2011 - Theses - Flinders University

‘Ah, so it could supply the “natives” donkey teams?’‘Sir, ‘when this country was sketched in 1921 this well was not then in existence.’ 116‘The implication being?’‘Can’t see how the “natives” can claim that well, Sir, being a “burden” on the stationowners and all. Stock need watering, Sir.’‘But it’s not on Coles and Whyte’s lease, is it? Have we heard from Waterhouse yet?’‘No Sir. Sorry Sir. Nothing in the post yet, Sir.’Monarto, 2005I was sitting again with the photo of the Copley ladies at Minerawuta, with the row of tall,leaning posts marching their way from the humpies to the yawning mouth of the old well. Iremembered the trip again, fingers pointing to wells, springs, soaks I couldn’t see, andarriving so dry we didn’t care we had no cups but drank from the same bottle to quench ourthirst. ‘In the Inland, water is life’, said Rev John Flynn, and so it is. 117I had been told that the tall posts at Minerawuta once supported long hollowed logs whichconveyed water from the timber framed well to the tin and stone cottages. ‘They used to havea good [well]’ 118 , Gertie told me, and there is a picture too of Gertie driving a small water cartalong a rocky gutter which itself could never deliver water to a sedentary community. Thenow slumped and powdered well was what had drawn a community to itself, when all othercampsites were being closed to Adnyamathanha.Elsie Jackson told me she spoke for all Adnyamathanha telling me ‘That well is dug by theAboriginal people.’ I would not dare to doubt her. Cliff recalls tales of the brotherhood ofwell sinking – both his grandfathers, Ted Coulthard and Walter Coulthard, along with Rufus65