Chapter 1

Two rock shelters, in the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara region, were damaged in a mining blast on 23 May 2020 as part of the expansion of Rio Tinto’s Brockman 4 iron ore mine, despite the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people (PKKP) repeatedly saying they wanted to preserve the site and issuing an urgent request to stop the blasts five days before the detonation.

It was only two days later when Patrick was called by Ben Wyatt. The Minister wanted Patrick to mediate. The issue was clear: the PKKP (and every other Aboriginal band) wanted someone’s head; the Federal and Western Australian governments wanted cover; Rio Tinto wanted the 8 million tons of iron ore. The PKKP knew of him, both governments had employed him, and Rio Tinto couldn’t think of a reason to reject him, even though they should have ‘recalled’ him from decades ago.

Patrick consented, but didn’t want to travel further than Canberra. He agreed to come to the Ministry on Monday, 1 June. In the meantime, he did some on-line research. Destruction of artefacts wasn’t unheard of.

Many of us have heard the tale that a cannonball fired by Napoleon’s soldiers hit the nose of the Sphinx and caused it to break off. Sketches of the Sphinx by Norden were created in 1737 and published in 1755, well before the era of Napoleon. Yet those drawings illustrate the Sphinx without a nose.

The Egyptian Arab historian al-Maqrizi wrote in the 15th century that the nose was actually destroyed by a Sufi Muslim named Muhammad Sa’im al-Dahr in 1378 CE, for which desecration he was stoned to death.

Rachel said stoning the Board of Rio Tinto was tempting, but barbarian. She suggested they be abandoned with a backpack each somewhere in the Pilbara.

Friday morning brought a packet of reading material and Patrick applied himself to it on Friday and Saturday.

He learned that the PKKP had signed a financial agreement with Rio Tinto in 2011, and another agreement in 2013 not to oppose any applications to destroy or damage heritage under section 18 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act, “provided Rio Tinto used its reasonable endeavours to minimise impacts of those operations on Aboriginal heritage sites and consulted with the PKKP about the means of doing so”. Hmmm.

Archaeologist Dr Michael Slack, who conducted excavation and salvage work on both of the two rock shelters in 2014, wrote that they were of “the highest archaeological significance in Australia.” “Ancient artefacts unearthed at Juukan Gorge – including grinding and pounding stones, a 28,000-year-old marsupial bone which had been sharpened into a tool and a 4000-year-old belt made of plaited human hair with DNA linking it to today’s PKKP people – have placed the site among the country’s most significant archaeological research sites,” wrote the Sydney Morning Herald.

“I’m interested in this,” Patrick told Rachel as he left on Sunday to drive to Canberra. “My python’s cousin is of the Pilbara.” And as he drove, he thought of Bulinjilmanha and his hunting of the monster serpent Bargunyji. But_ Bulinjilmanha sang the serpent into a daze, luring him to attack a gum tree. And that is why, _ to this day, Bargunyji has no teeth or poison, and when you cut open the snappy gum tree, red sap drips out for that is Bargunyji poison. And thus why Bargunyji is harmless to humans now.

“I must be as clever as Bulinjilmanha,” Patrick mused. “The Rio Tinto lawyers are the poisonous, destructive predators, heedlessly destroying the heritage of the people. They must be forced to drip their blood. I will think on this.”

Checking in at the Hyatt, Patrick phoned his in-laws, telling Michiko about Rachel and what little they had heard from Sam, who was on walkabout. He’d see what his schedule was like prior to booking time with them.

The next morning he met with Wyatt, the first Aboriginal to become a minister. They discussed the issues and possible approaches.

“I know an in to BHP, and most likely to Rio Tinto and Fortescue,” Patrick said.

“Really?”

“One of my grandfathers ran a Broken Hill mine and consulted. In Western Australia, in fact.”

“Fascinating.”

“Yes, he and my dad uncovered the Chinese ‘plot’ years ago.”

“Hmmm. Now, it seems to me that you’ve read more than I have.”

“You’ve more to think about than this issue. But a different band complained of being bilked by Rio Tinto a while back. I am a Python. Matthew [10:16] wrote: ‘Be wise as serpents—and harmless as doves.’”

The committee was to meet the next morning, so he phoned the Eyres and arranged to have dinner with them.

The “Committee” appeared to be made up of several MPs (one of them female), half-a-dozen men in suits wearing Rolexes, two representatives of the PKKP, Wyatt, a stenographer with a digital recorder, and Patrick. They went through the ritual introductions.

Wyatt introduced everything, narrating the negotiations, the agreements, the survey, and the blasting. He took just over half an hour and did a truly responsible job. “This is an awful mess. I trust you lady and gentlemen can come to some sort of mutually acceptable agreement.” With that, he said there’d be a ‘tea break’ and that he’d leave thereafter.

At the break, one of the PKKP men approached Patrick. “I see you,” Patrick said.

“It is said that you are Dayah Minyah.”

“I am so called. I was named as an infant by the Kangaroo-that-is-no-more.”

“So. You dealt with the Banjima. We will be content.” He walked back to his fellow, only to be replaced by an older, silver-haired lawyer.

“‘Day. Ben said you had a tie to the mining industry.”

“Yes. My maternal grandfather ran a BHP nickel mine for many years and consulted after stepping down.”

“Really? Where?”

“The mine was near Laverton, in Western Australia. He later consulted on a plant in Kwinana. And other things.”

“Hmm. What’s his name?”

“Scott. Rob Scott. He died a number of years ago.”

“I wonder whether anyone on our team knew him. Thanks.” He wandered off. Patrick was certain some hanky-panky would be in the offing. Wait till someone connected him with Gordy, whose trip with Rob had been “sponsored” by Rio Tinto, Fortescue and BHP – as well as the Australian Navy. He was next approached by the female MP.

“Hello. I’m Celia Hammond, the representative for Curtin.”

“It’s a pleasure. I’m Patrick Hollister, I’m supposed to be an arbiter, but right now I’m an auditor.”

“Well, even though Curtin is an urban district, this has certainly roiled many of my constituents.”

“In a different universe, I would be one of those constituents.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes. I was born in the Royal Perth, lived in Wembley Downs and graduated from Scotch College.”

“And then?”

“I received my law degree from Sydney. My wife did her doctorate at UNSW. Our son is currently on walkabout.”

“It sounds as though you’ve an interesting family. Was your father at Western?”

“For a while. But don’t be sexist [Hammond laughed], he was with the CSIRO when they met and my mother selected Perth. She’d been to school at Perth College, and had worked at Royal Perth.”

“Yes. An interesting family. We’d best get into session.”

After a brief exchange, a representative from Victoria was named to chair the meetings. It was agreed that Rio Tinto would make a formal presentation, then a PKKP representative would present the tribal grievance. The state would then express its interest. Patrick would then comment. All would be transcribed and distributed and another meeting, or set of meetings, would be called. With that, they broke till Wednesday morning, when Rio Tinto would have the floor.