The 12 women interviewed in this book all share a strong attachment to the physical and spiritual beauty of the Pilbara, in the north-west of Western Australia. A common bond between the four Indigenous and eight non-Indigenous women, whose stories we have published, is not only this love of the landscape but also the various difficulties they have faced, and the opportunities they have created, in this remote and awe-inspiring region.
Some went in search of adventure, others to escape from abusive relationships. Some followed their partners' careers, while others tackled problems of cultural dispossession and gender identity. Whatever the circumstances, their compelling accounts of life in the Pilbara illustrate the resilience, courage and good humour.
These stories, and the stunning photographs of the landscape that accompany them, will resonate with anyone who has visited the region or is contemplating 'going bush', and will live forever in the hearts of those dreaming of a life less ordinary.
This book can be ordered from www.womenofthepilbara.com.au
All proceeds go to supporting the Royal Flying Doctors (Western Operations).
Published by: UWA Press, 2007
ISBN: 9781921401015
People featured in the book
- Roebourne Aboriginal Elder, May Lockyer
- Central Desert Martu Elder, Patricia Fry
- Mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Marj Noyce
- Businesswoman and professional speaker, Melva Stone
- Roebourne women’s refuge manager, Deanna McGowan
- Retired brothel madam, Leigh Varis-Beswick
- Chairperson, businesswoman and professional speaker, Erica Smyth
- Retired personal assistant, Jill Randall
- Pastoralist, wife and mother, Gillian Herbert
- Point Samson fishing industry businesswoman, Debby Kessell
- Aboriginal business manager, Susan Shirtliff
- Young Aboriginal woman, Alana Connors
A memorable moment...
Patricia Fry is a Martu Aboriginal Elder from the Central Desert. Although not old in terms of the years she has been alive, Patricia has lived a full life with much joy but much suffering along the way.
I interviewed her in her home in Mirrabooka, the two of us sitting out in the driveway her with a walking frame sitting on a scratched old chair and me perched on the edge of a shabby couch. At first she was reluctant and shy, refusing to look me in the eye and offering only brief responses to my questions. As we continued to talk she would start to glance up at me and share more and more of her wonderful stories, giggling like a child as she remembered growing up on her land or crying as she spoke to me about her health from preventing her from going back to her home.
By the end of the interview we were both crying and she continued to look me straight in the eye – it felt like she could see into the depths of my soul. We met up again a year or so later at the launch of Red Dust in Her Veins in Karratha. She came up to me and again locked eyes with mine saying to me: “What you done here is important, it’s important to me and my people, you capture our stories, that is a good thing.” As a writer, that is all I need to hear. -
Reviews
Extracts from Amazon reviews:
“I loved this book! It gives a really different perspective on the Australian outback, due to the honest, unflinching personal stories of the women featured, some of whom are Aboriginal... The author has skilfully taken narratives and facts and turned them into a heartfelt homage to a place, the Pilbara desert, as much as the people. A brilliant way to find out more about Australia!” -
“The women featured are ordinary women who found within themselves extraordinary reserves of energy and passion. It is their ordinariness which is so inspiring - if they can make it through such hardship then I've got little to complain about! Their stories are woven together and guided beautifully by Lisa Holland-McNair's thoughtful and very easy-to-read writing style.” -
“Most Americans are unlikely to have even heard of the Pilbara; a vast region of northern Western Australia. As the book relates, the Pilbara is the size of Colorado and Utah combined, but with only 40,000 people. Only Americans growing up in Alaska would know of similar isolation... Another genre is that of feminism, where the struggles of women to gain recognition are documented. It was tough in the 1960s and '70s for many white women... The third genre is multiculturalism. Several of the women interviewed for the book are Australian Aborigines. Their narratives relate the experiences of Aborigines in the past 40 years, who might be living partly in the Outback itself, and also in the small country towns typically run by a white administration..." -
Photography
Red Dust in Her Veins features beautiful portrait and landscape photos by some of Australia’s leading photographers, namely Leon Bird, Hugh Brown, Leon Holmes, Frank Richardson and Richard Woldendorp. All of the landscape photographers donated the use of their photos in the book.