Posted: February 8th, 2016
Filed under: Melva Stone, Pilbara
The E-book version of Lisa Holland-McNair’s, Melva Stone’s and Erica Smith’s Red Dust in Her Veins: Women of the Pilbara is now available through Amazon, iTunes and Kobo.
The 2007 work details the stories of 12 women and their lives in the Pilbara, and feature 25 full colour pages of pictures, maps and historical information to “show the Pilbara at its remote and ruggedly best.”
The book, dedicated to women of the Pilbara past, present and future, is donating all proceeds to the Flying Doctor Service.
In the foreword, Ms Stone writes that her work offers a glimpse into the multitude of ways the land and Country shapes the lives of its inhabitants, and becomes core to their identity.
“[This book] provides a window into the lives of four indigenous women who were born and have lived most of their lives there, and eight non-Indigenous women travelled to the region for work or with their families,” writes Stone.
“All of these women offer an insight into how they have found ways to meet the challenges of coping with change, with isolation from family, friends and technology, with health scares, while managing their relationships and working in new jobs.
“Their stories are invaluable for anyone contemplating ‘going bush’ to discover who they are and what’s important to them.”
One of the women featured in Stone’s work is Patricia Fry, an Aboriginal woman hailing from the Gibson Desert in the Pilbara’s far east. She writes in her story that nothing can replace the fondness she has for home.
“When I think of the land, I think of the red, red ochre…my last long trip up there was right out to my mother’s country, on Lake Percival – we called it Winpa,” writes Ms Fry.
“I knew as soon as I felt that wind on my face that I was home, I knew it was my father’s, my uncle’s, my mother’s country – I couldn’t get there quick enough, and when I arrived I just sat down and cried.
“I never wanted to leave.”
Hard copies of the book can be found at Elizabeth’s Bookstore or at the above Amazon link.
