The Little Boat Called Ivy May

My name is Iris. My parents were born here on Palm Island. Dad was from Bowen, the Birri area. My grandmother Audrey, she was from Charters Towers. They were moved to Palm, and my mum met my dad around 1935.

They got married in the AIM church, around 1959 or 1960. Then I came along. Then my sister Ivy, Diane, and Norman.

My mum and dad had no way of feeding us. My father had to find ways to feed my sisters and myself. And this is the story I love about them.

My dad built a boat. The little boat was named Ivy May, after my two sisters. Ivy and Diane May. I don't know where he got the wood from, but he managed to scrap it all up just to make this little boat. He made the paddles himself. He made a wamp and he had spears. And they rowed to Possum Island.

They did it monthly, every month. Mum would hunt for turtle at night, and they'd sleep over there and catch the tide coming back. We'd all wait on the beach, getting happy because we had food. Turtle and fish and possum, whatever they could gather. They'd come home with the haul and cut it up right there on the beach in front of other families and share it. My dad would share it or sell a plate for a dollar, five dollars. But he was a good cook. Fish and rice were filling. Damper was filling. There was no bread back then.

One of my fondest memories, and I always think about it, is how did they manage to make a boat, make those paddles, make the tools to catch our food? The exercise my mum had to put in. She had to row too, and she was only a small woman. When they brought the food back, it fed us. We were happy and content.

Until the canteen opened. They fell in that trap. Us kids would run away to our grandmother Audrey.

My mum and dad really wanted us to go to school, so they sent us out to a place in South Townsville. I went there and I enjoyed it, but my education level was so low that the sisters put me back from grade seven to grade six to catch up. I stayed and finished grade ten.

I had low self-esteem, but I was invited to go to the school and do some reading with the kids, which helped me with my own level of reading. They promoted me to teacher aide and I loved that job.

Then my partner died of cancer, and it left me as a widow with the kids. I moved from the school to the women's shelter, helping women who were struggling with domestic and family violence. I stayed there for six years.

Then I met my partner Clay. There was a job going at the rehab, so we took that opportunity. He drove the bus, and I became a caseworker. In December I celebrated thirteen years there, and I'm really happy I did.

My age now is sixty-five. I have seven children, twenty-three grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.

We've leased some land at the other end of the island. They're going to learn the skills of living out in the bush, living off the land. Back then we only had that one boat. We walked everywhere. It was fun.

There's no place like home. My mum, all she wants to do now is go out camping. Just lay on the beach and fish. I'm looking forward to that.