thomas' mother was named nanu. he also had two other mothers, papunya and watjunka, who were his father's secondary wives. he had two younger sisters, yalti and yukultji, a younger half-brother walala, and four other "siblings" (cousins by blood relation). his father died sometime around 1980. the family finally came into contact with outsiders in october 1984, and were settled at kiwirrkurra. the event was big news at the time, and the family became famously known as "the last nomads". thomas was diagnosed with epilepsy shortly after this.