Rainbow Serpent Tour - Cairns

Queensland's rainforest and Australia's ancient tribes
Thursday, February 11, 2010

Daily Mail - 28th January '10

Local insight: John Carter meets Aboriginal elder Willie Gordon of Guurbi Tours

In a large tract of land several miles to the north, you will find a huge area of sandstone escarpments, rainforest and scrub which is the ancestral territory of the Guugu-Yimithirr people. They are one of two Aboriginal nations - the Kuku Yalanji is the other - who have lived in the south-east corner of Cape York for tens of thousands of years.

For reasons we needn't dwell on, I wanted to spend some contemplative time in the Australian bush and was lucky enough to spend part of it in the company of Willie Gordon, an elder and storyteller of one of the clans that make up the Guugu-Yimithirr. It was a heartening and humbling experience, for the reality of outback Australia is a world away from the travesty that television presents as a setting for cavorting 'Celebrities'.

Walking with Willie Gordon, listening to his tribal stories, his explanation of ancient rock art and his dissertations on the uses of various shrubs and plants, I came to understand something of the philosophy of the oldest people on the planet.

We talked about all manner of things as the day wore on. Of life and death and destiny and what control we can exercise over the last of that trio.

Willie showed me a plant that, when rubbed between the palms, turns into soap. Another from which drinkable water can be obtained. At his invitation, I tasted a handful of tiny lemon ants and listened to his explanation of how nourishment is provided by them and by a variety of plants and shrubs.

Many of the early settlers died of hunger and thirst when they were surrounded by food and water - if only they had known where to look.

The Cooks QLD Adventure
Thursday, July 02, 2009

The Cooks QLD Adventure

Day 17 - Today we went for a tour of the town and was even more impressed with the general feel of Cooktown.

We looked at the site where Captain Cook beached the Endeavour for repairs and other interesting historical sites. We also went for a walk through the botanical gardens and arranged a guided tour of some local aboriginal rock art with an aboriginal elder, Willie Gordon.

To meet him for the start of the tour, we drove out through the Hopevale aboriginal settlement and watched some of the Cowboys rugby league team having a clinic with the local aboriginal kids.

We met Willie and followed him through the forest in our 4wd’s (about 3 other cars). It was obvious that here was a very friendly and warm person who was keen to share his culture with anyone who is interested.

It was equally clear that he wanted to focus on the kids and so most of his discussion and question was directed at the children. His explanation of the art was fascinating as he tried to explain the aboriginal philosophy/belief system rather than simply showing pictures.

His message was simple but strong and certainly resonated with all of us. The role of the family unit is crucial, man should live in harmony with nature and you need to aim for a calm life with less focus on material things.

He believes many of the problems for both “black and white is the breakdown of family”(Willie said he can refer to black and white with no concern for political correctness).

The time we spent with Willie was very precious and we appreciated the way he related to our children in a way that should have a lasting effect. The still speak fondly of Wille weeks later.