Narlene Waddaman (dec.)

‘It's good painting. It's relaxing. I like painting with my sister, Selena. We grew up together in Strelley.’

“We grew up everywhere, everywhere. We born in Port Hedland. Narlene [and I were both] born in Port Hedland in the Native hospital. We both born there, near Koombana [lookout], and they used to have Moorgunyah Hostel near it. They split the hospital and we were born in the Native hospital... Then we lived in 2 Mile, that’s in Nelson Point in Port Hedland, it used to be a government reserve long time [ago], before they built that railway line and that’s the reason they had to move us to 3 Mile [Tjalka Boorda]. That’s why we end up moving, stayed there for a while.

Mum and dad took us everywhere, [from] Yandeyarra to the stations. That’s how we grew up, stations and yandying tin in Marble Bar, we both know how to do it. You could make big money with that black mineral, it’s like a black little rock, and anyway from there we moved to lot of stations; Limestone, Hillside, Balfour Downs -that’s right in the desert. Whenever there’s jobs come in, the stations, they used to take it and take us to those places... 

We used to go fishing for river fish when we were at the stations, we got a lot of hunting, swimming. We had good fun you know? We had to think, you know, because there was no phones in those days. Just radio, listen to radio sometimes, and when we came to 12 Mile that’s when Narlene got sick but we used to go out fishing, go for a drive. We were close out there, like in our family we never been separated. Not like now.

Me and Narlene and [our sister] Sandra, even [our brother] Darryl, Darryl used to make a pile of heap of mineral and my dad used to handle a little bit. He was learning, we used to do the rest, me and mum, Narlene and Sandra. We used to use a pick and shovel to get that dirt with mineral, and the boys used to clunk it and... hold it like that to get the dust out. Had to get the dust out. [There was] Only little shade to sit to yandy that tin. I wish we had had a camera or something to record it at that time, to see it you know, for our young generation... But you know we was only kids then.

Nanna used to take us hunting for goannas. Yeah, when we was in 3 Mile and everywhere... My nanna you know, she’s a lady from the desert and she can’t hardly speak English, and she don’t know any whitefella’s rules. She used to track that goanna, little goanna, to their [whitefella's] fence, and if he jumped over the fence and be in their yard she used to jump over and get it in the backyard even if that man [was in] in there. She didn’t know it was trespassing. She did it anyway, following until she find that goanna and kill it and bring it back home and cook it. We was there in his yard, and we didn’t even know that 'cause we never been in trouble, but our grandmother was taking us to get in trouble. We had a kangaroo dog out in the bush, a greyhound. We had two. We used to take them, and they would find turkey too. It was really good.

That young fella, you may know him? Desmond Taylor. We grew up together in that station in Balfour Downs. [He's] uncle Minyawe’s (Minyawe Miller) nephew. We one mob that mob. Minyawe is our uncle from mum’s side. They speak the same language, come from the same Country, Karlamilyi (Rudall River). That’s what mum and our nanna used to tell us. Bidyadanga, that’s dad’s Country. When they had a strike, before they wasn’t allowed to come to the Pilbara, but they had a big strike to come to Pilbara and that’s what they did. When dad came in that strike, ... in one of those strikes he came down and he met mum. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have met 'cause they wasn’t allowed here, but because of that strike they came down to the Pilbara.

- Narlene Waddaman and her older sister Tabarena Waddaman