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George Rose OAM "Bandit", is a Yuwaalaraay man who was born at Angledool in 1926. His dhinggaa (meat) is the gunharr (kangaroo rat). He was taken with his brother to Kinchela Boys Home in 1935. His mother, Linda Fernando, successfully lobbied for their return with the aid of activist Bill Ferguson to Brewarinna Reserve, as the Angledool Reserve had been closed in 1936. Bandit was briefly in the army, and was a shearer and union activist until 1971, when he co-founded and managed the north west branch of the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service until 1995. He started up the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service which he chaired until 1996. Bandit has been elected to the positions of ATSIC Councillor, Chairs of the Walgett CDEP, Koolyangarra Pre-School, Walgett Local Aboriginal Land Council, the North West Regional Land Councils, and held the position of Inagaural Chair of the Gamilaroi Goondi Community Working Party from 1996 - 2003. He co-founded the Dharriwaa Elders Group in 1998. With his first wife Mavis Nicholls he has eight children, one son deceased, 27 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. His second wife is Margaret Rose. "My interests are women, rum and gambling but I've given them all up except one and I'm not going to tell you which one - I don't know myself."
Fay Sands (nee Walford) is a Gamilaraay woman born in Walgett in 1948. "I started work with my mum at the Imperial Hotel when I was about fifteen making beds and cleaning and working in the kitchen. Then I started work at the boarding house doing the same thing - as a housemaid. Me and my husband George Sands went together for about three years and then married in 1957. We had seven children, and now I have about fourteen grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren. George got sick in 1999 and I nursed him until his death in 2000. He'd be gone about five years this year. I lost my little grandson of 10 months of age about 12 years ago and I recently lost a grandson, Gordon, who was nineteen years old. I'm still grieving over losing all three of them and I don't know if I'll ever get over it. Fay is currently on the Advisory Board of the Walgett Violence Prevention Service and has served on the boards of the Walgett CDEP, and the panel working with police with juvenile offenders and is now the Treasurer of the Dharriwaa Elders Group. Fay likes spending time with her family and being with the other elders - "that's my favourite thing."
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| George Rose OAM, Fay Sands |
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