Tammi shuddered. 'What if it's not the local kids lighting the fires, Kath? What if it's some stranger, someone who's really dangerous?'

'Oh, I don't think that, Tam. I reckon Dad's just being really protective of us. It's more the act of idiots like the O'Toole kids and their mates. They'll get caught and boy I'd like to be there when they do!'

'Yeah, me too. Nevertheless, Kath, I'm still scared! If someone was following you, that makes me really worried. Just be careful. We can't be too sure.'

'I will, I promise. You to kiddo. Let's hope they're caught soon.'

Tammi gave a huge sigh and then changed the subject to one that always made her feel better... shopping!

'Well the Christmas dance is not that far away and that's always fun. Grandma said she'll make us and Eileen new dresses. We'll have to go shopping for material. What colour should I have?'

The annual Christmas dance, held in Hamilton Hall (the local community hall), was always a great turn out and the locals looked forward to it.

Keith Brewster, the local cop, always turned a blind eye to the goings on of that night. Being a country cop, he knew how hard the farmers all worked. He knew they all looked forward to this annual get-together and he made allowances for this one night.

However, he had warned them that he would not book any of them for drinking and driving if they only had a few (he did suggest a designated driver would be much better) and as long as they left the hall and went straight home. If they broke his trust then that was it, he would throw the book at them.

The people of the valley certainly knew how to have a good time! These dances always went late into the night, and young and old turned up dressed to the nines and ready to party!

It was the one night they could all relax and unwind.

Preparations for picking the fruit were in full swing. The packing shed was organised now that the hay had all been moved to the old dairy they had brought from Arthur's. The packing cases were all being stacked ready to use.

'Nearly time for pickin' those peaches,' puffed Digger as he unloaded packing cases from their old international truck. 'Hope young Robert doesn't let us down. We're gonna need his help.'

'There's a h.e.l.l of a lot to be done in the next coupla weeks. We're at the end of November already and it has to be all done before Christmas.' Karl heaved several more boxes from the truck.

'We'll be finished with these boxes tomorrow, so we can get a go on with the pickin' and we'll get it all done in time,' replied Digger 'The girls could help too, eh Dig? Wouldn't hurt them to get down here and give us a hand'

'Good idea, mate. It'll do 'em good, too. Keep 'em occupied and earn a bit of Christmas dough.'

Kathy and Tammi didn't mind helping in the orchard. In fact, they enjoyed it and the money!

They would come home from school, change into their shorts and t-shirts, and head off to the orchard to start work.

They had been doing this all week. Finally it was Friday evening, four more days until the end of the month. School would soon be over for the year as well.

They got stuck into it and worked into the early evening, singing songs and laughing and joking with each other and their cousin Robert who had actually showed up to help. He swore he didn't play a prank on Kath that evening and he sounded sincere.

Kathy slept in late on the Sat.u.r.day morning.

'd.a.m.n it!' she growled when she woke, realizing she had slept in. 'Ten o'clock and I want to go shopping.'

She hurried to the bathroom, quickly got ready and ran downstairs.

'You're in a hurry, dear,' said Hazel as she watched her gulp down a gla.s.s of orange juice.

'I want to get to the shops before they close and the bus goes at eleven. Where is everybody?'

'They all went down to the orchard earlier. Let you sleep in because you've worked all week.'

'Well, could you please tell them I've gone to town when they come back? I'll be a bit late coming home. I'm going to hang around in town for a while, the girls from school were thinking of going Chrissy shopping today as well. So please tell Mum for me or she'll worry. Must go or I'll miss the bus.'

She rushed out the back door and hurried off down Centaur Road towards the bus stop, which was some distance from Kia-Ora.

Eddie Chancellor was cruising along Centaur Road in his old black Zephyr when he spotted Kathy.

'Well, well,' he thought. 'If it isn't s.e.xy little Kathy Miles.' He pulled up alongside her.

'Well, Kathy Miles, what's your hurry?' he asked, giving her his most charming smile.

'I'm late for the bus, Eddie.'

'Hop in then. I'll give you a lift.'

He eyed her up and down and liked what he saw. She had on tight bell bottom jeans and a white midriff cotton top. She'd left her hair hanging loose and her face was flushed from running. She was breathing hard and her chest was rising and falling rapidly with every breath.

'Nice set o' b.o.o.bs she's got there too,' he thought, smiling at her.

'C'mon, I won't bite, you know.'

'Um, oh, alright, thanks,' she said, thinking... 'What's the harm? It's just a lift.'

'I can drive you to town, if you like...' he said when she climbed in.

After a slight hesitation, she agreed. 'Well... ok, yeah that'd be great, thanks.'

'Not a bad day, is it? Weather's been perfect lately. It's nice at the Weir this time of year. Have ta go out there an' check it out soon.' Eddie sneaked a look at her from the corner of his eye.

The Hume Dam was completed in 1936. Originally named the Mitta Mitta Dam, on the 17th February 1920, the River Murray Commission decided to honour Hamilton Hume, who in company with William Hovell, was one of the first Europeans to see and cross the Murray River in 1824. In 1920, the reservoir was named the Hume Reservoir, and adopted the name of the Hume Weir. The names would later be changed again to the Hume Dam and Lake Hume. It is hard to imagine, looking at the ma.s.sive 1616-metre concrete Hume Dam Spillway today, that the bulk of the structure was built by men using horse and cart, steam power and moving rocks by hand.

The engineering project captured the imagination of the nation and, at the time of completion in 1936, the dam was the biggest in the Southern hemisphere and one of the largest in the world.

In the 1950's, increased inflows to the Murray River as a result of the Snowy Mountains Scheme led to moves to double the dam's capacity and by 1961 the Hume Dam could hold more than six times the amount of water in Sydney Harbour.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the building of the Hume Dam was that two towns were literally picked up and moved to make way for it. Bowna was moved during initial construction works in 1933 and later, Tallangatta followed when the height of the dam was raised nine feet in 1956.

The flooding of Tallangatta necessitated an eight kilometre journey to higher ground for 104 houses, two pubs, four petrol stations, two general stores, three halls and four churches. They even took the trees that now stand in the new town's park.

The move was completed on June 29, 1956, at the cost of two and a half million pounds. In a good year, the skeleton of the old town was submerged deep under the waters of upper Lake Hume, but during the times of drought, the old streets can still be traced.

While the Hume Dam was created primarily to a.s.sure an unceasing water supply to irrigation districts and towns along the Murray River from Albury to Adelaide, it has the added spin-off of being a freshwater paradise for water sport enthusiasts, anglers and bird watchers.

The dam is stocked with fish. Most of these are introduced species carp, red fin and trout though native species such as Golden Perch and Murray Cod can also be found.

Kathy smiled in response, 'Yeah, the weather has been lovely lately. Soon everyone will be out there; it gets really packed, and tourists fill it up over Christmas and New Year.'

'Christmas... it's come around pretty fast. You goin' Christmas shoppin' today?' he questioned.

'I'm going to look. I'm not sure what to get anyone really,' she responded.

'Got a boyfriend, Kathy?'

'No one special.'

'Well then, maybe you'd like to take a drive to the Weir with me?'

Kathy was surprised by his unexpected invitation and wasn't sure how she should respond.

Eddie grinned at her. 'As I said before, I won't bite, you know.' He chuckled, looking at her through half closed lids with his hair falling boyishly over his forehead.

He didn't really expect her to accept and was surprised at himself for even asking her.

Kathy was tempted. Something about Eddie excited her; she couldn't help thinking he was very s.e.xy and very handsome no matter what people said about him.

'Stuff it!' she thought, impulsively making up her mind.

'Well, yeah, I suppose that would be ok.'

Eddie nearly ran the car up the footpath. Was he hearing right? Was this flash chick really going to go out with him, even if it was just a drive out to the Hume Weir? 'Better make a time before she changes her mind.' His mind raced.

'Well how about this evenin'?'

'No, I can't this evening.' She knew she would have difficulty getting out without raising questions from her parents since the scare in the orchard and how they had clamped down on both her and Tam. She also knew she would be in huge trouble going with Eddie if she was found out. Part of her became doubtful about going at all... but as fast as the doubt entered her mind, she cast it aside.

'How about this arvo then?' he continued.

Kathy thought for a minute. She hadn't made any specific plans to meet any of her friends after she finished her shopping.

'Okay, why not, yep, this afternoon will be good.'

'Okay then, I'll drop you off in town and meet you at one o'clock outside the post office.'

'I can't believe me luck; Kathy Miles has just agreed to go out with me!' He smiled to himself thinking his Christmas had come early.

Kathy still couldn't believe what she'd gotten herself into. What had possessed her to agree to go out with Eddie Chancellor? If her parents got wind of it she'd be grounded until she was fifty!

Feeling guilty again, she was half inclined not to turn up to meet him. Still, there was something about him she liked and she felt a tingle of excitement at the thought of spending time with him.

She went off to do her shopping, her mind whirling and not concentrating on the shopping at all. She kept checking her watch, wishing the time to go faster.

Eddie was waiting in his car for her. He was excited at the thought of the afternoon ahead. He was excited in many ways just thinking of the s.e.xy little number he'd have beside him.

Just after one o'clock, Kathy walked up and got into his car. 'Well, Eddie, I was in two minds about this but here I am.'

Eddie smiled at her and started the engine, wincing at the grinding sound when he put the car into gear.

'I heard you're all busy with the fruit pickin!' he said to make conversation.

'Yeah, we are. Tam and I are making a bit of extra money helping out. You obviously know about the fire at Uncle Sam's; bit weird, isn't it?'

'Aah, yeah, that was nasty. I heard it came close to Eric's tractor.'

'Yeah, he couldn't get it started to move it away and they had to tow it away with the ute.'

'I've heard that some of the local blokes reckon it's those kids that lit it,' Eddie said, glancing across at her.

'Dad and Uncle Karl think so. They haven't any proof, but if they're right, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes when they get caught. It's scary not knowing for sure though.'

'Don't worry. The cops'll catch the lil s.h.i.ts if it's them. They won't outsmart the cops.'

The conversation drifted on about things in general. She finally felt quite relaxed. Eddie had not made one suggestive remark to her and she was enjoying the drive. He didn't speed or drive reckless. He was someone different, not at all like the high school boys she knew. He was older and she liked the thrill of being with a man who had the reputation of being a bit wild.

The drive out to the Weir took about half an hour. They crossed the bridge above the spillway. Some of the overflow gates were open, releasing huge volumes of water. Eddie drove to the other side and parked the car in the visitor's car park.

'Fancy walkin' down and takin' a look?' he asked, turning to look at her.

'Sure, that'd be nice.'

'Dunno why I bother lockin' this old girl, no-one'd want to steal her.' He laughed as he put the car keys in his pocket.

'C'mon, let me help you down these steps, they're pretty steep.'

The steps leading down to the bottom of the spillway were steep. They led to a viewing platform. Although there was a safety barrier erected, it was advisable to be cautious.

Kathy gladly took hold of Eddie's hand and held it tightly the further down they went.

The noise was unbelievable. To hear each other they had to shout over the roar of the water.

Once they reached the viewing platform, they didn't bother saying much at all. The noise was deafening and it was impossible to hear what was being said anyway.

Eddie indicated the safety barrier and they walked over and looked out across the vast expanse of water. Every now and then the spray from the water reached them. Although the sun was shining brightly, it was very cool down there and Kathy began to shiver.

Eddie noticed the slight trembling of her hands as she held onto the barrier.

Bending down so he could speak close to her ear, he asked, 'Would you like to go get a coffee at the kiosk?'

Nodding her acceptance, they made their way back up the steep steps to the top.

'Wow! That was unreal!' Kathy felt exhilarated after her climb and it showed in her flushed face.

Eddie laughed at her enthusiasm. 'Yeah, it's sure somethin' worth goin' down for a look, eh? C'mon, let's get that coffee.'