The Warrumbar
by William J. Byrne
UWA Publishing
William J. Byrne grew up in the regional towns of southern New South Wales, on Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal Country and, although his book is set in a fictional town, he has drawn heavily from his lived experiences, and the experiences of his extended family.
His grandmother grew up on an Aboriginal Reserve on the outskirts of town and, just one generation before he was born; his family grew up in poor substandard conditions in a tin shack with no electricity, no plumbed water and little money.
So, although set in the year that man first walked on the moon, when much of Australia was enjoying enormous prosperity, the story is entrenched in the lasting impact of history and circumstance. It is a story of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, and also having the resilience to break the cycle.
The year was 1969 when thirteen year-old Robbie rode three miles to high school, with one sister sitting on the handle bars and another on the pillion of a bike assembled from parts found on farms and in junk piles.
Robbie lived in a shack made of corrugated iron, which was freezing in winter and boiling in summer in Warrumbar Bridge, a small rural town in southern New South Wales where sheep stations occupied the surrounding valleys and hills.
When Robbie meets Moses, an old Aboriginal man camped by the river, he is drawn to his stories, even though his father has warned him to stay away. He finds out that Moses grew up on a mission with his mother Delsie and is her uncle.
Moses enlightens Robbie about the injustices suffered by his family and tells how he came back from fighting for his country and was not allowed in the RSL, and not allowed to drink alcohol because he was Black. Moses tells of succumbing to the demon drink and spending time in prison for his sins.
It is a confusing time for Robbie who now sees his family in a different light. His alcoholic father keeps the home in a constant state of anxiety and his dislike of school leads him to being sentenced to a year in a boys’ home for truancy.
When Robbie witnesses a tragic event at the Warrumbar Dam, he is terrified to speak out. For a boy like Robbie who lives on society’s margins with “some Black blood in him”, speaking out would mean he wouldn’t be believed and could risk everything. Unfortunately, staying silent meant he would have to carry the burden for life, or until he had the courage to do what was right.
Byrne says, “I was inspired to write The Warrumbar as I uncovered more about my own family’s past and the challenging, often underprivileged conditions they endured – not all that long ago. While the novel is fictional, I hope it adds to the broader understanding of Australia’s complex history, both good and bad.”
Lezly Herbert
