Chapter 13

Once the Beechcraft Baron was past Lithgow there was little to see. Flat is flat. It was only a bit over an hour to Parkes. The next leg ... Parkes to the Darling was even less fascinating. Eddie had been a bushpilot for a decade, then worked for the Flying Doctor Service [the RFDS one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world. It provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia]; “now I’m fer profit, still buzzin’ around,” he told Patrick.

“We’ll be there a bit early.”

“That’s OK. I expect the folks I’m meeting will be there.”

“Not much at the airstrip. Sometimes there’s water in the lake. I ain’t bin there this year.”

“I’m not planning to swim. Did you bring some food?”

“Brung a wedge o’ damper an’ a thermos o’ tea.”

“Good. I brought a bottle of water.”

“Okeh. Look right. Thet’s Lake Pamamaroo. Onna left, thet’s Cawndilla. An’ jus’ ahead’s Lake Menindee, Snake Island’s around ten o’clock. I’ll set ‘er down in a bit. Yer frens are there. Two utes.”

“Thanks, Eddie. I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but I hope no more than an hour.”

“Right.”

“If you wander, be careful. You may see a small brown snake. They’re poisonous.”

“Right. Thanks.”

Patrick unbuckled, opened the door and climbed down. It was hot, at least 35 [95F]. He walked towards the two utes.

“Are you Patrick?”

“Yes. Patrick Hollister.”

“I am Archy. I speak for this group.” He waved an arm.

“Roy told me you are not happy. Speak. Perhaps I can help.”

“Sit by our fire.”

Patrick walked with them off the tarmac several metres. A group of tins and baulks had been placed in an arc.

“You know the National Parks and Wildlife Service?” Patrick nodded. “They say ‘A range of sites conserving Aboriginal culture in NSW have been declared historic sites, and we’re working to conserve these special places.’ in their literature. It means nothing.”

“It means a bit more than nothing.”

“Bah! We have been here for over 25,000 years. If Aboriginal culture were taken to be 24 hours long, the First Fleet would have arrived at 23:54 and 56 seconds. Do you know Josephine Flood?”

“I have several of her books.”

“We can care for these sites. In the north, in the Jabiluka lease, there have been agreements. We demand an agreement here.”

“I cannot make an agreement, Archy. I am a person in the middle. You must talk to me. I will talk to the Minister. She may ask my thoughts as well as my report. Then a decision may be made. Are you and your group willing to speak?”

“This is important to us.”

“And to me. Have you a nungungi amongst you?”

“No. We are all young.”

“I am young. Age is not a criterion. Can you all sit with me? I will tell a story.” Archy waved and the group sat in an arc, facing Patrick.

“You know, long ago, Eaglehawk left his baby with Crow and went off hunting. But Crow got tired of hearing the baby crying and killed him. And when he came back, Eaglehawk started yelling, ‘My baby, Crow killed my baby’, so all the other hunters came up to him with their spears and he said, ‘Go after him. Chase him into the thick mallee and get him. We’ll kill him’. So they ran after Crow, but he got right into the centre of the mallee and they couldn’t find him. So Eaglehawk said, ‘We’ll set a light to the mallee and we’ll burn him out. He’s got to be punished for what he did to my baby.’

“So they set light to the mallee, and they went right back, away from the fire and they sat right out there, waiting for the smoke to go away. And then they saw a bird flying out of the smoke, from the smoke this black bird came out. And Eaglehawk said, ‘That’s him. That’s Crow. He’s been punished now, his spirit has turned into a black bird.’

“And today, Eaglehawk and Crow still carry on the fight. They’re birds today and they still carry on the fight. Crow will still go up to Eaglehawk’s nest and try to pick at his babies, at the eyes of his babies. And in the air when Eaglehawk’s circling for food, Crow will go after him again and try to pick at him. So they still carry on the fight after what happened when they were people years ago.

“The Europeans took your babies for two hundred years. Do you want to carry on the fight? Couldn’t we work together?”

“What might we get?”

“What do you want? Put down your hate and tell me what you want.”

“We want to live near these lakes. We want fewer tourists here. We want to limit the disruption of the archaeologists.”

“Those are doable things.” Patrick took out a map. “Here are several lakes. Here is the school. Here is the town. Here is the park. Kinchega National Park is a protected area. The eastern edge of the Park is formed by the Darling. The Park is 44,259-hectares (109,370-acres).” Archy and several others nodded. “Here is the Cawndilla Channel. I can mark an area from the Channel to the edge of the Park. Up here, south of the School, is the end of the Park. Would your group agree to part of Lake Menindee, part of Cawndilla, and all of Echo Lake?”

“To the River?”

“To the western bank of the river.”