Apologies for the lack of updates but we have had an eventful last 5 months.
With Penny having a major operation which everything went well and she has rebounded back good as new, thank you for the pm's from some members and flowers.
Time has flown and we have been managing the store here at Peppimenarti for over a year now. We have fallen in love with the place and the friendly community. We have gotten to know everyone here and get on extremely well with the people here. Over the past year we have seen some incredible places and experienced some local traditions that most people will never get to see. Which we cherish. We have had some stressful times but mostly enjoyed the time we have been here. It's not easy managing a community store but we have learnt a lot along the way.
Regretfully, the Mayor and one of the descendants of the community, Mayor Harold Wilson, passed away recently. Over the last year I had gotten to know this incredible person. He had been ill for quit awhile and was in and out of the community due to his illness. While Penny was in hospital we had the opportunity to visit him while he was in ICU. He had lost a lot of weight and was not looking well. We enjoyed our short visit chatting to him and Penny gave him a big hug. As time went on his condition worsened and his family decided to fly him home so that he could enjoy his last days in the community. He only lasted one night and we got the call the next morning that he had passed away. We had to arrange a plane to fly his body out and I was asked to meet the plane and be there while the whole community attend as he was flown out. Very sad.
He was an inspiration and I always enjoyed our chats when he came into the store. He would always ask me my thoughts on ideas he had for the community. He was very well respected everywhere he went. It is always hard not to get involved with his ideas he wanted for the community as I was always asked to attend meetings he attended in the community and Harold would come and see me afterwards and chat about the meetings and my thoughts even though he was always in constant pain.
We are now in the process of organising and assisting the immediate family in making sure the funeral goes perfect with 7 communities and Govt dignitaries attending approx 1000 people. It will be a day that both Penny and I are not looking forward to but we will always have memories of a man that lead a community with passion and foresight that will be sorely missed. We have witnessed some sad times in the community but this has affected both Penny and I. RIP Harold, you were an incredible man. He was only 46.
