Lu Standish the Bush Bus Bride

“BUSH BUS BRIDE” (by Lu Standish, Munglinup, W.A. November, 1965)

When we were first married, nearly two years ago, my husband had a 2,000 acre scrub block in Western Australia, some eighty miles from the nearest town. At this time he was camped in an old bus which had been stripped of its motor and seats, but still retained some reminders of its former life – a creaky, accordion entrance door, some “press here for service” buttons and an emergency exit door down the back (later to be used as just that by our young son when discovered at my make-up box). It also had umpteen windows, few of which opened, but they provided panoramic views and a perfect home for spiders.

On entering the bus as a bride, my first task was to dismantle the “bed” (a wooden platform supported by kerosene tins, on which was thrown a swag. I removed from beneath it the following items: 1 rear axle, a broken shovel handle, 2 lbs of nails, a length of chain, 3 odd socks and a pile of old newspapers. We subsequently moved out all the tea chests, boxes, and tins...essential furniture for a bachelor...and had a thorough cleanup.

We left standing, however, an old kerosene refrigerator, with a jemmy bar hung from the handle to keep the door closed. Despite its need of almost daily attention to keep it alight, and draped wet towels on hot days to prevent it cooking its contents, it became a prize possession. It made it possible to keep half a sheep, killed each week on the place. No, the other half was not killed the following week, but was usually distributed amongst neighbours, with them returning the favour next time. This refrigerator became a haven for subsequent cats who would disappear beneath it when threatened by the sheep dogs, and it came into its own as a night light for those inevitable midnight sessions with a young baby.

We also left intact a derelict Metters No 1 stove..basically a “mouse house”. It turned out to be most effective, despite lacking most of its insulation and hob covers. By keeping a big witch’s cauldron permanently on top filled with water, and stoking it frequently with muddy, cob webby, beetley mallee roots, it was amazing what it could produce. Cakes were usually out of the question, except for the first week after moving camp, as inevitably the air would leak out of the tyres on one side of the bus with the result that the mixture would spill out over the side of the tin. The only way to do this was to make two layers, then sandwich them together diagonally with icing. Biscuits were a much better option!

The tilting of the bus caused other problems too. Just picture those lopsided jellies! And the blankets! Always they seemed to come off one side of the bed during the night, and guess who often rolled out onto the floor!

But gradually we made this bus into our home. First a thorough clean up then some fresh paint. The ceiling was my job as my husband’s hair would stick in the wet paint as there was little more than half an inch clearance. Later I wished that we had painted all the new storage cupboards before we moved in, for once things were unpacked, in order to paint the inside of the cupboard, there needed to be a lot of re-organisation. Knives and forks were likely to be found amongst the newspaper, cups and plates were in with the towels, pumpkins were in with the shoes, fruit was in the oven during the day...and so on.

We installed a slatted wooden double bed on castors so that we could roll it away from the wall for making. These castors were strategically placed to avoid the wheel hubs, but when we later wanted to squeeze in the treadle sewing machine and a bookshelf, we may as well not have bothered with the castors. It was always such a challenge to make the bed, one had to kneel on it, lean over to tuck the blankets in on the far side, then wriggle backwards to finish the job.

Next followed the cupboards, a wardrobe, a desk, some bookshelves, a table and bench, all specifically designed for the bus. We fitted them ourselves, and I’m sure we made maximum use of every square inch. An ancient treadle sewing machine (Oh, how I blessed those locking drawers when tiny fingers were busy), a tilly light, some old cane chairs and a hip bath. This was HOME.

Plumbing was somewhat primitive, but at least it was simple and inexpensive. Every week or so we would fill a forty four gallon drum with buckets of water from the dam, placing it on top of another upright drum beside the door, and with the aid of a piece of hose, we could syphon water into buckets to take inside to fill the cauldron on the stove. Washing up was done in a bowl on the bench, with water being heated in the kettle on the little portable gas stove, or from the cauldron. Washing of clothes was done this way too, if I could not manage a visit to a neighbour some twenty miles away who had the luxury of an electric machine. When visiting, we would also fill empty 20 ltr sheep drench containers from the rainwater tanks, so that we had enough for drinking and cooking.

In the evenings we would unhook the hip bath from the pram rack at the back of the bus, place it on the floor in front of the warm stove and fill it from the cauldron. It was most economical re use of water, particularly so in the latter stages of my pregnancy!! shall never forget the picture of my husband reclining in its warmth, feet up on the open oven door, coffee and light at his elbow, pipe in mouth, book in hand...sound asleep!

Other bathroom facilities were hardly any further advanced. At first it meant a quick dash behind the nearest mallee bush, and later Pete constructed a building in detail to the specifications of Chic Sale’s “The Specialist”. Unfortunately the wind soon removed the door, so we replaced it with super bags that could be hitched to nails at three separate heights,...allowing you a private, personal or panoramic view!!

Our animals too, were very much part of bus life. Over the years we have had several cats, four dogs, and a horse who is forever nosing the door open in search of a titbit. One of the early cats “Cassius” (because he had a lean and hungry look), despite his shiny black coat, was addicted to sleeping on the bed. On awakening one night I was irritated to find him sleeping on the pillow so gave him a hefty blow. Needless to say I was soundly abused by my sore-headed husband who had been so rudely awoken!

For extra space when friends came for a meal, it was usually necessary to sit on the bed. Recently a great dane came visiting with her owners, and becoming bored with the cramped conditions on the floor, she jumped up onto the bed and sat on my prize dessert. Sometimes we would be woken by an earthquake shaking the bus...never fear, it is simply my horse leaning on to the corner at the back of the bus having a good scratch.

As time goes by, considerable changes have been made, and it never ceases to amaze us how much more can be fitted inside, where there was no space before. We have now found room for our cheerful, but very active, young son and most of his necessary equipment. He has a full sized safe cot squeezed between the bed and table, complete with one sawn off leg (to accommodate the wheel arches) and a rug to throw over the cot at night like a parrot in a cage. A mirror hung beside him somehow makes conditions seem less cramped, while theoretically convincing him that he is not in need of another playmate just yet!

We now have gas lights, a built in sink and...joy of joys...a hot shower which is operated from a small gas hot water heater installed beside the tin lined stairwell at the front door. A quick look is needed for any likely visitors, and an open door on summer evenings to let the steam escape, and this is really living in luxury.

As yet gardening has been virtually impossible because of the lack of water, so even the contents of the tooth mug, the hot water bottle and the remains from boiling an egg, are carefully saved and given to the tomatoes. A herb garden grows beneath the shower.

Being so far out of town, stores can be a problem, so our average monthly trip usually results in us filling the back of the ute. But where to store it? That is the question. In nooks and crannies, under, over, behind and in front, move this to get that...it is almost a relief to be low in supplies. We make great use of dehydrated foods...from milk to vegies to fruit, though don’t need to survive on biltong.

Without T.V. or telephone, walking distance neighbours or theatres, you might think that life would be lonely or dull. Far from it. With so much to do developing the farm, local functions to support at weekends, and a busy little boy to look after, it has taken me an unnecessarily long time to write this.

As I watch my husband build the first stage of our house from local stone, and hear his expressions of gratitude for my help on the place, I am excited about the prospect of living in a relative mansion of seven squares. I will be unable however to ever forget the happy days that I have spent as a “Bush Bus Bride”.