I had a memorable evening with Pip and Jeanette. This also meant that the daily bath down on the sea edge, summer and winter was no longer an essential. Behind the door came peals of laughter and excitement! After initial hugs and a cold beer fetched from the kerosine fridge, Jeannette explained that Pip had just finished connecting the wetback to the coal range in the kitchen and for the first time since first setting up home on Durville many years before this, they had hot running water in the house. As I scrambled down a steep incline with my bike to the rocky foreshore of the bay where the Aplin’s humble and homely beach cottage nestled, I approached their front door thinking as to what this day might look like relative to every other day they had lived in this remote and beautiful bay. I had forewarned them of my visit but without a exact day or time. To add to the colourful anecdotes, I took the opportunity to drop in to visit Pip and Jeanette some 20 years ago when I took my mountain bike and rode Durville Island where they were living, down on their coastal property in the south corner of the island. I enjoyed Jeanettes honest and reflective writing and the capacity to express her vulnerabilities living in such a challenging environment but also her resilience and fortitude to work through her battles. ![]() To add to the colourful anecdotes, I took the opportunity to drop in to visit Pip and With a past connection with the Aplins and the privilege of a weeks residence on Stephens Island when working as a ranger with D.O.C this read was a real joy and a resurfacing of impressions and experiences. ![]() With a past connection with the Aplins and the privilege of a weeks residence on Stephens Island when working as a ranger with D.O.C this read was a real joy and a resurfacing of impressions and experiences.
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