It was fun to watch, but sad at the same time. Often poor Wills had done as Burke had requested. Before they had left, John’s father had taken Burke aside, requesting he look after his talented only son, and confided in Burke, that his son was so loyal, that he would obey his leader come what may, but he would also be the man to whom Burke should turn to should the leader need help or advice. If he had adhered to Mr.Wills senior’s advice, the expedition could well have survived.
For Wills to compile his scientific information, he had worked through the night, often having little or no sleep. He was an honourable, reliable young man, in a very difficult situation. In the end, he had given his own life, to stay with his leader, until he died, so that he could carry out Burke’s last requests, including burying him, when there was still a possibility Wills could have saved himself.
There certain aspects of the whole affair that was repugnant to Alfred. Initially it had been adulation for Burke and Wills, had now the adulation had turned to him, along with the lion symbol that is used for greatness. All Alfred had done, was to collect the two men’s bones, and brought back to Melbourne in a black shrouded case. This sealed case he had handed to Dr. Macadam, along with its keys.
It was the Royal Society of Victoria who decided that Captain Burke’s bones should lie in state, to be viewed though a glass slide let into the coffin lid, and so it remained for twenty-one days. “How macabre can one get” he thought. There was an unexpected problem though. The body of John Wills had been also been found, so the Expeditionary Committee felt that his remains should also be be buried in Melbourne. Alfred had retrieved both those bodies for their Melbourne burials. “Thank goodness it is now all over,” Alfred sighed with relief.
Alfred quickened his step, as he continued to his uncle’s house, thinking about the problem of getting another job, before the scientific committee ordered him to do something else for them. Maybe he would be asked to open this route to the north coast. “ It will not work the way they want it done, I know that, as I have already crossed much of the route on my own explorations and duties, which I carried out as warden. I must earn some money; I also need to save. I wonder how much I should save before I offer my hand in marriage? I will discuss all this with my uncle, who has always offered me good advice when I have needed it in the past.
He entered his uncle’s house, making his way along the veranda, where the wind could blow, and cool one down, but not tonight, it was still calm, and hot.
He went to his room, found his casual clothes, and then he went outside to wash himself in a tub in the yard. He felt better for that, retracing his steps to his room, where he put on his comfortable clothes, then feeling much more relaxed he continued along the veranda, until he found the family sitting at on the same veranda eating cakes and drinking cool drinks.
Chapter 2 – Friendship and Joe’s arrival
Following the preparations, but many days before the big day of the funeral, Alfred had gone to greet other people from further a field, many of whom had arrived on trains using the new railway in Adelaide. Victoria was a go ahead state, as it had been the first area of Australia to have a railway of any sort. It was based on the English gauge, and the engines and wagons had been imported from Britain. When other states introduced their trains, they all used different gauges for their rails, consequently the trains from other areas, were unable to be used on all the routes.
At the station, Alfred suddenly saw his lifelong friend who he had not been expecting. “Hi, Joe, Joe, over here, Joe I’m here” shouted an exasperated Alfred, but it is doubtful whether Joe even heard him, due of the noise of all the other people arriving at the same time. They were a noisy crowd, excited at the idea of the event they were going to be involved with, meeting up, like him, with the people they had not seen for some time.
It took them all quite a while to pick out the person or persons they wanted to meet, before leaving the station. People were shouting out names in the hope the person they wanted would hear their name even if they could not be seen. There were men with top hats, tall ones, short ones all according to fashion, except that fashion did not change very rapidly in outlying British Colonies.
The suits were posh, even if a bit suburban, but this was Australia and it takes ages to catch up with fashion. Women’s fashion was easier as magazines with dress patterns were shown on the pages, although one often had to adapt the pattern to be used from the illustration in the magazines.
Fabric could now be imported and there was a wide choice including from other parts of Asia. Britons would be envious if they could have seen some of them. Bright coloured and wide brimmed hats, had been replaced by black hats of all shapes and sizes.
Eventually a tall slim man, looking very self-confident but tired, strode toward Alfred. Joseph Todhunter was considered a sufficiently important, to have his name published in the local paper, informing everyone of his arrival on the ship, which had just docked. At last Joe and Alfred had met one another, and unexpectedly too.
“How wonderful to see you again”, Alfred said, “you too” replied Joe. Until a couple of years ago, they had not met for eleven years. Joe had turned up in Melbourne, a stop over on his way from Ceylon, just to meet his sister and aunt, who were waiting to change ships, on their way home from New Zealand to England.
“What was your journey like?” enquired Alfred. “Long and tedious, but not too bad really” said the experienced traveller.
“Joe you are wearing the identical gloves we both wore in London, but they are not suitable out here with my lifestyle”, and they both burst out laughing.
Joe was in his comfort zone, he was a seasoned traveller, used to travelling around the globe on business, so he took such things in his stride.
“I am so pleased to have you around while I have to get through all this publicity. You know how I hate it. How long will you be staying, because we have so much to talk about, and much I would like to show you”.
Joe didn’t have a lot to say. “Sorry you have not got the letters you should have done¸ but I have been so preoccupied, letters to you could wait, others had to be done then and now, communications in relation to work and family. I’ll explain later. When I saw you before, it was not the right environment for me to see and discuss what I hope to see and hear from you this time”.
“Well I would have been up country, so they would have been very late being received.” was Alfred’s reply.
Joe’s sister Annie was going to marry a man they all knew from London, Alex Montgomery, who was currently working in New Zealand. Annie felt as she was going to live in New Zealand, she should marry out there, although nothing had been agreed was said to at this stage. Joe felt he might have to call in there before he returned to England. He did not elaborate.
“Come on, we will go and see Uncle Godfrey, when we get to Melbourne. He is putting me up once again. I often wonder what I would have done all these years, without him to fall back on when times were hard for me. I expect he will lend you a horse for the length of your stay too”.
When Alfred had brought the bodies of Burke and Wills back to Melbourne, he had to undertake the journey for a second time. On the first journey he had found Wills, dead, but sitting dutifully, at the burial place of Burke. This was something Burke had requested of Wills, should he die. It demonstrated the loyalty Mr. Wills senior had told Burke he could rely on when in trouble.
Alfred had buried Wills near by, but on his return to Melbourne, he was told they wanted the bodies for a State funeral.
“Why hadn’t they said so before I went out to look for them. This is typical of their muddled thinking,” he had thought.