Outback Stories - From Outback Jack & friends
Do you have a story to share with us. Send your story by email. Click on the link jackie@outbackjack.info
please do not send attachments just put story in email body. Or snail mail:
Send to Outback Jack P.O. Box 80 Quorn 5433. I would really love to hear from you.
please do not send attachments just put story in email body. Or snail mail:
Send to Outback Jack P.O. Box 80 Quorn 5433. I would really love to hear from you.
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Remember how I asked what do you do if your grader lights fail at 4.30 in the morning - well this is what!
Seems like this outback station owner is "ever-ready" with a solution and with all that rain out his way lately I guess a "dolphin" torch is quite appropriate. Onya Les!
Seems like this outback station owner is "ever-ready" with a solution and with all that rain out his way lately I guess a "dolphin" torch is quite appropriate. Onya Les!
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Still honest people in the Outback.
The other day my hubby lost his wallet in Port Augusta. He discovered this at tea time. So we ate quickly and then drove to Port to see if we could find it. We looked everywhere he thought it could be, but it couldn't be found. The kids came with and were getting fractious, they wanted to get out and look too, but it was dark and we only had one torch. I told them if they wanted to help they could try praying. "Ask God to help daddy find his wallet", I told them.
We went home without finding it. The next morning my husband stopped at the parking bay we had searched the night before. There he met a man who was down on his luck. He really had nothing,! No job, no home (he camps out of town) and no money. What he did have however was a whole lot of honesty and my husbands wallet. Even though this man was without so much he had taken nothing out of the wallet, and he was waiting for my husband to return to the place because he had seen my hubby in his truck there before.
What an amazing experience for our kids to see God at work answering prayers and showing that there are still honest people out in the bush! - J. Hancock
The other day my hubby lost his wallet in Port Augusta. He discovered this at tea time. So we ate quickly and then drove to Port to see if we could find it. We looked everywhere he thought it could be, but it couldn't be found. The kids came with and were getting fractious, they wanted to get out and look too, but it was dark and we only had one torch. I told them if they wanted to help they could try praying. "Ask God to help daddy find his wallet", I told them.
We went home without finding it. The next morning my husband stopped at the parking bay we had searched the night before. There he met a man who was down on his luck. He really had nothing,! No job, no home (he camps out of town) and no money. What he did have however was a whole lot of honesty and my husbands wallet. Even though this man was without so much he had taken nothing out of the wallet, and he was waiting for my husband to return to the place because he had seen my hubby in his truck there before.
What an amazing experience for our kids to see God at work answering prayers and showing that there are still honest people out in the bush! - J. Hancock
Car's on fire - she'll be right mate.
I heard a story recently about an outback station owner who just wouldn't give up.
I can't mention any names but I have to say I am absolutely stunned that anyone could be so determined to get their work done.
A station owner and friend decided to go out and do some work on the station. They were going to be gone all day so they pack the Sat. phone and off they go. Just a few clicks down the track though the passenger can smell smoke and its not her cigarette, seems there is a fire in the motor.
The driver tries to stop but the brakes are not working. Don't worry about the handbrake it hasn't worked in ages. They finally come to a stop and throw open the bonnet. Yep, she's on fire. The battery cable, the brake cable all smokin'.
Well they get the fire out and then thanking their blessings no one was hurt they go home. NOT! No this station guy is determined to continue on. He's got no brakes and he can't turn off the car cause it wont start again. But never mind there is work to do.
I hear the passenger has a sore back and other assests from the fast bumping through road washouts!!!!
I heard a story recently about an outback station owner who just wouldn't give up.
I can't mention any names but I have to say I am absolutely stunned that anyone could be so determined to get their work done.
A station owner and friend decided to go out and do some work on the station. They were going to be gone all day so they pack the Sat. phone and off they go. Just a few clicks down the track though the passenger can smell smoke and its not her cigarette, seems there is a fire in the motor.
The driver tries to stop but the brakes are not working. Don't worry about the handbrake it hasn't worked in ages. They finally come to a stop and throw open the bonnet. Yep, she's on fire. The battery cable, the brake cable all smokin'.
Well they get the fire out and then thanking their blessings no one was hurt they go home. NOT! No this station guy is determined to continue on. He's got no brakes and he can't turn off the car cause it wont start again. But never mind there is work to do.
I hear the passenger has a sore back and other assests from the fast bumping through road washouts!!!!
Don't ignore the still small voice! - it may save your life
For the last month or so I kept thinking that I should clean the air filters for the aircon. Each time the thought would come I would make a mental note to do it, but I let myself get distracted and didn't end up doing it. Then last Saturday night while I was busy cooking tea something odd happened. I heard the muffled sound of children crying, like they were in a closed room somewhere.
With all the activity going on I was surprised to hear anything at all! The stove, the TV, the Exhaust fan etc. I thought maybe its coming from the Telly, so I poked my head around the corner of the lounge. No its not coming from there. I went on cooking and the noise returned. Maybe the neighbours have their grandchildren over, so I went outside. No noise at all, even my two dogs were quiet. I had a head cold so perhaps the noise was in my head!
I went on with cooking tea and the noise returned again! Perhaps Hannah is making it in her room. But no, she was quietly working in her room. I must be going nuts. So back to cooking I went and for the third time it returned. "Is it you God', I wondered are you trying to get the attention of a busy woman?
Before I could ponder that further the phone rang. It was my mother-in-law. I continued dishing up tea while chatting (I am good at multi-tasking). Hannah came out to get her soup, I was going to let her take it but then realized it was too full for her to carry. In order to save my carpet I took it in. That is when I smelled the smell. It was a hot smell with a tinge of smoke. I straight away went to the aircon - you know the one I was meaning to clean all month. I switched it off and pulled the plug which was very HOT. The powerpoint was blackended on the inside. That was close!
The story does not end here though. When I was on the phone to hubby the kids told me that the little blow heater was making a smell too so they turned it off but didn't tell me. I thought no-way but when I turned it on there was some paper stuck to the heating element. I opened it up and cleaned it out.
I am still not sure where the noise came from. Was it God? I think maybe yes beacuse that noise made me very unsettled and alert. If it was Him or not I still praise Him that my family and home were saved from fire twice on one night.
For the last month or so I kept thinking that I should clean the air filters for the aircon. Each time the thought would come I would make a mental note to do it, but I let myself get distracted and didn't end up doing it. Then last Saturday night while I was busy cooking tea something odd happened. I heard the muffled sound of children crying, like they were in a closed room somewhere.
With all the activity going on I was surprised to hear anything at all! The stove, the TV, the Exhaust fan etc. I thought maybe its coming from the Telly, so I poked my head around the corner of the lounge. No its not coming from there. I went on cooking and the noise returned. Maybe the neighbours have their grandchildren over, so I went outside. No noise at all, even my two dogs were quiet. I had a head cold so perhaps the noise was in my head!
I went on with cooking tea and the noise returned again! Perhaps Hannah is making it in her room. But no, she was quietly working in her room. I must be going nuts. So back to cooking I went and for the third time it returned. "Is it you God', I wondered are you trying to get the attention of a busy woman?
Before I could ponder that further the phone rang. It was my mother-in-law. I continued dishing up tea while chatting (I am good at multi-tasking). Hannah came out to get her soup, I was going to let her take it but then realized it was too full for her to carry. In order to save my carpet I took it in. That is when I smelled the smell. It was a hot smell with a tinge of smoke. I straight away went to the aircon - you know the one I was meaning to clean all month. I switched it off and pulled the plug which was very HOT. The powerpoint was blackended on the inside. That was close!
The story does not end here though. When I was on the phone to hubby the kids told me that the little blow heater was making a smell too so they turned it off but didn't tell me. I thought no-way but when I turned it on there was some paper stuck to the heating element. I opened it up and cleaned it out.
I am still not sure where the noise came from. Was it God? I think maybe yes beacuse that noise made me very unsettled and alert. If it was Him or not I still praise Him that my family and home were saved from fire twice on one night.
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Outback Opal thieves in Yowah - not quite what you'd expect!
We have recently returned from our Outback adventure to Opal country in Queensland. We stayed at Quilpie, Duck Creek and Yowah and had a great time searching for opal. Whilst we were in Yowah we heard about "opal thieves". Seems some people get a little bush wacked, loose their sense of direction and end up in someone elses mine underground! The holes they make are called rat holes. I guess one kind of figures that greed will make this happen but what about opals that seemingly disappear by themselves?
One guy was cutting some rather expensive opals for a client and after the intial cut he put them on the shelf and went on with other stuff. He comes back later to continue on with the polishing to find these stones gone. He has some mates staying at his place so he thinks maybe they are playing a prank on him, but when he asks they say they don't have them. Ah he thinks maybe they have hidden them so when they depart he goes searching. They can't be found. Perhaps his mates are craftier than he first assumes and they are going to post them making him sweat a little longer. But no they really don't have them.
Where are they? They are expensive stones and replacing them would be costly. He looks everywhere and even asks his neighbour. It is then he discovers the thief. His neighbour has a bower bird nesting in the garden and when they check the nest there are the stones, plus a whole lot of other stuff from around town. Seems some bower birds have expensive taste, I hope it impressed his girlfriend as it left a big impression on the poor stone-cutter.
We have recently returned from our Outback adventure to Opal country in Queensland. We stayed at Quilpie, Duck Creek and Yowah and had a great time searching for opal. Whilst we were in Yowah we heard about "opal thieves". Seems some people get a little bush wacked, loose their sense of direction and end up in someone elses mine underground! The holes they make are called rat holes. I guess one kind of figures that greed will make this happen but what about opals that seemingly disappear by themselves?
One guy was cutting some rather expensive opals for a client and after the intial cut he put them on the shelf and went on with other stuff. He comes back later to continue on with the polishing to find these stones gone. He has some mates staying at his place so he thinks maybe they are playing a prank on him, but when he asks they say they don't have them. Ah he thinks maybe they have hidden them so when they depart he goes searching. They can't be found. Perhaps his mates are craftier than he first assumes and they are going to post them making him sweat a little longer. But no they really don't have them.
Where are they? They are expensive stones and replacing them would be costly. He looks everywhere and even asks his neighbour. It is then he discovers the thief. His neighbour has a bower bird nesting in the garden and when they check the nest there are the stones, plus a whole lot of other stuff from around town. Seems some bower birds have expensive taste, I hope it impressed his girlfriend as it left a big impression on the poor stone-cutter.
'Brave soldiers and Plovers'
When I was in the army in Melbourne there were some plovers that laid their eggs on top of the transport shed (it had a very flat large roof. One day we found a chick on the ground and believing that it had accidently fallen from its nest on the roof we decided to put it back up. Well the parents were not too happy and as the Warrant officer climbed the ladder with the chick the parents dive-bombed the officer. He got a little 'scared' that he might fall. So we brave privates armed ourselves with yard brooms and helmets to scare them away. It took several attempts over half an hour but we got the chick back up.
An hour later however we found the chick was down again! We were perplexed and non to keen to go through the whole process again. Then along came another soldier who told us that these birds were plovers and that they usually lay their eggs on the ground. He suggested that the parents had probably put the baby on the gournd. No wonder they were so upset.
J. Hancock - Watsonia Barracks days
When I was in the army in Melbourne there were some plovers that laid their eggs on top of the transport shed (it had a very flat large roof. One day we found a chick on the ground and believing that it had accidently fallen from its nest on the roof we decided to put it back up. Well the parents were not too happy and as the Warrant officer climbed the ladder with the chick the parents dive-bombed the officer. He got a little 'scared' that he might fall. So we brave privates armed ourselves with yard brooms and helmets to scare them away. It took several attempts over half an hour but we got the chick back up.
An hour later however we found the chick was down again! We were perplexed and non to keen to go through the whole process again. Then along came another soldier who told us that these birds were plovers and that they usually lay their eggs on the ground. He suggested that the parents had probably put the baby on the gournd. No wonder they were so upset.
J. Hancock - Watsonia Barracks days
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