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 OneA number of men are forming up behind the two young ones, and one has come forward toopen the gate. Now they wait, watching Jim. He moves into the space they have made,limping as the bags tied to the bicycle thud into his shin as he tries to walk beside his flimsymachine. He risks letting go one handlebar to hold out a hand in greeting, and the metalcontraption clatters to the ground and he stares at its ruins in dismay. Hoots of laughter go upfrom the small crowd of men as they move to surround him, and someone has dragged thebicycle away, and others are shouldering his bags and grinning as they move with himtowards the small fire where the two old men are waiting, joined now by other old menstanding with collections of spears and long boomerangs held loosely in their hands. Bike,bags and Jim are all deposited before the two leaders, Mathari and Arruru. Fred is grinningbroadly now, and even Dick has risen to his full height, like a slender mulga unbending. Jimsees his bags and belongings rapidly disappearing on thin brown legs, as the childrenreappear, and then disappear again, but he is more surprised by the soft green fruits beingpressed into his hands, and one of the young men pushes his spears against him too, willinghim to take them. 145‘Nannga’ the old man with the tipped felt hat extends his hand to Jim, and Jim cannotshake it for the fruits in his hands. He puts them down at his feet, wipes his hands on histrousers, and takes a deep breath while he does so. When he offers his hand in return, he iscomposed again. When Fred takes it, Jim feels the dry warmth of the older man’s hand, and akind of hope floods through his body.‘Nan-ga’ he tries. More laughter, and the soft rattle as spears come to rest on the groundwhere their owners have let them fall.90