Chapter 1: Wedding 1

Patrick had a fine trip. He got carried a bit by a flight attendant, nursed, got changed, and slept. Our hire car was ready. We packed our stuff, put Patrick in his capsule and we were off. As Weena was familiar with Adelaide, I let her drive.

We found our way to Riverton, driving north on A32 through Elizabeth and Gawler and bearing right where the B82 to Clare forked off.

"We'll be coming back this way. We're staying in Clare," I said. "But I want to get oriented. We need to turn right on 'Mill Street' something just before the middle of town."

"I love the precision of that!"

"None of your sarcasm, lassie! It's the Riverton Uniting Church and should be on our left."

Everything (well, nearly everything) had been rescheduled. The Evans-Swartz wedding was on Wednesday, the 27^th. We would drive back to Adelaide on Thursday, stay at the airport motel and fly to Brisbane early on Friday, and then to Roma. I hoped that Patrick would survive. My folks were thrilled at have extra days with him. Evans had cleverly arranged things so that all the non-family out-of-towners had been put in a motel in Clare.

"There it is!" It was, as expected, a smallish rural church. I wondered whether it would be big enough, but realised that it wasn't my problem. My guess was that Evans would only have two dozen guests — including us, anyway.

"OK. Let's go a bit further, see if there's a place to eat, then make a U-turn and find our way to Clare."

"Yes, dear."

We saw nothing worthwhile. Twenty minutes later we were in Clare. We found the motel easily. We learned there was a country club with a 'posh' restaurant as well as at least two other restaurants and the motel itself. Patrick was awake and clearly ready to dine. Once we registered, I ferried baggage while Weena took care of him. We wandered into the 'lounge' to find several men and a woman in military clothes — not dress uniforms.

After introducing ourselves we were invited to join them for 'pub food' at the Magpie & Stump in Mintaro. "Where's Mintaro?" I asked.

"Southeast. Can't be hard to find," was the response. Weena was busy with Patrick, who'd already seduced the one woman in the group. "See you've got a wee 'un."

"Yes. Just five months old." We all introduced ourselves — all except the ladies, who were busy.

"I know who you are! You're the bloke who as at Monkey Mia!"

"Right. That's where I met the Captain and Willy."

"You're a bug guy."

"Entomologist. Yes."

"I thought you'd be some sort of academic weirdo."

"Oh. I am. I'm in disguise for the wedding." I got a great laugh.

One of the officers said he had a map and we could form a sort of caravan. Three cars, it turned out. Weena handed Patrick to me and went to get his bag. We all went out to the carpark. I opted to be last. When Weena appeared, we put Patrick in his capsule and the bag on the floor. Then we started out. We drove south a bit, then turned east. We were among vines in a moment. I wondered whether they'd all have to be burnt eventually.

The Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of SA has studied what impact phylloxera would have on the state's winegrape growing regions and the state's economy. It shows the Riverland would by far be the hardest hit followed by the Clare Valley where growers profits would be cut by 41 per cent. -- 2002

And then there was a sign and the town. It was really worth coming to. We had a nice meal at the Magpie & Stump and (claiming Patrick as an excuse) returned to the motel fairly early.

The next morning we had a decent breakfast and drove north on 82 to Gladstone, across to 32 through Jamestown, where we stopped to change Patrick and have a so-so lunch, and south on 32 to Riverton. We were driving slowly through Riverton when we saw Evans, Willy and several others in front of the church. I pulled over and stopped and Weena got out and waved. I got Patrick out and we crossed over. It turned out to be Willy's parents and the minister. After the introductions Willy's mum invited us for afternoon coffee. Weena accepted immediately, the minister said he'd see us at the rehearsal and went back inside the church, and Weena suggested that I take Evans and Patrick and she would ride with the three Swartzes.

"Thanks for the rescue," the Commander said as soon as we were sitting down. "I've hardly had any time for ten days."

"The minister seemed OK."

"Better than I had feared. I didn't want a minister who's so solemn he'd make me feel guilty for being an atheist, but I also didn't want some merrily non-religious registrar who'd try to put everybody at ease by being jokey: "Please say 'I do' — I'm worried that one day someone will say 'I don't'!" The registrar at a friend's wedding actually said this. If I'd been the groom, I'd have strangled him with the ring.