Free Calypso Summer by Jared Thomas Page B

they’re telling us that the wind is pushing this way. In about twenty minutes now the breeze will pick up.’
    â€˜I guess that’s handy if you’re a sailor.’
    â€˜It’s handy if you’re a blackfella wanting to know what’s going on in your country.’
    After thinking for a second about what Uncle Ray was saying, I said, ‘I see what you mean.’
    â€˜Well that’s good because that’s only kindergarten stuff I’m telling you. And you’ve still got to learn the rest of the kindergarten stuff. You need to learn what’s going on above, on and below the munda,’ he said stamping his foot down on the earth. ‘You’ve got to learn how all us mob think and then, maybe, you can start to learn about medicine.’
    Feeling hopeless I said, ‘So when I’m an old fella I might be able to find out about bush medicine then?’
    â€˜It takes a long long time to become clever you know neph, but then again I don’t really know where you’re starting from. I mean what’s your Mum told you about Nukunu things anyway?’
    â€˜She talks about this place a lot. What she used to get up to with everyone. Hunting, fishing and playing games and things. The only reason I know anything about bush medicine is because she’s always saying how good this food and that food is for you and how the old people were real smart, fixing people up with different plants and things.’
    â€˜That’s good she told you that stuff. What she say about us mob, Aunty Janet and me?’
    â€˜Not lots … but good things, just like I said, how she used to have heaps of fun with everyone and grew up happy.’
    â€˜You know what happen with your Mum and Aunty Elsie, hey? Why they moved to the city?’
    â€˜Yeah, they both got sick.’
    â€˜That what your Mum told you?’
    I nodded.
    â€˜She didn’t tell you anything else?’
    â€˜Nothing, just that she was sick and had to go to the city to get fixed up.’
    â€˜Your Mum and Elsie just had runny noses when they was taken away. Well a little more than that, flu maybe, but they was strong girls. Twelve or thirteen and Elsie not much older when they left. See that’s what they used to do in those days.’
    â€˜Who?’ I asked confused.
    â€˜The authorities, the so-called Aboriginal protectors,’ Uncle Ray answered before spitting into the fire. ‘They told your grandmother they were taking Audrey and Elsie to get fixed up. Thing is, they never meant to bring them back. They just kept them in that home there with all the other black kids so that they couldn’t mix with their mob. That’s why your Mum’s got the shits with us, because the whitefellas told her not to like her own mob. And because she reckons we abandoned her maybe. But I know that your grandmother was always trying to get Audrey and Elsie back, they just wouldn’t let her get them.’
    â€˜I don’t think Mum’s angry with anyone, least she hasn’t said anything to me.’
    â€˜Yeah, she’s angry … that’s why she don’t visit us no more.’
    â€˜Nah … I reckon she’d be here tomorrow if she could but we ain’t got no car no more. Not since Dad died.’
    â€˜True, that’s why she ain’t been ’ere?’
    â€˜Yep.’
    â€˜Hmmmm,’ said Uncle Ray before picking up his guitar, straightening up his cowboy hat, and then strumming the Rolling Stones’ ‘Beast of Burden’.
    Â°Â°Â°
    When it was time to leave Aunty Janet’s, I didn’t want to go, even though Vic was giving me a hard time and no one was telling mewhat I wanted to know ... Everyone came out the front yard when we were packing into Bruce’s Toyota Landcruiser. Aunty Janet gave me a wicked big hug. Even Uncle Edward and Joseph who sat on the veranda raised their hands to say goodbye. As I jumped into