2011 - Theses - Flinders University

Jack watches her for a moment, absently stroking the donkey where he stands at the headof the team. Then he is still.‘Atuna. Udnyu atuna. You have to. You don’t have to speak yura ngawarla, but you haveto know it. Our boys got to speak it. This will be their people. You can hum this song tothem! You speak white way, and people understand you. They speak their way, and youunderstand them. You got to live here, OK?’Rebecca doesn’t say anything.He continues, softer, the boys quiet and waiting now too. ‘Mrs Forbes, you stick with mehere, eh?’ She hears the note in his voice, and turns to meet her sons’ gaze.‘Where else could I go?’ she asks herself, but Jack hears her anyway.‘Oh, lots of places a white woman can go. Get the train, go to Adelaide, anywhere. Butstick with me: it’s a good place. We get to Mt Serle next couple of days, nice shady creek,make a camp, get some flour sugar tea. Settle down. Even get some newspapers at the stationmaybe. You’ll see,’ and he gave her a wide grin, ‘you can do it. You be OK. You’ll feelbetter soon.’After that, Jack takes them off the main track and down into the valley, unhooking thedonkeys and letting them wander for pickings. Jack carries Raymond on his shoulders, andJohn runs and jumps over the rocks. Jack shows them how to read the tracks of euros,wallabies, sheep and rabbits on the sand and in the droppings. Creamy gum trunks throwpatches of shade over the many-coloured rocks that have been smoothed by forgotten floods.It isn’t easy walking, and the soles of Rebecca’s shoes slip on the polished surfaces. Then, upahead, she sees the perfect picture of gum trees lying amongst the rocks in the late morningsun.13