WfHC - cover page (not to be used with pre-printed report ... - CSIRO

Figure 36. Fire damage to Oriners cattle yards in the 1990s. Image © KALNRMO
Philip Yam and Louie Native comments on seeing this image were:
Philip Yam: See how it‟s all black. Somebody poured petrol, and light him up.
Louie Native: They wouldn‟t care who been building that thing, they just lazy bastards.
In a later conversation, Louie Native recalled their efforts to retain a presence at Oriners, and
the consequences of not always succeeding:
Louie Native: Me and the young fella who belonged to Philip there [Philip Yam‟s son, Max],
we was asking to stay up there through the wet. But like what he [Philip] was saying, they
had no money to pay for the chopper to go up there. [We wanted to go] so nothing wouldn‟t
be stolen like that. That it might be stolen up there.
Marcus Barber: Phillip was talking about that. So they didn't want you to go up unless there
was money for the chopper?
Louie Native: Yeah, well they had two, volunteers, that was me and the other young fella,
Max.
Working Knowledge at Oriners Station, Cape York
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