Family life]]> Aboriginal culture]]> Ecological sustainability]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Diet]]> Fishing nets]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Introduced fishes]]> Droughts]]> Weirs]]> Environmental flows]]> Physical characteristics (Animals)]]> Intensive farming]]> Fishing--Australia]]> Connection to Country]]>
Richard is a Ngiyampaa Aboriginal man residing in Wodonga, Victoria. Born in 1959, Richard grew up on the Lachlan River in central New South Wales with his family and currently works with the Catchment Management Authority (CMA) in the Wodonga area.

In this document, Richard discusses the changes he has observed in native and introduced fish species in the Lachlan River, and illegal fishing activities. He reflects on family life with his mob, growing up, his culture, diet, changes in water flows and levels, conservation practices, and sustainable ecological management.]]> Lachlan River, NSW [stream]]]> Euabalong, NSW [populated place]]]> Condobolin, NSW [populated place]]]> Lake Cargelligo, NSW [lake]]]> Booberoi Creek, NSW [stream]]]> Wyangala Dam, NSW [dam]]]> Lake Cowal, NSW [lake]]]> Murrin Bridge, NSW [section of populated place]]]> Weirs]]> Floods]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Fishing--Australia]]> Racism]]> Cotton]]> Silt]]> Water quality]]> Water pollution]]> Cultural Flows]]> Coalbed methane]]> Aquifers--Australia]]> Cyanides]]> Riparian areas]]> Ecological sustainability]]> Environmental conservation]]> Salinity]]> Sacred sites]]> Connection to Country]]> Land custodianship]]> Aboriginal spirituality (Baiame)]]> Wiradjuri people]]> Gamilaraay / Gamilaroi / Kamilaroi language]]> Water--Symbolic aspects]]>
Phil Duncan is an Aboriginal man with both Wiradjuri and Gamilaraay heritage. He identifies predominantly as a Gamilaraay man who grew up in Moree in northern New South Wales. Born in 1963, Phil is Chair of the First Peoples' Water Engagement Council and has witnessed a number of important changes in this region regarding cotton farming, weirs and dams, and the water quality.

Phil is knowledgeable in his heritage and emphasises the importance of Aboriginal connection to Country, and caring for Country as an important responsibility for Aboriginal people. He recommends that traditional Aboriginal knowledges be adhered to regarding the conservation of Country as Western land management methods have had a detrimental impact.


Mentioned:

Turtles, sheep & cattle (farming), worms.

]]> CC BY-NC]]> Moree, NSW [populated place]]]> Terry Hie Hie, NSW [populated place]]]> Terry Hie Hie Creek, NSW [stream]]]> Mehi River, NSW [stream]]]> Boomi Nature Reserve, NSW [reserve]]]> Mungindi, Qld [farm]]]> Barwon River, NSW [stream]]]> Narrabri, NSW [populated place]]]> Gwydir River, NSW [stream]]]> Boolaroo, NSW [section of populated place]]]> Copeton Dam, NSW [dam]]]> Namoi River, NSW [stream]]]> Cubbie, Qld [homestead]]]> Keepit Dam, NSW [lake]]]> Narran Lake, NSW [lake]]]> Macquarie Marshes, NSW [marsh(es)]]]> Boolaroo, NSW [populated place]]]> Mungindi, NSW [populated place]]]>
An archival version of the Talking Fish Collection is managed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data Archive (ATSIDA).]]> Fishing--Australia]]> Water quality]]> Fish stocking]]> Traditional environmental knowledge]]> Water conservation]]> Fish stocking]]> River engineering]]> Bait fishing]]> Fish populations]]> Introduced fishes]]>
Keith grew up in Brewarrina and learned to fish with his father. He learned to swim in the river, and remembers how clear the water was - clear enough that people could go spearfishing.

Keith and Max talk about using worms, mussels and crayfish as bait and discuss variance in carp populations over time. They also observe that fishing is better in the dry when the water levels are lower. They mention Yellowbelly and Murray Cod restocking programs; talk about de-oxygenated water; changes in attitudes about sustainable fishing (catch and release); how to read the river; what they've learned from Indigenous Australians; the mass of birdlife; weir management; and water restrictions. They talk about boat trips along the river and their sighting of baby catfish in the Bokhara and Culgoa Rivers.

Mention of Goanna, Wallaby. frogs, blacksnakes, brown snakes, carpet snakes, mosquitoes.

Mention of Brewarrina fishing club]]> CC BY-NC-ND]]> Places of significance]]> Community cooperation]]> Land custodianship]]> Aboriginal culture]]> Wiradjuri people]]> Walgalu / Walgal people]]> Ngarigo / Ngarigu people]]> Ngunawal / Ngunnawal people
]]> Kurnai / Gunai people]]> Burial sites]]> Sacred sites]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Connection to Country]]>
Adrian talks about growing up along the River (around Queanbeyan River, Jumping Creek, and Wanna Wanna Creek) and the way that he and his brother learnt the land by walking it and fishing the river with their Dad. He talks about historical sites and significant sites; expressing continuity with Country; making Coolamons; the significance of Country; traditional ceremony; initiation rites; right of passage; the duty of care for different animals as part of an interconnected environment; and recognising law and responsibility for Country. He also discusses the interaction and movements of peoples along the catchment (relaying the history of the Ngunawal and their responsibility to the Murrumbidgee corridor and their relation to coastal peoples); trading; and shared vocabulary across language groups from the top of the Murrumbidgee to Lakes Entrance.

Adrian covers the effects of housing developments on cultural practice; weeds; variance in fish population according to river flow; lighting fires; cultural burns; site management; discrimination; ignorance; and work with the ACT government to promote the recognition and understanding of Indigenous Australian interests.

Adrian also shares his experience as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer with the ACT National Parks and Wildlife Service and his sense of pride and belonging. He talks about efforts to refocus the connection to Country of Indigenous Australians employed as rangers, and to promote a cultural mindfulness among them. He speculates how Indigenous people could again be welcomed by the Ngunawal as National Parks officers - all learning and walking the land together.

Adrian discusses how fish travel up the river when it floods; mixing traditional and modern fishing methods; sources of sediment (sand from Tharwa, dirt from Cooma, Bredbo and Numeralla Rivers); clay baking fish; mussels (saltwater and freshwater); abalone; native plants.
]]>
Electronic records have been made private as per the request of Adrian Brown. As part of our data access requirements, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Data Archive (located at the University of Technology, Sydney) requires an applicant to sign an undertaking before access to material can be approved. These undertakings may include a request for information about the intended use of the data. The depositor and/or family may be informed of the application.

Preliminary applications may be made to:
atsida@lib.uts.edu.au.]]> Local history]]> Family histories]]> Environmental flows]]> Livestock]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Floods]]> Fishes--Breeding]]> Blackwater]]> Siltation]]> Fish stocking]]> Artesian basins--Australia]]> Introduced fishes]]> Plants--Identification]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Irrigation]]>
First interview with Ron Heinemann, in three parts.

Ron Heinemann was born in 1922, and grew up on a sheep property in Springvale, west of Eulo, on the Paroo River. Ron’s parents moved to the area in the 1920s. He was taught to fish by his mother and cousins’ family.

Ron Heinemann talks about: 1942 and 1964 floods; Aboriginal knowledge of vegetation and floods; a black flood in 1935 which killed fish in the local water holes; how fish spawn before they die (before a flood); kangaroo and emu shooting; the 'diaries of Caiwarro Currawinyahere', written 1860-1950s, from a sheep and cattle property; siltation in Warrego River; restocking Warrego River with Murray Cod fingerlings in 1985; artesian water and basin; introduction of European Carp 1950s (originally brought to clean irrigation channels); bird life.

Mentions 'grunter' fish, however species unspecified. Also mention of: Cane grass, Mitchell grass, Flinders grass, Yapunyah tree, Hyacinth, Duck weed, Didgee tree, Lucerne.]]>
Ron Gardiner, the cousin of Ron Heinemann, was born in 1918 in Cunnamulla. Ron learned to swim in the Paroo River. In 1980 Ron moved from Paroo to Clifton, on the Condamine River.

Ron Gardiner talks about: history of the Eulo bridge, built in 1928; history of families and people in the area; abundance of Yellowbelly fish at Caiwarro; black flood at Five Mile hole; abundance of crayfish yabby and shrimp post-flood; saving sheep stock; two times the Paroo River reached the Darling; how vegetation requires rain to survive after a flood to remove silt; salty and freshwater bores; mud springs in Eulo; introduction of European Carp; concerns about irrigation; the relationship between the Warrego and Paroo Rivers.]]> CC-BY]]> Dams]]> Floods]]> Cotton]]> Water--Law and legislation]]> Fishing--Australia]]> Introduced fishes]]> Fishes--Migration]]> Taxidermy]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Fishes--Monitoring]]> Aboriginal kinship systems]]>
Robert Horne is an Indigenous man who was born in Boggabri; a small country town through which the Namoi River runs, located in north-western New South Wales.

The interview takes place in Robert's Gunnedah office where he recalls his youth along the Namoi River. He speaks about taking on the responsibilities of an older child by being a provider and catching fish for his single mother and his family. He also shared his catches with other families and relatives; the act of which is common within Indigenous cultures that highlights the importance of family and kinship structures, while also promoting sustainability.

Robert also speaks of being taught how to catch fish and find yabbies in the most inconspicuous places. He also outlines the changes that he has noticed in the river regarding the cotton industry, the far reaching impacts of European carp, the history of the area, and fish tagging.

]]> CC-BY]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Floods]]> Weirs]]> Brackish waters]]> Floodplain ecology]]> Colonisation]]> Cotton]]> Connection to Country]]> Aboriginal technologies]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Cultural Flows]]> Rice]]> Ngiyampaa / Ngemba people]]> Restoration ecology]]>
In the interview, Richard discusses his life growing up around the river with his family and how it was a central part of his life. He tells of his cultural connection with the land and the need to maintain and pass on that connection and knowledge; something that is being done through his CMA work with Aboriginal men. He says that Aboriginal people are losing their connections to Country and culture where colonisation played a pivotal role. He notes that his situation is not helped by the declining health of the land and rivers that he says have been affected by introduced fish and plant species such as the European carp and willow trees.

Richard also speaks extensively about floods and how withholding the water impacts on the nature of the land as a floodplain; the types of fish, animals and plant life that are present; and his work in conservation, largely influenced by the sustainable practices embedded within his Aboriginal culture.

Richard also mentions also where he has found Trout Cod: Murrumbidgee, Murray River, Yarrawonga, Old Man Creek, Hay.

Also mentioned: Worms, Rabbits, Fish, Kangaroos, Emus. Possums. Antechinuses. Barking owl, Sugar Gliders. Platypus. Willows. Blackberry. Osage Orange. Briar Rose. Patterson’s Curse. Scotch Thistle.
]]> CC BY-NC-ND]]> Wakool Creek (NSW), Wakool River (NSW), Murrumbidgee (NSW/ACT), Yarrawonga (VIC), Old Man Creek (NSW), Hay (NSW).]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Introduced fishes]]> Floods]]> Fishing--Australia]]> Water quality]]> Traditional fishing]]> Weirs]]> Snags (Forestry)]]> Connection to Country]]> Fishing nets]]> Riverflow]]> Aboriginal culture]]> Cotton]]> Tobacco industry]]>
Wally talks about traditional fishing, fishing women, tickling fish, fishing with spears, hand lines, baiting, canoe fishing and diving for Crayfish. He also mentions cross lining and the use of drum nets in floodwaters. He marvels at the dexterity and play habits of water rats, and reflects on their scarcity. He discusses their history of being hunted, skinned, exported, and in some cases, eaten; He says it is customary that only male elders eat water rats and use their skins (men's-business).

Of the river, Wally and Pat discuss sustainable fishing practices, and talk at length about the Basin's wider management. They consider local agriculture, irrigation, habitat management, water allocation, floods, droughts, pests, weeds, silviculture, as well as the rivers' recreational and fish industries.

Wally and Pat refer to a chemical era, when DDT and Dieldrin were used as a pesticide on vinyards and Tobacco crops along the River. They talk about the chemicals, their effects on native fish, the contamination of farmland, and the ecological footprint of Tobacco growing itself.

Mention of Moira Forest, King River, Ovens River, Glenrowan, Yielima Station, Barmah Forest, Yarrawonga, Echuca, Nathalia, Barmah Lake, Wodonga, Oxley, Docker, Wangaratta, Fifteen Mile Creek, Mokoan, Hume Weir, Mulwala Weir, Namoi River, Lake Cargelligo, Broken River, Rose River, Lake Buffalo, Goulbourn River, Upper Murrumbidgee River, Warby Ranges, Swan Hill, Moira Station, LaTrobe Valley, Charlton.

Mentioned: silver bream, mountain galaxias, cormorant, worms, Bardi Grubs, platypus, water rat, white mussel, black mussel, swan, mice, tiger snakes, frog, foxes, cats, pigs, rabbits.

Plant life mentioned: Red gum, willows, bottlebrush. blackboys, tobacco, cotton, St. John's Wort, blackberries, grey box, kabungi, water hyacinths, blue gum.

Also mentioned: Flemington; Barmah Muster; River Improvement Trust; Department of Sustainability and Environment; Rex Hunt; Erni Briggs; Charlie Carp; the huge influx of silver perch in either 1954 or 1957; the changing structure of the river influenced by the removal of snags and willows.]]> CC-BY]]> Fishing--Australia]]> Salinity]]> Indigenous medicine]]> Burial sites]]> Wetlands]]> Dredging]]> Introduced fishes]]> Droughts]]> Birds--Identification]]> Fishes--Identification]]> Fishes--effect of water levels on]]> Erosion]]> Spawning]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Water quality]]>
Kingsley is from the Gerard Aboriginal community in South Australia. Born in 1971, he has always lived on the river; camping with family and extended family, a time for Elders to educate the younger generations about Country. Kingsley shares his knowledge of a changing and interconnected landscape.

Kingsley talks about: teaching family to swim and fish; yabbying methods; a period when Catfish species were rare; salinity (water and ground table) issues and low water levels; lack of ‘decent’ floods; Aboriginal grave sites and culture, native bushes, and native vegetables impacted by environmental degradation (e.g. traditional medicinal methods); the role of wetlands and back creeks (backwaters) as nurseries for all animals; the impact of Willow tree removal on Murray Cod and Callop; different types of soil in the area; changes observed in water colour; hybrid knowledge systems (incorporating Western into Aboriginal), and the desire to learn from each other. Also mentioned: snake species; water birds; vegetation; Crown Land.

Indigenous terms for fish species discussed:
Murray cod - Gadu, Pondi’s Gadu;
Yellowbelly - Thaigai; Pilaki
Catfish - Gaigai;
Bony bream: Thukeri
Silver Bream - Tookaree;
Silver Perch - Bungi.

One of the images in the collection includes a book called 'Tucker' by Ian Abdulla (1947-2011). It is a children's illustrated book about an Aboriginal boy who grows up along the Murray River, when bush tucker was plentiful.
]]> CC-BY]]> see details...]]> ]]> Cummeragunja Mission (N.S.W.)]]> Environmental conservation]]> Water--Symbolic aspects]]> Homeless camps]]> Homeless]]> Backpackers]]> Camping]]> Colonisation]]> Connection to Country]]> Mental illness]]> Traditional ecological knowledge]]> Aboriginal history]]> Water quality]]> Aboriginal scarred trees]]>
Daryl Sloan has been a resident of the Shepparton area for 35 years since his teenage years. He has worked in the social welfare industry for around 15 years and his work sees him regularly visiting the Goulburn River making contact with the tens of dozens of homeless people that call its banks 'home'.

Daryl covers the issues that Shepparton and surrounds face of flooding; river turbidity; increasing housing developments and the fall in housing affordability; an increasing homeless population; the history of the area with special regard to the 1939 Cummeragunja Mission walk-off and its significance as a form of protest and self-determination; the arrival of backpacking fruit pickers; and the degrading health of the river and the lack of care people have for it.


Mentioned: Platypus. Koala. Kangaroo. Wallaby. Flying Fox. Possum. Squirrel Gliders. Earthworms. Finches. Azure Kingfisher. Wood duck/maned goose.

Trees: Grey box. Red River Gum trees. Patterson’s Curse (blue flower). Dock (weed). Blackberry.

]]> CC-BY]]>