Tanya had thought she would be the main contact between The Settlement and The Bandstand. But very quickly, she realised David had made it his business to run the relationship. She didn't really mind, but was curious about the reason and sooner or later she knew he would come and tell her. Tanya thought about how the situation would change if David ever found out about her indiscretion with Demetriou, remembering how he had briefly turned on her during the Harold debacle.
'I still think others at The Bandstand would have known about Demetriou and Bill's raid. Keep your eyes and ears open to see if someone lets anything slip. I'm sure they are all hoping we will let sleeping dogs lie,' said Tanya.
David privately thought Tanya was flogging a dead horse. With Bill and Demetriou out of the way, any individual's ill will would have long since dissipated.
Tanya knew all was not well between Chloe and David. Chloe had never really accepted the move to the mountains and spent far too much time in Sydney. However, she was dedicated to the stables and the riding school and was keen to instill in the youth a sense of adventure as well as the ability to look after oneself or a group without outside assistance. She had already established a difficult cross country course, but it was confined within the boundaries of the larger settlement. Among her pupils, Chloe had always had the record time for completing the course, but there were two young boys in their mid-teens who were now challenging her.
'I have been speaking to Mark and, as an adjunct to the military training, I have agreed to take some of the better riders out of The Settlement for a week on horseback,' she told Tanya. 'Just ten of them from here and maybe some from The Bandstand plus me. They're going to do everything themselves.'
'Shouldn't you have one other adult with you, in case of an accident? Imagine a kid with a broken leg and you are out of mobile range. How would you handle that? Anyway, are you comfortable with such an expedition? I thought you hated the bush?'
'I actually quite like the bush, in small doses,' said Chloe quietly. 'I asked Mark to come, but he is too busy. Maybe you could come with us.'
'I could, but who would fly the helicopter if it were needed?'
'When Australia was colonised they didn't have helicopters,' responded Chloe acerbically.
Tanya grinned, 'Touché. Okay, I'll come with you. I'm actually owed a very large amount of holidays.' But Tanya never did anything without consideration. At the least, I'll find out what's going on in Chloe's life.
There were seven teenage boys and seven teenage girls, plus the two adults. The teenagers had planned everything—the route, each meal, the quantity of horse food they would carry, and where they would camp. The horses would have to be tied up at night since there were no paddocks, so they planned appropriate watches through each night.
'We have fourteen teenagers, all with their hormones raging. What do you think we should do about that?' asked Tanya before they set off.
'Dunno, it is so long since I had to deal with anything like that.'
'I have some condoms and will talk to each girl individually. I don't want to encourage them to do anything they wouldn't be doing anyway, but we don't want any unwanted pregnancies. Some of the parents will have dealt with this issue but not all.'
When Tanya spoke to each girl, two of them were quite open and actually showed her the condoms included in their luggage. Three were grateful for the discussion and took the condoms on offer. The last two were just embarrassed.
'I know this is a sensitive and personal subject,' said Tanya, 'but if you need any advice please come to me. We will all be very close for a week and will learn a lot about each other.'
There was a great send off from The Settlement. Travelling north, each participant rode one horse and led another, carrying their own food, horse food, and cooking utensils. In addition, each person carried their own clothing and toiletries and was provided with a cape that could be made into a two man tent when buttoned together with another. Chloe had brought a large amount of first aid equipment to deal with every possible eventuality. Tanya had brought her own 30.06 and her twelve bore shotgun. Two of the boys were each allowed to carry a 30.06.
Before they set off, Tanya had insisted that the three of them carrying firearms had a brief inspection, making sure each weapon was clean and that none of them was loaded. Tanya took the first inspection and thereafter they took it in turns, morning and evening. The boys enjoyed being treated as adults. Four of the group were from The Bandstand, so the route was planned to drop them off on the way home.
The first day was slow, but uneventful. Chloe and Tanya just let everyone get on with things and deliberately gave little advice; eventually, one of the older boys, Roger, took charge. After they had stopped for the night, some people were directed to collect firewood, some were put in charge of the meal, others tended the horses. Deciding who was to share each tent took some time. Neither Chloe nor Tanya checked on who was sharing with whom.
'I am sure it will change over the week,' said Chloe in an aside to Tanya.
Tanya checked that all the horses were correctly tethered. One camper had to come back and learn how to tie the beast up properly.
'If a horse gets loose and canters off, the others will become restless and we will end up losing half of them. They might also injure themselves if they escape.'
'Thanks, I was coming back to check, but there just seems to be so much to do.'
'Simple rule,' said Tanya, 'horses first, people second.'
The girls had taken charge of the meal and soon produced something simple and tasty. Gradually, the relationships sorted themselves out; some people did more than was expected of them and some less. There was a lot of chatter but by nine o'clock most of the group had retired.
'Tanya and I will take the first watch,' said Chloe. 'Two hours.' They chatted about inconsequential things, but it was noticeable that Chloe avoided any discussion related to The Settlement.
I will get to that over the next few days, thought Tanya.
At eleven, two girls emerged sleepily from their tent. Tanya went around the horses with them making sure they were all quiet.
'Keep a small fire going,' she advised, 'it helps in the morning. It will also keep dingoes away. I have hung all the spare food up in the trees so they will not be able to reach it, but they may sniff around. Don't under any circumstances feed any animals.'
Chloe was asleep when Tanya crept into her own sleeping bag.
The last watch woke the camp up at five, just before dawn. 'Eat well,' urged Chloe. 'There will just be sandwiches on the move.'
They packed up the camp. By nine o'clock they were all ready to move. Tanya and Roger took a turn around the site making certain the fire was out and buried and there were no signs of rubbish anywhere.
They made better progress the next day and by three o'clock they had arrived at the next campsite. They all stood in a semi-circle to admire the spectacle; a spray of water creating a twenty foot waterfall flowing into a deep, beautifully clear pool. There was a grassy bank where they were standing and sheer rock walls on the other side.
Chloe said, 'Horses first ...'
'People next,' chorused the group.
Tanya watered and fed her horse and found a spot near the pool to dump her and Chloe's equipment. She then stripped everything off and stepped gingerly into the pool as if she was completely alone. Her nipples puckered in the cold water as she splashed a little water onto herself. As the boys' eyes almost stood out on stalks, Tanya slipped into the water, swam across the pool and back, and yelled, 'What are you all waiting for? It's beautiful.'
She ran to where her clothes were, picked up her underwear and a piece of soap, sat on a rock in the pool and proceeded to wash herself and her clothing. She made no attempt to cover herself. She knew she was beautiful, with her slim body and long legs culminating in the small dark patch between them. She hoped if they all followed her example then they would soon ignore each other's nakedness and just see each other as people. Gradually the group followed her lead, first Chloe and then the rest of them. One or two thought they would swim in their underwear, but as soon as they did there was a cry of 'off, off, off.' Within ten minutes, the pool was a boiling, splashing, yelling place of teenage fun.
Tanya pulled on her calf-length riding boots, hung her now clean underwear on a nearby bush, and went to check on the horses, quietly grazing. She checked each one of the thirty-two horses. With the help of two of the now unselfconscious but still naked girls, she looked at the hooves of every horse, picking their feet up and getting rid of the small stones with a hoof-pick she had in her baggage. As she was about to return to the pool, she saw five Aboriginal people standing in the shade, dressed in animal skins; two men and three women. They had obviously been there for a while but had only just decided to show themselves. Tanya was quite calm, although the girls drew a deep breath.
'Hello,' said Tanya, uncertainly.
There was a brief acknowledgment from the older man, who then said something to the youngest member of the group in his own language.
'He say this is sacred site,' said the young girl, translating.
'Oh, we didn't know, it didn't look as if anyone had been here for many years.'
The man said something urgently, waving his hand at the naked figure of Tanya.
The girl translated, 'He says you do sacred site much honour by swimming naked first in the pool and then making all your children swim after you. Much honour.'
Tanya was expecting to be told they would have to move. 'Oh, thank you. It is a very beautiful place.' Tanya was uncertain what to do next but she asked the group if they would like to join them.
The Aboriginal group had a brief discussion, one went behind a bush and appeared with two wallabies and a possum, apparently their next meal. They made it clear they would eat their own food but would like to be part of the group.
Tanya retrieved her now dry underwear from the bush and put on a tee shirt.
The Aborigines skinned the creatures they had hunted, building a big fire; pieces of wallaby and possum were placed on the coals once the fire had died down. In the meantime, the riders had started to prepare their own meal with both groups watching each other curiously. Chloe offered the Aboriginal group some of the food they had cooked; hesitantly they took some lamb chops and the young girl said, rubbing her stomach. 'This meat is okay. The rest of your food makes us ill.'
They cut off small pieces of wallaby and handed it around. The boys ate it with relish; some of the girls were a bit tentative.
'Just think of it as Skippy,' said one of the boys unkindly.
'You had better make the most of it,' said Rachel, one of the older girls, who had now taken charge of the catering and food supplies. 'We have no more meat after this and the rest of the rations will have to survive this heat.'
There was a brief discussion among the Aboriginal group. 'If you come with us tomorrow we can show you two things, a place that no white people have ever visited and also somewhere where you can hunt birds, wallabies, and maybe goanna. That is our special place,' the young girl translated, now much more confidently. After dinner, some of the riders started to go to bed.
'Wait,' the leader said firmly, 'we have something to show you.' They waited for half an hour.
'This is why we have come here at this time,' the young girl translated. 'The moon will rise soon.' She pointed to a sharp pinnacle now clearly visible in the night sky. 'Our ancestors told us we should wait for a young white woman who would cleanse the pool by swimming around it, naked, and now these predictions have been answered,' she said indicating Tanya. They waited a few more minutes and a shaft of light from the moon lit up the centre of the pool. The Aborigines all knelt in front of Tanya, performing a dance, and then asked her to go to the pool which was only a few metres away.
'He wants you to go into the pool again, and stand on that rock in the middle,' the girl translated.
'This is weird,' said Roger, but Tanya did not hesitate. Without a word she stripped all her clothes off, waded into the now chilly pool, swam to the rock, and climbed it facing the group. As she stood up the light from the moon emerged from behind the pinnacle of rock and gradually lit up her naked beauty from head to foot. She stood there, in silence, for ten minutes. Then she dove in, swam around the pool twice, and then hopped out of the water.
The Aboriginal man's speech was translated. 'Our ancestors predicted a female god, standing naked on the rock in the moonlight, an older woman, and the beautiful young people, all white. We have come here now for seven years waiting for this to occur and now it has.'
The man hesitated for half a minute and the girl continued, 'There is a second prediction. Big waters will rise, from where we do not know, but there will be hunger among all the people. Our ancestors have told us to protect you "White Goddess" and all your children. We will return every year to renew this belief.'
There was absolute silence for a further ten minutes. All the riders, of course, knew and understood the science behind The Settlement, but here was an outsider, who could not possibly know or understand it, making precisely the same prediction.
Tanya spoke slowly, so the young girl could translate. 'Some seven years ago, my husband's father, called all the family together and made the prediction you have now talked about. He then found the place we call The Settlement, two days' ride from here.'
'The place with the big fence,' said the Aboriginal man. Tanya nodded.
'We have made it self-sufficient, so when the big waters rise we can block it off and hopefully survive until all is settled again, which may take many years.'
'Our ancestors have told us we are to help you survive and then our traditional lands will be returned to us, so that we can look after them. The new community that will emerge will be a mix of the old and the new. We will not let the country be destroyed like it is being destroyed now,' said the Aboriginal man firmly, translated by the young girl.
Tanya got up and embraced him. 'Let's declare ourselves blood relations.' She cut her palm with a sharp knife and the man did the same. They mixed the blood, hand to hand.
'What about AIDS?' asked the ever-practical Chloe.
'We don't have AIDS in our community and these people have almost no contact with the so-called civilised community, so the chances of any of us contracting aids is about zero. However, this is voluntary.' Soon everyone had mixed the blood, including the somewhat reluctant Chloe.
The Aborigines settled around the fire as the rest of the party went to bed.
'There is no need to run the watch routine tonight,' said Chloe. 'Our new friends will make sure no horses escape.'
Tanya and Chloe were far too animated to retire so they just sat by the fire and chatted. 'That business with the light striking me while I was standing starkers on that rock … '
'Yes,' said a rather doubtful Chloe.
'That was no accident.'
'Oh,' said a very surprised Chloe.
'You see that pinnacle in the sky over there.'
'Yes.'
'Well, a few minutes after I stood on the rock, the moonlight shone directly on me and the rock. I bet, due to planet movement, this particular event can only happen annually. They must somehow have got all the maths right even if they can't explain it in precisely those terms. Our Aboriginal friend knew exactly what he was doing.'
'Good heavens. You don't really believe in all this mumbo jumbo surely?'
'Well yes, I do. He reached the same conclusions that David and I, using all the science available to us, quite separately arrived at. It is quite extraordinary, it actually backs up our beliefs and from a source we had no knowledge of.' After a thoughtful silence, Tanya said gently, 'You have never really believed in what we have been doing in the Blue Mountains, have you? It must be very difficult for you. I have often wondered how you cope, with David having obviously found his life's work.'
'I have never discussed this with anyone else, but I feel I can tell you now. This whole business has upset me, has destroyed my world, if you like. I was more than happy with our life and I have a great deal of difficulty believing in the research. I know of nobody else who believes it. David and I spent months looking for a place and we came up with blanks, much to my relief. I thought the whole thing would just go away. Then you and David found The Settlement and within months it was all a terrible reality,'
Chloe paused, gathering her thoughts. 'I met this fellow at the golf club, Alan. It took a few months, but we eventually became lovers. He had a flat in Manly and we used to meet there every two weeks or so.' Chloe's face was lit by the light of the moon, now high in the sky. She looked happy, contented for a moment. 'The relationship was mainly based on sex. And it was exquisite, delicious. He made no emotional demands on me and vice versa. Agreeing a date and time to meet was the easiest thing in the world. He had a wife and four kids and I had you lot. We discussed our situation at length on several occasions, neither of us wanted to change anything.' Chloe wiped away a tear.
Tanya sat quietly. She had always wondered whether there were greater depths to her mother-in-law. 'You keep saying "had", as if it was all in the past.'
Chloe wiped away another tear. 'He was killed in a car accident three years ago, on his way to see me. I didn't go to the funeral but spent many days in mourning; I still miss him.'
Tanya thought there was much more to Chloe's feelings than just sex.
'Most unexpectedly Alan left me the flat. Apparently he had changed his will about a year before he died, but he never mentioned it to me. So I now have a flat in Manly and David knows nothing about it.'
There was another reflective silence.
'I have had other lovers since,' offered Chloe. 'One was looking for a mother substitute and another thought he could two-time me. I put a stop to all of that double quick. There is someone in the wings at the moment though. I don't rush these things.'
'Does David know anything about this?'
'Not really. He is in love with The Settlement and I am expected just to play second fiddle. We had a real home, which he sold.' She laughed mirthlessly. 'I spent the day with Alan while he was busy selling it. He may now think of The Settlement as his home, but it certainly isn't mine. The nearest thing to a home for me is the flat in Manly. If he ever thinks about it, he must wonder about my absences.'
They watched the fire, enjoying each other's company.
'I have never told a soul about this, not a soul,' said Chloe. 'Thank you for listening to me. I have never felt any guilt, much to my surprise.' She squeezed Tanya's arm.
The Aborigines waited patiently while the camp was struck and packed. They would just have picked up their few possessions and left, having buried the fire. Eventually, the caravan started moving at eight thirty, a good half hour earlier than the day before.
The Aboriginal man came with the young girl. 'Call me Derain.'
Tanya had heard the word before, it meant "of the mountains".
The group rode on with Derain, on foot, leading.
They appeared to be approaching a sheer rock face, became more and more overwhelming with no apparent exit. Derain said nothing, continuing confidently on his way. Although the group had started to trust the Aborigines, there were some uneasy glances.
Derain eventually stopped, his words, translated by the girl. 'Everyone will stop here, and unsaddle the horses. You can come with me,' he said, indicating Tanya. 'I will show you. Bring your two horses.'
They led the two horses, disappearing into some thick bush. Within five minutes, they were on a very narrow path with a steep drop on one side and sheer rock walls on the other. Tanya tried not to look down. The horses somehow understood and walked unconcernedly along the path, following Derain. After about a kilometre, the path broadened and they emerged into a glade. It was an earthly paradise, with tall grasses and a stream running through. There were glimpses of kangaroos and wallabies and at the far extent there was a small settlement, with a few untidy looking huts made with rough sticks covered with grass and animal skins. A group of about twenty Aborigines crowded around shyly while Derain made a short speech. They all bowed down before performing some sort of ritual dance.
This must be something to do with the White Goddess, she thought. 'What about the others?' asked Tanya nervously, indicating the way they had come.
Derain waved her concerns away. 'Soon, soon,' he said smiling.
He showed her where her group could camp, then Derain and many from the Aboriginal village disappeared. An hour later, much to Tanya's relief, Roger and Rachel arrived leading their horses. Then, at ten minute intervals, the rest of the group arrived, helped by the people from the village. They all gradually assembled, Chloe bringing up the rear.
Derain came over and made a short, translated speech. 'We must bring you here first as the White Goddess. Then we bring all the others slowly so as not to frighten them or the horses. If you want meat, the boys with rifles can go with some of the people from the village; to find kangaroos, wallabies, even goannas.'
The group spent an untroubled three days in the village. There was lots of swimming naked in the streams. Two of the boys hunted with their compatriots and there was much amusement when the white boys attempted to use the heavy hunting boomerang, missing by metres, not even frightening intended prey.
The two girls who had been embarrassed in the face of Tanya's safe sex speech shyly approached her. 'Do you still have some condoms?'
Tanya nodded, fished in her luggage and handed over some packs. Looking them in the eye, she said. 'Don't be forced into anything you're not sure of.'
They rushed off, giggling.
During the visit Tanya had questioned Derain why no white people had ever been to their village before. 'You can see it's too difficult, people must have guide to come here,' he had answered. She was unable to get any more out of him than that.
After three days, Tanya sought Chloe out as she was sunbathing naked on a flat rock. By now, everyone was quite unconcerned about their lack of dress.
'We need to think about finding our way back. We said we would be about a week. I don't want anyone to be getting worried.'
'I had really lost all sense of time. I could happily spend another week here.'
'Is this the Sydney girl speaking?'
Chloe laughed.
'I'll talk to Derain, but one of us could go ahead to tell them we are on our way and then the rest follow at a more leisurely pace,' said Tanya.
'Okay, but to your original point, if anyone gets hurt what do we do?'
Tanya returned in ten minutes. 'They'll send somebody, today, so we can pack up at leisure and leave tomorrow. Derain will show us a way that takes three days to get to The Bandstand.'
When they eventually left the village at midday the following day, Chloe took stock of her charges. The transformation was almost complete. From the shy, uncertain group who had left a week earlier, she now had a group confident in their bush craft, able to cook and camp, confident in their sexuality, and more certain of their relationships with adults.
They were all laughing and joking and said to their Aboriginal counterparts. 'Come and see us at The Settlement and we will we back next year when the White Goddess has to stand on the rock again in the moonlight.'
Derain took them a different way with another steep, narrow footpath where they all had to dismount.
'Derain says, to leave a ten minute gap between groups in case anyone gets into trouble,' Tanya told the group. Derain and the translator alone remained to assist as they negotiated the difficult descent from the village.
From various vantage points they were able to admire the endless vista of the pristine forests, always washed with the blue tinge from the eucalypt oil. There was the occasional landmark, mainly of sheer, golden brown rock faces. Then they rode down into the bush again, where the visibility was down to a few metres with the sunlight peering uncertainly through the leaf canopy.
They camped for the next two nights. On the second night, the boys shot two kangaroos. Derain watched them butcher the prey for a few minutes. Satisfied, he signalled to Chloe to come with him.
They stopped in a clearing, Derain showed Chloe a large black snake sunbathing in the last light of the day. Chloe tried to withdraw, but Derain held her arm, preventing her from moving. They stood still and silent, watching the animal for ten minutes. Chloe thought they were leaving, but Derain held her by the arm and brought her closer. He picked up a large stick and lifted the snake up with it, much to Chloe's consternation. He showed her the various markings before gently putting the animal on the ground where it slithered away.
'Snake, more frighten of you,' he said.
Chloe was still quite frightened, but her fear was not as great as before.
On the evening of the third day, a jubilant but tired group arrived at The Bandstand, full of stories of their adventures, including detailed stories of the White Goddess and the Aboriginal village. Tanya was relieved there was no sign of David.
Tanya made sure she sat next to Caroline during the evening meal, asking if they had received the message about their delay.
'Yes,' she said noncommittally. 'As soon as we received it David phoned The Settlement to let them know. He left this morning.' She flushed slightly, and went on to more mundane subjects.
Tanya's suspicions were confirmed. It was apparent David and Caroline had become an item. She hoped he would deal with the issue sensitively.
Tanya gave Derain a key to both the western and eastern gates of The Settlement. 'You may come and go whenever you wish.'
'And you will come to the sacred pool in the next year for the celebration of the White Goddess?' he asked through the translator.
'Of course.'
They embraced.
The children invited the community to a presentation on their trip within days of returning home. There was immense curiosity, which grew as the participants told their various stories to parents and friends.
The photographic display began by showcasing a naked image of Tanya standing on a rock in the moonlight. There was an immediate intake of breath and some fidgeting, but nobody left the room.
After the presentation, one woman yelled out, 'Pornography! Nothing but pornography.'
A few voices in the room agreed.
Chloe and Tanya kept silent.
Roger and Rachel continued with their presentation. 'We learnt many things during this trip,' said Roger. 'Most importantly, the Aboriginal people we met at the pool have the same vision as we do regarding the collapse of the Ice Shelf and the rising water levels. They explained it all in terms of what their ancestors had told them would happen. Interestingly, enough they have been visiting the sacred pool for seven years. They predicted our arrival at the site, it was part of their vision. They asked Tanya to swim to the rock you saw in the photo. Tanya decided, without being asked, to strip off, just as their ancestors had predicted, The naked White Goddess would stand on the rock bathed in moonlight. Within a few minutes, a beam of light appeared from behind a pinnacle and surrounded Tanya. We all feel we witnessed a very significant event.' He hesitated, 'even a revelation. Also, we now have an approximate date for the projected collapse of the Ice Shelf.'
'What is the date?' someone asked.
'It appears to be 2025, or maybe a year later, possibly during the ritual with the White Goddess at the pool.'
'Did Derain have sexual intercourse with the White Goddess?' asked an anonymous voice from the back of the hall. There was a deathly hush, some people in the community were truly shocked by the naked pictures of Tanya and the same question was also on their minds.
There was a spontaneous shout of 'No!' from all those on the trip.
'Did the Aboriginal people have sexual intercourse with any of the participants on the trip?'
Again a spontaneous and resounding chorus of, 'No!'
There was a short silence.
'We learnt other things on the trip too,' said Rachel, continuing. 'Firstly, not to be ashamed of our bodies. When we were in camp everyone walked around naked if they felt like it. We also learnt many things about camping in a hostile environment, preparing and maintaining the camp, and clearing away our presence before we left.'
The audience was still discomforted by the talk about nudity. People asked whether they could visit the village without the help of the locals.
'No,' replied Tanya. 'They would have to escort us in. It is difficult to find and access. We were the first whites ever to have been to the village.'
'Had they ever see white people before?'
'Yes, some of them spoke English,' replied Rachel.
Chloe spoke up, 'It seems there are some outstanding questions which could best be answered privately. I will be available to answer as will Tanya or any of the participants.'
The meeting broke up, but Chloe and then Tanya were assailed with questions.
One woman approached Tanya, saying, 'Thank you for reinforcing the safe sex message with my daughter. I don't know, and don't want to know, whether she uses the information or not.'
'She showed me the condoms you had given her. The last thing we needed from the trip was unwanted pregnancies,' said Tanya.
Another very nervous woman said, 'If I had known you were going to hand out condoms, I would have prevented her from going at all.'
'I didn't want to be a policeman on the trip and I didn't want to be responsible for any unwanted pregnancies, so I made certain that all the girls had some advice,' said Tanya evenly. 'At this age they all have hormones bouncing around in their bodies and I had no knowledge of what sexual education each of the participants had been given. When I was their age I was given no advice, so experimentation was the only option. It was just a question of luck that it all turned out alright. What sexual instruction have you given your daughter?'
'Well, nothing, we were just wondering what to do,' said the woman uncertainly.
'It is often better to have a third party give the instruction, with the parents providing moral guidance.'
'Could you do that?'
'Certainly, me or the doctor.'
'I would rather have a woman give that sort of instruction to my daughter.'
'I think that cleared the air a bit, it was right to have a completely open discussion. It will make participation in future trips easier,' said Chloe.
'It looks as if I will be giving sex education lessons to all the young girls in The Settlement,' said Tanya.
'Rather you than me.'
The excitement of the trip died down after a few weeks. The naked image of Tanya created a barrier between her and some members of the community, although many people still came to her for advice.
As The Settlement developed, Tanya persuaded David to sell many of the operations that sustained the community to individual settlers. 'The Bowers can't own everything, it makes us and the whole community very vulnerable. Funds we receive in this way can be used for further development and to make us more secure.'
'What do you have in mind?'
'Well, we could flog the cattle herd off now to the family who run it, the same with the sheep. We could encourage someone to set up a weaving shop and someone else to make clothes and so on. We should encourage business growth and issue licences so we have some ability to help and indeed impose sanctions in the rare cases where that may be necessary. At first they will have to abide by Australian regulations, but once the Ice Shelf collapses our licence will be the only one that has any validity. We could even sell the hospital,' said Tanya.
'How will all this be funded?'
'I have applied for a banking licence. There has been a bit of eggshell dancing on the part of Government, they still regard us with suspicion, but it should be granted shortly. So all the transactions should be through The Settlement bank.'
'Who will own the bank?'
'The family, there is no other option. But everything else should be owned by outsiders. Appropriate rents should be paid to The Settlement Pty Ltd for use of Settlement property.'
'Would the shareholders remain in the family?'
Yes, for the moment that makes the most sense. As things develop, it may have to change. Maybe when the next generation takes over,' said Tanya carefully.
'What about currency after the collapse?'
'When we are completely isolated, most of the transactions will be electronic. Joe has the capacity to build computers and maintain a suitable system. In time, we may have to print our own currency.'
At the regular board meetings, the board members agreed to an orderly sell-off of the operations previously run by the company. As Tanya had suggested, applications for licences for new businesses were encouraged.
'We need to ensure we are not unwittingly creating monopolies,' Mark suggested. 'If we are to sell the dairy herd, for example, it may need to be sold to two different people.'
'Are we going to have some sort of democracy?' ventured Patricia.
'What do you think?' asked David.
'Well, in time it would mean people other than current shareholders in the company would be part of this board. Our cosy board meetings would certainly take on a different flavour.'
David looked uncomfortable.
'At present that would be difficult,' said Tanya, supporting David, 'as almost all development funds have come from the family. We don't want other people muscling in.'
'There are something like one hundred houses here, and the funds for building them were provided by individuals. Those people are now being asked to invest further with the sell-off of assets belonging to the company. This is all very good for The Settlement and will make us much stronger, but sooner or later those people will want a say in how this place is run,' responded Patricia firmly.
There was a thoughtful silence around the room.
'I don't think we are quite ready for a one adult, one vote system at present,' said Mark. 'There is still a lot of uncertainty and possibly a need to act very quickly when the Ice Shelf collapses. Anyway, what you say makes sense Patricia. How about dividing The Settlement into wards of, say, twenty houses, where we can talk to the residents and generally understand their feelings and community concerns? Each ward would be the responsibility of one of us.'
'How would that work?' asked David.
'I would have a regular, say monthly meeting with all the adult residents in my ward. Any issues would be brought back to the board. I could personally visit anyone who didn't attend to unearth any concerns. It would provide our first formal consultation process.'
David said defensively. 'There is plenty of consultation now. I walk round the community on a daily basis and talk to everyone.'
'We all do that, but the community has grown. I think what Mark has suggested is a good step in the right direction. As the community becomes more confident we are going to have to involve more people in the decision-making process at a much higher level,' said Joe.
'I am seen as the leader in this place, so I don't think it is appropriate for me to be a ward representative. I will continue to do as I have always done.' Instinctively he felt uncomfortable with the possible democratisation. The family have put up all the funds, he thought. Outsiders will not have the same sensitivity when handling individual situations.
'I really don't think I can take on any more responsibilities, with my charitable work in Sydney and the horses, so please count me out,' said Chloe. Secretly, she wanted no more involvement than she already had with the Settlement.
Mark continued, 'Okay, we can divide the community into wards of twenty-five houses each. That's me, Tanya, Joe, and Patricia each with the responsibility for a ward. Dad, you have an intimate knowledge of all the people in the community, perhaps you could have a first pass at allocating the four of us to individual wards.'
'I will probably just do that on the basis of geography and then we can adjust some of the allocations where we think it is necessary,' he responded unenthusiastically.
Patricia had noticed her father's reticence, and said to him afterwards, with her arm around his shoulders, 'I know this is difficult for you, but in the end this place will have to be run on democratic lines to survive.'
He said nothing but reflected on one of his conversations with Chloe in the very early days where she had thought he wanted to be some sort of dictator. She was right, he thought. I will always find it difficult to have anyone but the family in charge here.
Mark knew bush survival would be an essential part of Academy training. While the trip to the pool had given people some idea of the challenges in the bush, he thought something more rigorous was needed. He saw the introduction of Derain into the community as a heaven-sent opportunity to hone the bush skills of all Academy trainees.
'I take a few people into the bush for a few days at a time,' said Derain, through his translator, once he heard Mark's idea.
'People need to be able to survive in small groups or on their own,' said Mark.
'Must understand bush first, otherwise will die. I will look after. In one year, or two, all will be very good in bush.'
David was concerned about the effect Derain and his people might have on two families with an Aboriginal heritage recently arrived at The Settlement. They had attended the presentation on Chloe's bush trip, but had made no comment.
'How do you feel about our contact with Derain and his people?' David asked Tony Dyson, the head of one of the families.
'Our families lost contact with our tribal cousins long ago and gradually adopted the values and lifestyle of the settlers. Although we have a few words from our Aboriginal ancestors, there was no common language, so we would be unlikely to be able to hold a conversation with Derain and his people in their own language.'
'What about Derain's vision?'
'We adopted the Christian faith many decades ago and no longer believe in ancestor worship. But we are from the city, so anything Derain can teach us about bush survival is most welcome.'
Derain's reaction, through an interpreter was, 'These people went away from their roots. Maybe we can help them find them again.'