MONDAY 29 JANUARY     RV2

One electrician, John and I were the only project people at RV2.

The electrician reported that a number of the SPQ dongas were really badly wired. I passed that comment through to HO – up to BB whether he took up that comment with the builders.

John had a sticky job – literally – out in the heat. He had to go around all the Pod 1 and 3 buildings, putting sticky company labels on every donga. These were the ones that would be taken away again, once the railway was built, with the central Pod 2 remaining here to be the rail maintenance camp.

After that, he worked on his coffee table tops.

Still no concrete at RV1. Apparently K went into Hedland to try to source some. He might have been better to have just sat and used the phone. – certainly quicker. But it got him off site again.

Instructions came from HO, to take all the metal ID plates off the Pod 2 dongas that would be sold to FMG, and relocate those onto any of the leased dongas in Pods 1 and 3, that did not already have plates. Job for John, but I was to keep a record of the changes.

There was a very large bushfire visible in the distance, all afternoon.

The pool Krawly hose at RV2 was not long enough. John was to get more, next time he was in Hedland.

There was a shower of rain in the late afternoon, then a wind/dust storm about 8pm.

SUNDAY 28 JANUARY     RV2

We had a day off.

Everyone else was at RV1, except for the two electricians.

Work at RV1 was still held up by lack of cement.

I was really looking forward to finishing up here and going home.

FRIDAY 26 JANUARY     RV2

A very, very hot day!

There were only us, one worker and two electricians, of the company people, at RV2.

John took an Acco to RV1 and picked up a load of rubbish from the new buildings unpacking, and went on to the tip.

K appeared here from RV1 – came to get some tools. RV1 work was still held up by lack of cement. If K had thought to phone and order this a week or more ago, he might have gotten it. But he expected to be able to phone and get instant service. It rarely worked like that, up here.

A sudden strong willy wind at lunchtime blew my office sat dish over, along with a number of plastic chairs and redistributed rubbish about the place. I was able to set the sat dish up again, and the system still worked. Amazing.

Spotless ran out of gas, so there was no fish and chips for tea. I had been looking forward to that too.

SATURDAY 20 JANUARY     RV2

The men worked on concreting around the new SPQ’s – and re-doing the Pod 3 area that had been wrong.

John and another of the men drove the two Accos to Hedland tip.

I heard there were ongoing power outages at RV1. I wondered why their power plant seemed to not work as well as the one here. I knew that RV1 was fully occupied and we were not here, yet. But my memory was that these issues at RV1 were happening way back when there were only a few people in residence.

I certainly hoped that this camp’s power stayed reliable, as it filled up. It was too hot to be going without air-con in the rooms.

FRIDAY 19 JANUARY     RV2

The FMG boss from Hedland was here. He wants all our company’s original works here finished by 22/1. Three days away!

He also brought out an environment officer to do a report on the rubbish pit fire. It was BHP who reported it. Typical!

We would hand over Pod 3 to Spotless tomorrow.

The communications system was completed and tested.

K discovered that six air con “bottom” outside  sections, that had still been in their original boxes, were missing. He thought they must have gone walkabout  during the Xmas break. We had a bit of a laugh at the image of the thieves trying to make them work, without the inside section of the split systems! Clearly, whoever took them didn’t  know how split system air cons worked and one could draw some conclusions from that.

John took another tip truck load of rubbish to Hedland.

TUESDAY 16 JANUARY     RV2

Today’s communique from FMG Hedland – no more fires were to be lit at the temporary dump point. I wonder why! They wanted a timetable for when the new SPQ’s at both Villages would be installed. Over to HO on that one!

The men started doing the layout for the new SPQ’s on Pod 1. Presumably, having to do these extra installations would push back the finishing date for our company at the project.

One of the men cut a finger – quite deep. K drove him to Newman for a tetanus shot – he jumped at the chance to get away from the place. That trip took them several hours.

I heard back from the ice machine company. They suggested running the water through a coolroom first, or installing a chiller. Not much help there!

The temperature of the water coming out of the kitchen cold taps at midday was 38 degrees! It got hotter later. No wonder my post-work showers were not enjoyable.

Both the Acco tip trucks were full of rubbish from the unpacking of Pod 3 fittings. No more burning – so now what?

John took the bus to Hedland to get the new tyres fitted.

Cloud had built up through the afternoon. About 5pm quite a strong willy came through – dust, debris flying about, then rain. The latter showed that the surface of the sports court was definitely not flat!

SATURDAY 13 JANUARY     RV2

A day of trouble shooting! Some days here I regretted getting out of bed…..

From FMG came the news that the water pipeline must be relaid, because it criss crossed where the rail line would be. So which genius did that, originally? That would have to be done as a Variation Order.

Apparently some air cons here and at RV1 were not safely installed, and must be rectified.

RV1 contacted me. They needed a new griddle. The deep fryer was not working properly. One of the ice machines was not working. They still needed another 5 sets of kitchen curtains. Such a familiar refrain….Obviously, none of these deficiencies was addressed in any way, once I left there in December. Not good. Seemed that the man in charge there just ignored them.

I arranged for the refrigeration man to go to RV1 to fix the ice machine. I would seek advice from the  Brisbane maker of the machines – yet again – about the best way to pre-chill water before it fed into the machines. In the interim, we would install bubbler coolers (again! When had the first lot been removed?) as a temporary measure.

There was a griddle unit here that would be installed at RV1.

John would put up their kitchen curtains when he was there, and had time. After the double order, last year, we had no shortage of curtains!

FMG’s Environmental Officer was not happy with the sewerage farm; that company must return and rectify the faults.

John was back from RV1. He hung curtains in the wet mess, repaired a door on one of the contractor’s offices, did some more work on fire extinguisher signs and brackets. He changed the tyre appointment for the bus to Tuesday, as on Monday he must pick up the sewerage man and take him to RV1.

The electricians stopped work at 2pm because it was 52 degrees out in the open.

Today had been grand daughter’s fifth birthday. She would soon be starting school. No doubt her parents had a party for her. I was really regretful to be missing this family event.

THURSDAY 11 JANUARY     RV2

Today the Spotless chef measured the temperature as 50 degrees, outside in the sun. Our men were working out in that!

K and I met with the Spotless manager to go over the kitchen and Pod 1 and 2 faults, here. My role was just to record same. I was finding that I couldn’t relate to the managers here, like I did with the ones at RV1 – although the demands of the latter sometimes made me cross, I really liked them. Last year, we ate our evening meals with them, quite often. I envied John his evenings at RV1 now, especially as I could envisage him and manager R, sitting outside their donga, sharing a beer!

Spotless at RV1 were reporting lots of faults to me, as they occupied Pod 3.

A couple of the men emptied the water tank that had been hooked up to the office, ready to send it south – now I had no water to the office. John and Brickie emptied the two portaloos – one that had been at RV1 and one that was used here, before the sewer was connected up. Not a pleasant job, it was reported! They too would be going south – guess they would be held ready for the next project!

I found this amusing….

I phoned the fire company and ordered what we needed. They would be coming to test/charge/ tag the many defunct extinguishers on 20th. I didn’t think we should have been supplied with so many expired extinguishers, by the building companies, but that was an issue for HO to sort out.

I managed to snaffle  a TV for John’s room. TV’s were being issued by Spotless, although the company had installed the brackets for them. They had been in short supply and were only now being provided to some rooms – but no TV system set up yet. If John was going to keep on being away for so many nights, I might get the TV put in my room!

Thank God we were not supplying the TV’s – imagine the complaints I would have to deal with!

K had a conversation with Darwin office about the deck paint. They told him that only two drums had been originally supplied, so in fact none had been stolen. K had not kept tabs on his supplies!

South Point Fly camp would be totally dismantled and gone by next Tuesday.

Sunset at South Point Camp – more primitive than North Point had been

John collected the communications men, and a worker, from the afternoon plane and they overnighted at RV1. He took the bongo bus, so at least was cool, driving.