6. Conflict between Alice and the owner of a hotel.
The conflict happens in the middle of hot day when Alice and her two children go to town. Because her children do not wear any sandals, they
have to cool their feet in the shadow of trees or building. They decide to shelter under the verandah of the hotel, and then the owner of the hotel
approaches them: Suddenly he turned
to me and said, „Excuse me, madam, but you know you‟re not allowed under these premises.‟
I looked at him to see if he was serious, „Who said?‟ I really couldn‟t believe what I was hearing.
„I‟m asking you to move because you‟re not allowed under these pre
mises.‟ „Who said?‟ I asked him again.
„Look, if you don‟t move I‟ll get somebody to move you.‟ „You get whoever you like to move me. I want to know the
reason why. And if you think I want any of your rotten beer, well, you know what you can do with that.‟ I was that mad with
him. „I‟ll stay until you push me off here,‟ I said. „You wouldn‟t
deprive your kids of shade when their feet were burning on a hot bitumen road like this.‟
„That‟s none of my business,‟ he said. „No,‟ I said, „But it‟s mine,‟ and I went on standing there
p.181. The proprietor of the hotel tells Alice to leave because in his
opinion, Alice is not allowed in the hotel. There is a law that forbid Aborigines drink alcohol Korff, Jens, 2000. The society, including the
owner of the hotel, thinks that the Aborigines like Alice cannot enter a hotel because the hotel provides alcohol. Alice refuses to leave because what she
wants is to cool down her children‟s feet under the verandah and she does not want the beer that is available in the hotel. Alice states there is no law
that forbids her to stay under the verandah to cool down for a moment.
The proprietor insists Alice to leave or he will get someone to make her move from where she stands. Alice tells the proprietor that he can get
anyone, but she will not move because her children‟s feet are burning on the
hot road. In the end the proprietor goes away and observes Alice from a distance.
7. Conflict between Alice and an Aboriginal Affairs man, Mr. Hawke.
When Alice moves to Wells Street, one day, she gets a conflict with Mr. Hawke. Mr. Hawke is an Aboriginal Affairs man in town:
One day I‟d just picked up my parcel and I was going along past the Town Hall when this Aboriginal Affairs man came up to
me and said, „Excuse me, Mrs. Nannup, I‟d just like to speak to you.
‟ „Alright,‟ I said. „What‟s the matter?‟
„I‟ve had a report about you not spending your money properly,‟ he said.
Well, I just stopped dead in my tracks. „Where‟d you get that from‟ I said.
„We just got it, and if you don‟t spend you money properly, we‟ll have to take your endowment away from you.‟
„Who said that, I‟ll skin that person,‟ I said. „They should mind their own business. You want to see something?‟ and I put
my hand down under the pram and pulled this COD parcel out. „This is where my money goes. I don‟t know whoever told you I
was squandering my money, but in here are articles I‟ve got for my kids. This money belongs to the kids, and I spend it on the
kids.‟p.188. Mr. Hawke, an Aboriginal Affairs man
tries to find Alice‟s fault. He stops Alice when she passes the Town Hall from picking up her parcel. He
accuses Alice for not properly spending the money. Alice disagrees and denies by showing the COD Cash on Delivery: an Australian Post service
for buyers and seller parcel and tells that the money goes to the parcel that
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