During my time earlier this year as a Conservation Volunteer in the State of Victoria, Australia, I met John McDonald, Senior Ranger of Beechworth National Park in the north eastern part of that state. John is a most engaging man and told us much about the beautiful Park he is responsible for, and had many stories and anecdotes.
On our last day John took our group to Yeddonba, a sacred aboriginal site where there are ancient aboriginal cave paintings of extinct animals dating from a time when the Australian climate was much wetter….
John showed us around the dramatic site with its rocks, caves, trees and views of the valley below. It was peaceful and beautiful and, yes, spiritual.
On the way back to our truck, John told me the following story.
Many years before, John himself had been introduced to the Yeddonba site by an aboriginal elder called Eddie Kneebone. Eddie was very well known in the area for his beautiful aboriginal paintings and was a lecturer in the local town of Wodonga TAFE Institute on his people’s culture and beliefs. Eddie was instrumental in explaining and displaying for visitors the history of Yeddonba as an important ancestral aboriginal site.
Eddie was a member of the Pangerang people and his extended family name was Kookaburra. Aboriginals (First People) believe that after death their spirit lives on in the animals, plants and natural features of their land. Eddie often signed his name Eddie Kookaburra Kneebone. He gave many videoed interviews about his life and aboriginal beliefs, and John himself had interviewed him.
Over the years Eddie became world famous as an artist and representative of his people, working towards reconciliation, and won high acclaim and recognition for his work, including in 2001 the prestigious international Peace Award of Pax Christi International.
Eddie died in 2005 at the age of 57. He had a large funeral but on the day John McDonald did not attend, as he is ‘not very good at that sort of thing’. Instead he went to Yeddonba as he felt it was a place where he could reflect on Eddie’s life and achievements. As he was gazing out over the rocks and caves towards the flat valley below, quietly reminiscing, he suddenly heard the unmistakable loud laughing cackle of the kookaburra. He looked up and saw a big kookaburra bird perching nearby.
John knew that Eddie Kneebone had come to say farewell.
You can see a photo of Eddie and read more about his inspirational life story at http://museumvictoria.com.au/hidden_histories/histories/eddie_kneebone.htm