Film Launch & Storytellers in Conversation | The Truth About the Telegraph

The Overland Telegraph Line connected Australia to the world and has been celebrated as a great technological achievement. But the people who belong to this Country — including Kaytetye and Warumungu people — have another story to tell.

The Truth About the Telegraph is a groundbreaking short film and truth-telling project, produced by GARUWA and directed by Kieran Mpetyane Satour (Baloch, Gurindji/Malngin, Pertame Arrernte and Worimi). It reveals the profound impacts of the Overland Telegraph Line (OTL) on First Nations peoples in Central Australia, through the voices of the Kaytetye and Warumungu communities. Featuring storytellers Tommy “Walkabout” Jangala (Kaytetye), Carol Ngalyerre Thompson (Kaytetye), Ross Jakamarra Williams (Warumungu), and Joseph Jungarayi Williams (Warumungu), the film is a story of displacement, resilience, and enduring connection to Country.

Join this free webinar featuring the film's director in conversation with storytellers including Joseph Jungarayi Williams (Warumungu) and special guests. You'll then be treated to a screening of the film, followed by a Q&A with the panel.

Hailed as a triumph of technology that connected Australia to the world, the Overland Telegraph Line and the communities of settlers it introduced was a significant frontier in the colonisation of Australia.

Directed by Kieran Mpetyane Satour, The Truth About the Telegraph delves into the disruptions caused by the Telegraph Line through the stories of Kaytetye and Warumungu peoples and their encounters with the stations as sites of an originary frontier violence.

Placed in the heart of Central Australia, the film transports viewers beyond a colonial history determined by settlers and their exploitation through marking Country with wires and poles. It reveals a complex tapestry of testimony that unearths a narrative of cultural displacement, resilience, enduring connection to Country and survival in the face of rapid societal shifts. Featuring storytellers Tommy “Walkabout” Jangala (Kaytetye), Carol Ngalyerre Thompson (Kaytetye), Ross Jakamarra Williams (Warumungu) and Joseph Jungarayi Williams (Warumungu).

Filmed on the traditional lands of the Kaytetye and Warumungu Nations.

Always was, always will be.

Storytellers (in order of appearance):

Tommy “Walkabout” Jangala (Kaytetye)
Carol Ngalyerre Thompson (Kaytetye)
Ross Jakamarra Williams (Warumungu)
Joseph Jungarayi Williams (Warumungu)

Director, Executive Producer & Writer: Kieran Mpetyane Satour
(Baloch, Gurindji/Malngin, Pertame Arrernte and Worimi)
Executive Producer: Ramona Telecican
Producers: Jamie Lee Bolger (Noonuccal) and Maya Ghattas
Impact Producer: Simone Mugavin
Director of Photography: Ryan Andrew Lee
Editor: Sean McDermott
Original Music and Sound Design: Jai Pyne
Graphics: Rah Dakota
Translations: Phillip Janima (Kaytetye)
Linguist (Kaytetye): Professor Myfany Turpin

Song: Arelpe, performed by Tommy “Walkabout” Jungala

Special thanks to the Kaytetye and Warumungu people &
families who shared their stories for this film:

Phillip Janima
Valentine Shaw
The Shaw family

Special thanks to those who shared their family history for this
project:

Elizabeth Napaljarri Katakarinja (Western Arrernte and Warlpiri)
Marie Elena Ellis (Arrernte and Warlpiri)
Warren H Williams (Western Arrernte, Central Arrernte and
Warumungu)

Special thanks to all the people who contributed to the research
for this project:

Professor Genevieve Bell, Maureen Nampijinpa O’Keefe (Kaytetye
and Warlpiri), Olivia Nigro, Sammy Wilson (Yankunytjatjara),
Serena Barton, Shaun Angeles (Penangke, Kungarakany, and
Arrernte), Theresa Penangke Alice (Arrernte), Tisha Perrurle
Carter (Anmatjere) and the mob at Running Water Community
Press

Image credit: Senior Kaytetye Elder, Tommy “Walkabout” Jangala, The Truth About the Telegraph (film still), courtesy of GARUWA and Ryan Andrew Lee.

The Truth About the Telegraph was commissioned by the National Communication Museum and supported by Telstra.

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