Australia is a large continent and before British colonisation there were over 250 First Nation areas with different languages and cultures. The Wadi Wadi nation lived on an eastern coastal region south of Sydney, which was covered with thick subtropical rainforest and bordered by the Pacific Ocean which provided fish and shellfish in abundance. With its rich volcanic soil, it was one of the first areas to be taken by colonising farmers. The land was cleared and the food, culture and Dharawal language were all almost wiped out. Many First Nations people died from massacres, hunger, and European diseases.This story began in a deep valley ‘Willow Gully’ with remnant rare subtropical rainforest, inhabited by wallabies, echidnas, possums and hundreds of birds in a small coastal town called Kiama. The gully was settled in the 1840s by two British farming families, and in 2015 the remains of a small farm cottage was unearthed in the rainforest. By coincidence the Aboriginal family who lived there in the 20th century were discovered and they have shared their personal stories. This has provided links to the amazing history of the Wadi Wadi people all along the coast. Through this book find their stories, but also meet an Indigenous King and Queen, WW1 soldiers, a poet, fishermen, sports stars, and silent film makers. Many people have hidden their Aboriginal heritage as racism was rife. The 50,000 years of continuous indigenous heritage is at last being recognised. However, a referendum to recognise Aboriginal people in the constitution, held in October 2023, failed due to misinformation by opponents. But there is still hope!
Helen Laidlaw was born in Australia to an English father and a fifth-generation Australian mother, whose ancestor farmed Wadi Wadi country in 1837. Helen has worked as a teacher, teacher-librarian and university librarian. Her qualifications were earned at Wagga Wagga Teachers’ College, a BA at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji and a Grad Dip Lib at the University of Tasmania. She has also worked in Tonga, writing the Museum Guide and computerising libraries. She is passionate about Pacific and Indigenous history. Her other interests include the custodianship of an area of rare subtropical rainforest, playing tennis and swimming. She works to gain better treatment for the refugees who come to Australia and for the ratification of a treaty with the First Nations as outlined in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
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The chapters of this book hold intriguing personal accounts of the First Nations custodians of the Illawarra, South Coast of NSW, Australia who were Dhawaral speakers.
Through a detailed historical presentation, Helen Laidlaw brings the book’s content into the current day through many local families including Elder Uncle Jimmy-James Carlson-sharing their yarns and reflections supported with family photos.
This book is of great current importance sharing an Aboriginal history of the South Coast that would otherwise have gone untold.
The sub-tropical rainforest of Willow Gully, Kiama, NSW is the setting for the broader practice of Aboriginal ways of knowing and living.
Helen has not left out the injustices and inequities that faced our First Nations peoples in the early colonisation of NSW, bringing the challenge home to us as we seek understanding, fairness, respect and equity for all people.
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This is a truly remarkable book. I have lived in Kiama for over 40 years and thought I knew most of the important things about the town and yet, page after page, left me gasping as I found new and fascinating things about the town and the surrounding area. It is a book that everyone who lives in, and cares about, this area should devour. It is a glorious feast of information about this beautiful part of the planet.
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