Amy Nuggett Australian, Walmajarri, b. 1940

I was born at Karnanganjawutu in Mangala Country. I talk Mangala, Walmajarri, and Juwaliny- Walmajarri. When I was young we travelled to Japirngka to live with my grandfather and grandmother. When I was older we left for Wili, a jila we call living water. We were the middle mob. We picked up the rest of the mob travelling through the sandhill country, jilji. Then we travelled, foot-walking all the way, to Purluwarla. We walked in the moonlight because it was so hot. After leaving Purluwarla we walked to Purrpurn and camped with my grandfather and grandmother. Walka, my mother was there too. Mawukura Jimmy Nerrimah was sent ahead to Kurungal. We followed later and made camp at Lumpu Lumpu. We were waiting for other family members to arrive.

The workers from Cherrabun Station saw a bushfire at Yarrapurlu and thought there must be bushmen there. The police tracked them to Yarrapurlu, chained them up and took them into Cherrabun Station. They were frightened of the police.

We camped one night at Cherrabun Station. Aboriginal people call that place Jukurirri. We went into Fitzroy Crossing to the police station then went back to Cherrabun to work. My father passed away there and then my mother and I went on to Jubilee Station, across the Fitzroy River. From there I went to the Mission School in Fitzroy Crossing. I stayed there until one Christmas I didn’t want to go back. I went to Jubilee Station instead to be with my family and learnt to work, cleaning the manager’s house. We had Saturdays and Sundays off.

One Monday my promised husband came from Gogo Station, Pamarrjarti, to pick me up and we went to live at Gogo. Later we lived at the Bayulu Community, not far from Karnparrmi.