Joining the pack

Bernie doesn’t actually seem to know much about welding. Every now and then I hear him say, "No point asking me questions about welding shit" – but that could be his way of throwing the decision-making back onto the boys. He knows the basics, like what processes are involved for different jobs, but most of the fellas have the edge on him. Some are doing TAFE certificates in engineering, following on from their school studies.

Along with understanding the welding and power tools, I’m also keen to learn more about boys. You’d think I’d know enough, as I have four of my own. But lately the eldest, Joey, has been giving me plenty to worry about. He left school before finishing Year 10, even though he’s more than bright enough. I don’t like the way he’s drifting through life these days – no job, no direction, living off Centrelink payments, sleeping in till midday. If only he was coming to the shed each week, slowly “getting his shit together” like the others. “I’m a lone wolf,” Joey says whenever I pester him about coming down. I think it’s time he joined the rest of the pack.

Bernie slides open the screen door at Simmo’s and a cold gust of night air and cigarette smoke blows in with him. He takes his place at the table, ready to carry on with the BackTrack meeting. The crew falls silent when they see his expression. He tells us he’s tired of waiting on a funding application that’ll secure him a part-time wage for the next two years. He wants to make a roster and call in some other blokes to help ease the load: “Otherwise it’s just relying on me and…”

“It gets real old,” offers Geraldine, with a knowing look.

“Yep,” Bernie says.

“Real old, real quick. And the pressure’s on me the whole time. I’m the worst time-manager in Australia, and when we get down to the shed I go righto, I’ll get those three started on that, and then I’ve got to go and pick up Tye or someone else, and I skip up there, and then I get back and Simmo’s there and I go oh, great, Simmo must be working with them on that, and then they’ve drifted off and started fifteen other fuckin’ projects, and I go right, Tye, you go and see Simmo and he’ll tell you what to do – I’ve got to go and pick up blah blah blah…I’m a frazzled chook and by the time the day’s over I just go what the fuck – we haven’t finished anything and we started another thirty things…”

It’s true. I’ve seen how some Sundays are messy and nothing much seems to get finished, but I still reckon Bernie is making great leaps with these boys. And besides, as he often tells me, “It’s not about the fuckin’ welding.”