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A Climber's Tale from David Hewitt

We have received quite a bit of correspondence from past climbers and people who lived and worked around Ayers Rock. This story is from long term Red Centre resident David Hewitt. Thankyou David!

A Climbers Tale from David Hewitt, Alice Springs 


For years now I have been advocating for continuation of climbing the Rock because Anangu had no concerns about it up to about 1991.
I have been visiting Ayers Rock since 1965 - Bob Gregory was the head ranger at the time and three years later Derek Roff took over. He was a wonderful man who developed a very fine relationship and excellent communication with traditional owners. We knew Tiger Tjalkaliri, his brother Peter Bulla, Tony Tjanuwa, Paddy Uluru, Mintjinyiri and Nipper Winmati, and amongst the women, Barbara Nipper, Judy Trigger, Judy Brumby, Topsy Walter, Nellie Patterson and others. In the 20 years from 1964 when we first met some of these people at Amata, none of them ever raised objections to climbing the Rock. Nor did I ever hear Bob Gregory or Derek Roff mention Anangu concerns at climbing.
While we were working at Docker - my wife Margaret was the first nurse there in 1970 - I came over to the Rock with 12 Anangu men, some of them traditional owners, to build the first store and service station. Tiger was there then entertaining visitors with his singing and dancing and encouraging them to climb. His son Norman worked on the Ininti store and later went on to work for the Parks.

Ininti Store construction, 1972.

I wonder what Tiger would make of those who want to close the climb. Tiger was master at combining English and Pitjantjatjara to get his message across. He would probably say “This no climb is just rubbish - all palya mulapa”. (truly alright).
In 1946 Tiger and another man were filmed by Lou Borgelt climbing the rock and splashing in pools of water near the summit. He was chief informant and guide for Arthur Groom in 1947 (‘I Saw a Strange Land’). Both Borgelt and Groom were strong supporters of Hermannsburg Mission and they would never have done anything to offend the owners of the rock.
It really concerns me is that we hear many comments such as “People who climb the rock are disrespectful of indigenous culture” (from a spokesperson for Tourism Central Australia) and “visitors have to realise that it is against traditional law to climb the rock” (from Parks Australia). I am concerned at what the relatives of Anangu who climbed the Rock, perhaps 30 or 40 years ago would think of a claim that their father or grandfather was disobeying traditional law. The following photo is of 2 girls who were part of a group of eight young women from Ernabella who climbed with and another staff member and I in 1969. One of them, Nyukana, a wonderful lady was on dialysis in Alice for the last 8 years of her life and sadly she died last year. I am sure she would have been very distressed in the last years of her life to hear people saying that she was disrespectful of her culture.

Nyukana and Yipati on the Rock, 1969

Let’s be honest and say that the no-climb culture grew out of the bureaucrats being paranoid about OH&S. As a senior ranger said to me soon after we returned to the area in 1998: “you know it is duty of care’.


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