Djandjay and Bob Baker are unique to Milingimbi being its first interracially married couple from the 1960s and who have both lived, worked, and grown up their five children on the island.
Djanday, a full blood yolngu was born at Milingimbi and had a wealth of knowledge from experiences with her own people’s way of life and also at the age of 17 had in 1964 lived for 12 months in Sydney where she worked at St. Ives Hospital doing nursing and learned first hand the western way of life.
Bob baker who is from Newcastle NSW worked at Milingimbi in 1968 where he first met Djandjay and the following year they were married in Darwin. It was not until much later in their marriage that Bob had become interested in doing research with her regarding her grandfather Harry Makarrwala. Harry was the community’s spokesperson who had greeted the first Europeans to arrive and settle in as missionaries at Milingimbi. Harry became known as a great leader, warrior and peacemaker and it was he who was Headman during the Japanese attakes on Milingimbi in the Second World War. This, together with Bob’s research on the RAAF resulted in the first book called The Spear and the Gun.
During their 50 years of marriage they worked together across the NT at two other Aboriginal communities where Djandjay because of her versatility was invited to sit in on their council meetings.
They have been very much involved with missionaries and government workers over the years at Milingimbi and with Djandjay passing away in November 2019, but not before completing this book, this part of recorded history is now sealed with her memory.
