In 1964 the Australian Government had completed the Woomera rocket range in outback South Australia. They were preparing for the first test firing of “The Blue Streak”, a controversial new rocket that was a joint development between the British and Australia governments. The rocket was planned to come down in the Western Desert several thousand kilometers to the west in Western Australia.

In 1964 Yuwali was 17 and living in the Western Desert with her family. She had never seen a white person and was completely unaware of their existence. She had never seen a car or any other technology more advanced than a wooden spear or a boomerang. The group had seen planes fly over but considered them to be devils racing across the sky. Her family group was, to the best of our knowledge, the last Australian Aboriginal group to come in contact with white civilisation.

The Green Man met Yuwali, pictured below, at the National Fok Festival in Canberra where she is promoting her book, developed in conjunction with Sue Davenport and Peter Johnson, that documents her experience of first contact with civilization. Entitled “Cleared Out” She writes

My father had too many wives. He went away with three wives. He left two wives: my mother and her sister. We were walking around for long time without men. For a long time; a long long time. Two hot times (summer) – three, yes, three. I never thought of men. We were minding our own business, but we never thought of anyone coming looking for us.

At that time Walter McDougall was a native patrol officer appointed to look after the welfare of aborigines in his area, which included the Western Desert. This is also, in part, his story. He was charged with the task of finding any Aborigines that were in the drop zone of the rocket and to move them to safety. He was by accounts a kind, compassionate and ethical man placed in an essentially unethical situation. He fought ferociously for their rights, in particular, their right to the continuation of their lifestyle. Writing to the press he wrote

I believe that what is happening to these natives is contrary to the spirit of declaration of human rights in the United Nations charter. If no check is possible, they seem doomed to increase the number of displaced persons in the world – to become prideless, homeless vagabonds living by begging, stealing and government handouts.

The response of the authorities was swift and vicious, they banned the publication of the letter that the quote above comes from and forbade McDougall from making any further public statements.

Faced with this situation, McDougall chose to continue his work. To undertake the move of these people as compassionately and sensitively as possible.

If you think you have seen a lot of change in your lifetime, consider the experience of Yuwali. This is an fascinating and enjoyable book and a must read for anyone interested in the human condition.