2012 best sports feature winner

7/29/2019 2012 Best Sports Feature Winner

1/5

heraldsun.com.au Herald Sun, Saturday, July 21, 2012 25

STABBING, BRAWLS AND PAYBACKLiam Jurrah was a barefoot prodigy who became

a rising AFL star. PATRICK CARLYON and

photographer WAYNE LUDBEY journey back to his

homeland and find a place torn apart by spearings,

scalpings and a boiling lust for payback.

THE MANWITH NOHOME

Liam Jurrahsmother CorinaGranites witha poster of herson in action.

Acourt order bars LiamJurrah rom going home toYuendumu, a community300km northwest o Alice

Springs, where dogs skulk and crowscall and whiteella laws seem besidethe point.

Jurrahs best reason or not coming home,since he was accused o slashing his cousin BasilJurrah with a machete in March, is that he standsto be punis hed. Not by a police of cer, mind,waving a piece o paper, but by an uncle or cousinwielding something more menacing.

A well-placed observer in Yuendumu may beaverse to the niceties o political correctness. Butthe observer is across spearings and scalpingsand blows to the head. Weapons are a commonsight in Yuendumu, and not just or ceremonies.Chainsaws and shovels, as the observer notes,arent very traditional.

Ask the policewoman who, in March, or nogood reason, was knocked unconscious when

she was attacked with a claw hammer andwheel brace outside a Yuendumu supermarket.Or the teenage girl menaced with a crowbar atthe medical clinic not long ago. Or the motherstabbed this week. Or the white woman who hadto leave town.

The alleged Alice Springs incident involvingLiam Jurrah, the source argues, was just anotherclub in the head or them. Theyre mad, thesource says o the Warlpiri people, o whichJurrah is initiated. All the other tribes are scaredo them. They just love to ght.

Continued page 26


2/5

+

+

26 Herald Sun, Saturday, July 21, 2012 heraldsun.com.au

THIS IS AUSTRALIA. A POLICEWOMAN GETS HIT

WHEN GOING TO THE DOCTOR AND YOU MIGHT

You can take the boy out of Yuendumu,

A footy groundfor barefoot starsand a boy walksthrough Yuendumu(below)

Jurrah standsto bemaimedor worse ifhe returns toYuendumu.He faces

payback, a traditionalcustomfarmoreancientthan theOldTestament, butrecognisedby thesame tenetof aneyeforan eye.Sometimes,paybacksgo wrong,andpeopledie,because thosewhoinflictit areblindwith rageandalcohol.Itmaybe illegal,butsowhat?

Tribal lawtrumpswhitefellalawsintheseparts.Evenpoliceofficers mandated

to stopspearingsunofficiallyadmit thattheydoindeedtakeplace.Andthedenial ofpayback,

despiteitsawkwardplace inWesternsensibilities, is whypartsof Yuendumucontinue toseetheand bubbleandhollerasthoughthe policelockupisntthere.Jurrah ishopelesslylockedinto

adisputethat exploded fromadrunkenbrawlbetweenthreebrothersinAlice SpringsinSeptember2010.Three fightersbecame six,and

sixbecame fivewhenoneofthebrotherswasstabbedandbledandlaterdied.Jurrahsconundrum, speltout

inhis 2011 biography,wasapparentat once hewas friendswithall themen,whoplayedfootballtogether.ArrivinginAlice Springssoon

afterwards, Jurrahvisited his

friendsfromthe fight inthe

hospital,thenhis friendsfromthefightin jail.Hehadto pickaside.Since thenin Yuendumu,

chunksof thecommunityof 800which hasfallento400 havebeen likenedto JewsversusMuslims. OrSerbsversus Croats,althoughthereis a difference:thedisputein questionis onesetof interwovenfamiliesskirmishingwith itself.Callsfor calmandallusions to

mediationhavecomeand gone.

Thedispute will never endpredictsoneofthe fighters,withevidentsadness.Just theotherday,the fighteruseda machetetoslice thehandofanattackingmarauderfromthe othermob.Hewill never gounarmed, he

says. Toorisky.Thistensionwasnot ofLiam

Jurrahsmaking.Hehas neverbeenplaced toquell it.Somemedia reportshaveoverstatedhisstandingin theYuendumu

community.

Yes,hewas initiated,in anannual ritual thatculminatesin amanhoodprocedure,but sotooarealmostall Warlpiriteenageboys.Andhe isnota tribalelderat23 evenJurrahsclosestkingiggleat sucha notion.Hehas been elsewhere formost

ofthepast22months,as riotsandthreatsand stand-offs ignitedinYuendumu, often triggeredby theslightest or strangest of triggers.WhereelseinAustraliacan

groceryshoppingdemand

apoliceescort?Thechaoshas oftenseemed

beyondthe reachofwhitefellaconstructs,exceptfor thecourtsthatapportionblameafter theevent andthemedicswho patchthewounded.Thecultural chasmsbetween

black andwhite,the valuesandbeliefsand systemsthatmix nobetterthan oiland water, cannotbeplainer.Westerneyes, especiallyfrom

outeast,cannothope to fully


3/5


WITH A WHEEL BRACE. A GIRL IS ATTACKED

NEED A POLICE ESCORT TO GO SHOPPING

Yuendumu is 300km northwest o Alice Springs. It isone o the biggest Aboriginalcommunities in centralAustralia, although itspopulation o about 800 hasbeen said to be dropping sinceunrest broke out in 2010. Somelocals who fed in a orcedexodus are yet to return. A highnumber o unoccupied housessuggest others have chosen tolive in Alice Springs or othercommunities.

LIAM JURRAHSDESERT HOME

SOUTH CAMP:Housing Liam Jurrahsmothers side o theamily, this parto Yuendumu wasdamaged in riots thatollowed the death oKwementyaye Watsonin September 2010.Main amilies includethe Nelsons, theGranites and Sims.

In September 2010, ahouse was torched andfve cars burnt aterthe Watson amilywas denied paybackdues it demandedunder tribal lawollowing the death oKwementyaye Watson.A dozen dierent

Watson amilymembers werereportedly chargedwith various riot-related oences.

BASKETBALL STADIUM:Uno cial neutral ground. WhenSouth members head west ohere, or West head southeast,such gestures are treated ashostile incursions.

OUTBACK GROCERY STORE:Scene o major unrest about our weeksago. West camp people locked insidewhile up to 150 South camp people,

armed with nulla nullas, tried to break in.

UTB CK GROCERY ST Rcene o major unrest about

WEST CAMP:HousingLiam Jurrahsathers sideo the amily,this part oYuendumu wasattacked by South

camp as recentlyas last weekend,when humpies anda playground weredestroyed. Mainamilies include theWatsons and Jurrahs.About a dozen Southcamp people werecharged, includingmembers o Liam

Jurrahs amily, atera bus was stolen andproperty destroyedlast weekend.

r weeksside

s ncurs ons.

BUSohesu

suth

lyd,andere

ine therrahs.

Southereingm

, atern and

o

he Watson

as denied pues it dema

under tribal lollowing the

Kwementyaydozen die

atson amembersreportedl

ith varirelated o

but you cant take Yuendumu out

Alice Springs

Yuendumu

NorthernTerritoryWA

Qld

MEDICAL CENTRE:About 70 people involved in streetunrest in May. Man charged ateranother man received severe head

and leg injuries.

ed in strrged at

A bus burnt outin the latest riot.Picture: NT Police.

Liam Jurrah was oncejust another toddler here

grasp thecomplexitiesofindigenousfrustrationhere.Whatis clearisthatthemessin

Yuendumuwas Jurrahsburdenwellbeforethepoliceaccusedhimofadirectrole inthe violence.Familyis everything, a friend

explainedafterJurrahwaschargedwith unlawfullycausingseriousharmandbeingarmedwithan offensiveweapon atnightinMarch.More precisely,a family feudis

everything.TheWarlpiripeopleare known

forfeuding. Traditionalshadesofhatredaredeepenedby alcoholand,in a spreadingproblem,socialmedianetworks.These disputescascadefor

yearsandyears,heedless ofWesternlawsand thebestintentsof observers.Opposingsideseachassume

victimstatus.Theirfamiliesmustabidebythe vendetta,andcommonsense cango tohell. Thedisputesorigins, almostinvariably,get smudgedin theirchapters.Everyfamilys gota gripe

againsteveryother familygoingbackgenerations, saysBlairMcFarland,a socialworkerwhohaslongworkedin CentralAustraliasbush communities.Throwin grogandit goesfrom

bitchingaboutaboutone anothertopeople takingup knivesandkillingone another.One crazyperson leads awhole bunchof

otherpeople to it.

And really nicepeople likeLiamget suckedinto itbecauseit isfamilyfirst.Liamsallegianceisto hisfamilyfirst.Jurrah,at 23,has beena rising

AFLstar.Hes thoughtto earnabout thesameasVictorianPremierTed Baillieu.Demonsfans wouldargue,on

hisday, that hedoesabetterjobof earninghis keep.Jurrahhasbeen a studyin

diffidence,a foreignerin thesoutherncapitalsof hisowncountry.Culturalromantics have feasted

onJurrahsjourney frombarefootprodigy.Of coursehe frettedwhentoldto swimat thebeachandjumpona treadmill.He fearedtheunknown.Heis otherworldlyand

mysterious. Anthropologists,friends,enemies andacquaintances agree. Jurrahis aproductof a tribal kinshipthatevolvedover thousandsof years,notasan etiquette, but asasurvivalmechanism.Assuch,hisfuture asanAFL

playercouldneverbehis highestpriority.Youcantaketheboyoutof

Yuendumu, saysMcFarland,but youcanttakeYuendumuoutof theboy.Yet Jurrah did escape: the

petrolsniffing scourgethatretardedhispeers, theboozethatengulfedhismates,theimpulsesthat landedrelatives

andfriendsif notinjailthenin

hospitalsandmorgues.Almosteveryone,it seems,hits

trouble.Jurrahsmother andfather anda grandmotherandcousinsand uncles theyveallhadstintsin jail.Suchlineagesarent shamefulin Yuendumu,theyjustare.Jurrahcomes froma desert

prismwhere theWesterngazedoesntoftenlingerlong,wherecarslie smashedup andburntout,andsometimeslivesturn outmuchthe same.Jurrahwasoncejust another

toddlerwhowanderedin thedust,alongwiththe dogs, amidcarparts andspillsof rubbish.Wheresmoke rises inblack curls andaneducationisntwrappedup inaclassroom.Yethegotoutof townat 20,his

facultiesintact, hisrap sheetclean.Heseizedopportunities.Hebustedgenerations ofpowerlessness.All action,littletalk.Otherswere almostas goodas

him.Mates, itssaid,his uncles,hisDad.Theyblewtheirsportingchance.Ormaybe, theyjustdidntgetone.NowJurrahcantgo home.And

perhaps, hisupcomingcourtdatesuggests, hedidntescapeat all.

Jurrahis set toreturnto AliceSpringsonMondayfor acommittalhearing.In May,

fournewchargesof aggravatedassault,against fourdifferent

people,were addedagainsthim.

Earlier,he hadpleaded notguilty tothe originaltwo charges.ThecourtcasemayendhisAFL

career.Hemayhavealreadyplayed thelast of36 AFLgames. Ifso,itwillbe aminortragedyforsportingpuristswho resistthegamescommodifiedways.Yetthecourtcasewill have little

bearingon JurrahsstatusinYuendumu,where he is notaNorthernTerritory YoungAustralianof theYear oranAFLMark oftheYearholder.HeisjustLiam.InhospitalinMarch,Basil

Jurrah toldtheHerald SunthathiscousinLiamhad toldhimnottobefrightenedbeforeassaultinghimat theLittleSisterstowncampinAlice Springs. A court hasheardthatLiamJurrahhadbeendrinkingbeforehand.BasilJurrah, according to

familymembers inYuendumu,hassincebeenjailedfor drink-driving.As youmightexpect,LiamJurrahsmother, CorinaGranites, says herson isinnocentof thecharges.Evena cousinonhis fathers

side no,no,he isnotwelcomeheresaysthe incidentwasoutofkeepingwith Jurrahsupbringingof footballandmusic.Its thefirsttimehesgot into

trouble, thecousinsays.MaybeLiamwaspoisonedfromhis(mothers)family.Lastweek,Jurrahsmother

chattedwith theHerald Sunona

blanketoutside theYuendumu

house of tribalelderHarryNelson,Jurrahsuncle.A fewdoorsdownis thepinkhousewhereJurrahstayswhenheshome.Thisis inYuendumusSouth

camp.Here, hismothers familysaysJurrahis a goodboy.InwestYuendumu,hisfathersfamily sayshe isthe swornenemy.Ahelpfullocal highlights

Balkanisedzoneson a townmap.Thebasketballstadium roughlyinthetownscentreis theunofficialdemilitarisation line.Ifa Southgoeswestof the

stadium,or a West goessoutheast of thestadium, theyareseekingtrouble. Such incursionsarerathercommon.Graniteshadaskedher son

directlyaboutthe incident, shesays.He toldher hewasnot thatkindof person. Shesayshe wasraisedin a goodway.Hedidnt learnthatkindof

way, shesays.Toholdweapons.Abandof Jurrahsupporters

fromYuendumuare expected incourt.Hewill welcomethem.EveninMelbourne,2200kmaway,Jurrahhasbeenthreatenedbyothermobs.Tryingto concentrate on

football, despitean ankle injury,hehasreceivedphonecalls.Nightandday, apparently,calling himthisand that,untiltheMelbourneFootballClubadvisedhimtochangehis phonenumber.

Continued nextpage


4/5

+

+

28 Herald Sun, Saturday, July 21, 2012 heraldsun.com.au

Yuendumu is football mad. Magpies

LIAM JURRAHS MUM HAS A

SIMPLE PLEA: STOP PUTTING UP

PICTURES OF LIAM HOLDING MACHETES

a

Basil Jurrah inhospital (left);Souths elderHarry Nelson feelsthe stress of the

Jurrah court case

Yuendumu a spot on

the map

Granitessaysthe campaignhasupsetherfarmorethan ithasherson,as haveFacebookdepictionsof herson wieldinga machete.Hereyessquint in anger. Im reallyupset about that,she says. Idont reallylike it.

Thethreatshintof theshrillintensity of thedispute,thelongest andbiggestNelsonhasknown.If rumoursare to bebelieved,Jurrah was targetedbeforethe March incident itssaidhisverygoodcar wastrashedin Alice Springs.

Nelsonmight havebeenaCanberrapoliticianin a differentlife.A goodone.Yetlikeapoliticiansdebating asylum-seekerpolicy,for reasonsbeyondhiscontrol, hefalls short ontheultimatemeasure a solution.

Nelsondismissestalk ofpayback.

Thatsone terminology,oneword,thatputsmypeoplein avery, verydifficultposition,hesays.

Hearguesthat whitepeopledont properlyunderstand it,nordoallpeopleon both sidesof thedispute.

Yet it is the nub of Yuendumustroubles.

It explainswhy thecommunity,asa neutralobserver laments,hasbeena PRf---ingdisaster andwhyJurrahs safetyat home,regardlessof theoutcomeof hiscourt case, cannotbe assured

until thedispute isresolved.

Thecultural imperativesofWarlpirilife areparamount.Adeath ismournedas sorrybusinessfor weeks if notmonths.Ritualsare intricate andboundupinancientlore.

Theprerogativeto punishthefamily of thepersondeemedresponsiblefor a familymembersdeath,often witha spearthroughthethigh,was onceassumed.

TheWatsons andaffiliatedfamilies,suchas Jurrahsfathers

side, rioted in Yuendumuwhen

thisgesturewas notforthcomingafterthe death of KwementyayeWatsonin September,2010.

Eventsthen, asnow, werebathedin wretchedirony. Watsonwasmateswith those chargedoverthe brawl,as washis brother,Sebastian,who wasalso stabbed,andwho hassinceled thedemandfor tribal punishment.

NathanielSims,who wassentenced to at least fouryears

jail for stabbingWatson, initially

tried tobreakup thefight.

Jurrah wascloseto bothWatsons.He wasalso close toChristopherWalker, whowasreleasedfromprisonin Februarythisyearfor hisinvolvementin thebrawl.

Jurrah, theWatsons andWalkerwereall oncefinefootballersat

Yuendumu a footy scoutoncesaidWalker, whohas fiveviolent-offenceconvictions, couldhavebeenanything. . . untilgroggothim.

Walker,whosefamilyis South,

returnedto prisonin March,onremand.

Why?On Monday,he willbeJurrahsco-defendantat thecommittalhearing.

ItsstillunclearwhathappenedafterWatson died, whetherthepoliceblockedthepayback, otherfamiliesintervened,or both. Whathappenednext,however, wasnational news.

Housesand carsweretorched.Nelsonwas beaten.NumerousWatson familymemberswerechargedwithriot offences:Kwementyayes mother,fatherandbrotherswere laterjailed.About 100Southsfledto Adelaideforsafety.

TheWatsons soughtto havefamiliespermanently evicted,inlieuof payback. Thecommunityblazedbrieflyin whatbecame adebateaboutthe clash of tribalcustomsand whitefella laws. Thenthemediamovedon.

Tensionsin Yuendumu havesince flared again andagain:Southstarts trouble,Weststartstrouble.

Lastweek,elderTommyWatsonpolitely demurredwhenapproachedby theHeraldSun,which understandsthata meetingabout a month agodiscusseda(hypothetical) independentmediatorof an appropriateWarlpiriskinname andskingrouping.

Yet whisperssuggest that the

Watson clanis fractured,that


5/5


colours are daubed on walls everywhere

Liam Jurrahsmother witha WesternBulldogsbeanie

someelementswill settlefornothingless thanpayback,eventhoughauthoritieswill neversanctiona potentiallylethalexercise.Regardless, theeverydayrituals

ofhostilityseemremoved fromthepayback question.Kidsstirupone another.Womenconfrontoneanother.Yuendumuis adrycommunity,butgroggets inand tensionsarent about toease.Lastweek,localsspoke ofa

relativecalm.Its notlikeSyria,someone

offered.Yet later thatsameafternoon, policezippedabouttheYuendumustreets.Unrestloomedatoneof theYuendumugrocerystores.Itoftendoes,as a shopsign

spellingout separatesouthandwestshoppinghourssuggests:Nofightinginsidethe shop.Afightdidnot eventuate, butapointwasmade itcouldhave.Bothsideshaveexpresseda

wishforwhitefellasto stayout oftheir dispute.Yetbystanders getdrawnin.Nurseswere saidtobethreatenedabout fourweeksbackwhenSouthassembledin largenumbersfor anassault.Thenursesmistake?Wrongplace,wrongtime.SouthhadaccusedWest of

sendingan invisibleman totheirhomestodisturbthemthe

previousnight. Claimsof

supernatural trickeryand sorceryhavedottedthedisputefromthestart.About15Wests,including

children,were lockeddown inasupermarketwhileSouthgatheredoutside,armedwith nullanullas(huntingsticks)androcks.AWestmanthreatenedto split

theSouthmobby drivingthroughit.Southsthrewrocksat police.InMay, a formerfootballcoach

waschargedafterAlistairTurnerwasalmostscalped ina streetfightinvolving70-oddpeople nearthemedical clinic.Turnerneededhundredsof stitches.Theincidentis symbolic,

perhaps, forits footballing link.Yuendumuis footballmad.JurrahsmotherwaswearingaWesternBulldogsbeanieandMelbourneDemonsT-shirtwhentheHerald Sunmether.Magpiescoloursare daubedon wallseverywhere.Perhapsthe community ovalis

themost jarringsignof thecommunitysparalysis.Itwasoncea dreamfactorythat

could liftplayers,as wellas fans,fromthedysfunctiontheyinhaleeachday.Nowweedsspreaddownthe

ovalswings andpockets.Atoddlers shoeliesin a goalmouth.Plasticbagscartwheel andwilliewillies race.Footballerswhoplayedhere

together,onenight twoyearsago

blued together. Now,as a result,

thereis hardlyany footballplayedinYuendumu.Halfthetownwont stop

rumbling. Onedominohastippedthe next. Andthe careerof thetownsstarexport isinjeopardy.Still,Nelson projects

optimism.He hopes thecourtcasemayhelpheal communityriftsandsavethat career,tobring facts topredicamentslongcloggedwithrumours and

resentments.

He(Liam)wasntdraggedinbythefamilybuthe took partindefendinghisrightand hismothersright, Nelsonclaims.Yes, hewascaughtup init,he

says, butit remainsunclearwhowasdoingthe fighting.Ithinkhe might getoff.Until then,Nelsonasksthe

Melbournepublic to supportJurrah.Jurrahsmumhas a simpler

plea: Stop puttingup picturesof

Liamholdingmachetes.

SOUTHattackedWestlastSaturdayin Yuendumu.Theofficialestimatewas80

raiders,butoneobserversaid itwasmore likethandoublethat.Southwavedspears, nulla-nullas,axesandtomahawks.Morethanhalfofthemwere

women.Apparently,a womanhadsworn atanotherwomanoutsidea shopthatmorning.Westwas outnumbered.Most

sensiblyfledinto thebush.SouthstoletheWestscommunitybusandploughedthrougha humpy ofanoldman,whocoweredunderanearbymulga bush.TommyWatsonwas chasedby a

car.He ranand escapedinjury.Southsmashedup a

playground.Anddrove thebusinto awall.Andsetthe buson fire.Theallegedbusdriverwas

thoughtto beLiamJurrahscousin.Policeweremenacedwithan

axe.Capsicumspraywas used.Police arrestedat least 10Souths.HarryNelsonis believedtohave

triedto stophispeoplefromcausingtrouble. It isthoughttheyjostledhim outof theway.OneAlmaGranites, anartistof

note,wasarrestedandis duetofacecourton August21.Shewas chargedwithbeing

armedwithan offensiveweapona similar chargetoonebeingcontestedonMondaybythemanshecallsher grandson,Liam

Jurrah.

2012 best sports feature winner

Documents