Giingan Maam

Well hello to all you avid readers! I suppose you are tired of looking here and finding nothing new :) so anyway, thought I might catch your attention with the title of this post!

 We have been home now from Ahrnem Land for a few weeks but it seems like an age… we both love what we find every time we return and so I am sure there will be many more return trips to Nhulunbuy.

 The last trip had some wonderful times but the story of the Croc is the best!! Read on!

We were out at Gayili’s place looking at more of her fantastic work (have a look at the “art trail” posts) when her daughter, Heather, arrived. Heather works for Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation as a ranger. If you can let your imagination go and dream about what rangers do up in the wilds of the NT that is how we see it. Dressed in green, Heather arrived to tell of the excitement of the Croc found in the trap in the town lagoon. OMG!  Anyway, the kids were all bubbling with energy and excitement as the croc was to be released at the croc farm nearby on the road to Ski Beach.

Listening to the Yidarki at Gayili's

Well those kids may have been excited but you have not witnessed excitement properly unless you had seen me almost pee my pants at the thought of getting to see one of these amazing, prehistoric creatures up close and personal…

Dianne, Nat (with Macey in arms), Judy and I were out to the cars in a flash, followed by a heap of kids who all jumped in with us and it was off to the croc farm… In Nat’s car one of the young boys played his Yidarki (didgeridoo) all the way there…

Preparing for release of the beast!

As we arrived everyone piled out and we cautiously approached the gate and then we were running through the long grass with yelps of excitement and just a little bit of fear. Then came a yell to be quiet, we hushed and headed towards the captured croc. The fellow in charge told us to get up on the back of the tray back ute so obediently we complied… all 12 of us!!!!

The croc was on the ground trussed up and sat upon by lots of men and then slowly the untying began…

Arrrrgghhhh Croc!

As each rope was removed , apprehension built…

Once all was removed the croc just lay there, unmoving, looking dead. One of the kids yelled out “He’s dead!” and then, PING! His eyes opened, he turned towards us and opened his jaws, kids screamed and we all jumped. The fella in charge told us all to sit down so we would not fall of the truck! Then he jumped in the truck and drove away from the croc with us all clinging on the back… I thought Nat was going to fall off with Macey in her arms still, Heather with her little one was still on the back as well and we laughed and laughed as we left the croc to himself and headed back to our cars!

Heather, Dhimurru Ranger

What a day, what a story, the croc hunter tales were born and we felt braver than we were as the stories began to grow!

Well we promised to return to visit Gayili Marika and so we did! We have come to love our visits out to Galupa to spend small snippets of time listening to Gayili and watching the comings and goings. On one such visit when the sky was blue and the ocean was bluer (my word of the day) we went out to visit and found several of Gayili’s family members painting.

From left to right... Mary Marika, Elvira Gurriwiwi and Salome Marika

The girls are working on a traditional painting of Wuyal. Wuyal is the sugar bag man and as he danced on top of Mt Saunders with his spear and woomera, he pointed his spear, naming the forests, the rocks and the beaches.

The girls here have and are being taught to paint under the watchful hand of Gayili Marika. Elvira is now an artist in her own right, with the other girls (Mary and Salome) in training.

Wuyal - the sugar bag man

Yidaki and poles in various states of completion

Gayili Marika

Well we have been home for almost 5 weeks now and it has gone like a whirlwind. I had promised that I would continue to blog but real life is so different…

Anyway there is at least one more story I should tell from our trip north and that is SURF CLUB!

Working the bar

Our last Friday night at the Surfy entailed Dianne and I working behind the bar with Lesley as our downtrodden stacker!!! We had a blast, a night that will be remembered by many and maybe not at all by others

Go Girls, keep holding up the bar!

We sang to the customers and they sang back, we played American Pie, to some disgust but to other’s delight (it may have been the singing that put some off! As the night came to a finish the girls locked down and had a quiet (sort off) drink together, for new friends and old, present and missing… this night was absolute gold… Thanks to Nigel

Girls you made our stay outstanding, thank you. We are really looking forward to our return, can’t wait actually!

Lesley, Emma & Nigle!

Yesterday we went out to see Gayili Marika Yunupingu (Marika is Gayili’s family name and Yunupingu her husband’s family name). We took Nat’s mum Lorna with us for the experience .

Paradise

Gayili lives out near the refinery with her family on a little stretch of paradise (if you ignore the refinery). The camp has a big shed for the paintings and art work then there is a communal space and then some small houses. The camp has many dogs and cats that are quite friendly even the big yellow dogs, that I later find out are dingoes!

One very friendly Dingo

We meet Gayili’s husband Bundua and her niece Elvira. Gayili and Elvira are working on some canvases when we arrive and then Bundua comes over to watch the goings on whilst we talk and talk and talk with Gayili.

Elvira, Gayili's niece and apprentice

A smart, strong woman Gayili is well known and respected for much more than her art works. She was happy to fill our eager heads with information and so Dianne and I asked lots about local language (Yolngu Matha). 

Gayili working on the painting we purchased

Lorna walked on the beach and managed to get herself invited for dinner on Friday… Dianne and I are very jealous as we are both working an evening and so cannot go It is funny though, Lorna has to take a salad, some meat and some vegies and some cordial, a cheap invitation into a little bit more culture It is true what Kel has told Dianne, “don’t try to understand these people, you can’t, just accept that they are different”. This is so true as trying to understand is impossible because our understanding is through our own rose coloured glasses…

Gayili with me and the painting!

The painting that Gayili was working on when we arrived had a barramundi on it. The barra is a totem here, a very special fish. We decided to buy the painting the cost of which included cash, coke-a-cola and cigarettes. Again, I was sent into turmoil about whether or not buying cigarettes and fizzy drink was the right thing to do, every move seems so difficult when you are trying to apply our politically correct and internal morals and values… it just doesn’t work. SO…. as most would have already done (just takes me longer) I said stuff it (or something along those lines) forget trying to work it out… if that is what she wants for the painting, that is what we will pay… I can hear you heaving a collective sigh of relief… Emma gets over herself J Dianne just patiently waits for me to try and get my head around it and then points me back to Kel’s pearls of wisdom… just don’t try to understand!

Gayili Marika Yunupingu

The painting is wonderful and will be taking a prized place on the wall at home… Thank you Gayili, for more than the painting… Thank you for opening my eyes just a little wider and my heart a little further.

Well we decided to nick off for a spot of camping by ourselves…. A little fishing, crabbing, a good fire, some red wine and a fine, fine, time, maybe even a little romance. 

Dianne scooted off to Jed’s birthday party early whilst I caught a bit of shut eye after night shift, the car was packed all we needed was ice, bait and we were off for a good time baby!

The road to skinny beach

The trip out was by mud map. We were to follow past the chlorine plant down to the conveyer belt then along to the beer bottle on the stick After missing one turn and ending up back on the main road (nice day for a drive) we headed back in past the chlorine plant and found the conveyer belt. Eyes ever peeled for the sign of Buffalo spoor (in layman’s terms… big Buffalo Poo).

Bauxite conveyer belt

A little bit of 4 wheel driving and passing 3 vehicles going the other way… we made it to the camp site. Could not wait to crack a beer

Ahhh... what a beautiful sight, campsite with wine and ocean!

Camp was set with the bare essentials and the fire was already going from the campers we just saw leaving, so stoked it up and headed for the beach.

best campfire winner

Although properly attired (in a bikini) and sprayed from head to foot with “Bushmans” repellent, the sand flies could not wait to get into the new blood. They feasted and feasted…. Then as night began to fall the mosquitoes made their presence known in an omnipresent kind of way… 

What a perfect spot to sleep...

We had decided to sleep in the open and lap up the night sky full of brightly shining jewels and blinking man made object… another fatal mistake. The buzzing of the mosquitoes was like listening to a never ending drone of a busy airfield The ones that flew up my nose were particularly pleasant and I am sure it became a game as I blew them out the more got in, I was slapping my head and Dianne was slapping her head and it all should have been filmed for funniest home video… so far, no sign of the romance we were hoping to work on!!!

 Other than all the bad stuff like BUGS!!! It really was a wonderful getaway, fishing off the beach I caught a sting ray which was good fun but not so good for eating. Crabbing was another adventure all together…

Best fish for the whole time!

 We took our time to prepare the crab pot, making sure that the fish was secure. Whilst we were waiting for the tide to go right out some guys appeared to check on their crab pots which they had put in but not tied to anything (not too smart if you ask me) anyway they asked us if we had seen anyone steal their pots?? No, we had not seen anyone…

 Anyway, we struggled to get ours into location without risking a crock attack! I waded out into the risk zone with Dianne stuck in the mangroves so that she could witness my demise should a crock come out of the mangroves ahead….

Struggling we used a large bamboo pole to push it out further… 1 hour later it was high and dry as the tide had continued to go out! Oh yeah… and there were the two stolen crab pots… and damn, they were empty!

Next morning we waited for the tide to go out completely then off to check our crab pot. I already had decided on the recipe… CHILLI CRAB! But alas it was not to be, something had eaten through the net and got our fish, allowing any crab right out the big hole, darn it no crab…

 Bring Bring, Dianne’s phone goes off right on que and Bernie and Anne have got two crabs for us from the crab man in town, thank God for good friends who know how desperate I was to get crab!!!

 Home with all our sand fly bites

Just a few of the over 100 bites... Dianne was just as bad!

to pick up our crabs, into the freezer and then last night a cooking extravaganza!!! I ate until I could eat no more, Dianne enjoyed the vegies and ate a little bit of crab but she could not stand to deny me the gorging that she knew I was so lusting after

Bill and Ben unfortunatley lost their fight for lifeCooking class anyone?

Chilli Crab mmmm yum yum

Think I have put on 5kg up here… got to sew my mouth shut soon or it will be too late!!

Who says there is no God!

The poster has a photo of this fello over 20 years ago

Yesterday evening when things were sort of settled at work, there was a bit of a comotion in the hallway… people giggling and pointing and chatting… when one of the guys (Dean) went out to see what was happening there were a bunch of Yolgnu people pointing at a poster. Dean asked one of the men if he was the person in the photo and he said yo… It was amusing everyone as the picture was taken sometime in the early ’80s. So what any good nurse would do… Dean took his photo again, printed it out and stuck it above the poster in the hallway. Much enjoyment was had by all, and people say work is not fun!!!

Last Sunday, after swimming with the crocs and winning the races at nippers, Dianne and I went for a walk out past town beach and around the corner to explore…

This is what we got to see…

The scenery was amazing, we walked for a while and looked for more evidence of crocs and pretended to be brave as we crossed a really small creak!! After exhausting ourselves being brave, we turned around and started the walk back towards town. It was on the way back that 3 kids came out of the bush and came to talk with us. We had an amazing time, the kids sang and danced around us and told us some stories. The played with my sunnies and took some pictures with the camera. They loved the camera and seeing themselves on the screen (thank you Jesus for digital photography!)

If this isn’t a great life, I’m not sure what is!!