Eden Hills Camps: Records of Racism in Western Australia by Bevan Carter

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges.

Mary Crescent Reserve, Eden Hill, was surrounded by nine properties which were owned freehold by ten Aboriginal families between 1944 and 1952. Refused permission to build (seemingly because the land was too close to human habitation), they erected their shacks on the land.

Documents revealing the pressure the camp owners faced are scattered throughout the book, as is the legislation law enforcers used to justify their actions. The legislation used was racist because it applied only to Aboriginal people.

The 1841 Act to summarily convict Aboriginal offenders did not become law because the Home Office refused to present it to the Queen for her signature because it made a distinction between two races of people. Why an almost identical Bill became law in 1849 is unknown; it probably reflects a shift in attitude within the Home Office.

Every Bill thereafter presented to the Home Office was signed off. These pieces of racist legislation, including the 1936 Native Administration Act, presumably reflected the attitude towards the original landowners by the majority of West Australians.

The book also includes examples of Aboriginal voices asserting their rights to their land and to be treated like other citizens.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers, please note that this book may contain descriptions and/or images of people who have passed away.