Tex Camfoo was born at Mainoru Station in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. He was named Harry Camfoo after his father. Tex's totem is the Left Hand Kangaroo. He lived with his mother and step-father; they mainly lived off the land but did collect rations from stations. When he was five, his step-father decided it was time for him to begin his education, so Tex and his family moved to Roper Bar for the school there. Two to three years later, Tex was taken to be educated on Groote Eylandt, a small island near the Arnhem coastline where all the 'half caste' children were taken.
At Groote Eylandt, the Reverend Warren decided to change Camfoo's name because there were too many boys named Harry. From then on Harry (Tex) was now called Jimmy Camfoo. While on Groote, Tex plucked a mango from a tree. For his punishment a chain was attached to his leg at night and he was only released to go to school or eat. Eventually Tex along with many other children was allowed to go back to mainland Australia to Roper Mission. His mother was waiting for him but he was unable to recognise her, and ran away when she tried to greet him.
While Tex lived at Roper Mission, his mother would come visit him and take him bush tucker hunting. A couple of times Tex ran away from the mission, but stopped running away after he was threatened that he would be taken to Darwin. In 1940 there was a flood that destroyed Roper Mission; the mission was re-established at Ngukurr. Tex often found himself in trouble with the missionaries because he was not fed enough so he used to steal food.
When World War Two started, Tex left Ngukurr to hitch-hike to Mataranka but when he got to Elsey Station he was told that Mataranka was overflowing with Army personnel. He stayed in Elsey and found work from Harry Giles but then moved on to do stock work for George Conway at Beswick. While at Beswick, Tex was asked if he wanted to learn carpentry, which he did for three years at Mainoru Station, but he felt he would rather work with horses and went back to Beswick. It was about this time Tex (who was still named Jimmy) decided to change his name to Tex James Camfoo, so he got the parson at Ngukurr to baptise him down at the reservoir.
Beswick was sold to the Department of Native Affairs, and Tex found he did not get along with the head stockman so he left to do droving camps for a couple of years. After droving, he moved to Katherine to work there.
Tex began living with an Indigenous woman who after she married Tex came to be called Nelly Camfoo (q.v.) but her maiden name was not recorded recorded by the authorities at the time. When Tex decided to marry Nelly, he discovered that by law he was classified as European due to his Chinese heritage, which meant he could not have relations with or marry Nelly unless he had permission. Tex spent six months in jail for unlawful relations with an Indigenous woman. However, he later did marry Nelly and they both lived and worked on Mainoru until the owner died and his daughter sold the property.
The new owners of Mainoru were not as generous as the previous owners. Tex and his wife moved from Mainoru doing work at different stations, until he was asked to be a manager at Gulperan Pastoral Company. He worked there for a while but became disappointed in his job after he found the men working under him were not doing their jobs properly. Tex left Gulperan and found work back on Mainoru Station.
Source: Love against the Law: The Autobiographies of Tex and Nelly Camfoo recorded and edited by Gillian Cowlishaw, 2000
