U3A Writing: Governess In The Bush
Sophisticated suburban skills rate very low when you are living on a remote station in the Australian bush, says Astra Warren. In this evocative article, Astra, who worked as a governess in the bush, says that no-one can afford to be a whinging burden in a community where everyone is interdependent.
Being a SNAG, that is, a Station New Age Governess, is far removed
from the romantic world of a Jane Eyre.
In the bush, sophisticated suburban skills rate very low. For instance, my comprehensive education didn't teach me how to drive a truck, ride a horse or motor bike, clear a blocked drain, climb a windmill or start an apparently lifeless generator.
I can't do any of these, but any station wife can, and if she has to cope with such emergencies, somebody has to move into her abandoned domestic chores - finish cooking the meal, fetch in the washing, and there's always a sinkful of dishes.
You learn not to draw demarcation lines over rights and duties. Your
wants diminish in importance. There are animals whose welfare is
more important than yours.
It is essential to develop a degree of mental and physical toughness. In an interdependent community, no-one can afford to be a whinging burden.
You learn a new perspective. Water does not appear in the pipes by
magic. It relies on wind to turn the mill which feeds the gravity
tank, and that can run dry on a windless day. Electricity depends on
a generator costly on fuel and maintenance, so it is usually turned
off at night. After that, you're on your own with a torch and
probably an outside loo.
Many stations now have storage batteries for 24-hour power, but you need to know which appliances to avoid using because they draw too much power and deplete the storage.
The hot water system is often DIY; a 44-gallon drum outside, lying
on a raised frame with space underneath to feed the fire with fence
posts. It is amazingly efficient, in spite of a tangle of soot-
encrusted pipes, and you rediscover all your childhood pyromaniac
skills, especially on the odd wet day when everybody is impatiently
waiting for a hot shower.
Communications are moving into the 21st century, with satellite TV,
computers, fax,and teleconferencing for students, but the telephone
is still lifeline, support system and news network. Answering a call
is not just social chat. Essential information to be passed on
includes weather conditions, exact rainfall if any, where everyone
is and what they are doing, and estimated time of return.
A governess, often alone with children in the homestead, needs to know
vehicle and emergency channels and how to use the radio. It is also
useful to have done a first-aid and resuscitation course.
A good SNAG is a real treasure!
