The exhibition is showing this month in Wellington (country NSW), the next little town over from Dubbo where it was exhibited earlier this year and seen by over 18,000 people.
Asher Milgate lives in Coogee. He grew up in Wellington, where his mum is a school teacher at the local primary school.
The exhibition images can be accessed via social media, and there’s a good chance this fine collection of stories and portraits will show in Sydney before too long.
Aunty Joyce Williams was born November 24, 1926. Here’s some of her story:
“A lot of people. Aboriginal. Years ago, they lived on the rivers, on the Bell River where all the market gardens were. They used to come out to the mission in trucks and people would just hop on the trucks and come in.
“One good thing about that, was that it never cost nothing for vegetables. For years, you could take whatever you wanted. I always said that they were part of our survival. Especially the Chinese … they were nice.
“If you needed money for something, you could get it off them and pay them back when you was working in their gardens and they were good. And I reckon they were a part of our survival!
“I enjoyed life all my life. We were living not on the mission, but off the mission out on the Common. My father and my mother, brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews, grandfathers, grandmothers … everyone was happy!”
Joyce remembers living on Nanima with her mother and grandparents. She was born on the mission itself; her Granny May delivered her. Joyce was married in Sydney where the Bangarra Dance Company is situated (in Redfern). Joyce attributes the survival of Aboriginal people in Wellington largely to the opportunity of working for the Chinese Market Gardens on the Bell River.
