2011 - Theses - Flinders University

White Lives in a Black Community: The lives of Jim Page and Rebecca Forbes in the Adnyamathanha communityTracy SpencerVolume One Creative Writing Component: Excerpted Chapters from Volume Three Appendix Onecoming; he was one who held a spear up at them. He was, like, wilyaru, been through hisdoctorate in Aboriginal law, and was leader of the ceremony. He was Walter Coulthard’sgrandfather. He would have died before Mrs Forbes came. He is buried at Mt Serle.’ 107Cliff was Mt Serle Bob’s great-great-grandson. I looked northwest, to the distant blue bulk ofArta-wararlpanha, Mt Serle. 108 I imagined King Bob’s bones sleeping quietly in the darkground, beneath the patch of scree that might be Yurlu’s eye.Hawker, Flinders Ranges 2001Mt Serle Bob’s great grandson, Ken McKenzie, told me about Mt Serle Bob’s Dream. Kenhad come to call at the plain 1950s bungalow which served as my adequate, if uninspiring,manse in Hawker. Ken peppered his memories with song and sermon, and warmly addressedme as ‘Sister’. I changed tack in the conversation to ask about Jim Page. That’s when I heardabout the dream.‘I’m just wondering too [about] when Mr. Page came to the community: how was it for thecommunity to take him in?’ I asked, less than adeptly.Ken considered this, watching me steadily, his full round cheeks set in their familiar smile.His dark eyebrows knit for a moment, than his face relaxed, his cheeks sagged a little, and hebegan to speak again:‘Well what they said [was that] there was a Lutheran minister first at Mt Serle but therewasn’t much done. The people didn’t really take it in. But I was always told too thatMount Serle Bob had a dream. Like he dreamt, you know, [when] he was worried whatwas happening to the dark people. He thought the udnyus were killing the Aboriginalpeople (the Yuras) [and he worried]: “What’s going to happen”. But he - this what Dadsaid - he went off to sleep. In his dream, he dreamt about what Arra Wathanha said to him.[He said] “Don’t worry about your people. I will raise them up and make them intoleaders. But I’m calling you to be with me. But [in] three days - few days time or threedays time - I’m sending someone to tell you more about me”. So Mt Serle Bob woke up66