BALLANDER BOY -Colin Thiele & David Simpson -Aboriginal

1979

56 paged hardcover book with dustjacket in good condition.

Binda is an Aboriginal boy who lives with his people on the wild and merciless north coast of Arnhem Land. Danny is nearly ten, a white boy whose home is in Adelaide. The two are separated by 3000 kilometres and many centuries of tradition. When Danny visits his Uncle Bert's northern cattle station during the school holidays he finds himself caught in an adventure that brings the two boys together.

Colin Thiele's charming and gentle story concerns a young boy's first encounter with the realities and hardships of the outback. Lost in savage jungle at the beginning of the Northern Territory's dry season, Danny is rescued by Murrawongi, Binda's father, and taken to their tribal camp. During the next two days he experiences 'the greatest adventure of his life' as he learns at first hand something of the culture, wisdom, and daily life of the Aborigines. Binda introduces the 'ballander' boy to the ancient lore of his people and its almost supernatural affinity with the land, the wildlife, and the seasons. He leads his new friend on a fishing expedition that nearly has a tragic ending when a crocodile intrudes its sinister presence, breaking the idyllic calm. Danny is later invited to witness a corroboree that recreates the terryfing incident in spellbinding dramatic form. It is a much wiser boy who is returned to his familiar world on the following day.

David Simpson's eloquent photographs describe with exquisite sensitivity, detail, and poetic symbolism the interchange of cultures between the boys and at the same time highlight the universal bonds that link all children.