Cockatoo

by Christopher Cummings

  There was a short break for breakfast, cooked on a portable BBQ, and then the work continued. By 09:30 the cannon barrel and all the heavy stores had been loaded into three other catamaran rafts. The sheer legs was then dismantled and the parts also loaded aboard. Eight more canoes arrived on another trailer and were launched. Then the open ‘tinnie’ type power boat was launched, along with the four sail boats. No attempt was made to rig the sail boats as their masts had been used as beams on the catamarans and because it wasn’t possible to sail on such a narrow river anyway, the Mulgrave generally only being less than 50 metres across. So the four sailboats were tied on behind canoes. Personal gear was then packed aboard.

  Lt Ryan then insisted they all put on long sleeve shirts and sandshoes. “If you try walking on the rocks in rapids in bare feet you might break a toe,” he cautioned. PFDs and hats were added and then they were ready. Radios were tested and placed in plastic bags. Then a few shouted commands got the cadets to scramble aboard their respective craft and the expedition got under way.

  Tina sat in the front of the starboard canoe with Andrew behind her. Stella and Blake went in the port canoe. For the first few minutes it felt like sheer joy to Tina. It was a lovely day, sunny but cool, a gentle breeze, crystal clear water, lovely scenery. ‘It is great to be alive!’ she thought.

  And it was also exhilarating to be part of such a group. Tina had never seen so many canoes or boats on a river at once. She did a count and noted 16 canoes, 4 sailboats and one powerboat. ‘It certainly looks impressive,’ she thought.

  Their flotilla ‘commodore’ was Cadet Midshipman George and he did a fair amount of shouting before the flotilla spread out in the order he wanted them in. Leading the group were four canoes with cadets from Mackay. These went ahead to scout for the best route and to watch for enemy.

  “We are heading into Indian country remember,” Cadet Midshipman George said. “We don’t want you getting scalped by a Mohawk.”

  Tina smiled at that and remembered the exercise story line. For a few seconds she looked at the walls of trees lining both banks and wondered if any ‘Indians’ were watching them. ‘I wonder if they will ambush us or anything like that?’ she thought. Anxious to do the right thing she asked what they would do if that happened and Andrew said they would pretend to shoot back and head for the bank to fight the ambushers.

  “But we shouldn’t need to. The army cadets are ahead of us and are supposed to be making sure it is safe for us,” he added. At the words ‘army cadets’ Tina thought she noted a sour puckering of his lips and she wondered if he was thinking about Graham. ‘I hope so. A bit of rivalry will keep him on his toes,’ she told herself.

  After ten minutes of paddling the mood subtly changed. Muscles began to tire and people began to perspire. It became very obvious that they were going upstream. By then they were at the end of a long, smooth straight and had arrived at the bottom of a long set of rapids. The rapids were not fast, or deep, but they were strong enough to stop any canoe being paddled. There was nothing for it but to get out and then drag the rafts and canoes up against the current.

  This turned out to be harder than expected as well and it quickly became apparent that tow ropes were needed. These were taken out of the rope bags and secured to the bows, the other ends being made up with bowlines. Andrew looped one over his shoulder and began dragging the raft upstream. Tina and the others helped by poling or pushing. But being close in to the trees was a problem too. Many branches overhung the water and blocked progress. Worse still many of the branches grew pointing downstream, forced that way permanently by the fast current and floods of the wet season.

  It was quite a laborious task to haul the raft up to the next reach of still water. By the time they got there Tina was puffing and feeling bruised and tired. She also realized that her legs were getting sun burnt despite getting out frequently to wade. The best she could do was apply more sunscreen and hope it wasn’t all getting washed off. And wading up against the current on the rocky stream bed was hard work. Thankfully they re-boarded and resumed paddling.

  This went on for the next two hours, by which time they were about another four kilometers upstream. ‘We are barely moving at walking pace’ Tina decided.

  They came to another long, smooth section of the river and were able to re-board and proceed by paddling. The scout canoes were sent hurrying on ahead in response to a radio call and the other craft all waited for the tail end to catch up. Then, grouped as a flotilla, they proceeded.

  Two hours later they reached a long set of rapids which needed another wet haul to get above. A ‘portage’ was suggested but voted against as too much effort. At the top was another long stretch of deep water and the cadets were able to re-board the canoes or rafts and continue paddling. This stretch of the river curved in against the hills on the right hand side of the valley and Tina thought it just the prettiest place she had ever been.

  At the top end of the stretch of calm water was another set of rapids. Right at the bottom of them, on the right was a deep backwater crossed by a railway bridge. Here they met up with the army cadets. They had ‘captured’ the bridge by sending a group up through the jungle to by-pass it. Now they were walking the main body across and the safety boat was positioned close by in case any fell in. Tina briefly glimpsed Graham as he strode confidently across and the sight caused her some very mixed emotions.

  ‘Am I glad we broke up- or sad?’ she wondered. But the sight of his almost arrogant self-confidence made her feel sure that he wasn’t the right man for her. A glance at Andrew reinforced this feeling. ‘He is the one,’ she told herself.

  But how to win him back?

  An opportunity to get Andrew’s attention almost immediately presented itself. As they struggled up the next rapids Andrew lost his footing. Tina was close and grabbed his sleeve, holding him tightly until he had regained his footing.

  Andrew looked her in the eyes and said, “Thanks,” but Tina was left wondering if he hadn’t resented being rescued by her.

  These rapids were in a section of the river valley designated as national park and the place was unusually beautiful. The rapids were small and shallow and studded by dozens of small islands and trees, giving it a picturesque appearance. A halt was called to have lunch and the navy cadets beached their craft and made their way to a line of small sandy beaches to sit and eat. The beaches were among green ferns and reeds and all shaded by overhanging trees. Nearby sat some army cadets who were also eating but Graham was not one of them so Tina was able to relax and try to use her conversation to interest Andrew.

  After lunch the upriver haul was resumed. The army cadets walked along the sugar train light railway but most of the time they were out of sight from the river. Only briefly at Pete’s Bridge did Tina see them in the distance and then again an hour later at the Ross and Locke Picnic Area. Here the light railway crossed the top of the rapids on a low timber bridge and as the navy cadets hauled their craft up and under it the army cadets walked across. This time Graham saw Tina and he waved and called a cheerful greeting. Tina replied in a friendly way, hoping that Andrew would not read the wrong message into it.

  The canoes then traversed a wide deep curve around to another rail bridge. Here the army cadets, rather than cross the long bridge, turned off and walked along a foot track in the jungle on the edge of the river and the navy cadet group paddled beside them on the deep water. They passed the mouth of the Little Mulgrave River and again Tina was struck by the sheer beauty of the place.

  Another set of rapids was encountered and everyone climbed out and began dragging the rafts and canoes up to the next level. By this time Tina was feeling very sore and tired and her hands had gone all wrinkled. Worse still she was feeling badly chafed in her arm pits and around her bra and on her buttocks. Her watch told her it was 1630hrs and she could only wonder where the day had gone.

  “I hope we stop soon,” she said, then immediately regretted it, fearing that Andrew would despise her fo
r being a weakling.

  To her relief he smiled and said, “Me too. I am worn out. I needed more training for this.”

  At the top of the rapids the navy cadets were called on to do a real ‘seamanship’ activity to support the army cadets. Two long ropes (taken from a navy cadet vehicle that was now parked on the far bank) were secured on the bank near the army cadets. Snatch bocks were attached and other ropes secured to them to make a running pulley arrangement on each rope. A raft was tied to each block and then used to ferry army cadets and their gear across. By having a work party on the far bank who moved the end of the rope upstream or downstream of the anchor point on the other bank they were able to use the force of the current to push the rafts across with minimum effort.

  Tina enjoyed this exercise immensely and even forgot how wet and cold she was. It took 6 trips for each raft to ferry all the army cadets across, eight at a time. To Tina’s relief Graham was not on her raft and she was able to watch from a distance as he was taken across on the other raft.

  The reason for the ferrying was that the bank the army cadets had been walking along had turned into a cliff whereas the other bank was flat for about two hundred metres and had a lovely park-like appearance from the stand of tall trees that shaded it. That the activity was planned was obvious to Tina because all the vehicles now arrived and parked. Once all the army cadets were across the ropes were untied and rolled up and then the cadets were grouped for a roll check and briefing.

  Tina was amused to see a cadet dressed as a Mohawk Indian brought forward. The cadet wore only shorts and cloths hanging down in front and back of his crutch. He was bare-chested and covered in war paint and had two feathers in a headband. He had information about another ‘war party’ of Iroquois led by French officers that was nearby.

  As the ‘Mohawk’ talked Stella nudged Tina and whispered, “If we have to act as Indians I hope we don’t have to dress like that!” Then she giggled.

  Tina had a brief mental image of herself standing bare breasted and covered with war paint and feathers and felt a peculiar sense of thrill. She was ashamed to admit that it was a fantasy she liked. ‘It would get Andrew’s attention for sure,’ she thought.

  With that in mind she glanced at him. He turned his head and their eyes met and then he smiled. Tina blushed and looked away, experiencing the peculiar feeling that he had been able to read her mind. ‘But I would like him to see me like that,’ she told herself.

  The ‘expedition’ resumed its journey, the army cadets marching out along a side track and the navy cadets re-boarding their canoes and continuing by water. The two groups met again ten minutes later when the canoes went under another bridge over which the army cadets were trudging. The two groups then separated for twenty minutes, the river curving in a wide loop with cane fields on the left and steep, tree covered slope on the right.

  Both groups came back together at another set of rapids right at the base of a steep spurline that seemed to block off the valley. Another bridge crossed at the top of the rapids but the army cadets merely secured the bridge with a patrol while the main group moved in among the trees in the river bed. The navy cadets beached their canoes at the bottom of the rapids and were joined by their officers and vehicles.

  Lt Ryan pointed to the nearby strip of clean sand. “We eat, then, when it is dark, we unload everything,” he explained.

  A cadet petty officer from Townsville put his hand up. “Excuse me sir, why not unload now in daylight?” he asked.

  “Part of the exercise story and part of the challenge,” Lt Ryan answered. “The story is that enemy patrols may be watching so we have to deceive them as to out destination and intentions. We want them to think we are proceeding further up river but in fact we are going up that ridge to the top of the range.” He pointed up to the west.

  Tina looked up and her mouth fell open in surprise. Towering up for 700 metres beside them was the escarpment of the Atherton Tablelands and while she had known they were going up there it had not occurred to her that it might be on foot and in the dark! ‘Now this will be a challenge!’ she told herself.

  And it was. The sun went down and then the hard work began. Patrols of army cadets went on ahead and the others stayed to help with the hauling and carrying. For two hours the navy cadets worked setting up sheer legs and unloading the cannon parts onto sleds made of timber lashed together. All the small pieces were then distributed so that every army cadet had a piece to carry. Then the canoes and boats were dragged ashore. The safety boat was placed on its trailer but the canoes were carried a hundred metres over the stony river bed to the bridge. Then the group had to go back and carry their gear to that point. Then they had to return and drag the cannon parts up. By the time this was done they were all sweating and Tina was feeling very tired.

  But that was only the beginning. Now the teamwork and character building part of the exercise really came into play. They had to organize work parties and set up blocks and tackles tied to trees on the hillside opposite and then the cannon parts had to be hauled up, metre by metre. Then the canoes, personal gear and other pieces all had to be carried up, taking two more trips.

  It was exhausting and hard work in the dark and there were tears and swearing and many frayed tempers but Tina enjoyed it immensely. ‘This is a real challenge!’ she thought. It certainly tested the leaders and the teamwork. ‘And we couldn’t have done this on our own,’ she decided, looking at a group of thirty army cadets hauling on ropes attached to the cannon barrel and the block and tackle easing it up. ‘And all in the dark with no lights or torches!’ she marveled. The army cadets had insisted on that ‘so the enemy don’t see us’.’

  Throughout all this the officers stood watching, careful to make sure what was being done was safe, but they deliberately left most of the organizing and control to the Cadet Midshipmen and Cadet Under-Officers. The senior ratings and NCOs all had a part in the leadership.

  In all it took four hours to haul the cannon parts and canoes 500m up a hill covered with savannah woodland. On the crest they came to a gravel road that led up the spine of the ridgeline. By then it was past midnight.

  “We have to be at the Gillies Highway by First Light,” Major Wickham said after congratulating them during the rest stop and roll call on the road.

  Maps were taken out and Tina noted that the road was 2 kilometres away and 300 metres higher. In the moonlight she could just make out the scar of the highway as it snaked its way diagonally up the side of the steep escarpment. The point where the gravel road joined the highway was at a prominent knoll on the spur called The Knob on the map. This was pointed out to her and looked a dismayingly long way away and above them.

  Work parties were again organized and patrols sent ahead to scout for enemy. By now they had the procedure well organized. First carry the gear and canoes up the next hundred metres or so. Then carry up and secure blocks and tackles to trees and then sort out the ropes and place work parties on them. Then haul the heavy items up to that point and secure them. The process was then repeated.

  By having three parties setting up the blocks and tackles they were able to keep up an almost continuous flow. As soon as the cannon or carriage reached the top of a haul it was secured and the next tackle attached to it. It was then cast off and hauled up the next slope while the first tackle was run back down to the other heavy item. During this the third tackle set was untied from below and carried up above the first one to be ready by the time the first heavy item reached the top of Number 2 set. It was all really hard work and very good teamwork stuff.

  Tina and Andrew were part of the team responsible for setting up tackle set Number 2. She found the hardest part was slogging up to the next place while carrying both the tackle set and her personal luggage. A team of army cadets carried their canoe and paddles for them and then helped to haul the ropes.

  The temperature dropped, the moon crept across the sky and the hill seemed never ending. Tina sweated and swore and had to put on gloves
to stop her hands from being chafed red raw. She became so exhausted she was disoriented. It was certainly the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. And she loved it. After a rest for drinks and a snack she was able to continue.

  Several times she found herself working close to Graham but he just said hello or grinned and focused on the work. That he was very fit and a real asset to the team was obvious but Tina felt no spark of romance about him and found herself feeling easier. Instead she found being in close proximity to Andrew comforting and helpful.

  It seemed for a couple of hours that they weren’t making any progress and that the swapping over of tackle sets was becoming never ending but suddenly Tina realized they were at the base of a very steep slope which rose into the stars and she realized they were on the lower slopes of The Knob. By then they had moved the tackle set over twenty times, at least four or five times an hour and she was losing track of time.

  She now saw that it was almost 0500. ‘Daylight won’t be far away,’ she thought, glancing back along the valley behind her and being thrilled and awed by the view. The valley was a play of shadow and moonlight and the moonlight was reflecting off the river as it wound its way down past the distant cluster of lights that marked the location of Gordonvale. ‘We have come a long way!’ she thought with satisfaction and surprise.

  A report came back that one of the patrols up ahead had clashed with an enemy patrol and that brought the story back into Tina’s mind. But also in her mind was the thought that they were only half way up the side of the mountain. ‘Can I do it?’ she wondered, looking up the steep, rugged and forested slopes ahead of them.

  CHAPTER 41

  CONTROL GROUP

  Tina gritted her teeth and kept on trying. The tackle and gear were carried up to the top of the steep ‘pinch’ and secured to yet another tree and the hauling process resumed. Slowly the light improved and Tina noted the mountains to the east standing out in clear silhouette. Then, to her intense relief, the road levelled out and the next few hundred metres were almost flat. The road curved left around The Knoll on a bench cut and went into a cutting.