Dora depicts a true event that happened to her late father Mr. Griffiths when he was a boy. In the late 1930s early 40s, Mr Griffiths was a young boy living at Victoria River Downs Station in the Northern Territory with his mother. The station manager there was a good man. One day, the young boy was taken on a trip by the station’s head stockman, but his grandfather had a bad feeling so he followed them, staying at a distance in the hills.
At Jasper Gorge, the boy was tied to a tree by the stockman (indicated in the painting). His grandfather waited until dark and sang a song called Balligan - which makes a person fall into a deep sleep. When the stockman fell asleep, his grandfather quickly and quietly ran and untied the boy from the tree. They ran into the bush and hid, covering their tracks behind them. When the stockman returned without the boy, the manager was angry and sacked him.
During the numerous years of living in the bush, Mr Griffiths’ grandfather taught him a lot about bush foods, what can and can’t be eaten, how to make traditional weapons for hunting and knowledge of Country and life. Almost everything that he learned was taught to him by his grandfather. If Dora's father had been taken he wouldn't have met his wife Peggy. He would not have had all the important knowledge to pass onto his kids and grandkids. His identity and soul would have been lost. Because of his grandfather his heart and soul was so strong and he remained connected to his Country. The tree still stands to this day and for Mr Griffiths, it was a reminder of how close he came to becoming a Stolen Generation child.