Stories from the Pilbara Patrol

Rev David Jackson is currently serving as a Frontier Services Bush Chaplain in the Pilbara. David shares a glimpse of life as a bush chaplain in an area that’s double the size of Victoria, where the average patrol covers in excess of 2000km.

The Pilbara Patrol covers an area double the size of Victoria. Each month the average patrol takes in excess of 2000 km. When
I commenced the placement I identified several lines of operation – connecting with the variety of community services in the region, visiting the community centers to assess where the greatest need is, regular visitation to stations and roadhouses, attending community events to promote Frontier Services, promotion of the patrol on social media and assessing the utility of using the vacant Uniting Church buildings as community centres.

My wife Diane and I have made great connections with the community of Tom Price to engage with community groups as volunteers. The Community Garden and the State Emergency Services are two such organisations that we volunteer for. We have each forged a place for ourselves within the life of that community – not that we spend a lot of time there.

I visit the Wakuthuni Aboriginal Community, 20km out of Tom Price, where I meet up with First Nations Peoples being supported by Nintiri Community Nurse and other community services. I also support the Fun Box, an initiative of Nintiri to support disadvantaged young people who find it challenging to fit into mainstream school or who have other profound struggles.

When we arrived in Tom Price in January it was the hottest time of the year with temperatures soaring into the high 40’s for days on end. What’s more we have had to live in our own caravan while the church hall is made livable for us as a home. The Manse had been leased to a private organisation and was not available for us to move into. We are still living in our caravan with no end in sight as to when we will be able to move in.

We were not going to let the issue of being homeless distract us from the work we are there to do. I have been able to connect with community organisations and Aboriginal Corporations offering my services to provide support and pastoral care to the many communities Di and I visit on regular patrols. We have been able to connect with a small but thriving faith community in Pannawonica, offering activities for children while engaging with the adults. One of the highlights was to share in an event promoting Frontier Services at a Big BBQ. We had activities for the children to do. I have acquired some resources to hold a regular Bible study when we visit the community to support and encourage them.

The communities of Marble Bar and Nullagine are reasonably close to one another. and a long way from just about everywhere else. The road to Nullagine in all directions is unsealed. There is an airfield frequented by the RFDS and roaming cattle that sometimes get in the way of approaching aircraft. These communities are home to a number of First Nations families. I make regular visits to these communities to ensure they know that we stand with them and that we care.

We are always looking for opportunities to value-add to the life of these places. Di, for example, has been able to provide valuable support to the Marble Bar school by volunteering in the library sorting and cataloging the collection. She has been welcomed with open arms for her generous support to the school. I am working with a small group of people in Marble Bar in a locally led initiative to support the youth of the town. One of the town’s people commented to me that I am the first minister they have seen in Marble Bar in two years. That indicated to me that they were positively affirming that it was good for the town to see us.

In Hedland we have connected with a group of Fijian Christians (CALD) that meet in homes every Sunday to worship in their own language following their traditional customs. They have connections with the Uniting Church and are looking at being received as a congregation of the Uniting Church in the future. They approached me to see if they could use the Uniting Church
building in Port Hedland to worship there and conduct outreach to the Hedland communities. So far, they have received positive support from the Presbytery and Synod. They are hoping to be able to conduct their services at the Uniting Church in Port Hedland from the first Sunday in October. October is an important month for Fijians – Fiji Week is a week of festivities culminating in Fiji Day on 10 October annually. It marks the day Fiji gained its independence from British Colonial rule on 10 October, 1970.

The most northern reaches of the Patrol are Sandfire Roadhouse and 80 Mile Beach. On ANZAC Day I conducted an ANZAC Day service at 80 Mile Beach that my predecessor had started when he arrived in the patrol a decade before. 120 people attended the service with people from the park and surrounding stations in attendance. On 18 August I will return to 80 Mile Beach to commemorate Long Tan Day (Vietnam Veterans Day). There is a special connection that Vietnam Veterans have with this park and many of them will converge there on this day to remember their fallen comrades. The design of the cross at the memorial is a replica of the cross that stands on the ground at Long Tan that both Di and I visited in 2018. These are occasions that the presence of Frontier Services Bush Chaplains are most appreciated – a non-judgmental presence, standing with people is all sorts of situations, especially in the sadness, as people reflect on the sacrifices a few have made for the many.

Some people ask how I have come to be doing this role as a Bush Chaplain in the Pilbara. The simple answer is that I was asked. The Patrol had been vacant for 12 months since the beloved Patrol Padre, Rev John Dihm retired.

Getting the right fit for any patrol is important and I expect my long career as a military chaplain would have prepared me well for this role. There certainly are a lot of similarities – working with people of all denominations and faiths including none; being willing to take the first step to approach people and say g’day; up-skilling in Mental Health First Aid, Psychological First Aid, Resilience and Suicide Intervention as well as Disaster Recovery Chaplaincy. In this role you are standing with people in all sorts of situations, in grief and loss, and in joys and successes.

I came out of retirement two years ago taking up a similar placement in the Mid West of WA after tropical cyclone Seroja. I didn’t think I would come out of retirement but there was no one willing to put their hand up to do the job. My beautiful wife dobbed me in. She encouraged me to apply and that set me on this path. Just 18 months into that job I was then approached about filling the vacancy in the Pilbara. We have not looked back since. It has been a roller coaster ride full of excitement and challenge.

Some would say that this is faith, that God has led me along this path. I say that God does place the needs of people in our hearts and we respond to the call. Whichever way you look at it, God’s hand is in it. It often takes a little nudge by an influential person to open you up to the possibility of taking on such challenges. For me, that person was my friend and colleague, Rev John Dihm with encouragement from my wife, Diane.

Article and photos by Rev David Jackson.

This article was first published in the August 2024 edition of Revive Magazine.

Find out more about the work of Frontier Services, and ways you can support our Bush Chaplains here – https://frontierservices.org/