Uncle Warren Taggart
I was born in Singleton, my Dad and his parents had all come from Broke. I was lucky enough, being with Dad out in the bush he showed me so much of the Aboriginal sites, where they walked, where they come from. You know, I was lucky to have that all handed down to me.
Dad and I would get up in the morning and then it would be more or less have breakfast, into the old truck and go out into the bush and he would cut the timber. Then sort of through the day we would put everything away, go for a walk up through the mountains, up through the valleys, pointing at stuff, showing me stuff then come back down and continue our work and we’d get back home just on dusk.
Everywhere we went my Dad sort of knew some of the background of where we were. He’d point this way, he’d point that way, showing me stuff. There’s a few things that really stick in my mind, he said “if it ever becomes a drought, there is always water in one cave” and I can guarantee it. Dad’s been gone twenty one years now and he showed me when I was a young person and I can go there today and there is still water in that cave and it’s drinkable, that’s one of the sites that I do remember.
Every Aboriginal site is significant, but they are not all sacred sites. When it comes to just one, I just couldn’t put my finger onto it. There is so many, I’ve been to some of the caves with artwork in it and you would think the artwork was done yesterday. The artwork is that well preserved and protected from all weather. Some of it is just amazing.
When I take the kids out on country like my three daughters, they used to come out with me a fair bit, they know their Aboriginal culture. Now my grandsons, I hope to continue on with the fifth generation, I’d like to see it continue on because that culture is a dying culture. You know, there is people trying to keep it alive, but it is slowly dying.
“I was lucky to have that handed down to me.”
