We decided to take some time off from the hard work we were doing every day clearing lantana and building and digging. During summer we would do that about once a month at our favorite ‘holiday’ beach we called ‘black stump’. All we took with us was a ‘bilum’ full of tropical fruit and nuts and a couple of sarongs, some books, and towels.
Once at the beach we set up a little camp in the shade of the pandanus palms on the bank beyond the sand and simply enjoyed being in such a magnificent place where the air was pure, the ocean so clean and energetic, and the beach like a freshly washed bar of gold. But most of all we simply enjoyed being together.
The lifestyle we followed in those days was very healthy, except for smoking pot, but our attitudes, diet and exercise regimes were exemplary and had developed in us an extremely positive view of the world, and senses that were much alive and responsive to the visual, olfactoric and auditory stimuli from the natural world around us. There was no sign of human industry there, except maybe for the occasional ship which would slowly move across the horizon, just the band of native forest, the rocky headlands with the fresh waves breaking onto them sending spray to play with the breeze, the sunshine glinting off the wet sand, and the prehistoric palms holding onto the sand banks.
Being very quiet it was a perfect place to read and relax. The first thing we would do when we woke up each morning was to run into the sea and wash away what remained of sleep then maybe lie on the sand together with the waves sometimes sneaking up to wet our legs, but after a breakfast of muesli and fresh fruit when the sun had already risen high enough to create much appreciated patches of shade we would do what we were there to do; relax together and recharge ourselves to return to the hard living in the hills.
The place we had chosen to spread our sarongs had excellent exposure to the cool breeze and a great view of the beach, the headlands and the sky. Helen was lying on her back with her head resting on my lap and I was gently stroking her hair as we read in the warm shade. Her beautiful brown body lay their motionless while she held the book with her slender fingers. I loved her very much; we loved each other very much, and looking back I can see how close to paradise we were. We believed in something, we were totally engrossed in each other, and we were open to the joys and wonders of the world.
It wasn’t uncommon to see silver sea eagles cruising and hunting on the sea breeze along the coast so when I saw one out of the corner of my eye I just noticed it and kept reading. A few minutes later I noticed the eagle again, a large magnificent bird, but then I saw that it wasn’t alone. They were a pair flying together, and it turned out they weren’t up there hunting.
The breeze was blowing from the south-east and the eagles were heading south side by side and continually gaining altitude until midway along the beach what I assume was the male suddenly rolled-upside and joined belly to belly with its mate. Thus connected, the two large birds went into a disastrous-looking out-of-control dive that saw them plunging toward the beach a few hundred meters below. I sat up in mild alarm which alerted Helen to the situation as well, but of course the eagles disconnected and regained their poise long before hitting the beach. It was an amazing spectacle and the best of it was that the two eagles continued for a couple of hours cruising to the north and then returning at a high altitude to do their death defying dance of love again and again.
Those were beautiful carefree days, so sure of each other and what we were doing, so dedicated and determined to make a little child between us. Such things as the sky dance of the eagles inspired us because we adored and respected the natural world where things were always what they seemed. We were fortunate to see such a display in such a way on such a perfect day and it is a memory that will all ways be with me, for many reasons, but most of all because I shared that day with your Mum.