BIG SKY BLOG

The Barrumbi Kid by Leonie Norrington

2009-07-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

Rose is at it again! Below is a review of The Barrumbi Kid by Leonie Norrington. A woman of diverse talents, you may recognise Leonie from Gardening Australia.

It’s a rare find to read Non Aboriginal writer that manages to describe Aboriginal life with respect and honesty. It is so refreshing not to find the typical stereotyped characters. Leonie Norrington isn’t an Aboriginal writer but she has grown up with Aboriginal people in the top end of the Northern Territory. In “The Burrumbi kids” she shows much understanding and empathy with the youth of Burrumbi an isolated community in the tropics.

Adolescents Dale and Tomias struggle with the daily grind of school midst the call of the bush with all its adventure and mystery. Through wagging, hunting and learning cultural stories the boys live a rich life. Norrington describes the boys deep friendship, their families and other characters with affection and a keen eye. Life on communities is starkly divided between the haves and the have nots. Non Aboriginal residents who don’t fit in can view their time as a jail sentence. Mrs Armstrong, Gordon the class brains Mum is petrified of geckos, frogs and of course snakes! This leads to much discussion in the community and eventually her downfall is orchestrated through a youthful prank.
The carrying of yarns, the teasing and the laughter ring very true to me.

Throughout the story the build up to the wet and the changes in the environment deeply affect the people. The description of the humid conditions may have you looking for a cool breeze too! Norringtons love of plants shines through.

This book is for upper primary readers but adults will also enjoy the rich descriptions of the bush and examples of top end culture. It is a warm, funny energetic tale and a worthwhile read during NAIDOC week and beyond. Did I mention it was selected as a Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book?

Big Sky Book Review by Rose (Heritage Services)

2009-06-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

Anita Heiss is a NSW Koori writer of Wiradjuri and Swiss descent. She is a well established writer in both fiction and non fiction. The book “ Who am I? - the diary of Mary Talence` is a fictional tale based on the well documented experiences of Stolen Generations children in NSW. Even though this is set in NSW , there are many parellel examples experienced in Western Australia.

The reader gets to know Mary Talence through her diary she receives for her tenth birthday from a supervisor at the Bomaderry Childrens Home. Mary has no idea why she was removed from her parents. It is 1937 and by this time Mary had lived at the home for 5 years and recounts the removal of her siblings and herself from her Mother. She describes helping with the babies and the relationships between children and staff.

Her memories of her early family life are strong and one day she hopes to be reunited. She gets to stay at the home longer than other children as Matron Rose is fond of her. Sadly she watches as other children depart for other institutions or adoptive families. She notices that the fairer children are more likely to go to families.

One day a couple come along and take her into their family.This is a huge shock to her as she was sure Matron Rose would keep her at the Home. The family make great efforts to assimilate her into the new life. They don’t want her mixing with Koori people and are disturbed when she meets Dot a housegirl from a similar background who works locally. The two girls are determined to keep meeting and in this way Dot educates Mary about the history of Koori people and Government policy.

Mary feels reconnected with her family and people through these stories. She learns that Koori people are demonstrating and making petitions to the government for citizens rights. The story ends there but the reder is left with a feeling of hope for Mary and a social justice movement that is gathering momentum. The Diary of Mary Talence is aimed at adolescent readers, it deals sensitively with difficult issues. Through this engaging little book of fiction, readers will get a big dose of Australia’s factual history.

Write Out There

2009-06-02T23:58:00.000-07:00

Big Sky 2009 : Write Out There takes its theme from the International Year of Astronomy 2009.
To find out more about the International Year of Astronomy 2008 click here or watch a short explanation here

BIG SKY 09 : WRITE OUT THERE

2009-05-20T01:07:00.000-07:00

The Big Sky Blog for 2009 is currently under construction : Watch this space for some exciting new posts - this year's blog promises to be BIGGER and better!

Creativity breaks out at the Library

2008-11-27T22:17:00.000-08:00

Being inbetween festivals is no reason for staff of the Geraldton-Greenough Regional Library to relax. The following gems were created at a recent staff meeting where the muse of the alphabet struck and no-one was stuck for words!

A bodacious cat dug ever fervently growing hystrionically irate just knowing last meal's nearly out. Poor quiet rodent sat teetering unver view without exit yonder zone. (Karen)

A boy called Darren's evasive family granted him independence. Joshua, Kaitlin, laughing merrily, nostalgia overflowing, pondered questions regarding Sonny's teacher. Universal vagrant, William, xylophone yobbo; zonked! (Emma)

Arnold Black-Cat decided even furry gophers have, inside, just killer lemmings.
Mighty noodles, of possibly quail, really satisfy tummies, unless very weird xylophones yearn zebras. (Simone)

Amy's bouncing child developed enormous feet, giant hands. Irene joined Kindred, loving Mother's nachos, open plate quiches, rabbit stew. Tom understood Verity's weeping xylophone yawning zones. (Betty)

Adriana, beautiful, charming daughter, elegantly fans Gloria's head. "Ice jockeys knit lovely mittens! Needlepoint! Overextended, preoccupied queens! Rot!" she titters. "Umbrella vernacular was x-rated, you zealot!" (Barbara)

Stay tuned, as soon as Rose finds her opus we will post it!

BIG SKY feedback

2008-09-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

We hope you all enjoyed Big Sky 08 : New Horizons. We would love to hear your thoughts. Here are some suggestions you might like to comment on:

How did you hear about Big Sky Writers Festival?
Which events did you attend and how would you rate them?
Which workshops/panels did you attend and how would you rate them?
What did you most enjoy about the festival?
Based on your experience this year, would you be likely to attend Big Sky next year?
Is there any other form of writing that you would like to see included in the Big Sky program?
Is there anything you can think of that would improve or enhance the festival?

A little bit about you including:
Sex (Male/Female)
Age
Interested as a reader?
Interested as a writer?

Thanks for your input!

TRAVELLING BOOKS!

2008-08-31T00:08:00.000-07:00

Become part of the Big Sky Book Club, a whole new feature of Big Sky '08. Discover Charmaine Papertalk- Green's Just Like That in the most unlikely of places.. a table in a cafe, on the bus or in the pub. Pick it up, read it and become part of the Big sky Big Book Club. When you have finished with it don't forget to pass it on!

This book is on an adventure- become part of the journey!

Log your comments here. Please don't forget to add your name, where you found the book, what you thought of the book and the book's number so we can track the travels our wandering prose.

Big Sky 08 : Guests

2008-08-21T21:15:00.001-07:00

Steve Kinnane

Lara Morgan

Andrew Winton

Charmaine Papertalk-Green

BIG SKY '08: NEW HORIZONS OUR SPONSORS

2008-08-20T20:17:00.001-07:00

The Big Sky Readers and Writers festival is proudly supported by:
City of Geraldton-Greenough
Country Arts WA
Crothers Construction Pty Ltd
Fremantle Press
Geraldton Cultural Trust
Geraldton-Greenough Regional Library
Geraldton Universites Centre
GHD
Ray White Real Estate
Skywest
University Access
WritingWA