Odyssey Down Under

By James Gardner

James left the East at the age of seventeen to join the navy and serve his country. He says, "I am now eighty-seven years old, and I live on this farm with my dog, Cocoa. I am about to bring you a story from the figment of my imagination. It is a fictional story based on facts about my travels around the world during my time with the US Navy and trips with my late wife, Anita." With the support and encouragement from Anita, he has put pen to paper to share the wild adventures of his heart and mind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638818519

Book preview

Odyssey

Down Under

JAMES GARDNER

Copyright © 2022 James Gardner

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2022

Front Cover artwork:

Candace Johnson

Thank you, Candace, for your assistance to

bring this front cover to reality.

Typist for all of Mr. Gardner’s books:

Hannah R. Singhurse

ISBN 978-1-63881-850-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63881-851-9 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Also by James Gardner

Novelettes

• The Quest for Quanah

• Return of the White Wolf

Short Stories

• A Winter’s Tale

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Encounter

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16 Tahiti-Bound

Chapter 17 Fiji-Bound

Chapter 18 Down Under and On Track for Fiji

Chapter 19 Sydney

Chapter 20 The New Beginning and the Sad Departure

Chapter 21 On to Adelaide and the Ghan!

Chapter 22 Ayers Rock

Chapter 23 On to Ayers Rock

Chapter 24 Back to Alice and North

Preface

As I was on the flight on the way home—flight being in my imagination, this story became a fun thing as well as being a labor of love! You see, Anita and I wanted a dream trip to Australia, a trip that one always hopes to accomplish, and then, one day, we did!

Anita Sutherland Gardner was an accomplished writer. She always wanted me to write a story for her, but I never did. She was the writer. Anita always wanted to take the events from this trip and write a book, Waltz around Australia. It would have been more of a travel log, not a fantasy! She passed away too early in life! She never got the opportunity to put pen to paper.

So after so many years later, Anita, here is the story you wanted me to write, and I dedicate this to you!

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge my son-in-law Denis Fairbairn, for his guidance on some of the Australian terms used in this book.

As always, the support of my typist for this book and all previous books, Hannah Singhurse, and my daughter, Shawnnita Fairbairn, for formatting my books and sending them off to the printers.

Introduction

In Greek mythology, the Odyssey was a mythical journey, for example, the legendary journey of Ulysses. I thought if Ulysses could take an imaginary trip, why can’t I? So the story was born…Odyssey Down Under.

In this story, you will find that I mixed the truth with fantasy as I started the journey with Captain Mobley, an untrue person. I related to events along the way that involved me during my service in the United States Navy!

In the second part, the trip from Sydney, Australia, across the continent around Ball Bay was a real trip that Anita and I took across Australia years ago.

In this story, dear reader, I want to take you on an incredible journey of a lifetime. The pages will be filled with hopes, dreams, and memories of real-life events—all rolled in one. Come with me while we set sail for Down Under!

Chapter 1

The Encounter

I am one to follow my dreams and try to relive my memories. I found myself in my old pickup heading north. I wanted to revisit some of the places in Canada that I had in the past. Crossing the international bridge with Lake Michigan and Lake Huron on the left and right, I thought it was a spectacular sight. When I hit the Canadian soil, I felt like I was back in my second home again!

When I approached Sault Ste. Marie, I thought, Which way should I go…left or right? Let’s go right first to Hiawatha Park.

Here was where I watched two Indian youths, a boy and a girl, sliding down a smooth rock into a running pool of clean, fresh water. They then would rock climb to the top and go down again, yelling and laughing at the top of their lungs. I watched the beauty of it for a long time. There is always a way to entertain yourself when you have nothing, isn’t there? They were probably from the Indian reservation east of Sault Ste. Marie. The Indian folks called the reservation the Rez. I passed through there on my way east and was saddened by these once-great people’s poverty.

What on Earth have we unleashed on these people and also our American people of the plains?

I wanted to retrace my steps to St. Joe Island, where I had many happy times. I wanted to see the stones that the Canadians called pudding stones again. These stones were centuries old. The rocks were formed by the great glacier that moved through the North eons ago. It took red stone and white stone, ground them up, and rolled them into large, round balls—big white stones with red blotches, which came to be known as puddin’ stones. These were prevalent on St. Joe Island. I wanted to see them again. I drove down to the old marina where they were located and protected. Maybe I might also see a boat or two pulled into the dock. I got there and walked around, sightseeing and enjoying the revisit to the large stones, still in amazement at how this could happen!

I turned from the woods and started to walk to the piers. That was when I went into shock! Berthed at the dock was a three-mast, full-sail schooner tied at the dock! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Where did this ship come from, and how on earth did it get here? I walked toward it, and, in amazement, I couldn’t take my eyes off her! There was something about the lines!

Just then, a big man started walking toward me. He was at least six-foot and about 250 pounds—no fat, all muscle! He said, G’day, Jim, grinning from ear to ear.

I questioned, How do you know me?

In which he kindly replied, The bloke in the office told me who you are—some ‘yank.’ He knew that I was one of Hector’s boys, one who was close to them and stayed at the camp.

Well, that’s right, I said. And I’m fixin’ to stay awhile with Hector!

Well, I’m Dick Mobley, and this is my ship. Then, he extended a big, beefy hand and proceeded to crush my right hand with his! You can call me Dick or Captain Mobley, but don’t call me ‘Moby Dick’!

I grinned and said, Well, buddy, at your size, I wouldn’t call you anything.

He threw his head back and laughed. I have some mates, and when they want to get cheeky, they call me Moby Dick! And I tell them, ‘Watch yourself, blokes, or Captain Ahab will come down on you a bit!’ He laughed and said, But it’s all in fun, mate!

Not to challenge the subject, I