On a roll in the Todd

By ROD MOSS John Wallace, Michael from Uluru, Donella and Lawrence Hayes sit on a blanket playing cards. Adrian Hayes snr sits astride the inverted milk crate. At slight remove from the game are Dorrie Campbell, Michael Hayes and Denise Doolan. Joey Hayes approaches the group. I recall concentrated games in Todd River when a player looked to be on a roll and friends and family hovered at their back, waiting for a share in the winnings. I’d been amongst them once for the same reason, hoping Bernard Neal’s streak would continue as he’d promised to "square up" the $50 he’d borrowed some weeks earlier. Thursdays were his "money days" and he’d invited me to the river where a sizeable group gathered in the shade of a large river gum. "Not now," he’d said. Closing his eyes, he added. "I’m thinking cards." His thinking was right on track. His attention lapsed a minute as he turned to settle with a fistful of notes. More than once I heard of someone allowed to withdraw from such circles with their shared knowledge that the winnings were required for a significant purchase of fridge, car, or TV, or repaying a debt. But the big games seem to be a thing of the past. Not only in camp but the river and hospital lawn (Stuart Park), as well. Perhaps the gambling itch is now satisfied at Lasseter’s Casino. The stick and pebble games kids played in the sand have also disappeared. Discarded plastic toys now lie amongst ground litter. Card game at Whitegate, 1999