Dads stories

Sent: Monday, 13 November 2000 5:49 PM
Dear Harald,

It seems as if I missed the weekend! I wasn’t quite 150%. The weather, it is really like it. We also are getting a ton of water from the sky. Up there they probably heard that this year I was worried about the water. Two weeks ago the damm was already 65% full. But I reckon it must be close to overflowing! And that makes me happy. Water restrictions aren’t nice. We had some in 1966.

So, Alice Springs. A subject I know something about. This school has already been around for quite a while. Years ago, when we arrived,  it was one of Australia’s icons. It was often shown on the news. Its claim to uniqueness was that in those days the communication was done via a special broadcast. Because there was no electricity in the outback, they had pedalgenerators. They had to be constantly pushed, like a bike, and enabled conversations over a great distance, including a correspondence school. A genius of an invention from the pioneer times. More recently the media interest in this school has died down, and one doesn’t hear much about it anymore. Everywhere they are using solar power, and everyone has a telephone. And even distance eduction is done via the internet. But despite this I had a good look at the setup and was pleased with it. However I doubt that they would have german courses there. But you never know.

I was more interested in finding something for Patrick, which would be officially recognised, where he would get some sort of certificate or some such, after completion of the lessons and which can then be built upon later on. Should he now attend night school, what he has already learned would not be recognised and he would have to start from scratch. Not that this would be so bad with what he has learnt todate, but once we have a year behind us, he would have done quite a bit of work. I need to discuss it with him. Like I said, I wrote to his sister about it in my first letter. Here too you need qualifications, not quite as bad as in old germany. There someone who is unschooled or without qualifications, can’t do a thing. Should I have to ever go back and be subject to this system, it would make me throw up. But we have already discussed this a number of times!

.........

Oh...one more thing. You probably know that Inge, Dennis and their boys, spent two years in Broome, as catholic lay missionaries. That was around 1980. Hedwig, Peter and I visited them there, as part of our round-Australia trip. One evening, Inge invited a number of ladies so that they could get to know Hedwig. This led the next day to a women’s fishing trip, which Hedwig has never forgotten. We sat together (that evening). They discussed what it was like in the mission school, whose ancient prelate we already got to know on our boat trip to Australia, Father Francis, like all Franciscans (translator’s correction...he was a Pallotine), german. The women recounted how father Francis taught them german. And then, in harmony, they all began to sing „Wem Gott will rechte Gunst erweisen“ (german folksong...see text below), all verses, without the slightest accent. Can you visualise this? A dozen totally black characters, with grey hairs, and beautiful voices. The old Francis was probably letting his homesickness be healed by all this singing. And that in the most distant point of this colossal and isolated australian wilderness. I cant’ remember if I cried, but probably I did.

Greetings. Also to Anne. Peter.

Dont forget, Friday the sky is full of falling stars over Duesseldorf, one every two minutes. You will be able to make a lot of wishes. You see, I read my papers every day, long before they appear before your eyes.

Wem Gott will rechte Gunst erweisen,
Den schickt er in die weite Welt,
Dem will er seine Wunder weisen
In Berg und Wald und Strom und Feld.

Die Trägen die zu Hause liegen,
Erquicket nicht das Morgenrot,
Sie wissen nur von Kinderwiegen,
Von Sorgen, Last und Not um Brot.

Die Bächlein von den Bergen springen,
Die Lerchen schwirren hoch vor Lust,
Was soll ich nicht mit ihnen singen
Aus voller Kehl und frischer Brust?

Den lieben Gott laß ich nun walten,
Der Bächlein, Lerchen, Wald und Feld
Und Erd und Himmel will erhalten,
Hat auch mein Sach aufs best bestellt.