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Arrival at settlement: exact date unknown, late 1919
Died: 16 August 1969 (aged 70 years)
There were lots of gaps in the information, particularly about his son, George who lived at the property after his father’s death. The information in the archives was scant. Ava had collected morsels of information: George seemed to be a bit lost, didn’t work and locals at the time interchangeably thought he was a no-hoper or an eccentric. Either way, he kept to himself. There were rumours he might have been unwell. What is apparent, is that his father had skilled him up as a blacky, and he seemed to apply those skills to jewellery making. The only conclusion that Ava could draw was that he was responsible for finding the opals and assuming they were simple gems and keeping them to prepare jewellery. Since, Ava had found more opals. For the moment, she was keeping those to form part of her museum.
George Adams was the first of many men whose lives were finally being recorded.
‘And where is she? We must of course, thank Ava Montgomery for her tireless efforts in enhancing and further establishing this centre and for the intricate and detailed record keeping she is undertaking to ensure that the men who served their country and called Bellethorpe home, are never forgotten.’
Ava acknowledged the thanks and Noah kissed her on the cheek. She quietened the group. ‘We must also thank Peter Shoebridge who has been invaluable in both remembering facts and people and for his meticulous research skills.’ Louder applause rang out for long-term resident, Peter and he ducked his head in embarrassment. Beside him stood his wife, Sheila, who couldn’t contain her grin. These days she’d happily lost her help in the antique store, and Peter worked most days in the history centre, out the back, scrolling through history books and sometimes the computer, when he could be convinced of the fancy fandangle thing, adding to and completing the collection. His long-term memory served him well and on task, he was efficient researching a fact or two. Sheila had been nothing but grateful, but it was Ava who was thankful for the help.
It had been Peter’s idea to commemorate the men by naming new streets in their honour. And some parks, too. There would now be an Adams Road, Poole Street, McMahon Avenue. With as many as up to seven hundred returned soldiers, that was a lot of new streets. Noah scowled at the thought!
Cameras flashed around them, and this time, Ava didn’t mind. Geoff from The Bellethorpe Times was on the job, running the news story. He was still waiting for his new recruit. The last cadet had reneged and now he for waited for another employee. The addition would double the size of his team. The gossip was that owner and founder of the paper, Wyatt Hummingbird was tiring of the production and was handing the reigns over to his son, Angus, who was an owner of a local cattle farm. Ava wasn’t sure where the future of the local rag lay.
Her parents, Jane and Damien jumped into a shot, beaming smiles at being here to celebrate with her. Now she was free, she looked forward to seeing her parents more.
Matthew and James sidled up next to them, both enjoying a cup of tea and a scone, heavily ladened with jam and cream. Noah gestured that he’d get them something to eat too, and he wandered over to the refreshment table. Like only country folk can do, the official opening was a celebration with food.
The duo had become a firm feature around Bellethorpe and their couple status, slowly accepted. Most people didn’t care that they were gay, they welcomed the pair with open arms. Both remained employed by the university on secondment to her project.
‘Are you guys going to be okay while I’m away?’
James snorted and Matthew laughed but ended up coughing having only just taken a large bite of scone. Her comment had exactly the effect she desired. These two were the brains of this project; their skills were phenomenal and she’d be lost without them.
‘I think we’ll manage,’ they said as they recovered. Ava spent many days on the dig site, covered in layers of dust and dirt and trawling through only centimetres of area. And she’d contributed to the mounting number of significant finds. But it was the dynamic duo who had more recently discovered the jaw of a crocodile and sizeable fish fossils. With more discoveries, came necessary documenting and reporting and she’d commenced writing academic papers. It was also true that the co-ordination and construction of the museum complex and the work on the history centre had chewed up large chunks of her time.
‘Oh, remind me again when you leave?’ Bridie popped up at their side.
‘In under two weeks! I’m so excited! And thank you so much for looking after the animals. Ish will miss them desperately and is happy to know they’re in good hands.’
‘My pleasure.’ She leaned in conspiratorially. ‘Avoid the scones, Evelyn made them and they’re as hard as rocks. Caleb will fix you up with a treat if you run past the restaurant,’ and she kissed her on the cheek and was gone in a puff of strawberry-scented perfume.
Noah arrived at just that moment with a plate laden with scones that didn’t appear appealing anymore. Emily and Ish raced past and stole two.
‘Have you finished your paper?’ Matthew asked.
‘Yes, almost. Will you both read it when I’m finished?’
They agreed. ‘I’m presenting at the conference in London upon arrival and meeting with others in the field over those next few days. Then catching up with old work colleagues from the museum, as well.’
Ava stole a bite of Noah’s scone and after chewing said, ‘Noah will be playing tourist with the kids. Emily is excited to visit where princesses and princes live and to ride on the famous red buses. Ish sort of remembers London, so he’s playing it a bit cool.’
James and Matthew were called away and talked to townsfolk eager to learn more about when the site and museum would be open for business. Ava spotted Adele and Blake chatting with Clive and she waved. Clive was a more permanent neighbour now, having retired to Bellethorpe full time. He volunteered on the site some days. Ava hoped that arrangement might continue when the centre was open. Clive was a wealth of knowledge.
Noah’s building tasks, firstly finishing her place and then working on the history centre had prevented him from making any real headway on her development. They hoped it might open its doors within the next twelve months.
Plus, he’d been busy as the newly elected President of the Parent Support Group, formerly known as the father’s support group. They welcomed both mothers and fathers struggling with separation and, in Ava’s view, provided a much more balanced and supportive environment. He was often on call, fielding distressed parents and offering advice. He had also taken on the voluntary role of development co-ordinator for the town council, an unelected position that allowed him to view and research development proposals. Ava was proud of him. It was better to be involved and have a say than to condemn any effort to improve the town. He’d taken to the role with gusto and sought her opinion often, and he listened, and so far, had made balanced recommendations. Ultimately, it wasn’t his call, but he did the legwork before the elected council made their decisions. He was slowly accepting that certain development could have a positive impact on the town.
Ava understood he’d taken on these new roles to keep busy. In an ironic twist of fate, and best of all for Noah, Lisa’s new husband, Darryl, an engineer, had been offered a too-good-to-refuse contract in Saudi Arabia, a place Lisa wasn’t prepared to take Emily. Six months into their parenting agreement, she asked Noah for Emily to live with him rather than take her overseas. Overjoyed would be an understatement at this turn of events.
They’d both held off, clutching to their independence and living separately, until Emily returned. Until then, it had been easy for Noah to stay over without difficulty. When Emily arrived, it wasn’t so easy. Since then, they’d all bunked in together at Kinross Road, as a family.
‘I’m so happy to have you by my side every day. So happy that you moved into the house that you longed for and dreamed about.’
He kissed her before responding. ‘It was my ideal family home and now I’m living there with Emily. She has a new brother and another female in her life. It isn’t a dream, is it?’
The kids raced past once more, a trail of followers in their wake. Otis and Daisy not far behind, followed by the now not so little pups. More confident and older Emily had assisted Ish settle in and make more friends. The pair had become inseparable.
