Terry Parry

Story

I spent most of my youth in Calne, Wiltshire, UK, where I attended primary school on The Green. When I was a teenager I enjoyed hitch-hiking. I hitch-hiked throughout the UK. Often by myself, occasionally with friends if we were going climbing and camping together. On those occasions we would sleep anywhere: in caves, railway-stations, chicken houses, doorways etc.

So when I was approached by a group to join them in a bus trip to India, it was, for me, more of the same but on a grander scale. I had long dreamed of visiting Australia (notably the MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs) so I thought I would travel halfway by bus and then, somehow continue on to Australia where I would work for a while to save some money before returning to the UK via New Zealand and the Mexico Olympics.

Around that time I had been teaching in the slums of Birmingham with migrants and refugees, followed by one year as assistant housemaster at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School in Reigate Surrey. It was from here, in July 1967, that I set off on my journey to Australia.

I had many adventures on the way Ð too numerous to mention. However, there was a comical start when after driving for less than an hour the bus went slower and slower until the wheel/brakes caught fire on the motorway and we were rescued by a fire engine and tow truck. We spent the next couple of days camped in the bus on a footpath, just south of London being taunted by passers-by with the question, ‘How far are you going, mate?’

I finally arrived in Darwin on November 4 1967 and each year that passes I recall that auspicious occasion.

Other highlights of the trip included:

Being arrested for spying in India after taking photographs of traffic on a militarily strategic bridge.

Sleeping at the border of Turkey and Afghanistan under the protection of the border guards.

Flying from Rangoon to Bangkok on the same aircraft as the King of Thailand and receiving a red-carpet welcome with a military escort on arrival at the airport.

Receiving a cash top-up in Calcutta from my brother Dave.

Meeting a friend in Singapore who bought me a plane ticket from Singapore to Darwin.

Arriving in Darwin with 20c in my pocket and on my first day, meeting an old college friend from UK who found me a job with accommodation and gave me $20 spending money (which was a half-weeks pay in those days)

So within 24 hours of my arrival in Darwin I obtained a job washing pots and pans in the Hotel Darwin. The accommodation was spartan: a bed and a chair and a cupboard and louvered windows with no flywire. I was fascinated for a while by those insects with their long, dangling legs (I had never seen a mosquito before!)

Some time later, something happened that changed my life. In February 1968 I was offered a job as a teacher at Yirrkala School and from then I was hooked on life in the Territory. During the next two years I had so many wonderful experiences that I stopped thinking about returning to the UK. I was assigned a class of 13-16year-olds. The Principal introduced me to the class and said to them ‘Sing for Mr Parry’ and they immediately broke into a song with beautiful harmonies, and I was hooked.

I stayed for 20 months and was then transferred to Papunya down in the Centre which had the reputation, I was told, of being the arsehole of the Territory. From my first impression I could believe it, but beneath that squalor I discovered that the people were very warm-hearted and welcoming, and during the 5 years I lived in the area became to know some of the local people very well.

I was in the area when the Western Desert painting movement first started and knew many of the painters. I also happened to accompany Geoff Bardon when he drove across Queensland with his first consignment of paintings from Papunya in December 1971.

For me, the outback became the essence of Australia and I began to feel very comfortable with the isolation of many of the places that I visited. I developed some of the skills necessary to survive in the outback, such as off-road night navigation and confidence in being able to repair mechanical problems with my Land Rover.

After living in the Territory for two years I no longer considered continuing my around the world trip. It wasn\’t until 1972 that I finally returned to Calne, but only for a brief holiday and I\’ve been in Australia ever sinceÉ

< Back to the Stories