They represent resilience, humor, and dignity in the face of dehumanization.
For those skimming a PDF for a quick refresher, No Sugar follows one family over roughly four years (1933–1937).
Act One: The Camp at Northam The play opens with the Millimurra family—matriarch Kate, her sons Jimmy and Cissie, and her elder Gran (Mum). They are living in a makeshift gunyah. Protector Neville arrives to inform them that the town wants them gone. Despite their protests (Jimmy is a proud, angry man who refuses to be passive), the police force them to march to Moore River. jack davis no sugar pdf
Act Two: Moore River Native Settlement This act is the emotional core of the play. The PDF text reveals the horrifying bureaucracy of the settlement. Joe (a half-caste tracker) works for the white boss, Mr. Neal. The Aboriginal residents are forced into manual labor. When Jimmy attempts to escape to find work, he is caught, chained, and flogged. This is where Davis uses stark stage imagery—the chains are not metaphorical.
Act Three: The Return to Northam The family is eventually released back to Northam, but the situation is worse. The “work” is slavery in all but name. Jimmy tries to get a "dog license" (a pass allowing him to leave the reserve). His request for sugar is denied. Meanwhile, the white families in town are celebrating Empire Day, a grotesque irony that Davis highlights through song. They represent resilience, humor, and dignity in the
Act Four: Dispersal and Tragedy The climax is devastating. The police decide to “disperse” the Aboriginal camp. In the final pages of the PDF, the family is shattered. Cissie is arrested for defending her mother. Gran dies of exposure and neglect. The final image is of the Millimurras broken but not defeated—their language (Noongar) peppered throughout the script acts as a final act of resistance.
If you have acquired a digital copy of No Sugar, here are three essay prompts to practice with: If you have acquired a digital copy of
Tip for PDF users: Bookmark the stage directions. Davis hides his thesis not just in dialogue, but in the visual tableau—chains, empty flour sacks, and the constant absence of sugar bowls.
If you are highlighting a digital copy of the play, pay attention to these four archetypes: