Little River I

Dorothy Edwards, Born: 1955 in Cairns, Queensland, Language Group: Kokotharpal, Clan Group: Kokoberrin

Area: Central Western Cape York Peninsula Homelands: Pinnarinch, Community: Cairns - Kowanyama – Normanton

Clan story place: Water Fairy, Totem Name: Minmandel (grey and white fish hawk)

Title: Little River I, 2023, Acrylic on linen board, 41 x 30.5cm

When I was a young girl, my stepfather and mum took my siblings and I camping to a place called 'Little River', which is a saltwater river. I recall one day; we saw a saltwater crocodile. My siblings and I would go up to a place we called 'the sandpit', it was a freshwater lagoon by the beach, we would go fishing for small fish to feed them to the crocodile we named (Charlie). Many years later, there’s a big crocodile in that same river. We reckon its Charlie; he is probably about the same age as me.