Pilliga Panic

I suspect I have already bored people with this story before - this is the danger of relying on the memories of old codgers to talk about the past!  It must have been around 1965-66 when I did my first tour of duty to the SUGAR installation at Narrabri. After several days helping the staff - Paul Kohn et al - to set up and maintain various bits of equipment, both at the base and out in the Pilliga scrub, I volunteered to do the daily chore of doing the rounds of the detectors to replace the magnetic tapes and batteries.  It was already late afternoon when I set out (alone) in the departmental utility and headed for the first station that needed service.

After completing the required tasks, I hopped into the ute ready to head for the next station...and then the bloody thing wouldn't start ...no matter how many times I turned the key or lifted the bonnet! Dusk was approaching, There were no mobile phones or CB radios available, The sounds of the forest - enchanting under other circumstances - seemed particularly menacing to this city slicker, imagining an uncomfortable night huddled in the van.  After deciding to give it one last try, I suddenly noticed that the stick shift was still in Drive. Although I had owned and driven several cars for the previous 5+ years, they were all manual - I wasn't used to an automatic!  After much relief and successfully completing my round, I returned to base, but I can't remember whether I confessed my stupidity at the time!