Nourlangie Safari Camp, Episode 19

Nourlangie Safari Camp, here is 9SLK
Is anybody listening? (My radio code)
From the Diaries of Flemming Jensen 1968-1969

Friday, February 21st

I have not been very lucky with the radio today. This morning I heard that there was a telegram for me but I did not get it. The batteries ran out of power before it was my turn. Nothing I could do. It was infuriating! At last they send me a telegram and then the battery ran out of power! When I have not heard from anyone in a long time it is doubly annoying. Well I've got ahead and it is hunting today. Unfortunately the first one I saw had seen or heard me and had disappeared before I got going on. The next I saw first and it cost the life. The first shot got it down but as I approached it was to my surprise suddenly up again and tried to attack. This unexpected attempt to attack forced me to be standing in the mud up to my ankles and without aiming to shoot. Where I hit I do not know but at least it went down again and I had two more shots to it before it fell into a big pond. It is the largest, oldest and toughest I have ever got. That it was tough I had to realize when I tried to cook a steak tonight. It was impossible to chew! Well I think it is only for dog food. Tomorrow I will try to look into the freezer and find something from a slightly younger vintage. Unfortunately it was too late for this meal. I hoped that they would repeat the telegram tonight and so they did. But again I had not heard it because of the news broadcast which they send in the middle of telegram reading, the voice disappeared totally in noise. When the news was over I could not get back to the wavelength. Perhaps this is because of the huge storm that is about to pull up. Last night was what we in Danish say, ‘It was all blue sky and sea.’ It blew incessantly so one would think that it was in the middle of the day. But it all just not bothers me a bit, even the damn telegrams. I take one day at a time and do not expect anything from anybody.

Saturday, February 22nd

Nothing new. Still no one wants to visit me apart from the pensioners, they come here almost daily. Today I could only tell them that it's tomorrow that they can get their rations and otherwise I gave them a chunk of meat. At noon I had to give up that mess with the water pump, it was simply too hot. After trying this afternoon it would still not work. Besides, that it should have been repaired a long time ago by Allan's partner who before Christmas went to Melbourne to take a fortnight's holiday. He had been here to fix things like that. He is a mechanic but no one has since heard from him. It seemed as if people flee from this place when opportunity offers. Allan had just set off for a few days! The same happened with Pat. Allan should have come Friday after Pat's arrival in Darwin. It is now three weeks ago. But who hangs himself in minutiae? Not me for sure. My steak tonight was delicious and different, but it was indeed the meat of another vintage.

Sunday, February 23rd

Twice I was cheated. The first time I even reached up to the airstrip but it was not an airplane that should land, otherwise it flew low enough. Water pump still does not work and I'm not much to separate the old machine apart. I have no spare seals. The radio does not make it easy for me to be a human being. Before Pat went off she said that I should not send only receive. It's ok.Tonight the reporter would not send the telegram to me because he could not hear me! It is obvious when I do not or can’t send. If he repeats it in the morning I'll try to see if I can figure out how to send and then just ignore what Pat said. Now I will hear the news.

Monday, February 24th

No news. No telegrams. Water pump still does not work. It is now three weeks ago that Pat went to Darwin. It must be all for today.

Tuesday 25th February 1969

I had no buffalo today. After having wandered for five hours I gave up and went straight home before a hurricane like storm broke loose. Not a single one we had seen. My feet are sore because I have been going barefoot. Allan's rubber boots gnaws me and they are three sizes too small so whether my feet are suitable for this kind or not they must try to get used to it. There will probably calluses someday. To make the diet varied a little I have embarked on the last packet of cornflakes. I only get oatmeal every second day and so on. In the evening for dessert I started to use different boxes and bags that I find around. So tonight it is pudding and various fruit desserts. I bake bread without baking powder. It is adding up. I started to read to kill time in the evening but there are not really any books of my taste. It's mostly love novels. Allan has some great books such as The Second World War by Churchill, but they are too big a mouthful.

Reproduced with permission: Kakadu National Park Cultural Heritage & Biodiversity Management Unit.