Storylines

06/09/2023

Kimberley legend Sam Lovell’s collection of evocative photographs of life up North are a jewel of the Storylines archive.

We’re proud to be hosting a screening of The Tale of Mr Kimberley, a short documentary detailing Sam’s trailblazing life including his pioneering tourism work, on Thursday September 7 in the State Library Theatre.

The screening will be followed by a panel conversation with filmmaker Jake Blackburn and author Steve Hawke.

If you are unable to attend in person, a live stream will begin at 6:30pm

Click here: https://vimeo.com/event/3686932/14a005134d

You can also watch the film on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHEzeoTNX78

The short documentary delves into the life of the 90 year old Kimberley legend, Sammy Lovell. A lot is spoken about this man, but for the first time he tells...

11/11/2021

Storylines on behalf of Curtin University School of Design and Built Environment, in partnership with Bringing Them Home WA, BHP Billiton, and the State Library of Western Australia invites Community to the Indigenous Community preview for Limen – ‘At the Fence’ exhibition.

Limen – ‘At the Fence’ allows us to listen and learn from the stories of Edith De Giambattista (nee Smith), Tonji Hansen and Tim Flowers.
The exhibition has been led by the Survivors and curated by Professor Reena Tiwari, Chamila Subasinghe and Emeritus Professor John Stephens.
The participating Survivors and their families, along with the curators, will be present at this special event where attendees will be able to preview the exhibition prior to its opening.

The full exhibition will be open to the public from 22 November 2021 - 31 January 2022.
Please visit the State Library website for opening hours.
https://slwa.wa.gov.au/whats-on/limen

If you would like to attend the Indigenous Community preview please follow the link to book tickets:
https://limenpreviewcurtinslwa.eventbrite.com.au

For more information about the Missions Connect project visit the Missions Connect website. http://missionsconnect.net/

30/09/2021

The State Library of Western Australia via Storylines https://storylines.slwa.wa.gov.au/ presents a series of images from Oombulgurri (Forrest River Mission) between 1960s and 80s.

Oombulgurri is located 210 kms northwest of Wyndam in the northern Kimberley on the traditional lands of the Balanggarra people.

The Forrest River Mission was founded in 1886/87 by the Anglican Church but was abandoned shortly after. A permanent mission was established in 1913 and remained in operation until it’s closure in 1969.

Aboriginal people would seek haven at the Mission from the relentless violence (including murder) that was directed at them by white pastoralists. (Most notoriously represented in the appalling 1926 ‘Forrest River Massacre.’)

In the 1970s Oombulgurri people returned to their country through the Homelands Movement, where families or other closely related people left missions and larger run communities in favour of moving back to their traditional lands. And by 1974 Oombulgurri proved to be significant in the education of Aboriginal children when it became the first recognised independent Aboriginal school in Australia where parents shaped the curriculum.

These remarkable images of children and families from Oombulgurri are a stark contrast to what the closed community looks like now. In 2011 the community was closed by the Western Australian Government.

These images come from the Dr Neville Green Collection. This amazing, one-of-a-kind collection is currently being processed for the State Library by the Storylines team.

Dr. Green, born in 1933 - is a Western Australian historian specialising in Aboriginal education, Native Title research and the study of contact and change in Indigenous societies.

Dr. Green spent years in remote Indigenous schools, working with hearing impaired children, before being offered a position to teach at Western Australia’s first Aboriginal Teacher Education Project based at Edith Cowan University.

The Storylines team is currently working through the Dr. Neville Green collection based on location. As the collection is processed and digitised, we will update community with the new items.

In the meantime, if you would like to have a look at the full Oombulgurri images from the Dr. Neville Green Collection, please have a look here: https://storylines.slwa.wa.gov.au/archive-store/results

16/07/2021

Last week, Ngaragu woman Ashleigh Barty became the second Indigenous Australian woman to win Wimbledon after Evonne Goolagong Cawley’s wins in 1971 and 1980.

Ash’s win is significant for First Nations Australians participation in sport, as Indigenous people continue to be marginalised in so many areas of Australian life. Her success is all the more powerful and a testament to her strength and talent.

With this in mind, Storylines brings you a selection of images from the Schenk Family Collection BA1340 of Aboriginal people from Mt Margaret Mission playing tennis.

Mount Margaret Mission, 20 kms south west of Laverton, was established by Rodolphe Schenk and the United Aborigines Mission in 1921.
Compared to places such as Moore River Mission, which had a cruel reputation, Mount Margaret was seen to allow Aboriginal people the ability to learn and work through trades and art and crafts. Parents were also encouraged to settle with their children at the mission.

These images were taken in 1930s by Rod Schenk. They reveal an obvious affection between the people photographed and a love of the game.

Mount Margaret is the western name for the hill named Kalgara.

02/07/2021

This weekend Storylines is getting ready for NAIDOC.

NAIDOC Week is an occasion for all Australians to come together to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – the oldest continuing cultures on the planet.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee and its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups seeking to increase awareness of the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the 1920s.

The theme of NAIDOC 2021 is Heal Country! Which calls on all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction.

The State Library in partnership with the Perth Theatre Trust have created a Heal Country and Little Bird Day trail, that will be installed from the Roe Street Bridge through to the State Library.

This trail aims to create community awareness of the different country across Western Australia. The photographs will be positioned in large round decals at various locations throughout the centre. Each decal features a QR code which links back to the library’s online catalogue and displays the traditional name of the country.

You can also follow the little bird as she flies through the Perth Cultural Centre to the exhibition at the State Library. The little bird original artwork is by Johnny Warkatja Malibirr from the award winning picture book Little Bird’s Day – written by Sally Morgan. Published by Magabala books. The exhibition is curated especially for children and families and, includes an opportunity to read the story together. Discover more about her at the library’s Story Place Gallery.

Heal Country, heal our nation.

18/06/2021

Today Storylines shares iconic images of nineteenth century Noongar Binjareb leader Yaburgurt.

Yaburgurt Tondarup was born at Koolin-Yinnup, which was then renamed Halls Head by white settlers. His totem was Yabaruk Kooyading, which means ‘sea booming’ and is a sea totem. It is thought that as a child Yaburgurt was present at the Pinjarra Massacre in 1834, when Governor Stirling launched a military raid against the Binjareb people killing men, women and children.

Despite this traumatic event Yaburgurt was renowned to be friendly and helpful to white settlers in the region, particularly the Sutton family, advising them on the land and the seasons. “Winjan’s Camp” is also in Koolin-Yinnup and is commemorated with a plaque and artwork today in a beautiful wooded area in Mandurah.

Yaburgurt also spent time on Wadjemup after injuring another Aboriginal man Monang, spearing him in the leg. He became a more formal leader of the Binjareb people when his famous father Old Winjan or King Winjan died around 1884.

Later in his life he delivered mail between Perth and Bunbury. Yaburgurt himself passed away in March 1915 and his grave can be visited at Christ’s Church in Mandurah.

In 2015 to mark the centenary of his passing the local community led by Aboriginal Elders in partnership with the City of Mandurah, the Peel Development Commission and Royalties for Regions commissioned Noongar artist Peter Farmer and Little Rhino Designs to create a public artwork to commemorate this great man.

10/06/2021

Aboriginal History WA (AHWA) will be visiting Kalgoorlie on Friday 25th June 2021. Join Casey Petersen from AHWA for a free family history information session.

FREE event, please register your attendance by contacting Casey Petersen via 1800 161 301 or email [email protected]

If you would like to know more about AHWA services please visit https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/aboriginal-history

09/06/2021

Aboriginal History WA (AHWA) will be visiting Leonora on Wednesday 23rd June 2021. Join Casey Petersen from AHWA for a free family history information session.

FREE event, please register your attendance by contacting Casey Petersen via 1800 161 301 or email [email protected]

If you would like to know more about AHWA services please visit https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/aboriginal-history

04/06/2021

Aboriginal History WA (AHWA) will be visiting Geraldton from 21st June - 25th June 2020.

Come learn about AHWA services, Indigenous records and other resources containing valuable ancestral information for those researching their family history.

FREE event, to register your attendance please contact Duane Kelly via 9427 3473 or email [email protected]

Visit https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/aboriginal-history to learn more

02/06/2021

This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme is ‘More Than a Word. Reconciliation Takes Action.’

Storylines takes the opportunity to acknowledge Aboriginal civil rights activist William Harris (1867-1931) ‘taking action’ and his famous deputation to Philip Collier, the Premier of Western Australia in 1928. Harris and six comrades were protesting against the infamous 1905 Aborigines Protection Act and the recently introduced restriction on Aboriginal people entering the City of Perth 1927 - 1954.

The six Aboriginal men, Edward Harris (William’s brother), Norman Harris (his nephew), Wilfred Morrison, Edward Jacobs, Algernon Kickett and William Bodney made a deep impression on the Premier, but sadly legislative change would not occur until 1949 when laws were passed to broaden the electoral franchise. William Harris dedicated most of his life to campaigning for Aboriginal rights and peoples, whether it was writing letters to the editor of local newspapers, or leading other emerging Aborginal activists to set up the Native Union, which aimed to “secure equality for Aborigines in all spheres of West Australian cultural and social life” through the establishment of cultural centres with educational facilities in metropolitan and country areas.

This Reconciliation Week we salute the bravery and tenacity of William Harris in his struggle for self-determination and freedom for his WA countrymen.

National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. Please follow this link to learn more,
https://www.reconciliation.org.au/what-is-reconciliation/

20/05/2021

The Perth Centre for Photography in partnership with CAN, and the State Library of WA via Storylines are proud to present a unique collection of Aboriginal photographs taken by one of Australia's earliest photographers - the Mavis Phillips (nee Walley) Collection.

Through her box brownie camera Mavis captured the everyday moments of her community in Goomalling, Western Australia from the 1930s. Her photographs capture joy, spontaneity, pride and hope from the thriving wheatbelt Aboriginal community. The photos are extremely rare in that they capture daily life from a Noongar perspective.

Main Exhibition open: 15 May - 31 July Perth Centre for Photography King Street Art Centre
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Satellite Exhibition: 21 May - 25 July The Nook at the State Library of Western Australia Perth Cultural Centre

If you would like to view the collection, more than 360 of these images have now been digitised and stored on the State Library’s Storylines database and can be accessed here. https://storylines.slwa.wa.gov.au/welcome

07/05/2021

The State Library of Western Australia via Storylines celebrates 30 years of the Koori Mail.

100% Indigenous owned and written, the Koori Mail has been reporting on the issues that matter to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since May 1991.

From humble beginnings of just 24 pages, all black and white (except for the iconic masthead) the newspaper today averages close to 100 pages and is bounding in colour. Produced fortnightly, for a readership of over 100,000 nationally, if it involves Indigenous Australians, you will find it in the pages of the Koori Mail.

The Koori Mail is not just a successful publication, which champions the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. It’s also a massive success story, the newspaper is jointly owned by five small Aboriginal organisations in Bundjalung country- Bunjum on Cabbage Tree Island, Buyinbin in Casino, Kurrachee in Coraki, Bundjalung Tribal Society in Lismore, and Nungera in Mclean. All the proceeds made in profit go directly back to Indigenous Australians in the form of sponsorships, scholarships, and dividends back to Indigenous owners.

The Koori Mail digitised collection is the only complete online archive for the Koori Mail; it was launched by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and the Koori Mail in partnership with the Department of Industry and Science, CAVAL and the State Library of New South Wales.

If you would like to view the full digitised collection please follow the link, https://aiatsis.gov.au/collection/featured-collections/koori-mail

Visitors should be aware that the Koori Mail Digital Collection may contain images and other references to deceased people which may cause sadness or distress, particularly to the relatives of the deceased.