A Victorian driver, in the days of steam, working in the Mallee district spoke of the dust storms in drought years where the engines would be dust red after a shift. This is a story from my Footplate Padre's book titled Steam Stories. This article was titled "Mallee Dust" on page 19.
Over the years I have written 16 railway books of train driver's anecdotes where engine drivers of past years sent to me their own stories – some in written form, others on what was then cassettes. They were for a niche market and were well received and of particular interest to both railway people and rail enthusiasts.
They are all Australian 'oral history' recording a lost era and I was true to the characters, and in most cases, included their interesting 'gramma' as it was.
In those steam days there was a midnight goods train on Sunday nights. It was known by crews as the midnight horror and a horror of a train it was to work. As it was hot and dusty in summer and during periods of drought, it was near impossible to sleep prior coming to work. People didn't have air-conditioning in their homes in that period.
The crew signed-on around 11.00pm, prepare their engine and then wait for their train to be prepared. Having bought the engine out of the locomotive depot, engage in the odd shunting operation and then they would head south around midnight. By this time the crew were already pretty tired – things got worse as the hours went by.
The generator on the steam engine would often slow down, thus the lights would dim. Then the fireman would have a sleep and the driver would have to wake him to get another fire on and re-establish the water level in the boiler.
As the shift wore on, so would the tiredness – sometime the crew would change over or the crew would work through to the barracks and return on Tuesday morning. It was not uncommon for steam crews to be away from home for 38 hours. Social functions would be missed, family get-togethers couldn't be attended, church services unable to get to, any sort of community committee meeting one belonged to would be unattenable.
Moreover, the drivers claimed that if they were to only work trains when crews were alert when starting their shift on such late at night duties, trains would never have run in Victoria. Crews would moan and groan but would do the job regardless – it was in the nature of an engineman.
So too missionaries for the last two thousand years. It is the nature of missionary service in that travelling overnight to engage in the presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is still today deemed a privilege as it has been for centuries.
One of the key reasons for the establishment of Basil Sellers Laguna Quays Respite for missionaries is that they have such a penchant for sacrificial service that this cottage is like an oasis for their soul.
Situated on the Whitsundays mainland and opened in June 2011 there has been a 'head to toe' visiting agenda by missionaries taking much needed respite. This gifted provision by Well-Being Australia to missionaries is a joy unto the Lord.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
