Cultural informants for the Hawkesbury-Hunter Ranges

Two of Mathews’ key cultural informants for the Hawkesbury-Hunter Ranges are Charley Clark and Joe Gooburra. Although Charley Clark (or Charlie Clark with possible alias of Charlie Comfitt) is a “half caste”, he is the last Aborigine known to practice traditional culture. Mathews: “Charley Clark, native of Broke speaks Dharkinung language, [paints] hands in cave near where Dick Wiseman lives [at Laguna].” Mathews also notes “Joe Goobrah (Goobra, Gooburra, Gooburrah)…lives at the Hawkesbury camp”. Both are fully initiated men and have known kinship and personal totem names: Charlie is Ippai, grey kangaroo; Joe is Kubbi, bandicoot. Mathews has been acquainted with both men for many years. He seemingly knows them from Broke on the Wollombi Brook. (Thomas, Culture in Translation, 31-32; Ford 214).