We've brought the van down to Deloraine for a couple of days. I had a meeting last night and Marilyn is driving the community car today, so it made sense to stay overnight in Deloraine. Opposite us is a Honda hatchback, tiny, tattered tent and a solitary chair. A fellow in a red shirt waves to us we pull in. Immediately, we start working out the scenario which brought him here: someone down on his luck, kicked out of home with just his car and the clothes he's wearing, escaping from a messy divorce, etc. Nothing as simple as just someone who enjoys the solitary life and the simple things.
When I come home from the meeting, Marilyn says that the local football team came past on a training run, laughing and joking. While we are talking, they come past again, very noisy and cheerful. Ten minutes later, there's a knock at the door. It's the man from the mini-tent, very upset. It wasn't the football team, it was a bunch of larrikins who've knocked down his tent and stolen his chair! On their first run, they'd stolen his chair so he went up the police station to complain. While he was away, they came back and destroyed his tent.
I helped him put the tent back together as best we could. It was ruined and would certainly not keep out a heavy dew, but it gave him some cover for the night. The police station was not manned so he's off again this morning to see what can be done. It's a bugger that these young ratbags can cause so much angst.
Anyway, it turns out that this fellow is Kenny Gee. I wrote about him in a previous blog when he had overstayed his welcome at the free camping area with his big van and 4WD. He was moved on eventually by the police and the council. Somehow, in the meantime, he has lost his rig and is reduced to the little tent and a swag. He tried to tell me the story but he's very difficult to understand and I missed too much of the detail. No doubt he'll be waiting for us when we get back to the 'van this evening.
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