AustLit

'A royal 'visit' sounds innocuous. But Roach's song is about how, like innumerable Aboriginal clans before and since, his family were reminded the hard way that their traditional law, custom and land tenure meant nothing should the Queen 'visit'. 'Moving it on again' is Koori shorthand for becoming a refugee in your own country. The song goes on to tell of the Roach family's displacement onto the Framlingham mission, and of Uncle Archie's subsequent forced removal from his family and Aboriginal society. This child removal, an act that Roach sings 'hurts me to this very day', saw the singer slide into homelessness and alcoholism. Queen Elizabeth's 1954 visit, in short, precipitated events that badly damaged Roach's family and very nearly destroyed his life.' (Publication abstract)

'Manus Island is home. Until I reached the age of twelve in 1984, Lorengau town - the urban administrative, political and commercial centre of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea - was my parents' anchor. From there they navigated our lives between Manus, Port Moresby and beyond. They managed their careers, their growing family, their social obligations and their children's education, while striving to get by as a bi-racial couple among PNG's emerging educated elite who had helped lead the nation to independence. In the late 1970s, recognising the need to have a home base in Manus, they bought a small house at the east end of Lorengau town. This is a few minutes' walk from the current site of the Australian-funded East Lorengau Refugee Transit Centre for asylum seekers and refugees.' (Publication abstract)