Julie Tommy's mother is
Mabel Tommy (q.v.) and her father was a Yinhawangka man born in the Tom Price area, named Nyimirli. As a child Tommy lived on the Onslow Reserve with her mother until she was three or four when Tommy's mother left the family. She then lived with her father and grandmother in a tent at Onslow. Tommy attended Onslow Primary School and South Hedland High School, and was the only Indigenous student in Year Twelve. While attending these schools, Tommy lived in hostels and was only able to visit her family during the holidays. In 1977, Tommy went to study at Curtin University, but studying in Perth was a culture shock for Tommy so she left to work for the Aboriginal Child Care Agency and the Department of Community Services. In 1986 she returned to Onslow and married and had three children. Tommy worked part-time at the Onslow Youth Centre and full-time as an Aboriginal Education Officer at Onslow Primary School. Tommy completed her degree as an external student while living in Onslow, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science in 1989. Since then, Tommy has worked as graduate welfare officer and team leader with the Department of Community Services in Roebourne. In the late 1980s, Tommy was involved in action before the Equal Opportunity Commission as a result of being refused service in the 'white bar' of the local Onslow pub.
