Red Dog: True Blue

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1

Monday morning feels so bad

Everybody seems to nag me

Coming Tuesday I feel better

Even my old man looks good

Wednesday just don't go

Thursday goes too slow

I've got Friday on my mind

Oh, no!

Gonna have fun in the city

Be with my girl,

she's so pretty

She looks fine tonight

She is out of sight to me

Tonight

Sorry.

I'll spend my bread tonight

I'll lose my head tonight

I've got to get tonight...

- Hi.

- You're late.

You said seven.

You'll have to feed the boys

at the cinema.

What cinema?

What are you talking about?

You promised to take them

to a film.

Yeah, but what about this?

I'll buy them a pizza, they

watch a movie on the telly,

they get to bed early.

I've got a ton of work to do.

They've been ready to go

for an hour.

Fine.

And try to be happy around them.

- Smile more!

- I smile!

Wait, wait, wait.

What am I... What am I seeing?

Oh, just some doggy flick.

Oh, Christ. Kill me now.

I'm not the one

that promised him a puppy.

No, I didn't.

It was a misunderstanding.

He's lonely.

New city, new school,

no friends.

He cries every day.

Jesus.

Isn't he a bit old to cry?

Why not get him a dog?

M...

Because they... smell, you know?

And... and they lick things.

Dead things in alleys

and... and...

and then their own bum,

and then your face.

- Gross!

- Right.

And they crap everywhere.

They get fleas.

They die.

It's a bad idea, trust me.

- You promised.

- No, I didn't promise.

It was...

Can we not talk about it,

please? Alright?

- What's that'?

- Hmm?

I'm just happy to be out

with my boys.

It's a smile.

You're scaring me.

Right.

Can you tell him to be quiet?

Do you mind?

Alright.

PJs and brush your teeth.

On, Nicholas!

Oh, crikey!

Alright, time for sleep.

Did you like the movie?

It was alright.

You cried.

No, I didn't.

I saw you.

It was hay fever.

Come on, get your head down.

Dad, I saw you crying.

Son, I'm too old to cry.

Now, come on.

But wouldn't it be great?

What?

To have a dog.

A dog like Red.

Lights out.

- Blue.

- What?

His name was Blue, the dog.

Not Red.

You mean the movie actor dog?

His name was Koko.

No, I mean the real dog.

The one the movie was based on.

How do you know?

'Cause he was mine.

I called him Blue.

And he was the first real mate

I ever had.

When I was about your age,

I was living in Sydney

with my mum, your nanna.

And my dad, your grandfather,

had just passed away.

We were both very sad,

but your nanna was...

well, she was very, very sad.

So it was decided she should go

to a special place

to try and relax for a while.

Like a holiday?

Yeah. Sort of.

And I was sent to stay with

my grandpa, your great-grandpa.

He owned a station,

Warndurala Station,

way out west in the Pilbara.

Just south of Dampier,

where the movie took place.

It was so far away, I had to

take three planes to get there.

Watch the snakes!

It was mind-blowing

to be in such a new place.

It was like Mars.

Red. Huge. Fantastic!

This is totally stupid!

I know it's hard to imagine,

but back then, as a boy,

I was different.

I wasn't what you'd call

the outdoors type.

And truth be told...

I was scared.

Argh!

And then there was Grandpa.

Why are you riling up my horse?

H-he was trying to kill me!

What's wrong with it, Grandpa?

Tallulah was hit by lightning.

She hasn't been the same since.

She's blind in one eye and now

she thinks she's a bull.

In future, you don't go

in that paddock, understand?

OK. Yes, sir.

Come on.

Does lightning hit

a lot of things?

No.

But it's crazy dangerous

when it does, right?

Yes.

How do you not get hit

by lightning?

- You be careful.

- How do you be careful?

Can you tell by the clouds

or something?

Yes.

So you just stay inside

when you see those clouds?

No.

- Are there any crocodiles'?

- Not many.

- They can eat you?

- Yes.

And the worst snake

is a death adder?

Yes.

What happens if you get bitten?

You die.

But not from the spinifex snake?

Nope.

Which is different

from the king brown?

Yes.

And you can die

from a red-back spider?

Yes.

It's like everything out here

can kill you or something.

I don't remember

you talking so much before.

Well, last time you saw me,

Grandpa, I was two.

I wasn't talking yet.

Try and remember that.

Grandpa?

Thank you.

Who else was gonna take you?

So, Dad, were you

a cowboy? A jackaroo?

- A real jackaroo'?

- No.

Oh.

Well, not at first.

So, what did you do?

I swept.

I also watered

Grandpa's orange tree.

Which he loved

more than life itself.

And there was homework.

Correspondence sets

I was supposed to complete.

Peter paid no attention

to his grandfather's words.

Boys like him

are not afraid of wolves...

But mainly, I listened

to Grandpa's records.

Peter paid no attention

to his grandfather's words.

Boys like him

are not afraid of wolves.

Jimmy Umbrella was our cook.

He hated the sun

and always carried an umbrella.

He cooked for everyone.

Righto, boys, here we go.

The stockmen ate

out by the cookhouse.

There was the helicopter pilot,

Bill Stemple,

and brothers

Little John and Big John.

The blackfellas ate at their

camp, called Gujarala.

There was Durack and his family,

Mrs Abby and the girls...

Thank you, my darling.

And then Taylor Pete, who was

only a few years older than me

but never copped to it.

He was a rootin', tootin'

stockman.

Comb your hair.

Jimmy Umbrella cooked

three meals a day -

bully beef for breakfast,

cold beef for lunch

and hot beef for dinner.

What's the matter?

Nothing, sir.

You're not talking.

You don't like me talking.

Never stopped you before.

What is it?

It's my birthday.

What do you want for a present?

A salad would be nice.

What else?

I was thinking

my mum would call.

She didn't.

Could I try to call her?

We're not going to talk

about your mother.

Come on.

Happy birthday.

Oh! I thought it was

gonna be a horse!

A horse?

How old do you think I am?

This was 1969.

Horses were out. Motorbikes

and helicopters were in.

Did you know how to ride

a motorbike?

Of course I knew how to ride it.

Oh, nooooooo!

Eventually.

Aaarghh!

The fact was,

it was lonely being in a new

place without any friends.

Seemed like everyone had

a companion already.

Argh!

Big John had Little John.

Jimmy had his umbrella.

Stemple had his guitar.

Those warriors at Wave Hill...

Taylor Pete had his politics

and land rights issue.

Gonna be a big one, boys!

Get in! Get in!

Durack, get in there!

What's going on?!

Cyclone coming!

And Grandpa...

had his gramophone.

The roof is anchored

to half-inch pipes

fixed by 18-inch U-bolts

to vertical railway lines

spaced 10 feet apart all

the way around the perimeter,

sunk three feet

into solid concrete.

So we're not gonna die?!

No!

- Stemple?

- Yeah?

Get into the air. First off,

we've got to find the mob.

Help those that are bogged

or trapped.

Little and Big,

you get out to the west end.

Durack and Taylor Pete,

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