A monument commemorates Aboriginal tracker Jimmy James, who was one of many trackers who worked closely aside the South Australian
Police in rural and remote areas.
The monument is sculptured out of two large slabs of black
granite which are finely polished and engraved with images of birds and animals - a part of Jimmy's spirit world.
Jimmy James (the second) was a famous blacktracker, who was born around 1910 and belonged to the Pitjantjatjara people. He moved to the Riverland in the 1940's and took his name from his equally famous father-in law.
He began working with the SA
Police in 1945, assisting in a wide variety of tracking jobs, particularly in the Riverland area. His most memorable tracking job was with Daniel Moodoo in 1966, where they were brought in from
Berri to successfully find a nine-year-old missing girl in Mylor.
In 1983, he was awarded the title of Aboriginal of the Year. In 1984, he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his efforts in bush tracking and working with the
Police. In 1985, the SA
Police Force awarded Jimmy with a
plaque commemorating 37 years of service to formally acknowledge his superb bush craft knowledge and skills. Jimmy passed away in 1991, and is buried at Gerard, the Aboriginal settlement near Winkie.