Jimmy and the Water Cart

As told by James Wilson-Miller

and illustrated by Charlotte Craven-Miller

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Wonnarua people of the Hunter Valley, New South Wales.

We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Jimmy and the Water Cart
Story by James Wilson-Miller
Illustrated by Charlotte Craven-Miller

This digital book was commissioned by

Wonnarua Nation Aboriginal Corporation (WNAC)

and

Australian Catholic University

Australian Catholic University acknowledges that

this digital storybook embodies cultural knowledge of

the Wonnarua community.

Charlotte Craven-Miller

Charlotte Craven-Miller is a proud Wonnarua full-time artist. The Wonnarua Nation belongs to the Hunter River Valley region of New South Wales. Her artistic skills and works encompass realism, portraiture, images, and abstract art. Her artistic works are inspired by her rich Wonnarua cultural heritage drawing upon The Dreamings and the Wonnarua peoples’ connection and belonging to Country. She is the artist of the seminal Wonnarua portraiture entitled: Wonnarua Elders commissioned by the Wonnarua Nation Aboriginal Corporation. She is the illustrator of the e-book The Frog that Grew commissioned by the University of Technology and Science, New South Wales. She was commissioned by the Australian Catholic University Limited and the Wonnarua Nation Aboriginal Corporation Australia to write and illustrate the children’s e-book Burning Mountain and illustrate Creation of the Hunter Valley, Deadly Firestick Farming, Deadly Community, Deadly Voice, Jimmy and the Water Cart and Baiame Cave and St Clair Mission. She is the recipient of two Mil-Pra Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Indigenous Art Prizes, the Riverwood Youth Art Prize, and her works have been purchased and commissioned by governments, universities, organisations and individuals.

Email: [email protected]

Photo of Charlotte Craven-Miller

Uncle James Wilson-Miller

James Wilson-Miller is a Senior Elder of the Gringai Clan of the Wonnarua Nation in the Hunter River Valley, NSW.
He has spent his life educating, researching and representing his people at local, state and national levels.
He is a renowned Australian Aboriginal historian and
the author of the bestselling book Koori: A Will to Win
which was the first of its kind synergistically combining Western scientific history methodology with Indigenous oral history.
This research helped ignite a proliferation of the documentation of Aboriginal history research and
a new generation of Indigenous historians. Evincing his distinguished contributions to Australia he was awarded the Centenary Medal for contribution made to Australian society and an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from the Australian Catholic University for his contributions to advancing Indigenous education theory, research and practice.

Email: [email protected]

Photo of James Wilson-Miller

Redbourneberry Hill is my home.

I live in a hut made from tin and hessian bags overlooking the township of Singleton.

We have no electricity.

My Nan makes

Our home has lino floors that nan
sweeps every morning.

candles out of fat to light up our cosy home.

My Nan cooks our yummy food outside over the fire, in big, heavy cast iron pots.

tastes so much better Jimmy cooked on the fire” and I think it does too.

Nan prefers to cook over the fire rather than on the stove.

She says, “The food

Every day, I have chores to do.

firewood to cook our food.

I collect

My favourite chore is to take my water cart down to the Hunter River to collect water we need.

“Come on Jimmy”, Nan would say.

“Time to

take the drums down the river to collect the water” as she placed them in my water cart.

Off I go on my big adventure, down the track to the mighty Hunter River.

I leave my cart up the bank of the river, while I carry the first drum down to collect the water.

I huff and puff, pulling the heavy drum full of water back up the bank to my water cart.

Then off I go again, back down the bank with the second drum which I fill with water.

I huff and puff, pulling the heavy drum full of water back up the bank to my water cart.

By the time I walk back up the track and to our hut, the two water drums are half empty!

“Now I have water for tea and

Nan smiles and says, “That’s ok Jimmy” and ruffles my hair.

cooking”.

My Nan washes our clothes in the mighty Hunter River, and she dries them on the sandstone beach.

Us kids swim as nan throws a fishing line into the water to catch our dinner.

Some say it is a hard life for us but we think it’s a good life.

I can explore Fern Gully.

bush.

I can play in the

I live amongst the wombats and

wallabies.

 Hunter River.

I even get to swim in the mighty

I love Redbourneberry Hill.

It’s a place

where I connect with the land, connect
with my family and do lots of fun things.

I live a very different life but it is a life I love.

Redbourneberry Hill is my home.
I live in a hut made from tin and hessian bags overlooking the township of Singleton.
We have no electricity. My Nan makes candles out of fat to light up our cosy home.
Our home has lino floors that nan sweeps every morning.
My Nan cooks our yummy food outside over the fire, in big, heavy cast iron pots.
Nan prefers to cook over the fire rather than on the stove. She says, “The food
tastes so much better Jimmy cooked on the fire” and I think it does too.
Every day, I have chores to do. I collect firewood to cook our food.
My favourite chore is to take my water cart down to the Hunter River to collect water
we need.
“Come on Jimmy”, Nan would say. “Time to take the drums down the river to collect the
water” as she placed them in my water cart.
Off I go on my big adventure, down the track to the mighty Hunter River.
I leave my cart up the bank of the river, while I carry the first drum down to collect the
water.

Jimmy and the Water Cart Full Text

I huff and puff, pulling the heavy drum full of water back up the bank to my water cart.
Then off I go again, back down the bank with the second drum which I fill with water.
I huff and puff, pulling the heavy drum full of water back up the bank to my water cart.
By the time I walk back up the track and to our hut, the two water drums are half
empty!
Nan smiles and says, “That’s ok Jimmy” and ruffles my hair. “Now I have water for tea
and cooking”.
My Nan washes our clothes in the mighty Hunter River, and she dries them on the
sandstone beach.
Us kids swim as nan throws a fishing line into the water to catch our dinner.
Some say it is a hard life for us but we think it’s a good life.
I can explore Fern Gully. I can play in the bush. I live amongst the wombats and
wallabies. I even get to swim in the mighty Hunter River.
I love Redbourneberry Hill. It’s a place where I connect with the land, connect with my
family and do lots of fun things.
I live a very different life but it is a life I love.

Credits