Pilgrimage: Dubbo to Bourke - Day 4

Out past the old North Bourke Bridge Jen Greentree’s gallery opened the eyes of our pilgrims to the moods and colours of the Outback. She paints stories of hope in ochres and blues, to defy the thinking that this is God-forsaken country. Later in the day they saw READ MORE...

Out past the old North Bourke Bridge Jen Greentree’s gallery opened the eyes of our pilgrims to the moods and colours of the Outback. She paints stories of hope in ochres and blues, to defy the thinking that this is God-forsaken country. Later in the day they saw the landscape pass slowly by from the deck of the P.S. Jandra on the Darling. The boat had been crafted by a local farmer with a big heart for the town.
The soaring white sails of the Exhibition Centre arched against a perfect blue sky were filled with promise. Beneath them our pilgrims journeyed into an unfamiliar world filled with Afghan cameleers, bushrangers, pioneering women and pastoralists with vast kingdoms. They met innovative men and women of faith who changed the face of the country with education, medical services, pastoral care and entrepreneurial vision.
Outside they had a totally unscripted meeting. On the deck of the coffee shop, a Aboriginal Vietnam veteran recounted being rejected for service in 1967 because the Flora and Fauna Act declared him a non citizen. Astonishment and sadness. But hope too. In the background sound checks signalled rehearsal for the evening Colin Buchanan concert. The place was buzzing. Over dinner, Jodi’s electric smile lit up her story of a mother coping with the stresses of mothering children in the bush.
The sails glowed against the night sky as Colin retold the stories of Bourke in songs that warmed the heart of the hundred or more locals and tourists seated around tables on the lawn. A larger online audience listened unseen, but filled screens with their joy at hearing the music and hearing Paul’s yarns about Jesus being spotted in different corners of the bush. The Outback Historian was launched with a blast from a Splashe Cola bottle!