Maralinga (2009)
“In the good seasons, those when drought does not threaten, it is a spring pilgrimage of theirs to gather with others at Ooldea. Ngangala’s wife, Pantjiti, likes to socialise and she believes it is good for the children. Nantji is ten now, a raucous boy who enjoys the company of other raucous boys; and six-year-old Minna, who has a tendency to shyness, can only benefit from contact with those her own age.
Several times over the past two days they have seen white men in trucks, but they have not ...felt threatened. They have seen white men before as they have skirted missions and towns, and the children are, by now, as adept as their parents at merging with the landscape. But Ngangala and Pantjiti have wondered what the white men are doing out here, so far away from the comfort of their towns. The white men are strangers to the desert.
It is late in the afternoon on this seventh day of their travels that they see the smoke signal. It is preceded by a white flash that lights up the sky. At first, Ngangala and Pantjiti take this to be lightning.MoreLess
Several times over the past two days they have seen white men in trucks, but they have not ...felt threatened. They have seen white men before as they have skirted missions and towns, and the children are, by now, as adept as their parents at merging with the landscape. But Ngangala and Pantjiti have wondered what the white men are doing out here, so far away from the comfort of their towns. The white men are strangers to the desert.
It is late in the afternoon on this seventh day of their travels that they see the smoke signal. It is preceded by a white flash that lights up the sky. At first, Ngangala and Pantjiti take this to be lightning.MoreLess
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