Caleb: ugh. Just as Dad finds his brother hard to take, my cousin and I have never really got on. He’s only fifteen, but that puts him two school years ahead of me, and when he condescends to speak to me at all he treats me like I’m a complete idiot. I tried to tell myself that he might have changed in the six or so months since I’d last seen him, but no, when he turned up that evening with Uncle Langdon, he barely said hello to me, just nodded and then started asking Mum and Dad how their lobbying that afternoon had gone. The way he asked (‘How has blah blah blah been going?’) was ridiculous; I could hear his father’s opinion – that Mum and Dad’s conservationism was a waste of time – lurking behind his apparently interested question. It made me feel defensive towards them. He’d filled out since I saw him last and his hair was different, short on top and shaved at the sides. Was he trying to look like a US Marine?

Uncle Langdon wears Hawaiian shirts and loves the sound of his own voice. I think he thinks the combination makes him unexpected and witty. Sure enough, his big thing today was not-so-subtly undermining the efforts of the Courtney Conservation Foundation (he’s never forgiven Dad for putting the family name to such a venture) over drinks at the bar. He didn’t exactly say that what they were doing was a bad thing, just that it was unnecessary.

‘How can you think that?’ asked Mum. ‘The rainforest is disappearing at a rate of –’

‘Was disappearing,’ Uncle Langdon interrupted. ‘But responsible outfits like our own are already leading the way as far as conservation is concerned. By showing the locals how to mine sustainably, safely and profitably, we’re encouraging them to do the same.’

Mum said, ‘I’m sure you’re doing your bit,’ in a voice that told me she wasn’t sure of that at all.

She was probably right, I thought, and before I could stop myself I stirred the pot by saying, ‘You guys should go and see for yourself.’

‘Not a great idea,’ said Uncle Langdon. ‘The bush is a dangerous place.’

Mum said, ‘We’ve a lot on our plates as it is. And the thing is, although I’m sure you’re mining sustainably, without proper legislation, passed and enforced by the government, there’s no guarantee others will follow suit.’

Uncle Langdon, who had drained his champagne flute, refilled it without offering anyone else a top-up. ‘Even if you get this vote passed, relying on the powers that be to enforce it is laughable,’ he went on. ‘This mob couldn’t police a shopping centre, much less the jungle. A load of red tape is just an opportunity for already corrupt officials to make things much, much worse.’

Mum sat back. Dad sighed, but obviously felt he had to chip in. ‘We take your point, Langdon, but a two-pronged attack by government and industry is generally considered to be the best way.’