Scorching hot day requiring long hours on the bike. There was one town 30 or 40km in and I decided not to stop as I had plenty of food in the morning and was in a good rhythm on the bike. It was the most amount of straight km's I've done on the trip so far without stopping. It was very hot so when I pulled into town I was very relieved. The first thing I did was drink two powerades from the supermarket. I drank one, put the other in a freezer and then drank that before I even purchased them. The lady had a strange look on her face when I went through the checkout with two empty bottles...
As soon as I pulled into town I noticed a descent Aboriginal presence. The fellas in Pt Pirie informed me there would be more presence here, and also "to be careful" because of it. This statement didn't bother me but I was certainly interested about the presence in town, so was sort of looking out for it. Riding through the streets I saw the Wadlata cultural centre, looking similar to a cultural in Gariwerd (Grampians) region. The Gariwerd centre is great, so I instantly decided this is something I should check out. I went in and realised they closed in 45minutes. I thought this time would be insufficient so I decided it would be better to have a rest day and take a good look tomorrow.
As I left the centre I thought it would be a good idea to get in a quick swim, before I'd head off to find a camp site. As I pulled into town the water smelt putrid, as a result from local industry, so I wasn't keen on swimming in the waters on the outskirts. I asked a few locals and got told to head down towards the bridge in Pt Augusta. As I was riding there I rode past a park area where a family of Aboriginal people were sitting. I gave them a wave and heard them say something amongst themselves. I couldn't quite understand them but as the path was quite curvy I casually cruised past. They then saw the Aboriginal flag dangling on the back of my bike and gave me a good wave and shouted something out. I pulled up the bike not far away and jumped in for a swim. A few minutes later the Aboriginal family was walking over. There were perhaps 5 children from 5 to 14 years old and one man, looking maybe 30. They jumped in the water close to where I was and then said something that I couldn't understand. I said "Sorry, I couldn't hear what you said" they then repeat the same thing but again I couldn't really understand. As they were swimming off one of the kids said "You playing??". I wasn't sure what they were doing but thought bugger it I'll join in and hopefully learn a bit more about where they're from. I ended up figuring out what it was they were playing. It was a game called "Courties". Almost sounding like an aboriginal word the way they say it, but related to the fact the games about catching the other person (sort of like 'your it'). This was played out on a pontoon board out in the water so we could dive off and swim and chase the others and so on.
I found out they were Pintjarra people, from the Alice Springs area in N.T. The language they spoke was Pintjarra and the younger ones could speak both Pintjarra and also English, or mix of pigeon and broken English. I am pretty certain the older fella didn't speak English, as he didn't say anything in English, but also reluctant to talk to me in the few hours that we played. The only time he started speaking was after I started asking how to say things in Pintjarra to the children. I asked what "warrabella" meant or a word that sounded similar to that. It was the only thing I was referred to during the time we played courties. It was explained "wadjella" meant white fella in Pintjarra. The older bloke explained in his quiet and humble voice "Wadjella, sort've sound like white fella". After this interaction tension dropped a little and we interacted more in the game we were playing. I told them my name and I was no longer wadjella but now Jamie.
Around 3 and a half hours later I decided I should shoot off to find a camp ground. I was also getting quite cold. I kept looking at the others and realising they weren't going to stop anytime soon. It came across that they definitely had nothing else on that would be deemed more important. This feeling made me want to stay longer as I realised nothing is more important than times like these. It was here I could realise this type of 'whiteness' coming out in me. The feeling of time and that times to precious to enjoy the one thing for too long. It was like I had to do something else, if you think about we have this type of feeling everyday, you possibly have it now. We played from 5pm until 8:30pm so it felt like I should be having dinner or something. I wasn't hungry, it was a very beautiful place, beautiful swimming and unbelievably fun playing together. Despite this it was as if my brain was programmed to get going somewhere. I really had nothing to worry about but I kept having this feeling I needed to go somewhere. It reminded me of the mainstream society in the cities, racing home in there cars from work only to get inside and watch television. Admittedly I did have to find a place to stay, but I knew there was a caravan park and could've sorted that out later. After a while I forced my self to say goodbye. When I left they all asked if I was coming back tomorrow, giving me the feeling they were sad I was leaving. I explained that I would, yet thinking they will probably forget me by tomorrow anyway. They all waved an shouted "See ya tomorrow Jamie!!"
I rode off as the sun set to head into the camp site. I had to ride over the bridge and this was a very spectacular view. I could see all the Pintjarra kids, perhaps the darkest Aboriginal people I've seen, diving and swimming in the water. It was obvious to see these kids belonged to the land. In this this situation I felt sad and very sorry to those from the stolen generation. The children that missed out on this upbringing. I particularly had a thought for my old lecturer, a white fella who was an Aboriginal man of Pintjarra descent. It gave me a very happy feeling that these kids were still active in language and culture, out here appreciating every bit of it. Definitely not what other westernised kids in most parts of the globe are doing today..
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