Pathways To Inner Peace

The pathway of our life is not always easy to negotiate and whilst we receive many opportunities to traverse various tracks, the direction we chose is often determined by prior knowledge or intuitive sense.

Sometimes we foolishly start out without checking our route, hurrying along even though our inner voice (spirit) is telling us we may have gone the wrong way!

Do we listen, stop and retrace our steps back to the beginning and try again?
No, we continue on regardless, then when we encounter trouble all we have left is our total reliance on our God, calling desperately to him in prayer!

Will he answer? Yes! always he will come alongside and guide us back to safety, but have we listened and learnt?

In some cases, No! we still blunder on not pausing to re-evaluate or plan ahead with care before venturing out along another unknown highway,

My trust and faith in a loving, caring God has often enabled me to climb a high peak of a range; I move onward and upward with grit and determination asking God
for strength to achieve my goal.

Many of the pathways I have trod have been strewn with rocks, slippery stones, moss, fallen logs and deep water.

By placing my hand in the hand of God in COMPLETE FAITH AND TRUST, he has guided me as far as I am able to go, not always to the summit! but far enough to enjoy a cool breeze in the scorching heat of a summers day.

Mountain Top Encounter, Mt Buller,
Victoria, Australia. December 2007:

During mid-day heat I followed a track through summer pasture, climbing high hoping to reach the summit of Mt Buller and complete the feat.

My reward, cool alpine breezes across mountain slopes from where I would glimpse the awesome beauty and splendour of this section of Australia's Great Dividing Range.

I paused, gasping for breath with pesky summer flies in my eyes sipping water I moved on upward, my breathing laboured.

Unknown to me and coming down the mountain, God had opened the eyes and heart of a special woman who paused and prayed for me and in my distress Alexa's reaching out to me and sharing in prayer, was as refreshing as the cool water flowing from a mountain stream. As the words flowed over and around me, my breathing became easier, becalmed by God's grace and peace.

AMJB.

TODD RIVER RUNNING - Central Australia

It's normal to see the river banks winding waterless along through the tree's of this inland town.

In the cool of the evening looking across camp fires burn bright sending sparks high into the starry sky.

Indigenous people clustered around keeping warm whilst listening to dream time stories, into the night.

Next day dawning, whilst enjoying a coffee, we are given a warning rain fast approaching - will swiftly flow southward filling every waterhole and river cleansing the earth as it tumbles along.

Through the Alice it flows moving swiftly down river what excitement is felt as we join a group of tourists and locals lined along the bridge above delighted to witness the Todd River running.

In the river bed the water has spread wider, as it twists and turns like a snake, it's top skin shimmering like silver, in the early morning light. Todd River running with delight! The river flowed for a couple of days then receded allowing life to return to normal.

- AMJB

Becalmed by healing

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SILVER TIPPED WINGS

I dream of one day flying high above this earth, Just like an eagle soaring free amongst the clouds.

In the vista below tall mountain peaks and valleys are covered with snow. Over the range as I journeyed on, spread out across the landscape.

A patchwork quilt of fields in warm earth colours of green, brown, ochre and gold with here and there a touch of blue water gleaming in the sunlight whilst a long line of dark green river gums form a perfect binding along the edges.

During this journey a little turbulence is encountered, I falter, twist and fall before re-gaining balance and once again begin to soar high my trusty pilot my side, the perfect guide as we move through the air wings outspread,With wings silver tipped at the edge.

- AMJB

"TIM' of the Australian Outback

A man of the outback, a little stooped, with an inbuilt toughness and strong sense of character recognised in the firmness of his handshake.




Tim's lined weather-beaten face, was a friendly face, with twinkling blue-grey eyes and a direct honest gaze shining forth beneath his battered much loved Akubra.

Tim's skin was burnt mahogany brown from years spent outdoors during his working life as a Drover on Queensland Cattle runs Riding the stock routes in blinding dust storms, swimming across flooded creeks after unexpected rains, spending weeks in the saddle under the harsh summer sun.


Tim and I enjoyed a yarn in the shade of the building whilst he rolled his own cigarette before attending to the day's tasks requiring the use of his many talents about the motel grounds at the Roadhouse at Bedourie with Dawg, a friendly Fox-terrier, his constant companion.

- AMJB

CLIMBING BLACK HILL

Narrow red earth path reaching high,
meandering through thick scrub land,
how much further ahead along this rock strewn difficult pathway until I see the sky?
Close by on narrow ledge the path curved around between trees and crossed over creek beds.

Ancient of rocks glimpsed beneath soft green ferns,
growing in abundance along path edges,
with just a gentle scattering of soft yellow flower heads,
intermingling throughout lush green meadow grass.

Afraid to look down too long lest I stumble and fall,
brief glimpses I gain of Olive trees,
and Red River Gums growing tall!
On weary legs and in some pain ,
I turn around and sit down to rest awhile,
observing my surroundings and the steepness of the terrain.

Along the red earth, rock strewn path below, native shrubs bearing masses of white and red flowers, in quiet abundance grow, whilst bushes with long green thorny spikes warn the hiker
not to get too close!

Climbing higher I am aware of a deep peace surrounding me, and as I stop and listen, the only sound I hear is the whisper of a breeze, through nearby trees and the soft tuneful songs of nearby birds.

I glance over my shoulder as the sun touches the tops of trees down in the valley, highlighting the emerald grass growing beneath.

Retracing my steps I look out across our city and suburbs, my gaze resting on the far expanse of ocean, where the suns rays turn calm deep water silver.

As daylight rapidly fades I move on down, delighting in sunset colours of soft pinks, mauve, orange and rich gold
adorning the night sky.


- AMJB

Black Hill Conservation Park covers an area of 684 hectares and is bounded to the north by the valley of the River Torrens and Gorge Road. To the south it joins Morialta Conservation Park by Fifth Creek and Montacute Road with the suburb of Athelstone adjoining the western boundary of the Park.

The Park conserves spectacular rugged ridges and offers gully scenery. A comprehensive network of management tracks and walking trails exists in the Park together with a wide variety of native plant species ranging from giant River Red Gums in the valleys, to low heath plants on the ridge tops. Common amongst the heaths are the low sheoaks, which give Black Hill its name. The foliage of the sheoaks gradually matures to a dark rusty, almost black colour, as summer progresses so that , looking from the Adelaide Plains, the hill appears to be black in colour.

THE LEYLAND BADGER

By the side of the Birdsville track at Mungerannie, I paused to inspect a remnant of yester-year. Standing amongst drifting desert sands, slowly rusting, tyres deflated, doors, windows and other body parts missing this once proud warrior of the Outback was a reminder of the days when it was driven by the indomitable Tom Kruse fighting his way over rough tracks and through inhospitable country.




Climbing over the tops of the highest red sand dunes and through flooded river-beds, which often resulted in delays of several days.


Tom and the Badger always delivered, always made it through to be eagerly greeted by station residents waiting for Mail and supplies. I salute another true legend of Outback Australia.

Esmond Gerald (Tom) Kruse, born at Waterloo on 28 August 1914, the son of Harry and Ida Kruse, conquered sand hills, sand and dust storms, flies and floods, swollen rivers and creeks, bugs and bogs and numerous mechanical breakdowns but delivered the mail without fail, although sometimes a little late. Between 1930 and 1960, for twenty years once a fortnight, through summer heat or rain, when Tom had the contract, never did the people along the Birdsville track go without their mail. Tom is, and was, an outback legend in his own time.

Tom's truck, a Leyland Badger built in 1936, gave up the ghost in 1957. After being abandoned in Sturt's Stony Desert more than 40 years ago, Tom's Badger has been restored and driven by 85 year old Tom for the last time to its permanent home at the Birdwood Motor Museum. After this last run by Tom Kruse in October 1999, to deliver more than 7000 letters from all over the world, his truck is now housed at the Birdwood Museum. During that trip $12,000 was raised for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Tom used to call at such places as Lake Harry, Dulkaninna, Cannuwaukaninna, Ooroowillanie, Mirra Mitta, Mulka Store, Burt's Hole, Mount Fitton, Alton Downs, Mount Gason, Roseberth, Goyder Lagoon, Kalamurina, Kopperamanna, Killalpaninna, Mungarannie, Clifton Hills, Pandie Pandie, New Well also known as by its Aboriginal name Mulkanundracooracooratarraninna, Lyndhurst, Glengyle, Durrie, Birdsville, Clayton Bore, Etadunna, Oodnadatta and numerous other places.

One of Tom Kruse's Leyland Badgers is pictured somewhere along the famous Birdsville Track while carting frame timbers to rebuild the burnt-out Birdsville Hospital, following its first-time fire in 1937. Fred Teague is at the wheel, accompanied by offsider Wally Blucher. Fred was the owner/operator of the Hawker garage from the time he married at the outbreak of war, but had been running the mails for 18 months pre-war on his own account until the time he settled down and was virtually on call for Tom. When the hospital burnt down again almost a quarter of a century later, Fred was at it once more, engaged by Tom Kruse in bringing up the materials for the next rebuild of the hospital.


When he resumed the mail contract after the outbreak of WWII, Tom Kruse bought another Leyland Badger, this time one equipped with a powerful 5.7 litre diesel engine in contrast with the lesser-performing lower-spec'd petrol-engined models he'd run in the past. He rated it as the best of the bunch he'd had up to that stage, but once the war was over and ex-Army disposals sales brought four-wheel drive Blitzwagons into the market, Tom reckoned :"Life became a little easier and we didn't do nearly as much digging out of the sandhills as we had to do with the older trucks."

- AMJB