WHEN local Aboriginal elder Kalmadyne Goombridge came into this world he was a hair's breadth away from being born in a rowboat on a flooded river at Walgett.
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His family lived on the riverbank in a two-bedroom tin humpy on the Namoi Reserve - the place where the Barwon and Namoi rivers meet.
When the river flooded, Kalmadyne’s mum was forced to row to the town of Walgett to give birth to her son.
He was the seventh child of Florence Walford and Richard Beale, gentle-natured people.
Kalmadyne’s dad was one of the stolen generations - haunted by his time at the notorious Kinchela Boys Home near Kempsey.
He was never able to speak about the mistreatment he experienced there.
“I was born in the 1950s, not long after the Dreamtime was destroyed,” Kalmadyne said. “It’s warming to know I lived this long to tell my story.
“My spirit soul is free. My mind is free.”
He said the reserve where he grew up was home, and it was beautiful.
“I didn’t give a lot of thought to the government ways then. The welfare people would come and we would tell mum ‘They won't catch us’,” he chuckled.
And they didn’t. Many, of course, weren’t so lucky.
Kalmadyne said his dad, who was a groom at one of the stations in Walgett, took the family off the reserve in the 1960s when he built a three-bedroom house in town.
His boss put up the security.
“He was only doing what he thought was best for us, but we were quite comfortable and happy living on the reserve,” Kalmadyne said.
“Racism was very strong in Walgett. The term ‘Abo’ was used a lot and if any white people openly befriended the blacks they were labelled Abo lovers.
“There was one old bloke in town who used to chase the little blackfellas with a stock whip. You couldn’t do anything about it.
“Now when I look back at all the good white people who tried to help us, I realise they were very brave.”
Kalmadyne came to Bathurst to play football and work.
His first job was with a local plumber. Over the years he took jobs digging ditches, as a wool porter, at the golf course, labouring on council, as a truck driver and as a warehouse manager.
Kalmadyne, who was known as Jimmy Beale in those days, coached junior rugby league players for 16 years. He also coached a couple of basketball teams and was involved in cricket.
“You’ve got to be happy with whatever hand the creator deals you,” he said.
“I think this stood me in good stead for what I am doing today because I am a good communicator.
“I tell stories and write poems about my culture. That fulfils me. I am so contented.”
Kalmadyne is a member of the Bathurst Wiradyuri and Aboriginal Community Elders group which has been engaging with Bathurst Regional Council.
“Our songlines have been broken, but with this elders group we’ve jumped back on,” he said.
Kalmadyne said the elders group is promoting Aboriginal culture in schools and at CSU – the first time an elders group has engaged with the university.
Group members are teaching young Aboriginal people to be proud of their culture.
“The spirits have tested me every step of the way. Being a fair-skinned Aboriginal is a scar I have had to carry,” Kalmadyne said.
“This life is our university. I am still learning and loving it.
“I am proud to be Wiradyuri. It's sacred to me. I am proud to be an Australian Aboriginal who grew up on the Namoi Reserve.
“White and black, we are all one mob.”