I got chatting to Bill at the check-out in the IGA in Merredin. Turns out he’s a dingo trapper and was able to give us lots of good advice for keeping both us and Jazzy safe as we head north.

Small plane enthusiast, Richard Spark retired from farming and moved from Bonnie Rock to Mukinbudin 25 years ago. Since then, and now aged 82, he has owned and operated the town’s mechanics business. He was the founder of the Mukinbudin congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses which also still keeps him busy.

When Veronica called Katrina to check she was home and there was no reply, she presumed her friend was having a sleep. We tried phoning again a little while later and discovered that Katrina, the oldest of the three friends at 91, was in her garden planting dozens of seedlings she’d been given and showing no sign of needing a nana nap.

Judith is the quietest of the three friends in Bruce Rock. She grew up in Narambeen just down the road. A gentle soul with sadness etched in her face but ready to smile and stay busy. It would seem her story is unknown to the Bruce Rock locals despite the close community.

Annie and her artist daughter Michelle were two of the first people we met when we came to do a recce in Lake Grace prior to our week long North of Us project almost a decade ago. They spent the day showing us around, and helped us find the perfect spot to set up camp. If you know of any lovely Oldies between Lake Grace and Bruce Rock (via Corrigin) we’ll be in the area for the next week or so and would love some suggestions :-)

When I was asking around about who I should be trying to photograph in Lake Grace, Neil and Elsie’s name came up again and again. Jim has lived in Lake Grace all his life - his family were amongst the first to start farming here. Elsie, a retired nurse grew up down the road in a little town called Newdegate.

Jim, a retired farmer, was born and raised in Lake Grace. He described himself as deaf, with one bung eye and the other doesn’t work at all. Walking slowly now with his frame, he’s still living at home at 88. We arrived at his farm to find him sitting in his ute, door open, old sheepdog beside him on the passenger seat, Radio National playing full blast, and pleased to discover he had visitors.