Free No Sugar by Jack Davis Page B

up a rabbit trap and inspects it. He is pleased with it and they walk off.
SCENE TWO
    A street in Northam, day. JOE and MARY carry their swag, billy can and the rabbit trap. SERGEANT CARROL approaches.
    SERGEANT : Hey… You’re one of the Millimurras, aren’t you?… Joe?
    JOE : Yeah.
    SERGEANT : What are you doin’ back in Northam?
    JOE : We’re livin’ here.
    SERGEANT : Who’s this?
    JOE : Me missus.
    SERGEANT : Where are you staying?
    JOE : Not at the Shamrock, that’s for sure!
    SERGEANT : You can’t camp at Government Well.
    JOE : What did you burn everything for?
    SERGEANT : We’re simply following orders.
    JOE : What, to burn a push bike? I thought you were meant to look after our stuff till we come back.
    SERGEANT : Look! I don’t know nothing about no push bike.
    JOE : What about rations?
    SERGEANT : I can’t help you there. Since all the natives have shifted out, Northam is no longer a ration depot.
    JOE : We never shifted out, we was booted out. Anyway, what happened to the horses?
    SERGEANT : They were in terrible nick. We had to shoot one, the other one’s down at Martin’s, I think.
    JOE : Trust him to grab one.
    SERGEANT : He didn’t grab it, it just wandered onto his property.
    MARY grabs JOE ’s sleeve and tries to lead him away.
    MARY : Come on, Joe!
    SERGEANT : Where’s the rest of your lot? Not here, I hope.
    JOE : You oughta know where they are, you dragged ’em there.
    SERGEANT : All right, all right. Look, I don’t care where they are so long as they’re not here. Just make yourself scarce and don’t go campin’ anywhere you’re not s’posed to be—and that includes Government Well.
    JOE : Yeah, you made sure of that!
    The policeman exits. JOE watches him go. MARY tugs at him and they exit.
SCENE THREE
    Northam Police Station, day. SERGEANT CARROL enters. At the Protector of Aborigines’ Office, Perth, MISS DUNN steps in briskly and settles to typing. SERGEANT CARROL picks up the phone.
    SERGEANT : Hello. Hello, operator, a Perth number: B-M-nine-seven-oh-seven. Nine-seven-oh-seven. Yes, thanks Sybil, can’t complain. Yourself?
    He hangs up as MR NEVILLE enters his office, carrying a briefcase.
    NEVILLE : Good morning, Miss Dunn. You’re bright and early.
    MISS DUNN : Good morning, Mr Neville. I thought I’d get a few pages of your Royal Commission submission typed before the telephone starts for the day.
    Her telephone rings. She answers it.
    Hello, Aborigines Department… yes… [ To NEVILLE ] It’s Sergeant Carrol, Northam.
    The phone rings in the police station. SERGEANT CARROL answers it.
    NEVILLE : Thank you. Would you mind having a look at the mail when you have a moment?
    NEVILLE goes to his desk and takes the call. MISS DUNN hangs up.
    SERGEANT : Hello, Northam Police. Hello.
    NEVILLE : Hello. Hello, Sergeant. Neville, Aborigines.
    SERGEANT : Hello.
    NEVILLE : Hello, Sergeant. Are you on the line?
    SERGEANT : Hello, Mr Neville. It’s a crook line.
    NEVILLE : There’s an appalling cracking noise, but I can hear you. Did you find out how many—
    SERGEANT : [ interrupting ] As far as I can ascertain, the only natives here are Joe Millimurra and girl who he claims is his wife—Mary, I think. They’re not actually camped in the town.
    NEVILLE : Dargurru.
    SERGEANT : Pardon?
    NEVILLE : The girl. Mary Dargurru. Rhymes with kangaroo. D-A-R-G-U-double R-U.
    The SERGEANT fumbles for a pencil and writes on the desk.
    SERGEANT :… Double R, U. Yeah… Haven’t had any bother with them. Millimurra’s working at Lockyers, they’re not collecting rations.
    NEVILLE : Well, I’ve had two letters from the Town Clerk. The Council’s still adamant that no natives remain in the Northam area.
    SERGEANT : I know, I had a yarn with the Town Clerk last week; they’re putting something into this Royal Commission, apparently.
    NEVILLE : Well,