“I was born on Bentinck Island at Oak Tree Point on the north side of our island. My mum used to carry me on her shoulders when I was very young. I used to play by myself with shells and I would cry for my mother and father when they went out hunting but my older sister would look after me. I liked eating all our seafood, fish, shark, stingray, oysters.

The missionaries came and took us from Arrunkiti and brought us to Gununa by a big boat. I was asleep when I came over so I didn’t know. I woke up on Gununa. My mother woke me and told me we are on Gununa, Mornington Island. I was two years old. I was crying for my older sister who was already in the dormitory. My mum said I had to wait till I was older. When I was five I went into the dormitory myself.

I missed my parents when I was in the dormitory. My mother used to go out and bring us wild fruits. She would bring it in a milk tin. We would also run away so we could see our mothers and fathers.

When I turned fifteen I did a little bit of work at the hospital caring for the sick and the old people here on Mornington Island. I’d work at the mission house, work for the white people who came, washing and cleaning up and doing laundry. I went to the mainland at Kurumba and worked on a station doing a similar job for one and a half years. On the weekends I would go back to the island and to the beach and walk around. I then came back for business on Mornington Island. I then worked on a cattle station. I had a year there and made lots of friends. It was good having parties on the weekends.

I worked on another station the year after coming back, Esmaralda station. That’s where I met my husband, doing the same job, being a house maid and going out fishing. George Thomas was his name. He came from Cloncurry. I met his family and then I brought him back to Mornington Island. He asked me to marry him. So old Douglas Bourke, he was like my step father, he gave me away.

George worked in the butcher shop and we had my eldest son here on Gununa. Then we saved our money and moved to Normanton. I had my second son when we were at Normanton but had my third son in Cairns. We went back Croydon where I had my first daughter who was born in Mareeba. George was working on a sugar cane farm in Cairns. We made our money and came back to Croydon then went to work on Strathmore station.

We went back to cairns to be with our children who were going to school there. I was pregnant with my son Clive. George went to work on a station in a brand new car after I had Clive. We went back to Croydon and we stayed for another year. We were working on Inaroo station. My kids really liked it there. I sent two of my boys to boarding school. They liked it there.

We didn’t come back for a long time. My husband was a working man, working his way back to Normanton, working at a sawmill station, a table top station, working everywhere. He really loved his work. I came back for my brother’s funeral and old Fiby’s funeral then went back to Croydon. I sent young Violet to boarding school. I was doing odd jobs in Croydon town.

Then the old fella got sick, a horse fell on him breaking his leg. We had to go back and forward to Cairns and Townsville hospital. They brought him back to Normanton hospital so I got all my children back from boarding school so they could see him. He asked me to ring his family and bring them up. We had a big party, all the family. A couple of weeks later he told me to go home to my family, that was his will, he told me to go back to my family. A week before we lost him, we heard on the radio that my family was going back to Bentinck Island. That was in the 1980’s.

I went back and forth myself from Gununa to Bentinck. I was fishing again and hunting with the old ladies. I learnt from the old ladies, Aunty Dawn, May and Sally and my older sisters, how to speak my language again and make string bags and necklaces. I was feeling much better being back. I went around to see the islands. I was seeing my family again and hunting.

Now I’m at the art centre. Aunty Sally showed me her painting when she came back to Bentinck. She gave me one cause I was her favourite. Now I’m doing the same painting with my sisters and aunties. It’s good painting all day to get away from the house.

I have four boys and three girls. They are my grand children. My eldest grand daughter Violet has a son so I have a great grand son. Also Clive, he has three boys and one girl. I have one adopted daughter. She is under my care. I also go back to the mainland for Christmas day and to see my two boys.”

~ Ethel Thomas