Aborigines: Aborigines are the First People of Australia. Their advanced ecological thinking and land management, The Dreaming was underpinned by their religion, The Dreamtime. They are known by a variety of names, some derogatory, but a blackfella is an informal term used by most people. More respectfully people use Aunty and Uncle.
Aunty Audrey (Jae): Married into the family. Tom Jae’s sister-in-law. Married to Tom Jae’s brother, Joseph (Joe). One child, Max. (From Book 1).
Anzac Day: Anzac Day is held on the 25th April every year to remember those wars when Australia was engaged in military activity. Apart from marching and parades, the most important ritual is a game of chance called ‘two-up’ played with two pennies flipped from a board.
The Afghanis: In June 1860, eight Afghani cameleers arrived in Australia with twenty-four camels to provide transport for the Burke & Wills expedition (from Book 1). However, cameleers were reported to be in Australia before that date, around 1838. They helped explore the Australian interior.
Akubra hat: The word Akubra may or may not be of Aboriginal origin, and means ‘head covering’. The broad-brimmed Akubra is made out of rabbit fur. Manufacture of the hat began over one hundred and thirty years ago.
Baby Girl: Belinda Gemma Jae is the daughter of Tom and Rene Jae, and Jenny’s troubled little sister. She is called BG.
Aunty Blossom: Married to Tom Jae’s brother, Uncle Harry. (From Book 1).
Ben: a Canadian. Jenny’s first and only husband.
The Beatties: Aboriginal family, related to the Jae family. Ruth, his wife, is the president of the bowling club.
Bobby: Bobby was kicked in the head by a horse. He is brain damaged, and spends his days sweeping the streets. (From Book 1).
Blue Jackets: The Australian Outback/bush term for the New South Wales police or coppers. See Bullymen. (From Book 1).
Battle Mountain: In 1881 the Kalkadoon from the Mount Isa region engaged in a fire fight with the Bullymen or police. More than two hundred were killed.
Business: Term used by both black and white in Australia to describe an activity. Union business, money business, sorry business, and so on.
Bough hut: A bought hut was used in summer to shelter from the heat. It was made out of branches, grass or leaves. White people too copied Aboriginal architecture to make temporary, and sometimes more permanent, shelter in the bush.
Bore water: Bore water is ground water that is held in aquifers from seepage. Strong sulphuric smell. (From Book 1).
Boggo Road Jail: Boggo Road Jail was a notorious Queensland jail built in suburban Dutton Park, Brisbane in 1883. Now a tourist attraction.
Blasphemy: A religion-related sin or crime. It is now widely used to prevent freedom of speech.
C
Charlie Smith: Tom Jae’s black brother. Aboriginal mechanic.
Mrs Cochran: Toughest woman in town. (From Book 1).
Bing Crosby: American crooner.
Chinaman: A Chinaman was widely believed to bring good luck if you touched them. See racism. (From Book 1).
The clanger: Jail. See Boggo Road jail. (From Book 1).
Carpet snake: Python. Considered to be harmless, unlike the mulga snake or King Brown which is the most deadly snake in Australia.
Condamine bells: In 1868, Samuel Jones made the first Condamine bell, a cowbell, from a pitsaw blade. It was named as a Queensland icon in 2004.
D
Uncle Darcy Jae: Tom Jae’s wheelchair bound brother. The only family member who was a long-time member of AA. Kangaroo shooter and horse-trainer. Served in WW2.
Doll (Powers): Mother of Freddie, adopted brother of Jenny’s father, Tom. Freddie is a shearer, and a communist, who sells The Tribune on Saturday mornings. Non-drinker.
Dog Star: Aboriginal myths are attached to various stars in the sky. (From Book 1).
Dilly bag: May or may not be an Aboriginal word used to describe a string bag that held food, berries, or personal artefacts. It was adopted by swagmen to describe the small bag that held their food along with their swag. It is now widely used to describe handbags.
E
To emu: Australian racetrack term used to describe a person who searches in the ground for discarded betting tickets that could be cashed-in. (From Book 1).
Emu: An emu is the largest flightless bird in Australia. It has soft brown feathers, a long neck, large liquid eyes, thin legs, and a very curious nature. The male emu minds the eggs and rears the chicks. Eamie and Screamie were Jennifer Jae’s pets. They could’ve lived up to twenty years of age if they had not been shot by Jenny’s city cousins.
The football coach: A man from the city rumoured to have impregnated half the girls in town. (From Book 1).
The Forsythes: Aboriginal family related to the Jae Family, but in an unknown way. (From Book 1).
Mr Fredericks: Lived opposite the Jae family in the town. (From Book 1).
Guy Fawkes: Heroic English rebel who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. Also known as Guido. (From Book 1).
Gunggari: First Australians. Maranoa River. Queensland. Walked the land since time began.
Old Granny: Aboriginal woman. Lives at The Mish. Has several daughters. (From Book 1).
Goori: Locally homemade alcohol.
Goose Ganders: A local boy from around the town. Not bright.
The Great Depression: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that occurred just before the Second World War.
Gandhi: Gandhi was the leader who brought about independence for India from the British by non-violent means.
Uncle Harry (Jae): Dad’s brother. Married to Aunty Blossom. Heads a union in Brisbane.
Henry Jae: Jenny’s brother. Six feet tall, lanky, freckled, blue eyed, with a tuft of red-hair. Eventually marries Amanda Reith. Has a son, Young Tom.
Humpy/humpies: Aboriginal architecture that provides easy to build housing. Some humpies were lined with animal skins and fur.
Jerry Hughson: Drover and general all-purpose thief. He remained above the law.
Housemates: Jenny shares a house in Book Two with Kitty, Nancy and Trisha. Nurses.
Ho Chi Minh: Leader of North Vietnamese Independence Movement. Backed by the Americans, Ho fought the Japanese in WW2.
Irish Giant: Illegal bookmaker or SP (starting price) bookie. Children: Shortie, Hughie, and Boiler. The original Irish Giant was over eight feet tall, but the town’s Giant didn’t get to five feet. (From Book 1).
Mr Inch: The married white man who stalked the Aboriginal community for sex. (From Book 1).
Irene: Aboriginal housemaid who was given to a grazier for sex and housework by the Catholic Church. They took her wages. (From Book 1)
Jae family: Great-grandfather Jae killed two people in brawl. Great-grandmother, Olive, was his wife and a nurse. Great-grandfather was a chemist. Scots.
Rene Jae: Tom Jae’s wife and Jenny’s mother. A narcissistic woman who believes the whole world revolves around her. Her brother is Thomas Parton. He owns a shop in Ipswich, Q.
BG Jae: Baby Girl. Belinda Gemma. Jenny’s little sister.
Uncle Harry (Jae): Tom Jae’s brother. Married to Aunty Blossom. Heads a union in Brisbane.
Henry Jae: Jenny’s brother. Six feet tall, lanky, freckled, blue eyed, with a tuft of red-hair. Married Amanda Reith. Son, Young Tom.
Jane Jae: Tom Jae’s sister. Married to Lochie.
Joe Jae: Tom Jae’s brother. Married to Aunty Audrey.
Gary Jae: Aunty Gloria’s son.
Moira Jae: Aunty Gloria’s daughter.
Janette: Father: John. Wealthy grazier’s daughter. Since his death she runs the property. A beautiful looking woman who carried the hopes of the town on her slender shoulders. Previous boyfriend: Young Jimmy. Nicknamed The Shining Lady. (From Book 1).
Jackeroos: Apprentice farm workers.
Jimmy Johnson: Aboriginal wool classer. He owned a white horse. Friend of the Jae family.
Al Jolson: American singer who dressed in blackface to sing minstrel songs.
Eileen Joyce: Australian Piano player.
Trisha: Housemate. Married to Don. (Book 2).
To jug someone: To put them in prison. Also called jugging.
John: Philippe’s boyfriend. They live in Darlinghurst near Kings Cross in Sydney.
Jeff St John: Wheelchair-bound rock, blues, and soul singer from Sydney. See YouTube.
K
The Kenniff Boys or Brothers: Patrick and James Kenniff (and their brother, Tom) lived around what was originally known as Champagne Country at Mitchell, Queensland. They earned money with bush work , racing horses and taking a book on them. A drought and a depression turned them into cattle duffers or thieves. Eventually they made their camp at Mount Moffatt, Q. They were arrested repeatedly, eventually being accused of the murder of police. They were the only white men convicted on the evidence of an Aboriginal blacktracker, Sam Johnson. Pat Kenniff was hanged in 1903 at Boggo Road Jail. Jim Kenniff was released. He died in 1940 – a quiet kind of chap, Dad said. (From Book 1).
Karen: A young town girl.
Kadaicha Man: Aboriginal revenge killer. Also known as Featherfoot. Aboriginal people don’t believe any death is natural. Death is caused by kundris, spells, evil spirits or similar wished upon another. Featherfoot is a term that comes from the type of shoe the Kadaicha Man wears so he remains undetectable. (From Book 1).
Kundri: Aboriginal belief. An internal crystal stone that cut you up inside, kill you, and then put you back together again as if you were still alive. The person may die of a cold but everyone knows that he was actually killed by the kundri that had been put inside the body by an enemy. (From Book 1).
Ned Kelly: Still a highly thought of Australian bushranger. Lived in Kelly Country in Victoria.
Jack Kerouac: American beat writer.
Martin Luther King: American philosopher.
Gustav Klimt: His painting The Kiss made a popular poster in the 1960s.
Kitty: Jenny’s housemate. (From Book 2).
Lincoln: Aboriginal elder. Lives at The Mish. Befriends Jenny. Works as contractor. Lincoln’s wife was Tom Jae’s black sister. Moonlight was Lincoln’s father. (From Book 1).
Lionel: Lincoln’s brother. Works as contractor. Lives with Ethel McPherson, a white woman from a hut in the bush. He services her better than her former husband. (From Book 1).
Lyn: Nurse at the same hospital as the Jenny.
Lobby Lloyd: Australian guitarist with the Purple Hearts band. Addict and what was known then as a bash artist, particularly honing his fists on women.
Mattie: Jenny’s childhood friend. Father a shearing contractor and alcoholic.
Mynah bird: It’s mostly grey body, black crown and cheeks disguises it bold and curious nature. Its bill, legs and naked skin behind the eye is yellow. The mynah’s common calls are repeated over and over by its flock earning it the nickname of Noisy. Although only small, they will attack birds ten times their size. Most birds leave them alone.
Robert Menzies, Sir: Prime Minister of Australia for over sixteen years throughout the 1950s and sixties. He was a do nothing politician who rabbited on about the ‘forgotten people’, and how the family and the family home was the bedrock of sanity and sobriety, which produced cynical laughter from those living in them. He also owed allegiance to the British monarchy and Britain only. Although he maintained government, he did not have the two-party preferred vote. The Queen eventually made him a Knight of the Order of the Thistle for his non-stop grovelling to Britain and British industries. America also awarded him for his outstanding services to America and American industries. Australians who disagreed with him and his classism and racism were called communists. Rumored to be alcoholic. The most authoritative biography of Menzies was written by Alan Martin. In contemporary times his history is being whitewashed.
Mad Goat Lady from One Mile Creek: Feminist. (From Book 1).
Tex Morton: Australian – New Zealand country music singer.
Mr. & Mrs. Mackenzie: Graziers. Owned Wanderoo property. They have one daughter. (From Book 1).
Mackie Mitchell: Local worker. Lives with Gertie, an Aboriginal woman at the Mish. (From Book 1).
Ethel McPherson: A white woman lives with Lincoln’s brother, Lionel at The Mish. (From Book 1).
Mob: Aboriginal term for a group of people.
Muruwaris: Aboriginal tribe. Pronounced and written as it was in the 1950s.
Maralinga: In the 1950s atom bomb tests were conducted by the British out in the desert near Queensland border. The Maralinga people under the Maralinga Tjarutja mob had a meeting about it. They are still fighting for compensation for being poisoned by radio-activity. (From Book 1).
McPherson family: Lived in a humpy out in the bush. Ethel McPherson, their daughter ran off with Lincoln’s brother, Lionel. (From Book 1).
Mulga: Australian bush shrub.
Margaret: School friend of Jenny’s.
Moolah: Australian term for money.
The Maranoa: Is the second fastest flowing river in the southern hemisphere. It flows through the small country town of Mitchell. When in flood, sometimes an ancient breakaway river called The Glear rises. Around the Kia Ora grazing property it feeds into the Balonne River. It also has a song written about it, On the Sandy Banks of the Maranoa. Also from the Gunggari mob was the Maranoa Lullaby. (From Book 1).
Modigliani: His painting of a blue nude was a popular poster during the 1960s.
Min-min lights: The min-min lights appear on the night horizon in south-western Queensland. They seem to follow you but when you try to get close to them they disappear. They look real but may be a mirage. They have been talked about in Aboriginal culture for thousand of years. Sightings are regularly reported.
No-hoper: A person without any life prospects.
Nancy: Jennifer Jae’s housemate. (Book 2)
The Old People: Aboriginals alive and dead. The dead live in the wurlie winds.
Oxford accent: A posh and exaggerated manner of speaking like the British. Usually adopted by social climbers and those in the conservative side of politics. (From Book 1).
Odette: Philippe’s French mother.
P
The Parton family: Rene Jae’s parents. Father Church of England and a Masonic member. Mother was a Catholic. He was sixty when he married. She was in her twenties. Mum’s Aunty married an Austrian who was kind to Mum. Mum’s brother was Thomas Parton. (From Book 1)
Pearl: Aborigine. Lincoln and Lionel’s sister. Domestic for Jenny’s mother, Rene Jae but only as a favour to Tom Jae. (From Book 1).
Rene Jae nee Parton, Jenny’s mother: Green eyes, brown hair, fair skin, and narcissistic clothes horse.
Philippe: Jenny’s gay friend and entrepreneur. (From Book 2).
Princess Margaret: The British Queen’s sister.
Postman: Married. Alcoholic. Mum’s cousin. (From Book 1).
Prickly pear: The most invasive weed ever imported into Australia. It devastated Australian rural areas and the Aboriginal people whose life revolved around the maintenance of the land. It spread by cuttings from one person to another.
Poms: Is a term for people from Britain.
Q
Queenie: A Torres Straight Islander (a TI) who married Alexander. Jehovah’s Witness. Two children Maria and Arthur. (From Book 1).
A quid: A British word for money, specifically a pound note or one hundred pence.
Racism: Racism is a belief that differences in skin colour, abilities, qualities, religion, ethnicity or cultural practices made some people inferior to another. It is the belief in the superiority of one race over another. This belief was the excuse that allowed one race to dominate or destroy another. It is a form of mental illness. The White Australia Policy was supported by the Australian people and all sides of Government. (From Book 1).
Amanda Reith: Henry’s wife. Daughter of Reg and Rae Reith who were the original Queensland “white shoe brigade” or white-collar criminals. Followers of The Preacher. (From Book 2).
The Ringer: Next-door-neighbour to the Jae family. Shearer. Jenny’s father used to torment his children with a lolly tree.
Rosalie: Beulah’s mum. Lives at The Mish. Works as a domestic at the hospital.
Remittance Men: The Remos, usually no good wealthy white men from England settled into The Outback with Aboriginal women. Their relatives paid them to stay away. (From Book 1).
Romavilla Vineyards: Established at Roma in 1863, Romavilla makes superb red, white and desert or fortified wines.
Rita: The blue-eyed blonde who finally removed Jenny Jae’s partner, Steve, out of her life.
Charlie Smith: Aborigine. Mechanic. One of Tom Jae’s black brothers.
Shortie: Irish Giant’s son. As is Hughie, his brother.
Stone Cities: Aboriginal architecture. In south-eastern Australia, Aboriginal people built stone huts about six feet across and about six feet high as permanent shelter. A roof was formed from branches and grass.
Shearer’s strike: Held in the 1950s.
Scab: A strike breaker.
Blackfella slingshot: Aboriginal game played by putting mud on a stick.
Mr Stone: On the road with his children and friend, Mr Russell.
The Mish: A small village or town camp called ‘a yumba’ is made up of Aboriginal people that live on the east bank of the river. (From Book 1). There are many yumbas around Australia.
Tim: Jenny Jae’s first date. It was a disaster.
Mrs Tonkin: The elderly local town gossip.
Karen Thompson: School girl from Bottle Tree Hill.
Turkey’s nest: A small dam full of reserve water.
The Tait Brothers: Cogi, Hessie, Dick, and Agi. The brothers liked to dance.
The Glear: Is an ancient watercourse that flows south from the Maranoa River before it crosses the Balonne River, near St George, Queensland. (From Book 2).
Unaarrimin: Aboriginal cricketer around the 1800s. Hero.
Violetta: French hairdresser and refugee. Friend of Jenny’s mother, Rene.
The Wright Boys: Frank Wright proposed marriage to Jenny when she was fourteen. (From Book 1).
Warramullas: Aboriginal mob from Western Australia – Northern Territory area. Conducted a war in 1926. The fallout from it continues today. (From Book 2).
Westlander: Name of the train that travels through south-western Queensland.
Hank Williams: American country singer.
Wurlie wind: A fierce wind that blows across the plains in The Outback. Sometimes it carries the spirit of the dead.
Wadjinni: White blackfella. As pronounced in the 1950s. It may or may not be correct.
Wimbledon: British tennis institution.
The Women’s Weekly: Australian women’s magazine.
Wombat: Native animal. (From Book 1).
Fats Waller: American composer and piano player.
Walkabout: An Aboriginal word for moving from one location to another.
Tom Wolfe: American author.
Dougie Young: Stockman and Aboriginal songwriter. Born in Mitchell, south-western Queensland. White father. Gurnu mother. He wrote Out Where the Crows Flies Backwards. (From Book 1).
Lester Young: American musician. He played the sax while Billie sang.
Yellabelly: Native fish
Yabba: Aboriginal word for sitting down and talking.
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