Four Small Stones (Urban Hunters) (2011) (edit title/settings)

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• Billy (13): The one chosen by the spirit of his mother, in a dream, to venture into the world of the whitefellas, to show his clan that it's safe for them to come out of hiding to find a new future.

Quotes edit see section history

• “‘When I saw the subtitle, “Billy’s Gotta Find Some Girls,” I knew I had to read it. I was pulled in from the first page by how vivid and visual the writing was.’ Jessica, USA. “‘Great Young Adult book!’ Dannie, USA. “I really loved Billy and his adventures. I can’t remember when I last read a story with such an original and likeable character. Billy is tribal but contemporary, he’s funny but seriously determined. Billy is all about outwitting his brothers with some hilarious pranks, and he’s all about saving his tribe by heading off to the big unknown city to find some girls.I laughed with Billy, I cheered him on and I learnt so much about indigenous Australian culture and survival. After reading the first three books in the Urban Hunters series, I have a whole new appreciation for the Australian bush and Billy’s tribe.This writer has done something rare – he’s come up with something so original that I can’t even compare it to other books. It stands alone. And his humour is really sensational – just when I think I can’t laugh anymore, he twists the tale just another little bit and notches the hilarity up even further. Can’t wait for the next book in this series – hurry up Gary Taaffe, get it uploaded!” 5 Star Review by Jack Scribble, Australia”

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Glossary edit see section history

• Aussie Spelling and Colloquialisms: Australians love playing with words; twisting and rhyming in a never–ending search for something funny. As a result, we use a vast array of slang terms, with long words and names seen as pretentious. We usually shorten them in a humorous way if we can. Although, in the case of “Budgie smugglers,” humour becomes paramount and preferable to the term “Speedos.” It originated from a time in Australia when people were hiding live birds in their clothing and smuggling them out of the country. People began asking Speedo wearing guys at the beach if that was a budgie they were trying to smuggle down there, the joke being that budgies are quite small. Hence, Speedos became budgie smugglers and everyone had a laugh. Another classic Aussie saying is the term “G’day, mate.” “Good day to you, sir” or “Good day,” is far too formal for us. “G’day, mate,” simplifies everything and makes everyone instant friends, or mates. It also levels the playing field by bringing tall poppies down to everyone else’s level — we’re all just mates. Plus it’s an easy solution when you can’t remember someone’s name. We use British English(BE) for spelling here, where as American English(AE) is used in the United States. Some of the main differences are with words like “surprise”(BE) and “surprize”(AE); “colour”(BE) and “color”(AE). Basically, we use an “s” instead a “z” and we keep the “u”. It’s surprising how many words this causes a world of confusion to. However, the English language has always been a mix of languages that continues to evolve to this very day. Two general rules in story writing are don’t use colloquialisms, and change your spelling to suit the country in which it is sold. Today’s readers are much more sophisticated than they used to be. They’ve heard all the stories before and often know what’s going to happen. And technology is never far away. Any unknown word or phrase is easily looked up on Google, or can be checked using the pre–installed dictionaries in eReaders. To me, leaving out colloquialisms and standardising spelling creates boring stories. They lack colour, vigour and flavour. Can you imagine that happening to Urban Hunters? “Good day to you, sir,” just doesn’t have the same ring to it as “G’day, mate.”
• Arse: Arse is your butt, or your bottom. The thing you sit on and fart out of, incase you weren’t getting the picture. And don’t ask me what a fart is because I know you know — I can smell you from here. ;)
• Bastard: Bastard is traditionally someone born of unmarried parents; however no one is frowned upon in this way in Australia. To us, a bastard is a person of low moral standards, similar to a mongrel.
• Billabong: Billabong is created when a river changes course leaving an isolated body of water. It’s also the overflow area of a river that fills seasonally. It originated from two Aboriginal words: “Billa,” meaning a river or creek, and “Bong,” meaning to die.
• Bloody: Bloody is a mild curse, usually used with other words: “Bloody oath” and “Bloody hell,” with “Ruddy heck” being a milder version of the same. Some say it originated from the phrase, “By God’s blood!” Others say it is a contraction of the term “By our lady,” referring to the Virgin Mary; which doesn’t make any sense to me at all. I could go on with a myriad of other theories, but I won’t. Phew! Like all good overused curses, it has lost its original severity and is now commonly used in all sorts of situations.
• Boomerang: Boomerang is an Aboriginal throwing stick shaped in a wide V. The bottom surface is flat with the top curved like the wing of a bird to give it lift. Throwing skill will make it turn left or right or even up if necessary. Not all boomerangs are made to return. Some are used like a flying club. They’re also clapped together creating a rhythmic accompaniment to song and dance.
• Corroboree: Corroboree is basically a party. Aborigines gather from near and far to perform ceremonies, or to just sing and dance for the fun of it.
• Dilly bag: Dilly bag is a small bag usually made of woven materials. It’s often worn around the neck and is used to carry tools or collected foods like berries, nuts and seeds.
• Dingo: Dingo is a wild dog, not to be mistaken with escaped domestic dogs. They have a taxon all their own — Canis lupus dingo. It’s estimated that they’ve been in Australia for around 4,000 years and have developed features and instincts that distinguish them from all other dogs. I think the best guess on how they got to Australia in the first place was as domestic dogs on fishing boats from South East Asia. They may have been traded for goods from the Aborigines. Street dogs from Asia look uncannily like a dingo.
• Dreamtime or the Dreaming: Dreamtime or the Dreaming was a time of creation, in Aboriginal beliefs. Before the Dreamtime there was nothing, no rivers, no mountains, no kangaroos and no rain. A featureless, desolate land devoid of everything. Then came the Dreamtime which created everything. Giant mythical Beings and creatures rising from their slumber within the earth to live normal, human or animal lives. These giants, foraging for food and digging in the ground, created all the deep gorges and mountain ranges we see today. It was during this time that the traditional way of life was established and, as ancestors of these mythical Beings, ancient Aboriginal people were taught their traditions. Then the Dreamtime ended, allowing life as we know it to begin. With no written language; verbal stories, songs, customs and art pass on this knowledge for future generations to live by. It has been this way in Australia for, at the very least, an astounding 60,000 years. This Aboriginal religion, or spirituality, is as true and real to the Aboriginal people as it is true and real to many other people’s religions — that a mythical being created everything
• Dunno: Dunno is short for “I don’t know.”
• Galah: Galah is a medium sized parrot with a pink body, grey wings and a white head crest. Known for their playful antics, they’re often seen hanging upside down in branches and screeching raucously. The term “Ya bloody, galah!” originated as an Aussie term for a loud–mouthed idiot. But time has softened the blow to someone clowning around, having fun or acting foolishly.
• Goanna: Goanna is another word for a monitor. See Lace monitor.
• Gotta: Gotta is short for “Have got to …” or “Have got a …”
• Guano: Guano is a Spanish word for bat droppings.
• Humpy: Humpy is a temporary Aboriginal dwelling made of materials at hand like branches, bark and skins.
• Kid: Kid is a child, or a baby goat.
• Lace monitor: Lace monitor is a type of lizard. They have long claws for climbing trees to hunt for birds, eggs and possums; and they have a long whipping tail for defense.
• Loincloth: Loincloth is a simple garment providing cover for a person’s genitalia. Before the whiteman’s conventions arrived in Australia, Aborigines spent their lives wearing nothing at all.
• Me: Me can be a badly pronounced “My.”
• Metre: Metre is a unit of measure, where as a meter is something that measures.
• Mob: Mob is a group or gathering of animals, livestock in particular, and is a favoured term used by Aboriginal people.
• Mollycoddle: Mollycoddle is to overprotect someone, to indulge them.
• Mongrel: Mongrel is traditionally a mixed breed of dog but is commonly used to describe a person of low morals, like a bastard.
• Mum: Mum is how we spell mom.
• Musta: Musta is short for “Must have.”
• Pinching: Pinching is to steal or to pinch someone’s skin causing pain.
• Shoulda: Shoulda is short for “Should have.”
• Sling: Sling see stone thrower
• Stockman: Stockman is a person who looks after livestock on large properties; often on horseback. Just like a cowboy.
• Stone thrower: Stone thrower or a sling is two pieces of cord joined in the middle by a flat pouch that folds to hold a stone. The ends of the cord are held with the pouch containing the stone left dangling. After swinging the pouch underarm or overarm, one end of the cord is released at just the right time, allowing the stone to be released with great velocity. It was used in ancient times to great affect as a weapon, and for hunting. Today it is used for fun and competition.
• Totem or totemism: Totem or totemism varies greatly across Aboriginal Australia. However on the whole it’s a spiritual connection to the land through things like animals, insects, birds, fish and reptiles. The concept goes all the way back to the Dreamtime. It helps balance nature and provides guidance through people’s lives. Totems are assigned at various times for various reasons. The area you live in has a totem as does your tribe and your clan. The kookaburra totem may be assigned to a baby because they sang nearby at the time of birth. Or a bee was buzzing around, telling all that the baby is of the bee totem. If the bee is your totem, then it’s as if you are actually a bee. If you kill a bee it would be like killing your brother or sister. You are charged with looking after the bees, and you know that they will look after you by warning you of danger, for example. If you are a bee you cannot marry a bee, for that would be incest. In this way, interbreeding is controlled. Some say you cannot, and some say you should not, eat a kangaroo if your totem is the kangaroo. In this way, the ecosystem is nurtured. Westerners say I’m a Taurus and the Asians say I’m a Dragon. Well I don’t eat dragons but I sure as heck cannibalise those bulls every chance I get. Yummo!
• Tucker: Tucker is any kind of food with “Good tucker, mate,” being a well used term.
• Walkabout: Walkabout is a rite of passage and an opportunity for an Aboriginal adolescent to grow into a man. He wanders the bush for a period of time, often six months, travelling along song lines (spiritual paths made by his ancestors) to break the bonds between parent and child and connect with his spirituality. A period of reflection. A time to learn about oneself and the cultures of others. A boy returns a man, full of pride where he earns the respect of his community. It is a good tradition.
• Wanna: Wanna is short for “Do you want a …,” or “Do you want to …”
• Whatcha: Whatcha is short for “What are you?” as in “What are you doing?”
• Woomera: Woomera is a stick with a hook on the end that locates into the back of a spear. It essentially lengthens your arm allowing you to throw a spear with a lot more force.
• Woulda: Woulda is short for “Would have.”
• Yabby: Yabby is a freshwater crayfish with a taste comparable to a lobster or a prawn.
• Yez: Yez is short for “You guys.”
• : Have I missed anything? Please let me know if there’s something you didn’t understand and I’ll add it here for others to learn from. gmt369@gmail.com

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by Tribal Scarring (Urban Hunters).

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Gary Taaffe (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

‘The more I read, the more I am convinced that this story should be designated reading for schools. Billy is a real role model in every sense of the word.’ Anne, Australia

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › Action & Adventure
• Books › Children's Books › Literature › Action & Adventure
• Books › Children's Books › Literature › Humorous
• Books › Children's Books › Educational

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Urban Hunters: About the Urban Hunters series. For those in search of something different to read: The Urban Hunters series follows the adventures of thirteen-year old Billy and Amber. Billy’s an Aboriginal boy from an isolated part of the Australian bush. All that's left of his family are men. So the spirit of his mother chooses him to go walkabout through the whitefella culture, to find some girls and a future for his clan, or die out and watch the Dreamtime fade away. But Billy’s never even seen a girl before and he doesn’t want to go. So his mum calls upon the forces of nature to bring on his initiations and unleash the warrior within. Sometimes you’ve just gotta grow up. With his mother's guiding spirit, Billy sets off on his Walkabout where he comes across Amber, cowering in a back alley in the city of Sydney. She’s cold, wet, upset and wearing a bloodied pair of pink pyjamas. He’s mesmerised by her beautiful blue eyes and she falls for his happy smile. Rather than scrounge in bins for food, they use their combined hunting skills to dine on fat rats, feral cats and brandied pigeons. They fight off those that would do them harm, save the lives of those that have nothing, and build a wonderfully colourful community around themselves. Billy and Amber’s adventures and misadventures will have you laughing your head off, crying your eyes out, and wishing you could join them.