This content was created by Dr. John A. King. This content was uploaded by Dr. John A. King. This is an excerpt from a YouTube video titled "Rusty shares his story of life in Tennant Creek." (created 2024-12-11). It is an interview-style exchange between an interviewer (labeled SPEAKER A) and Rusty. Rusty describes his move from South Australia to Tennant Creek after his truck broke down, his work with Pastor Mike running a community service program, his simple bush lifestyle and companionship with his dogs, and his affection for Tennant Creek. He also voices views on social issues: calling out governments and corporations for environmental harm, criticizing modern parenting and youth behaviour, and arguing that Indigenous elders should be empowered to teach lore and help address juvenile crime.
So Rusty, give us a little bit of your background, mate. How'd you get to town?
And, uh, well, I've been here about, what, 10 years now. Moved into town from South Australia, traveling around, and thought go up and see Darwin and head across and go Western Australia. And my truck broke down, gearbox playing up.
Yeah.
And I've been here ever since.
Really?
Yeah, I love the place. Started working for Pastor Mike when he was running the community service program.
Oh yeah.
And I got to meet a lot of people. It was probably the only community service program in town that was being run by an ex-crimp. And it worked because I know where they're coming from. I've been there.
Yeah, yeah.
I know the issues.
Yeah.
So get to talking to them, treat everyone with respect and courtesy.
Yeah.
Work right alongside them. I don't have any trouble in town. I can walk around this town all day, all night. No one's ever going to hassle me.
Yeah.
But they say Tennant Creek's a bad place. Bullshit! They don't know Tennant Creek. It's a beautiful place.
We've heard a lot of that, people talking about their love for the town and what they like. They talk about the challenges the town has got, but they also talk about the opportunities the town has got.
Yeah, well, I wouldn't know about that so much. I live out in the bush next to the work camp, and a lot of people say, oh, you do it hard out there, you do it hard out there. I choose to live like that. I'm a very simple man. I've only got basic needs. I have shelter. As long as I have food and water and the company of my dogs, who needs everything?
Yeah.
We don't need— like, to me, I identify as our Mother's ambassador to the human race, and I am sick of the governments and the multinational corporations destroying the only home we have. Look, I was taught to treat all with respect and courtesy. These days, the kids haven't got any respect for anybody. And that's wrong. The system took the parents' rights away. You're not allowed to discipline the child. That's wrong.
What do you think about the role of Indigenous elders, Wurundjeri elders, in helping with crime in the community and raising the kids? And they feel like— I spoke to a couple yesterday and they said they're feeling like they're disempowered. They don't have the ability to enforce their law to help control The situations in town?
That's wrong as well, because if they were given the rights back, we wouldn't have the juvenile crime problem. The elders know the history. They teach, but the kids don't want to learn. The kids, they can get away with anything. I mean, the system gives the child a right to divorce the parents. You step out of line, you get locked up, locked in your room. Oh no, no, no, that's cruelty to children. You can't do that. It's wrong. I think the elders should have the right to teach the kids and take them and teach them their lore.
