Sandcliffe
In August, I attended a Writers Festival in Sandgate, a seaside suburb of Brisbane. One of the guests was Rhonda Collard-Spratt, who came along with her co-writer Jacki Ferro, to talk about her book, Alice's daughter.
Rhonda's story is a heart-wrenching read. It is how she was taken from her mother, at age 3 years, and placed in a Mission at Carnarvon in Western Australia. This happened in 1954 when one might have thought that this behaviour by governments, was well in the past. She was the daughter of an aboriginal mother and white father - apparently the reason for this behaviour.
She and her younger sister, who was taken from their parents at the same time spent some horrible years in the Mission.
It is a story that everyone should read - especially "white" folk - as there are many stories like Rhonda's and we know little of the life they endured as a result of the archaic government laws.
Rhonda has clearly made a great success of her life, and now lives in Ipswich Queensland, where she sings, dances, writes and sets a great example for her people.
The book is available through most libraries and bookshops. Booktopia has it.
(I do wish that the book's title had a capital 'd' - references on the back of the book us a capital, and I believe it would have looked better on the front cover too.)
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