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Old Man’s Story (Bill Neidjie & Mark Lang, Aboriginal Studies Press)

Bill Neidjie was a much respected Aboriginal elder and traditional land-owner in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory. He was instrumental in the establishment of the park and its inclusion onto the UNESCO World Heritage list. With his death in 2002, Australia lost a national treasure. Neidjie was committed to sharing his culture with all Australians and to making sure that his knowledge was not lost after his death. Photographer Mark Lang spent time with ‘Big Bill’, as he was affectionately known, before he died and recorded his words on tape. This book is the result, with Neidjie’s reflections on family, culture, country and much more interspersed with Lang’s wonderfully evocative photographs of the land Neidjie loved. The text has the immediacy of a conversation. It is easy to imagine sitting with the old man in the warm Kakadu night, smelling the wood smoke and absorbing the wisdom of his words. Old Man’s Story will appeal to many readers, particularly those interested in the environment and Indigenous culture. It gives the reader a wonderful sense of both the man and his country. I loved this book.

Dave Martus is the manager of Dymocks Neutral Bay in Sydney

 

Category: Reviews