Our Darling Barka Badger Bates
Tell me about where you come from.
My name is William Brian Bates, but they call me Badger. I was born in Wilcannia in 1947 and reared up on the Barka in a tin hut. I travelled a lot up and down the river with my Granny and Grandfather when I was growing up, mostly so I wouldn’t be taken away by welfare and become one of the Stolen Generation. I met Aboriginal people from different tribes. I used to sit down with them and listen and learn; and that’s how I learnt to respect everyone. Granny used to teach me how to carve emu eggs, boomerangs and other artefacts. She used to tell me about our country, about the Barka and how we should all respect the Ngatyi (Rainbow Serpent) that lives in it.
You’re well; how important is this to you?
