WAYNE 'S STORY

Hello , My name is Wayne Campion and I work for the Djelk Rangers as a consultant and liasion person. I normally go out bush and consult with many of our people that live on their communities.

We have 32 outstations that Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation supports. I have worked for our organisation called Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation for many years until they decided to transfer me as a Ranger consultant.

I am married with five fully grown children and eight grand children. I am 54 years old and I like doing training on computers and other training as well.

I was also a stockman at Bulman where I was born.I worked at Mainoru as a stockman and Beswick as a builder. I went to school at Kormilda College in the year 1972 and then I did 2 years at the Darwin High school.

I have two of my daughters working as the Djelk Womens Ranger and another working at the nursery. My eldest boy works at the clinic here as the ambulance driver and another boy works at the YE-YA workshop. I am very proud of them and I feel that I should be at home doing nothing.

My second son finished his schooling here in Maningrida and was graduated here. I was very proud of him and so was his mother.

I have been a school teacher at Malyarngarnak community which is located some kilometres past Ramingining.We never had any vehicle then so we decided to make an airstrip . We did that all by hand and with a machine called the tree wheeler.

I also went to Queensland by road to do some mustering and branding there. We travelled for 2 days and 2 nights before we got to the place that we were heading for.

We went through Mataranka, Larrimah, Dunmarra, Elliot, Renner Springs, Mount Isa, Longreach, Cloncurry, and Banka Banka. Then the three ways road house where we turned off and went on the Queensland border.

It was so boring so we bought a couple of cartons of beer and drank that while we were travelling Our next stop was Fregon. We had lunch there and we also bought damper hamburgers which was delicious. After that we kept on travelling until we came to Avon Downs. After Avon Downs we passed Camooweal and then we arrived at Julia Creek. At Julia Creek we camped there and we saw lots of minmin lights.I was very scared.

The next morning we headed off to a place called Mymong. We drove through thousands of grasshoppers at 20 kilometres an hour because there were so many.We kept on going until we passed Kynuna blue heeler hote luntil we came to Hampton Downs the place where we were mustering.

End of Story.
Wayne Campion