Nevill and Greg had to stay in Halls Creek for two weeks while Bubsie was being repaired, but they used their time well in selling books and talking to the locals. Nevill also used his mechanical skills to fix the hotel proprietor’s car, a job that took two days of hard work, but would have won him a friend and supporter.
A number of people visited Nevill and Greg requesting the SDA church do something for the local aboriginals. They learned there were around 20,000 aborigines in the Kimberley Division, most untouched by any mission work, and it was hoped the church could help them with health and education. 1.
There were around 250-300 aboriginals living at Moola Bulla, a government cattle station operated by aboriginals, and Nevill and Greg were invited to attend a corroboree.2. Their interaction and observations were used in 1926 to help advise the Seventh-day Adventist Church on the best way to assist the Aboriginal community.
It was at Halls Creek that Nevill discovered he had a possible competitor. A Mr Terry was driving around Australia with a film crew and Nevill exclaimed “he is an adventurer after my own heart, except that he is inclined to exaggerate when it comes to newspaper reports.” 3. Of course Nevill had no intention of driving right around Australia at this point, so Mr Terry’s travels didn’t worry him, and in fact Mr Terry wasn’t attempting to create any records either.
Once Bubsie had been repaired in Halls Creek, the men were finally able to depart, and resumed their bumpy journey once more. They often detoured from the recognized tracks to visit isolated stations and sell their books. From Halls Creek the men headed towards Flora Valley, which proved to be difficult, hilly country, especially as Bubsie refused to shift into 2nd gear!
Their tyres had been patched and repatched, and now in the heat the patches started lifting. The men made it into Flora Valley and stayed there the night. They met Mr Henderson, the manager of Gordon Downs, the next station they were to visit, who asked if he could hitch a ride with them the next day. It must have been quite a squeeze, but they made it by late afternoon. 4.
Here they met up with Mr Terry again, and as they were running low on fuel he kindly gave them five gallons of petrol – an absolute Godsend when stations were so scattered.
Nevill and Greg staggered on, reaching the border with the Northern Territory on Tuesday, 22 September. They parked the car half in West Australia and half in the Northern Territory, and then knelt in the dust and asked God to bless them on their travels through the top half of Australia. As far as they were aware they were the first Seventh-day Adventist workers to set foot in what was known as the White Elephant State of Australia. 5.
It seems that developing the North of Australia was seen to be a foolhardy enterprise of the Commonwealth because there was no trade, no mining, no industry and very few people apart from government servants and those living on the dole in the Territory. Hence the name – the White Elephant State.
By now they were having serious problems with their tyres – and no wonder, after the battering they had received on those rough roads.
Clearly their journey was very different to the many factory-backed motoring expeditions which took place around the world. These lads had no spares and no support – relying on their ingenuity and faith. And a great deal of both were needed to ensure they could get through some areas. 6.
The men continued on towards Wave Hill Station, but they began to wonder if they would ever reach Darwin.
REFERENCES:
- Australasian Record Article. December 14, 1925. Vol 29 No 50.
- Letter to Mother. September 9, 1925.
- Letter to Mother. September 19, 1925.
- Letter to Sister. October 11, 1925.
- Australasian Record Article. December 14, 1925. Vol 29 No 50.
- Citroen around Australia. Retrieved from https://historicvehicles.com.au/historic-car-restorations/citroen-around-australia/
