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The Siege Of Noonkanbah

from On Blue Days - the demo tapes by Darcy Hay

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A song about a dreadful chapter in Western Australia's history that happened when my parents were young. You can read some of the history that this song talks about here - nationalunitygovernment.org/content/noonkanbah-blockade-and-yungngora-peoples-battle-country

lyrics

In 1971 the Yungngora people
walked off of Noonkanbah Station.
In 1976 the government bought out Noonkanbah,
and gave it back to the Yungngora people.

Premier Charles Court,
he must have been a-tremblin',
outraged and offended at this threat to industry.
He grit his teeth and fought for
the good of his State electorate,
as he proclaimed it to be.
“No use for tradition, no time
for unproductive Dreaming
in this skyrocketing two-speed economy;
and if the owners of this land might be sleighted by the hand
of business, it's just the way it's got to be.
For the public interest, it's the way it's going to be.”

In 1979 an American oil company, they called AMAX,
sought rights for exploration on Yungngora land.
The people there said "No, our land is sacred. It must stay intact;
you can go and dig your holes up somewhere else."

Sir Charles Court said that this could not be accepted,
"There's no wealth in that, and boys, there's wealth up there to dig"
45 police protected trucks and drilling rigs
rolled in through Noonkanbah,
smashed the fences down
and raped the sacred ground.

And no oil was found.

credits

from On Blue Days - the demo tapes, released July 9, 2021
Darcy Hay - vocals, guitar, lyrics

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Darcy Hay Geraldton, Australia

Folk, country and blues singer-songwriter from the Midwest of Western Australia with a penchant for political and poetic lyricism, energetic guitar playing, authentic vocals and deft harmonica work

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