As I Grew Older

The life and times of a Nunga growing up along the River Murray.

This book offers a window to the life of an Aboriginal family on the Murray River in the mid-twentieth century. Beginning with his early years on a mission at Swan Reach, Ian Abdulla recreates moments from his childhood and youth with astonishing freshness and clarity: visiting the rodeos at Berri at night; hunting for swans’ eggs; catching pondi and pillarki to sell to the local fish buyer.

Throughout all his recollections the Murray River runs like a thread, drawing together the incidents of his life and revealing his deep association with its landscape, wildlife and history.