Today’s dispatch is  ‘Sliver Lining’.  Originally dispatched on 7 October  2016

Bonjour mes amies,

Back in 1971 (bloody hell, that’s nearly half a Century ago!) on our way back to Australia we had a most enjoyable week in Montreal. One afternoon we spent with trilingual Monique (French, Quebecois and English) and her copin , monolingual Raymond (Quebecois seulment) sitting on the lawn in Mt. Royal Park. There we witnessed something I was told was called ‘La Promenade’. Around dusk, small family groups were strolling around Beaver Lake, some clockwise and some anti-clockwise. When they chanced upon some friends or acquaintances they would stop and chat for a while before proceeding with their walk.

Later on our trip we spent a week in Salamanca (Mexico) on the Pan-American Highway. Our stay coincided with what I remember as being their Saint’s day. A weeklong celebration which included copious homemade fireworks; on one occasion a burning ‘wheel’ showered our vehicle with multi coloured sparks. Mercifully our ’bread van’ was rescued by a group of bystanders who lifted it out of harm’s way. On the rotunda in the central square a band played which I’m now convinced was Carlos Santana y su conjunto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACdwCIld3kE  (Santana-Samba Pa Ti- Live in Mexico) 

Less ‘formal’ than Montreal’s La Promenade but none the less around dusk a gathering with lively conversations between small groups of friends and acquaintances took place.

Not all that long ago in Yuendumu at dusk, small groups of friends and acquaintances (and in the case of Warlpiri people, family) would stroll past the (then modest) police station to Big Dam and back.

Digressing- one of the most memorable science fiction books I’ve read was Fred Hoyle’s ‘Black Cloud’.

From my dad’s anecdotes:

SEP.’07- Not all that long ago dad was having one of his sessions and kept coming up with his now habitual rather negative opinions. This caused his daughter in law (of whom he is rather fond) to remark that: “Well, you know Mark: every silver lining has its dark cloud”. Touché!

Keep The Home Fires Burning Sung By John McCormack….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvuCaLRcgh4

…There’s a silver lining, through the dark cloud shining. Turn the dark cloud inside out, till the boys come home…

Recently a visitor who returned after a long absence remarked that there seemed to be far fewer people walking in the streets of Yuendumu. No more mass strolling to Big Dam.

These days some of the largest gatherings which happen in Yuendumu are the two day monthly court sessions, on the way to Big Dam, at the relatively new $7.6M police complex (the prior modest police station having been demolished). Every month fifty or so cases are heard at which kardiya (white-fellow) ‘justice’ is dispensed in large overdoses.

Dark clouds descend on Yuendumu on a regular basis. Yet every cloud has a silver lining.

Last week, our visitor from a few weeks ago, would have noticed even more the dearth of people casually walking in the streets. Yuendumu was a virtual ghost town.

An unprompted spontaneous mass exodus took place. PAW was filming part of what are known in English as ‘Songlines’. Everyone who could, set off and joined in, living, singing and dancing and teaching the young all the way from Wirnparrku (where Yarripirri came out of the ground) on to Yimpalu, Napanangkajarra,  Wayililinpa, Ngama, Mijinpanta and Katurnu.

A distance of almost 200 Km from west of Haasts Bluff (Ikunji) to near Yuendumu. Many people from other communities, some from as far as Ali Curung, joined in.

The enthusiasm and joy of the returning crowds was palpable.

Bonnie Raitt- Silver Lining:

Take this silver lining
Keep it in your own sweet head
Shine it when the night is burning red
Shine it in the twilight
Shine it on the cold cold ground
Shine it till these walls come
Tumbling down

We were born with our eyes wide open
So alive with wild hope
Now can you tell me why
Time after time
They drag you down
Down in the darkness deep
Fools in their madness all around

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcDaAr3EPqI    

Au Revoir,

François

PS- PAW= Pintubi/Anmatjere/Warlpiri Media (formerly Warlpiri Media) http://www.pawmedia.com.au/

PAW Production expect the film to be shown on NITV next year. It is part of the second “Songlines on Screen” series. Previous Songlines production can be seen on SBS on Demand. It is an initiative developed by Screen Australia to document ‘songlines’ around the country.

“Yarripirri’s Journey” is the tentative title of the film.