In the World Alone

Growing up in children's and institutional homes, the author never realised she had a family or was aboriginal. Stricken by polio at a very young age, and being one of the youngest in a large family, she was made a ward of the state following her mother's death. Coupled with her need for treatment and rehabilitation, she grew up in state institutional homes in Sydney. In this honest account, she tells her story of coping with disabilities and institutional life believing she was alone in the world. Until one day, in her teens, she discovered her family and gradually reunited with them, eventually moving back to her home country at Coffs Harbour. At the same time she also discovered her talent as an artist in traditional aboriginal dot painting style. Today she is an elder in her Gumbaynggirr community on the mid north coast of NSW. Her story is an important contribution to the documentation of the lives of Aboriginal children.