The Silent Country (61 page)

‘This isn’t a tourist show, that’s for sure,’ said Tom, quite fascinated.

Veronica was mesmerised. She wondered what Jamie would have to say about this unique material.

The next scenes were of quite a different terrain. ‘These people saw this country in its natural state,’ said Veronica as they looked at shots of termite mounds, lagoons, grasslands and several distant water buffalo.

Suddenly they were looking at an open-cut mine and all manner of mining operations beside a shanty town reminiscent of a third-world slum.

‘Rum Jungle,’ said Veronica. ‘This is where Drago filmed some of the workers protesting.’

‘He must be filming this too, because there’s Topov, in a hard hat no less, talking with some minors,’ said Andy.
‘He’s showing him some rocks. He really was interested in geology, wasn’t he?’

‘That’s what Marta and Colin both said,’ replied Veronica. ‘It seemed that they made this detour after Topov heard stories in some of the pubs about uranium mining.’

‘And here’s civilisation. Darwin,’ said Andy. ‘The old pub, damn shame it was pulled down.’

‘The Darwin Hotel, what a great building,’ said Veronica looking at the old Queenslander with its tropical architecture of lattice and wooden decorative fretwork, and its deep upper verandah, glimpsed through waving palms. ‘I love the old tropical buildings. There’re a few new places built in that style which are lovely.’

There were several views taken from a verandah looking across the Esplanade to the sea but then the group were back on the road again. There was one shot of their convoy and this time Len appeared posing with Topov beside Len’s vehicle, which had a small boat on top and one on the back.

‘This must be when they set out to get the croc skins,’ said Veronica.

‘To make some dough, eh?’ added Andy.

The next series of shots were taken by the river as the group divided themselves among two small boats.

‘That must be Clive, the Aboriginal guide that worked with Len,’ said Veronica.

‘Look at the tiny little wooden boat,’ said Tom. ‘To go after crocs! Man, they’d want to know what they were doing.’

The next scene showed a monster crocodile laid out beside the boat, with everyone posing beside it.

‘Okay. That’s the end of the first disc. Here’s the other one, the sixteen-mill film in the Bolex camera,’ said Tom.

‘So most of this next one was filmed by Drago, as
a kind of second-unit back-up,’ said Veronica. ‘Though Marta and Colin both said Topov grabbed the little Bolex and used it on occasion too. According to Colin, Topov was going to use this film to make a TV doco and sell it overseas.’

‘I hope we can see more of that crocodile hunt, that croc was a bloody monster,’ said Andy.

As they began to watch the footage transferred from the small camera, Andy said, ‘You can see the difference. Drago was obviously the better cameraman.’

‘That sunset over the river with those birds going home to roost is just beautiful,’ said Tom.

It was fascinating for the trio to see the same journey and events filmed by Drago instead of Topov.

‘Here’s Marta lost in the desert again,’ chortled Tom. ‘Did they have a dolly? They’re doing a tracking shot. It’s so bumpy he must’ve taken it from a car. Strewth, that’s pretty good.’

‘Good grief, the car is tipping!’ Veronica leaned forward as the Jeep fell onto its side. The camera stopped rolling.

‘Bugger. I wanted to see how they got out of that mess.’

They were silent at the scenes of the Aboriginal camp outside Tennant Creek.

‘These shots with the malnourished Aborigines are horrific,’ said Tom.

‘Ah, this is better. Very pretty,’ said Andy.

‘Katherine Gorge,’ they all said together.

‘I’ve never been there. I must go,’ said Tom. ‘Looks a bit rugged.’

‘Jeez, look at the tourist facilities. Everyone crammed into one little boat. I’m sure that’s changed since then,’ said Veronica.

‘Pretty stunning scenery. What’s Topov waving at?’ asked Tom.

‘Rock art.’

There were a lot more scenes along the way and a few shots around campsites.

‘Now look at the way Drago has filmed the mob of cattle, from amongst them and close on their heels. The shots of young Doris are heartbreakingly sweet, especially the interaction between Marta and Doris,’ said Andy.

‘And at the mining camp, shot on the other camera, he showed the miserable conditions the miners were living in. They were obviously asking for some kind of help,’ said Veronica.

‘He’s good,’ said Andy. ‘Quick on his feet to spot things as well as take time to line up the arty shots.’

‘Those Devil’s Marbles shots were brilliant,’ agreed Tom. ‘He certainly captured the setting sun brilliantly. A real work of art.’

They all admired the wonderful and evocative shots Drago had taken of the old Dodge ploughing through clouds of dust and rough herbage where no road was visible.

‘I like the camp shots. You get a better idea of how they lived and their different personalities,’ said Veronica, thinking of Topov and his little caravan and Colin erecting a small tent as Marta watched. So much of it was exactly as Veronica had imagined that she felt that she had actually been there.

‘Here, this must be the crocodile hunt. Look at that rope and the harpoon thing,’ she said. ‘There’s Topov in the boat with Marta. What a shame that it’s really too dark to see exactly what’s going on, except that there seems to be a lot of thrashing about and waving the light around. Still he does manage to convey a sinister setting, doesn’t he?’

‘The vision is nearly at an end,’ said Tom.

‘Now where’s that?’ asked Andy. ‘Camera shots are a bit erratic. All those bloody rock formations.’

‘Topov must have filmed this. It’s not very good, is it? Marta said that he went out by himself to look for minerals with his Geiger counter and sometimes took the Bolex,’ said Veronica.

‘He’s filming everything around him, like he wants to remember exactly where he is,’ said Andy thoughtfully.

‘Hang on, who’s that? There’re two men,’ said Tom.

‘They’re picking up rocks, or hammering something,’ said Andy.

‘So there were other people around,’ said Veronica. ‘This is very surprising.’

‘Oh, they’ve spotted the camera. Topov must have called to them.’ Andy craned forward as the two men walked towards the camera. ‘God, I wonder . . . Surely not . . .’

‘They seem to be arguing . . . Oops he’s dropped the camera. He must have been waving his arms around,’ said Tom.

‘Wish I knew what they were saying, they don’t seem happy,’ said Veronica.

‘Stop the DVD, Tom. Rewind it. I want to take another look,’ said Andy quickly.

‘Why?’ Then seeing Andy’s intent expression, Veronica asked, ‘What’s up?’

They all studied the screen.

‘See that young bloke on the right. Know who that is?’ said Andy.

‘You know him?’ exclaimed Tom, who stopped the DVD, freezing the image of the two men striding towards the camera.

‘Pretty sure. That’s a very young Big Bill. Our esteemed leader.’

‘William Rowe! You’re joking. How can you tell?’ asked Veronica.

‘I’ve been digging up old pictures of Rowe for a little
doco, just in case he’s made Australian of the Year,’ said Andy. ‘I’ve seen pictures of him since he was born and every photo and bits of newsreel he’s ever appeared in. That’s him all right.’

‘What was he doing out there?’ asked Veronica.

‘He made his millions in mining,’ Tom reminded her.

‘Well, we’ll have to ask him! I wonder what he can tell us. It’s incredible that he was there . . . Maybe he saw something that would give us a clue about how Topov died.’

‘He’s at a conference in Europe and won’t be back for a week or so,’ said Andy. ‘But it certainly is worth asking if he remembers meeting Topov.’

‘Topov doesn’t seem to be a character you’d forget,’ said Tom.

‘That’s true. So what else is on there?’ asked Veronica, curious to see what other surprises the DVD might hold.

They forwarded through the rest but it was disappointing. There was one final shot of Rowe and his companion hammering or chipping at a rock and it had been taken from some distance away. Then there were more shots of rocks, a pan around the landscape and then a close up of a sheet of paper nailed to a wooden peg.

‘What’s that?’ said Tom.

‘It’s Topov’s claim!’ exclaimed Veronica. ‘He took out a fossicker’s permit in Darwin. I think he’s trying to show he had a mineral claim.’

‘Well, he never got to work it,’ said Tom.

‘So what now?’ Veronica leaned back in her seat.

‘You start putting your story together. If Big Bill can shed anymore light on events, we’ll certainly work it in with the rest,’ said Andy.

‘When did Topov die?’ asked Tom.

‘Some time after that, because Marta said on the day he died he went off with just his Geiger counter. No camera,’ said Veronica.

Andy stood up. ‘You’ve got a big job incorporating that old film into the modern story. But it’s going to bring the whole thing to life. You’ve got a winner on your hands with this, Veronica.’

She worked hard to piece as much of the old and the new vision together so that the story was almost completed before Jamie arrived in Sydney. Veronica called Andy in to the editing suite to have a look at the rough-cut version.

‘I’ve given it the working title of
The Expedition
, but I think it’s hanging together quite well,’ she said. ‘We end the program with the excavation of his remains. I feel it needs something else to close with but I’m not sure what.’

‘Could you get a reaction from Colin? He still thinks a croc took Topov,’ suggested Andy. ‘And you could start the story with him.’

‘Unlikely after being scared off by Cardwell. And what about young Johnny? We’ve seen nothing in any of the footage that incriminates him specifically.’

‘I wonder how he’ll react when the publicity for the programme starts,’ said Andy. ‘Maybe when Big Bill comes back from Europe he might recall something that could give us another angle. So, let’s roll it and see what you’ve done.’

Andy watched it through in silence. Even though he knew the content well and had seen the pictures before, Veronica had matched the best scenic shots from the old film with the footage she had taken in the Territory beautifully. And while it showed the majesty and magic of the outback landscape, it was the characters that captured his attention.

‘It’s wonderful, Veronica,’ said Andy quietly. ‘I feel I’ve been along with them through the whole thing. You have a great feel for the country. Topov, interestingly enough, seemed to appreciate the land and had a sensitivity to the
Aborigines. I love the contrasts too, especially between that shy little bush girl and then seeing articulate, strong Doris today.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s a journey all right. You’ve done well. It’s a bit of a magical mystery tour. People are going to be fascinated. And, Veronica, like it or not, you’re brilliant on camera.I suggest we show this rough cut to publicity to get them excited and thinking about their PR and advertising campaign.’

‘Okay, but I don’t want to show them the final bit about finding Topov,’ said Veronica. ‘I don’t want any leaks to give it away ahead of time.’

Andy nodded in agreement and, as he left, he dropped his hand onto Veronica’s shoulder. ‘You’ve done good, kiddo.’

She gave a slight nod, not trusting herself to speak.

Veronica couldn’t believe how nervous and excited she felt as she paced around the airport waiting for Jamie’s plane. She’d arrived ridiculously early, had twice checked how she looked and was trying to imagine the scenario of what they’d do and say to each other. Would they still feel the same? It had been so easy in Darwin when work had thrown them together. Now she was hesitant to tell him how she missed his company, how she missed their lovemaking, how she missed being around him and his family.

The plane had landed and Veronica stood watching the passengers, her heart fluttering, butterflies in her stomach. This is crazy, she thought.

And suddenly there he was, tall and handsome and coming towards her, a huge smile breaking out across his face. It felt like a slow-motion movie with everyone around them blurred and she wasn’t conscious of any sounds other than the thump inside her chest. In two more
strides he was before her, dropping his bag and enfolding her in his arms, pulling her tightly to him as if to imprint her onto his skin. Their lips locked and she didn’t want this moment ever to end.

Finally they pulled apart. His iridescent hazel eyes were sparkling and neither of them could stop smiling.

‘Wow, what a welcome,’ he finally said, taking her hand and picking up his bag.

‘I thought I knew how much I missed you but seeing you is . . . overwhelmingly great.’

As she drove out of the carpark, she caught up on news of Billy, Jamie’s parents, his work and Travis’s case. ‘Everyone sends their love,’ he said.

‘That’s nice, thanks. I’ve taken a break for a few days while the editor finishes putting the story together, so we can play in between your commitments,’ she said.