
Auntie Rita
The classic memoir of an Aboriginal woman's love and determination
Aboriginal Studies Press
Published on 1. May 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
200 pages
978-0-85575-112-8 (ISBN)
Description
Auntie Rita, written by Rita and her daughter Jackie Huggins, is a revised edition of the bestselling and award-winning memoir of Aboriginal woman Rita Huggins first published in 1994. Rita battled dispossession, poverty, personal tragedy and racism to create a rich meaningful life, lived out during the momentous changes of the 20th century. Rita Huggins was born on Bidjara/Bidyara country at Carnarvon Gorge in central Queensland. As a child in the 1920s, she met white men for the first time: troopers who forced her family into cattle trucks and drove them south to Barambah, later Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve. At Cherbourg 'we had to stay in one place now, while the white men could roam free.' In Auntie Rita, Rita's words - interspersed with reflections from her daughter Jackie - reveal a life shaped by personal tragedy, the dramatic changes of the twentieth century and personal resilience. This moving memoir has been enjoyed by readers around the world since it was first published in 1994.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Canberra
Australia
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
330 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-85575-112-8 (9780855751128)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Rita Huggins was a Bidjara/Bidyara woman from the Carnarvon Gorge/Springsure area of central Queensland. As a young girl she was forcibly removed to Cherbourg Aboriginal Mission. At 14 years of age, she was sent to work on cattle stations as a domestic. She continued this work in Brisbane after receiving an exemption certificate. She married Jack Huggins and they moved to Ayr, North Queensland, where the last three of her five children were born. After Jack's early death in 1958 she returned to Brisbane and became active in Aboriginal affairs. She lived out her days, until her death in 1996, as a wise and deeply respected Elder, loved by black and white alike.