Stories of Bourke: Past, present and future Festival of a Thousand Stories September 2-10, 2016 Compiled by Graeme Gibson Stories of Bourke: Past, present and future Over two weeks at the end of August and early September 2016 the people of Bourke, and visitors to the town, were invited to contribute to this project. Meetings and workshops were held with community associations and service providers, schools and support groups. Individuals were invited to contribute through random meetings at the monthly market, in the street and elsewhere. Life writing workshops were scheduled with participants invited to contribute a story of their experience living in or visiting Bourke. A couple of pop-up writing workshops were held over a couple of hours with people invited to come along for as little or as long as they liked. Stories collected needed to reflect people’s lived personal experiences, their memories, their hopes for the future. Old stories of Aboriginal culture or of early settlers were not sought, these have been told elsewhere. It is the contemporary stories that were the focus. Like all places Bourke has had, still does have, social issues that affect the community. These stories, where told, are included. The aim was a snapshot into Bourke as it is, warts and all, not just an air-brushed collection of feel good stories. Some of the stories are on the spot responses, others are deeply reflective. Some were provided verbally, others written. A very few are drawn from previously told stories. Some of the stories will make you laugh, some may make you feel sad. Many are very insightful, deeply thoughtful and hopeful of the future. The stories are presented in three parts: Anecdotes and spoken stories, Written word and Poetry. This project was part of the Festival of a Thousand Stories held in September each year. The festival includes the Poet’s Trek, which gains a mention. It’s hoped that you enjoy and learn something of this remarkable town and its people – it’s past, present and future. Story telling is eye to eye, mind to mind and heart to heart Scottish traveller’s proverb © Individual authors retain copyright over their individual contributions. Copyright over this compilation is with Graeme Gibson of More Than Just Talk www.morethanjusttalk.com.au 2 Anecdotes and spoken stories Anecdotally … Far enough away I have lived and worked in Bourke for 10 years. I was drawn here by my wife’s work, family connections, fresh air, the surrounding wide open spaces, and the fact that, as a town, it is about as far as one can be from Sydney and still be in New South Wales. John Thompson Wealth There’s a lot of money in Bourke, particularly in the cooler months. You just have to look at the millions of dollars worth of 4WDs, caravans and motor-homes coming through the town every day. Anon No escape Back in the ’76 flood they had to blow the railway line up to let the water out and down to Louth. The Aboriginal people had to move from the showground. There were no levee banks then. Anon Ever heard anything like this before? Anywhere? When that bloody Queen came [2000] they had the town looking all spruced up. The streets, the shops, everything was brilliant. It was just a picture to look at. As soon as she left it went back to how it was. Anon The only place to be I’ve visited many countries, bushwalked in all Australian states and territories. There’s only one place to be and that’s on the Darling. Tony Pritchard We had expected a bigger place So many people talk about Bourke, you hear so many big stories, we had imagined the town to be bigger. But we aren’t disappointed, we like it. Everyone’s helpful. And it’s green. Toni and Michael Wide skies Where I live it’s often so green it hurts your eyes. But I’m drawn to this place and its wide skies. Graeme Gibson Leaving the district We’ve been out here many times and always seen mobs of goats. This year, none. I think they have gotten wind of the new meatworks, and left the district. Visitor from Brisbane 3 That’s a fact We prefer to base our song writing on folklore, rather than dodgy historical fact. Jason Roweth And how do you like living out here? I love it, I hate it, said Kylie, but mostly I love it. That was last year. Wonder what she’s thinking this year? Graeme Gibson (Sadly, wet weather kept Kylie out of town this year) Mind expanding When you have so much space your mind expands. It’s different to those closed in places like where we live in the Blue Mountains. Toni It had a story Jack Bennett came to Bourke in 1950, intending to stay six months. But he never left. The mighty Darling Jack recalls his arrival by train: “I got here about six o’clock at night and got a lift down to the Royal, got a bed on the verandah. Got up the next morning and had a look and there was the mighty Darling, in flood.” 4 Introductions Jack was not long in Bourke when he had the opportunity to take over an earthmoving business. He needed to introduce himself to a few local businesses. The conversations went something like this … – Hullo, I’m Jack Bennett. – Yes, I know. – I’m going to need some supplies, but I’ll only be able to pay every few months. – It’ll be right boy. Arrangements were formalised with a handshake. “They adopted me,” Jack says. When you looked at something it had a story Observe nature, learn from nature and work with nature could be Jack’s motto. Jack’s cleared a lot of trees in his time. “It was a bit brutal, to be honest. You’d look at a tree and try and find it’s weakness, then off you’d go and ‘boom,’ over it goes.” After knocking over thousands of trees there was one, out at Gundabooka at the intersection with Kidman Way, that captured his imagination. “I don’t want to do it,” he recalls thinking, before asking the engineer if he could leave that one. The engineer agreed. All he had to do was put in a slight change to the direction of the road. It’s known as Jack’s Corner. Jack Bennett Tales from Barringun Mary Crawley, now 92, came to Bourke in 1948. In 1977 she went to Barringun near the Queensland border, where has been licensee of the Tattersalls Hotel ever since. We caught up with Mary during a short stay at the Bourke Hospital. She could fill a book of stories. Here’s just a few from our chat: Always learning Mary has made many friends of regular truck drivers and other travellers. “Everyone who comes into a pub you can sit with and have a chat and learn something from,” she says. In all that time Mary can only recall one person she was glad to see leave. Mary Crawley 5 Best friend Mary’s always had an affinity with animals. “No-one,” she says, “could have a closer relationship than I have with Gidgee,” a dog of uncertain breed and about eight years old. “Gidgee always knows where the best bed is.” The normal thing to do “A while back the gate was left open and the horse wandered off, heading to Queensland,” Mary says. “I didn’t want to go after her but I worry about an accident so Gidgee and I went up after her. I took a dish with some feed and she came over after a while. Then I realised I hadn’t taken a bridle. I had nothing to lead her back home. So I took off my bra, my pants and cotton top and tied them together to lead her back. It was the normal thing that anyone would do.” Mary Crawley Addendum “You’ve got no shame mum, telling that story.” Mary’s daughter Brigitte Take it as it is We caught up with Robert and Robert, both born and bred Bourke locals, during father’s day at Bourke Pre-School. –How has Bourke changed over the years? –A lot of it is to do with the weather. Drought knocks the whole town. Without water it’s hard to find permanent work. But this year, with the wet winter, is the best it’s been. –What would you tell someone preparing to visit Bourke for the first time? –Take it as it is. Don’t over-estimate it, don’t under-estimate it. Robert Creighton and Robert Hatch Back in a heartbeat “The biggest change I’ve seen to Bourke is to attract tourists. Any small town without a dominant industry needs this. But Bourke is still Bourke and always will be. The people are friendly. Born in Cobar, Sally has visited Bourke many times over the years. In Bourke for a two week placement at the hospital during her nursing studies, Sally chose Bourke as her first preference. “And I’d come back again in a heartbeat.” Sally Cullemward As it was Aunty Gertie was born in Bourke. She’s travelled a lot, lived in a lot of places, but she’s not keen on cities. Likes the outback and Bourke’s home. She remembers the river where the wharf is now: 6 “We didn’t know it as a wharf back in our day. Wasn’t like it is now. There was just enough timber for a diving board. We’d to come down and swim, because there was no swimming pool. This was the main watering hole. Sometimes we’d go to North Bourke. Whoever had a bike would double us out and we’d float back down … the things you do when you’re a kid.” And there were other cultural delights: “Back then there was the picture show. We had movies twice, three times a week and on Saturday was the matinee. In summer it was open air, with the canvas chairs. In winter it was indoors.” Aunty Gertie Edwards-Darrigo Aunty Gertie Spirit and soul Jenny Greentree has managed to make her passion – art – her profession. Travelling to Bourke in 1996 amid the dust and heat she thought she was, “moving to the ends of the earth.” The environment is important to her art, her life. “I need nature to feed my soul,” Jen says, recalling how she wondered back then how to manage in such a barren environment. On the day she arrived it rained non-stop. The red dirt landscape transformed immediately. The contrasting greens and reds of the landscape accompanied by a brilliant blue sky ignited her creative instincts. Spring was a profusion of wildflowers like she had never seen. And she hasn’t looked back. Her artworks express the spirit and soul of the district, which “describes not only the landscape, but the people as well. They portray life and hope, ruggedness and resilience, beauty and strength. This is available to everyone in their everyday world.” Jen Greentree 7 Lifelong Learning Originally from Gilgandra, Steve Greentree came to Bourke 20 years ago. Steve is a third generation competitive axeman. He started about 40 years ago, around age 16. He hasn’t been too active the last 16 years or so, but he’s getting back to it. “Is passion something you seek or does passion seek you,” he muses. Getting to know the place Steve went on the first Poet’s Trek in 1996. “This was one of the great experiences of my life,” he says. “I’d only been in Bourke nine months so it gave me a good look at the country side, met some great people and heard some good yarns.” –A lot of long term local people think they know the place well, but when – if – they go on the Trek they see things differently, they learn something. What would you say? –Absolutely. You get to see places you never knew existed. And then to hear the stories from the pace where they were told is special. One of the good memories is hearing Henry Lawson’s Lake Eliza on the shores of Lake Eliza. A full Lake Eliza. Re-imaging Bourke’s history Steve has had a long interest in the history of the area. He’s learnt a lot from local historian Paul Roe and more recently augmented his learning. “There’s a contrast between being taught by Paul and over the last six years being open and taught by local Aboriginal people. It’s a different style of learning. You just spend time, you don’t sit down in a classroom. Just do life with them. 8 I grew up all my life with Aboriginal people but now have a totally different frame of reference. I had the standard Australian view of Aboriginal people. But now I’m in awe at highly intelligent, well-organised, beautiful people. You can learn so much from them. They love, they give.” Steve Greentree Room three “I first came to Bourke in search of stories about Henry Lawson. It was 2001 or 02. I’d read “Stranger on the Darling,” and at the time I was going to lots of different towns to write songs. I’d pick towns I hadn’t been to on the Country Link map … anywhere that Country Link went to, I’d try and stay in every town along that route. Bourke was a town I’d always wanted to visit so I booked the bus. It gets in quite late at night. I’d booked a room at the Port of Bourke Hotel. The bus driver asked how I was getting there. I said I’d walk, I had a map, but he said, “No, it’s not safe to walk. I’ll drive you there.” So once everyone had disembarked, taken their bags, the driver – just him and me – drove me there, in the bus. He gave me a little tour of the town on the way. On the way he asked if I’d heard of the Gidgee Guesthouse. I hadn’t so he suggested I check it out. I stayed one night at the hotel and then walked over and that was the day I met Chris and Christie. They had room three available. I ended up staying an extra week, I’d only planned a few days but I got such a good reception I just wanted to hang around. For the next week they cooked, we had wonderful dinners with great, enlightening conversation, poetry and songs. I found it a really fertile place to write and ended up getting a couple of really good songs out of my visit in room three. Since then I’ve been coming back as much as I can.” Darren Hanlon Natural storyteller Nooka didn’t get a great deal of education. Born in 1955 he spent years working on stations. For the last ten years he’s worked at Bourke District Children’s Services. “Still in pre-school,” he says, “but it’s the best job I’ve ever had.” And the kids love him. Him and his stories. Nooka, the sixth of 11 children, tells a good story. He used to share a bed with two brothers and says he was his mother’s pet. “When an older brother fell out of bed, mum would bash him. When a younger brother fell out of bed, mum would bash him,” Nooka’s story goes. “But if I fell out of bed mum would bash the other two for pushing me out.” “Nooka” Barry James Harris The bush was still in me Born in Orange in 1945, Bob Howarth was the youngest of 13 children. He moved to Sydney when his father died from snake bite. After school he worked in building in Sydney before coming to Bourke to work with a brother. He was 21 then and he’s been in Bourke ever since. “The bush was still in me,” he says, “from the years in Orange.” 9 Ringbarking trees and fencing were some of his station jobs; cotton picking as well. Bob worked in maintenance at the meatworks. “It used to kill seventeen hundred sheep a day, three days a week.” But Bob never wanted to work on the floor. Later, Bob had a job building the rock wall at the Fred Hollows Vision Way on the Dubbo Road. He worked with a team of six, building the walls, collecting the rocks of different sizes and shapes from Mt Oxley. –What is the biggest change you’ve seen in Bourke? –The closure of the meatworks. It went downhill straight away. And it hasn’t recovered. Bob lives at River Gum Lodge now. His wife and two daughters are still in Bourke. Bob Howarth Bob Howarth It’s hot Sallie Irving grew up in Barraba in the New England region of NSW. After six years in Sydney she has been in Bourke since the beginning of 2016, teaching at the Bourke- Walgett School of Distance Education. –What would you tell a Sydney friend about Bourke? –It’s hot. And it’s really friendly. Most of my friends would have no idea what it’s like out here. They think the country starts at Penrith. Sallie Irving 10