Check out my instagram page where I put regular updates and subscribe here And follow me on my Facebook page where I also post regularlyhere
Where would you like to keep your books? In an outdoor garden you can retreat to at night or do you like to read in a sunny lounge room by day? As always, it’s such a pleasure to connect with you through our monthly newsletter. Sorry it’s been 2 months. Time flies. I’ve acturally been busy helping my husband with his art gallery as he is an Aboriginal artist – Munganbana. You can glimpse his work here
However I want to thank you for being a part of my reader community and I would love to hear more from you. What led you to pick up one of my books and what would you like to hear from me in future? What have you been reading lately and who are your favourite authors?
Right now, I’m at the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair at the Cairns Convention Centre where my books are available along with my husband’s art so below is a photo of our stall. We have visitors from all over the world and people are lapping up my books and the art.
AMAZON REVIEWS
If I Survive
foxden53 5.0 out of 5 stars Never forget! Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2024 Verified Purchase This is a story of a survivor of one of the worst chapters of history. We all need to remember all those who died during this horrendous chapter of the 1940s and never ever forget the atrocities that lost so many lives. WE ARE ALL EQUAL IN GOD’S EYES AND WE NEED TO “NEVER FORGET “
This is an older review but so worth a read:
White Australia Has A Black History
Brian Aird 5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, Inspirational and Illuminating Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2019 Verified Purchase White Australia Has a Black HIstory: William Cooper And First Nations Peoples’ Political Activism by Barbara Miller is a compelling narrative that chronicles the Aboriginal movement in Australia and their quest for human rights.
Specifically, the book covers the time frame spanning the years of 1860 to 1941. The main inspirational leader is William Cooper as well as a number of other visionary leaders are highlighted and their impact on the nation of Australia.
This historical and exhaustive work is an engaging read that reflects the plight of the Aborigines of Australia. It details the discrimination placed on the indigenous peoples of this down under country by white settlers. Additionally, in an effort to move towards assimilation, the book moves the reader through the other injustices inflicted upon the Aborigines. Some of those injustices include the removal of children from their families, economic destruction, land grab, rationing of food, etc.
However, the proud native Australians push back and utilize peaceful means to secure their people and bring about change and improvement for their lives.
Adding to the impact of the book is the actual verbiage penned from existing diaries of those who fought for equality. This dimension along with actual published photos adds to the impact of the book and personalizes those victims of one race being devalued significantly by another race.
Above all, in addition to being educational, the book is inspirational as it details the value and effectiveness of making a difference when leaders promote a vision of a greater good for all involved. Adding to the inspiration is the display of powerful impact when leaders from both races work together for the benefit of their homeland.
The author, Barbara Miller, has gifted the reader with a truly inspirational narrative of vision, motivated leaders and an oppressed people fighting for equality. Furthermore, it is a relevant read for the people of today who can relate to discriminatory acts of being marginalized either personally or as a group of people. Both books available on Amazon or my website.
PLENTY OF BOOKS TO CHOOSE FROM. GET YOURS TODAY!
Have You Always Dreamed of Being a Published Author? – The Successful Author Kit is for You.
Bestselling author Barbara Miller has produced the following guides to help you on your way to fulfilling your dream. It is called the Successful Author Kit. She knows what it takes to have a successful writing career. You can get the following guides in the kit:
Guide to Choosing Your Niche
Guide to Finding Your Book Topic and Title
Guide to Structuring Your Non-Fiction Book, and as a bonus
List of Resources for Authors
If you would like more information, check it out HERE
My books can be found at the Munganbana Reef and Rainforest Aboriginal Art Gallery at 33 Lake St Cairns, at Cairns Books bookshop at Cairns Central Shopping Centre, on Amazon, and on my website.
As always, it’s such a pleasure to connect with you through our monthly newsletter.
First, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to you for being a part of our community. Your support means the world to me, and it’s what keeps me inspired to delve deeper into the realms of Australian Aboriginal history, the Holocaust, and beyond.
What books have you been reading lately? What do you prefer, novels, nonfiction, newspapers, magazines or journals? I must admit, I’m addicted to newspapers and still like the feel of paper in my hands. When I want a quick read of a book and can’t wait for it to be posted, I select an eBook from amazon. What about you? What topics are like a magnet for you?
Have You Read These Lesser-Known Australian Tales?
I wanted to take a moment to reconnect and share some hidden gems from my collection of books that delve into the rich tapestry of Australian history, particularly focusing on Indigenous affairs.
Many of you know my passion for bringing these stories to life. But with 12 books under my belt, it can be hard to know where to start!
This month, I want to highlight a few lesser-known titles that might pique your interest:
Voice Treaty Truth: Has the Christian Voice Been Heard?
Even though this was a hot topic prior to the referendum late last year, it is a continuing issue with South Australia having set up its own voice and other state governments continuing with treaty and truth telling. While the Christian view is covered in this book, it also covers the main arguments of supporters and opponents of the Voice.
This book explores key issues. What is happening in Australian race relations is a mirror of what is happening in the Western world. Australia is currently divided 60/40 over a recent referendum to enshrine an Indigenous representative body in the constitution which would be a Voice to parliament and the executive government. There was pushback about creating a race-based body in the constitution and the inequality of having two classes of citizens. This is likely to continue with division over the need for a treaty and debating about the truth of Australia’s history. This book, Voice Treaty Truth, examines both sides of the argument in a passionate and balanced way and looks at the issues from political, historical, and spiritual viewpoints.
In this book, Barbara Miller, a pastor, sociologist, and historian, offers an insightful Christian response to the Uluru Statement From the Heart. She shares her 50 years of experience as an activist and researcher in First Nations affairs to help readers understand this debate which is potentially nation-changing.
If I Survive – Interview with Holocaust Survivor Lena Goldstein by Author Barbara Miller
See https://barbara-miller-books.com/ for her full story in the book “If I Survive: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 100-Year Old Lena Goldstein’s Miracle Story.” Lena passed away in her sleep Tuesday night, 14 May 2019. The timing was not lost on me – the anniversary of the rebirth of the state of Israel. This video was uploaded overnight 13 May 2024 in her honour.
Unveiling the Stories That Shaped Australia, Myself and Maybe You
In Secrets and Lies: the Shocking Truth of Recent Australian Aboriginal History, A Memoir, I weave together memoir and historical research to tell the story of First Nations Australians. It is not a story of the past but current events and recent history.
Barbara Russell, a young woman from a white working-class family. A ruthless Premier Bjelke-Petersen enforcing legal discrimination. What secrets lie hidden? What lies are being told?
Barbara couldn’t stand by and watch the feud of the people with governments and miners strip Australian Aboriginal communities of all they held dear. Not if she could help.
Would her passion make a way for her? Was she strong enough to make a difference for the people, resist the temptation of love, and stand up to her family too?
In this story of secrets, lies, ideological conflict and racial discrimination laws, Barbara teams up with Mick, an Aboriginal schoolteacher. They organise remote Australian Aboriginal people to fight Bjelke and the mining companies that encroach on their land. But Bjelke has a few tricks up his sleeve and will use all in his powers in this police state to stop them. If the Aboriginal people fail, more of them will die in poverty and desperation.
Can the church take on the state and win in this epic battle as the church stands with the Aboriginals to challenge racism? This historical memoir is another sizzling story in the First Nations True Stories series.
With the current debate in Australia of Voice Treaty Truth and the worldwide issue of Black Lives Matter, this book gives many key Aboriginal people a voice and reveals the shocking truth of the hidden history of 1975 to 2021 in a near-novel like manner. Every important historical event is covered. This is one of the social justice books that you will want on your shelf. The political activism examples are not those of keyboard warriors but those of a people who took to the trenches.
If you like fast-paced action, real-life heroes, and the window opened on another culture, this book is for you. If you like books with political intrigue that bring to life an interesting historical period, you’ll love Secrets and Lies. These books offer unique perspectives and I truly believe they’ll resonate with anyone fascinated by Australia’s past.
Looking for something different? Don’t forget I also delve into topics like the Holocaust and Christian themes in some of my other works.
Click on the titles above to learn more about these books, or visit my website to discover your next captivating read!
Happy reading,
Have You Always Dreamed of Being a Published Author? – The Successful Author Kit is for You.
Bestselling author Barbara Miller has produced the following guides to help you on your way to fulfilling your dream. It is called the Successful Author Kit. She knows what it takes to have a successful writing career. You can get the following guides in the kit:
Guide to Choosing Your Niche
Guide to Finding Your Book Topic and Title
Guide to Structuring Your Non-Fiction Book, and as a bonus
List of Resources for Authors
If you would like more information, check it out HERE
My books can be found at the Munganbana Reef and Rainforest Aboriginal Art Gallery at 33 Lake St Cairns, at Cairns Books bookshop at Cairns Central Shopping Centre, on Amazon, and on my website – www.barbara-miller-books.com.
Do you like to read on your holidays? Or on weekends? Do you like to munch as you eat or have a favourite spot like an armchair or the beach? Welcome to 2024 and a great year of reading!
Left – My 3 journals for Bible study reflections, prayer musings and sermon notes or reflections on youtube messages you watch. Right – Presenting Munganbana Norman Miller’s book Reef and Rainforest: An Aboriginal Voice Through Art and Story with 200 paintings in it to former Lord Mayor of Brisbane Sallyanne Atkinson at the Writers Festival in Cairns. For more information see
BOOK OF THE MONTH FEATURE
Picking up a new book and losing yourself between its pages for the afternoon — or into the early hours of the morning — is one of life’s simplest pleasures. And 2024 is already shaping up to be a brilliant year for books. Let’s have a look at refinery29.com‘s list of the 27 Best New Books of 2024.
FIND THESE WILLIAM COOPER BOOKS WHCH GO TOGETHER- HERE
FIND THESE WILLIAM COOPER BOOKS WHCH GO TOGETHER- HERE
Have You Always Dreamed of Being a Published Author? – The Successful Author Kit is for You.
Bestselling author Barbara Miller has produced the following guides to help you on your way to fulfilling your dream. It is called the Successful Author Kit. She knows what it takes to have a successful writing career. You can get the following guides in the kit:
Guide to Choosing Your Niche
Guide to Finding Your Book Topic and Title
Guide to Structuring Your Non-Fiction Book, and as a bonus
List of Resources for Authors
If you would like more information, check it out HERE
My books can be found at the Munganbana Reef and Rainforest Aboriginal Art Gallery at 33 Lake St Cairns, at Cairns Books bookshop at Cairns Central Shopping Centre, on Amazon, and on my website.
Happy reading!!
Michele Klawitter 5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Reviewed in the United States on 8 November 2023 Verified Purchase
Barbara Miller’s “Voice Treaty Truth: Has the Christian Voice Been Heard?” offers a comprehensive exploration of Australian race relations, mirroring global trends. It examines the recent divisive referendum for an Indigenous representative body in the constitution, known as a Voice to parliament. As a pastor, sociologist, and historian with extensive experience in First Nations affairs, Miller provides a balanced Christian perspective on this critical issue.
The book fosters understanding of the consequences of colonialism, the Christian role in reconciliation, and the potential for a more united nation. It also sheds light on racism, inequality, and separatism, giving readers insight into these complex issues. “Voice Treaty Truth” is a vital read, providing a deep understanding of the complexities of Australian race relations.
Left – Who were the first Europeans to set foot on Australian soil and where did it happen? Find out in “The European Quest to Find Terra Australis Incognita: Quiros, Torres and Janszoon.” Check it out here.
Right – Available as an audio book – a first-hand account of the Holocaust from a Polish Jewish woman who faced death daily in “If I Survive.” Find out more here.
The Dying Days of Segregation in Australia: Case Study Yarrabahgives a blow-by-blow description of the days of apartheid in Qld and how an Aboriginal community lobbied tirelessly for local government and finally got it in 1984 and their progress to today with land rights and native title. Hear the words of Aboriginal leaders themselves. Find it HERE.
William Cooper Gentle Warrior: Standing Up for Australian Aborigines and Persecuted Jews is the first book by Barbara Miller on William Cooper and tells his amazing story and that of the Australian Aborigines’ League as they work for the uplift of their people and stand up for Jews at Kristallnacht, the start of the Holocaust when Aborigines were not citizens in their own nation. Find it HERE
7 Steps on How to Change Your Nation Community Find out more
A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles By Thomas Sowell (a famous black American economist)
Controversies in politics arise from many sources, but the conflicts that endure for generations or centuries show a remarkably consistent pattern. In this book, which the author calls a “culmination of thirty years of work in the history of ideas,” Sowell attempts to explain the ideological difference between liberals and conservatives as a disagreement over the moral potential inherent in nature.
Those who see that potential as limited prefer to constrain governmental authority, he argues. They feel that reform is difficult and often dangerous, and they put their faith in family, custom, law, and traditional institutions. Conversely, those who have faith in human nature prefer to remove institutional and traditional constraints. Controversies over such diverse issues as criminal justice, income distribution, or war and peace repeatedly show an ideological divide along the lines of these two conflicting visions. Get book HERE
Daughter of the River Country by Dianne O’Brien & Sue Williams (Dianne is William Cooper’s great-granddaughter)
A heartbreaking, redemptive memoir of raw power, Daughter of the River Country is the story of an extraordinary journey from a childhood as one of Australia’s Stolen Generation to Aboriginal Elder
Born in rural Australia in the 1940s, baby Dianne is immediately taken from her parents and placed with a white family. Raised in an era of widespread racism, she grows up believing her Irish adoptive mother is her birth mother.
When her adoptive mother tragically dies and she is abandoned by her adoptive father, Dianne is raped, sent to the brutal Parramatta Girls Home and forced to marry her rapist in order to keep her baby. After suffering years of domestic abuse, but refusing to let her spirit be broken, Dianne finally discovers she is a Yorta Yorta woman, a daughter of the river country, and is reunited with her birth mother. She learns that her great-grandfather was a famous Aboriginal activist and from here she becomes a powerful leader in her own right, vowing to help others in any way she can.
Daughter of the River Country explores for the first time the devastation caused to Australia’s Aboriginal Stolen Generation, who were forcibly placed with white families as part of a government assimilation programme.
‘A compelling memoir about the power of love and staying the course.’ LINDA BURNEY, the first Aboriginal Member of Australia’s House of Representatives. Find it HERE
REQUEST A FREE HANDBOOK ON THE HOLOCAUST AND THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL RESPONSE WRITTEN BY BARBARA MILLER & PUBLISHED BY ELI RABINOWITZ OF THE WE ARE HERE FOUNDATION
This contains educational modules with videos and activities and is suitable for high school students, tertiary education and adult education. It also contains antisemitism education. It is highly suitable for the Australian context using examples from the life of Aboriginal William Cooper and the Australian Aborigines’ League. It is a highly engaging and free resource on a difficult topic and is highly relevant today. Get it HERE
Fun Facts About Books!
The largest collection consists of 1.5 million books!
According to the Guinness World Records, the largest privately owned collection of books is a massive 1.5 million.
They are owned by John Q. Benham who lives in Indiana in the USA.
He has to keep them in lots of different places because he doesn’t have enough space in his house.
They are in the garage, in his two-storey building and even outside!
If you read 20 minutes a day, you would have read 1.8 million words in a year
All it takes is 20 minutes a day.
If you read for this long every day for a year, then you would have read 1.8 million words.
You will be like a human dictionary!
You can read books in many different ways including e-books & audiobooks!
There used to be a time where we only had books to read.
Lucky for us, we can access them in lots of different ways now.
Whether it’s online, an e-book or even an audiobook there are lots of ways to access your favourite stories.
The person who draws pictures in books is called an illustrator.
Take a look at your books and they will say “Illustrated by…”.
The illustrator is the person who draws all the pictures in the book.
Books don’t always have to have one illustrator, there can be multiple.
If you love art then you might like to work as an illustrator when you are older!
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press.
We need to thank Johannes Gutenberg for the books we have today.
He invented the printing press, which prints words on to paper.
This was in 1440.
It meant that thousands of books could be produced very quickly!
Send us your favourite facts! Above facts are from:
Have You Always Dreamed of Being a Published Author? – The Successful Author Kit is for You.
Bestselling author Barbara Miller has produced the following guides to help you on your way to fulfilling your dream. It is called the Successful Author Kit. She knows what it takes to have a successful writing career. You can get the following guides in the kit:
Guide to Choosing Your Niche
Guide to Finding Your Book Topic and Title
Guide to Structuring Your Non-Fiction Book, and as a bonus
List of Resources for Authors
If you would like more information, check it out HERE
My books can be found at the Munganbana Reef and Rainforest Aboriginal Art Gallery at 33 Lake St Cairns, at Cairns Books bookshop at Cairns Central Shopping Centre, on Amazon, and on my website – www.barbara-miller-books.com.
Happy reading!!
Left – Who were the first Europeans to set foot on Australian soil and where did it happen? Find out in “The European Quest to Find Terra Australis Incognita: Quiros, Torres and Janszoon.”Check it out here.
Right – Available as an audio book – a first-hand account of the Holocaust from a Polish Jewish woman who faced death daily in “If I Survive.” Find out more here.
The Dying Days of Segregation in Australia: Case Study Yarrabahgives a blow-by-blow description of the days of apartheid in Qld and how an Aboriginal community lobbied tirelessly for local government and finally got it in 1984 and their progress to today with land rights and native title. Hear the words of Aboriginal leaders themselves. Find it HERE.
William Cooper Gentle Warrior: Standing Up for Australian Aborigines and Persecuted Jews is the first book by Barbara Miller on William Cooper and tells his amazing story and that of the Australian Aborigines’ League as they work for the uplift of their people and stand up for Jews at Kristallnacht, the start of the Holocaust when Aborigines were not citizens in their own nation. Find it HERE
Is it hard to choose what to read next? Is it a juggling act?
BOOK OF THE MONTH FEATURE
In Beyond Belief: Rethinking the Voice to Parliament, twelve distinguished Australians set out their reasons why we need to question the wisdom of enshrining a Voice to parliament by amending the Constitution.
Some of these reasons are legal, political and constitutional; but others express concern that constitutional amendment will do nothing to address the social disadvantage endured by many Indigenous Australians – a burden which weighs heavily on each of the contributors.
Beyond Belief: Rethinking the Voice to Parliament will equip Australians who have their own doubts about the proposed referendum with informed and compelling reasons for deciding to vote ‘No’ when asked to change our nation’s founding document.
The Voice to Parliament Handbookis an easy-to-follow guide for the millions of Australians who have expressed support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, but want to better understand what a Voice to Parliament actually means.
‘We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.’ These words from the Uluru Statement from the Heart are a heartfelt invitation from First Nations People to fellow Australians, who will have the opportunity to respond when the Voice referendum is put to a national vote by the Albanese Government.
Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo and acclaimed journalist Kerry O’Brien have written this handbook to answer the most commonly asked questions about why the Voice should be enshrined in the Constitution, and how it might function to improve policies affecting Indigenous communities, and genuinely close the gap on inequalities at the most basic level of human dignity.
A handy tool for people inclined to support a ‘yes’ vote in the referendum, The Voice to Parliament Handbook reflects on this historic opportunity for genuine reconciliation, to right the wrongs and heal the ruptured soul of a nation. This guide offers simple explanations, useful anecdotes, historic analogies and visual representations, so you can share it among friends, family and community networks in the build-up to the referendum.
I had a scoop about the Path to Treaty Bill being likely to pass through Qld parliament at its sitting in Cairns May 9-11. This had not surfaced in the national or even the state or local media so I wrote an article for The Spectator which would have been breaking news had it been a newspaper. It was approved to be published on 13 May and came out in the magazine cover attached. Since then, there has been a lot of coverage in Qld and national newspapers and national TV. Most people were surprised the opposition LNP supported the bill which has wide-reaching ramifications.
L – Author Barbara Miller with Cheryl Buchanan, co-chair Interim Truth and Treaty Board at the Path to Treaty workshop in Cairns 9 May. R – Barbara and Norman Miller with Cheyl Buchanan after the Premier’s breakfast when she announced to media the Path to Treaty Act had been passed the afternoon before.
Fun Facts About Books!
The largest collection consists of 1.5 million books!
According to the Guinness World Records, the largest privately owned collection of books is a massive 1.5 million.
They are owned by John Q. Benham who lives in Indiana in the USA.
He has to keep them in lots of different places because he doesn’t have enough space in his house.
They are in the garage, in his two-storey building and even outside!
If you read 20 minutes a day, you would have read 1.8 million words in a year
All it takes is 20 minutes a day.
If you read for this long every day for a year, then you would have read 1.8 million words.
You will be like a human dictionary!
You can read books in many different ways including e-books & audiobooks!
There used to be a time where we only had books to read.
Lucky for us, we can access them in lots of different ways now.
Whether it’s online, an e-book or even an audiobook there are lots of ways to access your favourite stories.
The person who draws pictures in books is called an illustrator.
Take a look at your books and they will say “Illustrated by…”.
The illustrator is the person who draws all the pictures in the book.
Books don’t always have to have one illustrator, there can be multiple.
If you love art then you might like to work as an illustrator when you are older!
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press.
We need to thank Johannes Gutenberg for the books we have today.
He invented the printing press, which prints words on to paper.
This was in 1440.
It meant that thousands of books could be produced very quickly!
Send us your favourite facts! Above facts are from:
Have You Always Dreamed of Being a Published Author? – The Successful Author Kit is for You.
Bestselling author Barbara Miller has produced the following guides to help you on your way to fulfilling your dream. It is called the Successful Author Kit. She knows what it takes to have a successful writing career. You can get the following guides in the kit:
Guide to Choosing Your Niche
Guide to Finding Your Book Topic and Title
Guide to Structuring Your Non-Fiction Book, and as a bonus
List of Resources for Authors
If you would like more information, check it outHERE
My books can be found at the Munganbana Reef and Rainforest Aboriginal Art Gallery at 33 Lake St Cairns, at Cairns Books bookshop at Cairns Central Shopping Centre, on Amazon, and on my website – www.barbara-miller-books.com. Happy reading!!
Left – Who were the first Europeans to set foot on Australian soil and where did it happen? Find out in “The European Quest to Find Terra Australis Incognita: Quiros, Torres and Janszoon.” Check it out here.
Right – Available as an audio book – a first-hand account of the Holocaust from a Polish Jewish woman who faced death daily in “If I Survive.” Find out more here.
Hi all you wonderful readers – Well the year is advancing and I hope you’re getting through your to-do list and leaving yourself time out to read your favourite book or spend some time in nature or do whatever refreshes you.
Barbara Miller re her 2 memoirs – White Woman Black Heart and Secrets and Lies – brief interview
HOLOCAUST HANDBOOK FOR SCHOOLS & ADULTS ON THE HOLOCAUST & ANTISEMITISM
I have finished writing this project for a Jewish organisation and it is being edited. The graphic design work will begin soon. We are hoping that it will receive favour from curriculum bodies and teachers will use it. If anyone can help with this project, please let me know.
The photo is of a plaque outside the Jewish Holocaust Museum and Research Centre in Melbourne.
Brief Interview with author Barbara Miller re her books on William Cooper
BELOW COST SALE
WILLIAM COOPER GENTLE WARRIOR
Slashed from $29.95 to $7ea for September only.
Sales of 10 or more copies, the low price of $5 each
$12 Shipping for 1 copy. $2 extra for each additional copy.
Email me for direct sales at bmiller@bigpond.com
REEF AND RAINFOREST: AN ABORIGINAL VOICE THROUGH ART AND STORY
Munganbana’s work in creating this book is a perfect example of … connection to country. He has combined his personal, ancestral and spiritual experiences with a mix of traditional and contemporary art styles to help give us a greater understanding of the beauty, history and importance of the Reef.
Sheriden Morris, Managing Director Reef and Rainforest Research Centre
If I Survive: Nazi Germany and the Jews,100-Year-Old Lena Goldstein’s Miracle Story is available here
Re White Australia Has A Black History
Read about up-to-date information on William Cooper and the people he mentored and how they changed Australian history
The Nazis shatter glass and shatter the lives of European Jews at Kristallnacht, the start of the Holocaust. An Australian Aboriginal, William Cooper, leads the campaign for civil rights for his people who are dying of poverty and mistreatment around him. 1938; two worlds, far apart. Cut to the core after Kristallnacht, can he do anything to stop it?
Title of Book – Gulpilil
‘David is a gateway to a history that we’ve so far denied and not embraced. In this country, he’s more important than Ned Kelly.’ Jack Thompson
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that content inside this publication, contains images and the name of a person who has died. For cultural reasons, he is referred to as David Dalaithngu.
About the Author
David Gulpilil is a Yolngu man beloved around the world as a hunter, dancer, actor and artist. His preternatural acting in the films Walkabout, Storm Boy,Crocodile Dundee, The Tracker and Charlie’s Country – for which he won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes Film Festival and Best Actor at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards in 2014 – has allowed Gulpilil to transmit the worlds of the First Australians to screens with unrivalled magic and melancholy, and made him an icon of cinema.
Secrets and Lies: The Shocking Truth of Recent Australian Aboriginal History, A Memoir (First Nations True Stories)
Barbara Russell, a young woman from a white working-class family. A ruthless Premier Bjelke-Petersen enforcing legal discrimination. How could Barbara stand by and watch the feud of the people with governments and miners strip Australian Aboriginal communities of all they held dear? But what could she do to make a difference?
My book Secrets and Lies is often no 1 best seller on Amazon Australia as an ebook in Discrimination Constitutional Law, Public Law and Civil Law – 3 categories. It is currently no 1 in the Sociology of Race Relations in Amazon US and White Australia Has A Black History was no 2 beside it a couple of days ago.
Left – A fun photo of me putting my hands on Munganbana Norman’s Big Boomerang recently.
Right – I was invited to Courage to Care’s first event in Brisbane 5 June 2014 and am beside the William Cooper exhibit.
Hi all you wonderful readers – May you find time to relax and read in the busy lives many of us lead. Whose interesting life story have you read lateley? Reading biography can give us wonderful insights into the lives of others, seeing them go through their challenges and seeing the inspiring decisions they have made and journeys they have had.
Do you have a favourite historical period or do you prefer current events? Reading history gives us a context for our lives and the lives of others and helps us have greater perspective on today and sense future possibilities. I am greatly interested in both history and current events!! As others have said, if we don’t learn from our mistakes, we are likely to repeat them.
Yarrabah Statement in Support of Uluru Statement From the Heart by Megan Davis 10.4.22 and Garma Festival
The Garma Festival has been a media highlight in the last couple of days and a time of great celebration for the Yolngu and other Aboriginal people of Australia. It is a yearly time of displaying and enjoying Aboriginal culture through dance, story and song. It is also a time of serious discussions about current issues affecting First Nations people in Australia and Prime Ministers often attend. New Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese did just that and announced that a referendum will go ahead in this term of Parliament to ask the Australian people if they would change the constitution to include a First Nations voice to Parliament. There are prominent First Nations leaders supporting and not supporting it. What we have in this video is one of the architects of the Uluru Statement, Aboriginal lawyer Megan Davis speaking at Yarrabah Aboriginal community near Cairns. My husband Norman and I were invited to attend by the mayor of Yarrabah, Ross Andrews. The team working on the Voice from around Australia met in Cairns and then in Yarrabah in April. One of the reasons for this was to honour Alf Neal and the Yarrabah community for their tremendous support of the 1967 referendum which enabled First Nations people to be counted in the census.
As the referendum for the Voice will be the first referendum for First Nations people held since the successful 1967 one, it was considered an important symbolic act to have the Voice referendum on the anniversary of the 1967 referendum victory. Hence the statement from Yarrabah that Megan Davis read out and is recorded here declaring that the referendum should be held in May 2023.
My book Secrets and Lies has a detailed discussion on Voice Treaty Truth and how we have got to our current situation. CHECK IT OUT HERE
This is an excerpt from a recent interview I did regarding my books on Aboriginal leader William Cooper. I have written 3 – William Cooper Gentle Warrior (2012) White Australia Has A Black History (2019) and Shattered Lives Broken Dreams (2020)
If I Survive: Nazi Germany and the Jews,100-Year-Old Lena Goldstein’s Miracle Story is available here
William Cooper Gentle Warrior: Standing Up for Australian Aborigines and Persecuted Jews is available with FREE SHIPPING. Find it here.
Re White Australia Has A Black History
Some say William Cooper was Australia’s Martin Luther King Jr. William Cooper saw his Aboriginal people dying around him and decided black lives matter. Starvation and discrimination took their toll. He became passionate that they should have a voice in Australia’s federal parliament.
But his people could not vote and were not even counted in the census. How could he get the government to listen to him? Would his skills in oratory, letter-writing and organizing his people into the first national black organization achieve his goals or would his activism bring backlash?
Betrayed by the Prime Minister who would not forward his petition to the King of England, Cooper joined with other leaders in Sydney for the 150th anniversary of white settlement and organized a protest called the Day of Mourning. This set in train the controversy that still surrounds Australia Day today. Cooper campaigned for the truth of the black history of white Australia to be told. He mentored future generations of leaders who are still calling for “voice, treaty, truth” today. This book covers the history of the struggle for First Nations peoples’ human rights from settlement to today.
William Cooper was born in 1860 to his tribal mother who saw the first white settlers come to the Murray River. Learn more Re Shattered Lives Broken Dreams
The Nazis shatter glass and shatter the lives of European Jews at Kristallnacht, the start of the Holocaust. An Australian Aboriginal, William Cooper, leads the campaign for civil rights for his people who are dying of poverty and mistreatment around him. 1938; two worlds, far apart. Cut to the core after Kristallnacht, can he do anything to stop it?
Described as Australia’s Martin Luther King, Cooper leads the Australian Aborigines’ League on a protest to the German Consulate in Melbourne. Would the Third Reich pour out its wrath on them? Would they make a difference?
A Chair of Resistance to the Holocaust was named in honour of Cooper at Yad Vashem. His grandson, Alf Turner, becomes passionate about fulfilling his grandfather’s unfinished business and taking the protest to Berlin itself. How will he be received?
This true story will inspire you to stand up and be counted and to make a difference.
“Extensively researched and presented in a near novel-like manner” – Grady Harp Top Contributor: Children’s Books HALL OF FAME TOP 50 REVIEWER
“What will you like? Exceptionally interesting and astoundingly detail, including photos of many of the events that took place during the journey.” – DD GOTT – Donadees Corner FIND IT HERE
BOOK OF THE MONTH FEATURE
Dear Son: Letters and Reflections from First Nations Fathers and Sons
By Thomas Mayor
Dear Son shares heartfelt letters written by First Nations men about life, masculinity, love, culture and racism. Along with his own vivid and poignant prose and poetry, author and editor Thomas Mayor invites 12 contributors to write a letter to their son or father, bringing together a range of perspectives that offers the greatest celebration of First Nations manhood.
This beautifully designed anthology comes at a time when First Nations peoples are starting to break free of derogatory stereotypes and find solace in their communities and cultures. Yet, each contributor also has one thing in common: they all have a relative who has been terribly wronged – enslaved, raped and dispossessed – because of their Aboriginality.
Featuring letters from Stan Grant, Troy Cassar-Daley, John Liddle, Charlie King, Joe Williams, Yessie Mosby, Joel Bayliss, Daniel James, Jack Latimore, Daniel Morrison, Tim Sculthorpe and Blak Douglas.
A gentle and loving book for families from anywhere in the world. Artwork by proud Kaurna/Ngarrindjeri/Narrunga/Italian Australian artist Tony Wilson, with illustrations and design by Gamilaraay designer Tristan Schultz of Relative Creative.
WHAT CAN I DO NOW THAT I HAVE A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
By Patina Malinalli
This book may not be relevant to you but you may know someone it will help as it is a survivor’s heartfelt story. She says:
“Your traumatic brain injury will change your life forever – in so many ways. There are some simple ways to compensate though faith in Jesus Christ. When you have trouble accomplishing anything, hold on to Jesus – He is your Everything. Through Him, you can find hope and still lead a productive lifestyle despite the hardships surrounding the situation that has changed your life. Includes discussion questions.
First, let me assure you I understand. I incurred a traumatic brain injury in 2005 and suffered some circumstances similar to what you are going through now. However, you don’t have to be or feel incapacitated. You do have options. Another effect of a traumatic brain injury is that time slows down. It is easier not to feel rushed. Whether it’s working from home, or finding hobbies to start enjoying yourself again, your life can still be fulfilling. Let me show you how.”
White Woman Black Heart: Journey Home to Old Mapoon, a Memoir
Oppressed Aborigines forced off their land at gunpoint. Over a decade later, one passionate young woman would take up their fight…
Melbourne, 1970’s. Twenty-three-year-old university student Barbara Miller always stood her ground, even when it made her an outcast in her own family. So when she became a radical Christian advocate for social change, she didn’t think twice about joining the movement for Aboriginal justice. Boldly relocating to tropical Cape York and linking up with a Black activist and mentor on the frontline, she plunged into a life-changing battle despite the State’s threat of legal prosecution.
In this powerful story of a people’s violent removal from their ancient land, Miller recounts how she joined a decade-long struggle to restore the Mapoon people to their beloved homeland. Working with a team of campaigners pushing against a hostile administration, she lands in the center of the explosive political climate of the Seventies. But by following her heart, the unexpected happens: She finds her true home and family in the most unlikely of places.
White Woman Black Heart: Journey Home to Old Mapoon is an eye-opening memoir that showcases critical events in Australian history. If you like cross-cultural relationships, real-life activism, and rising up against colonialism, then you’ll love Barbara Miller’s gripping story of fundamental human rights.
AVAILABLE HERE Secrets and Lies: The Shocking Truth of Recent Australian Aboriginal History, A Memoir (First Nations True Stories)
My book is a bestseller in the Discrimination Law category on Amazon Australia
Barbara Russell, a young woman from a white working-class family. A ruthless Premier Bjelke-Petersen enforcing legal discrimination. How could Barbara stand by and watch the feud of the people with governments and miners strip Australian Aboriginal communities of all they held dear? But what could she do to make a difference?
Would her passion make a way for her? Was she strong enough to face the full weight of the police state, resist the temptation of love, and stand up to her family too?
In this story of ideological conflict and racial discrimination laws, Barbara teams up with Mick, an Aboriginal schoolteacher. They organize remote Australian Aboriginal people to fight Bjelke and the mining companies that encroach on their land. But Bjelke has a few tricks up his sleeve and uses all in his powers in this police state to stop them. The strength of the Aboriginal people shines through the story but, if the Aboriginal people fail, more of them will die in poverty and desperation.
What price will the church pay for standing with Aboriginals against the government? Can they win this epic battle? Can the Aboriginals internationalize their struggle for human rights?
With the current debate in Australia of Voice Treaty Truth and the worldwide issue of Black Lives Matter, this book gives many key Aboriginal people a voice and reveals the shocking truth of the hidden history of 1975 to 2021 in a near-novel manner. Every important historical event is covered. This is one of the social justice books that you will want on your shelf. The political activism examples are not those of keyboard warriors but those of people who took to the trenches.
What secrets lie hidden? What lies are being told?
Historical memoir, Secrets and Lies is another sizzling story in the First Nations True Stories series. Because if you like fast-paced action, real-life heroes, and the window opened on another culture, this book is for you. If you like books with political intrigue that bring to life an interesting historical period, you’ll love Secrets and Lies.
Left – Barbara holding an early copy of the Dying Days of Segregation in Australia: Case Study Yarrabah. I was privileged to be asked by the Yarrabah Aboriginal Shire Council to write a piece on the history of the leaders of Yarrabah for the new Council building opening. As I have had a long association with these leaders, it was something that aligned with my passion to tell their story. Right – Barbara on the Duyfken boat replica in Perth at an earlier launch of her book The European Quest to Find Terra Australis Incognita: Quiros Torres and Janszoon. Both books are available from her website www.barbara-miller-books.com
