A desert retreat and camp oven cooking

If you look at the doily with the map of Australia in the side bar, please note that the left hand bit with the embroidered Kangaroo Paw floral emblem is Western Australia from where Miss Eagle's good friend, Ian Robinson writes:

May 17-20 VOICE IN THE DESERT .

A national retreat on desert spirituality is to be held actually on the edge of the Australian desert 70km east of Southern Cross, Western Australia. The official launch of the Australian Research Institute for Desert Spirituality (ARIDS) will be held in the Koora Retreat Centre, hosted by Rev Anna Killigrew and Rev Peter Harrison. Costs are still being finalised, but they will be modest! They include good food, campfire, desert plains, salmon gums, toilets, showers are beds. We will keep silence. Trisha Watts is our keynote prayer leader. Out of our times of silence will come the sounds of a ‘still small voice’ that she will help us to share and to welcome. Many of you know Trish’s outstanding music and gracious workshop leadership, and you others are in for a treat. There will also be time for words. Papers on some aspect of Desert Spirituality are hereby called for, and if necessary will be selected by the working group composed of Rev Dr Anna Killigrew, Rev Ian Robinson, and Rev Tracy Spencer. Only a smallish number of papers will be offered. Access to Koora is via Perth or Kalgoorlie by air, train car or bus. Contact Ian Robinson, at idtr@westnet.com.au, and Ian will help you find share transport.

Picture: Rabbit Proof Fence 25nm to the East of Southern Cross

In August last year, Miss Eagle was on another desert trip led by Ian. This was to a sheep station, The Nine Mile, near Broken Hill in the Western Division of New South Wales. If, dear Reader, you visit The Trad Pad you will find a number of posts on the topic. On the last night, Miss Eagle cooked a full camp oven meal in the creek for ten people. Below is the roast beef - a corner piece of topside with the selvedge of fat left on - sitting in the camp oven. Not in the picture was the accompanying Yorkshire Pudding.

Outback Cooking

Miss Eagle could not let the Great Aussie Scone Fest go past without reference to two of her favourite Aussie cooks - Jack and Reg Absalom. Jack is famous as an artist: one of Australia's great Brushmen of the Bush. Jack is indebted to his uncle, Reg, for so many of the recipes in their book, Outback cooking in the camp oven. Reg spent many years as a station cook in Outback Australia. Miss Eagle also has to say that she has done a stint as a station cook - but in a fully equipped kitchen on McArthur River Station. She can cook in a camp oven and, like her Aunty Mame, loves it. Miss Eagle's Dearly Beloved, Big Red, was an accomplished Bush Cook. For luxurious three course meals he would wield his three cooking tools: a steel hot plate, a camp oven, and a kerosene tin with a wire handle over a pit fire. Here is Jack and Reg's recipe for Pumpkin Scones:

60g/2ozs butter; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 egg; 1 cup cold mashed pumpkin; 2 cups S.R. flour.

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Cream the butter and sugar, add eggs and pumpkin.

Add sifted flour and mix well.

Cut in 1 1/2 inch squares

and place in greased camp oven and bake for 15 minutes.