Joe Comeaway says that he fought with Jimmy Sharman's troupe. 'Jimmy Sharman' was the name borne by a father and son pair of showmen. Both Sharmans toured agricultural shows around Australia with a troupe of boxers, with the father commencing operations in 1911 and the son taking over in 1955 and continuing the operation until new boxing regulations forced the closure in 1971. Many different boxers fought in his troupe, including many Aboriginals. Given the time period of the movie, Joe must have fought in Jimmy Sharman Jr.'s troupe.
In school, Bartie Comeaway reads the poem, 'The Boomerang' by Jack Davis. Jack Davis (1917-2000) was an Aboriginal playwright and poet from Western Australia. He was of the Aboriginal Noongar people of Western Australia. Most of his work (10 plays, 3 books of poetry) dealt with the Australian Aboriginal experience. He is regarded as the 20th Century's Aboriginal Poet Laureate. His plays appear on Australian school syllabuses.
The book being studied by Bartie is Storm Boy (1976) by Colin Thiele. It is an Australian novel and tells the story of a young boy who raises an orphaned pelican chick.
The works of art that the teacher shows Bartie Comeaway are by the Aboriginal artist, Albert Namatjira (1902-1959). He was a Western Arrernte man from the Western MacDonnell Ranges area in central Australia. He is perhaps the best known Aboriginal painter. His main works were watercolours of the Australian outback desert landscapes.
Although the original novel is set in Western Australia, the film is set in Queensland.