Cameron Ross Kemarre

The White Kangaroo (Kadaitcha Man)

In 1983 as a 16 year old stockman, working at Amberlindum, first day I arrived, in far eastern Arrente Country, more Alyawarr Country, my mother’s mother’s country, my mother and father’s mother are related so it was in my country anyway. Whilst horse tailing through hilly country with my older cousin. We came to a spring my cousin knew of. Exhausted after a few hours riding. I got off my horse and had a drink of water. Slowly mounting up, I was slow to catch up to the group of horses at rear, as my cousin way ahead in the distance, all of a sudden on my right side standing on a rocky ledge there stood a pure white kangaroo, in awe if Just stopped and stared at it for a few minutes. Not even realising I was in trouble, danger. Once I did I figured I better get outta there real quick. It was then I knew it was a Kadaitcha Man. Little did I know it was too late. He had already boned me (sung me) sick. For that night I couldn’t eat, and even the next day, same thing. I didn’t realise I was to become very sick.
Before I knew it, I was sitting up in the A/S hospital so sick, temperature high as a kite with lots of boils in both kidneys. For 2 months almost all the doctors in Alice Springs were baffled as to how this could happen, they had never seen this before ever. Slowly I healed from antibiotics on a drip. It was very painful, an experience I will never forget.
To me, it was a spiritual experience , for at that time in my life, I was a real bad young teenager, always in trouble, and this was a type of punishment I had to go through. For many years after this, right up into the 2000s, From ’83, even on the Tiwi Islands and in the city of Adelaide, and in many other places, this Kadaitcha Man followed me. I saw things nobody would believe, most people who knew me said I was on drugs. But I truly tell you, it was all real, I feel special this happened to me and often wonder now, at 58 years old, where is he now. But I’ve changed now, but long for more of these moments in my life. Truly mind-blowing forever.
Maybe he’ll come back one day, and I can do (paint a new scene/scenes. Our culture is so powerful and amazing. Ngarte (God) is so almighty what he has created, and I’m so blessed to see al of this in my lifetime, and I haven’t been through to law. Thank you Ngarte for I am descendent from this ancient culture in our beautiful world.