AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Faith Bandler's first novel Wacvie was based on her father's early life.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also braille.
Works about this Work
-
Australian South Sea Islanders’ Narratives of Belonging
2015
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Narrative and Identity Construction in the Pacific Islands 2015; (p. 155–176) 'This chapter examines how the narrative of ASSI identity has developed, as an Australian ethnic group, as Pacific Islanders who have reconnected with their islands of origin aver the last fifty years, and as part of a larger diaspora of indigenous peoples dislodged from their homes as part of labour migration related to nineteenth capitalism and forced labour migration. ASSI by-and-large interpret their history through a narrative of kidnapping and slavery which is at odds with Pacific historians who for the last fifty years have stressed Islander agency and voluntary participation in labour migration, albeit with an early phase of illegal and often violent recruitment. The specific points addressed in this chapter relate to origins, the difference of opinion with academic historians, semantic differences in the use of words, identity as both Australian and Pacific peoples, and contemporary political agendas.' (Publication summary) -
Cultural Heritage and Identity in the Literature of Australian South Sea Islanders and Other Media
2013
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Etropic : Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics , vol. 12 no. 1 2013;'Australian South Sea Islanders represent a small community whose ancestors mainly came from Melanesian Islands to work as indentured labour in the sugar cane plantations of Queensland from the 1860’s to the beginning of the 20th century. Many still live near the old sugar towns, but apart from an official recognition of their existence and distinctiveness by the Federal Government in 1994 and by the Queensland Government in 2000, South Sea Islanders’ culture, economic and political roles are still underrepresented or even ignored in Australia. In the 1970’s, writers belonging to that community, such as Faith Bandler, Mabel Edmund and Noel Fatnowna started to tell their own family history since the arrival of their first ancestors on the continent. These autobiographical accounts enabled them to reassert their identity as a culturally distinct group and to shed light on a part of Australia’s forgotten past. Other written testimonies followed at the beginning of the 21st century but the lack of young South Sea Islander writers induced us to look at their other means of expression to promote their culture and complete the missing parts of their personal and collective history. ' (Author's abstract)
-
If I Had One Year to Live : Get Me ASIO on the Line
2002
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 10-11 August 2002; (p. 3) -
Slavery and Resistance in Australia
1994
single work
prose
— Appears in: Australia for Women : Travel and Culture 1994; (p. 11-15) -
Australian Woman Novelists of the 1970s: A Survey
1985
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Gender, Politics and Fiction : Twentieth Century Australian Women's Novels 1985; (p. 200-221)
-
Australian Woman Novelists of the 1970s: A Survey
1985
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Gender, Politics and Fiction : Twentieth Century Australian Women's Novels 1985; (p. 200-221) -
Sex and Violence in the Black Australian Novel
1984
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Westerly , March vol. 29 no. 1 1984; (p. 45-57) Black Words, White Page : Aboriginal Literature 1929-1988 1989; (p. 159-178) This chapter looks at five novels by three Aboriginal authors that deal with the themes of sexual and cultural violence in urban Aboriginal communities: Wacvie (1977) by Faith Bandler, Wild Cat Falling (1965), Long Live Sandawarra (1979) and Doctor Wooreddy's Perscription for Eduring the Ending of the World (1983) by Colin Johnson, and The Day of the Dog (1981) by Archie Weller. All of these novels directly, perceptively and disconcertingly hold a mirror up to European violence, sexual jealously, physical brutality and authoritarianism. -
Slavery and Resistance in Australia
1994
single work
prose
— Appears in: Australia for Women : Travel and Culture 1994; (p. 11-15) -
If I Had One Year to Live : Get Me ASIO on the Line
2002
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 10-11 August 2002; (p. 3) -
Cultural Heritage and Identity in the Literature of Australian South Sea Islanders and Other Media
2013
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Etropic : Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics , vol. 12 no. 1 2013;'Australian South Sea Islanders represent a small community whose ancestors mainly came from Melanesian Islands to work as indentured labour in the sugar cane plantations of Queensland from the 1860’s to the beginning of the 20th century. Many still live near the old sugar towns, but apart from an official recognition of their existence and distinctiveness by the Federal Government in 1994 and by the Queensland Government in 2000, South Sea Islanders’ culture, economic and political roles are still underrepresented or even ignored in Australia. In the 1970’s, writers belonging to that community, such as Faith Bandler, Mabel Edmund and Noel Fatnowna started to tell their own family history since the arrival of their first ancestors on the continent. These autobiographical accounts enabled them to reassert their identity as a culturally distinct group and to shed light on a part of Australia’s forgotten past. Other written testimonies followed at the beginning of the 21st century but the lack of young South Sea Islander writers induced us to look at their other means of expression to promote their culture and complete the missing parts of their personal and collective history. ' (Author's abstract)
Awards
- 1979 winner Braille Book of the Year Award
- 1978 highly commended National Book Council Award for Australian Literature
- Bush,
- Queensland,