12/21/2008

SHAMBANI REVISITED. By Uncle Monty.

SHAMBANI REVISITED.
Story By Uncle Monty.
Photos By Myrna Hancock
and Alex Albion.
~~~
Standing miles away from nowhere and
full of grace is “Shambani” at what is surely
God’s Big Acre among the Adelaide Hills of
South Australia. To find Shambani is an
adventure all by itself aside from staying
there with my gracious hosts Carl and
Myrna Hancock and their nurse-trained
daughter Rosiland and their gym trainer
son-in-law Perry.
~~~
Myrna Hancock With Her Beloved Horses.
~~~
Dare I also mention their host of beloved pets
from fine horses to friendly dogs to curled-up
cats along with even passing families of brick-
red kangaroos from time to time at the 50-acre
Hancock hobby farm or homestead that is more
than 12,000 miles from their native Wales.
To spend human time at Shambani is like
having one’s soul and body and mind re-
stored to its former health and glory and
everlasting joy. And whoever said there is
no paradise on earth, surely must have
never laid their open eyes upon such an
expansive and wonderful place called
Shambani like I did.
~~~
View of The Hancocks Home at Shambani.
~~~
Powered by solar engery panels, Shambani is a
self-contained and isolated oasis from the buzz
and hub of the noisy and clamorous world out-
side. Carl and Myrna do their shopping just
once a week at the nearest town of Mount
Barker at where the intially greeted me upon
my first arrival via Firefly coach after my 12-
hour ride to get to Shambani from Melbourne.
When they go to Adelaide itself some 25 miles
away they drive and park their car outside the
city and then hitch a local bus ride to the down-
town territory capital of South Australia that is
Adelaide. Their daughter and son-in-law
work there and commute to and from
Shambani during their week days.
~~~
Shambani landowners Carl and Myrna Hancock.
~~~
For me, Shambani was such a nice surprise
since I had no real idea of what kind of home The
Hancocks had invited me to stay at. I assumed it
would be a regular size house and not one with
more than 12 nicely spacious and well-appointed
rooms and furnished with many personal mom-
entoes of their family upbringing back in Wales,
of their professional standing in Africa, and of
their happy retirement life at Down Under.
Nor did I expect by far to gaze upon such a
vast amount of Aussie farmland of their’s that
is bigger than London’s Covent Garden itself
or beyond the size of The French Market at
Louisiana's New Orleans. Plus, never did I
expect to be completely encircled by their
delightful pets who are treated with the
love and care of “All Things
Great and Small.”
~~~
Uncle Monty at the garden shed with
Shambani's co-owner Carl Hancock.
~~~
I felt truly blessed to be a part of the peace,
quiet and human decency of Shambani, if only
for all too short a time at these ever closing years
of my own worldly yet unworthy and unremarkable
life. What Carl and Myrna Hancock have personally
achieved, I couldn’t even come close to. Thus to
briefly share in their achievement that Shambani
so clearly represents of both of them, and is also
an honest and living testimony of their good and
Godly character, then I have been truly
privileged to dwell with them and their
goodness for one brief shining moment
at Shambani. No wonder I didn't want
to leave for my heart is still there.
~~~
Uncle Monty Horse Petting At Shambani.
~~~
Myrna and Carl at morning breakfast.
~~~
Myrna and Carl at their Shambani
Computer/Library Room.
~~~
Uncle Monty Saying Goodbye To Shambani.
~~~
Now far, far, far, away from Shambani, I
send my deepest Christmas greetings to
Myrna, Carl, Rosiland, Perry, and all of the
Hancock pets and even to those passing
families of brick-red kangaroos just days
from Christmas Day itself. And wishing
for myself, too, that I may again one
day return and bathe in my joy
and love of Shambani.
~~~
So Christmas here we come, Uncle Monty.
+Shortest Day of the Year, 2oo8.
~~~

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Monty............

Merry Christmas to you from us all @Shambani.

Warm but a little overcast in the Adelaide Hills. I have my brother and Aunt staying with us so it's 6 at the table for dinner in a few hours. We shall raise a glass of SA's finer wine to you later. Keep warm and blogging!

Perry on behalf of "The Team"