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windmill to meet Colin Morgan, the station’s white overseer, and his black offsider, Danny (Dinnywarra) Atkinson. The clay pans were still filled with water and all around them, especially under the mulga trees, the normally red earth was covered in a carpet of pink, white, yellow and mauve flowers.
    â€œThis is what makes station life so special,” said Patricia proudly. “The wide open spaces, the stony ridges and the dry red dusty plains.
    â€œFor months all you see is the burnt looking country. Then after a good rainfall, it changes into this,” stretching her arms.
    â€œI can’t imagine living anywhere else! When I was away at boarding school in Perth I really missed this place.”
    A few miles south, Auntie Minda’s husband Jimbo was out boundary riding, searching for and rounding up stray cattle and driving them closer to the nearest windmill. As he approached the windmill he spotted smoke rising from the creek. This gladdened his heart. He hadn’t had a decent feed for a couple of days—fresh beef and damper washed down with hot sweet tea will go well, he thought. With visions of food he spurred his mount faster.
    But when Jimbo reached the creekbed, he didn’t like what he saw. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was not as he supposed, the two girls picnicking nearby, for what he saw was a trysting place for young lovers. Patricia Forbes, the boss’s daughter, was seated on a blanket in the shadeof a big river gum, very close to Colin Morgan. A little further to the right were Danny and Peggy. A Burungu and a Garimara. Alarmed at this sight before him and of the dangerous position those two young people had placed themselves in, he shook his head in disbelief.
    â€œThat’s wrong way, this can’t be. Not right, not right,” he said.
    What was Peggy thinking of. There was no excuse, she knew the consequences for breaking rules—especially becoming involved with a man of the wrong skin. This was a serious offence. Since her thirteenth birthday she was said to have been endowed with wisdom beyond her years, so she was well aware that this rendezvous, and more importantly the chance of discovery, meant physical punishment for both of them.
    So what made her disregard and flout the “Law”? Was it just the love of adventure or was it just sheer youthful abandonment that got the better of her discretion and good judgment? I think not. I think Peggy was a romantic who was passionately in love with Danny even though he was a Burungu, and she was simply enjoying the youthful pleasures of love and excitement.
    Jimbo rode on—unseen by the young lovers who were obviously far more interested in each other than their beautiful surroundings—to pass this information on to Lucy.
    Lucy was absolutely furious. “Why did my girl have to shame me like this!” She clenched and unclenched her fists and threw her hands up in the air with despair. “Why? Why?” She watched and simmered all afternoon.
    â€œThat Danny, he’s the one. He’s the big trouble maker.” She went on in this vein for the rest of the day, blaming Danny for seducing her beloved and only daughter.
    Patricia and Peggy arrived home unaware that theirpicnic had created an incident that was about to erupt like a volcano with effects just as far reaching.
    The girls showered and changed into cool looking shorts and blouses, then sat relaxing on the verandah. A few seconds later, their peace and quietness was shattered. A very irate and fuming Lucy stormed on to the verandah and grabbed her daughter by her long black hair and dragged the screaming, frightened girl outside, then proceeded to beat her across the back and shoulders with a long warda (digging stick), the same one she would use on Peggy’s lover.
    â€œMum! Dad!” screamed Patricia in fear and alarm for her companion, “Come quickly, Lucy’s gone mad!”
    Mal Forbes grappled with