Crow Country

by

Kate Constable

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Crow Country makes teaching easy.
Uncle to Walter, and boyfriend of Ellie Hazzard, David is an Aboriginal social worker who has lived in the town of Boort all his life. David is kind, supportive, and generous, coming to the aid of his nephew by allowing Walter to live with him in Boort when Walter faces trouble in his hometown of Mildura. Unlike his nephew, however, David is not especially interested in his own Aboriginal heritage. Nonetheless, he suffers discrimination and prejudice as a consequence of being an Aboriginal man, as evidenced in the hostile reaction of the townspeople when he walks into the local bar with Ellie, Sadie, and Walter one night. As a young man in Boort, he was the victim of an assault perpetrated by Craig Mortlock, partly motivated by the fact that as an Aboriginal man, David had challenged the town’s taboos by dating Ellie Hazzard, a white woman. David’s skills, however, play an important part in leading to some kind of reconciliation between the town’s white residents and its Aboriginal residents. His success in helping to coach the town’s footy (soccer) team to success works to bridge the divide between white residents and Aboriginals.

David Quotes in Crow Country

The Crow Country quotes below are all either spoken by David or refer to David. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Prejudice and Discrimination Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

“David and I,” Ellie said in a low voice, “well, we used to go out together.” She glanced about, but there was no one within earshot. “Years ago, before I met your father. But it was - difficult.”

“Because he’s black?”

“Yes, partly. Mostly.”

Related Characters: Sadie Hazzard (speaker), Ellie Hazzard (speaker), David
Related Symbols: Boort
Page Number: 25-26
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

“Can’t take discipline, though, that’s the trouble,” said Craig. “Brains aren’t wired up that way. Brilliant, quick, amazing skills, but unreliable. Can’t turn up to training week in, week out. No commitment, no discipline.”

Related Characters: Craig Mortlock (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Ellie Hazzard, David
Related Symbols: Boort
Page Number: 98
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

“For our people, the land was created long ago, in the time of the Dreaming, when the ancestral spirits moved across the country. They made the hills and the rivers, the swamps and the waterholes. That’s why our spirit ancestors are so important. They make the land, and the land belongs to them, and they make us, too […] round this country, everything belongs to Bunjil the Eaglehawk, or Waa the Crow.”

Related Characters: Walter (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Ellie Hazzard, David, The Crows
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 116
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

Craig leaned into David’s face and lowered his voice. “Found something very interesting on my land. Aboriginal artefacts. Wondered if you could tell me what they’d be worth.”

Related Characters: Craig Mortlock (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, David, Lachie Mortlock
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle
Page Number: 120
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Crow Country LitChart as a printable PDF.
Crow Country PDF

David Quotes in Crow Country

The Crow Country quotes below are all either spoken by David or refer to David. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Prejudice and Discrimination Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

“David and I,” Ellie said in a low voice, “well, we used to go out together.” She glanced about, but there was no one within earshot. “Years ago, before I met your father. But it was - difficult.”

“Because he’s black?”

“Yes, partly. Mostly.”

Related Characters: Sadie Hazzard (speaker), Ellie Hazzard (speaker), David
Related Symbols: Boort
Page Number: 25-26
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

“Can’t take discipline, though, that’s the trouble,” said Craig. “Brains aren’t wired up that way. Brilliant, quick, amazing skills, but unreliable. Can’t turn up to training week in, week out. No commitment, no discipline.”

Related Characters: Craig Mortlock (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Ellie Hazzard, David
Related Symbols: Boort
Page Number: 98
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

“For our people, the land was created long ago, in the time of the Dreaming, when the ancestral spirits moved across the country. They made the hills and the rivers, the swamps and the waterholes. That’s why our spirit ancestors are so important. They make the land, and the land belongs to them, and they make us, too […] round this country, everything belongs to Bunjil the Eaglehawk, or Waa the Crow.”

Related Characters: Walter (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Ellie Hazzard, David, The Crows
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 116
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

Craig leaned into David’s face and lowered his voice. “Found something very interesting on my land. Aboriginal artefacts. Wondered if you could tell me what they’d be worth.”

Related Characters: Craig Mortlock (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, David, Lachie Mortlock
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle
Page Number: 120
Explanation and Analysis: