by Jack Davis
JOE doesn’t move.
Get movin’!
JOE: I’m not walkin’ in front of you.
CONSTABLE: Why not?
JOE: You’re not the sort of bloke I want to turn me back to.
They walk off slowly, side by side.
SCENE FIVE
AUBER OCTAVIUS NEVILLE, groomed and dressed smartly, addresses the Royal Western Australian Historical Society. Behind him is a portrait of the King, the Union Jack and the Western Australian flag. He nears the end of a long speech.
NEVILLE: Ladies and gentlemen of the Historical Society, it has been a great privilege and pleasure to address you here tonight at a time when, with Mr Mosley’s Royal Commission, the welfare of our Aboriginal and coloured folk is somewhat more than usually in the public arena. If I may beg your indulgence for a few more minutes, I shall conclude with a brief word about those early years when that little band of pioneers, fewer than one hundred souls, led by Captain Stirling, laid anchor in the Swan River, little knowing that they faced in the fertile valleys of the South-West alone some thirteen thousand savages. Stirling’s first acts was to issue a proclamation regarding the treatment of the native inhabitants.
He reads:
‘And whereas the protection of the law doth of right belong to all people whatsoever who may come or be found within the territory aforesaid, I do hereby give notice that if any person or persons shall be, convicted of behaving in a fraudulent, cruel, or felonious manner towards the aboriginal race of inhabitants of this country, such a person or persons will be liable to be prosecuted and tried for the offence as if the same had been committed against any others of His Majesty’s subjects.’ In the same proclamation, all male persons between the ages of fifteen and fifty were required to enrol in the militia, to secure the safety of the territory from invasion and from the attacks of hostile native tribes as might be necessary.
Pause.
From the beginning the natives provided the settlers with bush food and assisted exploring parties, and a happy relationship between settlers and blacks continued for some eighteen months. The newcomers were yet to impress the blacks with the significance of their invasion. In November of that year, an Aborigine was shot while stealing flour. That was the beginning of the end. Constant pressure from the whites drove back the erstwhile native inhabitants, depriving them of their water and food supplies. Naturally enough, the bolder spirits among the blacks resented this, and we cannot wonder that the murder of isolated whites occurred during this period, with a heavy toll of black life being exacted in reprisal. On the twenty-seventh of October, 1834, Governor Stirling led a detachment of soldiers and civilians to the Murray River at Pinjarra. In the early morning they came across a camp of some sixty or seventy natives. The detachment took up positions on both sides of the river. Rain, which had been threatening for some time, began to fall heavily. The party opened fire and more natives appeared from shelters. The men defended themselves with spears, while the women and children sought shelter in the river. For one hour they were subjected to crossfire from twenty-four guns from both banks. The official estimate was fifteen to twenty dead, but only eight women and several children were finally rounded up.
He pauses and takes a drink of water.
One more word and I shall have finished. When referring to Australia’s treatment of her Aborigines we are apt to refer somewhat scathingly to Tasmania’s harshness in ridding herself of her natives within the first seventy years of settlement. In that time some six thousand natives disappeared and only one was left alive. Yet here, in the south-west of our State, within an area about twice the size of Tasmania between 1829 and 1901 seventy-two years—a people estimated to number thirteen thousand were reduced to one thousand four hundred and nineteen, of whom nearly half were half-caste.
END OF ACT THREE
ACT FOUR, MOORE RIVER
SCENE ONE
Moore River outdoor Sunday School, a hot day. SISTER EILEEN, CISSIE and TOPSY sit in a group. SISTER EILEEN is telling a story from memory. Next to her are several sheets of paper.
SISTER: After the shepherds had visited the baby Jesus in the manger, Mary and Joseph and the Holy Jesus had three very special visitors. Can anyone tell me who they were?
TOPSY: The Three Wise Men, Sister Eileen.
SISTER: Yes, very good, Topsy. And the Three Wise Men brought the Holy Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But on the way to visit Jesus the Three Wise Men spoke to the King of Judea. Who can tell me the name of the King of Judea?
TOPSY’s hand goes up.
Well, do you know, Cissie?
CISSIE: No, Sister.
SISTER: Topsy, can you tell us?
TOPSY: King Herod, Sister.
CISSIE notices DAVID enter at a distance. BILLY enters behind DAVID and sees him.
SISTER: That’s right, King Herod. And when the Three Wise Men heard that a Saviour was born to be King of the Jews, he wasn’t pleased at all, because he was king and he didn’t want any other king. So what did he do? Can anybody tell me?
BILLY puts a hand on DAVID’s shoulder. CISSIE puts up her hand.
BILLY: Eh, boy, where you goin’?
DAVID: Swimmin’.
SISTER: [surprised] Yes, Cecilia.
BILLY belts DAVID on the legs with his whip.
CISSIE: Look, Sister Eileen, look.
BILLY: [to DAVID] You s’posed to be Chunday School. Gudeeah waitin’ for you.
TOPSY: Billy Kimberley’s belting one of the boys.
BILLY: [to DAVID] Now you git to Sunday School, straight away now, git, git, git.
CISSIE: It’s David.
She jumps up and picks up a stone, and runs to DAVID.
SISTER: Cecilia, wait. Cecilia!
SISTER EILEEN jumps up and runs after her.
CISSIE: You leave him alone, old man.
SISTER: Billy, Billy!
CISSIE prepares to throw the stone.
Cecilia, don’t you dare!
She grabs CISSIE’s arm.
Billy, what are you hitting that boy for?
BILLY: Him cheeky fella, missus. He goin’ swimmin’, don’t wanna go Chunday school. He bad boy, that one.
SISTER: All right, Billy, but we don’t hit people to make them do God’s will.
DAVID: [to BILLY] Black crow, black crow.
SISTER: David, that’s enough of that! Come on, now.
BILLY: [to DAVID] You bad boy.
He exits.
SISTER: Did he hurt you?
DAVID: I’m all right.
CISSIE: Rotten stinkin’ mongrel.
SISTER: That’s enough! David, in one way it’s your own fault.
DAVID: It’s not.
SISTER: If you’d been at Sunday School that wouldn’t have happened, so remember that… All right, now where were we?
She gives DAVID a humbug and they go back to the others.
TOPSY: King Herod, Sister Eileen.
SISTER: Now, King Herod was very angry and very wicked and you know what he did? He ordered his soldiers to kill every first-born baby boy under two years old. So Mary and Joseph didn’t want them to kill the baby Jesus, so they had to flee from Bethlehem. They wrapped the baby in a blanket and crept away in the middle of the night. They travelled all night and by sunrise they were far away and safe.
TOPSY: Where did they go, Sister?
SISTER: They went to Egypt until King Herod died and there was a new King of Judea. And then they returned to Jesus’ home in Nazareth, where Jesus grew up to be a man. Now wasn’t that a splendid story? Did you like it, David?
DAVID: S’all right.
SISTER EILEEN hands out a sheet of paper to each.
SISTER: Now, here are the hymn sheets for today. It’s a hymn I’m sure you all know, and want you to sing in your very best voice, because this is the hymn we’ll be singing for Mr Neville in the Australia Day celebrations.
ALL: [singing]
There is a happy land,
Far, far
away,
Where saints in glory stand,
Bright, bright as day:
Oh, how they sweetly sing,
‘Worthy is our Saviour King!’
Loud, let His praises ring,
Praise, praise for aye!
Bright in that happy land,
Beams every eye:
Kept by a Father’s hand
Love cannot die.
Oh, then, to glory run,
Be a Crown and Kingdom won
And, bright above the sun,
Reign, reign for aye!
Amen.
They gather around for their humbugs. DAVID holds out his hand.
CISSIE: You’ve already had one.
DAVID: Shut up.
SISTER EILEEN gives him a humbug.
SCENE TWO
The Superintendent’s Office, Moore River, day. MR NEAL reads at his desk. MATRON enters while BILLY and MARY, now very pregnant, wait outside.
MATRON: She’s here.
NEAL: Dargurru?
MATRON: Yes.
NEAL: Oh, good. Aren’t you needed down the hospital?
MATRON: Just remember, that girl is pregnant, and unwell.
NEAL: Don’t worry, I won’t touch her.
MATRON exits.
NEAL: Billy? Billy?
BILLY: Yes, boss.
NEAL: Bring her in.
BILLY brings MARY into the office.
You wait, all right? Don’t go walkabout.
BILLY goes outside to wait.
Dargurru, you finally got caught, eh? And you got yourself pregnant? Well, you’ll be all right here. You can stay in the nurses’ quarters.
MARY: No, I wanta stay with Joe’s Mum and Dad.
NEAL: Don’t be stupid, girl: you’re meant to be pregnant and sick, so you can stay in the nurses’ quarters and do a bit of light work in the hopsital.
MARY: I don’t want to work in the hospital.
NEAL: You’ll work where I think fit, digging graves if I say so.
MARY: I’m not gunna work in the hospital.
NEAL: You’ll do as I say, do you understand?
MARY: No.
NEAL: So you intend to defy me, do you? Billy!
He takes the cat-o’-nine-tails from his desk.
Do you know what that is?
BILLY enters.
MARY: I don’t care. You can belt me if you like, I’m not workin’ in the hospital.
BILLY: Boss talkin’ to you.
MARY: Go to hell!
BILLY: Don’t be cheeky, now.
NEAL: [to MARY] What did you say?
Silence.
BILLY: Boss talkin’ to you.
NEAL: What— did— you— say?
MARY: Go to hell! Fuck youse!
NEAL: Millimurra seems to have learnt her well. Well, I’m going to unlearn you.
NEAL grabs her. BILLY holds her outstretched over a pile of flour bags. NEAL raises the cat-o’-nine-tails. Blackout. A scream.
SCENE THREE
Long Pool Camp, Moore River. MILLY sorts clothes for washing. SAM and JIMMY drink tea. GRAN sits in the shade. MILLY looks up as MARY enters.
MILLY: Mary! Oh, gawd, Mary…
MILLY runs to her, takes the flour and helps her to the camp.
Come on, Mary, sit down.
MARY sits painfully.
You all right?
MARY: Yeah.
The others gather around as MILLY carefully lifts the back of MARY’s galatea blouse to reveal huge welts. GRAN fetches some medicinal leaves.
SAM: Oh, my gawd.
JIMMY: The bastard. I’ll kill him.
GRAN: Ne’mine, ne’mine, put these jeerung meear on your back. Fix up quick and make you better.
MILLY: Baby all right?
MARY: Yeah. He’s kickin’ like a Kimberley camel.
SAM: I think we better take her to the hospital.
MARY: No. No, I’m not goin’ to no hospital. I’ll die first.
MILLY: But you’ll have to go to have the baby.
MARY: No, I’m havin’ it ’ere. I can ’ave it ’ere, can’t I?
GRAN: You can have it right ’ere, darlin’. I brought Joe into this world and, by crikey, I’ll bring his baby.
The sound of the shrill voices of DAVID and CISSIE are heard, off.
DAVID and CISSIE: [together] Mum, Dad…
The kids run on. DAVID carries a letter.
CISSIE: Mary, a letter from Brother Joe.
MARY takes the letter and reads.
DAVID: Willy Knapp give it to me. He just came back from gaol, and Joe give it to him.
CISSIE: Gave it to him, not ‘give’.
DAVID: That’s what I said.
CISSIE: Nyummi.
DAVID:… Give it him to gave to youse so Mr Neal wouldn’t read it and tear it up or something.
JIMMY: Bastard reads everybody’s mail.
MILLY: How is he?
MARY: Good, reckons the tucker’s all right. Here, you read it, Cissie.
CISSIE takes the letter and reads in silence.
DAVID: Out loud, nyummi!
CISSIE: ‘I’m giving this to Willie to give to youse ’coz if…’
Pause.
[Spelling] ‘F-U-C-K F-A-C-E gets it, he’ll most likely tear it up. How is everyone? Mum and Dad and Gran and the kids and Uncle Jimmy… And my little brother and sister? But really, how are you and the baby? I’ve only got eight weeks to go and I’m counting them days, every one of them. We are getting married when I get out. If the Aborigines Department give us permission. I am going to ask Mister Neville myself. I’d sooner we got married at New Norcia like Mum and Dad. Though I ain’t really a Catholic. You know, I don’t know what you are, I forgot to ask you. It not too bad here, plenty of Nyoongahs and some from up North. Tucker’s not too bad, better than the Settlement. At least they don’t give us bread and fat, and we get real ‘bacca, not nigger twist. Tell Willy to behave himself now he’s out and not to go hitting any more policemen. Well, darling, I’ll close.
CISSIE sniggers.
‘I love you and I think of you day and night.’
She laughs.
‘I even dream about you. Lots of love and kisses to you and Baby. Joe.’
MILLY: Come on, Mary, you come and lie down.
SCENE FOUR
The Superintendent’s Office, Moore River. MR NEAL works at his desk. SISTER EILEEN approaches and knocks. He ignores it. She knocks again.
NEAL: Who is it?
SISTER: Me, Sister Eileen.
He continues working, head down. SISTER EILEEN enters the office.
Matron said you wanted to see me.
NEAL: Yeah.
He continues working. Pause.
Yeah, now… Australia Day, the ceremony. Mr Neville likes to have the agenda in advance. I’d like you to say a few words yourself and an appropriate hymn.
SISTER: We’ve been practising ‘There Is a Happy Land’… I thought it would be…
NEAL: Good.
SISTER: I thought it might be nice if Mr Neville announced the hymn.
NEAL: Yeah, all right. What was it again?
SISTER: ‘There Is a Happy Land’.
NEAL writes it down and shuffles his papers. He ignores her.
Pause.
Is that all, Mr Neal?
NEAL: Just a moment… There’s another matter I’d like to discuss with you. I believe you’ve been lending books—novels—to some of the natives.
SISTER: Yes, I have.
NEAL: There’s a sort of unofficial directive on this; it’s the sort of thing which isn’t encouraged by the Department.
SISTER: What do you mean? That you don’t encourage the natives to read?
NEAL: That’s right.
SISTER: [incredulously] But why? I’d intended to ask your permission to start a small library.
NEAL: I’m sorry, Sister, but—
SISTER: [interrupting] It won’t cost the Department a penny, I can get the books donated. Good b
ooks.
NEAL: It’s quite out of the question.
SISTER: But why?
NEAL: Look, my experience with natives in South Africa and here has taught—led me to believe that there’s a lot of wisdom in the old adage that ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing’.
SISTER: I can’t believe what you’re saying.
NEAL: Look Sister, I’ve got a big mob here, over seven hundred—you know that—and there’s enough troublemakers without giving them ideas.
SISTER: But Mr Neal—
NEAL: [interrupting] I don’t think there’s anything more to be said on the subject.
SISTER: Well, I’d like to say something on another subject.
NEAL: Yes?
SISTER: The use of violence by your native policemen to enforce attendance at my religious instruction classes.
NEAL: If I didn’t make attendance compulsory, you’d have none of them there.
SISTER: I’d prefer that they come of their own free will.
NEAL: Look, Sister, if you’re not happy here, I could arrange a transfer for you to another settlement; perhaps Mulla Bulla, on the edge of the Gibson Desert.
She goes to leave, but stops by the door.
SISTER: Getting back to the books, what do you classify the Bible as?
She exits.
NEAL: [To himself] Bloody do-gooders.
SCENE FIVE
Moore River Native Settlement, Australia Day, 1934, a very hot afternoon. MR NEVILLE, MR NEAL and MATRON are seated on a dais. BILLY KIMBERLEY and BLUEY, dressed in new but absurdly ill-fitting uniforms, stand beside a flag pole with a flag furled ready to raise. SISTER EILEEN addresses the assembled population of the settlement, including the Millimurra family. JOE is still absent.
SISTER: It gives me great pleasure to be with you all on this very special day, when we gather together to pledge our allegiance to the King and to celebrate the birth of this wonderful young country that we are so fortunate to be living in. We must remember today not just our country and King, but the King of kings, the Prince of princes, and to give thanks to God for what He has provided for us because our sustenance in life is provided by Him. Even we here today, Mr Neal, Matron Neal and myself, are but His humble servants, sent by Him to serve your needs. The Lord Jesus Christ has sent His servant, Mr Neville, Chief Protector of Aborigines, to speak to us on this special day. Mr Neville is going to say a few words before leading us in a song of praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
