Josie Montano is grateful

I am excited about my friend Josie Montano guesting here on my blog. Josie is an author, SES volunteer (who looks quite sexy in orange overalls) and one seriously fabulous friend. We first met at the Ipswich Children’s Festival in Queensland in 2007 and since then we have had numerous ‘reunions’ in the Sunshine State for work and play. So I can safely testify to the truth of her gratefuls below, especially her love of food – because we share a love of fries and aioli and she’s great at preparing pladdas (or platters for the uninitiated). And I have to say, Josie is HILARIOUS, and being the slightly competitive one I’m going to be honest and admit sometimes it’s hard to have someone so close and so witty challenging my own comic ways. Some of you may remember we had a ball during our few days on Fraser Islander last year with The Commissioner. Some notes on our adventures are here.

I love Josie talking about her heritage and of course her family (aren't they a gorgeous bunch!), but especially her reminders to us all of the importance of recognising life’s challenges as something we can and should try to learn from. So, please welcome the lovely Josie and enjoy her generosity of spirit here.

Josie says:
When Anita asked me to write my ‘five gratefuls’ for her blog a wave of excitement overwhelmed me, even though I am generally a positive person it was an opportunity to remind myself of what I am grateful for in my life – to bring five pieces of my life out for an airing, to shine a light on them and to remind myself of what and who I am, and who and what has helped to create the pieces of my full life. And I have discovered that all my gratefuls are related, intertwined, thread from one to the other – and I have also discovered that my published works match in with my gratefuls.

What Josie is grateful for:

1. MY ITALIAN HERITAGE: I am grateful that in 1961 my father, who was all of 19, travelled for a hard month on a ship and migrated to Australia. He arrived at the Melbourne port with the equivalent of $20 and a small suitcase. A year later my mother joined him. I grew up in a small town in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria where a large group of Italians from my parents’ villages all gathered to start new lives. As a child I remember weekends were for getting together with other families, so they could all share, socialise and support each other in a country that at that stage didn’t understand their culture, food or passions.

2. LOVE OF FOOD: I do love my food, although my Italian rubenesque thighs are grumbling I truly am grateful! And this stems from my Italian heritage where food is a very important part of the culture. Wherever and whenever there is a gathering, there is very tasty food and plenty of it. I love how I get excited about food (except offal).

3.SENSE OF HUMOUR: Once again this has to come from my Italian upbringing – they are such a joyous people and so passionate. The Italians in Australia have developed their own type of culture and language – the very amusing ‘Italo-Australian’. But I would say my wit and humour has also been handed down from my father, what a character - he should have been a stand-up comic!
As a teen I didn’t see the humour in being Italo-Australian, I was embarrassed. I felt the only way to compensate for my embarrassment was to make fun of my culture. The sense of humour I cultivated now passes on through my writing, whether it be via my fiction novels for children or journal articles – I always try to entertain by weaving a little giggle into anything I write.

4.CHALLENGING LIFE EXPERIENCES: When I am in the middle of a challenging life experience I try to dig deep and pull out some of that humour to get me through. My humour drove me through a cancer journey, an early diagnosis of MS, and was there when my son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and for all those years ahead. I see every challenge as a learning experience, if I change the attitude of ‘why me?’ to ‘what can I learn from this?’ I find this very empowering and can pass this skill onto others as they go through their own challenges.

5.FRIENDS & FAMILY: It is easy to oversee what it is you are most grateful for as they are just ‘there’. But without my family and friends I wouldn’t have my other ‘gratefuls’ – I wouldn’t have anybody to share my love of foods with, there wouldn’t be anyone there to laugh with me or laugh at my jokes, to share my culture and heritage or to hold my hand during life’s challenges. Thank you to my best friend/husband Rob, and my two children who have now grown up to be young adults who will begin to gather their own ‘gratefuls’ in their long journey’s ahead.

You can find Josie on Facebook!

10 pieces of trivia about yours truly:

Ok, so this is a 'filler' because I am so tired I can hardly think straight tonight. Tomorrow I submit my memoir to Random House, which is a 73,000 word manuscript that I've been consumed with since last November. As you can imagine, I'm a little short on 'extra' words to write here tonight and so I thought I'd share with you '10 pseudo-interesting facts' about me as requested by a media outlet recently.

Let me know if you have any of the below in common with me!

1. I played competition tennis when I was at school, inspired by Evonne Goolagong Cawley. I remember watching Evonne win the 1980 Wimbleton title.

2. A Wiradjuri friend gave me the name Garrandarang Yinaa – meaning ‘book woman’.

3. I’ve gone in the Greencard lottery to live in the US. New York is the only other city I want to live in after Sydney. The pic above is on the Brooklyn Bridge heading into Manhattan. It was below zero that day, temperatures we never have in Sydney, but it was wonderful. The pic below is me having rooftop cocktails at the Gansevoort Hotel Meatpacking district. Where can I have the same in Sydney???

4. I’m terrified of spiders, and I’m grateful for a ‘spider catcher’ I was recently given.

5. I apparently inspired the character Vita in Alex Miller’s novel Landscape of Farewell. Alex and I are mates.

6. I can’t sleep without ear-plugs and an eye-mask. I like feeling as if I’m in a cacoon.

7. I love public speaking and meeting new people but I crave solitude.

8. My father used to call me Houdini as a child because I would disappear (apparently!) whenever there was work to be done.

9. I love travelling but I’m happiest when I’m at home in my modest suburban flat.

10. I rely on positive affirmations every day.

Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones is grateful...

My name is Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones and I am seven and a half years old. When my best grown up friend, Jacqueline Harvey asked me to think about three things I’m grateful for, I found that almost impossible. There are so many more things than that! But I’ve given it my best (and I’ve snuck in an extra little list at the end - which I hope she doesn’t notice

1. Family and friends
I have a wonderful family. I have two parents who I adore and they adore me (sometimes to the point of being quite tricky). When I told them I wanted to go to boarding school a year early they cried buckets for a week. But they soon got used to the idea and it’s all worked out perfectly. You see my parents are very busy with their work and so now when I come home from school; it’s like that lovely feeling at the end of a holiday when you get to go home and sleep in your own bed – except that it’s just me coming home to them. I have a gorgeous Granny, Valentina and her best friend in the world is Aunty Gee, who’s also known as Queen Georgiana. At home, there’s Shilly and Mrs Oliver and Max and Cyril and Mr and Mrs Greening and of course Lily and Heinrich and my friends Jasper and Poppy. At school I have my best friend and roommate Millie (whose real name is Millicent-Jane McLoughlin-McTavish-McNoughton-McGill) and Jacinta Headlington-Bear, who when I first met her was having the most terrible tantrum, but has now become a very good friend. My aunt Charlotte is soon to be married to the most handsome movie star, Lawrence Ridley(Jacinta is totally in love with him) and Uncle Lawrence has a son, Lucas, who I adore (although he didn’t take to me much in the beginning). At school there’s our headmistress Miss Grimm and her new husband, Mr Grump, Mrs Derby, her personal assistant, Miss Reedy, the best English teacher in the world and Mr Plumpton, our slightly dotty Science teacher. Mrs Smith is our cook and she is working hard to be as expert as Mrs Oliver (our cook at home) and Mr Charles who looks after the gardens. There are loads of other girls and staff too, but if I named them all we’d have a whole book.

2. School
Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale is quite the loveliest school I’ve ever seen. It sits on a huge plot of land and we can take our ponies to school (which has been great fun). But when I first arrived, even though the school looked perfect, I thought there was something missing – something that should have been there but it wasn’t. Everyone I met was miserable. Cook was sad because she’d never had a holiday, Mr Charles was upset that he wasn’t allowed to plant flowers and Jacinta Headlington-Bear, well she was having the most incredible tantrum because Miss Grimm wouldn’t let her go to the gymnastics championships. But Miss Grimm, the Headmistress was the most miserable of them all. It took quite a while to unravel the mystery but in the end it turned out that Miss Grimm was completely heartbroken. When she sent me on my hike in the woods I met a tramp who turned out to be her long lost love. Anyway, they were reintroduced to each other and at the end of term they were married in the most beautiful ceremony. Miss Grimm decided to let me stay at school and she no longer hides away – she’s part of everything that goes on and school is now fantastic in every way.

3. Adventures
Travelling and meeting new friends is one of my favourite things in the world.I love that life is an adventure. I adore getting to know people, hearing their stories and understanding what matters to them. At school last term the girls told me a tale about a witch who lives in the woods near school. They said that she only wore black and she lived in a tumbledown mansion, just her and about one hundred cats all meowing and calling and scratching and fighting. I was a little bit nervous but I didn’t really believe in witches. Anyway, Millie and Sloane and Susannah and I were out riding and Sloane’s pony bolted and then my pony, Bonaparte, got a whiff of an old vegetable patch and took off in the other direction. He’s rather naughty like that. I found myself at a place called Caledonia Manor – a tumbledown mansion in the woods and sure enough I met the witch, except that she’s not a witch at all. She’s a lovely old lady called Hephzibah and she was terribly sad and afraid. When she was just a girl she’d been badly burned in a fire and now she was so scared about what other people thought of her that she had hidden herself away. I can’t imagine how awful that would be. Anyway, she and I became great friends and she helped me to unravel a very serious mystery that could have closed Fayle School for boys which is on the other side of the village to Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale.

I’m going to have lots of adventures in the future. My best grown up friend Jacqueline Harvey tells me that her publisher has asked her to help me write at least eight stories. So my next tale is Alice-Miranda at Sea and then, Alice-Miranda Takes Manhattan. After that, who knows where we might go next!

I know I was only supposed to be grateful for three things but I can’t help adding a little list of things I love:
1. Mrs Greening’s Heaven Cake
2. My naughty pony Bonaparte
3. Granny Bert – she’s a little mad but I love her just the same
4. Mrs Smith’s chocolate brownies
5. Cups of tea with Mr Charles
6. Hugs from Mrs Oliver – they’re as good as hot chocolate
7. Rainy afternoons lying about in my room chatting with Millie and Jacinta
8. My aunt Charlotte
9. My doll’s house
10. Mummy and Daddy

Author Jacqueline Harvey is more than grateful...

When you read Jacquie Harvey’s words below it won’t take long for you to understand why I adore this women. She is full of the positivity required for us to get the most out of life. She is grateful for the things that should be most important to all of us: partners, family, friends, opportunities afforded us, and those who help us reach our dreams. And Jacquie is a fabulous writer of the Alice Miranda series. Shhhh, but the big surprise is that Alice herself will be appearing here tomorrow night!

I met the lovely JH at the Somerest Literature Festival on the Gold Coast and have since crossed paths with her at festivals, including at the school where she is headmistress! Now, headmistresses weren’t as groovy as Jacquie when I went to school! How lucky are her students? Very!

Jacqueline Harvey’s Gratefulness Blog
Life is nothing if not unexpected. I’d have to say that recent events across the world have been a huge wake up call for me and perhaps for others too. Instead of wishing my life away and thinking that ‘things will be better when…’ I need to remind myself, to live in the moment. As seen amidst the devastation in Japan and Christchurch and closer to home in Queensland, none of us knows when our ‘moment’ will come to an end. So better to make the most of it and as a friend of mine often says, ‘don’t waste a minute.’

There is so much to be grateful for. I’ve actually been keeping my own positive journal for the past few years. Having been a pretty consistent diary keeper for most of my life, a few years ago I re-read some of my more recent chronicles and was struck by the fact they if I didn’t know me, and I stumbled across those tomes, I didn’t think that I would like me very much. I’d always thought of myself as a pretty positive person but reading those diaries, I realised they were quite possibly the greatest whinge-fest in the history of the world. They appeared to be the repositories of all manner of angst and worry – and self-indulgent miserablising (I know it’s not a real word, but I’m a children’s author and so am granting myself literary licence). So while I thought of myself as the picture of positive thinking, clearly I was a living example of Newton’s Third Law – To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Except that my reactions somehow seemed to tip the scales even further against me. The person I thought I was didn’t exist within the pages of those diaries. I really didn’t like that person much at all – the one who moaned about work and housework and lack of this and that, blah, blah, blah. And that got me thinking. If I stumbled upon those diaries would I want to be my friend? Probably not. Things had to change and they had to change fast – lest I be swallowed up by all those ugly thoughts. Like Mrs Twit, who we’re led to believe wasn’t always the ugliest hag around, until her evil thoughts overtook her face and she succumbed to ugliness inside and out. No I didn’t rush out and buy a copy of The Secret but I certainly wondered how I could change my attitude/outlook/life. I wanted the person who I thought I was during the day, to match the person who wrote in those diaries in the evening. For Christmas that year one of my sisters gave me a gorgeous Tiffany & Co leather bound journal. I decided something that beautiful deserved better than the trite I’d been spewing through the pages of my other less splendid notebooks. And so, I called it my Celebration Journal. And while I don’t write in it every single day, I have a rule, that when I do, the observation must be thankful and positive.

Over the past month or so I have been emailing with two friends each day, five things we’ve loved about that day. One of the friends was really struggling – she was homesick and having trouble feeling positive about life in general. So the other friend and I decided we’d try group emailing each day and it’s had the most remarkable effect.

It’s amazing the simple things we’ve been grateful for – that we’ve enjoyed – from working hard, to eating something yummy for dinner to having a hot shower and a good night’s sleep. Many things have been ordinary pleasures but when you actually think about what life would be like without them, it makes you realise their core value. I feel so blessed in so many ways but here are my top 5 for this moment!


1. My husband Ian – a more patient and kind man you would be hard pressed to find. He is my number one fan. He has encouraged me from the day we met to pursue my writing and be the best I can be. He listens to everything I write and never balks when I ask, ‘do you have a minute?’ I feel so fortunate to share my life with him – he even organised our wedding as a surprise for me (and he does the washing too!.

2. My family – certainly as I said before, life throws you some unexpected curve balls. If you’d have asked me when I was a teenager, I would have said that by now I’d have had at least a couple of children. But the universe has decided for whatever reason that’s not to be. So after several years riding the IVF rollercoaster, I think (yes I’m still at the ‘I think’ stage) I’ve come to accept that there is another plan. I have two nephews and a niece that I adore, loving parents and sisters, a wonderful mother in law (now how many people can actually say that and mean it!) and three grandparents who I feel so blessed to have. Our extended family also includes a group of amazing Indigenous girls who board at the school where I work. They spend many weekends with us and brighten our lives constantly.

3. Good friends – people who will forgive me when I don’t call them for far too long. People who cheer for me when things are going well and commiserate when times are tough. I don’t profess to having the largest group of friends – in fact I definitely subscribe to the idea that if you’re fortunate enough to have a handful of true friends in your life then you’re a very lucky person, but friends are important and I cherish them (even though I know I don’t tell them often enough!).

4. Opportunities – life is full of opportunities if you’re open to them. In my career I’ve had wonderful jobs working with great people. I love working in schools and being around young children is such an inspiration. To combine my passion for education and writing is fantastic and I think that it’s been a natural progression to marry the two. I adore being able to get out and work in other schools as well – my view is that kids are kids wherever you go – it’s the adults who put the barriers around them, who create the expectations – or not, and who contrive to highlight the differences. Children just want to get on with it.

5. Alice-Miranda, my family at Random House and writing – this precocious little girl with the ‘brown eyes as big as saucers and cascading chocolate curls’ is without doubt changing my life. I adore writing her stories. She’s the most positive child I know. Last year when I had the good fortune to visit New York (amazing!) I met a literary agent who told me that ‘Alice-Miranda is the best version of who you would want to be.’ High praise indeed and every time I write her I feel a great obligation to ensure that she lives up to expectations. When I was introduced to my publisher, Linsay Knight at Random House I felt that we could do some really exciting things together. My experience with her and the whole team has been wonderful, from my fabulous editor Kimberley Bennett, who challenges me to be better all the time to our fantastic publicity crew; Peri, Sarana and Louise, and Nerrilee Weir, the best Rights Manager in the world.

Not for one moment do I take any of it for granted. I know what it’s like to be sending out manuscripts and hoping that they don’t come back in the stamped self-addressed envelope I supplied. I know what it’s like to wait for someone to get back to you about a story – sometimes many months after it first left home. It’s taken years of persistence to get to this point in my career – and I’ll be the first to admit that it’s incredibly exciting and very humbling.

Alice-Miranda at School will be launched in the US on the 5th of April with Alice-Miranda on Holiday to follow in 2012. As I mentioned earlier I had the privilege of visiting New York last year and met my publisher, Francoise Bui of Random House Delacorte. It was certainly ‘pinch me – is this real?’ territory. I can’t wait to see what the response from the US readers is. The series (in varying numbers) has been sold to Spain, Turkey and Indonesia for translation so I’m looking forward to seeing what Alice-Miranda looks like in different languages. The third book in the series, Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead has just been released here in Australia with the fourth, Alice-Miranda At Sea to come in August. There are definitely four more titles after that – but I’m hoping the series will get to ten or maybe even 13 (my odd lucky number!). Alice-Miranda has lots more stories to tell and I feel truly fortunate to have this opportunity to write them. As a writer, working hard and dreaming my biggest dreams,this whole experience has been nothing short of amazing.


Isn't this a fabulous grateful blog? For more you should follow Jacquie on Twitter.
or write to her at jacqueline@jacquelineharvey.com.au You can also check out her website.
and Alice Miranda’s! I’m heading there right now!

©Jacqueline Harvey 2011

An inspiring week of books to be grateful for:

The past week has been so jam-packed with events, launches, speeches, panel discussions, and talking books over coffee with friends and peers, that I haven’t had time to document my gratitude for it all. I write this now as part of the International Writing Sprint I am part of on Facebook Thank goodness for commitments and deadlines (and startlines) with writing.

So, this week I am grateful for:

1. YARNING STRONG: The National Centre for Indigenous Excellence in Redfern came alive this week with the launch of the Oxford University Press Yarning Strong Literacy Series. The series is essentially a teaching resource with books, DVDs, CD-Roms and worksheets covering four key areas of Indigenous Australian life: identity, family, law and land. With authors including Bruce Pascoe, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Larissa Behrendt and Jared Thomas, it’s hard not to get excited about the stories that have been told here.

I’m also a co-author with students from La Perouse Public School on the title Demon Guards the School Yard the sequel to Yirra and her deadly dog, Demon, released in 2007. The books and support materials are beautifully photographed by the deadly Wayne Quilliam, and was launched by the CEO of Oxford University Press who came all the way from the UK to be part of the event.

The prospects for improved relations between black and white Australians by having such a resources in the classroom is monumental. As Chris Sarra (pictured above) said in his speech at the launch: ‘If only Captain Cook had access to Yarning Strong, then things would have been very, very different.’ Indeed, Chris, indeed!

To order your set go to Oxford University Press.

2. GUWANYI: Every two years the NSWWC hosts an Indigenous Writers’ Festival in their stunning grounds at Rozelle. Coordinated by playwright Cathy Craigie, the event brings writers from around the country to talk about their writing processes and publishing experiences. This year we were blessed with the presence of Kim Scott who of course has just taken out Commonwealth Writers Prize for best book in south-east Asia and the Pacific. We also heard from playwright, director and filmmaker Wayne Blair and welcome emerging writer Ricky Macourt who is the author of Jali Boy in the Yarning Strong series.

I have to admit that I don’t need motivation, I write every day and I always have two or three projects on the boil or in my head to work on. And I don’t need inspiration either, I find it in my every day life. But I get both from hearing and seeing writers on stage. The truth is I go to these events to find out what other people are working on, what exciting projects and books I need to keep an ear out for and what books I need to buy.

Interestingly, I meet people all the time who want to write a book, but they don’t read, they don’t equip themselves with writing tools (check out the ASA publications list) and they don’t go to events like these to learn from those who have already done it. I’ve said it before: if you want to be an Olympic swimmer, you train, you buy the right equipment, you get and give support to other swimmers and yes, you GET INT THE POOL. It’s the same with writing. You need to immerse yourself in the industry of books and reading. I’m grateful for the energy of this year’s Guwanyi and I look forward to the next.

And as a PS, I was grateful to see crime writer Pam Newton in the audience, front row to be exact! I stumbled upon her blog The Concrete Midden last week, and as you can imagine, this Concrete Koori quite liked the name. Check it out! (that’s Pam and I above)

3. FASS GRADUATION: As a UNSW Alumni and advisor to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences I was thrilled to deliver the Occasional Address at last week’s graduation. I have so many fond memories of my time at the Kensington campus as an undergrad. I won’t post my speech here because it’s too long, but I am grateful to have experienced the passion of youth in front of me that night. I was proud of the hundreds of students I’d never met, so can only imagine what their parents felt. My parting words to the students were two simple suggestions, which I want to share here:

Firstly, dream big: you know exactly what you are capable of. You know what the world has to offer and what you can offer it. Dreams are free, and I have learned they are essential to setting and reaching goals. The only barrier to fulfilling your dreams and reaching your goals is your mental capacity to stop you.

And secondly, don’t lose your sense of individuality: for it is your own sense of self, the way you negotiate your world views, opinions and style into your working life, that will help you shine most. Do not be afraid to do as I did, and make the square peg fit into any and every shape you want. The world needs more people just like you.

4. ANTIPODES: Yesterday I had the great pleasure of launching Antipodes: poetic responses edited by Margaret Bradstock and published by Phoenix Education at a warm, communal, and rather packed event at the Randwick Library.

Antipodes showcases 78 writers and 200 years of poetic work. Some might call these perspectives, theirs and ours. The whites and the blacks. The colonisers and the colonised. Male writers and female writers. Writers of the past and the present.

All perspectives in this anthology are valid and necessary when trying to understand the psyche of this nation from the point of invasion until the present. Interestingly, the term ‘invasion’ as a way of describing the history of first contact in Australia is only used twice in this anthology. Once in my piece 'Token Koori’s: blackfellas for hire' and in my other poem 'Once was enough'. While Rex Ingamells and Samuel Wagan Watson make reference to the Invader / invaders in their works. And the teachers guide that goes with it also makes it easy to unpack the term using works by Kevin Gilbert and Melissa Lucashenko.

There have been many, many anthologies across genre, geography and gender – as pointed out by Elizabeth Webby in the foreword – but in Antipodes, Margaret has done well to provide readers with a chronological poetic timeline related to colonisation and settlement, ‘explorers’, land, activism, and various aspects of the evolution – or lack there of - of our country. Insights are given to us by mostly male white writers in the early days - Henry Parkes, John Dunmore Lang, Kenneth Slessor – to deadly black female writers in more recent times, Lisa Bellear, Charmaine Papertalk-Green and Barbara Nicholson and others.

I was looking for a point of reference that united our writers, our poets, our social commentators in the story as were of ‘settlement’. But the word itself is problematic, because most forget or choose to ignore that ‘settlement’ and ‘colonisation’ are the processes that actually followed invasion – that is the encroachment onto Aboriginal land, warfare and the introduction of disease that wiped out almost all of the Gadigal clan within a few years of ‘settlement’ in Sydney. Invasion therefore, was the first act of the ‘settlers’.

Perceptions of land and of Cook you will see in the anthology, are as diverse as the ideas about truth. For me, it is important to accept and write and read from an understanding that there are differences when considering ‘truth in history’, and my truth may be different to your truth and your truth’ and that is why it is important to read widely. This anthology is a comprehensive, yet compact volume that allows you to do that.

I’ve already given the book and teachers’ guide to my brother who teachers Year 8 history at a Catholic boys school. Engaging students in history and poetry couldn’t be easier now.

You can order your copy of Antipodes: poetic responses here.

5. SUPPORT OF FRIENDS: I want to take this moment to acknowledge the ongoing support of friends who are part of my life’s journey. We share love, laughter, politics and some of you yesterday shared my low, complaining of a backache I believe was brought on my other people weighing me down. It is true we must protect ourselves from negative influences and I thank you for reminding me through your caring and friendship, that sometimes, I just need to take care of myself. I am grateful to you for that, and you know who you are. Much love. XXX

I’m grateful for new kids titles from Magabala Books:

I am grateful when Broome-based Magabala Books does what it does best, and publishes beautiful looking, endearing and well packaged children’s books. I have a wonderful collection of colourfully illustrated titles released over the years by this non-for-profit Indigenous publishing house, which aims to promote, preserve and publish Indigenous Australian culture.

Magabala has also successfully nurtured some of our youngest authors and illustrators in the country, and two of these appear below. Here’s just three of their latest offerings that will impress you, as they did me!

Staircase to the Moon
Broome born and bred artists Bronwyn Houston is making her mark in publishing. She has just released her first authored /illustrated kid’s book Staircase to the Moon, following the release of Loongie the Greedy Crocodile which she illustrated for Kiefer and Lucy Dann back in 2008.

Through her latest efforts we learn of the natural phenomenon that happens over Roebuck Bay in the town on Broome between March and October. It involves a full-moon, a reflection across mud-flats and an illusion of a rising staircase. It is a spectacular event that draws thousands of tourists and locals to the Kimberly each year. But what about those who can’t get there? Well, this warmly illustrated book Staircase to the Moon is your own private showing, that you can enjoy in the comfort of your home no matter where you are, an no matter how often you want to see it.

With a storyline that includes a young girl Rosie and her grandfather, dive-bombing mosquitoes, boab trees that look like sleeping giants, beady yellow-eyed bats, and a questionable dream, I liked the look of Rosie’s star pyjamas throughout. The story also reminded me of my youth, when I was young I dreamt I had driven up to the sky (somehow in my mother’s green VW beetle) and had a picnic in the clouds. Perhaps I didn’t dream it at all!

Brownyn Houston is descended from the Nyiyaparli and Yindijibarndi people of the Pilbara region of WA. And it’s obvious by Houston’s illustrations in ink and water colour that she draws inspiration from the natural colours and landscape of the region where she lives.

This is the perfect book to read to your daughter, niece, sister, friend at bedtime. At $19.95 and available in April it’s the perfect Easter gift as well. Pick it up at your nearest bookshop or on-line from Magabala Books.

The Snake and the Boy
The best thing about The Snake and the Boy is not the vibrant greens, blues and earth tones in the illustrations on every page. It’s not even the thrill of the story about cheeky snake stealing an apple from the playground either. Both those facts make it a good read, but what impressed me most was learning this book was written and illustrated by 12-year-old Azmen Sebastian in Broome.

I know my nephews will love this tale about what happens on the playground in a school in the Kimberley. I can’t wait to share it with them.

At $12.95 this book is an absolute bargain and is available in bookshops NOW, or on-line direct from Magabala Books.

Don’t forget to ask your local library and school library to order this titles in for everyone in to enjoy, even if they can’t afford to buy them themselves.

Belinda A Collins is grateful

I feel honoured to have Melbourne-based author Belinda A. Collins guesting here tonight about her work with Princess Kasune Zulu in trying to fight AIDS globally through their book Warrior Princess. I've never met Belinda, but we have talked on the phone, emailed and Tweeted as friends and as peers. We once tried to meet for a cocktail in Sydney on the eve of Belinda appearing on Sunrise, but I couldn't find a park anywhere - this is a true story, I kid you not. But just as geography did not stop Belinda and Princess being friends, neither has it stopped us.

I admire Belinda for her passion and drive in wanting to make social change on such an important issue, and all the while maintaining a positive outlook on life generally. Hers is a disposition that rubs off, and I know when you read her gratefuls tonight, you'll feel compelled to be more grateful in your own life.

Belinda says she is grateful for:

For those of you who don’t know the story of Warrior Princess an Aussie gal, (that’s me) & a Zambian gal, Princess Kasune Zulu teamed up to write the story of Princess Zulu’s life. Warrior Princess takes us all the way from the village where Princess grew up to the Whitehouse where she convinced the American government to commit $15 billion to the fight against HIV and AIDS – the virus that claimed the lives of her parents, baby sister and brother and infects Princess herself and has left one in three children in her country an orphan.  We wrote the book to highlight the issues around extreme poverty and preventable diseases and to inspire people to make a difference.
 
Warrior Princess has gone on to be published in nine countries, it is being translated into Korean and French and possibly Zambian native languages as well as being in the top 5 per cent of books for 2010.
 
Princess and I have just completed a whirlwind media and speaking tour of Australia that coincided with the 100th celebration of International Women’s Day. Our pal Anita Heiss invited us to contribute to her fabulous blog. I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect on ‘What I’m Grateful For’ out of the Warrior Princess Down Under Tour.
 
1.     Australia’s support for Warrior Princess.  

Australia we can’t thank you enough – my home country has been amazing. I don’t know the figures for Australia’s official best-seller lists, but my educated guess is Warrior Princess must right up there. Our publisher, Intervarsity Press, is based in Chicago. We have neither an agent nor a publicist in Australia so the success of Warrior Princess in Australia truly extraordinary and all thanks to you!
 
Australians the length and breadth of the country, of every age and demographic have taken the story to their hearts.  The Australian media have embraced the story of the friendship between an Aussie Mum and a Zambian Mum fighting for the voiceless and fighting to put HIV and AIDS back on the agenda.
 
We are chuffed at the support shown across this great country – thanks to everyone who attended our events, who bought the book or read a friends’ copy. Keep it circulating – the story is too important for your copy to be sitting on a book-shelf.
Keep in touch via facebook or twitter to let us know what you think – it means the world to us.
 
 
2. The support of friends and family:
 
To enable us to follow our call and our passion we rely on the love and support of so many people. Our husbands Dave (Princess’) and Darren (Belinda’s) call themselves our support crews. They are our cheer squads, our shoulders to lean on when we are tired, our best friends. They keep the home fires burning and care for our children when we are not there – all in addition to leading very busy lives themselves. There is an unmistakable strength of spirit shared by these two men who simultaneously give us our wings while also nurturing and protecting us.  How they do it is beyond me, but both Princess and I are eternally grateful they do.
 
A Peter Allen song, Fly Away, comes to mind. In it, Peter describes a relationship as being like that between and an anchor and a kite. He melodically sings,  “You’re the earth and I’m the sky and sometimes I could go to high. But then you pull the string that pulls me back, if not for you, I might loose track.”
 
I love thinking of Dave & Daz this way – giving us the freedom to soar high in the sky, while keeping a gentle hand on a chord that grounds us –giving a gentle tap to the left or right to keep us on track and cradling us back down to earth when it all gets too much.
 
Our children, Joy and Faith, Armstrong, Kelvin, Delphia, Rhoda and Sammy Collins who selflessly give their mummies up for children around the world who they will never even meet.
 
Our extended families, Linda, Paul, Ken & Sue, Darren and Nana, Mary & Neale, Mike & Glenn provide the most precious safety net & cheer-squad you could ever imagine. Mum has even become our voluntary assistant, traveling to Sydney with us so Sammy could be with his mother – it doesn’t get better than that.
 
Then there’s a multitude of friends and supporters… Vicki Kyritsis at Creative Insights, Laurent Filippini at Studio Bastille, Dianne Clark at Norbu, Burnet Institute, World Vision, Fed Square, UN Women, Rainbow Book Distributors and more who made the trip possible.
 
 
3. International commitment to reverse the destruction of extreme poverty and preventable disease
Did you know that our generation has it within our grasp to eradicate extreme poverty and turn around preventable diseases? This is the greatest imaginable legacy for our generation and we thank everyone who has made the commitment to ensure this happens.
 
For the first time in history, the numbers of people living in comfort throughout the world and the level of resources at our disposal means we can unite and bring and end to the terror of extreme poverty and preventable diseases.
 
Whether here in Australia, in our neighboring countries or across Africa there is simply no need for people to be dying of diseases we have the luxury of calling preventable in the big cities of Australia. There’s no need for 1 million people a year to die of malaria or 2 million of TB, children should not be dying from drinking unsafe water or because their mothers have passed on the HIV virus.
Peter Singer’s book, The Life you Can Save shows that if each of us in the ‘rich’ parts of the world donated just $200 per year, we’d have all the money we need to banish extreme poverty.

We are grateful to the leaders of the world for committing to pursue the MDGs, we’re grateful to everyone who uses their voice, donates money, time and other resources to make this a reality.

We’re not there yet: our brothers and sisters stand at a tipping point. Without a continued will to make it so, their slow walk forward can slam into reverse.
I encourage you to learn more about the Millennium Development Goals at www.belindacollins.com
 
4.    Women around the World

Travelling together for the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day made the occasion take on extra significance. Our trip to Sydney with deadly Vicki Kyritsis and Sue Richardson became an important pilgrimage for us to take on behalf of voiceless women around the world. There is a common bond that links us all.
 
We want to thank the women who have gone before us, who fought hard so that we may enjoy the privileges we do today.  Princess was shocked to hear that up until 1966 women employed in the public sector of Australia had to quit work when they were married. Today we have a woman as our head of state.
 
We also want the women around the world who are marginalized, subject to violence or abuse, living in poverty or any form of disadvantage to know we are here to take up the fight on your behalf. Just as others stepped up so that we might face a brighter future, so too are we here to fight on your behalf. We’re grateful for the voices we’ve been given, for the skills and expertise we’ve been blessed to grow that we can now put to good use. We’re grateful for the leadership shown by other women, like our pal Anita Heiss, who gives us inspiration and courage to continue.
 
5.    A sisterhood that knows only hearts not colours

Princess and I describe our relationship as that of sisters, a life-long bond that’s not always smooth sailing.  Playing so many roles in each others lives: co-author, confidante, friend, manager, advisor, speaking coach, and all from afar - means our relationship is sometimes like the craziest of roller-coasters.
 
It’s an enormous decision to entrust the writing of your life story to a friend and first time author living on the opposite side of the world, and that’s the privilege Princess gave me.
 
Over the past seven years we’ve travelled through Australia, USA and Africa together researching and writing Warrior Princess. Two incredibly strong, independent women from very different cultures, it was a beautiful challenge for us to listen and collaborate over the seas to bring a book to life and tour it together across America and Australia.
 
When we began, we promised to remember one thing above all others: we love each other and we know each other’s hearts. We know neither of us would intentionally ever heart the other.
 
This is a great practice for all friendships when misunderstandings creep in. Busy lives mean we don’t always get to speak to our friends as much as we’d like. Or, we can send a flippant text or email that friends can draw incorrect meaning from… before we know it, we can be wracked with doubt and full of insecurities about our relationships. From here, it’s easy to shut ourselves off and withdraw from friends.
 
This week, make a pact with your friends not to retreat to negative assumptions and fears. We all love and need our friends and hold them fondly in our hearts whether they are near of far.
 
6.    Four incredible new friendships

When you are squirreled away writing for three and a half years, you wonder whether anyone will really care about your finished product? Will anyone want to help our cause?
 
This tour, Princess’ first visit to Australia since the publication of Warrior Princess saw us grow some vital new friendships that will translate into great outcomes for Warrior Princess and for Zambia – outcomes beyond our expectations.
 
We are particularly grateful for:
 
Julia Keady at the Women Donors Network for hosting our event at BMW Edge and for holding luncheons in Sydney and Melbourne that are likely to result in great funding outcomes for Princess’ charity, Fountain of Life. We love Julia’s spirit, passion and tenacity to make things happen –you won’t be getting away from us Julia!

Burnet Institute: Based in Melbourne, this incredible institute has a mission to improve the health of disadvantaged, marginalize, and poor communities in Australia and overseas. They work from the cellular level in high-tech labs conducting some of the most groundbreaking research in the world, and then develop practical, often low-tech, applications that they implement across the world. We have just been named Ambassadors for Burnet Institute and we are bursting with gratitude at this announcement.

Maddocks Law Firm: We have spoken two Maddocks Women in Sydney and in Melbourne over the past few months and we love the passion and energy this law firm holds. Melbourne-based partner Bronywn Weir has become a great champion for us and we look forward to seeing where this partnership takes us.
UN Women: who undertake incredible work in Australia to raise awareness and funds for projects supporting women across the world. UN Women held two great events for Princess and we thank Julia Bowes for her tireless work in the lead up to International Women’s Day.

Tim Costello & the team at World Vision Australia: No social justice cause in Australia feels quite whole without the support of Tim Costello and World Vision. The leadership this team shows in Australia is extraordinary. There is a great responsibility that comes with leading and being a part of the largest NGO in Australia. Both Princess and I have worked with World Vision around the world and can testify to the fact the world is a much better place thanks to the work they undertake.  Over the years I have come to know Tim I’m continually amazed at his drive and tireless determination to provide a moral compass for Australia. Tim and the team at WVA, I’m grateful for your support, leadership and commitment
 
 
 

I am grateful for STOLEN GIRL

I am often asked by teachers and librarians ‘How young is too young to tell children about the Stolen Generations?’ I think if we can tell stories about bushrangers and convicts as part of primary school education, we should also be telling (more) significant stories from our history. Particularly when you consider history related to government endorsed removal of Aboriginal children from their families, is still affecting most Aboriginal communities today.

The task of teaching children about the Stolen Generations is made easier by the various resources now available, easing students into learning and engaging with emotionally disturbing subject matter. Such material is much more challenging in adult fiction and non-fiction.

There are children’s books already on the subject by Magabala and IAD Press (targeting school children and their teachers), and this latest offering Stolen Girl written by Trina Saffioti and illustrated by Norma McDonald, is another priceless effort in ensuring that Australian children are engaged in history while being drawn in by inspiring mixed-media illustrations.

The story of the nameless fictional character in Stolen Girl, carefully and cautiously points out through text and images, the differences between life in the home she removed to (dorm life, routines, no family) to the family life she misses and dreams about (storytelling around the campfire, mornings with her mother on their verandah, fishing and swimming in the river).

I think works like these are essential for use in the classroom, for Australian children to understand their own sense of privilege –then and now – compared to Aboriginal children removed from their families in the past.

Saffioti, like myself, had a maternal grandmother taken from her family when she was very young. I can understand the author’s desire to use her skill to get some of the experiences – of her own family and others who suffered – onto the page and into the classroom.

Stolen Girl is available in-store now for $19.95 or direct from Magabala Books on-line.

Don’t forget to ask your local library and school library to order these titles in for everyone in to enjoy, even if they can’t afford to buy them themselves.

I'm grateful for Little Black Books...

As part of the community-based Indigenous publishing project known as Black Ink Press in Townsville, there's a fabulous collection of twelve colourful books all written and illustrated by kids for kids.

The collection called ‘Little Black Books’ are all created by Indigenous students and young people. With titles related to fishing, crabbing and boating it’s not hard to see what kids like to do and write about, and therefore like to read, especially in northern Qld!

I have three of the twelve titles right now: Fishing Time in the Banana Boat by Jesse Mooney is about a family going fishing and the drive to the beach reminds me of when I was a kid, when I read the dialogue: ‘Are we there yet?’

Minh Nga’an Wichan Catching Fish by Venita Korkaktain is told in Wik Mungkan and English, is a bright, brief tale about catching fish that allows kids (and those reading to and with them) to learn some Wik Mungkan language as well.

And as someone who loathes camping – I am a concrete Koori and love the city – I particularly appreciated Monty Pompey’s book Disaster Camping and the perils of getting rained out!

These are great little readers for up to five years, and the bios of each of the students who wrote the stories are just as interesting. You can buy the books individually for $8.00 or scoop the dozen for $75.00. What a fantastic gift for your littlies this Easter, or perhaps a donation to your school library or community centre. To order click here.

Who, why and what I am grateful for in Bathurst:

This week I had the great privilege to return to Wiradjuri country in central NSW. I went to Bathurst to celebrate International Women’s Day at All Saints College. After a series of extraordinary cases of six-degrees-of-separation, I was reminded of how small this planet really is, and how special life in country Australia can be and is.

Below are who and what I am grateful for:

1. WIRADJURI COUNTRY: It’s always meaningful to go back to country – Wiradjuri country – be it Bathurst, Dubbo, Mudgee, Orange, Cowra, Brungle, Wagga Wagga and so on. Bathurst is special because it is the resting place of Windradyne, the Wiradjuri warrior who fought to protect his people by leading the Battle of Bathurst also known as the Bathurst Wars in 1923 /24. ‘Mortally wounded in a tribal fight on the Macquarie River, Windradyne died a few hours later on 21 March 1829 at Bathurst hospital, and was buried at Bathurst.’ After my speech I was fortunate to meet the owner of the property where Windradyne is buried. I look forward to returning one day to pay my respects and hopefully write something.

2. ALL SAINTS COLLEGE: I am grateful to the head librarian Michelle O’Brien and all the staff and students at All Saints who made me welcome at the school. Although I only spoke for an hour, I had the entire day to discover what a beautiful landscape in which to learn and grow as a teenager. And what an inspiring library in which to sit and read books. It almost made me want to go back to school! I think I may have to offer myself as writer-in-residence there! The pic above is of me in full flight during the mother and daughter breakfast, and pic below with Michelle and English teacher, Tessa. There’s more pics on the school’s website.

3. FAMILY CONNECTIONS: There’s Wiradjuri and Williams’ mob (my mob) all over the state, so it’s not unusual to make family connections when I am on the road, but I was particularly grateful to catch up with my young cousin Tilly at the All Saints event. I first met Tilly at the Erambie Mission ‘Read With Me’ event in December 2009, and I had no idea she was now studying in Bathurst. What a joy it was for me to find her there as a student. That’s my beautiful cuz below.

4. PATISSERIE CAFE LEGALL: I’m told that people travel from around the region to enjoy this cafe. Most locals will say to their visitors, ‘You MUST go to Cafe Legall!’ And so I did. While I was there I watched a stream of people come and go, some eating croissants and quiches on-site, some making and taking large orders of pies and other pastries (see pic above of goodies). I took my time to decide on the crème brulee tart with dates and a chocolate macaroon. Delish! But the highlight was being surprised by a staffer, Nikki (see pic below) who was actually in my sister’s class back at St Clare’s College, Waverley. Six degrees...

5. THE NAKED BUD: I’m grateful to local vintage shop, The Naked Bud. It had three floors of vintage clothing and retro furniture, art deco goods and jewellery. I NEVER find dresses to fit me in vintage shops, it’s like they didn’t have breasts in the 50s 60s 70s, but at the Naked Bud I picked up a vintage red and white dress for $30 - bargain! I was grateful for that purchase and the brief yarn with the fella who owns the shop.

Clearly, it was an exceptional way to spend the 100th International Women’s Day!

Anthropology is . . .

Anthropology is . . .

Supposed to be the study
Of behaviour
Of social relationships
Of the physical
Of the social
Of the cultural . . .
Development of human beings
Human beings
Not just Aborigines
And other ‘primitive’ societies
But of all human beings.
But why don’t I ever meet anthropologists
who study white people?

Sydney, 2004

Published in I'm not racist, but... which can be ordered here.

Alicia Williams is grateful before, during and after Black History Month...

Tonight I’d like to introduce you to my friend Alicia Williams (yes, I am a Williams from Cowra but Alicia is from Michigan and lives in North Carolina, still its good to share a name anyways!). She’s a writer, performer, motivational speaker, dance/zumba instructor, mother to Dove and creative writing student!

Alicia’s life was full enough without me asking her to write for my blog. But she did it anyway, because she’s focussed, and kind to her friend down under. We first met in Tampa, Florida at the Black Writers Reunion and Conference in 2008. I was pleased to see how she’d upped the ante with her writing two years later when we met again in Atlanta. Alicia is also working on the release of her first book Up From Rock Bottom.

This blog was originally for Black History Month, but let’s just say we’re on ‘Koori-time!’ I’m just grateful to read Alicia’s words and learn more about history that should be important to all of us.

What Alicia is grateful for this BHM:
1. I'm grateful for Mary McLeod Bethune for investing in education. W.E.B. DuBois for challenging us to use our minds. I’m grateful to those individuals without resources and technology to lead the pack of making a difference in society without excuses: Frederick Douglass, George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, and lesser named individuals. There should never be any whining, complaining, or excuses when we look at the lives of these individuals, and we owe it to them to take full advantage of our opportunities to reach our full potential.

2. I'm so grateful for every person who risked their lives chasing the dream of freedom. We know of Harriet Tubman, and her story speaks volumes. How dared she go back and forth to free others, with a bounty on her head? This woman stepped out on faith, and yet never doubted her purpose. That's why one of my mantra's when doubt creeps in is: "It's time to do it Harriet Tubman style."

3. As a storyteller, I am so thankful for the griots (elder storytellers) that came before me. As an African-American, I realized that we don't have a culture that we can pinpoint and say, "This is ours." Unless I do a DNA test, I won't know what tribe, country, or lifeline my people originated. But at least I have gleaned culture from historical stories, and the songs sung that reflected on how we are a faithful, strong people.

4. I am so grateful for every person who helped, fought, and received abuse just for the right to vote. I'm, no we, are reaping the benefits of this natural right. It is because of their preservation that me and my daughter witnessed our 44th President African-American, Barack Obama, take office.

I leave you with a quote by Oprah Winfrey: "How dare I be tired doing what I'm doing, know the trials and tribulations of my ancestors who had to work from dawn 'til dusk. They had a right to be tired. I don't."
Keep pushing . . . and never doubt.

Alicia Williams

Aboriginal women writers I am grateful for on International Women’s Day...

As co-editor with Peter Minter of The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature (Allen and Unwin, 2008), I had the extreme good fortune to read the thousands of pages of works by largely unheard of Aboriginal women (and men) who documented across genres, the cultural, social and political landscape of our country over time.

Today, I want to pay tribute to five of those women writers who are no longer with us, but who’s words live on to help remind us all of the history of this country, and why we are the nation we are today.

The bios below were collated by both Peter and I as part of the process, and these five women appear alongside 76 other writers published in the anthology.

If you are an educator in school or a tertiary institution make use of the teachers’ guide that comes with this extraordinary showcase of Aboriginal writers and writing.

Today I am grateful for:
KITTY BRANGY: In 1881, Kitty Brangy wrote several letters to her sister Edith Brangy. These letters demonstrate the strength of Indigenous family and kinship ties at a time when the Australian Government was systematically trying to break them down.

MONICA CLARE: A daughter of an Aboriginal shearer and an English woman, Monica Clare was fostered at the age of seven and she and her brother lived in various homes in Sydney before going to live with the Woodbury family on a farm near Spencer. Although well-loved by the Woodbury's, Government officials removed Clare and her brother Dan from their care in 1935. They were separated and Clare was sent to train as a domestic while her brother was sent to a farm. Clare worked for numerous families, then independently at the Wills cigarette factory and as a waitress. She also took secretarial studies at night school.

Clare’s interest in Aboriginal social justice grew from the late 1940s when she became a regular visitor to the Bellwood Aboriginal Reserve while staying with the Woodbury's at Nambucca Heads, NSW. Her marriage in 1953, from which she had a daughter, ended in divorce. In 1962 Clare married union official and Aboriginal rights advocate Leslie Forsyth Clare, and became actively involved in the union’s women's committee. Together with her husband Clare travelled throughout NSW highlighting the appalling living conditions and racial discrimination inflicted upon Aboriginal people.

In the lead-up to the 1967 referendum Clare became secretary of the Aboriginal committee of the South Coast Labor Council, often writing to politicians and passing on complaints of discrimination. She helped establish housing and low interest loans for Aborigines, and in 1968 as secretary to the newly named South Coast Illawarra Tribe she led the campaign to re-house the Aboriginal communities along the NSW south coast. As well as being a delegate to many conferences of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, she was also active on the International Women's Day, May Day and National Aborigines' Day committees. Her autobiographical novel Karobran was published posthumously.

PEARL GIBBS: Pearl Gibbs was born near Sydney and grew up near Yass in NSW. She became politically active in the early 1930s, supporting Aboriginal workers affected by the Great Depression and gathering information against the NSW Aborigines Protection Board. Gibbs joined the Aborigines’ Progressive Association and assisted in organising the Day of Mourning, becoming APA secretary until 1940. With William Ferguson she established the Dubbo branch of the Australian Aborigines’ League, and during the 1950s co-founded the Australian Aboriginal Fellowship with Faith Bandler and was the only Aboriginal member of the NSW Aborigines Welfare Board. In her later life Pearl Gibbs enjoyed great prominence as an Aboriginal spokesperson.

OODGEROO NOONUCCAL: Describing herself as an educator and storyteller, Oodgeroo (meaning 'paperbark tree') of the Noonuccal tribe of Minjerriba (North Stradbroke Island, Queensland) was an internationally recognised Aboriginal poet, educator, environmentalist and leader in the struggle for Aboriginal rights.
Having lived most of her life as Kath Walker, in 1988 she readopted her tribal name as a protest against Australia's Bicentenary celebrations and as a symbol of her Aboriginal pride. She was educated at Dunwich State School until the age of thirteen, became a domestic servant and then joined the army during the second world war. In 1942 she married her childhood friend Bruce Walker, a descendant from the Logan and Albert River tribes near Brisbane. She had two sons, Denis and Vivian.

Oodgeroo was politically active from the late 1940s and within a decade had become one of the most prominent Aboriginal voices in the country. She joined the Australian Communist Party, the only Australian political party opposed to the White Australia policy, and from the early 1960s held several key positions in the Aboriginal civil rights movement. She was a founding member and Queensland State Secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and a leader of the successful 1967 referendum campaign. In 1970 she was appointed as a Member of the British Empire, and was later chairperson of the National Tribal Council, the Aboriginal Arts Board, the Aboriginal Housing Committee and the Queensland Aboriginal Advancement League.

In 1964 Oodgeroo published We Are Going, the first book of poetry by an Aboriginal writer and the first ever book by an Aboriginal woman. She wrote numerous further volumes of poetry, books for children, a play, essays, speeches and books illustrated by her own artworks. She travelled in China, Europe, the USA and Africa representing Aboriginal writing and culture, and in addition to many awards she received honorary doctorates from several universities. For many years Oodgeroo lived at Moongalba (‘sitting-down place’), her home on Minjerriba, where she established the Noonuccal-Nughie Education and Cultural Centre and for over two decades shared her culture and way of life with thousands of visitors. The grandmother of Aboriginal poetry died in 1993 and was buried on Minjerriba with great ceremony.

IDA WEST: Aunty Ida (as many of us referred to her) was born on an Aboriginal reserve on Cape Barren Island, the second daughter of Ivy Victoria Albeana (Everett) and Henry Isaac Armstrong. In the 1920s the family moved to Killiecrankie, Flinders Island. She married Marcus Sydney West, had one daughter and two sons, and divorced in 1960.

Aunty Ida spent much of her life as a tireless advocate for the Tasmanian Aboriginal community’s rights to land and cultural self-determination. Her many years of struggle finally resulted in the Wybalenna Aboriginal Community’s acquisition of land title on Flinders Islander on the 18th April 1999. As a result of her success she was named a Tasmanian of the Century by the Mercury Newspaper. In her final years Aunty Ida was made a member of the Order of Australia (2002), NAIDOC National Female Aboriginal Elder of the Year (2002) and NAIDOC Elder of the Year (2003).

To read excerpts and complete works of these women, buy a copy of The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal literature and make sure your local and school libraries have it in stock for students and community members to engage with, learn from and enjoy.

Family, friends and place... Jake Reid is grateful...

On the night that Tropical Cyclone Yasi was due to hit Cairns, I was sick with fear for my friend Jake. You may have read about her here before, sometimes referred to as Scary.com, at other times, The Commissioner. Under either name, it has always been in terms of my gratitude for her being part of my life. We are old (long-time, not aged) friends from UNSW days and shared the same hoods: 2035 and 2036, with a specific shared love of Maroubra Beach.

While I went into the arts, Jake became a lawyer, was once Acting Commissioner of the NSW Land and Environment Court, and is now a senior legal officer working in native title.

Back to Yasi, and before Jake had to save power on her phone that night we talked briefly. I asked her - quite seriously - to tell me what she was grateful for in relation to living in Cairns, especially with its 'tropical weather' about to pummel the city. Earlier that day I had wanted her to get her Koori butt back to Sydney, and stay put where it's safe; free from cyclones and flooding and the debilitating humidity of Cairns. Alas, I am a selfish friend who wants it all my own way, it seems.

Tonight I’m so glad I can share with your Jake’s grateful. Her words moved, made me think about my own sense of place, appreciation of family and friends and my own ability to laugh in the face of adversity... all of which I am grateful for. I have no doubt many of you reading this will be moved to a place of deep thought and appreciation also.

WHAT JAKE IS GRATEFUL FOR:
Anita asked me if I’d contribute to her ‘grateful blog’. I’m a self confessed FAN of the blog and remind her if she is a day overdue. I imagine this is what gave, or buttressed, her ‘request’ to contribute to the blog. I was of course honoured to be asked….but what to add? How to make it accessible?
More to the point - all other ‘bloggers’ are professional writers of some description. I only write legal letters by day and Facebook status updates by night… But Anita asked, and so I give my offering:

1. HOME: is truly where the heart is. Thank goodness the heart is big enough to love, respect and acknowledge that home may be far more than one single place.
a. My spiritual home is the place that I was born and where I will be returned to – my county – Gulargambone.
b. My emotional heart claims Sydney as my home – Maroubra Beach and La Perouse nurtured and loved me for many, many years.
c. My soul was claimed by Palm Island on my very first visit in 1986 and where I subsequently called home 1987-88 and have kept returning for my BFF and her daughter, my precious goddaughter.
d. If years ago the banks would give a loan to a single, financially secure single woman I may have locked in another home. They didn’t then. In 2010 they did. I stayed in my home during Tropical Cyclone Yasi 2011. I survived. This will be my physical home for the foreseeable future 

2. Lifestyle: Notwithstanding constant rains and intermittent threats of cyclones in the wet season and the reality of choking humidity all year round, Cairns has a relatively sophisticated arts and music scene for a regional area. More importantly, my grannies (sons belong goddaughter who has apparently grown up and now an adult!!!) is only 1 hour flight away – I grab them, and its only another 20 minute flight to Palm where we can spend a weekend with their Great-Grand Nana (Erykah Kyle) and Nana – nothing like Butler Bay to watch children grow with culture…except our holiday place at Mundy Bay 

3. Friends: The fact that my BFF, godchild and grannies are so clearly important in my life, this ‘grateful’ may seem somewhat superfluous. But it is important for me to say that many friends have become the bedrock of my life. I am tempted to tag most of Facebook friends, because they are properly family – not only in my imaginings but in our truths… They have traversed the divide from ‘acquaintance’ to ‘family’ and however that has happened, we blackfellas are rather good at claiming – and keeping – those that are good enough for it.

4. Family: Marion Louise Reid gave me my first breath. Fred and Coral Jacobsen (the beautiful, gracious people who adopted me) gave me foundational moral principles. When I met my mother Marion again, those moral principles were essentially the same as her own. As the youngest of seven Jacobsen’s, I’m grateful that when I searched for, found, connected and lived my truth with my Reid family I did not lose the love, connection and ‘sibling’ thing with the Jacobsen’s.

But I’m sad that I lost years with my Reid family. As the eldest of nine kids, it was difficult to be somewhere between the place where culture intends us to be and where reality places us…. When Mum (Marion) gave her final exhale I wondered, truly, if I could, wanted to, survive without her. I’m not sure that I ever got to answer the question so much as it is simply expected by others that your life will go on, and indeed I did. We going on for eleven years now…

5. Adversity: In the context of what is available to most Aboriginal People, I have lived a privileged life. In my view, this privilege began when I was 16 and started working in Canberra. For the first time, people genuinely believed in me. And in time, I proved them right. There is nothing quite so motivating as an a***hole telling you it can’t be done – and sufficient support from others to say, yes it can.

Every arrow of adversity is a window of opportunity…so I’ve been told! That may or may not be the case. But for me – when I’ve been able – I’ve taken each window and jumped… Every landing has made me stronger. As it has, undoubtedly, for not only the BLOG writers, but also the readers…

And that, a nutshell is what I’m grateful for …thus far in life….