4 groups chose pregnancy as the topic of their brochure. And each group, after the initial giggling and smarty pants remarks, settled down and came up with some very sensible thoughts - safe sex, teenage pregnancy is not a good idea, the pregnant mother has to look after herself by not eating junk, you need money to look after a baby and how can you do that if you're too young, and you can go to the medical centre for help.

Understand that these kids have short attention spans, are low level achievers and as with most of the students in this school, english is their second language.

How did we bond? They asked if I was a mother and where were my kids. When I told them they were in Brisbane, they asked how could I leave them behind? (I ask myself the same thing.) But I explained that they are grown up now and don't need me as much. "Dat not tru miss, you da mother - dey should be with you all the time". I assured them I that I would go back to them soon.

Nothing more to add really - life is full of little surprises.

Home alone .... not quite

Rob has been away for a couple of days and I've been home alone with Kacee :) And fortunately being a part of my little community here means that there is always somebody around for company and support.

So Friday night it was up to the defence base for a Friday the 13th party. The base has an open day or night about once a month and they try to theme it - and this time the theme fell right into their laps. It was a great night - lots of atmosphere and some very creative costumes. There was a decent number of witches, vampires, a harry potter, lots of blood and scars, a good looking cat, quite a few fallen angels and a ghostbuster thrown in as well :)

I went as a fallen angel - what that means is that I didn't have a costume, am not in the least bit creative or clever, so made do with what I had. I wore black fishnet tights ($20 on T.I. ladies) a leopard print nightie (but it's Intimo and it can be worn as outerwear as well as underwear - well that's what the consultant told me), a long black vesty thing to cover up the fact that I was wearing a nightie and yellow court shoes. I thought I looked pretty macarbe.

But maybe not quite enough - when chatting with one of the ghosts, he looked at my outfit and said, not unkindly "so .... you didn't dress up then?" I couldn't help but laugh and I assured him that, yes, I had certainly dressed up. Apparently there was a compliment in there ...... somewhere :)

Last night saw me enjoying a girlie night with two of my friends. Nola, Marina and I had shared a coffee - you know where - after the morning markets and as we were all at a loose end that night, we ended up at Nola's place for dinner. What a feast - fried rice, fresh fish, prawns, bread and butter pudding and a delicious red wine.

The three of us sat and chatted until midnight. We talked about anything and everything - work, relationships, living on the island. Nola grew up on T.I and she has really interesting stories and memories of what life used to be like for her as a young girl.

Rob will be home soon. I have missed him, of course, but you know what? I think I've packed more into the last two days by myself than I would have had he been here. Ssshhh - don't tell him.

 Does that mean I'm becoming a local?  - life is good.

Tagai High School

Before starting at TSIREC, which was a 3-4 week contract, I had applied for the position of teacher's aide in the english department at the high school. While working at TSIREC I was contacted by the school to come for an interview - and I was successful. Rob has said, rather facetiously I think, that I was probably the only applicant. Whatever - I still got it. I am now working for Tagai State High School as a teacher's aide :)

"The people throughout the Torres Strait are united by their connection to the stars of the Tagai. The Tagai consists of stories which are the cornerstone of Torres Strait Islanders' spiritual beliefs. These stories focus on the origins of these stars and identify Torres Strait Islanders as sea people who share a common way of life. The movements of Tagai across the sky instruct the world order, predicting new seasons and ensuring everything has a place." (as taken from the Tagai State College web page)

My job consists of admin work for the eight teachers in the staff room. As well, I assist them in classroom activites - and this is the part I love. But truth be told, I have felt a bit awkward with the kids this week. I can't wait for the time when I know their names. They know me - I have been introduced as Mrs S (S for Siliato) - I like that. And they like it too - it's short and simple.

And today when walking back to the staffroom after a library session I was greeted by a lovely smiling face and a very loud "hello Mrs S". It was ...... I don't know who it was, but give me time and I'll be able to say back "hello (name)".

Give me time and I'll know where K block is, B block and all the other blocks. Give me time and I'll find my way to the computer labs without a map, and feel confident enough to ring the janitor and ask him to come and see what's wrong with the antique/ancient/out of date photo copier. Give me time and I won't be scared to go to the office and ask for whatever it is I need to ask and not feel intimitaed by the admin staff - why do they have so much power? Even the teachers are scared!

So begins another phase. I'm really looking forward to becoming a part of the Tagai College community. Already it feels right.

Going back to school - life is good.

Shopping on T.I.

I never thought I'd go shopping on-line. I like to see things in the flesh, so to speak, before I hand over my money. How do I know if that shirt/dress/skirt suits unless I try it on- they always look fabulous in the photo. And like the model I'm tall, slim, blond and gorgeous ...... ahem. So I need the reality check of actually trying on said item and then I can decide.

But I'm on T.I. now and I've had to change my way of thinking about this. There's not a lot of choice here. Col Jones - remember THE shop? - sells Billabong. OK, fine .... if I'm 18 and a surfie (do we still say 'surfie'?). Mona's sells moo-moos and loud island wear and caters for the larger sizes - their 'small' starts at Large. Where does a girl go? She goes on-line.

To that end I was aided and abetted by the pilot house cook - she gave me her Ezibuy catalogue. Raq loves Ezibuy and with good reason - they have nice stuff. I have flicked through a couple of her books in the past and have always found something that I like. So this morning, I bit the bullet and bought. It's too easy.

What did I buy? A white shirt - for work, a cardigan - yes a cardigan on T.I. - and a scarf. It was hard to stop there :) But now that I'm a member of the Ezibuy family I know they won't forget about me. I'll be kept up to date with 'must haves', they'll let me know when I can 'buy 2 and save' and more importantly 'what's hot'.

Shopping on the internet - life is interesting.

Ilan Cafe

Pic: Panna cotta as served at Ilan Cafe

Last night I ate at an Italian restaurant - the tables were covered with white linen tablecloths, the wait staff were dressed in black and white, the menu was interesting, inventive, mouth-watering, the presentation was immaculate ...... and the restaurant was on Thursday Island.

Last night I could have been in any elegant well named eatery on the mainland - but I was eating at the Ilan Cafe at the Gab Titui cultural centre. The cafe is owned by Mikey, a gentle young man from Israel who trained as a pastry chef and has since developed his skills to include italian cuisine. Mikey is good for T.I. - he is dedicated, knows his craft and is passionate about all things food.

I had prawn and spinach risotto, one of my girlfriends had veal scallopine and the other had pasta with bugs in white wine sauce. We finished this wonderful meal by sharing a panna cotta.

Now we have another choice. Now, on a Friday and Saturday night we can add the Ilan Cafe to our selection of eating out places.

Italian on T.I. - life is good.

My beautiful people

Today I went for my weekly visit to Star of the Sea nursing home. I get there about 11.30, stay in the day room and chat to whoever is there. It's usually the same crowd - George, Muriel, Tommy, Abdul and a few others who I see every week.

Tommy has alzheimers. His wife visits every Sunday after church. She tells me that when she walks in he says "here she is" but that's it - he doesn't really remember her. When he sees me, he smiles, puts out his hand to shake mine and says hi - but there's a blank look in his eyes even though he's smiling and he seems happy to see me.

George is also in his own little world, but is always ready to give me a smile and say hello. Last week I found him playing cards. At first I thought he was just putting them down with no purpose but when I stopped and took notice, he was actually playing solitaire. It was hard to stay quiet and not tell him where to put the next card, but I did. And to my amazement he knew what he was doing and he was doing it well. We both had fun that day.

Today Acoco was there - she comes in regularly as a respite patient to give her husband a break as he is her primary carer. I'd met her a couple of weeks ago. She proudly told me then and again today that she used to teach dancing at the primary and secondary schools - that she was a dancer. Acoco is a bit more 'with it' than the others who sit at her table in the day room, so I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. After establishing that she could stay in the wheel chair - that I didn't expect her to get up and walk - she agreed. I took her outside and down to the gazebo where we sat and faced the water - the beautiful blue green water.

We sat and looked out to the outer islands and she told me that she came from Murray Island and showed me in what direction it lay and how long it takes to get there by dinghy. Admittedly she told me about ten times, but I didn't care. She was having such a lovely time sitting in the open air and looking at the water and the occasional boat that came past. And we had a really lovely moment when I asked her if Murray Island was pretty and she laughed and said "yes it's pretty ...... of course I'm going to praise my own island".

And where at first she was worried about not being back in time for lunch, when I mentioned that maybe we should go back for lunch, she asked the time and then said "don't worry, there's still time".

These are a few of the beautiful souls that I go to see on a Thursday. I always come home with tears in my eyes because invariably one of them will do or say something that touches my heart.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about Obe and Laura. I wish you could meet them. Hopefully my words will bring them to you and you can experience some of the joy/sadness that I feel when I'm with them - it really is a mixed bag.

Sharing my day with these beautiful souls - life is humbling.

Blind joy

There's this thing I do with the blinds on the front door. We are blessed with pink vertical blinds on the front sliding glass door ...... hey - I found them here, OK? - and every night when Rob and I retire to the unit I close them. It's my way of saying "we're home now - do not disturb". And every morning I leave them closed until such time as I'm up and dressed and ready to start the day. It's my way of saying "we're still home - do not disturb".

But it seems I'm the only one who knows about my vertical blind thing. Last Sunday morning the blinds were closed but the door slightly open so that Kacee could get out. I was at the kitchen sink, barefoot and clad in my PJs when I hear this loud gruff "hoy!" It was one of the crew looking for Rob.

So - a quick scramble for my robe and I emerge from behind the drawn blinds - isn't Rob in the office? I ask sweetly. Now I am obviously more of a sound sleeper than I thought - Rob had left at 4am to take a pilot for a boarding and I didn't hear him leave. So, joys of being the manager's wife, I offer to help by calling Rob and try to sort out the problem over the phone. Done.

Back inside to get breakfast, blinds still drawn. I look up to see another crew member ambling over. I go to greet him - thankfully I had decided to leave the robe on - and to tell him that Rob is out. He knows, but he's on for a chat. BTW - this deckie never chats, I'm flat out getting a boo out of him. But this morning he's eager to tell me about his studies and how I should meet his mum because she and I would get on.

So I listen politely, and yes I was interested but my porridge is getting gluggy and I need to get ready for church. So after a decent interval I excuse myself and this time I not only draw the blinds but I close and lock the door as well. So much for eating breakfast al fresco.

But you know what? I love it. It's not always like that. Most days I do get to open the blinds when I'm ready and most days Rob and I do enjoy an outdoor meal or two. Martin had a problem, I was glad I could help. And if DJ felt like talking, I was glad that he felt comfortable enough to come over and chat.

The pilot house is a small community in itself. There's pilots, crew, staff and management. There's a range of  personalities, egos and temperaments. Some of us have settled in nicely and some of us are still finding our way. But what's important is that whatever happens, when it happens, it's nice to know that we can call on each other for help, or a chat, or just to be there - regardless of whether the blinds are drawn or open.

Living in a small community - life is good.