TUESDAY 25 APRIL     ADELS GROVE

After I’d had my breakfast in the van, went up to do the builders’ smoko.

Before that, did some of the kitchen clean up after a big breakfast had been done for the departing bus group.

I had put sausages out to defrost last night, and for smoko did sausages, eggs and fried bread. Then cleaned up after that had been consumed.

John spent some time on the computer in the office, browsing on the internet to see what alternative jobs might be on offer. He saw some fruit and vegetable harvesting vacancies, over on the east coast, and also an ad for a teacher wanted on a station west of Clermont, to assist School of the Air students.

No mention was made today of putting us on the payroll, despite our good work whilst the bosses were away.

We discussed the situation between ourselves. We could stick around here for weeks, or more, with no pay. There was no promise that the tourist situation was going to suddenly greatly improve. The whole of northern Qld was so wet that the usual dry season tourists and grey nomads might just decide to go elsewhere. At the same time, we were seeing a growing trickle of customers, which seemed to be a sign that the season could pick up before long.

John was feeling that our good natures were being exploited. I felt that having made the commitment – and expenditure – to get here, that we were “owed”. John had gone to the trouble, and expense, of getting his medium rigid driving licence, in preparation for doing the tours. We were experienced staff and better than some here at the moment. Given MS’s great discontent, they could go at any time. The other woman was definitely not a good person to have on Reception. I tended to think that, since the bosses knew we were coming, and given our past experience here, they should have put the previously arriving couple on hold, and given us preference. First come was not necessarily the right policy, in this case. They should really be making an effort to hold onto us.

So I was prepared to consider John’s suggestion that we start to look for alternatives.

It was as much a matter of principle, as of the money.