I grew up on Wandangula outstation until I was about 16, then Sandridge outstation near Borroloola. I'm Garrwa and Yanyuwa. The other stations are: Warkukarli, Wurngkuwar (Fletcher River), Marruwarra, Lumarnyar (Poison Creek), Wandangula Lagoon, Ardarla Lagoon and Hunting Ground, Wardalumba Plain, Wurburlarbar, Murkurala (5 Mile lagoon), Honeymoon and 20 Mile, Arthwarliyarngu and Andawaliyuna scrubby part of Turtle Lagoon . When I was younger I was always out in the bush ... there was no need to go into town. I grew up in the mustering camps, my grandfathers country. My favourite thing every day was hunting for turtle ... we don't fish for it, we dig. I would walk down to the lagoon to get turtle in a wheelbarrow. I used to hunt a lot with all those old ladies ... they
all gone now ... I used to take them out on the tractor. Dad would give me the keys and I'd take them all out to hunt for turtle ... ten or twelve of them! Sometimes it would take three trips, and they were hanging off the side of that tractor! One night we had to camp out there because we got a flat tyre. Dad was worried and he was cranky when he came to find us the next day. He brought cooked chicken but we had already caught all the turtles and had a big feed! My Dad and Mum was always mustering and we lived really in tin sheds growing up but I love the bush and hunting and now painting. I want to dedicate these paintings to Billy Kid, dad's father's cousin and my Dad Stewart Hoosan and Dinny McDinny my grandfather. My uncle Gordon Rory, Myra's husband; and Linda's
husband Freddy Rory. I almost forgot about the McDinny girls, my mum and aunties. They tailed the cattle and rode the horses, and bring the bullocks to the mob. The black soil country was dangerous too. Poor bugger those cattle some times no tail, no ear, no eyeball. You gotta watch the places ... Crocodile ...True ...