Old crocks

  Investigating the past often involves travel and a second visit to Cootamundra occupied a few days for Kerry and me during this last week. Kerry was after some further intelligence on her family and the home of the turtle is definitely a base station for research and signage. In transit, we passed through Harden on Thursday morning and it seemed almost deserted. The hub of the community (i.e. the Chinese restaurant) featured a ‘Closed’ card on the door which was probably significant. In fact, the whole place looked like a series of cardboard cut-outs which had slightly faded in the sun. While decay might be too harsh a word, there was an absence of humans and activity. Kerry and I walked the main street alone. Even the one operating pub only had action in the cellars and not on ground level. Muffled noise which couldn’t quite be pegged. Perhaps a theme for our task. The entry to Cootamundra involved a first-up stop at the cemetery. Surprisingly large, it was very much