Hunting with my father and his brother uncle Barry Syron in the Bulahdelah state forest area in the 1980s
by bob syron
My Aboriginal father Gordon F Syron Born 1941 Gloucester NSW one of 16 children and his Aboriginal mother born 1911 on the Barrington River NSW – Eileen Syron (nee Cook) and his Aboriginal father born 1908 Robert J Syron whom I never meet as he died from throat cancer before I was born. My grandfather’s aboriginal mother was Susanna Clarke and his father an Irish man Daniel Syron. I also never meet my oldest uncle Cecil Syron who shot himself in the hand with a 303 rifle when shooting mullet from a tree the same method used when using spears.
My father is a very spiritual man he shared many story’s that he had been told from my grandmother and grandfather of our culture. At times he would talk about the discrimination, segregation and intolerance Koorie people had to deal with in the early days and his own challenges.
My father and uncles taught me many skills about hunting, tracking and survival in the bush. My father said “If you ever need to find water watch where the finches go especially the zebra finches. The zebra finch it has an orange beak and white strips on its tail is very smart and will find water anywhere. If they have a belly full of water, they will fly low they are coming from the water source. If they were flying high, they are going to the water source”. He also said “if water is far away, they will only move in flocks and will seek water at the hottest times of the day. If the water is near, the zebra finch will drink frequently during the day and normally drink water when the flock is big enough and feel safe from predators”.
Dad had a deep respect for all animals he said “The animals can warn you, tell you a story if you listen, teach you to hunt if you watch what they do, where they go and what they eat, they are our teachers and we only take what we need”.
Another finch my father talked about that will stay near water, find many types of food sources is the red-browed finch red or black beak, green wings, black and red tail. They move in small flocks inactive or active staying only in their local area. when disturbed, the flock will take off and regroup in the same area staying near water and makes a high-pitched sound.
On one particular day uncle Barry Syron – my father’s brother, my father and I were hunting wonga wonga pigeon they make a coo- coo sound and repeat it again. They have a white chest, grey and are big compared to other pigeons. My uncle said in the early days a returning boomerang was used when they were many in numbers.
I was carrying my 22cal rifle as the wonga like to sit high up in the cabbage tree or palm right at the top they looked like coconuts I shot many on the day and a grey kangaroo and took them back home to eat and share with my grandmother.
Dad would bag me about using a rifle and showed me how to make a sling out of vines to throw stones at very high speed this was passed down from the Irish grandfather to kill birds, other prey, target practice and fun. Dad was very accurate when using a Sling and also throwing stones at targets. He also talked about the shillelagh an Irish club known as the bata used like an aboriginal club all the brothers were also good fighters in the boxing arena.
When moving through the bush there was no talking my father at times would stop walking and just listen. He would point out many animals and birds I was amazed how he would spot animals in movement and sitting still. It was 1983 at the time, I have never seen so many dingos in one area. The dingos were following us through the bush at times jumping up on the old stumps of trees that had been cut down looking down at us. I lifted my rifle and pointed it at a dingo my father quickly knocked it down pointing to the ground “don’t ever shot the dingos they won’t hurt you they are hunting with us like they did with our ancestors. Don’t ever shoot opossums it is one of our totems from your grandmothers’ side and the red-tailed black cockatoo is your grandfathers’ side. We went home boiled water put the wonga in the hot water and plucked the feathers gutted and roasted the pigeon and kangaroo on hot coals to eat. My grandmother loved the wonga pigeon and so did I.
My uncle Barry would often find snakes picking them up with his hands to show me and explain everything about the type of snake he would find and let it go. The black snakes were the most aggressive especially in breeding season near the creeks and flood plain areas in long grass
Kangaroos where important in everyday living for food, warmth, tools and to find water holes. We were walking along and came across a round dry spot on the ground in the long grass up to our chest high. My father asked do you know what this is? I said a dry bit of ground he laughed. We walked another 6 or 7 feet and another dry peace of ground, again we walked and another patch. He asked me again do you know what it is? I responded I don’t know! My father then said if you ever get lost follow these tracks, they will take you to water or a main road, they are kangaroo tracks. If you want to catch a kangaroo this is one way to catch one. We walked along the kangaroo track another 40 to 50 meters, he said sit with me under the tree no talking or moving. About one hour later in the afternoon a mob of grey kangaroos came, jumping from spot to spot like ants following a trail. The kangaroo’s jumped right in front of us my father said this is one method how we hunted kangaroo a killer boomerang or a spear was used to knock down the kangaroos. Another method used was a hole was dug grass put over the top of the hole where the dry ground or patch in the long grass was and would break the kangaroo’s leg or balance and fall. And another method was burning the grass trapping the kangaroos in a ring of fire and spear them.
He also said never jump into the water to catch a kangaroo the kangaroo will jump into the water when a dingos are hunting them as a last resort because the kangaroo will grab the dingo with its arms and rip open the dingos gut with its legs.
My Uncle Dennis the youngest out of 16 only 12 years older than me told me “when we all went out to catch poddy mullet we would get a long stick as straight as they could find with a fork at the end about 6 to 7 feet long and then attach a 6 to 7 feet long peace of vine to the end of the pole. (This thin vine was everywhere in the in the Bulahdelah forest.)
They would then round up the poddy mullet by forming a ring in the water driving them as close to the shore then commence whipping the top of the water to stun the fish and would float on top ready to be bagged. He also said that whenever they could get wire or barbed wire, they would use it over the vines.
Emus once inhabited Barrington , Gloucester areas of NSW in large numbers my father told me in the old days when you wanted to attract an emu to get the eggs or to catch them our people would lay on their back and kick their legs up high moving continuously like you were running. The emus will come very close over to see what’s happening and this is the point when you hit them with a killer boomerang at the legs or neck or to get the emu eggs from the nest. It is very dangerous to go near the nest as the male sits on and looks after the eggs an emu can jump up and rip your stomach open with its claws.
At times I thought my dad and uncles where playing a Jokes with me. One day Uncle Barry Syron my dad and cousins we were all going fishing on the Manning river we got to a gate Uncle Barry said jump out and open the gate just grab the wire unhook it, I grabbed the wire and something bit me, I could not see what is was. Uncle Barry said what’s wring mate “something bit me” he said I can’t see anything just open it gate unhook that wire. I did this for times I said “something is biting me I can’t open it”. Everyone was crying with laughter then they told me it was an electric wire grab the plastic handle don’t touch the wire. I had no knowledge of electric wire fence and had never seen one before then.
Story written by Bob Syron.
About Bob Syron
Gringai Clan Barrington NSW
Registered traditional Aboriginal owner of Worimi lands
Australian Aboriginal War Veteran
Robert Leslie Syron was born 1965 and is a Worimi/Gringai & Biripi Man, NSW
The Guringai, Guringay or Gringai people are the traditional custodians of the land between the Hunter and Manning Rivers, from the ocean to and including the Great Dividing Range. A saltwater people whose land extended inland as far as the salt pushed. From modern day Newcastle to Singleton, on the northern side of the Hunter, through the Barrington’s and back down the Manning to the ocean. This is traditional Gringai country. Bordering the Birripai speaking people of the north, the Awabakal people to the south and the Wannarua and Komelroi people to the west.
Arts Upper Hunter and Creative Valleys would like to thank Bob Syron for contributing this valuable story to our community.