Jackson's Track Revisited: History, Remembrance and Reconciliation by Carolyn Landon and Christopher Landon

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Previous owner has signed inside page.

In the late 1990s, Carolyn Landon collaborated with Daryl Tonkin to write his memoir of life at Jackson's Track. It was the story of a white man and his Aboriginal family, of family ties, hard work, happiness, betrayal, racial prejudice and ultimately, from Daryl's point of view, tragic dispossession.

Now, Carolyn Landon has returned to the story's events to examine them anew. In Jackson's Track Revisited, the voices of Aboriginal people who lived at the Track mingle with those of the White Australians who tried to 'improve' their lives in the 1950s, the era of assimilation.

An exploration of the historical factors surrounding Tonkin's story leads to a discussion of the Victorian Aborigines Welfare Board, the Victorian Aborigines Advancement League and the policy of assimilation that was so prevalent in mid-twentieth century Australia.

This concise book contains many surprises. The new stories take complex twists and turns as Landon explores the motives of all the players, which involves revisiting Tonkin's memories. As Landon seeks others' interpretations of events, she also analyses her changing understandings, uncovering the prejudices she has brought to the project as interviewer, researcher and historian.

The testimony of one Aboriginal participant is particularly unforeseen and forthright. It shows that how the Kurnai people see themselves has escaped the constructions White Australians have placed upon them since the invasion.

Finally, Jackson's Track Revisited focuses on the friendship between Landon and Pauline Mullett, daughter of Daryl Tonkin. Mullett leads Landon into her existing culture, which many white people believed no longer existed, helping Landon find meaning in all the stories. (back cover)

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