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Poem

Lionel Fogarty

The Mununjali Exemption Man

The Mununjali Exemption Man

The Mununjali Exemption Man

The Department of Family Services and Abos lied to me.
My grandfather came to Purga at ’bout 19 0r 18 hundreds
And married a Murri woman who gave him sons.
In 1922 he was given exemption certificate from the Acts.
He came from Mununjali people who lives in Beaudesert.
My grandfather was gammin and told he was free,
but when his son hit the manager his son was sent to Barambah.

Now my two grandfathers are dead
and my parents can’t remember any things they said
or done cause in those days it was hard to tell.

So all I want to know is who was my great-great-great-grandfather’s parents?
Now some of these good Christians must have paper records.

You see brothers and sisters I don’t need whiteman papers to prove,
but I want it to fight for legal –
our land and cultural heritage rights.

Purga my grandparents help built, now is not ours.
Well look at the mixed up mess.

Oh great grandfather I can’t hear your yarning ’bout our relations
Oh great grandfather I have your grandchildren ready to take up the fight for our land
and losted you were taken and I’m lacking, so why don’t we all come together as a family
and reissue free knowledge.

Now my great grandfather was an aboriginal man dat is divide from me
’cos the history has changed camps. But I have moved too,
yet I find a marriage certificate to you great-great-grandfather,
and I will find you waiting in Mununjali Dreaming realities.
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The Mununjali Exemption Man

The Department of Family Services and Abos lied to me.
My grandfather came to Purga at ’bout 19 0r 18 hundreds
And married a Murri woman who gave him sons.
In 1922 he was given exemption certificate from the Acts.
He came from Mununjali people who lives in Beaudesert.
My grandfather was gammin and told he was free,
but when his son hit the manager his son was sent to Barambah.

Now my two grandfathers are dead
and my parents can’t remember any things they said
or done cause in those days it was hard to tell.

So all I want to know is who was my great-great-great-grandfather’s parents?
Now some of these good Christians must have paper records.

You see brothers and sisters I don’t need whiteman papers to prove,
but I want it to fight for legal –
our land and cultural heritage rights.

Purga my grandparents help built, now is not ours.
Well look at the mixed up mess.

Oh great grandfather I can’t hear your yarning ’bout our relations
Oh great grandfather I have your grandchildren ready to take up the fight for our land
and losted you were taken and I’m lacking, so why don’t we all come together as a family
and reissue free knowledge.

Now my great grandfather was an aboriginal man dat is divide from me
’cos the history has changed camps. But I have moved too,
yet I find a marriage certificate to you great-great-grandfather,
and I will find you waiting in Mununjali Dreaming realities.

The Mununjali Exemption Man

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère