Under the Act

by Willie Thaiday

Under the Act gives an insight into the removal of our people from their homeland and placed somewhere totally foreign and expected to live in harmony; not only with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from many different communities but also the Qld Government. This book shows the heroic men who had had enough of the treatment and stood up as a united group to the government and their journey off Palm Island because of this. It makes the reader understand what they were going through and is evidence of how our people were treated many years ago.

50 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars because this the first book in Australia written and published by Aboriginal and Torres Strait people. Willie Thaiday’s first person account of his experience of the Aboriginals Preservation and Protection Act should be a significant historical text. It describes the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders during the mid 20th Century focusing on Palm Island and North Queensland. Poignant and understated, this little book packs a punch in 50 pages.