Crow Country

by

Kate Constable

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Crow Country makes teaching easy.
An Aboriginal man who is an ancestor of Walter, David, and Auntie Lily. He served in World War I along with Gerald Mortlock and Clarry Hazzard, and lived in the town of Boort following the war. As an Aboriginal man, he faces discrimination and prejudice, even in spite of his war service—the townspeople are reluctant to commemorate him on the war monument that they put up to honor veterans of the World War I. Ultimately, it is Clarry who pushes for the inclusion of his name on the war monument. Jimmy is an Aboriginal “clever man,” a person who is versed in the sacred arts of the Aboriginal people, and he keeps sacred objects, or “special things,” on his person. He attempts to stop Gerald Mortlock from building a dam that would flood the sacred circle of stones lying on land that Mortlock owns. However, Morlock murders Jimmy his dissent, and Jimmy’s “special things,” as well as his body, remain lost for decades until Sadie Hazzard finds them. At Auntie Lily’s urging, Sadie and Walter give Jimmy a proper burial, mark his grave with a headstone, and make sure that the man’s sacred objects are returned to their rightful owner.

Jimmy Raven Quotes in Crow Country

The Crow Country quotes below are all either spoken by Jimmy Raven or refer to Jimmy Raven. 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 8 Quotes

[…] Dad had fought the whole town council, when the war memorial was built, to have Jimmy’s name put on it, too. They said it couldn’t be done, because Jimmy hadn’t enlisted in Boort; he’d joined up down in Melbourne. But Dad said he belonged in Boort as much as anyone, and deserved to have his name up there with the rest. After all, Bert Murchison had joined up in Melbourne, too, and no one said he should be left off.

Related Characters: Sadie Hazzard, Jimmy Raven, Clarry Hazzard, Sarah Louise “Sadie” Hazzard
Related Symbols: Boort
Page Number: 54
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

“Well, it is his land, Jimmy,” said Clarry. “Why shouldn’t he build a dam if he wants to?”

[…]

“No!” Jimmy broke away; Sadie could see the fierce light in his eyes. “No. He mustn’t do that.” […] “It’s like - it’d be like me settin’ that church on fire.” Jimmy flung out his arm in the direction of the little weatherboard church. “What would you say if I set the church on fire, hey?”

Related Characters: Jimmy Raven (speaker), Clarry Hazzard (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Gerald Mortlock, Sarah Louise “Sadie” Hazzard
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 90
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

Wah!” The crow reared up angrily, wings outstretched, and Sadie shrank back. “Do you have no Law? When a man is killed, the death must be punished. When precious things are stolen they must be returned. Are you an infant? Do you know nothing? Tell the story; tell Crow what you see!”

Related Characters: The Crows (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Jimmy Raven
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle
Page Number: 107
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

Mr Mortlock’s hand shot out and twisted into Dad’s shirt. “I’ve killed the bugger, Clarry. I’ve gone and killed him.”

Related Characters: Gerald Mortlock (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Jimmy Raven, Clarry Hazzard, Sarah Louise “Sadie” Hazzard
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 129
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

“Why are you doing this, Dad? Why?” And then Sadie’s voice had risen to a scream, and Dad grabbed her arm and shook her.

“Be quiet, Sadie, for God’s sake!”

“It’s not right, Dad, you know it!”

“I have to help Gerald; I promised I’d look out for him.”

“And what about Jimmy? Didn’t you promise him, too?” Her voice rose, shrill, hysterical. “Jimmy was murdered! Gerald Mortlock should hang for this!”

Dad slapped her face.

Related Characters: Clarry Hazzard (speaker), Sarah Louise “Sadie” Hazzard (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Jimmy Raven, Gerald Mortlock
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

“The story goes on, as it always goes on. The Law is broken and there is punishment. The dead cannot live again, but what was taken from the clever man must be returned. When the Law is broken the world is broken. The circle must be joined again.”

Related Characters: The Crows (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Walter, Craig Mortlock, Lachie Mortlock, Jimmy Raven
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle
Page Number: 165
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

“We can’t leave him here!” Sadie was weeping. “If we leave him here, he will die!” She tried to lift Lachie’s head. He moaned, his face drained of colour.

The story tells itself again...

The three of them were in the grip of Crow’s story, just as Gerald and Clarry and Jimmy had been. But Crow couldn’t see, Crow couldn’t help them. Sadie was the only one who knew; it was all up to her.

Related Characters: Sadie Hazzard (speaker), Walter, Lachie Mortlock, Jimmy Raven, Gerald Mortlock, Clarry Hazzard
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 199
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

Sadie edged closer to the bed. She pulled out the battered cigarette tin - heavy, so much heavier than it should be - and held it out. “I found it. His special things, the secret things. They’re in there.”

[…]

“Good girl.” [Auntie Lily] let out a deep sigh. “Go on, you go. I look after this now.”

Related Characters: Sadie Hazzard (speaker), Auntie Lily (speaker), Jimmy Raven
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 223
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

“Bethany reckons he killed himself. Our great-grandpa,” said Lachie. “Because of the war. Posttraumatic stress or whatever. It was years after he came back. The family made out it was an accident. But Bethany thinks it was because of what he’d seen. What he’d been through.”

What he’d done, thought Sadie.

Related Characters: Lachie Mortlock (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Jimmy Raven, Gerald Mortlock, Bethany Mortlock
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 231
Explanation and Analysis:

Together they planted [Jimmy Raven’s] marker in the ground at the place the crow had shown them.

“I should have brought some flowers or something,” said Sadie.

“Next time,” Walter said.

“Give us a hand?” Lachie called.

The three of them moved around the tiny graveyard, straightening the fallen crosses, digging them more firmly into the ground.

“That’s better,” said Lachie at last, and wiped his forehead on his sleeve. “Maybe we should build a fence round it or something.”

“We’d help you,” said Sadie.

“Make a real headstone for Jimmy, too,” said Walter.

“Yeah,” said Lachie.

Related Characters: Sadie Hazzard (speaker), Walter (speaker), Lachie Mortlock (speaker), Jimmy Raven, Gerald Mortlock, Clarry Hazzard
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 232-233
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Crow Country LitChart as a printable PDF.
Crow Country PDF

Jimmy Raven Quotes in Crow Country

The Crow Country quotes below are all either spoken by Jimmy Raven or refer to Jimmy Raven. 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 8 Quotes

[…] Dad had fought the whole town council, when the war memorial was built, to have Jimmy’s name put on it, too. They said it couldn’t be done, because Jimmy hadn’t enlisted in Boort; he’d joined up down in Melbourne. But Dad said he belonged in Boort as much as anyone, and deserved to have his name up there with the rest. After all, Bert Murchison had joined up in Melbourne, too, and no one said he should be left off.

Related Characters: Sadie Hazzard, Jimmy Raven, Clarry Hazzard, Sarah Louise “Sadie” Hazzard
Related Symbols: Boort
Page Number: 54
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

“Well, it is his land, Jimmy,” said Clarry. “Why shouldn’t he build a dam if he wants to?”

[…]

“No!” Jimmy broke away; Sadie could see the fierce light in his eyes. “No. He mustn’t do that.” […] “It’s like - it’d be like me settin’ that church on fire.” Jimmy flung out his arm in the direction of the little weatherboard church. “What would you say if I set the church on fire, hey?”

Related Characters: Jimmy Raven (speaker), Clarry Hazzard (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Gerald Mortlock, Sarah Louise “Sadie” Hazzard
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 90
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

Wah!” The crow reared up angrily, wings outstretched, and Sadie shrank back. “Do you have no Law? When a man is killed, the death must be punished. When precious things are stolen they must be returned. Are you an infant? Do you know nothing? Tell the story; tell Crow what you see!”

Related Characters: The Crows (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Jimmy Raven
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle
Page Number: 107
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

Mr Mortlock’s hand shot out and twisted into Dad’s shirt. “I’ve killed the bugger, Clarry. I’ve gone and killed him.”

Related Characters: Gerald Mortlock (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Jimmy Raven, Clarry Hazzard, Sarah Louise “Sadie” Hazzard
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 129
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

“Why are you doing this, Dad? Why?” And then Sadie’s voice had risen to a scream, and Dad grabbed her arm and shook her.

“Be quiet, Sadie, for God’s sake!”

“It’s not right, Dad, you know it!”

“I have to help Gerald; I promised I’d look out for him.”

“And what about Jimmy? Didn’t you promise him, too?” Her voice rose, shrill, hysterical. “Jimmy was murdered! Gerald Mortlock should hang for this!”

Dad slapped her face.

Related Characters: Clarry Hazzard (speaker), Sarah Louise “Sadie” Hazzard (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Jimmy Raven, Gerald Mortlock
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

“The story goes on, as it always goes on. The Law is broken and there is punishment. The dead cannot live again, but what was taken from the clever man must be returned. When the Law is broken the world is broken. The circle must be joined again.”

Related Characters: The Crows (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Walter, Craig Mortlock, Lachie Mortlock, Jimmy Raven
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle
Page Number: 165
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

“We can’t leave him here!” Sadie was weeping. “If we leave him here, he will die!” She tried to lift Lachie’s head. He moaned, his face drained of colour.

The story tells itself again...

The three of them were in the grip of Crow’s story, just as Gerald and Clarry and Jimmy had been. But Crow couldn’t see, Crow couldn’t help them. Sadie was the only one who knew; it was all up to her.

Related Characters: Sadie Hazzard (speaker), Walter, Lachie Mortlock, Jimmy Raven, Gerald Mortlock, Clarry Hazzard
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 199
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

Sadie edged closer to the bed. She pulled out the battered cigarette tin - heavy, so much heavier than it should be - and held it out. “I found it. His special things, the secret things. They’re in there.”

[…]

“Good girl.” [Auntie Lily] let out a deep sigh. “Go on, you go. I look after this now.”

Related Characters: Sadie Hazzard (speaker), Auntie Lily (speaker), Jimmy Raven
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 223
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

“Bethany reckons he killed himself. Our great-grandpa,” said Lachie. “Because of the war. Posttraumatic stress or whatever. It was years after he came back. The family made out it was an accident. But Bethany thinks it was because of what he’d seen. What he’d been through.”

What he’d done, thought Sadie.

Related Characters: Lachie Mortlock (speaker), Sadie Hazzard, Jimmy Raven, Gerald Mortlock, Bethany Mortlock
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 231
Explanation and Analysis:

Together they planted [Jimmy Raven’s] marker in the ground at the place the crow had shown them.

“I should have brought some flowers or something,” said Sadie.

“Next time,” Walter said.

“Give us a hand?” Lachie called.

The three of them moved around the tiny graveyard, straightening the fallen crosses, digging them more firmly into the ground.

“That’s better,” said Lachie at last, and wiped his forehead on his sleeve. “Maybe we should build a fence round it or something.”

“We’d help you,” said Sadie.

“Make a real headstone for Jimmy, too,” said Walter.

“Yeah,” said Lachie.

Related Characters: Sadie Hazzard (speaker), Walter (speaker), Lachie Mortlock (speaker), Jimmy Raven, Gerald Mortlock, Clarry Hazzard
Related Symbols: The Stone Circle, Boort
Page Number: 232-233
Explanation and Analysis: