One brother tells another that he’s going out fishing for a day ‘to catch me some barra and turtle. And some catfsh and a yabby or two.’ The two mates head to the river together. The trip is fun but they don’t catch a bite except for the mosquito and sandfly. So they head home ‘to have ourselves a bite or two’.
The charming rhythmical telling of this story captures perfectly the colloquial poetry of this Aboriginal voice. The repetition is also universally typical of any cumulative tale about a day’s journey and a resolution with ‘good tucker’ at home. The joys of friendship are celebrated here, for fishing is really just an excuse to spend time together. This is a charming but also a wise story which has intrinsic appeal for children.
Alwyn Owens grew up in Croydon with parents from the Takaluk people and has worked in many occupations while pursuing further studies. Rod Lucas grew up on cattle stations in the Gulf of Carpentaria country, lives in Karumba, and is a respected mural painting artist. These collaborators bring to this text an appreciation of their Aboriginal heritage in both voice and image.Lucas’s paintings in ochre, black and white, utilise a mixture of techniques, with stick-like figures, dot painting, handprints and splattering, in a graphically effective style.
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
