Last week's Guest Speaker: Geoff Carroll - truly from the Outback!

"Just 15 Km off the Gunbarrell Highway, near the Giles Weather Station" is how Geoff describes the location of his home town where he runs the only local store within hundreds of Kilometres.  If one checks a bit further, you may find that it is not even on the Gunbarrell "Highway", about 750 Km as the crow flies from Kalgoorlie, but by road it is 1136 brain rattling Kilometres...

 

Rather than giving a speech, Geoff opted to simply have a Question and Answers session. The main difference to the Q&A program on ABC being that questions actually were answered rather than resorting political point scoring. And further, they may not have been absolutely politically correct... ☺ The settlement features some 38 tin-shed type houses allocated to the local indigenous population, maintained by local (non-indigenous) trades people who keep them in good repair. 

 

So, what does the Warakurna store sell? "Well, just about everything from groceries, fresh fruit & vegetables, clothing, bullets..."  Fresh fruit and vegies??  Yes, a refrigerated truck comes out from Perth every two weeks, and a mail plane comes in from Alice Springs every week.  And yes, they do have Internet connection (probably faster and more reliable than most of the Gold Coast) and mobile phone coverage.  And, to add to expected amenities, the town has two nurses full time and Police presence from both WA (where the town is officially located) and the Northern Territory.  Before you get excited though: there is absolutely no alcohol...  And, if that wouldn't deter you: "normal" people (meaning non-indigenous) are not permitted to come into town. But if you can get a job there, it is not only very well paid, your weekly working hours add up to 38.  Except if you run the local store, as Geoff does: make that 50 - 55 hours per week.  Somebody needs to re-stock the shelves.  Actually, the store is the only enterprise in town that is not fully government funded. But couldn't he employ some of the locals? Yes, if they want to come and work, definitely yes.  But ask the question "when are you going to start?" the answer is "Monday". (Hint: originally the term is commonly spoken in the Spanish language, also starting with the letter M).

 

Of the approximately 60 - 70 children in the town, on average about 45 attend school every day.  This massive improvement has been achieved upon the arrival of a new Principal.

 

Is there any mining in the area? "Not in Warakurna" Geoff remarked, "but just a bit further on."  The definition of "just a bit further on" being around 180 Kilometres...  And what do the indigenous inhabitants of the town do?  OK then, what could be done? There were quite a number of other questions and corresponding refreshingly straight answers, many somewhat disconcerting and depressing.  However, in view of which your Editor's policy to follow the Rotary guidelines of remaining non-political etc, I much regret that I have decided to leave this to the individual reader's imagination.