Interactions with the locals

Nov 21, 2015

I have had only positive interactions with the Traditional Owners of this land.

Feedback this week from a Federal Government Public Servant called Bob who checks in on remote communities to ensure that the people are happy with the services they are being provided was positive.
Bob said "The people like the "new childcare boss".
I am not comfortable with that name as my role is to mentor the people who use this service so that when my contract is finished, I can walk away and leave the children's services running independently.

However on a more intimate level, the women and children; and even some men that I have daily interactions with now call me Kungka (koonga) which is a name of respect given to older women who are married with children.
Even more pleasing is that my team of women have given me a skin name which means that I am now welcome in their community. I can’t pronounce my skin name or spell it yet but when I can I will post it here.
Yesterday at the pool I had a long conversation (3 minutes) with a very handsome and animated teenage boy who "wants to be on Home and Away".
He admired my bracelet of crystals and I admired his wrist band of the aboriginal flag colors.
He told me that his dreaming animal was a green snake and that his mother gave him that dreaming animal.
He asked me what my dreaming animal was?
I said I would ask my mum and let him know.
He was pretty impressed that I knew what the colors on the Aboriginal Flag symbolised.
He said "you're good whitefella".
Im not sure what that means in the mind of a 13 year old Pintubi male who has not yet gone through men's business but I think it was his way of saying that he like me.

 After a very hot week that has challenged me in many ways (average temperature being 42 since Monday), I still feel that I am really finding my niche here in Kintore.

I am unable to post images of the locals on here but these images also add to me finding my niche here in Kintore

     Magnificent sun sets and

 

     red dust corrugations