July 1961 School Magazine

Iuly, l96l

Blisbqns Girls' Grommcr School Mcgazine

THE BINTHRIGHT Glrri poced bock ond forth in front of the fire, steorinq mony on onxious glonce ot the shonty of golvonised iron ond rotien wcod thot he colled his home, ond proyed silently thoi o mirocle would hoppen. Suddenly, his foce shone with olj the joy ond wonder qnd pride oi new-found fotherhood os he heord o lusty howl Jrom inside the hut. Soon his doushter, his firsi chiid, wos ptocea in his orms, lookinq so smoll ond helpless wropped in o few torn pieces of old cloth ond o .o-porotively cleon towel from tho mission neorby. Cverwhelmej with thl tove orra prot."_ tiveness he felt towords the dork little scrop ol humonily, his eyes become misty os he roised his heod proudly. But o dorkness spreod over his foce ond his mouth become tout, .losing its hoppy grin, os he sow the picture of porr.riy ond hopelessness before him. There were dirty hovers coked in grlme ond {ilth, ond equolly dirty children iunning oro,lrra in pltifui ross, kicklns up the endless dust thot settled "rrui_ nrhere. He turned, the boby sleepinqr trust{ully in his crrms, ond he sow his own home, os dirty -o" th. others, just o moss of wood- ond shopeless moteriols piled crudely crs'o -;";;;-;r. tection qgoinst the frequent dust storm: or scorce roins. Girrl hqd. never been ocutely owore of the wretch"d ",r..*rrJir,n"-l' whlch he ond the scotterec remnonts of once greot oboriginoi tribes lived, but the birth of Lris douqhter hod owokened in hlm o new oworeness. He glonced oronud him with mingled feelinqs of onger ond dejection. This wos her blrthriqht; becouse her skin wos block ond her {oiher's peopie hod lonq been overcome by the pre- judices ond superior monner of whlte people. Whv? Wfrv'Jra they hove to live on the frinse cf the iesert in conditions most whiie men sow fit to ignore, surrounded by constont reminders of the poveriy thot prevented them ond their .nila.nn l.o_ escopins to o civilized woy of life? But is our woy o{ rlfe trury civirized? con we ever coil our couniry civilized until we hove helped the oboriqinot. t.o_ ifr. low.stondords imposed upon therrr neor the deslrts: ""tii ih.o cirildren's birthriqht cqn be not pcverty but security?

"THE DUEI" In the quiet heot of mid-doy the two duellists foced eoch cther, owolting the signol to begin. Ecrch wos o fine specimen of the Austrcriion oboriqinol, ond, olthouqh one mon wos obviously much older thon the other, they oppeored to be well motched. The tribe, gothered under the trees ot the edse of the dueilinq ground, woited breothlessly, os this fiqht would be to the deoth, {or such wos the low when o chief fouqht his chollenger. Severol doys before, rhere hcrd been trouble in the comp, of the root of it wos Yorrowon, o womior of three yeors. Dis- contented. with the lows of the chief ond the old men, he hod siirred mony of the young worriors to support him. When order wcrs testored, Yorrowon wos summoned be{ore the Council. Enroqed by the true bui insultins remorks thot the chief, Burrumbin, mode obout him, he hod chollenqed him to a duel. Now they were reody, stonding on the hot, hord eorth where one of them would die. Beside eoch worior were hls speors, the finest he hod. In his belt were two boomerongs cr nullcr ond o tomohowk. Thus ormed, they woited. The signol wos given. Instontly, speors were llyinq through the oir, cruelly borbed specns thot could do terrible thinqs to o mon's body. Both duellists expertly evoded them, but Yorrqwon wos qoshed in the leg, cousing blod to mix with the yellow ochre with which he wos pointed. Whippinq out their heovy wor boomerongs, they odvonced towords eoch other, Jeintins, dodq- lng, ond. throwing the whirling missiles. One, reboundinq, struck Yorrowon o gloncing blow on the heod, and he fell to the ground. The tribe roored, qs Burrumbin roced forword to finish the Jlqht, but Yorrowon sprong to his feet, hurllnq his tomohowk ot Burrumbin's legs. Leoping hiqh, the chief seized his nullo ond closed with his opponent. The blows of the nullos were fost ond heovy ond the sickening thuds on the wooden shields could be heord o mile owoy. In spite of his wounds, Yorrowon wos {iqhtinq furiously, steodjly driving Burrumbin bock. The chief's fiqhtlnq experience, however, en- obled him to porry cnd return the blows, while he woiched for on opening. Then Yorrowon mode o foiol mistoke. Believins thot his opponent wos exhousted, he yelled triumphonlly ond leoped. in for the klll, exposinq himself to Burrumbin's woiting nullcr, which smoshed him to the ground. Gosping, the chief stood glorins down ot his deod enemy, while the tribe with o roor of excitement cqme towords him ocross the duelling ground. Morgoret Poterson, V.B an

M.L., IV.B

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