Blood, Sweat & Welfare: A History of White Bosses & Aboriginal Pastoral Workers

When Europeans first arrived in the Kimberley, a turbulent era began for the indigenous people. Finally granted cash wages in 1950, they still received nothing more than a ‘pocket money’ allowance and suffered appalling working conditions. In this absorbing study, survivors of this devastating time speak openly to Mary Anne Jebb about first contact between blacks and whites, the arrival of Welfare, and the demise of pastoralism in the northern ranges. Alongside their oral testimonies, the author draws on a range of written archives to explore what really happened during the settlement of the Kimberley.