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Gerard Waterford Gerard Waterford i(A107055 works by)
Born: Established: 1957 ;
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

Gerard Waterford has been a social worker and counsellor for the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress. As well as working with Alec Kruger on Alone on the Soaks, Waterford has written Reflections of Young Fathers: Their Stories (Newcastle Family Support Service, 2005).

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Living in Hope Alice Springs : Ptilotus Press , 2017 14216416 2017 single work autobiography

'The killing times were barely over in the Kimberley.
What I knew, even as a small boy, was that no-one argued with a whitefella. People talked in whispers.
I was still so small.
This is the story of the early years of my life. The story of a boy who was taken away from his mother and his family forever when he was just six years old. He had no say in it. His family had no say in it. The government had all the say in everything.

'A memoir of boyhood by a man who was removed as a child – from country, from culture and language, from family, from his mother.

'Filled with surprises and unlikely fun, this is more than just a story of surviving. From hiding out from the Japanese in spring-fed caves in the deep Kimberley, to being let loose in a paddock just like a poddy calf at Moola Bulla, to cowboy comics at the Beagle Bay mission.

'A story of white bosses, of priest bosses, of black stockmen and of staying out of trouble.

'With honesty and unexpected graciousness, Frank reminds us of a not-so-distant past and of how things happened for Aboriginal people in the North West.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2018 winner Most Underrated Book Award
2018 winner Territory Read Book of the Year Non-fiction
y separately published work icon Alone on the Soaks : The Life and Times of Alec Kruger Alice Springs : IAD Press , 2007 Z1401048 2007 single work autobiography

'Alec Kruger was stolen as a child from his family and his country. From this early time he knew the cold and harsh reality of institutions and not the caressing love of his mother or the warmth of other close relations. Still young, he was taken again - to the cattle stations of Central Australia where, even as a boy, he was expected to display all the independence and ingenuity of someone much older. In isolation. Alec faced possible death, till the arrival of Old People from country who saved him, taught him and made him culturally strong.

'Alec Kruger spent years droving and roaming throughout the Territory and Queensland, forever seeking his place in the world. He found a sense of belonging and somewhere to call home through having his own family and with the emergence and leadership of groups such as the Central Australian Stolen Generations and Families Aboriginal Corporation in the struggle of recognition, reconciliation and recompense.

'Alone on the Soaks enhances our understanding of the diverse journeys of Australia's stolen generations by offering readers intimate stories told in an original and valuable voice.' Source: Publisher's blurb

2009 shortlisted Territory Read Book of the Year
2007 winner Human Rights Awards Literature Non-Fiction Award
Alone on the Soaks Alone on the Soaks : The Life and Times of Alec Kruger 2004 extract autobiography (Alone on the Soaks : The Life and Times of Alec Kruger)
— Appears in: Northern Territory Literary Awards 2004 2004; (p. 5-9)

— Appears in: TERRA : A Bilingual Anthology of Writing from WordStorm, the Northern Territory's Writers' Festival 2007; (p. 204-217)

'Alec Kruger was stolen as a child from his family and his country. From this early time he knew the cold and harsh reality of institutions and not the caressing love of his mother or the warmth of other close relations. Still young, he was taken again – to the cattle stations of Central Australia where, even as a boy, he was expected to display all the independence and ingenuity of someone much older.'

'In isolation. Alec faced possible death, till the arrival of Old People from country who saved him, taught him and made him culturally strong.'

'Alec Kruger spent years droving and roaming throughout the Territory and Queensland, forever seeking his place in the world. He found a sense of belonging and somewhere to call home through having his own family and with the emergence and leadership of groups such as the Central Australian Stolen Generations and Families Aboriginal Corporation in the struggle of recognition, reconciliation and recompense.'

'Alone on the Soaks enhances our understanding of the diverse journeys of Australia’s stolen generations by offering readers intimate stories told in an original and valuable voice.' (Source: publishers blurb)

2007 winner Human Rights Awards Arts Non-Fiction Award
2004 finalist Northern Territory Literary Awards Dymocks Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Writers' Award
Last amended 12 Jan 2010 08:26:56
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