by Jack Sunn
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After breakfast Vince said to their group that he was going to get on his push bike and see what was happening in the neighbourhood. He expressed concern about how long it might be before things got back to normal. Buck agreed and said he would go with him. Next to no traffic was on the road. Some people were walking around, mostly younger ones. Others were playing football and cricket on the main road. A good thing it was that Vince and Buck went together. Neither would have believed the other if they had not seen it for themselves. They came up to the local IGA Independent Grocers Association supermarket. Its front door was totally smashed in. Inside the shelves were bare. Food gone, alcohol gone, and the place looked a mess. The boys decided to venture up to Market Square where they found a group of Chinese men were camped out the front of Yuen’s grocery store barring entry to all but a select few. They looked at each other, said nothing, and quickly rode back home. Once there they related what they had seen to the two women. Zelda was first to speak.
“What do we do now boys?”
Buck was quick off the mark after what he and Vince had seen.
“You did not know this as we were keeping it a surprise for Christmas, but Mary and I have a cabin about two hours’ drive away that we have started setting up as a weekender. We were keeping it a surprise for later. It appears that later is now. The backyard borders Maroon Dam, down past Beaudesert, with good fishing to be had. The hut is ok, but with camper vans it should be sweet. Access is dodgy, but we should be ok with care. Four-wheel drive only, but Vince we might be able to get your ute in with a trailer.
Before Buck could say any more Vince piped in.
“Zelda, let’s pack the camper van with blankets and all the equipment that you and Mary think we need for 3-4 weeks. We will swap the trailer and the van over. Buck, lets you and I get some more supplies from the shop. Girls we will be back in a couple of hours with a new trailer filled to the max. I think staying here any longer is asking for trouble in the next day or two. I think we should leave mid-afternoon at the latest. We will also pack batteries and lots of good gear.”
The women were in a semi-shocked state when the boys together said, “See you soon.” And then they were off to BCF in Vinnie’s ute.
“You sneaky bastard Buck. So, tell me more. What’s there and how close are the neighbours?”
“No neighbours for some kilometres. And the entry is hard to find unless in the know. The really good part is it cannot be seen from either the road or the dam. A few snakes though, mostly red-bellied blacks. Round the hut is mostly clear. We will need extra bandages. And boots for the kids and extras for us. Water containers would be useful. Though we do have a small rainwater tank, with six of us there it could get stretched a little thin. We can use the dam water, but that just means more work.”
The BCF store is not far away from their homes in the nearby industrial estate.
“I do not expect any problems with break-ins at the store, at least not yet.” said Vince. “If the front is ok, the back will surely be alright. The rear of the shop is windowless and solid as. We drive past the front to get to the back, so here goes.”
“So far so good. Another 20 seconds. Excellent, simply excellent.”
Vince backed the ute into the loading area, and then with his key opened the back of the shop. “Come this way Buck. I’ll get us some torches and show you around.”
Vince explained, “Each year we do a raffle at the local show with proceeds going to the Helicopter Rescue crew. We just got a new whopper trailer in last week to start filling for the show. Heavy duty, four wheel, wide tyres, electric brakes, the works. Good thing I bought a Ford, as obviously your Holden ute is crap for real work like this.”
“I don’t have a Holden ute anymore,” said Buck. “Haven’t you noticed?” The banter had been ongoing forever between them, much like it is with most Australian boys who watch the weekend car races and especially the Bathurst races – you are either a Ford fan or GM fan and rarely cross sides.
Vince then said, “First we need an extra fridge to take food from our freezers. And gas tanks. Let’s work from the ground up. Footwear including gum boots, socks, clothes, hats, then first aid, shelter, rain coats, torches and batteries, dried food, tanks, extra fishing gear, axes and saws, ropes. What else: radios and batteries, GPS. See if we can pack the shop into the beast Buck, we may be gone a while. In the meantime, I will leave a note for the boss just in case he comes in. Also, I will place a note in the front window indicating no food is kept on the premises. Might reduce potential vandalism.”
With the trailer loaded in about two hours, they locked up and headed home. First stop was Vince and Zelda’s place.
“We got an extra fridge in the trailer. Apart from loading it from the freezer what else do we need Zel?”
“Just getting the last now Vinne. Books, CD’s and games. Pretty much looted the place and stuffed the van. Mary’s gone back home Buck. Jimmy and Tess too.”
Vince said to Buck, “Listen, you go. We should be up there soon, maybe fifteen minutes tops.”
Buck returned home to be greeted by Mary. “You know Buck, I think Zel is pretty worried, probably me too. Probably annoyed more than anything, having hoped for a quiet Easter break. Mind you we are sure pleased both you and Vinnie stayed home after all. Not sure if you would have been back by now, being Easter Sunday had you gone. Not sure you would have seen the need. Come on, let’s finish up here and be ready. I have emptied out most of the food, and with what we have at the cabin we should be fine for some time. Can you check the van is secure please hon?”
Shortly after, Zelda arrived in the ute with the trailer attached, and Vince with the attached camper van.
Buck explained to them both roughly how to get to the cabin. “Also, I have the chain saw handy if trees have fallen over any of the roads. But as a precaution, let’s stick together. Are we right to go?”
Unanimous consent followed.
“Let’s lock the car doors so no one can get in along the way.”
Buck and Mary lead off with Jimmy and Tess in the back seat, followed by Zelda, then Vince.
The most difficult part of the trip was getting out of the burbs. Though there was not a lot of traffic, there were hazards to bypass. Firstly, the train at Coopers Plains blocked the main exit to the south, something that they did not know about until they got there, so Buck re-routed them back to Sunnybank Hills to get clear to Beaudesert. The biggest obstacles were lack of traffic control, some abandoned vehicles, and teenagers playing on the streets. In all they managed well and arrived near Maroon Dam about two hours later without having to get out of their vehicle or use the chain saw. Buck pulled over when he caught sight of the camping grounds about a kilometre further distant.
“That’s the camping ground. Mostly unpowered sites. Not too many there. Tomorrow being Easter Monday I expect the place to largely clear out. It looks like the powered sites are mostly vacant already. Also, there was only occasional mobile coverage here, so all they would have experienced is loss of electricity and radio. So off they go back home to find chaos. What they do then I know not. Our cabin is about 2.5 km to the south over that low hill. We’ll pull up at the gate. Zelda, Mary and I will go in, unhook the van and come back with the snatch strap and help you up the rise. The track is gravelly, but a little steep for a two-wheel drive.”
Thirty minutes later they were all at the cabin. Jimmy and Tess thought it was really cool, especially with a large shady fig tree nearby that they could climb. The adults started settling in. By this stage the weather had cleared allowing Buck and Vince to put tarpaulins up over the vans without getting wet. A blessing they thought, as it had sporadically showered on the way down from Brisbane to Beaudesert.
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The mid-day meal had been readied by Mrs Chung and Carol, a mix of antipasto, cheese, salami, pickles and fresh greens, accompanied by jasmine and green tea. After the table was cleared, I asked if everybody could r
eassemble in the courtyard garden in a few minutes’ time.
With everybody back, I started. “To summarise the current situation, we have no externally supplied power, no radio, TV, internet or GPS. We are now moving into what is potentially a disaster, if not already one. Unfortunately, it is now a case of them and us. Them being nearly everybody outside of these walls. For them, the highest priorities are getting water and food which will be available in ever dwindling supply. Over time some will try moving to outer areas away from the suburbs in hope of finding cattle and goats, and maybe surviving poultry. The prognosis for both people and animals is not good. Our problem is not food or water, but security. For the next few weeks we are confined within these walls without drawing attention to ourselves. I cannot stress this enough. Ray and I will make some discrete reconnaissance trips outside, but collectively, if we are to stay alive we must remain undetected. I understand you may feel this is restrictive, but I hope you will find it not as bleak as the thought of being in a prison. We are well stocked and have plans for reconnection with our home base at Clunes and others within the month if the current situation continues. Should the power come back on, that will change everything. But the longer the delay the more careful we must be. If the power came back on in say five to seven days’ time, it would still take weeks for things to regain normality. Seven days without power and our society is a mess. Think about it for a moment. How do the disadvantaged in say nursing homes and hospitals overcome lack of water, food and care? Without transport and refrigeration there also are no effective morgues. This could detiorate at an ever-increasing pace. However, for us, our goal is to outlive the chaos surrounding us so that we can rebuild. I am happy to talk with any of you further, at any time, and welcome it. Though we have done much research and planning, I could not have imagined who would be here now given the current situation we face. And that includes me. As circumstances change, so also do plans. Family and friends, together we can get through this.”
The first to speak was Julie, “Wow. Half way across the world from home and here I am. But if I learned anything from my father, it is that if you cannot do anything about a particular situation, concentrate on what you can influence. Mr Sunn, Jack, thanks again for what looks like a rescue from an increasingly dire situation we find ourselves in. If there is anything I can do, please let me know and I will do my best to help.” She looked at Carol. “Carol?”
“Yes, that goes for me too.”
The group broke up. Carol and Julie returned to their room, while Ray and I remained.
Ray piped up, “That went well I think. The whole world could go down the toilet, that is if they worked, and our priorities will be normal everyday things like getting the work done, and simplifying the technology to survive. I know we have supplies, but with the likes of toothbrushes lasting an average of three months use and I know we have plenty, but we do not have the machinery and skills to make seemingly simple plastic utensils. Immediate sustenance versus toothbrushes and buttons and zips. What contrast and craziness. What’s next Uncle Jack?”
“We may be able to borrow strategy from the late Mr Hiroo Onoda, the last World War Two Japanese soldier to surrender to authorities in the Philippines after 29 years in the jungle. I know we have talked about this before, but what an incredible strategist and survivalist he was. With surveillance, multiple stashes, rationing and substitution he is the stuff of legends. He was rationing his bullets and still had a twenty-year supply if needed. Mind you he could poach rice and meat, a situation different from ours, but the principles remain. Let’s retire for a siesta in readiness for a late afternoon foray.” At that I returned to my room, while Ray roamed the garden and aviary.
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As is common throughout the world, industrial buildings are often constructed on the outskirts of towns and suburbs. In Sunnybank, this also corresponded with lower lying cheaper land. My warehouse compound was slightly uphill, positioned two streets up from a seasonally flooded creek line. Many of the houses on the two lower streets were old timber cottages, dating back to the days when some were publicly supplied Housing Commission homes. These days, while some were owner occupied, most remained rentals and surely looked it. Unmown lawns and old car bodies and a general degree of untidiness were the norm. Not that this bothered me. Quite the reverse. It added a degree of anonymity, seclusion and separation.
Vince and Zelda lived in their own home on the lower road that bordered the creek line. They were slightly uphill as the road curved that way. The neighbours on the lower side had been renting for nearly three years. Vince’s carport was close to the fence separating the two properties. Vince being Vince was prepared for winter, and had stored about a year and a half’s supply of firewood for the wood heater in the carport. The carport adjoined a shed that was close to their house. Bob and Judy lived in the rental next door, and had built a brick barbecue on the same fence line as Vince’s carport. Bob’s barbecue was barely legal and roughly constructed, and the smoke from wet timber was a constant annoyance to Vince and Zelda, especially as the wind was usually blowing uphill when Bob lit the fire. Being Easter time both Bob and Judy were home, having little money for holidaying. Bob of course saw Vince and Zelda leave and thought that at least he and Judy would not be annoyed with Vince being annoyed with them if he used the barbecue, and so on Monday night he lit the barbie. Monday night and Tuesday lunch went well, but tempers in the Bob and Judy household were fraying by Tuesday night. This was compounded by a lack of entertainment, the beer becoming warm again, and light drizzle. Bob being a lazy sod, had left off the firewood cover at lunch time. The barbie needed relighting, and with the now wet firewood, Bob was having trouble.
Judy hollered from the back door of the house. “Get that bloody fire going before it’s dark will ya? There’s some kero inside if you need it.”
About twenty minutes later Bob traipsed in and said, “Darl. Where’s the kero?”
“In the laundry.”
The laundry was also where Bob kept his supply of home brew spirits, his favourite being rum. So, with a 750ml bottle of rum in his jacket pocket and a bottle of kerosene in hand, he returned outside. First things first, a swig, then another. The ensuing warmth changed his demeanour instantly. No longer too worried about what Judy thought, he took his time. After another swig, he put the bottle down near his nearby chair, and poured some kero into the fire pit. Things worked well for a time. Time enough for some extra imbibing on Bob’s part. But without extra dry fuel the fire naturally died down.
Judy again shouted out. “Jesus Bob, pretty spectacular fire,” and retreated inside. Bob did not like being put down, least of all by a woman when he was doing what he thought was man business.
“Ok, ok, I’ll fix it good. You’ll see.” He had another pull of rum. Not wanting to pour kero directly from the bottle onto the fire, he poured about one litre into a wide mouthed plastic ice-cream container. Bob made for the barbecue. What happened next could best be described as an epic fail. Certainly it led to spectacular results. About two steps away Bob tripped on one of the pieces of firewood that he had left on the ground. Some of the kero landed in the right place, but unknown to Bob most of it trailed over the fence and onto Vince’s carport. The fire did not catch, so Bob returned for another rum. Being half cut he sloshed some onto the fire pit. Instantly it went whoosh.
“See Judy, what a beauty. Let’s get some food cranking.”
Judy returned with the food to be cooked and Bob slumped down and had another swig. He returned to the fire and loaded in some dry wood, wood that had not been at the top of the pile to get wet and so was dry. One thing led to another, and when Bob stirred the fire with a poker about ten minutes later, sparks and hot embers reigned throughout the yard. Of course, Vince’s kerosene splashed carport was front and centre ready to receive these blessings as if they were coming directly from Shiva. Bob returned to his seat while Judy ate. They were both in a bit of a daze as Vince’s carport, as if coming
alive, took advantage of the mild wind blowing uphill. Three minutes was probably all it took for the back half of the carport to light up the two back yards. Judy rushed inside while Bob quietly stood and just gawked at the expanding inferno. What he could not possibly have known was that within four minutes he would be the first man in the neighbourhood to be everywhere in the neighbourhood all at the same time.
In the shed which was adjacent the carport, Vince had stored full LPG bottles from the BCF store. There were also assorted flammables associated with the recent house renovations he and Zelda had been doing – cans of paint, thinners, methylated spirits, paint, rags and pressurised touch-up paint. Nobody had anything to help put out the fire consuming the carport, and there was no way of calling the fire brigade, if indeed they were still operating. With the carport flames licking the shed, it was like lighting a fuse which was attached to a certain destiny. And with only moments left of the setting sun, Bob blended with the neighbourhood. The first explosion took most of the barbecue’s bricks and plastered the side of Bob and Judy’s house with bricks and brightly coloured paint. Almost immediately after, a series of explosions fragmented the shed, and everything within about 6m, which included Bob, was spectacularly spread within an eight to ten house radius. Fire, paint, metal shards, hot charcoal embers. Next to go were the twin gas cylinders that supplied Zelda’s kitchen stove. What the explosions did not remove of Vince and Zelda’s house, the ensuing fire did. The best anybody within the fallout area could do was try to put out spot fires. But with no water pressure, little containerised water, no fire brigade service, it was like ripples in a pond, only this was fire and not water and soon dozens of houses were ablaze, and some like Vince’s were creating their own explosive showers.