Secretary, carer and traveller. Wilhelmina Evangeline (Mina) Volk was born in Sydney on 26 March, 1893. She married Canadian electrical engineer Albert (Bert) Johnson who, before meeting Volk, worked for his Canadian employer on the Victorian State Electricity Commission's Yallourn Power Station. Between 1928 and 1937, the Johnsons travelled by car throughout Queensland, staying at Brisbane, Maryborough, Cairns, Emerald and Mt Isa, and other places where Johnson obtained employment. They were guests at Calrossie Station, Evora Station and Isis Downs. When on the road, they did not decide upon a destination, but took the road that faced them.
In May 1937, the Johnsons set sail on a world cruise aboard the "Juanita", the 38 ft. auxiliary ketch that Johnson had designed and built. They sailed to Dunk Island and Port Douglas among other places before reaching Thursday Island. They cruised the islands of Dutch New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies and were in Singapore at the time of the Munich Agreement when they decided to return to Australia. They set sail from Surabaya for Darwin in March 1939, but were blown off course in severe weather. Their boat became grounded along the coast north of Broome, Western Australia, in May. The couple abandoned the ship and set out on foot to find help. Days later they were located inland in dense scrub country. They recuperated in Broome before leaving for Mt Isa Mines where Johnson was offered a job. The journey overland to Mt Isa took the Johnsons five months.
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