It is with good reason that The Rainbow Serpent by Dick Roughsey has remained an Australian children's classic for 50 years. First published in 1975, the book tells the powerful creation story of the Rainbow Serpent from the perspective of Roughsey, a senior Lardil man from Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. His traditional name was Goobalathaldin, meaning 'rough seas'.
The stories of the Rainbow Serpent are central to Aboriginal people and should be for all who live in Australia. They are stories of deep spiritual belief that connect us to the power of this country, reflecting a caring for country and cultural principles that have endured for millennia. The serpent, also known as Goorialla, is a huge and powerful force whose movements create the landscape, causing people to flee and take the form of Australia's rich bird and animal life.
The serpent creates the laws of human society and shows people how to perform ritual song and dance and how to care for their country and each other. Although the events took place in the past, the Rainbow Serpent continues to live in the life of its people today. The shooting star racing across the sky at night is the eye of Goorialla – watching everyone.
Roughsey gave Australians the gift of imagining the unimaginable: a vision of the Rainbow Serpent from the Indigenous imagination. His splendid artwork shows the magnificence of the divine of this continent. What shines through is his graciousness and generosity in sharing the spirit of the country.
Roughsey faced a difficult childhood under repressive Queensland laws that removed Aboriginal children from their families. He was placed in a boys' dormitory on the Mornington Island Mission, where he rarely saw his family. Despite this, he became a well-educated, worldly man who spoke the Queen's English fluently while never forgetting his Lardil language or the law stories of his country.
His legacy is a gift to all Australians, sharing an important story from his homeland. As Alexis Wright writes, 'We should celebrate this book's longevity and its legacy, and consider why Goobalathaldin's story continues to be read to children around the world.'
