Never Take My Pride

• Bianca Ferguson, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2012

It’s only been two years since the European invasion but it feels like twenty because it is miserable. My friend and I hate it here. One of my friends died from trying to get away. That’s how bad it is. I’m not going to tell you a story from the end I’ll tell you from the beginning.

It was a calm and peaceful morning in Victor Harbour. Everyone was either cooking, hunting or just playing around. I was near the lake when I saw a snake going into the water and I was ready to kill it but I couldn’t. Why? Because that was my totem. I went into the water to clean myself when I saw something larger in the distance sailing towards us. It was a boat full of men wearing clothes? I asked myself, “What are they wearing? I’ve never seen that before!”

I got every man to put the women and children into the little hut (where we stayed and slept) and then the men would go to their hiding positions and wait to see if the strange men continue to go past us or stop here. We waited as it got closer and closer by the minute, then suddenly it stopped right in front of us. We were worried because we didn’t know who they were, what they were doing here or what they wanted.

We were setting up for a sneak attack (ambush) but they saw bushes rustling so went to check then we all jumped out with our spears raised ready to throw. The clothed men pulled out guns but we didn’t know what guns were so we were confused. As they pulled out their guns I threw my spear. I got the governor in the leg then I got shot in the arm and taken away, however, I broke free and ran away into the bushes so the governor sent some men after me while the rest stayed. An hour passed and the men returned to our camp saying, “He got away, we couldn’t find him anywhere.” “Well don’t stop looking until you find him!” said the governor and off they went back in search of me.






It was dark and the governor was angry so they set up camp there and stayed the night thinking that I would come back. I did, but no one else was awake so I snuck into my best friend’s humpy and woke him up, he was panicking but was happy to see me, because he thought that I had died. I said, “Never I will not give up without a fight,” and smiled.
He saw the bullet wound in my arm and pulled it out quickly so that I wouldn’t scream or yell otherwise I could be caught.


The sun started to rise and I heard the men coming back puffed and out of breathe telling the governor, “We think we found him sleeping in a tree.” “BRING HIM TO ME IMMEDIATELY,” yelled the governor and off they went to get him. Worandari (my mate) said “Hurry run this is your chance to get away go and I will distract them.” So off he went running into the bushes silently while Worandari was yelling, “I think I have found him, up in that tree.” It was the afternoon and the governor was wondering where the three men were that were with me…. Well if you want to know, I killed them yes, they are dead because if they had found me I too would be dead. This was for my protection. I was sitting up in the tree thinking of a plan and then suddenly I thought of something.


The next day I turned myself in by this time the new arrivals to our land had already built a huge house and building and that is where I stayed locked up with a huge heavy ball and chain attached around my ankle. I was held captive for three weeks and so I started to pretend that I was feeling poorly I asked to have some fresh air and because they thought I was dying, the governor agreed. They removed the ball and chain from my ankle and as I was lead outside, I suddenly broke free from their grasp, ripped of my clothing and ran off into the bushes naked. I ran back to my home land where my family were and everyone was ready to fight for the protection of our land.





We heard a lot of noise coming our way and a lot of footsteps, and then we saw men coming through the bushes from every direction. Some of our children swung from the trees to knock them out, but they were not the people who had come to steal our land. We all got into one large group in the middle of a clearing and got our spears ready for the attack. The governor came out and said, “If it’s war you want then war you shall get.” Then I said, “We have already lost, we won’t win with this little group” and everybody agreed. So we got down on our knees and waited for them to take us away.


When they got closer to us we all jumped up and started fighting, because the men only had guns they had to fight with their hands. Suddenly a loud BANG was heard the white men stopped fighting us and looked over to the governor who was standing there holding a gun. He said, “I am sure there is no need to fight.” I replied by saying that it was you, governor, who said, “If it’s war you want, then war you shall have.”
So the fighting continued, after a few minutes had passed all of the white fellas pulled out their guns again and said, “Game over” I replied, “Not yet, you will see.”

A few months later they had built more houses and other buildings and had put all of the Aboriginal men with the white women and all of the Aboriginal women with the white men. All of the Aboriginal children from my clan went and lived in little houses and attended school and learnt all of the white fella ways. This is still happening as I write this, but all will be fine. This is also how the stolen generation started. A little message that I always tell my people is that the white fellas may take my land but you will NEVER take my pride!