ride4acure

Team Esther & Joe at Port Augusta in the red dust.

The Flinders Ranges are a stones throw from our camp and are the most magnificent landform I’ve seen.  As we came through Horricks Pass two days ago my breath was taken away by the incredibleness of the landscape. We’ve had two rest days camped here at the Pony Club grounds while we ‘restock’ for the big push across the Nullabor (after Ceduna). Port Augusta has nearly 20 000 people, Ceduna 3 000.

Yesterday loaded a massive amount of Mitavite onto the roof of the truck adding it to our Manuka Lucerne products that have to keep our horses well fed to Kalgoorlie.

Loading horse feed onto roof with the help of Ranges Fodder forklift driver Vanessa!

we have to surrender our Lucerne at Eucla the WA/SA border as there are strick quarintine restrictions on products from outside WA. (We will pick up on return trip home in truck). Our contact in WA Dept Agriculture has teed up a supply for us when we cross the border.  We have nearly 5 weeks til we’re in Kalgoorlie.  The only town of size now is Ceduna where we’ll have three rest days (did plan 4 but we’ve used one here!)

Lofty is turned out back in Gawler where we had to leave him behind due to ongoing shifting lameness (he’s with very good people who are taking care of him until we return in August to pick him up).  Bill and Barb Willoughby from Boolooroo Centre (out of Melrose SA) have very generously leant us a ripper little gelding called ‘Surprise’ who has fitted right into the crew here (Meg’s being a little ‘ bossy’ with him but will settle down.  Surprise basically ignores her!

'Titan' and 'Surprise' with Esther, first meeting at Bill & BarbWilloughbys.

The ‘introduction’ to the herd, Surprise (bay) not to worried, Meg (buckskin) doing a little drafting, Titan (chestnut) wants to check him out but Meg keeping him to herself at this stage!

Well I have to moove my toosh and get camp packed.  I fed horses at 5.30am in the magnificent full moon here.  I got up the other night at 4.30 to witness the lunar eclipse and couldn’t see it from here!

On our first night here we had the best surprise  in Patsy and Dave Mitchell from Kempsey (Jerseyville) were on a holiday and camped the night with us.  It was so good to see friends, we had a great little catch up. Of course of conversation quickly turned to the Macleay Floods and Mid North Coast NSW. What a contrast to the dry red dust of Port Augusta.   The Mitchell’s were heading to Adelaide, parting words were ‘do you need anything?’ both kids replied jokingly ‘A few kgs of chocolate!’ we all laughed as they drove away, until 30 minutes later they rocked back into camp with a bag full of chocolates of all descriptions! Was a little like Christmas goody bag time!  48 hours later there is a fair dint in the supply! I’m thinking may be lucky to last to Ceduna let alone across the Nullabor!

Esther rode through a town called Laura and to our suprise found out CJ Dennis had grown up there.  Our little mate Hotondo Hugo had an introduction the the famous CJ!

Hotondo Hugo meets Australias most prolific poet the famous C J Dennis!

Esther and 'Meg' at Gladstone SA Primary School

We visited two schools in Gladstone the other day talking with students and presented “Mela-What?” at the Gladstone High School. Fantastic students and teachers.  The principle of Gladstone Primary School  made a comment about being outside our comfort zone and making a difference in the lives of others…that’s what ride4acure is all about…..certainly came about because our lives were ripped out of our ‘normal’ and I know from my years of educating both horses and people that we never learn a thing staying inside our comfort zone, so to make a difference in young peoples lives raising awareness of melanoma stepping outside both my own and ‘stretching’ others a little with the ride4acure story is the key to it’s effectiveness…..and of course Esther spending 97 days in the saddle riding a massive 4600kms, and here at this part of the journey facing up to riding across the expanse of the Nullabor – is a leap outside her comfort zone!

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 18th, 2011 at 7:03 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.