Miriam Margolyes: Almost Australian (2020): Season 1, Episode 2 - Mateship - full transcript

I'm Miriam Margolyes.

AUSTRALIAN ACCENT:
Almost Australian.

But not quite yet, so I've embarked
on a 10,000-kilometre,

two-month journey...

Australia, here I come!

HORN TOOTS

..to meet all kinds of people...

G'day. Are you OK there?

..and to explore what it means

to be an Australian today.

I am concerned about my health.



I'm old, I'm rickety,

I'm arthritic...

Thank you.

..but, you know,
you've got to get out there.

I won't be stopped.

Blimey O'Reilly.

When I became an Australian citizen
six years ago...

Miriam is a world-renowned,

English and now, of course,
Australian actress and voice artist.

..I discovered that Australia is
the only country in the world

to have mateship
on its citizenship test.

The guide clearly states,

"In Australia, there is a spirit
of mateship.

"This means we help and receive help
from each other



"in times of need.
A mate is often a friend,

"but can also be a total stranger."

Now, as I continue my journey...

Oh, boy.

The tits are in.

..I want to find out how deep
mateship runs in Australia.

You're transgender.

Yes, I am.
Oh, for heaven's sake!

..who it includes...

I'm a lesbian. Have you ever met
one of those before?

..and who'd be my mate...

Crikey, look at that.

..if I ended up like this?

This is what I call bowling along.

AUSTRALIAN ACCENT: I'm bowling
along a long, long road.

Marvellous.

I'm heading north
on the Stuart Highway

that stretches all the way
from Adelaide to Darwin,

and I'm wondering what it is
about mateship

that makes it
so important to people even today.

I know it's supposed to be
terribly Australian,

but I actually don't believe in it.

It just means a friend,

and it usually means
a male friend.

It's just a blokey sort of thing.

Tonight, I'm booked into what I
suspect is a pretty blokey place -

a truck stop 100km south
of Alice Springs.

It's the perfect spot to put
my opinions to the test.

I'm looking for the owner
of this extraordinary establishment.

I'm looking for Spud.
Is he around?

Oh, yes, right here to the right.

Thank you.

Miriam, how are you going?

Are you Spud?

I could well be. Nice to meet you.
How are you doing, darlin'?

So are you mates, all of you?
Yeah. Yeah.

I'm very interested in the concept
of mateship. Are you?

So, do you come here
every lunchtime?

No, it's Saturday and the
football's about to start.

You'd better have a beer with us.

I won't have a beer,
because I don't drink beer.

I'll have a tomato juice.

Have we got tomato juice?

I don't know. Ask Judy.

Have we got tomato juice, darlin'?

Yeah, sure.
Can I have a tomato juice,

just straight out of... With vodka?
No, no vodka.

No vodka?
With vodka?!

Thank you for asking.

Can you do me a favour?
Yes, of course.

Can you take them over to the boys?
Yeah.

We'll get you working
while you're here. Yeah.

There you go.

Do women come in here?

I don't see any.

Yes.

Because it can be quite a
chauvinist society, your society.

No, no.

You welcome them?
Absolutely.

Thank you, darling, that's great.

Cheers, and thank you very much.
Cheers.

Are you mates because you've known
each other a long time,

or were you mates when you first met

and you thought, "I like that guy,
he'll be my mate"?

First impressions are
pretty important.

How am I doing?

Pretty well. You're doing all right,
you're doing all right.

What does it mean to have a mate?

It means a lot.

It means somebody you can talk to,
someone you can drink with.

We've overlooked one point.

Who is your best mate?

You have a best mate, do you?

They're standing right there
behind the bar.

That's my best mate.

Is that your wife?

That's my wife, yes.

That's lovely.

Would that be true for all of you?

Yeah.
Yes.

Have you any questions
you want to ask me?

Are you married?

No, I'm a lesbian.

Have you ever met
one of those before?

Oh, shit, yeah.

What do you call them?

By name.

Oh, you don't say dykes,
or things like that?

I call them by name.

OK.

A truck stop where lesbians
are respected

and women are considered mates.

I'm impressed.

Spud's the king of his domain
at Stuarts Well.

His roadhouse is the hub of
an isolated outpost

of a dozen people who rely on the
power, water, and work he provides.

Was having this place
a dream for you?

Yes, it was.

Yes, the dream here was
to make the town bigger

and get more children in the town.

So this is really pioneer stuff?

Exactly.

And is it working out
the way you hoped?

That's something I'll not talk
about right here, all right?

There's a few things that a lot
of people don't know,

and I don't wish them to know.

Are you going to tell me?

Probably off this scene, yes.

OK, not now?

Not now.
OK.

You're an emotional guy.

Yeah.

I'm not sure what's going on
with Spud.

Perhaps I'll have to wait
till we're good enough mates.

LORRY HORN TOOTS

I'll go and have a look at this.

We can all reckon on one mate,
this lady.

A woman got out of it.

Yeah.

How you goin'? I'll check the other
side later, hey.

Nice to see you again.
Hey, yeah. Hey.

Good to see you. Good to see you,
darlin'. Come on in.

How are you going?
I'm Miriam, how do you do?

Nice to meet you, Miriam.

Lady driver Heather Jones
has come from the Pilbara

in Western Australia,
more than 3,000 kilometres away.

How many other lady drivers
are there?

Oh, about 2% in Australia, yeah.

Do you want to come down
and have a look?

I would like to.
Yeah, OK.

Come for a ride if you want to.

I don't know if I could
get up there.

Yes, that's it. You've got it.
Awesome.

But how the fuck do I get up here?

One leg after the other.

Did it.

Yay!

Do you want to go for a drive?
Yeah.

How did this all happen?

Divorce. Wonderful thing.

Oh!

A friend of mine said, "If you want
to come and drive trucks for me,

"as long as the kids stay in the
bunk,

"you can come and drive my trucks."

So that was beginning of our career,
oh, 25, 26 years ago.

Your children were small?

Yes.

I home-schooled them for the first
seven years in the truck.

It actually gave them a really good
grounding in life

because some of the people you met
today, they're pretty awesome,

aren't they?
They are.

And nearly all of them that were
in their life

when they were four and five
are still in their life now.

Would you call them mates?

Absolutely, good mates,
really good mates.

Did you choose the colour pink?

I did.

There was a whole group of us girls
that got together

to form Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls.

We decided to become more visible,
because if you pass a truck,

do you look and see if it's a male
or female driving?

You don't, do you? No. How would you
know? You wouldn't know.

So we thought,
if we wore pink shirts,

we'd become a lot more visible.

You can't turn round, can you?

No, I can't.

You want to go back, don't you?

Well, I'm thinking about it.

We can pull into this truck bay
up here,

drop our trailers,
and then we can just bobtail back.

What's the worst thing that's
happened to you on the road?

Coming across accidents, because
we're normally the first responders.

The last one I came across,
there was four men in the car,

and the driver had his arm
all sliced open, and his face,

and the guy behind him,
his stomach was all blown up.

The other two were fine.
Waited quite a few hours with them,

and I think the saddest thing is,
you know,

when you ring the hospital
to see if they survive

they say, "Are you a next of kin?

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you
that information."

That plays with your head too.

You don't know whether you did
the right thing,

or you don't even know
if they're alive.

Probably the worst thing, yeah.

Yes, I can imagine.

So I guess Heather's the stranger,
the mate, you really want to meet

if you ended up like this.

Well done.

AUSTRALIAN ACCENT:
I'm a fucking lady trucker.

Don't you forget it.

Thank you very, very much.

Thank you.
That was so sweet of you.

It was really lovely.
Thank you for coming.

Very exciting.

Now...

..I want a wee-wee.

I've discovered overnight
why Spud was so sad

during our chat.

Spud will have to sell this place

because his wife Judy has cancer.

I've been told Spud and Judy
don't mind sharing this information,

they just don't want to talk
about it on camera.

The sun's been up for about
two hours. Where have you been?

I always get up at 4.00.

Yeah? What? In the afternoon?

No!

Thank you.
You're welcome, darlin'.

Thank you very much for coming.

It was very good to meet you.

Likewise.

Oh, look, you've got a big lot
coming in there. Oh, yes.

Keep me on my toes.

Somebody's got to.

Well, me wife tries.

I know about all that.

You do?
I've been told.

Yeah.
Right, OK.

Well... Now you know the soft
spot yesterday, then.

Yeah.

Well, you made
something quite special here.

Thank you.
It was lovely to be here.

I shan't forget it.

Thanks, Miriam. God bless.
You have a good day.

When I was with Spud,

I didn't know
that he was struggling with...

..a great sadness.

But he was...

..I think, getting enormous comfort

from the people that knew him
and his wife, and knew them well.

I'm glad he's got mates.

My next stop is Alice Springs,

bang smack in the middle
of the country.

This area has been an important
meeting place

for Aboriginal people
for tens of thousands of years.

Today, it's the regional hub
of Central Australia.

The best place to view the town
is from Anzac Hill,

named for the soldiers

who have fought for Australia
since the Great War.

War memorials in this country
seem to be

a kind of a monument to mateship.

To have a mate was somebody that
you trusted with your life.

It has quite a serious...

..and... and total commitment.

And ever since I started coming
to Australia 40 years ago,

prime ministers have praised
mateship as an Anzac ideal.

These Australians,

drawn from every walk of life
and different backgrounds,

passed upon these hostile shores
12,000 miles from home.

There in that mateship
lay the Genesis

of the Anzac tradition.

We celebrate Australian mateship,
we celebrate friendship.

My value is
we look after our mates.

So, how does mateship work here?

My three-day stay begins at a B&B
not far from the centre of town.

Oh!
Hello.

Hello. I'm Kalika Morty.

Who are you?

I'm Kalika Morty or Kalika.

Kalika. Welcome.
I'm Miriam. Nice to meet you.

Can I come in? Yes, you can. OK.

Welcome to our home.
Oh, it's lovely.

Your room is in here.

Oh, that's nice.

Your bathroom is to the left.

Thank you.

What a beautiful home.

DOG BARKS
Oh, you've got dogs, oh, goody.

Just one tiny, little baby.

This is Joy.

Hi, lovely to meet you.

Nice to meet you. Hello.

Come outside.
Thank you very much.

Mischief.

MIRIAM BLOWS DOG KISSES

So how is it you end up here?

In the centre of the universe
and the heartbeat of the world?

Is that what it is?
Yes, that's right.

DOG GROWLS

Oh, she's fierce.

This is my partner.

How long have you been together?

13 years.

I think the amazing thing
about living here, though,

is it's the lesbian capital
of the world.

Alice Springs is the lesbian
capital of the world?

Well, that's what it's purported.
Maybe Australia.

Well, the most lesbians per capita.

Jiminy Crickets.
Yeah.

According to Kalika,

the first wave of lesbians
arrived here in the 1980s,

part of a women's only peace camp

protesting the American missile base
of Pine Gap.

Now there's around 250
lesbian couples living here,

with more arriving every year.

The thing about living here is
there's no middle-class,

white suburb to go away to.

You can't hide from life here.

It's incredibly hot,
it's incredibly cold,

it's incredibly black,
it's incredibly white,

it's incredibly complex,
it's incredibly simple.

It's a great place to be yourself.

I really didn't know about the
preponderance of lesbians here.

That was a real eye-opener.

I'm not looking for a tribe.

I don't need a tribe.

And I'm perfectly happy for people
who have tribes to go and enjoy

and be secure within their tribe.

But I run from that,
absolutely run from it.

I'm eager to explore what my lesbian
mates call this incredibly simple

and incredibly complex town.

Alice is a tourist Mecca,
drawing people into the Red Centre

from all over the world.

But in some ways, it's also
still an overgrown country town.

Devonshire teas?

The Country Women's Association,

they're very well known.

MIRIAM CHUCKLES

Morning. Good morning, how are you?
Good, thanks.

Isn't this a wonderful place?

It's beautiful, isn't it?

It's gorgeous.

And once, it was rather posh.
The Queen stayed here in 1963,

when it was an official
government residence.

Hi.

Everybody's hard at work.

You don't have time to help us
with Devonshire tea, do you?

Yeah, I'll do that.
SHE CHUCKLES

I didn't know that you put
the jam on first. We do.

Tell me about the
Country Women's Association.

I think our motto
pretty much sums up what we are.

And the last three lines,

"Through country women, for country
women, by country women."

What about black people?
Are they allowed to join?

Absolutely. Any colour,
we don't mind.

The only sort of thing, I suppose,
is that we're a little bit sexist.

And it is the
Country WOMEN'S Association, so...

And we want to keep it like that.
Well, you know.

I'm trying to be an Australian.

I'm a new Australian.

They give you a book to read
about being Australian,

and one of the things in it was
the concept of "mateship".

This seems to be an example of that.

Yes. Yes, it is.

Yeah, very much so.
It certainly fosters mateship.

We have women join
for different reasons.

Some of them just want
to learn skills,

you know, like making scones,

and then other people join
just because they need to

get out of the house.

The CWA has been connecting
country women for almost 100 years.

It was created to help women
overcome the isolation

of rural life,
providing companionship,

even if sometimes it was
just over the radio.

WOMEN'S CHOIR: ♪ God save our
gracious queen

♪ Long live our... ♪

I get the civilising power of a cup
of tea, a scone, and a good chat,

but the CWA also raises money
for families in need.

♪ God save our queen. ♪

Mateship in action.

I think that it is old-fashioned,
but I like that.

I like old-fashioned.

And this is not a political group.

This is a group of ladies
who like to be with other ladies.

It's not a challenging group.

It doesn't pretend to be.

And I don't see why it should.

It serves another purpose.

It's been gorgeous meeting you all,

and I hope I get the chance
to come back. Absolutely.

Bye-bye. Bye. Safe travels.
Bye. Bye.

But despite all the talk
of bringing women together,

I didn't meet a single
Aboriginal member of the CWA,

which worries me, because indigenous
Australians make up nearly 20%

of the population here.

It's my second day in Alice,

and I want to meet
some Aboriginal residents,

so I've been invited to join
a local community group

on the outskirts of town.

I've only driven a few kilometres,
and I'm shocked by what I'm seeing.

At least a third of Alice's
Aboriginal population

live below the poverty line.

I'm a bit nervous about this.

I'm not used to being nervous
about meeting people,

but I just think
they might not like me,

or I might make mistakes.

Hello.

Hello! It's good to meet you.

I'm Miriam. Miriam.

I'm Shirleen Campbell.
Can I give you a hug?

Yeah, sure.

Thank you for meeting us.

We're all excited.
Thanks for letting me come.

We're all excited.
I'm very honoured.

These are the Tangentyere
Woman's Family Safety Group.

Hello.
ALL: Hello.

Miriam is my name.
Yeah, we've seen you in a movie.

Oh, you have?

Well, I'm prettier.

THEY CHUCKLE

So we're just going to sit here.
Thank you.

I'm quite heavy, so I hope...

Oh, it's secure.

I'm curious about why this group
has come together.

It's a bit hard coming
and growing up in Alice Springs.

For me, basically, it's the
society we're growing up in

and the racial discrimination that,
you know, we have been around.

Well, that's one of the things
I wanted to hear about.

What our group is, we're here to
lift everybody up and support them.

And, you know, we want to get
that racial negative away

and bring everybody and build
relationships together

in order to move forward.

And right now,
do you feel separated?

Yeah.

I notice we're all women.

Well, what... we basically started
as a women's group

five years ago as volunteers.
So, what we thought was

put our heads together as strong
women coming together

and forming up a Tangentyere Women's
Family Safety Group.

The reason why we've set it up is
because we've lost a few women.

You mean from violence?

Yeah, from family
and domestic violence.

So what came out of that is
that we're all crying out

for men's behavioural change.

So we've started off helping set
up a men's behavioural change.

And then what we thought was, oh,
yeah, we've got that up and running,

so what we needed
is to protect our kids,

so we've also developed a
domestic violence youth specialist

for our youths as well.

Wow. Programmes for women,
men, and children.

But rather than call it mateship,

the ladies here describe it
as looking after "our mob".

That's a term I've
never heard before.

I don't say it like indigenous,

I always reply to our mob
as our mob,

no matter what culture or race we
come from in Australia. Our mob?

That's... I rather like that.
Our mob.

So, I could go to South Australia

and meet, you know, some
of the aboriginals there

and just look at them and,
"Oh, we're just all one mob.

"You're my mob."

Well, actually, we're all one mob
because we're the human race.

That's kind of a big mob.
Yeah, big mob.

Shirleen and her mob
invited me to lunch,

and it's not tea and scones.

Miriam.
No, no, no, no.

Do you want one? Kangaroo tail.

No, thank you.
Worth a try.

But thank you for offering it to me.
SHIRLEEN CHUCKLES

You're welcome.
I can't eat red meat.

I have a bad heart.

And because I'm so fat,
I have a special breast cloth...

..to cover the titties.

It was incredibly important
to meet First Nation people

and talk to them...

..to realise that Aboriginal women

are forcing people
to make life better,

they are insistent in their
completely correct demands

that doors should be open to them.

And Shirleen's arranged for me
to see one of their programmes

in action back in Alice tonight.

Youth crime is a big problem here,

and it's one of the things
Shirleen's mob are tackling.

Hello. I'm Trevor.
Trevor, hi, hi, I'm Miriam.

Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.

This is Theresa.
I'm Miriam.

The night patrol tries to keep kids
out of harm's way by getting them

off the streets and safely home.

But not all the kids
are in trouble, are they?

No, some of them are just bored.

There's not much things
for the kids at night.

It's all done by six o'clock.

You know, they throw rocks at
buildings and glass and stuff.

Just for want of something to do.
Just for attention, just to...

A bit of action. It's sad. Yeah.

So, you do this every night?
Seven days a week.

Christ.
Yeah. Yeah.

And is it OK if I talk to the kids?

Yeah. For sure. Yeah. They'll
think... they'll think you're

an elder, and they'll be all right.
I AM an elder.

THEY CHUCKLE

I'm too bloody elder, I tell you.

This is the first time an
outsider like me has been invited

onto the patrol bus,
and I don't know what to expect.

God, they're just so young.

Yeah. So, I'll get off here, Miriam,
just get their names and what's up.

Are they going to put the fire out?

Ronald tells me that nine
out of ten kids in custody

in the Northern Territory
are Aboriginal.

Do you recognise me?
Yeah.

Hi.
Hello, hello, hello.

KIDS SHOUT INDISTINCTLY

Is it usually as many as this?
More than this.

Here come the police on the bikes.

Hello.

Nice to meet you.

Oh, you're cold as ice.
Only the hands. You're cold.

The boy with the cold hands
is Mahesh.

He's 13 years old.

Why are you out here?

Is there nothing else to do?

MAHESH SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY

So what do you do?

Just walk around taking selfies
and stuff.

Is that a bit boring?

Yes.

Staying at home is boring.

Staying home is boring?
Yeah.

Where are we?

This is a town camp,
with the fires here, look.

Oh, yeah.

Our first drop-off
of the night is here.

This town camp is one of many
established since 1880,

when Aboriginal people were
displaced by white settlement.

There's 30 of them around
Alice Springs,

and they represent families
that come from out bush and north

and they live in Alice Springs.

And different tribes from
south, north, east, and west.

Mahesh's home is at
another town camp

a further 4km away.

Most afternoons, he walks into town
to hang around with the other kids

before the night patrol picks him up
and delivers him home.

Thank you. Thank you. Goodnight.
Bye-bye.

Give me a hug.

You're special.
Thanks.

Mahesh.

His face and his story
will stay with me.

I just loved him.

Have a good night.
You too. Bye-bye.

What I'm shocked by
is the deprivation...

..the lack of opportunity.

It's scandalous.

How dare people allow that kids
are so deprived.

BUS BEEPS

It is heartbreaking,
isn't it, Trevor?

Yes, very much.

I'm leaving Alice with a heavy heart

via the town camp where we dropped
Mahesh off last night.

You know, this is the major stain
on this country,

the way the First Nation people
have been treated

and what their lives are.

It troubles me, and it...
it will continue to trouble me.

At this point on my road trip,
noble ideals about "mateship"...

..seem rather hollow.

This country is bewildering,
honestly.

I don't know how to bridge
these gaps that there are.

You know, they talk about mateship,

and everybody's very cosy-wosy
in their own little world,

but there are two worlds,
and they're not connecting.

So how do we start building
the connections we need?

I've always believed this is
where storytellers and artists

have a part to play,

so I'm excited to be meeting a group
of elders who've started something

they call Children's Ground as a way
of passing on their stories

and culture to a new generation.

I'm just wondering why
they've chosen such a remote place.

Hello.

Thank you.

Hello. Hello! Welcome, welcome.

Thank you very much.

My name is Margaret.

They call me MK. That's Leonie.
Hello.

Welcome to the country,
welcome to Idracowra.

Nice to meet you.
Welcome.

We were here today,

talking to the land
and telling that you are coming.

Was the land OK about that?
Yeah!

This is the first day
of kindergarten.

Hi, kids!

KIDS REPLY

They said hello.

They still talk their own language.

They just go anywhere.

They just walk, climb, run around.
They're free.

Yeah.

Is there a river near here?

This IS the river.

Oh.
This is the river bed.

This is the river!
But where's the water?

We want to get water,
we've got to get water to come.

Yeah.

What is the river called?

Idracowra.

Real name is Ilkatalatum.

Ilkatalatum.
Yeah.

So tell me what happens here.

We bring the children out here.

We let them play,
we teach them songs,

and we read them some stories.

And when we bring them out here,
they love it.

And the family loves it.

The mothers love it.

And how often does it happen here?

We come here every Tuesday.

Wow.

I love your movie.
They were real happy to see it.

Harry Potter's famous.
"Harry!"

"We're going to see that lady
from Harry Potter!"

Their eyes popped out.

That's nice. They thought Harry
Potter was one of these guys here.

Come talk to me.

Don't get shy. Bring him up.

Where's Harry Potter?
Where is he now?

Where is he? Yeah. Harry Potter.

He's... Well, he's in your head.

KIDS CHAT

MK is teaching these kids
the Arrernte language.

It's one of 13 Aboriginal languages
still passed on to children today

from the more than 250 that were
spoken before white settlement.

These are the books that get made up
by the women here, the stories.

Ooh, they're the parrots.

Yeah.

What's the word for a kangaroo?

Agurra.

Hey! Good on ya.

Hey!

What a world you live in here.

Oh, lovely world.
We enjoy ourselves.

So you're happy when you come here,
aren't you?

Yeah, we're real happy.
We really love it.

And MK's also teaching the kids
the songs and dances she's learned.

Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!

APPLAUSE

I can see now why MK chose
to bring these kids all this way

to this wonderful creek bed,

a timeless place
where they can connect

to Arrernte traditions, culture,
and, most importantly, the land.

Adorable, adorable.

Although MK and I have led
completely different lives,

we do have much in common.

We're close in age, a bit arthritic,

and we both believe in the power
of the stories we love

to connect all kinds of mobs.

When people used to live here,
I used to tell stories

while putting a windbreak,
and we made fire burning.

And in the night,
we'll tell the story

about the Milky Way
and about the stars.

We used to tell them,
"You see those stars up there?

"That star up there tells you
when the cold winter is there.

"That's the Seven Sisters.

"When they go down, that's when
the winter's coming close."

And that's how the children
got to know

when it's winter
and when it's summer.

Thank you.
Yeah.

It's my turn to share a favourite
story from my childhood.

Come on. Come on.

Well, there was an English writer
whom I like very much.

His name is Charles Dickens.

See, that's what he looked like,
Charles Dickens.

Out of his head, he invented
a character called Mrs Gamp.

So this is Mrs Gamp,

and she hears a knock at the door.

"Don't say it's you, Mr Wilkes.

"If it weren't for
a sip of liquor..."

Because she was a drunk, you see.
Yeah.

"..I could never go through with
what I sometimes has to do.

"But let me put my lips to it,
if I'm so disposed,

"and I will do everything
I've been engaged to do

"according to the best
of my ability".

That's Mrs Gamp.

Hey!

Yeah, good on you. Thank you.
Thank YOU.

Lots of love. Till the next time.
Thank you so much.

My pleasure. Thank you.
Yeah.

With MK, I just felt there was
a river flowing.

Bye, Miriam!

Bye-bye!

Thank you.

Thank you.
Bye!

She let me play in her river,

and she was able to play in mine...

..so we splashed about together.

ALL: Bye!

Stories are and always have been
a way of explaining life to people,

and particularly to children.

I think that telling stories
and listening to stories

is a human need.

First Nation people have been
telling stories

for thousands of years, and their
stories explain the world...

..generation upon generation.

It's unbelievable that you can
have the same landscape

for hundreds of miles.

Back on the highway to Darwin.

I must say, I'd be extremely
grateful for a CWA cup of tea

and a chat, because I'm beginning
to understand

what isolation truly means.

It's quite rough being out of touch
with my partner, Heather.

I've tried to phone every day
while I've been here,

but when you get to certain bits
of the bush,

you're completely out of
any sort of communication.

A lot of my life has been
through conversation,

and if I can't talk
to the person I love,

then I feel a bit...

..miffed.

There's a very wise saying - a fresh
face makes you forget your own.

So, after nearly two days
of driving,

I'm very pleased to be pulling into
the tiny township of Daly Waters,

900km north of Alice.

Blimey.

This is a bit of a one-horse place.

The pub here is owned and run
by Tim Carter.

Are you, Tim?

I am Tim. Nice to meet you.
Welcome to Daly Waters.

Where's the loo?

Where's the loo? Straight through
that door over here.

OK. I'd better go to the loo,
and then I'll come and talk to you.

OK.

Perhaps it's the tiptop facilities
that draw people here,

or just the need for some company.

How are you getting on?
It's a big country.

It is, yeah.

Why are you so big?

That's good Australian barbecues.

Oh.
Hm.

And so did you buy this business?
Yes. Yeah, bought the pub.

And who's decorated it all
like this?

Well, everyone seems to leave
a little bit of their own.

You get a lot of people
that leave their ashes.

There's a guy... Really? Yeah.
There's a lot out in the garden.

When someone dies, they want to
leave it at Daly Waters cos they had

a really good booze-up
in their time.

That's very charming, actually.
Yeah.

Mateship and a good time seem to go
hand-in-hand with what Tim calls

the larrikin spirit.

What is a larrikin?

A larrikin is someone
who's a bit cheeky,

who enjoys a good joke, a laugh,

and likes a bit of a stir.

I think that makes me a larrikin,
actually. I think you would be.

MIRIAM LAUGHS

Can a woman be a larrikin?

Yeah. As long as they don't go
too far.

So, who decides what's too far?

The publican.

And that's you in this case.
You're the ref! Yeah!

Right, now, look, I'm hungry.

Yeah, and here's the menu.

You're supposed to be a mine host.

Well, would you like
some Barramundi?

Bloody right.

And salad? Yep. Barramundi.

Please.
Grilled or battered?

Grilled, darling, please,

cos I don't want to get like him!

Ha!

You're bloody cheeky.

I think it's the distances out here

that make people
so open to each other,

where strangers can become
instant mates,

not knowing if fate will ever
bring them together again.

I'm going to take my hat off
and kiss you.

All right, very good. Thank you.

You are a larrikin. It's true.

And you're a good person.

Thanks a lot. See ya, Miriam.
See ya.

And now on to Darwin...

..and heaven knows
what that's going to bring.

I have a confession to make - a few
years ago, I wanted to bring my show

about Charles Dickens to Darwin,

but I was told there was
no audience for it.

So, for purely selfish reasons,

I'm not sure if Darwin
will be my sort of town...

..but after a 1,500km trip
from the Alice,

I'm very glad to be near the sea.

I've never seen sea like that.

That's really...

Well, turquoise.

It's amazing.

I've been in the Northern Territory
now for more than two weeks,

and I like to think I'm chums,
or mates,

with a few people
I'd never have met in the city.

It's not bad for an old Jewish lady
with strong opinions.

GROUP SINGING WITH GENTLE GUITAR

Bravo.

Hello.

Hello.
Hello.

What are you doing out here?

We come together
for special occasions,

and mostly just sit down and talk.

We have a separate group on the
island where we come from...

Oh, you're from an island?

Yeah, we come from Tiwi Islands.

Now, that fascinates me.

I'm going to come nearer

What's your name?

Francis.
I can't see Francis.

I need to see you.

I'm Miriam.

May I ask your names?

Crystal.

Shaniqua. Shaniqua? Shaniqua, yes.

Jemima.
I love that.

And what's your name?
Nicola.

Is that like Nicholas?
Yes.

I just changed it. They changed
boy's names into girl's names.

We're sister girls,
and we're transgender.

You're transgender?
Yes, I am.

Oh, for heaven's sakes!

Are you all men becoming women,
or women becoming men?

Men becoming women.

All men becoming women?
ALL: Yes.

In the LGBTI community that we have,
we have lesbians.

I'm a lesbian!
Oh, I didn't know that.

Why didn't you know?

Well, did you tell us?

Have you sliced off your cocks,
any of you?

No. We've still got
our cock-a-doodle-do.

That's kind of important, isn't it?

But why haven't you shaved?

I shaved once, maybe twice,

then it comes back again,
so I can't be bothered.

But, you know, to be a woman,

you're going to have to
get rid of all that stuff.

I get whiskers on my chin,

and I have to pick them out
with tweezers,

because that's what women do.

Give yourself a chance.
Never mind your cock!

THEY LAUGH

We can't see that.

In our culture, we respect that
person regardless of the look.

We don't look on the outside.

It's the inside that you have
to change. I see.

So, my telling you to shave...

..is stupid of me.

I should know that it's not
what you look like outside.

It's who you are and how you feel.

Yeah. I'm just saying, like,
it's there for decoration.

Yeah.

I see.

Well, I apologise.

Now I understand.

So, what is the fate

of a transgender person
in the Tiwi Islands?

I mean, I use this word "mates,"

because that's the thing
that Australians say.

Are you all mates?

We say "sisters."

You say "sisters."
Yes.

Now I understand.

In Aboriginal way, when we see
each other, we help each other.

If she's got no tucker...
Sorry, no food at home...

I say, "Sisters, we go out
and help my daughter."

And then if she says, "I've got
no money," we give her money,

and then when she borrows it,
she gives it back to us.

These girls are doing a ceremony.

This is Larrakia land,
but we do a Tiwi version.

Crystal tells me that
the Tiwi Islands

are home to Australia's largest
per capita transgender population,

and they've been part
of the community,

its life and traditions,
since time immemorial.

Then we get water, we chuck it...

Yeah, you can chuck some water.

Why we do the hands and feet?

Because these are the hands
that you provide

and the feet you walk on the
ground, here.

The earth is with you.
Thank you.

Oh, and, also, I'm actually doing
a drag show tonight.

You're welcome to come.

There's a nightclub called Throb's.

OK. It's for gay and lesbians,
and you're welcome to come.

For gay and lesbians?

Yes.

Well, it's diverse.

Oh, darling, you'll love it.
I'll do a special show just for you.

I'm looking forward to it.

OK, I'll see you tonight.

Bye!
Bye.

Bye, darling.
Bye.

I think I connected with them
because of their bravery.

They were who they were.

When I came out to my parents,
they were horrified,

so I know what it can take sometimes
to be true to yourself,

no matter what.

Can I come and sit with you?

Have a seat.

Oh, you've got a full palette.

Yes, all sorts of colours.

My only problem tonight -
it's way past my bedtime,

and I'm running out of puff.

You're tired?

When are we starting? Soon.
I just have to get my costumes.

I forgot my costumes,
so I'm just going to...

You're going to strip something
on yourself.

Well, I'm just going to
get this material.

I get one of these.

Tie like that into a little knot.

This was part of my panties.
OK.

But here in the Northern
Territories, is very hot.

People don't wear pants.

And you sweat like a waterfall
between your...

Between the Katherine Gorges.

That is what I do,
I just go like this.

Do you like it like that?

That's nice.

Darling, I'm going to let you
finish, get dressed,

and I will go outside
and await your performance.

Bye, Miriam.
See you on the green, as we say.

Yes, OK.

If Mummy could see me now -

power napping at a minimalist
drag show in Darwin...

..midweek!

But Crystal's bringing all kinds
of people together,

and it's simply wonderful.

MUSIC: Party
by Christine Anu

♪ Stepping out in my deadly
red shoes

♪ Stylin' up cause I'm wearing
something new

♪ Tidda girl had got her eyes
up off the ground

♪ Keeping time to the rhythm
of the city sounds

♪ Why don't you come join my party?

♪ Let's move it till the break
of dawn. ♪

CHEERING, WHOOPING

Yay!

I just wanted you to do some more.

I was going to, but you're tired.

Yeah, but when I see you,
then you feel all...

I know!
Excited, it was just great.

OK, then.

Thank you, Crystal.

The concept of mateship would never,
in my mind,

have included such people.

What they have, which is so loving,
is their support,

their protection for each other.

That is a very evolved state
of affection.

I'll be back. I'll be back.

I just thought they were
extraordinary.

I've never met anybody like them.

Goodnight, darling.

Thank you very much.

It's my last day in Darwin,

and I've reluctantly accepted
an invitation

to watch my first game
of Australian football,

or Aussie Rules.

Of all the sports in the world,
I loathe Aussie Rules the most.

It's up there with English rugby,
which is a repellent game.

Thugs running into each other,
knocking each other to the ground.

It's beastly.

But everyone tells me that,
like mateship,

Aussie Rules is quintessentially
Australian.

SHE SIGHS So here I am.

Hello, Miriam.

I'm Shannon.
Hello.

Hi, nice to meet you. Thank you.

Are you First Nations?

Yeah. On my dad's side, yeah.

Yeah, Aboriginals from the
Tiwi Islands.

Oh, I've met somebody from there.

Shannon Rioli's captain of
the NT Thunder AFL team.

He comes from a family of famous
Australian Rules footballers.

I see that the teams are mixed.

Yeah, that's probably one of
the best things about footie.

Hello.

It might surprise you to know that
I've never seen an AFL match.

Really?

No, because I can't bear it.

So...

That's honest.

What is being taped up here
on your shoulder?

I had an injury last week to it.
I hurt it in a game.

You shouldn't be playing, then,
should you?

Nah, I'm just pushing myself.

Well, that's bollocks, isn't it?

What's that? Oh, a jelly baby.

That's our vitamins.

Thank you very much.

Are you First Nations,
or are you one of the white ones?

Nah, I'm Aboriginal.

And my grandfather's a white
Australian as well,

so I've got a bit of a mix.

And everybody gets on, do they?

Yeah, yeah, we do.

You have to, because you've got to
play with each other.

So the team doesn't see colour?

Nah.
The team is the team.

Yep, we see just the players
and the skill that each player has.

But why isn't it like that
everywhere?

That's what it should be like,
shouldn't it?

Yeah, it should be, yeah.

It's an interesting question.

The Thunders a struggling
to draw crowds,

and really need a morale-boosting
win today.

Hi, guys.

Oops.

Have I done something terrible
by moving that?

I hope not.
You have now.

I reckon we've had some really good
moments

from fast play kick-ins.

The last couple of weeks,
you've been really efficient.

We have turned some balls over,
taken a game on...

Needless to say, I can't understand
a word he's saying.

We have to go slower.

I reckon a bit of a park nestled up
on a boundary, here,

rather than kicking to their
numbers.

So, yeah, there it is, guys.

We've got a shirt for you, Miriam.

Oh, I hope it's going to
go over these.

Oh, boy.

It looks good on you.
Just about.

Yeah.
The tits are in!

That's the main thing, yeah.
That's the main thing.

CHANTING Thunder!

Thunder!

Oh!

Move it!

I'm a huge fan of English soccer.

I've been following Arsenal
for years.

So I know that players should
concentrate on the ball.

Hold it!

And that's not happening now.

He didn't bloody well fight for it.

You've got to fight.

I don't really know
what's going on,

but our team isn't winning.

That's clear.

Their passing isn't good enough,

and they're not running fast enough,

and they're not accurate enough.

Pretty much hit the nail
on the head there.

Come on!

Oh, he muffed it!

They've got to think ahead,
and run!

You can't stand still in this game.

Well, I thought they'd be a bit
better than this.

HORN BLOWS

My team lost by 64 points.

That's obscene!

SHANNON SIGHS
They're a bit depressed.

Yeah, they are.

Well, they'll rise up
like the phoenix from the ashes.

Sorry we couldn't put on a show
for you.

You've got to do better than that
next time.

Next time you're here, we will.

You'd bloody better, OK?

You're great kids. God bless.
Thank you.

When I became an Australian citizen,
the official guidebook stated,

"There is a spirit of mateship
in Australia,"

and there is.

You can see it.

Hey! What's going on?

It's part of that essential decency
of Australians.

It's a very deep commitment,

but expressed in a very understated
way.

It's a funny shape, isn't it?
It is.

But I also wonder if mateship needs
a broader definition.

I really believe we need each other
in this life of ours,

and so, if mateship is going to be
a real thing,

and be a chance for improvement,

it means recognising the humanity
in the other person,

and being prepared to say,
"You're very different,

"you come from a different
background,

"you speak a different language,
you have a different colour,

"but you're human,
and we can tag along together."

Mazel tov.

We can be mates.

Next time,
on the final leg of my journey,

this old lady goes beyond the call
of duty...

Get off!

..from the back of beyond...
EXPLOSION

Maybe I should move back a bit?

..to the cities and the coast...

CHANTING

..to see whether we still believe
this is the lucky country...

Oh, bless!

..and to ask,

"Is the best still ahead?"

You're surrounded by youth.
CHEERING