Heavenly Beverley : A Voyage Around My Brother...

During May, my brother Simon and his partner Geraldine, travelled to the Wild West for a quick sojourn to see Michael and I, plus visit a fraction of the state that their six days over here allowed...

I have lived in Western Australia for forty-three years. This was the first time Simon has deigned to come to these distant shores. Quite frankly, I think Geraldine was a mover and shaker in this momentous occasion. We welcomed her very warmly and I adored her on sight. I also believe that having her own life is the reason hers and Simon's relationship is so successful.

Let me explain. Simon is an exceedingly active chap. He skis, hikes, water-skis, enjoying most challenging endeavours. If my child health nurse had ever met him as a boy, she would have declared him to be "very busy". Callum has fallen into that category to a lesser extent, but being with Simon was like dancing with a Whirling Dervish!

I was constantly anxious about providing Simon with sufficient energetic activities. In the end, after copious research, I decided to book a night in Katanning at the Premier Mill Hotel and three nights at the Sleeping Lady Chalet in the Porongurups. We had never actually stayed in the Porongurups and I was fascinated by the history of their formation. I figured that they would see a bit of the Wheatbelt and Great Southern and experience the scenery that is utterly different from Queensland.

We met Simon and Geraldine in Mundaring for lunch on the Saturday they arrived. From lunch at the pub, we then went out to the Weir and spent a wonderful hour or so absorbing the legend that was C.Y. O'Connor, architect of Fremantle Harbour, Mundaring Weir, Niagara Dam and his amazing vision to supply the Goldfields with reliable water via a 566 kilometre pipeline that was pumped uphill... Unfortunately, O'Connor was so relentlessly attacked that he committed suicide before the pipeline was completed. His legacy has been operational for 122 years and continues to supply water from Mundaring Weir throughout the Wheatbelt and Goldfields.

Home to Beverley. I had chucked together a casserole before we left that morning and we all retired fairly early. Sunday was a blur that I really don't remember apart from Simon and Geraldine enjoying the Gallery and seeing some other sights. By this stage of the visit, I was discovering that Simon dislikes sitting still for any length of time and does not practise small talk as a rule.

On Monday we set out (at 9.30 am!) for our Great Southern Adventure. We meandered through Pingelly and the Dryandra Woodland before arriving in Katanning. Michael and I were captivated by staying in a restored flour mill and thoroughly enjoyed the Cordial (people and atmosphere) Bar in the basement. I was unsure whether Simon and Geraldine were as enamoured as we were by the surroundings...

Another early start on a brisk Tuesday morning saw us heading south east. We passed through Wagin and Gnowangerup watching the Stirlings and then the Porongurups rising ahead of us. Our chalet was warm and comfortable with all the trimmings. I had arranged for a couple of cheese platters for dinner, which we enjoyed with some very local wine (from Castle Rock estate next door to the chalet!)

The following morning Simon scaled the Grade 5 Castle Rock approach and then ladder to the Granite Sky Walk. Geraldine completed the Stage 4 walk and remarked there were a great many steps. We joined them for lunch at the Porongurups shop and cafe, proposing another walk that afternoon. This was only a kilometre through the National Park which Simon completed at speed, noting he wasn't aware of much birdsong...Later, when Michael and I dawdled our way through an absolutely breathtaking forest walk of 600 metres, we heard plenty of birds. Methinks Simon never stands still long enough to hear them!

An outstanding highlight of our Great Southern jaunt was experiencing the Anzac Centre in Albany. By the time we arrived there, Simon and Geraldine had already conquered the Whaling Station Museum as well as a coastal walk...We enjoyed a delicious lunch and then immersed ourselves into the Anzac Centre.

I found the Anzac Centre harrowing, emotionally exhausting and totally unforgettable. This was a brutally stark commemoration to the futility of warfare, a commentary of a horrific waste of human life and unspeakable misery inflicted on millions during hostile actions. The Anzac Centre should be a "must" on everybody's bucket list.

On our last evening together, we embraced the opportunity to just "be" with Geraldine and Simon outside of the Chalet. That was probably the closest we felt to them and were delighted to finally have some time without any frenetic exercise thrown in.

We were still in bed as they prepared to depart for Perth in the morning. They disappeared in their hire car, returned to the Big Smoke and took in both Fremantle and Cottesloe Beach in the afternoon. They flew out very early the next day, having been in the West for seven days.

After being mesmerised by the Porongurups morning vista, we packed up and drove to Collie for 2 nights. We considered ourselves to be a tad shell-shocked to just return home and straight back into the Gallery. Although the accommodation was a bit ordinary - that is another story - we needed to recover from the intensity of Simon's presence...

While we were together, I remarked about the dynamics of being siblings. Our mother had been such a chaotic presence that I believe we were all damaged by her. He didn't seem either interested in or comfortable talking about our childhood, nor could he understand the depth of isolation and abandonment I felt when none of my three brothers were with me during my early and mid teenage years.

Maybe that is how Simon copes. I still adore him and I know he is a fantastic GP, a generous and loving father and grandfather, a tolerant and loyal friend and an easy partner to Geraldine. I just think we shouldn't necessarily be in each other's pockets on holidays!

This post is lovingly dedicated to my quirky, hilarious and wonderful brother who always makes me laugh and keeps me guessing. Thank you, Simon, for being a truly unique individual.

PS since he blasted out of Western Australia, he then proceeded on a Central Australia trek with his son Tim... I told you he was pretty sprightly!