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y separately published work icon Dreamtime Nightmares : Biographies of Aborigines under the Queensland Aborigines Act anthology   biography  
Alternative title: Dreamtime Nightmares : Eight Biographies of Queensland Aborigines Under the Queensland Aborigines Act
Issue Details: First known date: 1985... 1985 Dreamtime Nightmares : Biographies of Aborigines under the Queensland Aborigines Act
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

A collection of interviews of eight Aboriginal people about their experiences in the sheep and cattle industries. These life stories reflect the harsh treatment and living conditions inflicted upon Aboriginal workers on the stations in the north-western areas of Queensland and the Northern Territory border.

Notes

  • Author's note: As a historian I have transcribed those experiences verbatim. Nothing is added, nothing is suppressed, but for the sake of clarity it has been necessary to rearrange some of the material either chronologically or with regard to the subject matter. B.R. 1981.
  • Dedication: I dedicate this book to .... whom? Should I dedicate it to Ruby De Satge, the woman whose experiences convinced me to write the book? Should I dedicate the book to Harry Spencer, Bruce Bismark, and the rest of the men and women who relived the agonies which are depicted here? Or, should I inscribe it to Iris Clay who, in my mind, suffered beyond all endurance, but came out of her corner every time ready for the next round? Now she has fought her final round. So, I hereby dedicate this book to all of them. Also, I make special mention of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies for encouragement and funding.

Contents

* Contents derived from the Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,:Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies , 1985 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
I Was Born on the Banks of The Georgina River, Ruby De Satge , single work biography (p. 11-64)
They've Killed Them All, Jack Punch , single work biography (p. 65-67)
There's Maggots in Your Blankets, Harry Spencer , single work biography (p. 89-95)
The Whole Thing is Lost, Bruce Bismark , single work biography (p. 97-104)
Me, I'm Boulia Tribe, Peggy James , single work biography (p. 105-118)
I'll Finish Up Here and I'll Die Here, Dorothy Webster , single work biography (p. 119-126)
Forget About Cooking Tea. You're Going to Palm Island on the Five O'clock Train, Fred Clay , single work biography (p. 127-153)
If I Thought Screaming Would Help, I Would Scream All Day, Iris Clay , single work biography (p. 155-184)
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Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

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Works about this Work

'This Fiction It Don't Go Away': Narrative As an Index to Palm Island's Past and Present Cheryl M. Taylor , 2009 single work criticism
— Appears in: Queensland Review , vol. 16 no. 1 2009; (p. 35-67) This article describes an abundant tradition of Palm Island narrrative, from early "whitewash" travelogues, to a previously unrecognised place-based corpus of black writing that includes the work of Boori Pryor. It discusses the presentation of Palm Island in poetry and in novels by Thea Astley and Elizabeth O'Conner.
Firing on in the Mind Jackie Huggins , 1987 single work criticism
— Appears in: Hecate , vol. 13 no. 2 1987; Sister Girl : The Writings of Aboriginal Activist and Historian Jackie Huggins 1998; (p. 1-24) 'This article examines the life experiences of Aboriginal women domestics during the inter-war years of the the 1920s and 1930s. [...] Interviews were conducted in Brisbane in June and July 1987 with the late June Bond, Rita Huggins, Margaret Pickering and Agnes Williams of Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement, Daphne Lavelle from Hervey Bay and Annie Hansen from Lake Nash.' (p. 3).
Book Reviews Alex Barlow , 1987 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Aboriginal Studies , no. 2 1987; (p. 97-99)
[Review Essay] Dreamtime Nightmares: Biographies of Aborigines under the Queensland Aborigines Act Sue Johnston , 1986 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Aboriginal Studies , no. 1 1986; (p. 85-86)

'It has long been my feeling that biographical "yarning", while telling a good story, and providing valuable new information, tends to provide society, white and black, with a safety valve for its guilt and rage about the past. Hard factual delineation of legislative abuse and the results of acts of "correction" are needed. Biography alone doesn't arouse the reader to a comparison of his lot with that of the biographee. But a different or specialised law, with the details of that law create a keener appreciation of the uses made of that legislation to perpetuate racial injustice.' (Introduction)
'This Fiction It Don't Go Away': Narrative As an Index to Palm Island's Past and Present Cheryl M. Taylor , 2009 single work criticism
— Appears in: Queensland Review , vol. 16 no. 1 2009; (p. 35-67) This article describes an abundant tradition of Palm Island narrrative, from early "whitewash" travelogues, to a previously unrecognised place-based corpus of black writing that includes the work of Boori Pryor. It discusses the presentation of Palm Island in poetry and in novels by Thea Astley and Elizabeth O'Conner.
Firing on in the Mind Jackie Huggins , 1987 single work criticism
— Appears in: Hecate , vol. 13 no. 2 1987; Sister Girl : The Writings of Aboriginal Activist and Historian Jackie Huggins 1998; (p. 1-24) 'This article examines the life experiences of Aboriginal women domestics during the inter-war years of the the 1920s and 1930s. [...] Interviews were conducted in Brisbane in June and July 1987 with the late June Bond, Rita Huggins, Margaret Pickering and Agnes Williams of Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement, Daphne Lavelle from Hervey Bay and Annie Hansen from Lake Nash.' (p. 3).
[Review Essay] Dreamtime Nightmares: Biographies of Aborigines under the Queensland Aborigines Act Sue Johnston , 1986 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Aboriginal Studies , no. 1 1986; (p. 85-86)

'It has long been my feeling that biographical "yarning", while telling a good story, and providing valuable new information, tends to provide society, white and black, with a safety valve for its guilt and rage about the past. Hard factual delineation of legislative abuse and the results of acts of "correction" are needed. Biography alone doesn't arouse the reader to a comparison of his lot with that of the biographee. But a different or specialised law, with the details of that law create a keener appreciation of the uses made of that legislation to perpetuate racial injustice.' (Introduction)
Book Reviews Alex Barlow , 1987 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Aboriginal Studies , no. 2 1987; (p. 97-99)
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Awards

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Last amended 13 Apr 2016 15:06:35
Subjects:
  • Queensland,
  • Northern Territory,
  • Mount Isa, Far North Queensland, Queensland,
  • Dajarra, Far North Queensland, Queensland,
Common subjects:
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