First Time in the Northern Territory

After the show in Mt Isa, we were booked for our first show in the Territory!  We were all excited about it as we’d never been in that state before.

We left Camooweal around 11 am and embarked on what we think is the most boring drive we’ve been on in all our travels so far!  The distance to Tennant Creek from Camooweal was almost 500km’s with lot’s and lot’s of nothingness in between!  To quote Sheppard and Ford in Stargate Atlantis:  “I’ve never seen so much nothing!” “And I’ve never gone so far to see it!”

We didn’t get a photo at the border because of the graffiti on the sign.

We arrived in Tennant Creek , a town of around 3000 people at around 7pm.  Lots of Aboriginal people were just wandering the streets.  We checked out the town then headed to the showgrounds to set up camp.

Next day we talked to the show secretary who had only found out the day before that the Superdogs were even coming to the show!  We walked around with him while the thought about were he could set us up to perform.  Really the only place to set up was round the back and mostly in the sun.  We asked for some chairs so we could set up a place for the audience only to be told “we don’t have any chairs, all the locals will just sit on the ground.” 

Our first performance of the day didn’t have many people watching which was disappointing and made it hard for the girls and the dogs to stay positive and perform their best.  After that performance we headed off in search of some chairs (that they apparently didn’t have) and we found all of seven (7) of them!  And for our next performance we actually had people come and sit in them!    Never once did we have people come and sit on the ground!  Lesson learned: if you want a present audience, set up some chairs!

Another piece of advice we were given by an elderly gentleman who watched our final show of the day was:  give it your best even if there is no present audience and then the dogs will also give their best.  He was right!

It was a hard day, about 31 degs and we were looking forward to spending the afternoon/evening relaxing.  We bought some cold drinks and headed back to camp.  As we were relaxing and thinking about dinner we noticed a very drunk Aboriginal male heading over to our camp.  He came and stood beside Mike (who was washing the dishes) just looking over his shoulder!  Rather disconcerting to say the least.  He then staggered round and sat down under the tree about 1 metre from our table and watched us from there!

On looking round we noticed all the other showies packing up and getting ready to go and decided we didn’t want to be in the showgrounds on our own!  So we told the girls that we had a change of plan and we were packing up (at 7pm) and leaving as we didn’t feel that it would be safe in a tent.  I’ve never seen our girls pack up so fast!  By 8pm everything and everybody was packed into the van!  Our usual pack down is about 2-3 hours!

We headed off, had dinner outside a gas station and hit the road back to QLD!  Spent the night in our small (3 person) tent with 5 people in it and the older girls and dogs sleeping in the van.  We woke to a beautiful day, being Mike’s 50th birthday!  With still about 400k’s to go we decided to postpone his birthday till later and packed up and headed east!

We are now regrouping after a busy time and preparing for our next gig at Mt Isa’s Paws Hoofs and Claws Christmas in the Park fundraiser on July 27.

We put the chairs in the only patch of shade!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chana and her crazy dog Lassie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jessica and her energetic dog Tess!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jasmine and her smart dog Sparkie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chantel and her pretty puppy Freya!

If you want the Superdogs to perform at your show, festival or fundraiser, please don’t hesitate to contact our agent, Mac Brothers Circus.

While in the Territory the Superdogs were also interviewed by ABC Radio.  You can find the audio HERE.

Technorati Tags: Circus,Superdogs,Northern Territory,Performance,Travel,Tent,Family,Dogs

A Tribute to My Dad - 1926 - 1998

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad was born on the 19 July 1926 (Beth correct me if I’m wrong) as the 2nd of three boys.  Dad was the boy who you’d find standing in the middle of the road pretending to be a cop and directing the traffic.  He was the one you’d find in the crowded down-town area looking at the sky then when everyone else looked up he’d “melt” into the crowd.  He was the one who tricked his dad into buying him a German Shepherd puppy when dad had said “No” to an Alsatian! 

Dad was always the optimist.  The cup was always half full.  If it was cold and wet it was a good time to stoke up the fire and make the room so hot the rest of us had to leave the room.  We’d try and sneak the door open, but he’d always notice and tell us to shut the door as it was too drafty!  So we’d dutifully shut it and either leave or cook!  Dad would never buy a house that didn’t have a fire in it with a wet back so we could save on our winter water heating bill.

Dad was always up for an adventure.  Every year we’d go for our Christmas holiday, usually 2 weeks away.  These were my favourite time of the year.  We got to have Dad 24/7 and he was always up for a game.  One year he bought a runabout with a small outboard motor on the back especially for the holiday.  We’d go out in the boat fishing or just exploring all day. 

I remember waiting till Dad got off the phone (he worked for the church – long story that I’ll not go into here) usually around 9pm for him to come outside and play hide and seek with me!  He didn’t seem to care that it was late and the neighbours may be sleeping, he’d still yell, “Arrrrggggghhh!” as he ran for home after I found him.  He was usually easy to find because he’d be wearing his white shirt and sometimes his tie as well!

Dad was never too busy or too sick to help somebody else.  Even if he had spent all day in bed with a cold/flu if he got a call to lead worship or preach that night he’d get up, get dressed and go!  It did bug me a bit though as I’d have been begging him all day to play with me and he’d have said he was too sick!

Another memory I have is when he had to go into hospital for a hernia operation.  Because of his belief system that he could not get so sick he needed treatment, he didn’t tell us (or me anyway) why he was going in!  A day after his op when we went to pick him up, the nurses had given him what they called “Fairy Mixture” which not only relieved his pain but put him on a high!  He did not need a wheelchair to get out to the car and he certainly did not need anyone to carry his bags!  He did pay for it though for the next few days when he was so sore he kept telling me to stop making him laugh!!

In his latter years, after waiting most of his life, he got the opportunity to go overseas to work as a missionary!  He’d wanted to go to Japan when I was about 4 years old but the church we were part of at the time did not want him to do that.  He even bought a book called “Japanese in 30 days” so he could have a basic understanding of the language.  He never did go to Japan, instead he and mum went to PNG where Dad taught at a Bible School.

My wedding – August 1995 (6 weeks after mum had passed away)

Mum passed away in 1995 and Dad remarried in March the following year.  A little earlier he was diagnosed with cancer.  He went through Chemo which slowed it down a bit but made him sick.  When I was in hospital in Nov 1996 waiting for our first child to be born, Dad was in another hospital across town.  He’d ring me from his hospital bed and we’d compare the food menu, his was always better than mine!  He got out of hospital in time to come visit me and meet his granddaughter. 

I was with him in December 1998 when he was told how long he had before cancer took over.  I asked him how he felt about it, he replied, “Me feel?”

He was in hospital on New Years Day, he told every nurse that came into his room, “This year I’m going to Glory!”  He was not afraid to die, he was confident he knew where he was going. 

A few days before he died, he called us all into his room as he wanted to celebrate communion for the last time on earth.  He hadn’t talked much for a day or two as he slipped in and out of consciousness, but after communion he started to sing in his normal LOUD voice!  I’d love to be able to remember the song he sung so if any family remember please leave a comment for me.

He also talked to each of us children (actually we were adults!) individually as he wanted to make sure there was nothing between us and him before he died. 

That was just over 15 years ago … while pregnant with Jessica who is very much like her grandpa!

Miss you DAD!

Dad and I on a Christmas holiday in 1969

Light at the end of the tunnel

Sometimes the tunnel can be extremely long but there is always a light at the end.

This lifestyle of travel is an interesting one; you get time to think!  Thinking can be dangerous! 

Roll back the calendar about 2 years … we’d recently lost a very precious and much wanted baby daughter, Serenity.  As a family we were reeling with the shock.  Grief affects everyone differently.  Some of us just wanted to be depressed; some of us wanted to do something different; some of us just wanted our old life back! 

One day, while camping in Goomeri, Jasmine and I went to buy some food and noticed a sign on the shop window about a festival coming up and that they were looking for entertainers.  I knew Jasmine wanted to perform, but was not sure that the timing was right!  We sent off an email anyway and when they emailed back they festival was keen to have us!  So the Superdog Trick Show now had it’s first public performance!

Preparing for this performance gave us all a much needed focus and the show went well and was a success.

After this there was not much to look forward to, and not knowing how to get any more performances we drifted.   We picked up one or two shows the following year, but is was very slow going with not much positive response to our emails. 

This year, we decided to push things along a bit by emailing some different agricultural shows. We decided to focus on the smaller, inland country shows and hey presto! we had success! 

At the show in Winton, QLD we met another performer (Roy Maloy) who has been in the entertainment industry for many years.  He gave us a few pointers and most of all believed in us!  It is amazing how having someone who believes that what you are doing is actually ok, can boost the confidence of the whole family. 

We now have a fresh focus, a fresh determination to be the best Dog Trick Show you will ever see.  The girls (who are the trainers) have been inspired with confidence that what they are doing is worth it.  That they can and have performed well and that the audience loves it!

So the light at the end of the tunnel just got brighter!