1. Janet with Day 4 Team
2. The shed, dumped from 2km away
3. White lipped green tree frog in Janet's diningroom
4. This Cassawary thought we looked like an interesting exotic fruit
Day 3
Today we were assigned to go to the property of Justin and Jan (the neighbours of Mark).
Our team consisted of Jenna and Kathleen (Kat) two English backpackers and Pattie (a backpacker from Taiwan)
Justin has hurt his foot and was very embarrassed that we were there to work and he could not help us because of his injury, but Mark came to help out. We were supposed to help pull down a shed that had been demolished but Justin felt bad and he insisted we go back to Marks to do some work on the pump and water tank so that Janet would have clean water on Marks property.
Jan and Justin own an exotic fruit farm. All the fruit trees were uprooted and blown away during the cyclone. There is no sign of the trees, but there is the remnants of an entire shed, including some very heavy girders, too heavy for two people to lift, that has been deposited on their property from 2 km away.
With Mark’s assistance and the tractor we managed to clear a paddock of fallen timber so that the field could be slashed then we went into another part of the farm a cleared a track that has been impenetrable ever since the cyclone because of fallen trees and a small stream that has become a deep ravine. It will require a bridge to be built over this area to make it passable.
Jan and Justin live in a beautiful totally green self sufficient home in the rainforest which Justin built. Their water comes from two springs on the property and they have recently put down a bore, their electricity is totally solar energy and their toilet is a very efficient composting toilet (no water needed to flush and definitely no smell) and it is inside the house right next to their bedroom making it an ensuite. There is a beautiful claw bath outside in the fernery beside the house and because it is so secluded and tropical it would be a very relaxing way to take a bath in the open with a view of the rain forest. The whole house is very open and there are forest views from every room. They were there in the house during the cyclone and they said it was very frightening.
There are feeding stations for the Cassawarys on Jan and Justin’s farm and we inadvertently parked the car right next to one. The Cassawarys came in looking for food when they saw the car and as there was no food in the box they turned to us. We were wearing our orange safety Blaze Aid jackets and they must have thought we were big oranges or some fancy fruit because they started to approach us. They were between us and the car and we had nowhere to go but bush. Pattie now has a new name “Pattie Pancake” because Jenna, who was terrified, nearly crushed her trying to get into the car.
Day 4
Back to Jan & Justin’s to clear the road to their orchard, make sure the pump had filled the tank for Janet and take a load to the tip.
We also did some tree clearing in what was the orchard.
Justin is a ships captain and is away a lot of the time. He used to captain ships for scientists doing research out to sea and now he captains a ship which farms ocean mur (black sea cucumbers) an Asian delicacy as well as being used in medicine and it is very expensive, so a lucrative occupation.
Jan had been developing the orchard of exotic fruits so Justin could retire on the farm to spend more time with her, but that was all put on hold when the cyclone blew all of the trees away.
Justin explained the composting toilet today and it all revolves around the air being extracted. They dig out the compost (which by then is just dirt and doesn’t smell at all) about 2 wheelbarrows a year and put it on the garden.
There is also a green lipped tree frog that has made his home in a pot plant in their dining room.
They have a very idealistic life style there, except for the cyclones, of course.
The three girls working with us today (Stacey who is Irish and Kat and Jenna who are English and all about 24 years old) were good fun and they worked very hard.
Today we were assigned to go to the property of Justin and Jan (the neighbours of Mark).
Our team consisted of Jenna and Kathleen (Kat) two English backpackers and Pattie (a backpacker from Taiwan)
Justin has hurt his foot and was very embarrassed that we were there to work and he could not help us because of his injury, but Mark came to help out. We were supposed to help pull down a shed that had been demolished but Justin felt bad and he insisted we go back to Marks to do some work on the pump and water tank so that Janet would have clean water on Marks property.
Jan and Justin own an exotic fruit farm. All the fruit trees were uprooted and blown away during the cyclone. There is no sign of the trees, but there is the remnants of an entire shed, including some very heavy girders, too heavy for two people to lift, that has been deposited on their property from 2 km away.
With Mark’s assistance and the tractor we managed to clear a paddock of fallen timber so that the field could be slashed then we went into another part of the farm a cleared a track that has been impenetrable ever since the cyclone because of fallen trees and a small stream that has become a deep ravine. It will require a bridge to be built over this area to make it passable.
Jan and Justin live in a beautiful totally green self sufficient home in the rainforest which Justin built. Their water comes from two springs on the property and they have recently put down a bore, their electricity is totally solar energy and their toilet is a very efficient composting toilet (no water needed to flush and definitely no smell) and it is inside the house right next to their bedroom making it an ensuite. There is a beautiful claw bath outside in the fernery beside the house and because it is so secluded and tropical it would be a very relaxing way to take a bath in the open with a view of the rain forest. The whole house is very open and there are forest views from every room. They were there in the house during the cyclone and they said it was very frightening.
There are feeding stations for the Cassawarys on Jan and Justin’s farm and we inadvertently parked the car right next to one. The Cassawarys came in looking for food when they saw the car and as there was no food in the box they turned to us. We were wearing our orange safety Blaze Aid jackets and they must have thought we were big oranges or some fancy fruit because they started to approach us. They were between us and the car and we had nowhere to go but bush. Pattie now has a new name “Pattie Pancake” because Jenna, who was terrified, nearly crushed her trying to get into the car.
Day 4
Back to Jan & Justin’s to clear the road to their orchard, make sure the pump had filled the tank for Janet and take a load to the tip.
We also did some tree clearing in what was the orchard.
Justin is a ships captain and is away a lot of the time. He used to captain ships for scientists doing research out to sea and now he captains a ship which farms ocean mur (black sea cucumbers) an Asian delicacy as well as being used in medicine and it is very expensive, so a lucrative occupation.
Jan had been developing the orchard of exotic fruits so Justin could retire on the farm to spend more time with her, but that was all put on hold when the cyclone blew all of the trees away.
Justin explained the composting toilet today and it all revolves around the air being extracted. They dig out the compost (which by then is just dirt and doesn’t smell at all) about 2 wheelbarrows a year and put it on the garden.
There is also a green lipped tree frog that has made his home in a pot plant in their dining room.
They have a very idealistic life style there, except for the cyclones, of course.
The three girls working with us today (Stacey who is Irish and Kat and Jenna who are English and all about 24 years old) were good fun and they worked very hard.
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