Barka: The Forgotten River Stop 15 of 21

Aunty Ngearie

NC: My name is Ngearie Cattamol. I was born here in Wilcannia in 1940 and I’ve lived on the river all my life. I’ve had plenty of water and that. But now there seems to be no water here now, where it's sorta drying out. It's above us why they’re taking all the water.

KC: You’re living on the Darling River and you’re drinking bore water.

NC: Yeah, we’re drinking bore water now, we’re not drinking river water.

KC: My name is Kevin Cattamol, married to Ngearie, an Aboriginal Wilcannia girl. I come here in ‘56 when the river was in flood, in big flood, which had the Cobar Road cut off for 9 months. But since the government has let Cubby station go ahead in QLD.

NC: Everyone’s in, taking water.

KC: Everybody’s taking water. They’re killing the little towns off. Menindee there used to be a great you know, a lot of food in Menindee. You’d always get a job down there at harvesting time with that bloody grapes and everything. Now there's nothing. Wilcannia was the 3rd biggest inland port in Australia, and now we have no water in it. The river boats were running for quite some years now we’ve got nothing.

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Stops in tour

Stop 1
Agri/Culture
Listen to Uncle Badger Bates discuss how the Barkandji people have lived and thrived along the river using sustainable land management practices and being guided by culture.
Stop 2
Two Ngatyi
We say that the Ngatyi, the rainbow serpent there's two of em - a male and female - they will look after us and we believe in the Ngaty: they there to protect us.
Stop 3
Hands on Country
That’s why we put the hand - to say this is ours.
Stop 4
No More Catfish
This was in my childhood the fish was in there and when they started mucking with the river, the catfish went and the mussels went.
Stop 5
Steamer Point
At Wilcannia, where this river frontage is, there's a place called Steamer Point and that’s where the river dries up.
Stop 6
Kirra
We got our peoples occupation for 30,000 years, they was here at Lake Menindee and they hunted around these areas.
Stop 7
Brolgas are Family
Brolgas would come up and dance around them and want some of the plants... it was easy for the human to dig the plant and feed the animal than the animal have to get it, and that’s when you say they are family.
Stop 8
Life Coming Back to Moon Lake
The lake near Wilcannia, Lake Woytchugga: Uncle Badger Bates calls it ‘moon lake’ or Bychutka. Bychutka means the moon.
Stop 9
Warrego Karampara
That’s the story about the Brolgas, if you watch them they’ll do things... And karampara means corroboree.
Stop 10
All Acknowledgement, No Authority
To me they may as well take that Native Title rights - it means nothing.
Stop 11
Lore Keepers
The plants what're being protected and they're finding endangered plants, our people protected those because they was related to them...
Stop 12
Mission Mob, Bend Mob
When I was a reared up, old granny she didn't like living in the mission, we'd all just build a tin hut and live on the bend of the river.
Stop 13
In our Veins
Even though my other two mothers are gone now, I still got a mother there - the Barka - so I gotta protect that until I go.
Stop 14
Uncle Badger
How can we, the Barkandji people, teach our culture and our knowledge about the Ngatji and all that, the Rainbow Serpent, when there's no water in the river?
Stop 15
Aunty Ngearie
I was born here in Wilcannia in 1940 and I’ve lived on the river all my life.
Stop 16
Denis Wilson 'Crow'
A poem about the river of life.
Stop 17
Aunty Mon
My people are the Barkandji people. When I was a child... I was taught the traditional ways and stories of my people.
Stop 18
Uncle Waddy
The river is very important to us all the people that lives on the river, and our water is supposed to have been shared by Mother Nature, but it’s not going that way.
Stop 19
Aunty June
We've lived here all our life in Wilcannia and it’s sad to see the river how it is today. We never seen the river this bad.
Stop 20
Darren Whyman 'Horse'
My name is Darren Whyman, better known as ‘Horse’. My tribe is the Barkandji people which mean ‘river people’.
Stop 21
Tammy King
When I reflect on the river, I think about my grandmother Elsie Jones, how she would keep us in touch with nature and culture. Telling of our connections to country and creation stories like the Falling Star.

Stop 1
Agri/Culture
Listen to Uncle Badger Bates discuss how the Barkandji people have lived and thrived along the river using sustainable land management practices and being guided by culture.
Stop 2
Two Ngatyi
We say that the Ngatyi, the rainbow serpent there's two of em - a male and female - they will look after us and we believe in the Ngaty: they there to protect us.
Stop 3
Hands on Country
That’s why we put the hand - to say this is ours.
Stop 4
No More Catfish
This was in my childhood the fish was in there and when they started mucking with the river, the catfish went and the mussels went.
Stop 5
Steamer Point
At Wilcannia, where this river frontage is, there's a place called Steamer Point and that’s where the river dries up.
Stop 6
Kirra
We got our peoples occupation for 30,000 years, they was here at Lake Menindee and they hunted around these areas.
Stop 7
Brolgas are Family
Brolgas would come up and dance around them and want some of the plants... it was easy for the human to dig the plant and feed the animal than the animal have to get it, and that’s when you say they are family.
Stop 8
Life Coming Back to Moon Lake
The lake near Wilcannia, Lake Woytchugga: Uncle Badger Bates calls it ‘moon lake’ or Bychutka. Bychutka means the moon.
Stop 9
Warrego Karampara
That’s the story about the Brolgas, if you watch them they’ll do things... And karampara means corroboree.
Stop 10
All Acknowledgement, No Authority
To me they may as well take that Native Title rights - it means nothing.
Stop 11
Lore Keepers
The plants what're being protected and they're finding endangered plants, our people protected those because they was related to them...
Stop 12
Mission Mob, Bend Mob
When I was a reared up, old granny she didn't like living in the mission, we'd all just build a tin hut and live on the bend of the river.
Stop 13
In our Veins
Even though my other two mothers are gone now, I still got a mother there - the Barka - so I gotta protect that until I go.
Stop 14
Uncle Badger
How can we, the Barkandji people, teach our culture and our knowledge about the Ngatji and all that, the Rainbow Serpent, when there's no water in the river?
Stop 15
Aunty Ngearie
I was born here in Wilcannia in 1940 and I’ve lived on the river all my life.
Stop 16
Denis Wilson 'Crow'
A poem about the river of life.
Stop 17
Aunty Mon
My people are the Barkandji people. When I was a child... I was taught the traditional ways and stories of my people.
Stop 18
Uncle Waddy
The river is very important to us all the people that lives on the river, and our water is supposed to have been shared by Mother Nature, but it’s not going that way.
Stop 19
Aunty June
We've lived here all our life in Wilcannia and it’s sad to see the river how it is today. We never seen the river this bad.
Stop 20
Darren Whyman 'Horse'
My name is Darren Whyman, better known as ‘Horse’. My tribe is the Barkandji people which mean ‘river people’.
Stop 21
Tammy King
When I reflect on the river, I think about my grandmother Elsie Jones, how she would keep us in touch with nature and culture. Telling of our connections to country and creation stories like the Falling Star.

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