24 May 2008
The healing power of stories
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William Munget was presumed drowned when the pearling boat Enid sank off the coast of north-western Australia in 1928. Many years later and on the other side of the continent, six of the 12 children of Nugget and Mary Edwards were kidnapped by police acting on the advice of government welfare authorities. These two stories illustrate the power that memory and loss exercise over our lives, the deep love of family across the generations and the need for healing.
Heartsick for Country: Pat Dudgeon
Pat Dudgeon is from the Bardi people of the Kimberley region in north-western Australia. A psychologist who's just completed her doctoral thesis, Pat is one of the contributing writers to a new anthology about country and the spirituality of place. Her story is an evocation of the mysterious death at sea of her great-grandfather, William Munget, a pearler whose boat sank off the north-west coast in 1928. 'The sinking of the Enid' skilfully combines oral history and documentary evidence from the files of the WA Department of Native Affairs. In this program, Pat reads from her story and talks about the role of psychology in healing.
Songlines of a Mutti Mutti Man: Kutcha and Mick Edwards
Kutcha Edwards was 18 months old when he and five of his brothers and sisters were 'kidnapped' by police who were acting on the advice of government welfare authorities. As a family and as individuals, their lives were permanently fractured. Even though they were reunited years later with their mother Mary, the damage had already been done. The production Songlines of a Mutti Mutti Man is literally set around a kitchen table. Kutcha and his older brother Mick talk about the show's return season and their unbroken family songline.
Further Information
Songlines of a Mutti Mutti Man
Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall
26-31 May 2008
Publications
Title: The sinking of the Enid in Heartsick for Country: stories of love, spirit and creation
Author: Pat Dudgeon
Publisher: Fremantle Press
URL: http://www.fremantlepress.com.au/
Presenter
Daniel Browning
Producer
Daniel Browning
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