Idjhil: And the Land Cried for Its Lost Soul

Picture storybook for older children, winner of the 1996 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards - Children's and Young Adult's category. Set in Western Australia in the 1940s, it tells of Idjhil, who is born into an Aboriginal family group that is attempting to maintain its traditional Nyungar lifestyle within increasingly restrictive parameters. But at age nine the boy is taken from his family in accordance with the official government policy of the time. Although written as fiction it is based on real-life events, especially the memories of Swan Valley elder Cedric Jacobs. Includes colour illustrations, author's introduction, glossary, and references.