Circling the Centre

Thirty-eight very excited H.S.C. students gathered with their parents, at Kilbreda Chapel for 6:30 a.m. Mass to pray for a safe and happy tour of The Alice, Ayer’s Rock, the Olgas, Coober Pedy, Adelaide and Barossa Valley.

It was Friday May 12 (1978). (Which may explain the language used) Luggage for ten days! was packed quickly and skilfully into the bus. The happy group accompanied by Srs Rosemarie and Margaret, Mrs Kortholt and Anne Elvey were waved off for Tullamarine airport.

The plane rose into the sky at 10:15 a.m. but nerves were soon forgotten amid the breathtaking views, and friendly service of the hostesses. Too soon, we were fastening our seat belts , and the plane dropped down at 1 p.m. Alice Springs’ time. Our coach driver, John, who was later referred to as “Dad”, and Denise, our cook met us. Expectantly, we drove to Heavitree Gap Caravan Park, and learned how ‘easy’ it was to fold a 4’ x 5’ tent to fit into a 3’ x 4’ bag.

It’s 44 years since that was written, and, despite the outdated language here and there (and the Mass before departure!), the story was much the same a few weeks ago, when another group of 40 Kilbreda students and six teachers headed off to the Centre. We, too, were treated to a lesson on tent packing, but, in hindsight it appears I may have been one of the only ones listening! We too stayed a few days later at Heavitree Gap Caravan Park! (under a different name and crazily refurbished, as I’m sure the original probably didn’t boast four pools and a waterslide!)

As far as I am aware, that was the first of Kilbreda’s forays into the Red Centre, but obviously not the last. The trip was not run in 1979, but has continued since 1980 apart from the recent cancellations due to COVID and at least one occasion due to numbers. (Following the cessation of Kilbreda groups climbing Uluru some years ago, from memory). The trip described was fairly much the same as the one that Jacinta Devlin and I did 25 years ago as very young Kilbreda teachers. Coincidentally, while waiting at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, our 2022 cook Poss, brought a man to meet me and it was none other than our driver from 25 years ago, Mike!

In recent years, the trip has changed to start at Yulara Resort and end in Darwin, adding places of interest such as Kakadu and Nitmiluk (Katherine) but, at the expense of Coober Pedy, which I believe is such an interesting experience so different from anywhere else I know. While sitting by the pool at the Garden of Eden, King’s Canyon, I was impressed by a young mother carrying her young daughter up the many flights of stairs. On catching up to her and commending her on her bravery, she asked which school we were. On hearing the name Kilbreda, she responded that her cousin Lisa Backholer went there. She wasn’t in my homeroom, but in the room next door when I started here 33 years ago. I asked where she went to school and was told Chelt High. It turned out her sister was my cousin’s best friend, Claire L’Huillier mother of Ruby and Lily! A further coincidence occurred while waiting for our bus driver in Darwin, when a woman rode past on her bike. It was Maree Feutrill, mother of past pupil Meg (2012) whom I have known for 30 years and had hoped to catch up with, but hadn’t had time to make the necessary arrangements. The Lord works in mysterious ways and she happened to ride past in the 20 minute interval that we were on that corner. Amazing!

Damian Smith
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