Every hill got a story
Chapters 7 - 12

The Story of Sonny Curtis Jappanangka

"I was born at Greenwood Station in 1935 – Urrjjulunyu, my mother's country and
 my grandfather's. My father was Arrernte
 – his father was an Englishman and his mother was Arrernte, he talked Warlpiri and Warumungu, his wife would teach him. She was from here, from Wakurlpu side."

Sonny's father, Bill Curtis, worked at the Barrow Creek Telegraph Station and was paid in cattle. As a young child, Sonny travelled around with his father, who leased land at Greenwood Station and started and worked in mines throughout the area.

He joined his father at work in the Wauchope wolfram mine, continued to work in mining 
in Tennant Creek and also drilled bores on stations. Both Sonny and his wife became ill from cyanide poisoning – Sonny from working at Eldorado mine, and his wife from washing his clothes.

He was also a missionary with the Australian Inland Mission.

The Story of Joe Young Tjupurrula

"I was born north from Karilywarra, Pitta Pitta, near the Western Australia border. And my mother, family, take me to Ranges [Warburton Ranges] when I was a baby – then they took me to bush, when still a baby. After that we went round the countryside, Western Australia area."

Tjupurrula's family travelled and lived around Tjukurla, Kurultu, Warakurna and Docker River, before his family went to Uluru. From there the Department of Aboriginal Affairs took them first to Ernabella, then to the Bungalow in Alice Springs and eventually to Papunya and Areyonga. From Areyonga the family moved back to Papunya, then "that government mob been shifting us round in every bore – Yayayi Bore, and Waruwiya – and all the rockholes, till we shift out to Kintore."

The Story of Barbara Napanangka Martin

"I was born at Loves Creek, that they call Ross River Station. My father and my mother brought me to Yuendumu when I was a baby. My father's country is a long way. It's called Mina Mina. And my mother's country is Chilla [Jila] Well, and there's another place, I don't know the name."

After early schooling at Yuendumu, in the mid 1970s Barbara went to Yirara College and Alice Springs High School. She has been a literacy worker in Lajamanu and Yuendumu and undertook linguistic training. She holds a Diploma of Teaching from the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education.

Barbara is deputy chair of the Warlpiri Education and Training Trust [WETT] Advisory Committee.

"I help, support and mentor young people. 
I feel really proud of WETT and good about being a role model."

The Story of Therese Ryder

"My father's traditional country is out towards Loves Creek, N'dhala area, Trephina, Corroboree Rock. My mother was born at old Maryvale station. And her dad's country is Maryvale – Titjikala – my grandfather's side. I was born in 1947 at Todd River Station, a bush baby.

"My Dad's name was Jack Ryder. As a young man he used to travel with the Afghans on camel trains, carting supplies from Marree to Alice Springs. He used to live out in the bush dogging, getting dingo scalp. Mum stayed on the mission at Santa Teresa with us children. Mum and Dad had a lot of kids – five girls and six brothers."

When she finished school Therese worked at Loves Creek Station, cleaning the Ross River Resort's tourist cabins. A well known water colour painter – "I've been painting all my life, even before I had my children" – Therese has lived in Alice Springs since 1978.

The Story of Rosemary Plummer Narrurlu

Rosemary grew up at Alekarenge and travelled around with her parents, over the Barkly Tablelands and all around Anmatyerr, Warlpiri and Kaytetye country. After doing office training at Kormilda College in Darwin, Rosemary was living in Tennant Creek with her family when her mother died. She worked for Native Affairs, where her father had worked as a patrol officer. She was a field officer at the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in the 1980s and worked at Tennant Creek High School as cultural resource officer.

She is a qualified interpreter and interpreted on the Warumungu land claim, the longest running claim in Australia. She was a founding member of the Papulu Apparr-kari Indigenous Language Centre.

Rosemary has been on a number of Aboriginal and arts organisation boards, and she is a published author. She is completing her Diploma of Education. She is a great grandmother of two.

The Story of Zita Wallace

"I was born at the Arltunga crossroads in 1939. My father was Walter Ross and my mother was Nancy Uyitye Doolan."

Zita was sent to Garden Point Mission on Melville Island in 1947, then spent nine years with the Handmaids of the Lord, a congregation in New Guinea.

"In 1967 I came back
 to Australia, met my husband and we had a family. I met in Brisbane – I joined the prison service and he was in the same course."

They raised their family in Darwin.

"And then he said to me one day – this is 1982, 'It's time we went and looked up your family'.

"I worked with Correctional [Services]
 for twenty-five years in Alice Springs and Darwin, and my husband worked at the base [Pine Gap]. We've been living here [Loves Creek] since 2001."
"I've been active in the Stolen Generations Movement since we started it."